cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Decentralized Adaptive Controller for Robot Manipulator Trajectory Control

A new form of decentralized adaptive control scheme for multi-joint. rigid robot manipulators has been proposed in this paper. The control objective is accu rat. e trajectory tracking. The control law is based on the independent. joint. control and self-tuning control philosophies. The result.ing controller is simple in structure, computationally fast and amenable to parallel processing implementation.
Promoting Original Research: Designing a Course to Produce Quality Undergraduate Political Science Research in the Community College Setting.

AbstractAddressing honors education and undergraduate research at the community college level is a question that is becoming more prevalent in the teaching landscape. Undergraduate research is enco...
Extracellular Matrix Degradation Products Downregulate Neoplastic Esophageal Cell Phenotype.

Extracellular matrix (ECsM) bioscaffolds have been successfully used to treat five esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) patients following resection of neoplastic mucosal tissue. The present study evalu...
Medicare's New Prospective Payment System on Facility Provision of Peritoneal Dialysis.

Background and objectives Peritoneal dialysis is a self-administered, home-based treatment for ESKD associated with equivalent mortality, higher quality of life, and lower costs compared with hemodialysis. In 2011, Medicare implemented a comprehensive prospective payment system that makes a single payment for all dialysis, medication, and ancillary services. We examined whether the prospective payment system increased dialysis facility provision of peritoneal dialysis services and whether changes in peritoneal dialysis provision were more common among dialysis facilities that are chain affiliated, located in nonurban areas, and in regions with high dialysis market competition. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We conducted a longitudinal retrospective cohort study of n=6433 United States nonfederal dialysis facilities before (2006–2010) and after (2011–2013) the prospective payment system using data from the US Renal Data System, Medicare, and Area Health Resource Files. The outcomes of interest were a dichotomous indicator of peritoneal dialysis service availability and a discrete count variable of dialysis facility peritoneal dialysis program size defined as the annual number of patients on peritoneal dialysis in a facility. We used general estimating equation models to examine changes in peritoneal dialysis service offerings and peritoneal dialysis program size by a pre– versus post-prospective payment system effect and whether changes differed by chain affiliation, urban location, facility size, or market competition, adjusting for 1-year lagged facility–, patient with ESKD–, and region-level demographic characteristics. Results We found a modest increase in observed facility provision of peritoneal dialysis and peritoneal dialysis program size after the prospective payment system (36% and 5.7 patients in 2006 to 42% and 6.9 patients in 2013, respectively). There was a positive association of the prospective payment system with peritoneal dialysis provision (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 1.18) and PD program size (incidence rate ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.22 to 1.33). Post-prospective payment system change in peritoneal dialysis provision was greater among nonurban (P Conclusions Medicare’s 2011 prospective payment system was associated with more facilities’ availability of peritoneal dialysis and modest growth in facility peritoneal dialysis program size. Podcast This article contains a podcast at https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2018_11_19_CJASNPodcast_18_12_.mp3
The Astrocytic Microdomain as a Generative Mechanism for Local Plasticity

Mounting experimental evidence suggests that astrocytes have an active role in synaptic modification. A central premise is that they modify the structure and the function of the neuronal network but the underlying mechanisms for doing so remain elusive. Here, we developed a biophysically constrained 2D compartmental model of an astrocytic microdomain that suggests an explanation for the recently reported functional clustering of synapses. Our model followed the typical geometrical structure of astrocytes, comprising of functionally independent microdomains, and the spatial allocation of their sub-cellular organelles giving rise to (a) fast, process-specific and (b) delayed, microdomain-wide calcium waves. These waves encoded the neuronal activity into their spatial extent and interacted with each other to impose locally restricted synaptic weight modifications constrained in the microdomain. Our results give a possible explanation for the recently reported spatially clustered functional groups in dendritic spines, advocating the astrocytic microdomain as a fundamental learning unit in the brain.
Guidelines for Treatment and Monitoring of Adult Survivors of Pediatric Brain Tumors.

