cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fatigue crack growth under variable-amplitude loading: Part II – Code development and model validation

Abstract A state-space model of fatigue crack growth has been formulated based on the crack closure concept in the first part of the two-part paper. The unique feature of this state-space model is that the constitutive equation for crack-opening stress is governed by a low-order non-linear difference equation without the need for storage of a long load history. Therefore, savings in the computation time and memory requirements are significant. This paper, which is the second part, provides information for code development and validates the state-space model with fatigue test data for different types of variable-amplitude and spectrum loading in 7075-T6 and 2024-T3 aluminum alloys, respectively. Predictions of the state-space model are compared with those of the FASTRAN and AFGROW codes.
Improve the analytical cumulant solution of the radiative transfer equation

We present a new cumulant solution and separate the ballistic componet from scattered component. We compare effects to measurements by objects near source and deeply inside medium using diffusion model and radiative transfer model.
Use of genomics and combinatorial chemistry in the development of new antimycobacterial drugs.

With the completion of the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis comes the promise of a new generation of potent drugs to combat the emerging epidemic of multiply drug-resistant isolates. Translating this genomic information into realistic assays, valid targets, and preclinical drug candidates represents the next great hope in tuberculosis control. We propose a paradigm for exploiting the genome to inform the development of novel antituberculars, utilizing the techniques of differential gene expression as monitored by DNA microarrays coupled with the emerging discipline of combinatorial chemistry. A comparison of currently used antituberculars with the properties of other pharmaceuticals suggests that such compounds will have a defined range of physiochemical properties. In general, we can expect the next generation of antituberculars to be small, relatively hydrophilic molecules that bind tightly to specific cellular targets. Many current antimycobacterials require some form of cellular activation (e.g. the activation of isoniazid by a catalase-peroxidase). Activation corresponds to the oxidative, reductive, or hydrolytic unmasking of reactive groups, which occurs with many current antimycobacterial prodrugs. Understanding the mechanisms involved in activation of current antimycobacterial therapeutics also may facilitate the development of alternative activation strategies or of analogs that require no such processes.
Paraventricular hypothalamic obesity in rats: role of corticosterone.

The role of adrenal glucocorticoid hormones in the weight gain produced by lesions of the paraventricular nuclei was explored in two experiments. In the first experiment, female rats with PVN lesions were found to have normal a.m. plasma corticosterone concentrations and blunted, albeit still elevated, p.m. concentrations. Nighttime corticosterone levels were moderately correlated with plasma insulin levels. In the second experiment, adrenalectomy markedly suppressed weight gain in animals with very large PVN lesions (mean weight gain of 33.0 g/20 days compared to 137.6 g/20 days for PVN rats with sham adrenalectomies). In the ADX-PVN group, there was a +0.90 correlation between plasma corticosterone levels and weight gain. Administration of corticosterone restored the abnormal weight gain in ADX-PVN animals. It is concluded that the steroid receptors mediating this effect of corticosterone lie outside the hypothalamus.
Mass and penetration depth of Shoemaker-Levy 9 fragments from time-resolved photometry.

Computational simulations of the first 100 seconds of interaction of Shoemaker-Levy 9 fragments with the Jovian atmosphere have revealed a potential method for estimating the masses and penetration depths of the individual objects. For sufficiently large fragments, impact-generated fireballs will rise into line-of-sight over the Jovian limb (less than one minute after impact for a 3-km diameter fragment). It is possible that time-resolved radiometric measurements from Earth- and orbital-based observatories may detect two different arrivals for each impact: first the shock wave and, a few seconds later, a debris front (fireball). Measurements of one or both arrival times with time resolutions of better than one second will provide information that would place strong restrictions on the range of values of equivalent explosive yield (from which fragment mass can be extracted) and effective penetration depth. We believe that time-resolved photometry measurements of impact-induced light emission (impact-flash signatures) will provide the best means by which Shoemaker-Levy 9 fragment masses can be determined if they are greater than about 5×1015 g (corresponding to a 1-km diameter ice sphere).
Women business school academicians: Disparities and progress

The recency of the phenomenon of increased numbers of women business school professors led to an investigation of the characteristics of 1,492 female faculty members. The data suggest that women with very recent degrees are better prepared than their forerunners: They are more likely than those who received earlier degrees to hold a doctorate, to have published, to have held a prior management position, and to teach in a larger and better school. A comparison of male and female subsamples reveals that the women are less likely than men to hold a doctorate; this single factor greatly accounts for women's inequity in rank and administrative position. Implications of the findings on students and on curriculum are elaborated.
Pump laser induced net angular momentum: Angular polarisability, induced electric polarisation, and the inverse faraday effect.

