cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aladdin signal processor and architecture modeling

Texas Instruments (TI) is developing the Aladdin computer under contract with the U. S. Army Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM). The program is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U. S. Army Night Vision and Electro-Optics Directorate (NVEOD). Processors currently available for today's advanced weapons systems are limited in their real-time processing capabilities and are generally specific to a selected mission. The lack of availability of a high performance, general purpose, programmable processor in a small volume applicable to a variety of weapons systems applications creates a high non-recurring development cost for each new program. Automatic target acquisition systems are specifically in need of processors that meet the required real- time processing throughput of a variety of algorithms within very restrictive volume constraints. The objective of the Aladdin program is to develop a very high performance miniature processor that fits within a 75 cubic inch cylindrical volume, and is easily programmable to provide the ability to detect, recognize, identify, and locate the optimal aimpoint of a target or targets.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
325 Outcomes of Lung Transplantation in Children with Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: St. Louis Children's Hospital Experience

Outcomes of Lung Transplantation in Children with Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: St. Louis Children’s Hospital Experience B.S. Goldstein, C.B. Huddleston, S.C. Sweet, J. Mao, R.M. Grady. Pediatric Cardiology, Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO; Pediatric Pulmonology, Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO; Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO.
Social Comparison and the Young Child: Current Research Issues.

The paper represents a synthesis of the extensive literature on social comparison in young children. Several theorists are reviewed, whose writings provide a conceptual framework for the study of social comparison. Then, the paper overviews research pertaining to the following issues: What motivates children to engage in social comparison? With whom do children seek to compare? At what age does social comparison appear? Does it follow a developmental progression? What are the effects upon subsequent behavior? Are there sex‐related differences in social comparison activity? By way of conclusion, practical implications for teaching are drawn.
Elastodynamic Green's functions for a smoothly heterogeneous half-space

In this paper, the response of a vertically heterogeneous elastic half-space with a smooth modulus variation under a set of time-harmonic ring- and point-sources is derived analytically. A method of evaluation via asymptotic decomposition for the singular Green's functions is presented. In the technique, the Green's functions are decomposed into an analytical part and a residual component. Capturing the corresponding singular behavior, the analytical parts of the ring- and point-load Green's functions are expressible in terms of the elliptic integrals and algebraic functions, respectively. The residual integrals which are regular can be evaluated by numerical contour integration. To obtain correct results, one must note and take into account the existence of multiple poles along the formal path of the inversion integrals, the details of which are discussed in the paper. To highlight the various aspects of the physical problem, a set of illustrative numerical results is included.
Health sector reform: making health development sustainable

Health sector reform is underway or under consideration in countries throughout the world and at all levels of income. This paper presents an overview of key concepts and approaches to health sector reform in developing countries. Reform implies sustained, purposeful, and fundamental changes in the health sector. While it is difficult to define precisely what constitutes a true reform, there is widespread consensus that reform is a process of change involving the what, who, and how of health sector action. Health is increasingly included as an important goal of national development. It can make development more sustainable. The paper outlines some general and specific health sector reform strategies that can contribute to sustainable development for countries at all levels of income, although the strategies will differ in content and emphasis. Health sector reform should be based on an holistic view of the health sector. The paper presents two frameworks to aid in reform design: one highlighting the linkages between different institutional actors in the health sector; the second addressing linkages across different functional areas of reform action. In order to develop and carry out reform, information and analysis is needed. A variety of practical tools now available for this purpose are discussed, encompassing all the different areas of action. While tool development should continue, reform proponents already have much to work with. Given global interest, the importance of health sector reform in development strategies, and significant existing knowledge and experience, country level analysis and action should proceed vigorously.
Facial emotion discrimination across the menstrual cycle in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and controls

Background Depressed patients show mood-congruent errors in the identification of emotion in facial expressions. Errors consist of impaired performance (recognition errors) and negative bias (seeing faces as sadder than they are). This abnormal processing may both reflect and contribute to the negative affective state. In this study, we administered an emotional recognition in facial expression task to women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) to determine whether processing errors similar to those in depression were present and whether they were confined to the luteal phase (i.e., state dependent).
Performance of python CS1 students in mid-level non-python CS courses

