cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Open-label, pilot study examining sequential therapy with oral tacrolimus and topical tacrolimus for severe atopic dermatitis

Background Systemic treatment options for generalized atopic dermatitis (AD) are limited. To our knowledge, there have been no prospective trials examining the use of oral tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, in AD. Objectives We assessed the safety and efficacy of sequential therapy with oral tacrolimus and topical tacrolimus in the treatment of generalized AD using the Eczema Area and Severity Index and the Physician Global Assessment scores as the primary end points. Methods Twelve patients with AD covering at least 50% body surface area were enrolled. Patients in both phases of the study received sequential therapy with oral and topical tacrolimus over a 14-week treatment period. Eczema Area and Severity Index, Physician Global Assessment, and pruritus scores were calculated at each study visit. Results Patients recorded a 67% improvement in the Eczema Area and Severity Index score, a 45% improvement in the Physician Global Assessment score, and a 69% reduction in the pruritus score. Limitations This investigator-initiated, open-label, single-center, proof-of-concept study lacks a large sample size and placebo control group. Conclusion Sequential therapy with oral tacrolimus and topical tacrolimus may be an effective treatment for AD. A large, randomized control study is warranted.
Regulation of a double-stranded RNA modification activity in human cells.

A double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-specific modification activity from Xenopus oocytes and human cells dsRNA modifier) converts adenosine residues present in dsRNA to inosines. The function of the dsRNA modifier is unknown, although it has been suggested that it may be part of the cellular antiviral response. We investigated the relationship between the activity of the dsRNA modifier, viral infection, and the antiviral response in human cells induced by poly(rI)-poly(rC) [poly(I.C)] treatment. We found, unexpectedly, that treatment of HeLa cells with poly(I.C) or other dsRNA molecules resulted in the dramatic inhibition of the dsRNA modifier. Mixing experiments, reconstruction experiments, and pretreatment of extracts with RNases indicated that inhibition of the dsRNA modifier did not result from the continued presence of a soluble inhibitor such as dsRNA) in the in vitro modification reactions. Treatment of cells with cyclohexamide or dactinomycin simultaneously with the poly(I.C) demonstrated that in vivo inhibition of the dsRNA modifier did not require new transcription or translation. The dsRNA modification activity was also substantially inhibited in cells infected with poliovirus and was slightly inhibited in cells infected with adenovirus. The inhibition of the dsRNA modifier during the antiviral state is thus not consistent with an antiviral function, and instead suggests another cellular function for dsRNA modification.
Is laparoscopic donor nephrectomy here to stay

Abstract Background: Open live donor nephrectomy is safe and provides kidneys of excellent quality. The complexity of the laparoscopic donor technique has raised considerable concerns. Method: Twenty-six laparoscopic live donor nephrectomies were done from October 1997 to October 1998. Results: All kidneys had immediate function. All recipients except 1 had serum creatinines less than 2.0 mg at 2 months posttransplantation. Three complications (wound infection, neuroma, reoperation) occurred. There was no mortality. Conclusions: Proper surgical training and patient selection can result in a safe donor operation that provides kidneys of excellent quality.
FACULTY ADOPTION OF ONLINE TECHNOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

As technology becomes ubiquitous in classrooms, faculty will be asked to utilize new technologies in their instruction. Some will accept new ways to teach with technology while others resist. This paper aims to explore the factors that influence faculty to adopt online technology and faculty’s concern about the adoption. The focus is on adoption and diffusion of online technology related to faculty development efforts that may help them effectively integrate online technology in their instruction.
Deferoxamine reduces CSF free iron levels following intracerebral hemorrhage

Iron overload occurs in brain after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Deferoxamine, an iron chelator, attenuates perihematomal edema and oxidative stress in brain after ICH. We investigated the effects of deferoxamine on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free iron and brain total iron following ICH.
Misalignment in Supervision: Implementing Risk/Needs Assessment Instruments in Probation

Risk and needs assessment (RNA) tools are well regarded as a critical component of a community corrections organization implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs), given the potential impact of u...
Towards a small animal model for hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes chronic liver disease and affects an estimated 3% of the world's population. Options for the prevention or therapy of HCV infection are limited; there is no vaccine and the nonspecific, interferon-based treatments now in use are frequently ineffective and have significant side effects. A small-animal model for HCV infection would significantly expedite antiviral compound development and preclinical testing, as well as open new avenues to decipher the mechanisms that underlie viral pathogenesis. The natural species tropism of HCV is, however, limited to humans and chimpanzees. Here, we discuss the prospects of developing a mouse model for HCV infection, taking into consideration recent results on HCV entry and replication, and new prospects in xenotransplantation biology. We highlight three independent, but possibly complementary, approaches towards overcoming current species barriers and generating a small-animal model for HCV pathogenesis.
Automated environment generation for software model checking