Abstract The conjugate product π of the oscillating electric field strengths of a pump laser imparts net, time independent, orbital angular momentum ( J ) to an atom or molecule through a quantity, d ″15, which is defined as atomic or molecular electronic spin polarisability. This is shown to be responsible for net electric polarisation in chiral ensembles (a new effect) and magnetization in achiral and chiral ensembles (the inverse Faraday affect). Using a Nd:YAG pump laser, with an electric field strength of up to 109 volts m−1; the former is shown to be a strong effect in chiral ensembles, one which can be amplified still further by resonance with a probe laser in the visible / ultra violet. This is discussed in the context of P violation in achiral ensembles.
Impaired Synthesis of Acetylcholine by Mild Hypoxic Hypoxia or Nitrous Oxide

: The effect of mild hypoxic hypoxia on brain metabolism and acetylcholine synthesis was studied in awake, restrained rats. Since many studies of hypoxia are done with animals anesthetized with nitrous oxide (N2O), the effects of N2O were evaluated. N2O (70%) increased the cerebral cortical blood flow by 33% and the cortical metabolic rate of oxygen by 26%. In addition, the synthesis of acetylcholine in N2O-anesthetized animals, measured with [U-14C]glucose and [1-2H2,2-2H2]choline, decreased by 45 and 53%, respectively. Consequently, mild hypoxia was studied in unanesthetized rats. Control rats breathing 30% O2 (partial pressure of oxygen, Pao2= 120 mm Hg) were compared with rats exposed to 15% O2 (Pao2= 57 mm Hg) or 10% O2 (Pao2= 42 mm Hg). The synthesis of acetylcholine, measured with [U-14C]glucose, was decreased by 35 and 54% with 15% O2 and 10% O2 respectively; acetylcholine synthesis, measured with [1-2H2,2-2H2]choline, was decreased by 50 and 68% with 15% O2 and 10% O2 respectively. Animals breathing either 15% or 10% O2 had normal cerebral metabolic rates of oxygen but had increased brain lactates and increased cortical blood flows compared with animals breathing 30% O2. These results show that even mild hypoxic hypoxia impairs acetylcholine synthesis, which in turn may account for the early symptoms of brain dysfunction associated with hypoxia.
Cultivation of Trypanosoma lewisi in a dialysate medium. I. Amino acid alterations during growth.

Abstract 1. 1. Culture forms of Trypanosoma lewisi were successfully grown in the liquid phase of a culture medium in which the blood agar components were placed inside of a double layer of dialysis tubing, autoclaved and immersed in Locke's solution. 2. 2. These culture forms have been transferred at weekly intervals for a total of seventy subcultures to date in this dialysate medium. 3. 3. When agar was omitted from the medium, the flagellates did not multiply. 4. 4. A single peptide was demonstrable by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the liquid phase which did not precipitate upon the addition of 10% tricholoroacetic acid. 5. 5. The amino acids of the dialysate were determined qualitatively and quantitatively and changes during the growth of the culture forms were characterized.
Promoting Entrepreneurship Across the University: The Experiences of Three Diverse Academic Institutions

Abstract In the “real world,” product development and innovation in an entrepreneurial venture or in an intrapreneurial corporate setting are very different from entrepreneurial academic education. This paper addresses the approaches undertaken by three very diverse academic institutions to bring interdisciplinary initiatives from across the university for business and entrepreneurship educators while maintaining their disciplinary identity. These approaches reinforce the notion that linking business and engineering decisions in the entrepreneurial product development process should enhance a product's success potential while at the same time persuade non-technical entrepreneurship students that without engineering input their efforts may yield inferior or unfeasible solutions.
Microbiological water quality monitoring in a resource-limited urban area: a study in Cameroon, Africa

In resource-limited developing nations, such as Cameroon, the expense of modern water-quality monitoring techniques is prohibitive to frequent water testing, as is done in the developed world. Inexpensive, shelf-stable 3M™ Petrifilm™ Escherichia coli /Coliform Count Plates potentially can provide significant opportunity for routine water-quality monitoring in the absence of infrastructure for state-of-the-art testing. We used shelf-stable E. coli /coliform culture plates to assess the water quality at twenty sampling sites in Kumbo, Cameroon. Culture results from treated and untreated sources were compared to modern bacterial DNA pyrosequencing methods using established bioinformatics and statistical tools. Petrifilms were reproducible between replicates and sampling dates. Additionally, cultivation on Petrifilms suggests that treatment by the Kumbo Water Authority (KWA) greatly improves water quality as compared with untreated river and rainwater. The majority of sequences detected were representative of common water and soil microbes, with a minority of sequences (<40%) identified as belonging to genera common in fecal matter and/or causes of human disease. Water sources had variable DNA sequence counts that correlated significantly with the culture count data and may therefore be a proxy for bacterial load. Although the KWA does not meet Western standards for water quality (less than one coliform per 100 mL), KWA piped water is safer than locally available alternative water sources such as river and rainwater. The culture-based technology described is easily transferrable to resource-limited areas and provides local water authorities with valuable microbiological safety information with potential to protect public health in developing nations.
Malposition of percutaneous endoscopic-guided gastrostomy: Guideline and management

