cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Portable Continuous Ultrasound-Assisted Oxidative Desulfurization Unit for Marine Gas Oil

A tailor-made module reactor, the sonoreactor, was successfully assembled to demonstrate the oxidative desulfurization of petroleum oil. This is a unique unit constructed specifically for assisting petroleum industries. Therefore, on the basis of the concept of module design, the portable unit of continuous flow system, which consists of a sonoreactor, a RF amplifier, a function generator, a pretreatment tank, and a pipeline system, was operated at ambient temperature and pressure for a given time. For the best quality or quantity purposes and performance, multiple sonoreactors can be scaled up to connect in series or in parallel, respectively. This portable unit of continuous flow system has demonstrated the feasibility of large-scale operation even in a relatively small installation area with low capital investment and maintenance cost. It also ensures the safety considerations by operating under ambient temperature and pressure and permits a multistage process for the best quality or quantity purposes ...
Electron microscopy of catalysts: recent achievements and future prospects

Electron microscopy is undoubtedly one of the most important tools for visualizing the morphology of industrial heterogeneous catalysts. With improvements in resolution, it is now possible to directly image the complex nanostructure of catalytic materials. Spectroscopic measurements performed in situ within the microscope provide elemental analysis and information on oxidation state and bonding. The development of in situ, controlled atmosphere instruments means that we can now study working catalysts, instead of simply doing postmortem examinations. In this review, we assess the state of the art and highlight some of the insights provided by microscopy in the study of catalysts. We then look to the future to see the developments on the horizon (notably aberration-corrected microscopy) that could have the largest impact on our ability to understand catalysts.
Photonic band structure calculations using a two-dimensional electromagnetic simulator

Abstract The use of an electromagnetic simulator is demonstrated as a tool for exploring photonic band structure in two-dimensional dielectric arrays. The photon dispersion relation as derived from the simulation is shown to agree well with that calculated by the plane wave expansion technique. The simulation is also used to explore the transmission properties and field distributions of localized electromagnetic modes associated with defects in the regular array.
The Perception of Pacing in a Music Appreciation Class and Its Relationship to Teacher Effectiveness and Teacher Intensity

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships among pacing, teacher effectiveness, and teacher intensity in the context of a realistic teaching situation. A scripted stimulus video was created in which the teacher demonstrated predefined pacing lapses to measure their effects on observers’ ratings of teacher effectiveness, teacher intensity, teacher pacing, and general perceptions. Participants (N = 164 college students) were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 41) to evaluate ongoing teacher effectiveness, teacher intensity, teacher pacing, or general perceptions (control group). Participants evaluated the teacher on their assigned construct using both continuous (Continuous Response Digital Interface) and summative measures (Likert-type scale). Results showed that the constructs had strong positive linear correlations with each other. The pacing group evidenced a greater response magnitude than the other three groups (effectiveness, intensity, control), suggesting that participants i...
Applications Of Fourier Transform NIR/Raman

ABSTRACT A NIR Raman accessory has been designed for use with a Perkin- Elmer Model 1700 Fourier Transform Spectrometer. The design does not interfere with application of the instrument for normal mid- infrared spectroscopy. In order to demonstrate performance, a number of different types of samples and analytical problems have been considered. These include structure-spectra correlations, pharmaceuticals, polymers, highly colored and fluorescent materials, and sampling. 1. INTRODUCTION At the Fifth International Conference, Hirschfeld and Chase informally discussed the possibility of using near infrared excitation of the Raman effect in conjunction with a high throughput Fourier transform spectrometer. Since then several systems have been built and applied to a wide variety of samples. The primary reason for using NIR excitation has been realized, that is, substantial reduction in fluorescence as a major interference. As a result, Raman spectra may be obtained easily on a majority of samples.
The treatment of rupture of the pregnant uterus. Analysis of 93 cases treated in a rural hospital in Zambia

In this study 93 cases of uterine rupture, treated in a rural hospital in Zambia have been analyzed. Clinical characteristics and mortality rate were found to be comparable to those reported in other series from developing countries. An attempt was made to compare the outcome of various surgical procedures. No statistically significant differences were found between the mortality rates after repair, subtotal and total hysterectomy (12%, 13% and 28%, respectively). A survey of recent literature on the treatment of uterine rupture in developing countries revealed a wide divergence of opinions and criteria of selection, precluding reliable comparisons. A proposition for individualized treatment is outlined, concluding that repair should be performed when suitable but that hysterectomy is preferable when the tear is extensive, bruised and contaminated.
Generalized Gangliosidosis: Beta-Galactosidase Deficiency