If you change the CS1 language to Python, what is the impact on the rest of the curriculum? In earlier work we examined the impact of changing CS1 from C++ to Python while leaving CS2 in C++. We found that Python-prepared CS1 students fared no differently in CS2 than students whose CS1 course was in C++, even though CS2 was taught in C++ and covered the same topics as in previous years. Was that an anomaly? What happens in the next tier of courses? When our CS1 was first changed to Python there were many students who had taken CS1 in C++ still in the system. The result is that there is a cadre of students with either CS1 in Python or CS1 in C++ moving together through our curriculum. This one-time occurrence is an opportunity to study the students with many variables fixed. Our next tier of courses is a C-based computer organization course, a C++ based object-oriented software design course, and a data structures course. We found that the students who started with Python fared as well as the CS1 C++ students. As before, the best predictor of performance was their college GPA. Python versus C++ CS1 preparation was not a predictor of performance in any course. We conclude again that in our C++ based curriculum changing CS1 to Python had no negative impact on student performance and did not require any significant change in those subsequent courses.
LEARNING AND ENCODING HIGHER ORDER RULES IN NEURAL NETWORKS

Some researchers state that whereas neural networks are fine for pattern recognition and categorization, complex rule formation requires a separate “symbolic” level. However, the human brain is a connectionist system and, however imperfectly, does complex reasoning and inference. Familiar modeling principles (e.g., Hebbian or associative learning, lateral inhibition, opponent processing, neuromodulation) could recur, in different combinations, in architectures that can learn diverse rules. These rules include, for example, “go to the most novel object,” “alternate between two given objects,” and “touch three given objects, without repeats, in any order.” Frontal lobe damage interferes with learning all three of those rules. Hence, network models of rule learning and encoding should include a module analogous to the prefrontal cortex. They should also include modules analogous to the hippocampus for episode setting and analogous to the amygdala for emotional evaluation.
Polony Identification Using the EM Algorithm Based on a Gaussian Mixture Model

Polony technology is a low-cost, high-throughput platform employed in several applications such as DNA sequencing, haplotyping and alternative pre-mRNA splicing analysis. Owing to their random placement, however, overlapping polonies occur often and may result in inaccurate or unusable data. Accurately identifying polony positions and sizes is essential for maximizing the quantity and quality of data aquired in an image, however, most existing identification algorithms do not handle overlapping polonies well. In this paper, we present a novel polony identification approach combining both a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. Experiments on simulated and real images of highly overlapping polonies show that our algorithm has a 10% to 20% increase in recall compared with the existing algorithms, while keeping precision at the same level.
Phase-locking in a nonuniform array of tunnel junctions

A nonuniform, one-dimensional tunnel junction array that is designed to promote phase-locking to an ac pump signal is proposed and theoretically investigated for possible information processing applications. The tunnel resistances of the junctions in one part of the array are tailored to provide phase restoration for electrons tunneling in the array, while the tunnel resistances in the other part of the array are designed to provide a time delay with minimal jitter. It is shown that phase-locking of the tunneling is possible at the fundamental and at the one-half subharmonic of the pump frequency. While the required parameter ranges and the necessary degree of control of this design are not practical for tunneling phase logic based on conventional tunnel junction technologies, the proposed design could potentially be realized in a molecular system.
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) Regeneration in Experimental Canopy Gaps

Restoration of giant sequoia populations is a high priority for managers, but few experimental studies have examined the efficacy of restoration treatments. To inform giant sequoia restoration treatment options, we assessed the response of giant sequoia regeneration (germination, mortality, and growth) to experimental gaps within a native giant sequoia grove. We created experimental gaps, ranging in size from 0.05 to 0.4 ha. Following gap creation, we sowed seeds and planted seedlings along north-south transects across gaps. Transects were planted on paired burned and unburned substrates. The seed-sowing treatment did not result in a cohort of established seedlings, although the amount of seeds sowed was far short of the potential amount released during intense fires. Mortality of planted seedlings did not vary with gap size (average 25% mortality). However, there was a distinct relationship between gap size and second year seedling growth. The relationship was best modeled with an asymptotic curve for both burned and unburned substrates. Relative seedling growth more than doubled as gap size increased from 0.05 to 0.2 ha, then increases in growth diminished. Growth rates of giant sequoia seedlings saturated above 70% light availability while increasing linearly with belowground resource availability. Long-lived pioneer species such as giant sequoia require restoration treatments that involve relatively severe disturbances to facilitate cohort establishment and recruitment.
Implementation of hardware-accelerated scalable parallel random number generators