Percutaneous endoscopic-guided gastrostomy (PEG) is done routinely on patients who suffer from inability to feed by mouth. PEG is generally considered a safe procedure with a low complication rate. A commonly underreported complication of PEG is malposition. This manuscript is a guideline to diagnosis and management of PEG malposition. We describe the different types of malposition, their diagnosis and management.
Molecular mechanism of temporal physico/chemical changes that take place during imidization of polyamic acid: Coupled real-time rheo-optical and IR dichroism measurements

Abstract Multiple overlapping physical and chemical changes often take place during casting/drying and imidization from PMDA-ODA polyamic acid precursors from cast solutions. To shed light into details of these complex phenomena, we designed a unique real time measurement system that combines true stress, true strain, in-plane birefringence and temperature with polarized ultra-rapid scan FT-IR spectrometry (URS-FT-IR). At the early stages of heating (21°C–130 °C), initially isotropic solution cast film was observed to develop stress and birefringence as the solvent decomplexed and evaporated without showing any imidization as it was held in uniaxially constrained state. At a temperature around 130 °C, the onset of imidization reaction was detected while the stress went through a maximum. Beyond this stage, the evaporation of bound solvent and chemical conversion was observed to take place simultaneously and this is accompanied by a steady increase in birefringence. As the majority of the bound solvent evaporated, the stress and birefringence values started leveling off at long times.
Glacial–interglacial changes in Subantarctic sea surface temperature and δ18O-water using foraminiferal Mg

Laboratory culturing experiments with living Globigerina bulloides indicate that Mg/Ca is primarily a function of seawater temperature and suggest that Mg/Ca of fossil specimens is an effective paleotemperature proxy. Using culturing results and a core-top Neogloboquadrina pachyderma calibration, we have estimated glacial–interglacial changes in sea surface temperature (SST) using planktonic Mg/Ca records from core RC11-120 in the Subantarctic Indian Ocean (43°S, 80°E) and core E11-2 in the Subantarctic Pacific Ocean (56°S, 115°W). Our results suggest that glacial SST was about 4°C cooler in the Subantarctic Indian Ocean and 2.5°C cooler in the Subantarctic Pacific. Comparison of SST and planktonic δ18O records indicates that changes in SST lead changes in δ18O by on average 1–3 kyr. The glacial–interglacial temperature change indicated by the Subantarctic Mg/Ca records suggests that temperature accounts for 40–60% of the foraminiferal δ18O change. We have used the Mg/Ca-based SST estimates and δ18O determinations to generate site-specific seawater δ18O records, which suggest that seawater δ18O was on average 1‰ more positive during glacial episodes compared with interglacial episodes.
Atom-at-a-time studies of the transactinide elements

Some of the techniques used in atom-at-a-time investigations of both nuclear and chemical properties of transactinide elements will be discussed. Constraints on the systems that are valid for exploring chemical properties when only a few atoms at a time are available and recent developments in instrumentation are considered. The current status of investigations of the chemical properties of the transactinides is summarized and prospects for additional studies are evaluated.
Enabling green building applications

Office buildings contain large sensor network deployments to monitor and maintain their internal environment. They also consume a significant amount of energy. This paper proposes the use of the use of horizontal layering, rather than the current vertical-solution approach, to expose the building data plane and enable interoporable software services and applications that monitor and control the building environment. We present our instantiation of this approach, which includes a data plane (sMAP) and storage service (IS4). Furthermore, we describe a set of applications built in this ecosystem.
The effects of formative assessment pre-lecture online chapter quizzes and student-initiated inquiries to the instructor on academic achievement

This study's goal was to quantify the effects pre-lecture online quizzes and student-initiated inquiries to the instructor, either virtually or in person, had on students' achievement. Pre- and post-course tests were also implemented to an experimental and a comparison section of the same course. The number of electronic administrative contacts was positively related to achievement, and the number of in-person contacts was negatively related. The number of quizzes taken in the first section of the course was positively related, while the number of quizzes taken in subsequent sections of the course was not related, nor was quiz performance. Perhaps providing the opportunity to take the quizzes prompted the students to become involved in the course earlier on, thus establishing a sound basis for the following material. Complementing traditional teaching methods was not intrusive to highly structured course content already in place.
Development of a Symptom Score for Clinical Studies to Identify Children With a Documented Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

The objective of this study was to develop a symptom scoring system for use in clinical studies that differentiates children with cold symptoms who have an identifiable viral etiology for their upper respiratory tract infection (URI) from those in whom no virus is detected. Nasal swabs for PCR testing for identification of respiratory viruses were obtained on children aged 2-11 y at baseline and when parents thought their child was developing a cold. Parental-recorded severity of specific symptoms in children with and without a documented viral URI were compared. Nasal swabs were obtained on 108 children whose parents reported their child was developing a cold. A viral etiology was identified in 62 of 108 (57.4%) samples. Symptom measures that best differentiated children with a viral etiology from those without were significant runny nose and significant cough on days 1-4 of the illness. A URI symptom score was developed based on these symptoms, with a sensitivity of 81.4%, specificity of 61.9%, and accuracy of 73.3%. Parental impression is only a moderately accurate predictor of viral URI in children. Our URI symptom score provided a more accurate method for identifying children with viral URIs for clinical studies.
Coronoid process of the ulna: paleopathologic and anatomic study with imaging correlation. Emphasis on the anteromedial “facet”