Pathologies of pediatric brain tumors are more varied than those diagnosed in adults and survival outcomes more optimistic. Therapies for pediatric brain tumors are also diverse and treatment options are expanding. The growing number of adult survivors of childhood brain tumors is quite diverse. Medical management of these adults requires understanding the tumor diagnosis and location, the modalities used to treat the tumor, the age of the survivor at the time of diagnosis and treatment, any complications of treatment, and, most importantly, the baseline medical condition and neurological function of each adult survivor. A network of medical, neurological, and mental health providers is critical in the care of a child with a brain tumor. A comparable network should be available to survivors of these tumors since they may transition to adulthood with medical and neurological deficits and can acquire additional late effects of treatments as they age. Optimally, each survivor will have an individualized survivor health plan (SHP) that concisely summarizes the tumor, treatments, potential late effects, and screening that may identify evolving late effects before they impact mental, social or physical functioning. This plan helps patients, families, and the medical team advocate for surveillance aiming to optimize the survivor’s quality of life. Failure to support the health and function of these heroic cancer survivors renders the medical advances, the courage, and the struggle that permitted survival meaningless.
You Too can be an Author: A New Way of Making a Difference:

If you are a professional in rehabilitation or education, you are also an inventor, an artist, an entertainer, an engineer, and an actor. You have tried new ways to make learning meaningful, although you probably take your own skills for granted as you go about your daily routine. Your personal creations might include a game to teach compass directions, a new strategy for improving reading speed, or an approach to involving the families of your students and clients in the learning process. Perhaps you sometimes wonder if anyone else could use your idea, but by the time you stop for groceries on the way home, sort through the day's mail, and help your children with homework, the desire to pass along your ideas has descended to the bottom of your list of daily goals. Many professionals are too modest to acknowledge the value of their own ideas and too busy to find time to write them down. As editor of our practitioners' column, Practice Perspectives, I urge you to make this the year that you become an author. This feature invites brief articles by professionals who work daily with people who are visually impaired, with the belief that teachers, orientation and mobility specialists, and rehabilitation professionals are the true experts in what they do. In the three years since Practice Perspectives has been part of JVIB, we have included a wide variety of worthwhile ideas by professionals in practice. Articles have addressed ways of teaching reading to children or adults who are having difficulties, materials for teaching basic technology concepts, introducing school-aged students to theatrical performance, using tactile maps in bus travel, preparing adults for careers in sound engineering, introducing travel with dogs to young children, and adapting classroom materials for a student teacher who is visually impaired. In this issue, you will find another compelling example of a successful educational program. Authored by Diane Raab, a teacher at the Arizona Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, the following Practice Perspectives article describes the development and implementation of a radio broadcasting program that has prepared young people with an understanding of how broadcasting works and has given them the technological tools for later involvement in broadcast careers. Ms. Raab describes her work in the context of how other schools have developed similar programs, and she provides experiences from participating students that support the program outcomes. This longitudinal look at a successful program could only have been written by a practicing professional with a strong commitment to providing opportunities for her students. Like Ms. Raab, you are also an expert, and now it is time for you to become an author as well. WHAT WILL YOUR ARTICLE BE ABOUT? The greatest challenge of writing a Practice Perspectives article is recognizing how your work can be important to others. Have you presented at your state Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) conference and received positive feedback from colleagues? …
Fabrication of Low Dielectric Constant Composite Filaments for use in Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printing

Abstract In this paper we describe a method for creating flexible composite filaments with dielectric constants below 2.0 over a wide frequency band (i.e. 18 - 40 GHz). We demonstrate that a low dielectric constant composite filament, useful for FFF printing, can be manufactured by combining a base thermoplastic polymer with hollow microspheres and a plasticizer. Experimental results are provided for filaments made from two different base polymers (i.e. ABS and HDPE) and varying volume fractions of hollow microspheres. We also describe an effective media model to predict the dielectric properties of the composite filaments as a function of the properties of the constituent materials (e.g. base polymer, hollow microspheres) and their relative volume fractions within the composite filament. Experimental test samples were printed using the new low-K filaments and experimental characterization results are provided that validate this approach.
A Novel Scalable Energy-Efficient Synaptic Device: Crossbar Ferroelectric Semiconductor Junction

A novel ferroelectric semiconductor junction (FSJ) based two-terminal memristor is demonstrated as a synaptic device for the first time. In this novel FSJ device, a metal-ferroelectric semiconductor (FS)-metal crossbar structure is used, instead of a metal-ferroelectric insulator-metal structure for a conventional ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ), so that an ultra-thin ferroelectric insulator is not required. Meanwhile, the FSJ also offers energy efficiency advantage over the conventional filament-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) device because the conductance of the FSJ scales with the junction area. Experimentally, a ferroelectric semiconductor α-In 2 Se 3 based crossbar FSJ (c-FSJ) as a synaptic device is demonstrated. Ferroelectric resistive switching is clearly observed in both planar FSJ (p-FSJ) by in-plane polarization switching and c-FSJ by out-of-plane polarization switching. Conductance potentiation and depression in the c-FSJ are measured and benchmarked at both original size and projected to 32 nm node with different synaptic devices. α-In 2 Se 3 c-FSJ shows good on-line learning accuracy (~92 %), low latency and energy consumption due to the short write pulse width and large R ON .
Non-Isothermal Kinetic Data Generation for Food Constituents