A profound deficiency (10- to 30-fold) of beta-galactosidase activity was found in tissues (liver, spleen, kidney, and brain) from two patients with generalized gangliosidosis; this deficiency is demonstrated as a failure to cleave both p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside and ganglioside GM(1) labeled with C(14) in the terminal galactose. We believe that this enzymic defect is responsible for the accumulation of ganglioside GM(1) and is the fundamental enzyme defect in generalized gangliosidosis.
Urinary Excretion of 17-Ketosteroids in Ovarian Failure IV. During the Climacteric and after Artificial Menopause1

ESTROGENIC OVARIAN FAILURE, more severe m degree than that which occurs in many instances of intercurrent amenorrhea during the reproductive period, occurs physiologically during the sexual aging of woman, or may be induced by radium or roentgenologic therapy. Complete ovarian deficiency occurs in bilaterally oophorectomizgd women. In all of these instances, the causes of the failure may be reduced to a simple common denominator, intrinsic ovarian damage, resulting from senility, radium, roentgen-ray or surgery. Patients with this type of intrinsic ovarian failure afford an excellent opportunity for the investigation of possible alterations in the androgenic functions of the adrenals secondary to ovarian deficiency or deprivation. If the findings, reported in the previous communication upon patients with amenorrhea, were interpreted correctly, studies of 17-ketosteroid excretion during the climacteric and after artificial menopause should show similar, if not more marked, elevations than those during amen...
Nanoparticle spectroscopy: Dipole coupling in two-dimensional arrays of L-shaped silver nanoparticles

The plasmon resonance was measured for two-dimensional arrays of L-shaped Ag nanoparticles fabricated by electron beam lithography. A variety of particle sizes were studied with nominal total edge ...
SAX-EFG: an evolutionary feature generation framework for time series classification

A variety of real world applications fit into the broad definition of time series classification. Using traditional machine learning approaches such as treating the time series sequences as high dimensional vectors have faced the well known "curse of dimensionality" problem. Recently, the field of time series classification has seen success by using preprocessing steps that discretize the time series using a Symbolic Aggregate ApproXimation technique (SAX) and using recurring subsequences ("motifs") as features. In this paper we explore a feature construction algorithm based on genetic programming that uses SAX-generated motifs as the building blocks for the construction of more complex features. The research shows that the constructed complex features improve the classification accuracy in a statistically significant manner for many applications.
Specificity of cell adhesion: Differences between normal and hybrid sea urchin cells☆

Abstract The adhesive specificity of embryonic sea urchin cells from two species, and the two hybrid crosses between these species was examined by a cell-aggregate collection assay. Cells of normal Lytechinus or Tripneustes embryos were found to adhere to homospecific cell aggregates at a much higher rate than they would adhere to heterospecific aggregates. Hybrid cells adhered to collecting aggregates at an intermediate rate. The observed pattern of hybrid cell adhesion suggested that paternal gene products are capable of modifying cell surface adhesive sites as early as the mesenchyme blastula stage.
Green construction in civil engineering instruction

Teaching sustainability in civil engineering curriculum fulfills ABET 2000 Outcome 3c and the codes of ethics of NSPE and ASCE. The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has published the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria since 1998. LEED is an optional criteria in private construction and is mandated or encouraged by many federal, state, and local governments for public construction projects. Learning about LEED criteria will help to prepare civil engineers to understand how civil systems interact with and operate in a more complementary manner with the natural world as well as to reduce water, energy, and material usage. The authors describe the process of learning about the LEED v3 (2009) criteria to apply it to two existing buildings to build a scorecard. In the process of building the scorecard, the authors learned about sustainable construction techniques. Future guidance on applications of the LEED criteria across the undergraduate civil engineering curriculum is discussed.
Avoidance of recently eaten foods by land hermit crabs,Coenobita compressus

Abstract Land hermit crabs, Coenobita compressus , prefer the odours of foods that they have not recently eaten. I used a laboratory choice assay to quantify observations of these induced food odour preferences and to examine the mechanisms that may underlie the formation of these preferences. A potential benefit of this behaviour to land hermit crabs was examined by measuring the relative growth rates of crabs fed single-item diets and a mixed diet. Sex and age differences among crabs did not affect their formation of odour preferences. Land hermit crabs that were exposed to one food for at least 9 h preferred foods having other odours for the next 6 h. Crabs avoided odours associated with food consumption. In choice assays using artificial diets, crabs consumed more glucose than casein, yet both nutrients generated an equal amount of avoidance. Land hermit crabs that received a multiple-item diet of flowers, snails and seeds had higher relative growth rates than crabs fed single-item diets. Nutritional analyses showed that these foods differed in their nutritional composition, with flowers containing the most carbohydrates, snails containing the most proteins and seeds containing the most lipids. Broader diets resulting from short-term avoidance of food odours may benefit land hermit crabs by increasing relative growth rates, possibly through the consumption of a more nutritionally balanced diet.
Optimum Population in Rural Areas: Empirical Evidence from the Franc Zone