The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed description of the anatomy of the coronoid process of the ulna and to use magnetic resonance (MR) images and anatomic correlation with cadavers to show the macroscopic configuration of this structure. Photography and high-resolution radiography were performed in 26 ulna specimens from the collection of a local museum. MR imaging of the coronoid process of 11 cadaveric elbows was performed. The images were compared with those seen on anatomic sectioning. The anteromedial rim of the coronoid process of the ulna had a regular surface, without osseous irregularities or facets in 69.2% of the specimens. In 30.8% of the specimens, the anteromedial rim was not regular and a small ridge could be identified. The insertion site of the joint capsule was onto the anterior aspect of the coronoid process, at an average distance of 5.9 mm distal to the tip. The attachment of the anterior band of the ulnar collateral ligament at the sublime tubercle was flush with the articular margin in 63.6% of the specimens. In 36.4% of the specimens, a more distal attachment, with a separation between the undersurface of the ligament and the adjacent tubercle, was seen. The brachialis tendon was attached to the coronoid process at a mean distance of 12.1 mm distal to the tip. The coronoid process of the ulna is a small osseous structure with a complex anatomy and presents some anatomical variations.
Economic theory, intuition and the CAP

Abstract From newspapers, journals and books we know a great deal about economics, policies and politics. Nevertheless, some theoretical problems of economic policy are overlooked too frequently. As we know, economics deals with problems of choice. The grand schemes to cure European agriculture, eg the Mansholt Plan, the Vedel Plan and the Van Riemsdijk Plan, are well known as well as the more modest plans for a modification of the CAP put forward by the Dutch economist Horring. 1 Each plan was introduced to improve the CAP, but did not indicate why the other alternatives were inferior. Around 1970, for example, there were at least five alternatives: the CAP as it was, or as it should be according to one or other of these four plans.
Fault detection and correction in array computers for image processing

The paper addresses the problems of detecting and correcting faults that may occur in arrays of processors used for image processing. The variety of useful hardware and software solutions is reviewed. It is shown that faults can be corrected efficiently by bypassing the faulty column of the array, and a novel technique is described which detects processor faults with a very modest increase in circuitry. The addition of a parity check on the memory is sufficient to give an effective and efficient detection and correction of all permanent and many transient faults. Additionally, the use of a full parity processor increases the proportion of transient faults detected.
Atheroablation with the Kensey catheter: a pathologic study.

The mode of action of the Kensey catheter, a new atheroablation device, was investigated. Fresh above-the-knee amputated legs were used for recanalization of the superficial femoral artery. The variables used were identical to those of clinical trials, including a rotational speed of 50,000 rpm and an injection rate of 40 mL/min. The debris produced by the catheter was studied cytologically, and the arterial segments were examined histologically. The particle size in the debris ranged from 1 to 2,000 microns. The softer plaques produced a fine fibrin dust background with long strips of intima ranging from 10 to 2,000 microns. Complicated calcified plaques produced larger background material (10-120 microns) but smaller strips of intima (50-800 microns). Dissections and perforations occurred. Some of the debris produced by the atheroablation process was used to embolize a canine heart and kidney. Small focal infarctions were found in the heart, and large and multiple infarcts were seen in the kidney. In cl...
"Paper-less" CAD/CAM for accelerator components

Computer-aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM) have enabled advances in the design and manufacture of many accelerator components, though government procurement rules tend to inhibit its use. We developed and executed a method that provides adequate documentation for the procurement process, industrial vendor manufacturing processes, and laboratory installation activities. We detail our experiences in the design and manufacture of 60 separate and unique PEP-II Low Energy Ring Interaction Region vacuum chambers totalling /spl sim/140 m in length as an example of how we used this technique, reducing design effort and manufacturing risk while streamlining the production process. We provide "lessons learned" to better implement and execute the process in subsequent iterations. We present our study to determine the estimated savings in the design and production of the Spallation Neutron Source room temperature linac if this process were utilized.
Enzymic Lipid Peroxidation in Microsomal Fractions from Beef Skeletal Muscle