The Scalable Parallel Random Number Generators (SPRNGs) library is widely used in computational science applications such as Monte Carlo simulations since SPRNG supports fast, parallel, and scalable random number generation with good statistical properties. In order to accelerate SPRNG, we develop a Hardware-Accelerated version of SPRNG (HASPRNG) on the Xilinx XC2VP50 Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) in the Cray XD1 that produces identical results. HASPRNG includes the reconfigurable logic for FPGAs along with a programming interface which performs integer random number generation. To demonstrate HASPRNG for Reconfigurable Computing (RC) applications, we also develop a Monte Carlo π-estimator for the Cray XD1. The RC Monte Carlo π-estimator shows a 19.1× speedup over the 2.2 GHz AMD Opteron processor in the Cray XD1. In this paper we describe the FPGA implementation for HASPRNG and a π-estimator example application exploiting the fine-grained parallelism and mathematical properties of the SPRNG algorithm.
A Novel Role for Enzyme I of the Vibrio cholerae Phosphoenolpyruvate Phosphotransferase System in Regulation of Growth in a Biofilm

Glucose is a universal energy source and a potent inducer of surface colonization for many microbial species. Highly efficient sugar assimilation pathways ensure successful competition for this preferred carbon source. One such pathway is the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS), a multicomponent sugar transport system that phosphorylates the sugar as it enters the cell. Components required for transport of glucose through the PTS include enzyme I, histidine protein, enzyme IIA(Glc), and enzyme IIBC(Glc). In Escherichia coli, components of the PTS fulfill many regulatory roles, including regulation of nutrient scavenging and catabolism, chemotaxis, glycogen utilization, catabolite repression, and inducer exclusion. We previously observed that genes encoding the components of the Vibrio cholerae PTS were coregulated with the vps genes, which are required for synthesis of the biofilm matrix exopolysaccharide. In this work, we identify the PTS components required for transport of glucose and investigate the role of each of these components in regulation of biofilm formation. Our results establish a novel role for the phosphorylated form of enzyme I in specific regulation of biofilm-associated growth. As the PTS is highly conserved among bacteria, the enzyme I regulatory pathway may be relevant to a number of biofilm-based infections.
Utilization of base deficit and reliability of base deficit as a surrogate for serum lactate in the peri-operative setting

Background Base deficit (BD) is commonly used in the operating room (OR) as an endpoint of resuscitation. BD is used as a surrogate marker for the accumulation of lactic acid(Lac). However, the BD can be affected by large amounts of saline.
Sorption and Sedimentation of Zn and Cd by Seston in Southern Lake Michigan

Recent estimates suggest that inputs of Zn and Cd to southern Lake Michigan exceed losses. We investigated the sorption and sedimentation of Zn and Cd by southern Lake Michigan seston particles using 65Zn and 109Cd in 21 radiotracer experiments. The time-series sorption by total seston >0.45 μm was asymptotic with apparent equilibria of ∼100–200 ng Zn/L and ∼1.0–2.0 ng Cd/L, occurring in ∼24–30h during the summer phytoplankton bloom. Studies of the sorption by different particle size fractions showed that the abundance of phytoplankton and detritus control the concentrations of particle-bound Zn and Cd. The seasonal maximum concentrations of particle-bound Zn and Cd correlated well with the development of both the summer and fall phytoplankton blooms. Serial additions of Zn and Cd in combination with the radiotracers showed that these additions inhibit the sorption of both metals as their toxic effects are expressed. Coupling of the particle-bound Zn and Cd estimates for the period May to December with data on the seasonal variations in the net settling velocity in southern Lake Michigan provided annual sedimentation rates of ∼9 μg Zn/cm2.yr and ∼0.1 μg Cd/cm2 yr that are in excellent agreement with similar estimates by other investigators. Likewise, dividing our particle-bound estimates by the dry weight of total seston in the samples provided sediment concentration estimates of ∼38–185 ng Zn/mg dry weight (ppm) and 0.5–2.3 ng Cd/mg dry weight that agree with measured levels from the surficial Lake Michigan sediment. The results of these experiments suggest that, if the dissolved concentrations of Zn and Cd do increase to toxic levels, the impacts on phytoplankton may potentiate further increases in the dissolved levels by reducing plankton sorption and removal by sedimentation.
Do Certain Readings of Freud Constitute Pathological Science ? A Comment on Boag (2006)

Boag (2006) holds that many psychologists misinterpret Freud's concept of repression as chiefly concerning motivated forgetting of trauma. He characterizes the persistence of this alleged error as ...
Differential effects of fluphenazine-N-mustard, on calmodulin activity and on D1 and D2 dopaminergic responses.