A theoretical analysis of optimum population, 179.—Empirical evidence from the Franc Zone, 183.—Possibilities of bias, 189.—Conclusion, 191.
DETECTION OF GRAPE JUICE IN APPLE JUICE

A microbiological assay used by Vandercook and Smolensky (1976) to measure the content of orange juice in orange drinks was modified for the detection of the adulteration of apple juice by grape juice or water. An assay of 24 samples of retail apple juice, diluted 1:10 revealed little or no growth of Lactobacillus plantarum after 48 hr incubation, whereas solutions containing 8% of the same apple juice and 2% of a retail grape juice had a growth value in absorbance of 0.176 ± 0.039. When samples were supplemented with vitamin-free casein ammo acids (AHC), bacterial growth increased dramatically in 21 of the juices. Assays run on juice prepared in the laboratory from fresh apples gave the same results, eliminating the possibility that the assay was dependent on the extraction procedure. Solutions of two retail samples of apple juice showed no growth with addition of ammo acids which might indicate that the products were processed differently, were less than single strength, or were “synthetic” juices. One drink mix labelled “artificially flavored” apple cider did not support any growth either. Thus, the adulteration of apple juice with grape juice, overdilution, or use of synthetic products may be detected with the aid of a microbiological assay.
Characterization of background and pyrolysis products that may interfere with the forensic analysis of fire debris

Abstract An important aspect of an investigation of a suspected arson case involves the chemical analysis of the debris remaining after the fire. Forensic chemists apply the tools of analytical chemistry for the extraction, isolation and analysis of the target compounds that characterize ignitable liquid residues (ILR). Complex organic mixtures such as automobile gasoline, diesel fuel and other volatile mixtures that could be used to accelerate an intentionally set fire are routinely identified in forensic laboratories. The presence of these target compounds suggests the presence of ILR originating from these mixtures and this information could aid a fire investigator in determining the cause of the fire, including whether or not arson is suspected. The current study aims to characterize the background and pyrolysis products resulting from controlled burns of materials commonly found in homes and businesses in order to determine their chemical composition. A list of compounds found from the pyrolysis (and combustion) of different substrate types is compared with the target compound list for the identification of ILR. The results show that the burning of some types of commonly found materials creates some of the target compounds commonly found in ILR mixtures. The sources of these compounds are: substrate background products (in the substrate matrix prior to burning), pyrolysis products and, possibly, combustion products.
Clinical time series prediction

ObjectiveDeveloping machine learning and data mining algorithms for building temporal models of clinical time series is important for understanding of the patient condition, the dynamics of a disease, effect of various patient management interventions and clinical decision making. In this work, we propose and develop a novel hierarchical framework for modeling clinical time series data of varied length and with irregularly sampled observations. Materials and methodsOur hierarchical dynamical system framework for modeling clinical time series combines advantages of the two temporal modeling approaches: the linear dynamical system and the Gaussian process. We model the irregularly sampled clinical time series by using multiple Gaussian process sequences in the lower level of our hierarchical framework and capture the transitions between Gaussian processes by utilizing the linear dynamical system. The experiments are conducted on the complete blood count (CBC) panel data of 1000 post-surgical cardiac patients during their hospitalization. Our framework is evaluated and compared to multiple baseline approaches in terms of the mean absolute prediction error and the absolute percentage error. ResultsWe tested our framework by first learning the time series model from data for the patients in the training set, and then using it to predict future time series values for the patients in the test set. We show that our model outperforms multiple existing models in terms of its predictive accuracy. Our method achieved a 3.13% average prediction accuracy improvement on ten CBC lab time series when it was compared against the best performing baseline. A 5.25% average accuracy improvement was observed when only short-term predictions were considered. ConclusionA new hierarchical dynamical system framework that lets us model irregularly sampled time series data is a promising new direction for modeling clinical time series and for improving their predictive performance.
Comment on "Strength Predictions of Composite Laminates with Unloaded Fastener Holes"