Enzymic lipid peroxidation in microsomes isolated from beef muscle (longissimus dorsi: LD) has been demonstrated. The reaction requirad NADPH or NADH, ADP, and Fe2+ or Fe3+. The optimum pH of the reaction was approximately 6.5. The rate of oxidation was higher with NADPH than with NADH and also higher with Fe2+ than with Fe3+. For microsomes isolated from the LD muscles stored for 3–11 days postmortem at 4°C, the rate of oxidation at pH 6.8 and with 0.1 mM NADPH, 0.1 mM ADP and 0.015 mM Fe3+ ranged from 4.89–16.52 nmoles malonaldehyde per mg protein for 30 min incubation at 36°C. Prolonged storage of the intact muscles at 4°C considerably reduced the oxidative enzymic activity of the isolated microsomes.
Persistent Transactivation by Meis1 Replaces Hox Function in Myeloid Leukemogenesis Models: Evidence for Co-Occupancy of Meis1-Pbx and Hox-Pbx Complexes on Promoters of Leukemia-Associated Genes

Homeobox transcription factors Meis1 and Hoxa9 promote hematopoietic progenitor self-renewal and cooperate to cause acute myeloid leukemia (AML). While Hoxa9 alone blocks the differentiation of nonleukemogenic myeloid cell-committed progenitors, coexpression with Meis1 is required for the production of AML-initiating progenitors, which also transcribe a group of hematopoietic stem cell genes, including Cd34 and Flt3 (defined as Meis1-related leukemic signature genes). Here, we use dominant trans-activating (Vp16 fusion) or trans-repressing (engrailed fusion) forms of Meis1 to define its biochemical functions that contribute to leukemogenesis. Surprisingly, Vp16-Meis1 (but not engrailed-Meis1) functioned as an autonomous oncoprotein that mimicked combined activities of Meis1 plus Hoxa9, immortalizing early progenitors, inducing low-level expression of Meis1-related signature genes, and causing leukemia without coexpression of exogenous or endogenous Hox genes. Vp16-Meis1-mediated transformation required the Meis1 function of binding to Pbx and DNA but not its C-terminal domain (CTD). The absence of endogenous Hox gene expression in Vp16-Meis1-immortalized progenitors allowed us to investigate how Hox alters gene expression and cell biology in early hematopoietic progenitors. Strikingly, expression of Hoxa9 or Hoxa7 stimulated both leukemic aggressiveness and transcription of Meis1-related signature genes in Vp16-Meis1 progenitors. Interestingly, while the Hoxa9 N-terminal domain (NTD) is essential for cooperative transformation with wild-type Meis1, it was dispensable in Vp16-Meis1 progenitors. The fact that a dominant transactivation domain fused to Meis1 replaces the essential functions of both the Meis1 CTD and Hoxa9 NTD suggests that Meis-Pbx and Hox-Pbx (or Hox-Pbx-Meis) complexes co-occupy cellular promoters that drive leukemogenesis and that Meis1 CTD and Hox NTD cooperate in gene activation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed co-occupancy of Hoxa9 and Meis1 on the Flt3 promoter.
Identification of Effective Strategies to Promote Language in Deaf Children With Cochlear Implants

Parental involvement and communication are essential for language development in young children. However, hearing parents of deaf children face challenges in providing language input to their children. This study utilized the largest national sample of deaf children receiving cochlear implants, with the aim of identifying effective facilitative language techniques. Ninety-three deaf children ( 2 years) were assessed at 6 implant centers prior to and for 3 years following implantation. All parent–child interactions were videotaped, transcribed, and coded at each assessment. Analyses using bivariate latent difference score modeling indicated that higher versus lower level strategies predicted growth in expressive language and word types predicted growth in receptive language over time. These effective, higher level strategies could be used in early intervention programs. Ninety percent of children with sensory neural hearing losses (SNHL) are born to hearing parents (Albertini, 2010). Thus, an immediate “mismatch” between the hearing status of the child and parent presents a significant barrier to effective communication (Meadow-Orlans, & Spencer, 1996; Quittner, Leibach, & Marciel, 2004). Children with moderate to profound prelingual hearing loss experience significant auditory deprivation that places them at risk for difficulties with oral language and literacy skills. These delays in the early precursors of oral language lead to deficits in vocabulary development, morphology, syntax, academic achievement, and social development (Spencer & Marschark, 2010; Svirsky, Robbins, Kirk, Pisoni, & Miyamoto, 2000). Hearing parents of children with severe to profound hearing loss, who choose oral language as their primary mode of communication, have better opportunities than in previous years to develop their children’s oral language skills with the use of a cochlear implant (Geers, Nicholas, & Sedey, 2003;
The Questionnaire for Identifying Children with Chronic Conditions: a measure based on a noncategorical approach.