A key problem in model checking open systems is environment modeling (i.e., representing the behavior of the execution context of the system under analysis). Software systems are fundamentally open since their behavior is dependent on patterns of invocation of system components and values defined outside the system but referenced within the system. Whether reasoning about the behavior of whole programs or about program components, an abstract model of the environment can be essential in enabling sufficiently precise yet tractable verification. In this paper, we describe an approach to generating environments of Java program fragments. This approach integrated formally specified assumptions about environment behavior with sound abstractions of environment implementations to form a model of the environment. The approach is implemented in the Bandera environment generator (BEG) which we describe along with our experience using BEG to reason about properties of several nontrivial concurrent Java programs.
Ethnopolitics in modern China: the Nationalists, Muslims, and Mongols in wartime Alashaa Banner (1937–1945)

This article reveals the murky political landscape of Alashaa Banner in Inner Mongolia during the Sino-Japanese war (1937–1945). By using various archival documents and secondary source materials, this research seeks to present a clearer picture of Inner Mongolian borderlands, involving the Chinese Nationalists, the Sinicized Muslims, and the Inner Mongols. Instead of restating the ‘ineffectiveness’ or ‘weakness’ of the Nationalist frontier administration in China's innermost borderlands during the pre-1949 decades, this article attempts to explore the extent of the war-threatened Nationalist Chinese effort to initiate their state-building tasks and promote their regime's power consolidation in modern China's northern periphery.
The relationship between methamphetamine and alcohol use in a community sample of methamphetamine users

a b s t r a c t Background: While methamphetamine (MA) and alcohol are often used in combination, little is known about the pattern of co-use between these substances. The goal of the present study is to examine the relationship between MA use and alcohol use in a community sample of non-treatment seeking regular MA users. Methods: Participants completed a face-to-face assessment battery, which included a diagnostic interview for MA dependence and the timeline follow-back interview for both alcohol and MA use over the past 30 days. Sixty regular MA and alcohol users supplied data for 1800 person-days. Results: Compared with non-drinking days, drinking days and binge drinking days increased the odds of same day MA use by 4.22 and 4.50 times, respectively (p's < 0.0001). Further, binge drinking incrementally increased risk for MA use above and beyond the effects of drinking itself (p < 0.0001). Lagged models revealed previous day MA use to predict following day MA use (p < 0.0001), yet, after controlling for this relationship, neither previous day alcohol use nor previous day binge drinking predicted following-day MA use. Finally, the effect of binge drinking on MA use was stronger among individuals with lower MA dependence severity or higher alcohol problem severity (p's < 0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that alcohol and MA are co-used in predictable patterns, and in partic- ular, that binge drinking may be incrementally associated with the likelihood of MA use. Future studies are needed to explore the temporal relationship between alcohol and MA use within a given episode. © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Binary Policy Model

Abstract We introduce a model of electoral competition with office-motivated candidates who are exogenously committed to particular positions on some issues, while they choose positions for the remaining issues. A position is majority-efficient if a candidate cannot make a majority of the electorate better off, given his fixed positions. We characterize existence conditions for majority-efficient positions. The candidates' fixed positions in our framework imply that only some voters are “swing voters,” and we analyze how the distribution of swing voters determines whether candidates choose majority-efficient positions. We also analyze plurality and runoff elections with multiple candidates in our framework.
Invisible Z′ at the CERN LHC

We study the feasibility of observing an invisibly decaying ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ at the LHC through the process $pp\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Z{Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}X{X}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}$, where $X$ is any neutral, (quasi-) stable particle, whether a standard model neutrino or a new state. The measurement of the invisible width through this process facilitates both a model-independent measurement of ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{{Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ and potentially detection of light neutral hidden states. Such particles appear in many models, where the ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ is a messenger to a hidden sector, and also if dark matter is charged under the $U(1{)}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ of the ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$. We find that with as few as $30\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ of data the invisibly decaying ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ can be observed at $5\ensuremath{\sigma}$ over standard model background for a 1 TeV ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ with reasonable couplings. If the ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ does not couple to leptons and therefore cannot be observed in the Drell-Yan channel, this process becomes a discovery mode. For reasonable hidden sector couplings, masses up to 2 TeV can be probed at the LHC. If the ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ does couple to leptons, then the rate for this invisible decay is predicted by on-peak data and the presence of additional hidden states can be searched for. With $100\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ of data, the presence of excess decays to hidden states can be excluded at 95% C.L., if they comprise 20--30% of the total invisible cross section.
Enhanced specific heat of silica nanofluid