Two new non-isothermal methods for generating kinetic data for food constituents are examined. The first consists of a stirred batch reactor using linearly increasing temperature. The second employs a continuous flow reactor and a novel thermal evaluation method for defining the thermal treatment. The significance and implications of both methods are examined as related to each other and to classical data generation methods.
Chapter 12 – Androgens and Bone: Basic Aspects

Publisher Summary The influences of androgens on bone are pervasive and complex. They are particularly dramatic during growth in boys, but certainly play an important role during this period in girls as well. Throughout the rest of life, androgens affect skeletal function in both sexes. Nevertheless, relatively little has been done to unravel the mechanisms by which androgens contribute to the physiology and pathophysiology of bone, and there is still much to be learned about the roles of androgens at all levels. The interaction of androgens and estrogens, and how their respective actions can be used for specific diagnostic and therapeutic benefit, are important but unanswered issues. With an increase in the understanding of the nature of androgen effects will come greater opportunities to use their positive actions in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of bone disorders.
Academic Entitlement Predicts Smartphone Usage during Class.

In the present study, we examined the relationship between academic entitlement, nomophobia, and cellular phone usage during class. Students reported the amount of time spent on their phones during...
ICU preparedness in pandemics: lessons learned from the coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The worldwide SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on ICUs worldwide. This review expounds on lessons learned for ICU preparedness during the pandemic and for future mass casualty events. RECENT FINDINGS: In the 21st century, there have already been several outbreaks of infectious diseases that have led to mass casualties creating ICU strain, providing multiple opportunities for hospitals and hospital systems to prepare their ICUs for future events. Unfortunately, the sheer scale and rapidity of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to overwhelming strain on every aspect of ICU disaster preparedness. Yet, by analyzing experiences of hospitals throughout the first 7 months of the current pandemic in the areas of infection control, equipment preparedness, staffing strategies, ICU spatial logistics as well as acute and postacute treatment, various important lessons have already emerged that will prove critical for successful future ICU preparedness. SUMMARY: Preemptive planning, beginning with the early identification of staffing resources, supply chains and alternative equipment sources, coupled with strong infection control practices that also provide for the flexibility for evolving evidence is of utmost importance. However, there is no single approach that can be applied to every health system.
Nanoscale Characterization of Thin Films at Oil/Water Interfaces and Implications to Emulsion Stability

This study provides the first nanoscale characterization of the thin films responsible for oil/water emulsion stability using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). High-resolution images revealed...
Space-Time Wave Packets Interacting With Photonic Structures

We introduce two classes of non-diffracting spacetime wave packets to serve as platforms for novel interactions with photonic devices: programmable omni-resonant wave packets for planar optical cavities, and hybrid guided modes in planar waveguides with tunable modal indices.
Directional proton conductance in bacteriorhodopsin is driven by concentration gradient, not affinity gradient

It is widely spread that microorganisms can harvest energy from sun light to establish electrochemical potential across cell membrane by pumping protons outward. Light driven proton pumping against a transmembrane gradient entails exquisite electronic and conformational reconfiguration at fs to ms time scales. However, transient molecular events along the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin are difficult to comprehend from noisy electron density maps obtained from multiple experiments when the intermediate populations coexist and evolve as a function of 13 decades of time. Here I report an in-depth meta-analysis of the recent time-resolved datasets collected by several consortiums. This analysis deconvolutes the observed mixtures, thus substantially improves the quality of the electron density maps, and provides a clear visualization of the isolated intermediates from I to M. The primary photoproducts revealed here suggest a proton transfer uphill against 15 pH units is accomplished by the same physics that governs the tablecloth trick. While the Schiff base is displaced at the beginning of the photoisomerization within [~]30 fs, the proton stays due to its inertia. This affinity-independent early deprotonation builds up a steep proton concentration gradient that drives the directional proton conductance toward the extracellular medium. This mechanism fundamentally deviates from the widely adopted assumption based on equilibrium processes driven by light-induced changes of proton affinities. The method of a numerical resolution of concurrent events from mixed observations is also generally applicable.
Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Historically, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been regarded as a nonimmunogenic tumor; however, recent studies have shown that NSCLCs are among the most responsive cancers to monoclonal antibody immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). ICIs have dramatically improved clinical outcomes for a subset of patients (∼20%) with locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC, and they have also demonstrated promise as neoadjuvant therapy for early-stage resectable disease. Nevertheless, the majority of patients with NSCLC are refractory to ICIs for reasons that are poorly understood. Thus, major questions are: how do we initially identify the patients most likely to derive significant clinical benefit from these therapies; how can we increase the number of patients benefiting; what are the mechanisms of primary and acquired resistance to immune-based therapies; are there additional immune checkpoints besides PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 that can be targeted to provide greater clinical benefit to patients; and how do we best combine ICI therapy with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy? To answer these questions, we need to deploy the latest technologies to study tumors and their microenvironment and how they interact with components of the innate and adaptive immune systems. There is also a need for new preclinical model systems to investigate the molecular mechanisms of resistance to treatment and identify novel therapeutic targets. Recent advances in technology are beginning to shed new light on the immune landscape of NSCLC that may uncover biomarkers of response and maximize the clinical benefit of immune-based therapies. Identification of the mechanisms of resistance should lead to the identification of novel targets and the generation of new therapeutic strategies that improve outcomes for a greater number of patients. In the sections below, we discuss the results of studies examining the immune microenvironment in NSCLC, summarize the clinical experience with immunotherapy for NSCLC, and review candidate biomarkers of response to these agents in NSCLC.
Indirect Inference Estimation of a First-Order Dynamic Panel Data Model