ARBO and Ogonowski1 have presented interesting analytical and experimental results relating to the fundamental but complex problem of predicting the strength of composite laminates with holes. However, the following points need to be considered: 1) Interlaminar stresses have been shown2*4 to be important in the presence of stress-free boundaries. Although these stresses are generally restricted to highly localized regions, their influence on static and fatigue strength can be pronounced. The point-stress characteristic dimension is small compared to the thickness of the laminate, so the boundary-layer effect may have a significant influence on the characteristic dimension. The initial attempt by Whitney and Nuismer5 to estimate the point-stress characteristic dimension was based on a simple, approximate stress distribution. The present authors have resorted to the more elaborate stressfunction approach and, therefore, the analysis can be extended further to include the free-edge effects. 2) Notched tensile specimens with widths ranging from 1.9 cm to 7.6 cm (0.75 in. to 3 in.) are reported in the paper. Prabhakaran6 has shown that there is an inherent size-effect, reflected in the variation of unnotched tensile strength with specimen width; this size-effect has been shown to be significant when the 0° and 90° plies predominate and has to be filtered out in order to get the true hole-size effect. In comparing the strength of notched specimens with the strength of unnotched specimens, have the authors maintained the widths constant so as to avoid the inherent sizeeffect? Further, the authors state in one place that only data from tensile loaded tests are reported in the paper, while at another place they mention that the strength values of Table 2 are derived from tests performed on unnotched unidirectional laminate sandwich beams (and rail-shear specimens). This needs to be clarified. 3) The difference between the present paper and the twoparameter models of Whitney and Nuismer5 is basically twofold: a closed-form analysis is used here to determine the stress field around the hole, whereas an approximate expression is used in Ref. 5; also, the Tsai-Hill failure criterion is used here whereas the maximum normal stress criterion was used in Ref. 5. In view of the more elaborate analysis performed here, it is difficult to understand why the characteristic dimension was calculated empirically for one layup and then used for all layups. It would have been more logical to have calculated a characteristic dimension value for each
Functional NK Cell Repertoires Are Maintained through IL-2Rα and Fas Ligand

Acquisition of a functional NK cell repertoire, known as education or licensing, is a complex process mediated through inhibitory receptors that recognize self. We found that NK cells containing self-killer Ig-like receptors for cognate HLA ligand in vivo were less susceptible to apoptosis. In vitro IL-15 withdrawal showed that uneducated NK cells upregulated Bim and Fas. Conversely, educated NK cells upregulated Fas ligand (FasL) under these conditions. Induction of cell death and Bim expression on uneducated cells correlated with increased IL-2Rα expression. Overexpression and knockdown studies showed that higher IL-2Rα limits NK cell survival in a novel manner that is independent from the role of IL-2 in activation-induced cell death. To study the role of FasL in induction of IL-2Rα(hi) NK cell death, a coculture assay with FasL-blocking Abs was used. IL-15 withdrawal led to FasL-dependent killing of IL-2Rα(hi) NK cells by more educated IL-2Rα(lo) NK cells. Finally, CMV reactivation induces a potent long-lasting population of licensed NK cells with enhanced survival. These findings show that education-dependent NK cell survival advantages and killing of uneducated NK cells result in the maintenance of a functional repertoire, which may be manipulated to exploit NK cells for cancer immunotherapy.
Clues for the Early Diagnosis of Ludwig's Angina

Ludwig's angina (odontogenic cellulitis) carried a mortality rate greater than 54% before the antibiotic era of medicine.1In the past 30 years, its frequency and severity have decreased, but reports of severe complications (including death) still appear in the literature.2,3We describe a case of Ludwig's angina in which early recognition of clues led to the diagnosis and resulted in prompt resolution, thus preventing surgical intervention and severe complications.
Equivalence between Duvall's Law and the Time-Distance Curve

Duvall's law is shown to be equivalent to the phase time-distance curve. The two are connected through a simple transformation. Thus, like Duvall's law, the phase time-distance curve can be analytically inverted to obtain the radial sound speed. The use of the phase information of the time-distance technique makes the inversion of the time-distance Duvall law particularly advantageous over the traditional inversion of Duvall's law. The radial sound speed can also be obtained numerically through the radial limit of the global or local tomography of the Sun. With global tomography, one can take advantage of the higher order skips of wave packets to obtain local tomograms of any section of the Sun, including the interior of the farside, that currently cannot be directly observed.
GPS Civil Signal Self-Interference Mitigation During Weak Signal Acquisition

Current global positioning system receivers can acquire weak satellite signals with if there is C/NO = 15 dB/Hz if there is no self-interference from other strong satellite signals. This correspondence presents a computational efficient partitioned subspace projection method to mitigate the self-interference. The method is evaluated using simulated signals and a block-based weak signal acquisition algorithm.
The Captain Morgan technique for the reduction of the dislocated hip.

Study objective We present our experience with a novel technique for the reduction of acute hip dislocation in the emergency department (ED). Methods We searched the medical records of all patients with a hip dislocation treated in our ED during a 4-year period. We recorded patient demographics, reduction technique, outcome and disposition, and whether the patient had a prosthetic hip. We reported characteristics of the entire study group and of the subset of patients for whom the Captain Morgan technique was used. Briefly, the technique involves placing the physician's knee behind the supine patient's flexed knee and lifting with anterior force, with rotation as needed. Results Of 77 patients meeting criteria, the mean age was 46 years (range 5 to 91 years), 35 (45%) had a prosthetic hip, and 67 (87%; 95% confidence interval 77% to 93%) received successful reduction in the ED. In 13 cases, the Captain Morgan technique was specifically described and was successful in 12 (92%; 95% confidence interval 64% to 100%). The single technique failure occurred in a patient with an acetabular fracture with an intra-articular fragment requiring open reduction. There were no described neurovascular complications or injuries to the knee. Conclusion We describe an interesting and novel technique for the reduction of a hip dislocation. Physicians should consider this method a primary technique for the acute management of hip dislocation in the ED.
Schedule burst proactively for optical burst switching networks