Silica nanoparticles (1% by weight) were dispersed in a eutectic of lithium carbonate and potassium carbonate (62:38 ratio) to obtain high temperature nanofluids. A differential scanning calorimeter instrument was used to measure the specific heat of the neat molten salt eutectic and after addition of nanoparticles. The specific heat of the nanofluid was enhanced by 19–24%. The measurement uncertainty for the specific heat values in the experiments is estimated to be in the range of 1–5%. These experimental data contradict earlier experimental results reported in the literature. (Notably, the stability of the nanofluid samples was not verified in these studies.) In the present study, the dispersion and stability of the nanoparticles were confirmed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Percolation networks were observed in the SEM image of the nanofluid. Furthermore, no agglomeration of the nanoparticles was observed, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The observed enhancements are suggested to be due to the high specific surface energies that are associated with the high surface area of the nanoparticles per unit volume (or per unit mass).
Demand Characteristics of a Questionnaire Used to Assess Motion Sickness in a Virtual Environment

The experience of motion sickness in a virtual environment may be measured through pre- and post-experiment self-reported questionnaires such as the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). Although research provides converging evidence that users of virtual environments can experience motion sickness, there have been no controlled studies to determine to what extent the users subjective response is a demand characteristic resulting from pre- and post-test measures. In this study, subjects were given either SSQs both pre and post virtual environment immersion, or only post immersion. This technique was used to test for contrast effects due to demand characteristics in which administration of the questionnaire itself suggests to the participant that the virtual environment may produce motion sickness. Results indicate that reports of motion sickness after immersion in a virtual environment are much greater when both pre and post questionnaires are given than when only a post test questionnaire is used. The implications for assessments of motion sickness in virtual environments are discussed.
The Industrial Revolution in the Low Countries in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century: A Comparative Case Study

The comparative method will accomplish great things. … The historical specialist asks for a method which is a technical instrument, generally used, easily manageable and capable of giving positive results. The comparative method is precisely such an instrument. … I believe that this method can and must penetrate monographic studies. Marc Bloch
Chaperone-mediated hierarchical control in targeting misfolded proteins to aggresomes

Protein misfolding is a common event in living cells. Molecular chaperones not only assist protein folding; they also facilitate the degradation of misfolded polypeptides. When the intracellular degradative capacity is exceeded, juxtanuclear aggresomes are formed to sequester misfolded proteins. Despite the well-established role of chaperones in both protein folding and degradation, how chaperones regulate the aggregation process remains controversial. Here we investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying aggresome formation in mammalian cells. Analysis of the chaperone requirements for the fate of misfolded proteins reveals an unexpected role of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in promoting aggresome formation. This proaggregation function of Hsp70 relies on the interaction with the cochaperone ubiquitin ligase carboxyl terminal of Hsp70/Hsp90 interacting protein (CHIP). Disrupting Hsp70-CHIP interaction prevents the aggresome formation, whereas a dominant-negative CHIP mutant sensitizes the aggregation of misfolded protein. This accelerated aggresome formation also relies on the stress-induced cochaperone Bcl2-associated athanogene 3. Our results indicate that a hierarchy of cochaperone interaction controls different aspects of the intracellular protein triage decision, extending the function of Hsp70 from folding and degradation to aggregation.
A comment on the use of stochastic character maps to estimate evolutionary rate variation in a continuously valued trait.

Phylogenetic comparative biology has progressed considerably in recent years (e.g., Butler and King 2004; Rabosky 2006; Bokma 2008; Alfaro et al. 2009; Stadler 2011; Slater et al. 2012). One of the most important developments has been the application of likelihood-based methods to fit alternative models for trait evolution in a phylogenetic treewith branch lengths proportional to time (e.g., Butler andKing2004;O’Meara et al. 2006; Thomas et al. 2006; Revell and Collar 2009; Beaulieu et al. 2012). An important example of this type of method is O’Meara et al. (2006) “noncensored” test for variation in the evolutionary rate for a continuously valued character trait through time or across the branches of a phylogenetic tree (also see Thomas et al. 2006 for a closely related approach). According to this method, we first hypothesize evolutionary rate regimes on the tree (called “painting” in Butler and King 2004); and then we fit an evolutionary model, specifically the popular Brownian model (Cavalli-Sforza and Edwards 1967; Felsenstein 1973, 1985), in which the instantaneous variance of the Brownian random diffusion process has different values in different parts of the phylogeny (O’Meara et al. 2006). In their original article, O’Meara et al. (2006) did not focus specifically on how to hypothesize evolutionary regimes on the tree. The authors did, however, suggest that to test the hypothesis that a discrete character state had influenced the rate of a continuous character, one could use the approach of (Nielsen 2002; Huelsenbeck et al. 2003; Bollback 2006) to first stochastically map the discretely valued trait, and then “test to see whether the portions of the tree with one state for the discrete character have a different rate of evolution for the continuous character than portions of the tree to which the other discrete state has beenmapped” (O’Meara et al. 2006, p. 931). Indeed, this has become common practice for this and other closely related methods (e.g., Collar et al. 2009, 2010; Revell and Collar 2009; Martin and Wainwright 2011; Price et al. 2011). Normally, then, the set of evolutionary rate estimates from the stochastically mapped trees are averaged across all the trees in the sample. This is presented as a method of obtaining rate estimates that “integrate over uncertainty in...ancestral states” (Collar et al. 2010, p. 1035). Figure 1 illustrates this analysis pipeline. a)
Prevention and treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia: current status and future prospects