A new estimator is proposed in this paper that inverts a binding function that is based on the asymptotic bias of the within-groups (WG) estimator in a first-order dynamic panel model with fixed effects under the asymptotic regime of large N and finite T. The new estimator is in the spirit of indirect inference (II) and corrects the inconsistency of the WG estimator. It is simulation-free, does not rely on any distributional assumption on the idiosyncratic error term, and is asymptotically normally distributed. Monte Carlo results indicate its good finite-sample performance in comparison with other consistent estimators.
Using Geometric Morphometrics to Examine Cranial Disparity in Extinct and Extant Marsupial and Placental Carnivores

Carnivory evolved independently in multiple mammalian lineages including Carnivora, Dasyuramorphia, and extinct Borhyaenidae, Oxyaenida and Hyaenodontida. Each lineage combines expanded attachment sites for mandibular adductors with specialized shearing dentition. Three-dimensional geometric morphometrics were used to characterize cranial disparity in each carnivorous lineage to test for a correlation between developmental constraint in the marsupial carnivore skull and the limited morphological diversity of the group. When only extant Carnivora is included in the analysis, marsupial carnivores do occupy a separate, limited region of morphospace. When a large sample of extinct placental carnivores are included, placental morphospace and marsupial morphospace overlap. Placental Hyaenodontida, which shares with marsupial carnivores the presence of multiple carnassialized molars, unreduced dentition, long rostra, and distal temporomandibular joints, overlap extensively with marsupial carnivores. Hyaenodontid...
Reinforcing nanocolloidal crystals by tuning interparticle bonding via atomic layer deposition

Abstract Nanocolloidal crystals have emerging applications in photonics and optoelectronics, but their poor mechanical robustness is a major hindrance to their widespread application. In this study, we observed that atomic layer deposition could be used to tune the mechanical properties of nanocolloidal crystals and that atomic-layer-deposition-treated nanocolloidal crystals could be drastically stiffened by a factor of 30 and hardened by a factor of 150. Nanocolloidal crystals composed of monodisperse 254 nm and 289 nm SiO2 nanocolloids were characterized using nanoindentation, yielding low hardness and modulus values. The nanocolloidal crystals exhibit granular behavior with intrinsically weak interparticle bonding. The use of atomic layer deposition enabled us to precisely tune the interparticle bonding by depositing a reinforcing layer around all of the nanocolloids. By increasing the atomic-layer-deposition thickness, the deformation mechanism of nanocolloidal crystals transitions from granular to bonded granular and, finally, to particle-reinforced composite behavior. We believe this work presents the first-ever systematic study of such transitions based on both experimental and theoretical approaches. The mechanism-based models agree well with the experimental results, further validating the proposed transition mechanism. Our work comprehensively explains the effect of atomic layer deposition on the relationship between the structural and mechanical properties of nanocolloidal crystals, providing insights into the mechanical reinforcement mechanism of other types of porous materials and nanocolloidal assemblies.
Experimental Realization of One-Dimensional Bose Gases

In this chapter we review the basic concepts necessary for the realization of a degenerate 1D Bose gas, as well as the actual experimental implementation of these concepts.
Efficient parameterized algorithm for biopolymer structure-sequence alignment