Fluphenazine-N-mustard (FNM) has been shown to irreversibly block dopaminergic receptor sites and inhibit certain dopaminergically-mediated behaviors. In this study we measured whether FNM has any differential effects on D1 and D2 dopaminergic events. Accordingly, we examined the relative effects of FNM on rotational behavior induced by SKF 38393 (D1 agonist) and Ly 171555 (D2 agonist) in mice with unilateral, 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions of the striatum and the effects of FNM on the binding of [3H]Sch 23390 (D1 ligand) and [3H]spiroperidol (D2 ligand) to mouse striatal membranes. FNM inhibited rotational behavior induced by Ly 171555 at doses 10-fold lower than those required to block rotations induced by SKF 38393 (ID50 values: Ly 171555=1.8 μmole/kg, IP; SKF 38393=16 μmole/kg, IP). The inhibitory effect of high doses of FNM (20 μmole/kg) on rotational behavior was overcome by increasing the dose of SKF 38393 and apomorphine, a nonselective dopaminergic agonist. By contrast, the inhibitory effect of FNM was not overcome by Ly 171555, even when given in doses more than 100 times its ED50. Using striatal homogenates in vitro, FNM inhibited the specific binding of [3H]spiroperidol at concentrations about 10-fold lower than those required to inhibit the binding of [3H]Sch 23390 (IC50 values: [3H]spiroperidol=90 nM; [3H]Sch 23390=840 nM). Considerably higher concentrations of FNM were needed to irreversibly inhibit calmodulin activity in striatal homogenates (IC50=10 μM). In vivo, FNM inhibited the binding of [3H]spiroperidol measured ex vivo (ID50=4 μmole/kg), but did not inhibit the binding of [3H]Sch 23390, even when given in doses as high as 100 μmole/kg. These studies indicate that FNM was approximately 10 times more potent at inhibiting D2-than D1-mediated behavior and at displacing D2 versus D1 ligands and suggest that FNM may be useful for studying and differentiating D2- and D1-mediated events.
WINNING A BATTLE: THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THE “NEIGHBORHOOD”

We propose that a battle between two conflicting entities can be modeled as a kinematic problem on a lattice. We examine the parameters relevant to such simulations, and describe global patterns emerging from a lattice model of a conflict with a few simple rules. We conclude that models of this type display interesting and relevant properties and warrant more in-depth analysis. The focus in this work is on the role of knowledge of the “neighborhood” in winning a battle.
Embolized disc from a Beall mitral valve prosthesis. Real-time echocardiographic identification.

A 57-year-old woman with acute catastrophic mitral regurgitation due to a disc embolization from a model 103 Beall mitral valve prosthesis is described. Embolization was due to disc variance without evidence of a fractured strut. The diagnosis was immediately established at the bedside by the use of M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography which identified the disc lying free within the left ventricular cavity. Rapid diagnosis of disc embolization from a mitral valve prosthesis is possible, obviating the need for cardiac catheterization and allowing immediate mitral valve replacement.
Child Well-Being in Same-Sex Parent Families: Review of Research Prepared for American Sociological Association Amicus Brief

Recent legal cases before the Supreme Court of the United States were challenging federal definitions of marriage created by the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s voter approved Proposition 8 which limited marriage to different-sex couples only. Social science literature regarding child well-being was being used within these cases, and the American Sociological Association sought to provide a concise evaluation of the literature through an amicus curiae brief. The authors were tasked in the assistance of this legal brief by reviewing literature regarding the well-being of children raised within same-sex parent families. This article includes our assessment of the literature, focusing on those studies, reviews and books published within the past decade. We conclude that there is a clear consensus in the social science literature indicating that American children living within same-sex parent households fare just, as well as those children residing within different-sex parent households over a wide array of well-being measures: academic performance, cognitive development, social development, psychological health, early sexual activity, and substance abuse. Our assessment of the literature is based on credible and methodologically sound studies that compare well-being outcomes of children residing within same-sex and different-sex parent families. Differences that exist in child well-being are largely due to socioeconomic circumstances and family stability. We discuss challenges and opportunities for new research on the well-being of children in same-sex parent families.
Direct in vivo electrochemical monitoring of dopamine release in response to neuroleptic drugs