Optical burst switching (OBS) is a promising paradigm for the next-generation Internet infrastructure. In OBS, a key problem is to schedule bursts on wavelength channels with both fast and bandwidth efficient algorithms so as to reduce burst loss. To date, most scheduling algorithms avoid burst contention locally (or reactively). In this paper, we propose several novel algorithms for scheduling bursts in OBS networks with and without wavelength conversion capability. Our algorithms try to proactively avoid burst contention likely to occur at downstream nodes. The basic idea is to serialize the bursts on an outgoing link to reduce the number of bursts that may arrive at downstream nodes simultaneously (and thus reducing the burst contention and burst loss probability at downstream nodes). This can be accomplished by judiciously delaying locally assembled bursts beyond a pre-determined offset time at an ingress node using the electronic memory. Compared with the existing algorithms, our proposed algorithms can significantly reduce the loss rate while ensuring that maximum delay of a burst does not exceed its prescribed limit.
The Social Causes of Environmental Destruction in Latin America

The Social Causes of Environmental Destruction in Latin America. Michael Painter and William H. Durham. eds. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1995.
Streamlined Method for Determining Distribution System Hosting Capacity

This document outlines the methodology of a streamlined analysis to determine the amount of photovoltaics that can be accommodated on a distribution feeder before adverse impacts occur (commonly termed hosting capacity). The solution can effectively be used in screening new interconnection requests as well as to estimate how much and where PV can be located such that grid upgrades are minimized. The method is being implemented in commercial distribution system analysis tools where it can be applied system-wide or on individual feeders. The streamlined analysis of an individual feeder would take in the order of minutes compared to hours for a detailed analysis. Application of the results include improved screening tools, visualization of hosting capacity constrained feeders, and identification of problematic locations within a feeder. Speed and accuracy are mandatory, thus the methodology has been compared and validated to detailed analyses.
A fuzzy e-negotiation support system for inter-firm collaborative product development

Significant advances in manufacturing technology and the rapid intensification of the Internet and electronic commerce diffusion have given rise to competitive differentiation and rapid adaptability to competitive change. Newproduct development is a complex and collaborative process that requires negotiation and joint decision-making. We propose a fuzzy electronic negotiation e-negotiation support system based on cooperative multi-criteria game theory. The proposed system comprises three major processes: initialisation, e-negotiation and joint agreement. The Internet is used to facilitate the e-negotiation process and to minimise the response time in the decision-making process. The fuzzy sets are used to overcome issues related to the imprecise or vague judgments and incomplete information in the negotiation process. The proposed system enables the manufacturing parties involved in the negotiation process to determine the optimal coalition form for new product development and choose a common strategy to improve the payoffs of the members of the coalition group. Finally, a case study is used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework and exhibit the efficacy of the procedures and algorithms in the mobile telecommunications industry.
A Case Study of a University Leadership Seminar

This paper is a case study of a five year leadership seminar at a mid-sized university. The paper will discuss the progress of this seminar in meeting the goals set by the university’s leadership model. Discussed in detail will be the model and theories used in and the implementation of the seminar. The successes of the seminar to this point are meeting the organizational objective for leadership, having continuous executive support and a very integrated seminar that includes both formal and action learning. Further steps include a survey or graduates to determine a successful return on investment and add a coaching program that will provide more one-to-one learning for the seminar graduates to develop their leadership abilities more.
Methyl Deficiency, Alterations in Global Histone Modifications, and Carcinogenesis

The methyl-deficient model of endogenous hepatocarcinogenesis in rodents is unique in that dietary omission rather than the addition of chemical carcinogens leads to tumor formation. Thus, the biochemical and molecular events predisposing to cancer in this model result from chronic metabolic stress and provide an ideal model system to study progressive alterations that occur during carcinogenesis. Moreover, epigenetic alterations imposed by this diet are believed to be 1 of the main mechanisms responsible for malignant transformation of rat liver cells. In this study we examined the changes in global histone modification patterns in liver during hepatocarcinogenesis induced by methyl deficiency. Feeding animals the methyl-deficient diet (MDD) led to progressive loss of histone H4 lysine 20 trimethylation (H4K20me3), H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3), and histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9ac) and histone H4 lysine 16 (H4K16ac) acetylation. A considerable decrease of H4K20me3 and H3K9ac was also detected in liver tumors induced by MDD. In contrast, liver tumors displayed an increase in H3K9me3 and H4K16ac. To determine the possible mechanism of alterations of histone modifications, we analyzed the expression of histone-modifying enzymes in liver during hepatocarcinogenesis. The expression of Suv4-20h2 and RIZ1 histone methyltransferases (HMTs) steadily decreased along with the development of liver tumors and reached its lowest level in tumor tissue, whereas the expression of Suv39-h1 HMT and histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1) substantially increased in tumors. These results illustrate the complexity and importance of histone modification changes in the etiology of hepatocarcinogenesis induced by MDD.
A Multiscale and Multidisciplinary Investigation Of Ecosystem–Atmosphere CO2 Exchange Over the Rocky Mountains of Colorado