Computational alignment of a biopolymer sequence (e.g., an RNA or a protein) to a structure is an effective approach to predict and search for the structure of new sequences. To identify the structure of remote homologs, the structure-sequence alignment has to consider not only sequence similarity but also spatially conserved conformations caused by residue interactions, and consequently is computationally intractable. It is difficult to cope with the inefficiency without compromising alignment accuracy, especially for structure search in genomes or large databases. This paper introduces a novel method and a parameterized algorithm for structure-sequence alignment. Both the structure and the sequence are represented as graphs, where in general the graph for a biopolymer structure has a naturally small tree width. The algorithm constructs an optimal alignment by finding in the sequence graph the maximum valued subgraph isomorphic to the structure graph. It has the computational time complexity O(ktN2) for the structure of N residues and its tree decomposition of width t. The parameter k, small in nature, is determined by a statistical cutoff for the correspondence between the structure and the sequence. The paper demonstrates a successful application of the algorithm to developing a fast program for RNA structural homology search.
Thoracic Vertebral Body Irradiation Contributes to Acute Hematologic Toxicity During Chemoradiation Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose To determine the relationships between radiation doses to the thoracic bone marrow and declines in blood cell counts in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Methods and Materials We included 52 patients with NSCLC treated with definitive concurrent carboplatin–paclitaxel and RT. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters for the thoracic vertebrae (TV), sternum, scapulae, clavicles, and ribs were assessed for associations with changes in blood counts during the course of CRT. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations between hematologic nadirs and DVH parameters. A DVH parameter of Vx was the percentage of the total organ volume exceeding x radiation dose. Results Grade ≥3 hematologic toxicity including neutropenia developed in 21% (n=11), leukopenia in 42% (n=22), anemia in 6% (n=3), and throbocytopenia in 2% (n=1) of patients. Greater RT dose to the TV was associated with higher risk of grade ≥3 leukopenia across multiple DVH parameters, including TV V 20 (TVV) (odds ratio [OR] 1.06; P =.025), TVV 30 (OR 1.07; P =.013), and mean vertebral dose (MVD) (OR 1.13; P =.026). On multiple regression analysis, TVV 30 (β = −0.004; P =.018) and TVV 20 (β = −0.003; P =.048) were associated with white blood cell nadir. Additional bone marrow sites (scapulae, clavicles, and ribs) did not affect hematologic toxicity. A 20% chance of grade ≥3 leukopenia was associated with a MVD of 13.5 Gy and a TTV 30 of 28%. Cutoff values to avoid grade ≥3 leukopenia were MVD ≤23.9 Gy, TVV 20 ≤56.0%, and TVV 30 ≤52.1%. Conclusions Hematologic toxicity is associated with greater RT doses to the TV during CRT for NSCLC. Sparing of the TV using advanced radiation techniques may improve tolerance of CRT and result in improved tolerance of concurrent chemotherapy.
Enriching engineering curricula with a course on cutting-edge computer technologies

This paper reports the design and implementation of a special topics course on Kinect Application Development. The primary objective of the course is to enrich the Electrical and Computer Engineering curricula by teaching cutting edge computer technologies to keep our programs current and exciting to students. This course differs from traditional Electrical and Computer Engineering courses both in the content covered and in the way it was taught. This course covers both fundamental computer vision technologies that made Kinect possible as well as the rich Application Programming Interfaces provided by the Kinect Software Development Kit. Furthermore, the course consists of both traditional lecture-based instructions and active learning components with lab exercises and team-based projects. The course offers students an opportunity to practice real-world software engineering as well as solving multidisciplinary problems.
Kinetics of the binding of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to glutamate decarboxylase.

Abstract The rate of binding of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) to apoglutamate decarboxylase has been measured as a function of coenzyme concentration at 20°, pH 4.9, by measuring the change in absorbance at 355 mµ and 427 mµ and by measuring enzyme activity versus time. All three measures give the same rate, and first order kinetics is observed for at least three half-lives. A plot of 1/kobs versus 1/[PLP] gives an excellent straight line over a 20-fold range of PLP concentration. These results are interpreted in terms of a two-step mechanism involving rapid initial formation of an enzyme-PLP complex followed by slow formation of the catalytically active enzyme-PLP Schiff base. The rate of the second step is more than a 100-fold slower than the rate of the corresponding Schiff base formation involving PLP and n-butylamine.
P23H rhodopsin transgenic rat : Correlation of retinal function with histopathology