Objective. To report on the development of the Questionnaire for Identifying Children with Chronic Conditions (QuICCC). This new instrument identifies children and adolescents who have chronic health conditions based on the noncategorical conceptual framework outlined in our earlier work. It uses the consequences of conditions as a method for identifying children with chronic health conditions and is completely independent of diagnosis. Method. Through a combination of techniques, we developed and piloted items and created 39 brief question sequences that were designed to be administered to a parent or guardian of children <18 years of age. The prototype was field tested extensively and refined using data from local hospital-based samples representing 318 households and 666 children. The instrument was then administered to two large representative samples (local: 657 households, 1275 children; national: 712 households, 1388 children) to establish validity and reliability. Results. Content, convergent, construct, and criterion validity each have been demonstrated. The QuICCC has good test-retest reliability. Parents find the questions easy to answer. It took 7 to 8 minutes on average to obtain information about all the children in a family. The QuICCC successfully identified children with a wide range of different conditions that are usually considered chronic, and excluded those with acute illnesses and those with conditions but no current consequences. Conclusions. The Questionnaire for Identifying Children with Chronic Conditions is a practical instrument that can be used for epidemiological purposes. It offers considerable flexibility and has many potential applications in health care delivery research. Pediatrics 1997;99: 513-521; children, chronic illness, epidemiology, disability, functioning, limitations.
Evaluating functional network inference using simulations of complex biological systems.

Motivation: Although many network inference algorithms have been presented in the bioinformatics literature, no suitable approach has been formulated for evaluating their effectiveness at recovering models of complex biological systems from limited data. To overcome this limitation, we propose an approach to evaluate network inference algorithms according to their ability to recover a complex functional network from biologically reasonable simulated data. Results: We designed a simulator to generate data representing a complex biological system at multiple levels of organization: behaviour, neural anatomy, brain electrophysiology, and gene expression of songbirds. About 90% of the simulated variables are unregulated by other variables in the system and are included simply as distracters. We sampled the simulated data at intervals as one would sample from a biological system in practice, and then used the sampled data to evaluate the effectiveness of an algorithm we developed for functional network inference. We found that our algorithm is highly effective at recovering the functional network structure of the simulated system—including the irrelevance of unregulated variables—from sampled data alone. To assess the reproducibility of these results, we tested our inference algorithm on 50 separately simulated sets of data and it consistently recovered almost perfectly the complex functional network structure underlying the simulated data. To our knowledge, this is the first approach for evaluating the effectiveness of functional network inference algorithms at recovering models from limited data. Our simulation approach also enables researchers a priori to design experiments and data-collection protocols that are amenable to functional network inference. Availability: Source code and simulated data are available upon request.
A method for predicting citations to the scientific publications of individual researchers

Any researcher's publications at any time can be ordered from the highest cited to the lowest cited, yielding a citation curve. We describe a novel method for predicting citation curves of researchers in the future. The method depends on treating the citation curves of researchers for various years as one single spatio-temporal function from rank and time to citations. For each researcher, we derive an estimate of this spatio-temporal function that can be used to predict the total citations of individual publications at any given rank at any time. Experiments show that this method can accurately predict entire citation curves and derived measures, such as, the total citations to all publications and the h-index of the researchers.
Inverse problems with boundary elements: synthesizing a capacitor

A methodology for the solution of inverse problems in electromagnetics using boundary element analysis is developed. It is shown how the boundary element solution may be differentiated with respect to a design parameter without having to solve a second perturbed field problem. It is demonstrated that the small, full nature of the boundary element coefficient matrix makes the method cost-effective compared to the finite element method, in obtaining the gradient of the solution, since matrix decomposition is the preferred method of solution with boundary elements. The theory propounded here is demonstrated on the optimization of fringing capacitor. >
Detection and genotyping of Arcobacter and Campylobacter isolates from retail chicken samples by use of DNA oligonucleotide arrays

To explore the use of DNA microarrays for pathogen detection in food, we produced DNA oligonucleotide arrays to simultaneously determine the presence of Arcobacter and the presence of Campylobacter in retail chicken samples. Probes were selected that target housekeeping and virulence-associated genes in both Arcobacter butzleri and thermotolerant Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. These microarrays showed a high level of probe specificity; the signal intensities detected for A. butzleri, C. coli, or C. jejuni probes were at least 10-fold higher than the background levels. Specific identification of A. butzleri, C. coli, and C. jejuni was achieved without the need for a PCR amplification step. By adapting an isolation method that employed membrane filtration and selective media, C. jejuni isolates were recovered from package liquid from whole chicken carcasses prior to enrichment. Increasing the time of enrichment resulted in the isolation of A. butzleri and increased the recovery of C. jejuni. C. jejuni isolates were further classified by using an additional subset of probes targeting the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) biosynthesis locus. Our results demonstrated that most of the C. jejuni isolates likely possess class B, C, or H LOS. Validation experiments demonstrated that the DNA microarray had a detection sensitivity threshold of approximately 10,000 C. jejuni cells. Interestingly, the use of C. jejuni sequence-specific primers to label genomic DNA improved the sensitivity of this DNA microarray for detection of C. jejuni in whole chicken carcass samples. C. jejuni was efficiently detected directly both in package liquid from whole chicken carcasses and in enrichment broths.
Population-based study of attitudes toward posthumous reproduction.