This review summarizes the existing evidence for potential non-ventilator-dependent strategies to prevent or ameliorate bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Oxygen plays an important pathogenetic and therapeutic role for BPD. Targeting infants with lower saturation of peripheral oxygen levels than traditionally used seems justified. Inhaled nitric oxide has not proven effective on pulmonary outcome in extremely low birth weight infants. Diuretics can ameliorate lung function transiently. High intramuscular doses of vitamin A reduce the risk of BPD. Prophylactic application of natural surfactant may also confer benefits. Recently, early administration of caffeine has been shown to decrease risk of BPD. However, assessment of long-term effects is needed before routine use can be recommended. Owing to potential short- and long-term effects, postnatal corticosteroids should be restricted to the most severe manifestations of BPD. Superoxide dismutase and α1-proteinase inhibitor have not shown efficacy in preventing BPD. The potential role of anti-inflammatory therapies like Clara Cell 10 kDa protein has yet to be defined.
Critical relationships between particle size, composition, and microstructure in thick-film resistors

It is shown that the microstructure of RuO/sub 2/-based thick-film resistors depends on the volume fraction of RuO/sub 2/, particle size of RuO/sub 2/, and particle size of glass, but that these are not independent variables. Rather, they are related through a coverage factor which describes the extent of coverage of glass particles in the unfired resistors. Two critical values of the coverage factor are identified, separating regions of constant microstructure, changing microstructure, and unstable microstructure. >
The gastric ulcer problem: prognosis in masked malignancy.

ployed in duodenal ulcer, and the need will be apparent to all. There will remain a smaller group of patients with lesions about which a difference of opinion with respect to proposed treatment well may occur. In some of these patients a gastric ulcer may recur after initial healing, or healing may be slow, but the internist is clinically certain that the ulcer is benign. In other patients the ulcer may lie so high on the lesser curvature that opera­ tion will carry a greater than usual risk of life, or permanent, unpleasant se­ quelae. In some the total evidence will favor a diagnosis of carcinoma, although no hard and fast opinion can be rendered. In all of this group, if operation is undertaken, the diagnosis will either be benign ulcer, or it will be indeterminate. \Ve refer to malignancy found in this group as "masked malignancy," even though in most instances it will have been the possibility of malignancy which prompted operation. This study proposes to evaluate factors influencing the physician who advises treatment for this last group (fig. 1). FACTORS OPPOSING OPERATION Operative mortality. In a personal series (S. O. H.) of gastric resections for benign gastric ulcers, the operative mortality has been one in 110 patients.t An operative mortality of 1 or 2 per cent is common in the experience of many
Automated Method for Improving System Performance of Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Breast Ultrasound

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate the feasibility of a computerized auto-assessment method in which a computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) system itself provides a level of confidence for its estimate for the probability of malignancy for each radiologist-identified lesion. The computer performance was assessed within a leave-one-case-out protocol using a database of sonographic images from 542 patients (19% cancer prevalence). We investigated the potential of computer-derived confidence levels both as 1) an output aid to radiologists and 2) as an automated method to improve the computer classification performance-in the task of differentiating between cancerous and benign lesions for the entire database. For the former, the CADx classification performance was assessed within ranges of confidence levels. For the latter, the computer-derived confidence levels were used in the determination of the computer-estimated probability of malignancy for each actual lesion based on probabilities obtained from different views. The use of this auto-assessment method resulted in the modest but statistically significant increase in the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC value) of 0.01 with respect to the performance obtained using the ldquotraditionalrdquo CADx approach, increasing the AUC value from 0.89 to 0.90 (p -value 0.03). We believe that computer-provided confidence levels may be helpful to radiologists who are using CADx output in diagnostic image interpretation as well as for automated improvement of the CADx classification for cancer.
INK4/ARF Transcript Expression Is Associated with Chromosome 9p21 Variants Linked to Atherosclerosis

Background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have linked common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 9p21 near the INK4/ARF (CDKN2A/B) tumor suppressor locus with risk of atherosclerotic diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. To explore the mechanism of this association, we investigated whether expression of proximate transcripts (p16INK4a, p15INK4b, ARF, ANRIL and MTAP) correlate with genotype of representative 9p21 SNPs.
Control of Glucose Metabolism in the Human Fetus and Newborn Infant