A significant fraction of Earth consists of mountainous terrain. However, the question of how to monitor the surface–atmosphere carbon exchange over complex terrain has not been fully explored. This article reports on studies by a team of investigators from U.S. universities and research institutes who carried out a multiscale and multidisciplinary field and modeling investigation of the CO2 exchange between ecosystems and the atmosphere and of CO2 transport over complex mountainous terrain in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado. The goals of the field campaign, which included ground and airborne in situ and remote-sensing measurements, were to characterize unique features of the local CO2 exchange and to find effective methods to measure regional ecosystem–atmosphere CO2 exchange over complex terrain. The modeling effort included atmospheric and ecological numerical modeling and data assimilation to investigate regional CO2 transport and biological processes involved in ecosystem–atmosphere carbon exch...
Game-Theoretic Control of Small-Scale Power Systems

A power system is a collection of individual components that compete for system resources. This paper presents a game theoretic approach to the control decision process of individual sources and loads in small-scale and dc power systems. Framing the power system as a game between players facilitates the definition of individual objectives, which adds modularity and adaptability. The proposed methodology enhances the reliability and robustness of the system by avoiding the need for a central or supervisory control. It is also a way to integrate and combine supply and demand side management into a single approach. Examples are presented that use a simple nine bus dc power system to demonstrate the proposed method for various scenarios and player formulations.
A new PTS technique to reduce the peak to average power ration of OFDM system

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is an attractive technology for high speed data transmission wireless communication. However, OFDM has a large peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), which means that the high requirements for precision of the linear amplifiers, and thus result to high system cost. To solve this problem, a novel partial transmit sequence (PTS) technique based on improved simulated annealing optimization (ISA-PTS) is proposed in this paper. The improved SA optimization approach is applied to search the optimal combination of phase factors, which can achieve the OFDM signals with low PAPR and reduce the computational complexity significantly. Simulations show that ISA-PTS technique provides a good compromise between PAPR reduction performance and the computational complexity.
Cortical localization of APC2 plays a role in actin organization but not in Wnt signaling in Drosophila

The tumor suppressor Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) has roles in both Wnt signaling and in actin and microtubule organization. Within the cell, APC proteins have been reported to localize in the cytoplasm, at the cell cortex and in the nucleus. How these localizations relate to the functions of the protein is an aspect of APC biology that is poorly understood. Using Drosophila S2 cells, we have dissected the structural and functional requirements for the cortical localization of Drosophila APC2. Here, we show that both the Armadillo repeats and a novel C-terminal domain are necessary for the cortical localization of APC2 in S2 cells and in the embryo, and that neither domain alone is sufficient for this localization. Furthermore, we show that the Armadillo repeats mediate self-association of APC2 molecules. To test the function of the cortical localization of APC2, we asked whether an APC2 protein deleted for the C-terminal localization domain could rescue APC mutant defects in Wnt signaling and actin organization in the Drosophila embryo. We show that although cortical localization is required for the APC2 function in organizing actin, cortical localization is dispensable for its role in regulating Wnt signaling.
Geochemical variations during flash flooding, Meramec River basin, May 2000

Abstract Severe flooding in the Meramec River basin followed an extraordinary rainfall event on May 7, 2000. Precipitation measurements for the 13-h event ranged from 12.7 to 39.9 cm over a 4100 km2 region centered near Union, Missouri. Sample collections for isotopic and chemical analyses and field measurements of water temperature, specific conductivity, turbidity, and pH were made from three rivers during the course of the event. Relative to pre-storm values, flood water underwent a three to 10-fold decrease in conductivity, a 100-fold or more increase in turbidity, and pH fluctuations over a range of 1.0 unit. Concentration of major ions varied inversely (Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, SO4) or directly (K) proportional to discharge. Oxygen isotope measurements were used to separate each discharge hydrograph into pre-event and event water components. Event water dominated during peak runoff on each of the rivers, a condition atypical of floodwaters in this region and the result of overland flow or rapid subsurface delivery of precipitation. The Bourbeuse River showed the largest event water component during this exceptional event, with storm water making up essentially 100% of the flow for more than 24 h.
Program Director Perspectives on Athletic Training Student Motivation to Complete Their Professional Athletic Training Degrees.