PURPOSE. To correlate retinal functional changes with structural changes in P23H rhodopsin transgenic rats as a model of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. METHODS. P23H heterozygote (lines 1 and 3) and Sprague-Dawley control rats were studied at 4 to 29 weeks by retinal histology, electroretinogram (ERG), and a-wave transduction modeling. RESULTS. Both line 1 (faster degeneration) and line 3 (slower degeneration) showed progressive rod outer segment (ROS) shortening and outer nuclear layer (ONL) cell loss with age. ERG b-wave maximum amplitude (Vb max ) decreased with age, but b-wave threshold remained constant within each line despite progressive ONL thinning and ROS shortening. The only exception was in line 1 at 29 weeks, which showed a slight threshold change relative to earlier ages. Va max and a-wave threshold changed more rapidly and were more sensitive than the b-wave in reflecting histologic degeneration. Va max was linearly proportional to the product of (ROS × ONL) across a two log unit range of data combined from both lines. The photopic b-wave was normal for both lines until the ONL thinned beyond 50%. Phototransduction sensitivity was normal for both lines, and darkadaptation recovery after bleaching rhodopsin was normal. CONCLUSIONS. The P23H transgenic rat has a slow rod degeneration with initially normal cone function, consistent with clinical findings of P23H patients. However, the normal bleach recovery and the normal phototransduction sensitivity in this rat model are different from human P23H disease, a-Wave measures were more sensitive than the b-wave for tracking changes, b-Wave threshold was inexplicably poor for tracking degeneration. Although line 1 degenerated faster than line 3, the functional-structural correlates were the same. The tight linear relationship between saturated a-wave amplitude and the product of (ROS × ONL) indicates that the density of cGMP-gated channels per unit ROS plasma membrane area remains constant over a wide range of degenerations.
Multifrequency control pulses for multilevel superconducting quantum circuits

Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA(Dated: September 8, 2009)Superconducting quantum circuits, such as the superconducting phase qubit, have multiple quan-tum states that can interfere with ideal qubit operation. The use of multiple frequency controlpulses, resonant with the energy diﬀerences of the multi-state system, is theoretically explored. Ananalytical method to design such control pulses is developed, using a generalization of the Floquetmethod to multiple frequency controls. This method is applicable to optimizing the control of bothsuperconducting qubits and qudits, and is found to be in excellent agreement with time-dependentnumerical simulations.
PREDICTION OF RISK OF WET-PAVEMENT ACCIDENTS: FUZZY LOGIC MODEL

Researchers developed a fuzzy-logic model for predicting the risk of accidents that occur on wet pavements. Preventing wet-pavement accidents has been an extremely difficult and elusive task because they are stochastic events whose occurrence is related to a variety of factors, including vehicle, roadway, human, and environmental characteristics. Conventionally, researchers use linear or nonlinear regression models and probabilistic models to predict wet-pavement accidents. However, these models often are limited in their capability to fully explain the process when the underlying physical system possesses a degree of nonlinearity. Therefore, the potential of applying fuzzy logic in this area might be promising. Two fuzzy-logic models were developed and evaluated using accident data and the corresponding traffic data collected from 123 sections of highway in Pennsylvania from 1984 to 1986. The models use skid number, posted speed, average daily traffic, percentage of wet time, and driving difficulty as input variables and the number of wet-pavement accidents as the output variable. The first model is based on Mamdani's fuzzy-inference method, and the second is a Sugeno-type fuzzy-logic model using the fuzzy-clustering method. The two fuzzy-logic models show superiority over the probabilistic model and the nonlinear regression model. Results indicate that, in addition to predicting the risk of wet-pavement accidents, the fuzzy-logic model can be applied conveniently to determine specific corrective actions that should be undertaken to improve safety.
Augmented Lectures: A Liquid Feedback System for the Traditional and Blended Classroom

In this talk, we describe the concept of an augmented reality application that can be employed with readily available hardware as a drop-in support system for traditional and blended lecture environments. Through augmented reality, instructors become enabled to present and view their classes at the same time, answering anonymously posed questions, and react to the connected learner's rating in a live fashion, aiding in increased effectiveness for learning content delivery. At the same time, learners become empowered to follow a lecture using a browser- capable device and to provide live feedback, including ratings, to the instructor.
Cranberry Juice and Warfarin: When Bad Publicity Trumps Science

Based on anecdotal reports, the question of whether cranberry juice interacts with warfarin has been raised. This article discusses the potential mechanism, and systematically reviews case reports as well as clinical trials examining the possible interaction. We systematically searched MEDLINE via PubMed, and the Cochrane Library database. Fifteen case reports were summarized, including the initial unpublished brief reports to the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the subsequent 6 published case reports. Seven clinical trials were analyzed, including 3 studies using warfarin and 4 surrogate drugs. Only 2 cases had a validation scale suggesting a "probable" interaction, but even in these patients there were many reasons to question the validity of a relevant drug interaction. Randomized clinical trials and surrogate markers found no evidence to support the interaction between cranberry juice and warfarin. Because the moderate consumption of cranberry juice does not affect anticoagulation, we encourage the reexamination of initial warnings based on scientific evidence. We conclude that the initial precautionary warnings by administrating bodies are limited to anecdotal case reports and represent misleading conclusions.
Diagnoses and key to the genera of the Gracilariaceae (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta)