Publisher Summary As normal human gestation progresses, the secretion of a hormone that is unique to the trophoblast—human placental lactogen—begins early in pregnancy and increases toward term, and the concentration of this hormone in maternal plasma rises progressively. In association with the high plasma levels sustained at term, resistance to the normal enhancement of glucose uptake by insulin develops in pregnant women. Thus, the rate of glucose metabolism by the fasting pregnant woman declines, and the decreased maternal uptake of glucose helps to preserve the fasting plasma level of glucose even though it diffuses continuously to the fetus. Although insulin resistance can be demonstrated in late pregnancy, normal glucose tolerance is maintained; after the ingestion of glucose, the plasma insulin response is enhanced. Thus, at the end of gestation, a hormonal factor other than placental lactogen causes an excessive insulin response to glucose stimuli. Throughout pregnancy, there is a net placental diffusion of glucose from the mother to the fetus as long as the mother remains either normoglycemic or hyperglycemic; but the protein hormones which could participate in the control of fetal glucose metabolism are transferred poorly.
Placental histomorphometry in gestational diabetes mellitus: the relationship between subsequent type 2 diabetes mellitus and race/ethnicity.

Objectives: We examined placental histomorphometry in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) for factors associated with race/ethnicity and subsequent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: We identified 124 placentas from singleton, full-term live births whose mothers had clinically defined GDM and self-reported race/ethnicity. Clinical and placental diagnoses were abstracted from medical records. Results: Forty-eight white and 76 nonwhite women were followed for 4.1 years (median, range 0.0–8.9 years). White women developed less T2DM (12.5% vs 35.5%; P = .005) but had higher systolic (mean ± SD, 116 ± 13 vs 109 ± 11 mm Hg; P < .001) and diastolic (71 ± 9 vs 68 ± 7 mm Hg; P = .02) blood pressure, more smoking (35.4% vs 10.5%; P = .004), and more chorangiosis (52.1% vs 30.3%; P = .02) than nonwhite women. Conclusions: Although more nonwhite women developed T2DM, more white women had chorangiosis, possibly secondary to the higher percentage of smokers among them. Further study is necessary to elucidate the relationship among chorangiosis, subsequent maternal T2DM, and race.
Cell wall deficient bacterial variants from man in experimental cardiopathy.

Cell wall deficient forms (CWDF) of bacteria from infections in man produced endocarditis and myocarditis in mice. A pneumococcal variant caused myocarditis; a streptococcal variant produced both myocarditis and endocarditis. The amount of cell wall deficient variants injected, equivalent to 104 organisms, is less than the amount commonly used when testing the virulence of classical bacteria. The incidence of cardiac disease was highly significant statistically. A chi square contingency test indicated that the lesions had less than a 1% chance of occurring when no organisms were injected. The strains of CWDF used in this study were selected because of their relative ease of culture, not because any pretesting indicated exceptional virulence for animals. Only a few investigators have used the mouse as an animal model to demonstrate virulence of CWDF. The obvious advantage is the large number of animals which can be studied, giving statistically valid data.
Improved Electrochemical Capacity of Precursor-Derived Si(B)CN-Carbon Nanotube Composite as Li-Ion Battery Anode

We study the electrochemical behavior of precursor-derived siliconboron carbonitride (Si(B)CN) ceramic and Si(B)CN coated-multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) composite as a lithium-ion battery anode. Reversible capacity of Si(B)CN was observed to be 138 mA h/g after 30 cycles, which is four times that of SiCN (∼25 mA h/g) processed under similar conditions, while the Si(B)CN-CNT composite showed further enhancement demonstrating 412 mA h/g after 30 cycles. Improved performance of Si(B)CN is attributed to the presence of boron that is known to modify SiCN’s nanodomain structure resulting in improved chemical stability and electronic conductivity. Post-cycling microscopy and chemical analysis of the anode revealed formation of a stable passivating layer, which resulted in stable cycling.
The viscosity of grief: Teresa Margolles at the scene of the crime

This essay considers the possibilities of collective political mourning through Mexican artist Teresa Margolles's 2009 contribution to the Venice Biennale, De Que Otra Cosa Podriamos Hablar? (What Else Could We Talk About?). The author posits that our prevailing notions of grief and mourning rely upon a stable conception of single human subjects whose loss can be narrativized. This, the author argues throughout the essay, limits the possibilities of political action by restricting mourning to subjects who have a biography. He then takes the use of objects, fluids, and other materials in Margolles's installation to challenge what Judith Butler refers to as the narcissism of mourning. The author suggests that Margolles's piece reconsiders how matter functions as the very tissue that allows us to critique violence. He then turns toward Gil Anidjar's critique of the political history of blood in order to show the ways in which the presence of blood in the work allows us to disentangle the subject of violence ...
Numerical Study on Adjustable Range of Secondary Air Swirl Intensity