Context: Student motivation has been linked to persistence until graduation for athletic training students. There is little research, however on ways athletic training programs (ATPs) foster studen...
Transnational carnivals: West Indian immigration to New York during the twentieth century

During the latter-half of the twentieth century, large numbers of West Indians began immigrating to New York from throughout the Caribbean. These actors helped transplant and build upon a longstanding Carnival tradition that existed in the Caribbean. Imbued with a deep cultural significance because of its role during the Caribbean’s colonial, emancipation, and independence periods, the Carnival tradition serves West Indian immigrants by providing a point of unification, challenging racial categories in the United States, and by drawing political and cultural attention to the growing number of West Indians settling in New York City.
Double Switching of Two Rings in Palindromic [3]Pseudorotaxanes: Cooperativity and Mechanism of Motion

The existence of two rings in [3]pseudorotaxanes presents opportunities for those rings to undergo double switching and cooperative mechanical coupling. To investigate this capability, we identified a new strategy for bringing two rings into contact with each other and conducted mechanistic studies to reveal their kinetic cooperativity. A redox-active tetrazine ligand bearing two binding sites was selected to allow for two mobile copper(I) macrocycle ring moieties to come together. To realize this switching modality, ligands were screened against their ability to serve as stations on which the rings are initially parked, ultimately identifying 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine. The kinetics of switching a macrocycle in a single-site [2]pseudorotaxane between bipyridine and single-site tetrazine stations were examined using electrochemistry. The forward movement was rate-limited by the bimolecular reaction between reduced tetrazine and bipyridine [2]pseudorotaxane. Two bipyridines were then used with a double-...
Trends in maternal mortality in the United States

Maternal mortality is a major global concern. Although a notable decline in maternal mortality in the United States occurred during the mid-20th century, this progress stalled during the late 20th century. Furthermore, maternal mortality rates have increased during the early 21st century. Around the year 2000 the maternal mortality rate began to rise and has since nearly doubled. Given that at least half of maternal deaths in the U.S. are preventable, the rise in maternal deaths in the U.S. is historic and worrisome. This overview will try to provide a context for understanding the problem of this rise in maternal mortality in the U.S. by briefly discussing how maternal mortality rates are reported from National Vital Statistics data and from a National Surveillance system. Trends and causes of maternal deaths and the difficulty with interpreting these trends will be discussed.
85 PSEUDORESTRICTIVE DOPPLER FLOW PATTERN AFTER RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION FOR ISTHMUS-DEPENDENT ATRIAL FLUTTER

Restoration of sinus rhythm after prolonged atrial fibrillation or, to a lesser degree, atrial flutter often results in depressed left atrial (LA) contractility despite normal electrical activity. Echocardiography performed after restoration of sinus rhythm, regardless of the mode of conversion, frequently shows an increased early mitral inflow velocity and depressed or absent filling due to atrial contraction which may persist for days to weeks. This pattern usually manifests as a result of severe left ventricular diastolic dysfunction as in restrictive cardiomyopathy. Recently, it has been shown in an animal model that this trans-mitral filling pattern is largely due to increased LA pressure as a result of depressed LA mechanical function rather than impaired left ventricular compliance, which has led some to refer to this pattern as “pseudorestrictive.” We present an illustrative case of “pseudorestrictive” trans-mitral Doppler flow pattern: a fifty-nine-year-old woman presented for elective radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of typical, counter-clockwise, isthmus-dependent, atrial flutter. Spontaneous conversion to sinus rhythm occurred the evening before the procedure, obviating the need for pacing or direct current cardioversion during the electrophysiologic study. Bi-directional isthmus block was confirmed after RFA and no recurrence of the atrial arrhythmia was observed. Standard transthoracic echocardiographic examinations (TEE) were performed 5, 10, and 30 days after RFA. Diastolic parameters included mitral inflow early filling velocity (E), filling velocity due to atrial contraction (A), E deceleration time (DT), E/A ratio, left atrial diastolic and systolic filling velocities (PVd and PVs respectively), and PVs/PVd ratio. TTE initially demonstrated a restrictive filling pattern (E = 1.2 m/s, A = 0.24 m/s, E/A = 5.0, DT = 154 msec, PVs = 24 cm/s, PVd = 101 cm/s, PVs/PVd = 0.24) which was not altered by left ventricular pre-load reduction (Valsalva maneuver) consistent with grade IV diastolic dysfunction. Moderate mitral and tricuspid regurgitation and moderate pulmonary hypertension (59 mm Hg) were also noted. At ten days post RFA pulmonary artery pressure returned to normal. Subsequent (30 day) TTE demonstrated a normal diastolic filling pattern (E = 0.95 m/s, A = 0.73 m/s, E/A = 1.3, DT = 192 msec, PVs = 52 cm/s, PVd = 54 cm/s, PVs/PVd = 0.96). The left ventricular systolic ejection fraction (68% ± 4%) and heart rate (74 bpm ± 6 bpm) did not vary significantly between the examinations.
Abstract IA15: Functional diversity of the pancreas tumor stroma