A key to the genera of the Gracilariaceae is provided along with a short diagnosis for each genus. Features of the mature cystocarp and spermatangial configurations that separate genera are illustrated.
Identification of spatially discontinuous parameters in second-order parabolic systems by piecewise regularisation

A novel piecewise regularisation approach has been developed for the identification of spatially discontinuous parameters in second-order parabolic systems. First, previous results on the regularisation identification approach are reviewed; regularisation is interpreted as enforced compactness of the parameter space. Then, a piecewise regularisation identification approach is rigorously formulated in a functional analytic framework. The theoretical results are applied to the history matching of one-dimensional fractured reservoirs. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by numerical experiments.
Effect of damage on fatigue crack propagation in polystyrene

In this paper we examine a conventional approach to correlate the fatigue crack growth rate with fracture mechanics parameters such as stress intensity factor or elastic energy release rate. To simulate a complex loading history we grow a fatigue crack in a vicinity of a hole in a single edge notched specimen under tension-tension. It is found that the correlation between the crack speed and stress intensity factor, etc. may exist only for limited experimental conditions. In general, fatigue crack growth is inseparable from the evolution of the damage zone preceding the crack, and damage evolution parameters should enter constitutive equations of fatigue crack growth. The essential role of the damage zone in determining the crack trajectory and speed is demonstrated.
The role of natural killer T cells in lung inflammation.

Invariant NK T cells (iNKT) bridge the innate and adaptive immune response, being characterized by the ability to use invariant T cell receptors to recognize glycolipid antigens presented by CD1d, leading to an explosive cytokine effector response. As such it has been proposed that iNKT cells perform important roles as both effector and regulatory cells in a wide range of disease settings. These roles have been characterized in experiments depending on the use of iNKT-null mice, due to lack of either CD1d expression or Jα18 and the use of CD1d tetramers loaded with the model glycolipid antigen, α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer). Several studies have examined lung disease, infectious and allergic, in humans and mice. While the lung itself does not carry an exceptionally large population of iNKT cells (compared with, say, the liver), it does appear to be a site at which these cells can exert a profound effect. Several models of bacterial, fungal and viral murine lung infection have been investigated that have sometimes produced conflicting results. Abrogation of iNKT cell function in knockouts is often associated with disease exacerbation, indicating a regulatory role in lung infection. Studies in murine asthma models and in patients have similarly probed the role of iNKT cells in these settings. While there are again somewhat contradictory findings, evidence suggests a likely role for iNKT cells in mediating airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), but probably not in Th2 polarization or lung eosinophilia. In marginally different models, administration of αGalCer has either ameliorated or exacerbated AHR. Different studies of BAL from human asthma patients show variously that there is either a very enlarged population of iNKT cells in the asthmatic lung, or that there is no significant difference from controls. Taken together, there are some observations that argue compellingly for an important role of iNKT cells in the lung, but resolution of some of the contradictory findings may await the development of reagents capable of providing alternative readouts of iNKT activation in these diverse disease settings. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Posttranslational Modifications of Self‐Antigens

Although the immune system has developed mechanisms to distinguish "self" from "non-self," the presence of autoimmune diseases demonstrates that these mechanisms can be bypassed. The posttranslational modification of self-antigens is one way in which "new" antigens are created for which immune tolerance does not exist. We review some of the posttranslationally modified self-antigens associated with autoimmune diseases, how they arise, and how they break immune tolerance.
Unchained reaction: The collapse of media gatekeeping and the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal

In this article we use the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal to illustrate a fundamental change in the contemporary American media environment: the virtual elimination of the gatekeeping role of the mainstream press. The new media environment, by providing virtually unlimited sources of political information (although these sources do not provide anything like an unlimited number of perspectives), undermines the idea that there are discrete gates through which political information passes: if there are no gates, there can be no gatekeepers. This article is part of a larger project in which we argue that alterations in the media environment have eroded the always uneasy distinction between news and entertainment. Overall, this erosion, one result of which is the collapse of the gatekeeping function, is rapidly undermining the commonsense assumptions used by both elites, citizens and scholars to understand the role of the media in a democratic society.
EMOVIS: An Efficient Mobile Visual Search System for Landmark Recognition