Numerical simulation was conducted with software Ansys 12.0 on the flow field of power plant boiler,so as to study the effect of swirl intensity of both the internal and external secondary air on the in-furnace flow field.Results show that with the rise of swirl intensity,the central backflow zone begins to move away from the axis of burner outlet,with an elongated length and an enlarged area;when the swirl intensity rises to a certain value,no ideal central backflow zone would be formed,in which case flash phenomenon may occur;the swirl intensity of external secondary air has a higher effect on the backflow zone,with an adjustable range narrower than that of the internal secondary air;the adjustable range of internal and external secondary air is 0.58-2.74 and 0.58-1.00 respectively.
Optical detection of closely spaced sources for improved space situational awareness

It is currently possible for space debris to remain undetected in close proximity to satellites. Current detection methods are adept at locating a single object in space, as well as two objects that are greatly separated, but have difficulty finding a second object that is nearby. The problem is exacerbated if the second object appears much dimmer than the first object. The method proposed in this paper would work with existing methods as an additional processing step that would process areas of astronomical images around places where objects are detected. In this case the proposed algorithm is designed to look at a pixel and determine how bright an object would be if there were an object there, then applies a binary hypothesis test to determine if an object is present. In theory, this will have the greatest advantage over existing methods when the objects are very close together or the second object is very dim. The algorithm has been tested on both simulated data and on a laboratory level test and improved the probability of detection by up to 300%.
A Control Strategy for Peak Output Current of PV Inverter Under Unbalanced Voltage Sags

Unbalanced voltage sags often occur during actual power grid operation and the appearance of negative-sequence component of grid voltage leads to the output power fluctuation of PV inverters and the distortion in three-phase current caused by harmonics; meanwhile, during the voltage sag the decrease of voltage amplitude makes the peak output current increased and further brings the potential safety hazard to the operation of PV generation system, thus it is necessary to research the control strategy for peak output current of the PV inverter during unbalanced voltage sag in power grid. The approaches for peak output current of the PV inverter during unbalanced voltage sag, which are widely being researched, are analyzed, and the three-phase output current of the PV inverter is emphatically researched and a computing method for the three-phase peak current and the maximum peak current that is likely to appear is given, and then a method to restrict the peak current, by which it can be ensured during unbalanced voltage sag that the output current of PV inverters will not exceed over the limit of the maximum current, is put forward. The validity of the proposed method is verified by simulation results.
Investigation on the harm of rodent in different habitats

Objective To survey the inroads situation of the mice in different habitats in Hua Tin County.Methods The survey was carried out by the way of using clips to look into the density and the species of mice.Results The average density of mice in different conditions was 3.06%,the density in residential area was 3.40% which was the highest.The density in special trades was the second which was 3.10%,the density in the villages which was free from affection was 2.12%.Mus.musculus was the main species in residential area,Rattus norvegicus was next to it,and Cricetulus barabensis could be seen.Rattus norvegicus had dominant position in special trades.Rattus norvegicus were the dominant species in the village which was free from affection.Conclusion The survey showed that the density of mice in urban was very high.It was necessary to strengthen the work for wiping out the mice and the monitor to the diseases caused by the mice.
Cortisone Acetate Versus Clomiphene Citrate in Pre-Germinal Idiopathic Oligospermia

Long-term, low dose clomiphene citrate (25 mg./day for 25-day cycles with 5-day rest periods) and long-term, low dose cortisone acetate (5 mg. twice daily) were compared in equivalent populations of men with idiopathic oligospermia. Clomiphene citrate seemed to be more effective than cortisone acetate in enhancing spermatozoal number and the likelihood of pregnancy. In addition, clomiphene citrate increased serum testosterone levels and provided an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis responsiveness.
Slavery, state, and society, c. 1500 – c. 1800

INTRODUCTION This chapter focuses on the formation and consolidation of states in the Nigerian area from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries AD. During this period, large, centralized states built upon strong agrarian bases, generating surpluses that allowed for economic diversification and engagement in regional and international trade. One such diversification was the growth of an international trade in slaves, particularly out of the south. This chapter emphasizes the role that slavery and the slave trade played in social relations and in the establishment and consolidation of political power in states throughout the Nigerian region. It is important to note that slavery and the slave trade were not the main factors in the formation of these states, most of which existed in one form or another before the arrival of European traders on the coasts in the late fifteenth century. From the 1500s through the 1800s, however, the trade in slaves did provide important sources of revenue and access to items such as guns and European luxury goods that contributed greatly to the consolidation of wealth and power in many states. In the states of the northern savannas and the Sahel, the institution of slavery had deep roots, and connections with the trans-Saharan trade routes meant that markets for slave exports had existed for several centuries. As the main trans-Saharan trade routes moved east in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, coinciding with the expansion and consolidation of the Hausa states and the Borno empire, tensions between these states mounted.
An ordered subset expectation maximization method for joint estimation of emission activity distribution and photon attenuation map in PET