Objective To measure public attitudes toward posthumous reproduction. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Electronic survey. Patient(s) A total of 1,049 men and women living in the United States between the ages of 18 and 75 years. Intervention(s) Multiple-choice questionnaire. Main Outcome Measure(s) Descriptive statistics regarding support for posthumous reproduction, such as regarding emergency harvesting of gametes, and attitudes toward consent; multivariable analyses of demographic and personal experiences associated with support for posthumous reproduction. Result(s) Results showed that 47.8% supported and 31.1% opposed retrieving gametes from men, and 42.7% supported and 35.9% opposed retrieving gametes from women. The remainder was undecided. Among supporters, 69.8% believed prior consent from the deceased was required. Support was positively associated with younger age, higher education, higher income, Democratic political party affiliation, history of infertility, and currently attempting conception. Gender, religion, race, and region of the country were not associated with support. Organ donors and those who support IVF were more likely to support posthumous reproduction (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.68 [1.19–2.38] and 12.30 [6.56–23.04], respectively). Most respondents were initially unfamiliar with posthumous reproduction. Conclusion(s) Almost 50% of the general population support posthumous reproduction in men and women. The majority favored prior consent from the deceased. These data caution against emergency gamete harvesting without prior consent.
NEURAL SARCOCYSTOSIS IN A STRAW-NECKED IBIS (CARPHIBIS SPINICOLLIS) ASSOCIATED WITH A SARCOCYSTIS NEURONA-LIKE ORGANISM AND DESCRIPTION OF MUSCULAR SARCOCYSTS OF AN UNIDENTIFIED SARCOCYSTIS SPECIES

A Sarcocystis neurona-like parasite was associated with acute sarcocystosis in the brain of an ibis (Carphibis spinicollis). Numerous schizonts and merozoites were found extravascularly in encephalitic lesions. These schizonts reacted positively with anti-S. neurona and anti-S. falcatula polyclonal antibodies in an immunohistochemical test. Sarcocysts of an unidentified Sarcocystis species were present in the brain, heart, and skeletal muscles. Sarcocysts in skeletal muscles were microscopic, and the sarcocyst wall was up to 3 μm thick. The villar protrusions on the sarcocyst wall were up to 4.5 μm long, constricted at the base, and expanded laterally. Schizonts and sarcocysts distinct from those of S. falcatula.
Adolescent Response To Anti-Drug P:ublic Service Announcements: A Segmentation Approach

The research reported in this article focuses on segmenting the adolescent audience for anti-drug PSAs according to propensity for drug use and reaction to anti-drug PSAs. Four dimensions of the personality trait sensation seeking are utilized to differentiate adolescents with regard to actual use and intentions to use drugs as well as reactions to anti-drug PSAs. The results of the research indicate that one dimension in particular, disinhibitionism, is positively linked to both use and intention to use drugs. Additionally, adolescents with higher levers of disinhibitionism tend to react more negatively to anti-drug PSAs.
Static consistency checking for Verilog wire interconnects

The Verilog hardware description language has padding semantics that allow designers to write descriptions where wires of different bit widths can be interconnected. However, many such connections are nothing more than bugs inadvertently introduced by the designer and often result in circuits that behave incorrectly or use more resources than required. A similar problem occurs when wires are incorrectly indexed by values (or ranges) that exceed their bounds. These two problems are exacerbated by generate blocks. While desirable for reusability and conciseness, the use of generate blocks to describe circuit families only makes the situation worse as it hides such inconsistencies. Inconsistencies in the generated code are only exposed after elaboration when the code is fully-expanded. In this paper we show that these inconsistencies can be pinned down prior to elaboration using static analysis. We combine dependent types and constraint generation to reduce the problem of detecting the aforementioned inconsistencies to a satisfiability problem. Once reduced, the problem can easily be solved with a standard satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver. In addition, this technique allows us to detect unreachable code when it resides in a block guarded by an unsatisfiable set of constraints. To illustrate these ideas, we develop a type system for Featherweight Verilog (FV), a core calculus of structural Verilog with generative constructs and previously defined elaboration semantics. We prove that a well-typed FV description will always elaborate into an inconsistency-free description. We also provide an open-source implementation demonstrating our approach.
3.26 – Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Solid-Phase Microextraction Media

The development and application of a novel extractive phase for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is described herein. The extractive phase is comprised of polymeric nanofibers, deposited on a small stainless steel support via electrospinning; these polymeric nanofibers can then be pyrolyzed to give carbon nanofibers. The electrospun nanofibrous SPME coatings provide a high surface area sorbent, giving low detection limits and high extraction efficiencies for both nonpolar and polar compounds. The electrospun SPME fibers consistently outperform commercially available SPME devices. The carbon nanofiber-based SPME phases also demonstrate high chemical and thermal stability, allowing for application to a diverse array of matrices. Here, the electrospun nanofibrous SPME devices are applied to the headspace extraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (BTEX) and a mixture of phenolic compounds, followed by separation and quantitation utilizing gas chromatography (GC). Additionally, these same fibers were applied to the direct extraction of a variety of pharmaceutical pollutants, specifically an aqueous mixture of β-blockers and steroidal compounds. The fibers were subsequently analyzed utilizing on-line desorption and liquid chromatography (LC).
Mothers, Babies, Depression, and Medications: Understanding the Complex Interplay of Illness and Treatment on Neonatal Symptoms