Traditionally, content-based image retrieval systems (CBIR) are designed to allow users to search for images in large databases which match closely with users' query images. Recent emergence of powerful mobile devices equipped with digital cameras have led to the emergence of several interesting mobile CBIR applications. Due to the limited resources in mobile devices, it is critical that the image matching engine within any mobile CBIR system be efficiently designed. Many existing image matching engines use SURF-based methods which return many key points, and hence are not quite suitable for mobile devices. In this paper, we present an efficient mobile visual search system (EMOVIS) which allows mobile users to retrieve relevant information using image-based queries. EMOVIS uses two unique salient key point identification schemes we designed which allow image matching to be conducted efficiently and with high accuracy. In addition, EMOVIS includes an image cropping scheme which eliminates irrelevant regions within a query image. Such cropping minimizes query latency, bandwidth usage and the energy cost of using EMOVIS. Via extensive evaluations using ZuBuD dataset and our own image dataset, we showed that EMOVIS can achieve higher than 92% accuracy with low computational and energy cost.
Nekton utilization of intertidal salt marsh creeks: Tidal influences in natural Spartina, invasive Phragmites, and marshes treated for Phragmites removal

Intertidal creeks provide an extensive and direct interface with the marsh surface during periods of tidal inundation, and as such they represent a critically important corridor between the marsh surface and subtidal habitats. However, invasion by Phragmites can potentially alter this intertidal creek function. Habitat restoration was conducted in the oligohaline Alloway Creek watershed of Delaware Bay, USA, to ameliorate the deleterious effects of Phragmites invasion and restore marshes to pre-invasion form and function. Intertidal creeks in three marsh habitat types (natural Spartina-dominated, sites treated for Phragmites removal and now dominated by Spartina, and invasive Phragmites-dominated) were sampled during summer 2004 with seines during ebb and flood tides to determine juvenile nekton habitat and tidal utilization patterns and identify possible effects of marsh restoration efforts on intertidal nekton. Total nekton abundance was greater at Spartina and Treated marshes than Phragmites marshes. The overall nekton assemblage did not vary between habitat types, but the nekton assemblage did vary between tide stages, with low tide stages dominated by resident nekton (primarily Fundulus heteroclitus) and high tide stages consisting of a mix of transient and resident species (e.g., Anchoa mitchilli, Morone americana, Anguilla rostrata, Morone saxatilis). The effect of marsh restoration efforts on intertidal creek nekton was inconsistent, but most metrics examined indicated that restoration efforts had little effect in intertidal creek habitats, likely because the intertidal assemblage in all creek types was greatly influenced by many species moving from subtidal habitats and primarily a single (but abundant) species, F. heteroclitus, moving from the marsh surface.
Fibroblast–myocyte electrotonic coupling: Does it occur in native cardiac tissue?

Heterocellular electrotonic coupling between cardiac myocytes and non-excitable connective tissue cells has been a long-established and well-researched fact in vitro. Whether or not such coupling exists in vivo has been a matter of considerable debate. This paper reviews the development of experimental insight and conceptual views on this topic, describes evidence in favour of and against the presence of such coupling in native myocardium, and identifies directions for further study needed to resolve the riddle, perhaps less so in terms of principal presence which has been demonstrated, but undoubtedly in terms of extent, regulation, patho-physiological context, and actual relevance of cardiac myocyte–non-myocyte coupling in vivo. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Myocyte-Fibroblast Signalling in Myocardium."
Hertzian Ring Crack Initiation in Hot‐Pressed Silicon Carbides

The use of Hertzian indentation to measure ring crack initiation force (RCIF) distributions in four hot-pressed silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics is described. Three diamond indenter diameters were used with each SiC; the RCIF in each test was identified with the aid of an acoustic emission system; and two-parameter Weibull RCIF distributions were determined for all 12 combinations. RCIF testing was found to be an effective discriminator of contact damage initiation and response. It consistently produced the same ranking of RCIF between the four SiCs, with all three different indenter diameters, which is noteworthy because Knoop hardness and fracture toughness measurements were only subtly different or equivalent for the four SiCs. However, because RCIF, like hardness, is a characteristic response of a target material to an applied indentation condition (e.g., a function of indenter diameter) and not a material property, the implications and possible limitations should be acknowledged when using RCIF to discriminate the target material response.
Cotton Management Strategies for a Short Growing Season Environment: Water-Nitrogen Considerations

(…) Field experiments were conducted during a 4-yr period at a sandy soil (fine, loamy, mixed, thermic family of Aridic Paleustalf) site. Water supply was varied through irrigation with treatments ranging from dryland to fully irrigated. Superimposed on the water supplies were N rate treatments applied preplant and sidedress in a factorial design. Lint yield (LY) was defined as a function of components including plant density, bolls per plant and average boll size.(...)