We introduce the first ever ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) method for joint estimation of emission activity distribution and photon attenuation map from positron emission tomography (PET) emission data alone. It differs from standard OSEM in the use of distinct-, as opposed to identical subsets for emission activity distribution- and photon attenuation map update. The method accelerates EMAA (expectation maximization activity and attenuation estimation) by 50×, reducing the two dimensional estimation time from 14 hours to 17 minutes. EMAA with and without OSEM results in similar emission activity distribution- and photon attenuation map estimation errors.
FAIR GOVERNMENTAL BUDGETARY PROCEDURES: INSIGHTS FROM PAST RESEARCH AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Program heads are key players in governmental budgeting because they are involved both in formulating their program’s budget and ensuring the program’s activities comply with the budget. This paper synthesizes past research pertaining to two aspects of a government’s budgeting system-formal budgetary procedures fairness and budgetary procedures implementation fairness-that influence program heads’ attitudes and behaviors. Criteria are identified for each of the two forms of budgetary procedures fairness, as are specific types of attitudinal and behavioral reactions on the part of program heads. Reasons that program heads value fair budgetary procedures are also discussed. The paper concludes by presenting implications the research has for people involved in designing and implementing governmental budgeting systems and for governmental budgeting researchers.
ARCS: Adaptive Runtime Configuration Selection for Power-Constrained OpenMP Applications

Power is the most critical resource for the exascale high performance computing. In the future, system administrators might have to pay attention to the power consumption of the machine under different work loads. Hence, each application may have to run with an allocated power budget. Thus, achieving the best performance on future machines requires optimal performance subject to a power constraint. This additional performance requirement should not be the responsibility of HPC~(High Performance Computing) application developers. Optimizing the performance for a given power budget should be the responsibility of high-performance system software stack. Modern machines allow power capping of CPU and memory to implement power budgeting strategy. Finding the best runtime environment for a node at a given power level is important to get the best performance. This paper presents ARCS (Adaptive Runtime Configuration Selection) frameworkthat automatically selects the best runtime configuration for each OpenMPparallel region at a given power level. The framework uses OMPT (OpenMP Tools) API, APEX(Autonomic Performance Environment for eXascale), and Active Harmony frameworksto explore configuration search space and selects the best number of threads, scheduling policy, and chunk size for a given power level at run-time. We test ARCS using theNAS Parallel Benchmark, and proxy application LULESH with Intel Sandybridge, and IBM Power multi-core architectures. We show that for a given power level, efficient OpenMP runtime parameter selection can improve the execution time andenergy consumption of an application up to 40% and 42% respectively.
Avoiding a Fiscal/Demographic/Economic Debacle in Japan

Japan is the now the oldest country in the world and getting older by the day. Currently there are almost 3 Japanese of working age per Japanese person of pensionable age. By 2040, this ratio will be 1 to 1. The graying of Japan reflects fertility and mortality rates that, demographically speaking, are hard to believe. In 1950 Japan’s fertility rate was 2.7. It’s now just 1.3. In comparison, today’s U.S. rate is 2.1. Japanese life expectancy at birth is currently 81 years—the highest of any country in the world and a full five years higher than that of the U.S. In the early 1950s, the U.S. had a five-year lead over Japan in the race to live the longest. But since then U.S. life expectancy increased by just seven years, while Japanese life expectancy rose by 17 years. By mid-century Japanese life expectancy is projected to reach 84. At that point Americans will be just starting to achieve current Japanese longevity.
Applying Bayesian Changepoint Model and Hierarchical Divisive Model for Detecting Anomalies in Clinical Decision Support Alert Firing

Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Systems are widely used to support efficient evidence-based care and have become an important aspect of healthcare. CDS systems are complex, and sometimes malfunction or exhibit anomalous behavior. We have previously shown how anomaly detection models can be used to successfully identify malfunctions in CDS systems. We have extended this work and applied two new anomaly detection models on CDS alert firing data from a large health system.
Legacies of 1917 in Contemporary Russian Public Health: Addiction, HIV, and Abortion.