Duringthepasttwodecades,ourawarenessandunderstanding ofthecomplicatednatureof perinataldepression has expanded to include not only screening, symptoms, diagnoses, epidemiology,andeffectivetreatments,butalsothesafetyandimpactof antidepressants on birth outcomes and neonates. Investigators are faced with a host of challenges when conducting studies with depressed pregnant and postpartum women, and this is particularly true when women are being treated with medications during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Many studies are limited by cross-sectional and/or retrospective design, recall bias, small sample sizes, and/or high attrition rates, as well as difficulty addressing many potential confounders such as substance use, gestational age, depression severity, timing and duration of antidepressants, and concomitant medications. Not surprisingly, clinicians, who are faced with providing patients with informed recommendations about medication use during pregnancy, are also limited by the current literature. In their article in this issue of the Journal, Salisbury and colleagues (1) present a thoughtfully designed and carefully described study that addresses many of these limitations to begin to better understand the complex interplay of depression and selective
Hüftgelenksveränderungen bei Meningomyelocele

With an incidence of approx. 2% among newborns, meningomyelocele is a rarely encountered condition. Its clinical manifestations vary within very wide limits, ranging from minor disability to extremely severe limitation of physical function. The function of the trunk muscles and of the lower extremities, and especially that of the hip joints, is impaired to different degrees in the patients affected, depending on the severity of the paralysis. The changes associated with meningomyelocele are typical, and the therapeutic principles adopted will usually depend on individual findings. Taking the disability into account, the primary goal must be to achieve optimal function. The value of imaging procedures is secondary to this consideration. In recent years a number of conventional therapeutic principles have undergone substantial modifications.
To Own or Lease Solar: Understanding Commercial Retailers' Decisions to Use Alternative Financing Models

This report examines the tradeoffs among financing methods for businesses installing onsite photovoltaics (PV). We present case studies of PV financing strategies used by two large commercial retailers that have deployed substantial U.S. PV capacity: IKEA, which owns its PV, and Staples, which purchases power generated from onsite PV systems through power purchase agreements (PPAs). We also analyze the financial considerations that influence any company's choice of PV financing strategy. Our goal in this report is to clarify the financial and institutional costs and benefits of financing strategies and to inform other companies that are considering launching or expanding similar PV programs.
Analysis of Europe Ionospheric Responses During Magnetic Storms in 2003-2006 Using Ionospheric Tomographic Technology

Based on GNSS observations from the IGS,this paper reconstructed the 3Dspatial and temporal distribution of ionospheric electron density over Europe during three strong magnetic storms in 2003-2006,using computerized ionospheric tomographic technology(CIT).The reconstructed images present the 3Dstructure of ionospheric electron density.By analyzing the evolutionary process of ionospheric disturbances,the paper shows that ionospheric responses are coincident with the development of magnetic storms;and further that such disturbances have a remarkable latitudinal effect.Additionally,the altitudes where electron densities are the maximum also changed during the magnetic storms. The research and analyses in this paper illustrate that CIT can reflect the distribution and involvement of electron densities in each longitude,latitude,and altitude lane.CIT is shown to be useful for improved analyses of ionospheric disturbances during magnetic storms.
Advances in hospital ambulatory services for children.

The changing nature of childhood morbidity, the rising demand for medical services, and the changing population of cities are among the factors contributing to an explosive increase in the utilization of hospital ambulatory services. The background, services, research function, effectiveness, and teaching role of hospital ambulatory services in the care of children in the United States are discussed.
The USC autonomous flying vehicle: an experiment in real-time behavior-based control

A control system architecture is described for an autonomous flying vehicle. The vehicle, equipped with seventeen sensors, uses a model helicopter as an intraframe. The control system utilizes these sensors to remain aloft and in stable flight, to navigate to a target, and to manipulate a physical object. The overall approach to the problem is based on a behavioral paradigm. As the craft is airborne it is in constant risk of crashing. Unlike terrestrial mobile robots, the craft must constantly make sound decisions to maintain its integrity. >
9 – Acoustics in architectural fabric structures: The case of ETFE pillows

Designing appropriate acoustics for spaces enclosed by fabric membrane structures can be challenging due to the lightweight physical properties of the membrane materials. Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) pillows have unique acoustic characteristics due to their thickness, weight, and airspace. Reverberation and noise build-up from middle to high frequencies makes it difficult to control for speech intelligibility. External environmental noise may easily be heard inside the space (traffic, aircraft, etc.). Rain falling on a lightweight fabric system can cause a drumming noise inside the space. The principles of acoustics for lightweight enclosures are presented, followed by a case study of the design and acoustic strategies for The Water Cube at the National Aquatic Center in Beijing.