The desmoplastic reaction in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is composed of functionally diverse cellular components embedded in a complex and dynamic fibrotic matrix. In this context, the marked accumulation of stromal myofibroblasts has long been associated with pro-tumorigenic functions, by enhancing tumor cell growth, and limiting immune infiltration and chemotherapeutic drug delivery. Testing of some of these concepts in the clinical care of PDAC patients was however met with paradoxical results. Precise functional auditing of the stromal fibroblasts using genetic targeting in genetically engineered mouse models of PDAC depicted a more complex picture, wherein myofibroblast emerged in this context as tumor-limiting stromal cells. Depletion of the stromal fibroblasts in the early and late stages of PDAC in mice led to more invasive tumors with a negative impact on overall survival, and failed to improve response to Gemcitabine therapy. While our result indicated that suppression of the desmoplastic reaction was associated with decreased tumor angiogenesis, increased intratumoral hypoxia, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells with heightened tumorigenicity, our study also informed on the immunomodulatory functions of myofibroblasts in murine PDAC. Depletion of myofibroblasts supported an enhanced response to anti-CTLA4 checkpoint blockade therapy with prolonged survival of mice. Citation Format: Valerie S. LeBleu, Berna C. Ozdemir, Tsvetelina Pentcheva-Hoang, Julienne L. Carstens, Xiaofeng Zheng, Chin-Chia Wu, Tyler Simpson, Hanane Laklai, Hikaru Sugimoto, Christoph Kahlert, Sergey V. Novitskiy, Ana DeJesus Acosta, Padmanee Sharma, Pedram Heidari, Umar Mahmood, Lynda Chin, Harold Moses, Valerie Weaver, Anirban Maitra, James P. Allison and Raghu Kalluri. Functional diversity of the pancreas tumor stroma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2015 Oct 23-26; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(3 Suppl):Abstract nr IA15.
Threshold Concepts and Culture-as-Meta-Context

This article explores the use of threshold concepts and their application to teaching culture. While there is clear recognition of the importance of preparing students to succeed in a global and multicultural world, the way we teach students about the importance and role of culture is often disjointed, narrowly focused, and does not always address key underlying issues that could help them grasp, retain, and apply the concept. After reviewing the literature on threshold concepts, and providing a quick overview of the ways in which culture is usually taught, I propose teaching culture-as-meta-context as an alternative approach that leads students to cross a conceptual threshold that allows them to gain a previously inaccessible perspective and develop the cultural mindset that is key to managing and working across cultures, nationally and globally. I further present some guidelines and ideas for teaching students culture-as-meta-context and a cultural mindset.
Does Higher Education Cause Religious Decline?: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Within- and Between-Person Effects of Higher Education on Religiosity

Although there is ample empirical evidence of the associations between higher education and various aspects of religiosity, the causal mechanisms producing these associations remain unclear. I use four waves of longitudinal data, with respondents ranging in age from 13 to 29, to model the within- and between-person effects of higher education on several measures of religiosity. The results show that earning a bachelor's degree is associated with within-person declines in some but not all measured aspects of religiosity, which partially supports the argument that higher education causes religious decline. The results also suggest that those predisposed to attending religious services self-select into higher education, that relatively religious youth in general self-select into nonelite colleges, and that those with low levels of religious belief self-select into elite universities. These findings further understanding of the associations between social class and religion, particularly the causal effects of...
PhoneHome: Robust Extension of Cellular Coverage

Ubiquitous cellular coverage is often taken for granted, yet numerous people live outside, or at the fringes, of commercial cellular coverage. Further, natural disasters and human rights violations cause the displacement of millions of people annually worldwide, with many of these people relocating to shelters and camps in areas at or just beyond the margins of existing cellular infrastructure. In this work we design PhoneHome, a system prototype that extends existing cellular coverage to areas with no or damaged cellular infrastructure, or infrastructure that is otherwise poorly performing. We explore the feasibility of PhoneHome and address current limitations and future directions for independently operated, user-extensible cellular infrastructure.
Targeted microwave hyperthermia monitored with ultrasound thermography

Traditional microwave hyperthermia utilizes antenna placement and endogenous absorption of energy to increase temperature in tumors. Unfortunately, there is too little contrast in electromagnetic absorption between tumors and surrounding normal tissues. We suggest that using biocompatible targeted iron-oxide nanoparticles can increase energy absorption in tumors. A preliminary study using magnetite nanoparticles injected into ex-vivo porcine muscle tissue shows promise with a 25˚C increase in only 50 seconds in the inoculated region; approximately 17˚C increase over the surrounding tissue. Temperature maps were acquired by monitoring the temperature-induced apparent displacements of ultrasound speckle in the tissue. To illustrate the effectiveness of this technique, thermal dose was assessed using an Arrhenius cell death model. Future studies will include an in-vivo experiment with a tumor-baring organ.