I examine the legacies of Soviet public health policy and the socialist health care system and trace how the Soviet past figures in contemporary Russian policymaking and debates about drug use, HIV, and abortion. Drug policies and mainstream views of HIV reflect continuities with key aspects of Soviet-era policies, although political leaders do not acknowledge these continuities in justifying their policies.In abortion policy, by contrast, which is highly debated in the public realm, advocates represent themselves as differing from Soviet-era policies to justify their positions. Yet abortion activists’ views of the past differ tremendously, reminding us that the Soviet past is symbolically productive for arguments about Russia’s present and future.I describe key aspects of the Soviet approach to health and compare how current drug policy (and the related management of HIV/AIDS) and abortion policies are discursively shaped in relation to the Soviet historical and cultural legacy.
Partial oxidation of alkanes by dioxiranes formed in situ at low temperature

Partial oxidation catalysts capable of efficiently operating at low temperatures may limit the over-oxidation of alkane substrates and thereby improve selectivity. This work focuses on examining alkane oxidation using completely metal-free organocatalysts, dioxiranes. The dioxiranes employed here are synthesized by oxidation of a ketone using a terminal oxidant, such as hydrogen peroxide. Our work generates the dioxirane in situ, so that the process can be catalytic with respect to the ketone. To date, we have demonstrated selective partial oxidation of adamantane using ketone catalysts resulting in yields upwards of 60% towards 1-adamantanol with greater than 99% selectivity. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that changing the electrophilic character of the ketone R groups to contain more electron-donating ligands facilitates the dioxirane ring formation and improves overall oxidation yields. Isotopic labelling studies using H218O2 show the preferential incorporation of an 18O label into the parent ketone, providing evidence for a dioxirane intermediate formed in situ The isotopic labelling studies, along with solvent effect studies, suggest the formation of peracetic acid as a reactive intermediate.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Providing sustainable catalytic solutions for a rapidly changing world'.
Performance Feedback to Increase Use of Counseling Skills.

Counseling is a critical component of audiological care and when implemented purposefully can yield multiple benefits for patients. Professional guidelines indicate that counseling is within the scope of practice for audiologists, yet research has shown that audiologists feel unprepared and are not comfortable providing adjustment counseling. This may be due to inadequate counseling training in audiology graduate programs. To identify ways to address this counseling training gap, this study examined the use of performance feedback to increase counseling skills among audiology graduate students. In this study, participants (n = 5) were recorded during clinical session encounters, and recordings were coded for time spent counseling. A licensed clinical psychologist reviewed the recordings and provided individual performance feedback to participants over the course of the study. Time spent counseling increased by the end of the study, although improvement varied across participants. Results suggest that performance feedback can be used as a method to increase counseling skills in audiology students. However, factors, such as participant motivation, feedback timing, and prerequisite counseling skills, may influence response to feedback. More research is needed on ways to maximize gains from feedback, as well as other methods to improve counseling skills in audiology students.
METHODS OF SAFETY AND RELIABILITY ANALYSIS

Abstract This paper primarily deals with two problems of practical interest. One is the reliability-based optimum design involving the quasi-static approach of structural analysis. A method is presented in this connection by which the concept of reliability analysis is combined with that of the minimum weight design to achieve an optimum trade-off between the safety and the cost. The other is a treatment of the structural safety when the quasi-static approach is not valid. As an example, the safety of a building structure under future earthquakes is considered with the aid of a reasonable but simple model of a future earthquake acceleration in terms of a compound random process. The probability distribution of the extreme value of the structural response is derived without recourse to the mathematically rigorous but difficult first-passage-time approach and its practical significance is emphasized. Also, some of the problems involving more complex failure modes, such as fatigue failure, are mentioned. However, as the following lectures are devoted to particular subject matters this paper is intended to identify the essential problems of structural reliability as well as to introduce some of the commonly used mathematical tools in this area of study.
Experimental challenges in cyber security: a story of provenance and lineage for malware

Rigorous experiments and empirical studies hold the promise of empowering researchers and practitioners to develop better approaches for cyber security. For example, understanding the provenance and lineage of polymorphic malware strains can lead to new techniques for detecting and classifying unknown attacks. Unfortunately, many challenges stand in the way: the lack of sufficient field data (e.g., malware samples and contextual information about their impact in the real world), the lack of metadata about the collection process of the existing data sets, the lack of ground truth, the difficulty of developing tools and methods for rigorous data analysis. As a first step towards rigorous experimental methods, we introduce two techniques for reconstructing the phylogenetic trees and dynamic control-flow graphs of unknown binaries, inspired from research in software evolution, bioinformatics and time series analysis. Our approach is based on the observation that the long evolution histories of open source projects provide an opportunity for creating precise models of lineage and provenance, which can be used for detecting and clustering malware as well. As a second step, we present experimental methods that combine the use of a representative corpus of malware and contextual information (gathered from end hosts rather than from network traces or honeypots) with sound data collection and analysis techniques. While our experimental methods serve a concrete purpose-- understanding lineage and provenance--they also provide a general blueprint for addressing the threats to the validity of cyber security studies.