The ability of stearate-modified graphite paste electrodes to monitor changes in dopamine (DA) release in response to haloperidol and chlorpromazine was examined in rat striatum. The increase in electrochemical signal produced by both neuroleptics was not reversed by pargyline and was abolished by 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the substantia nigra. The electrodes did not respond to administration of ascorbic acid or promethazine. The results demonstrate that neuroleptic-induced release of DA can be directly monitored with these electrodes.
Comparability of methods of observation for global ratings of heterosexual social skill and anxiety: A generalizability study

This research examined the degree to which skill and anxiety ratings vary as a function of audio, video, or live rating conditions. The question was addressed through a generalizability analysis which indicated that ratings of skill may generalize across audio, video, or live rating modes and across judges within a mode. However, results for anxiety show that while one can generalize across modes, there is a lack of comparability across judges within modes. This finding indicates the need for more judges in order to obtain acceptable levels of reliability for anxiety. Additional validity analyses suggest that the use of videotapes for ratings of skill maximizes the information obtained from role-play techniques for the assessment of heterosexual social performance.
Localization of a Novel Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) Precursor C-Terminal Peptide Product, GHRH-Related Peptide, in the Rat Ovary. † 414

The gene which encodes growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) arose from an ancestral gene that also gave rise to the genes for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), pituitary adenylyl-cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), glucagon, and secretin. Review of the GHRH gene sequence predicts a second 30 amino acid carboxyl terminal peptide product that has a high degree of homology with VIP and PACAP. This novel peptide, which we have called GHRH-related peptide (GHRH-RP), has been previously localized to rat testicular germ cells. GHRH-RP activates Sertoli cell expression of stem cell factor. Although GHRH is produced by a variety of rat tissues, including the hypothalamus, placenta, testis, and ovary, GHRH-RP has only been described in the testis. We sought to determine if this novel peptide is present in the cycling rat ovary.
Driver and Passenger Seatbelt Use Among U.S. High School Students

Background In 2005, 40% of motor-vehicle occupant deaths in the group aged 16–19 years involved passengers. Although seatbelts can reduce crash mortality by 50% or more, little is known about the differences in driver-versus-passenger seatbelt use among teens. Methods In 2007, data from the 2001 and 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were analyzed for 12,731 black, white, and Hispanic high school students aged ≥16 years reporting seatbelt use as both drivers and passengers. Seatbelt use was compared for driver- and passenger-seat positions, and stratified by age, gender, race/ethnicity, school grades, and histories of either drinking and driving or riding with a drinking driver. Results Overall, 59% of students always used seatbelts when driving, but only 42% always buckled up as passengers. Across all covariate strata, passenger seatbelt use was significantly less prevalent than driver seatbelt use (p<0.001). A concordance analysis showed that only 38% of students always wore seatbelts both when driving and while riding as a passenger. Multivariate analyses indicated that, regardless of seat position, seatbelt use was lower for young men, blacks, students with poor grades, and students who reported either drinking and driving or riding with a drinking driver. Conclusions U.S. high school students aged ≥16 years are significantly less likely to wear seatbelts as passengers than as drivers. Interventions designed to promote seatbelt use among teens need to address this disparity.
Defining and measuring neighborhood sustainability in Charlotte, North Carolina

This paper reports on research measuring sustainability at the community-level scale. Working with planning and community development organizations in Charlotte, North Carolina, researchers from the Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, developed and constructed a sustainable index for 73 inner city neighborhoods. This research embraces the broad definition of sustainable communities. It uses 28 indicator variables chosen to represent the multifaceted concept of local sustainability. Social, economic, and environmental factors are broadly represented. A sustainable index value was calculated for each neighborhood. In turn, this measure allows for comparison between neighborhoods as well as across communities. Moreover, the research methodology provides a framework for selecting, measuring, and analyzing the potential impact of public policy initiatives on neighborhood condition.
Available estradiol receptors in nuclei from human endometrium.

Abstract Unoccupied or available estradiol (E2) nuclear receptors were found in normal, as well as in cancerous, human endometrium. The concentrations of these receptors ranged from 0.2-1.7pmol/mg DNA in proliferative endometrium to 0.1–0.6 pmol/mg DNA in secretory tissue, showing maximal average values at the mid-follicular phase. Available nuclear receptors were measured by incubating isolated nuclei with 10 nM [ 3 H ]- E 2 ± 1 μ M DES for 60min at 4°C. The available nuclear receptors could also be labeled in whole tissue or in KC1 nuclear extracts. Receptors labeled at 4°C, extracted from nuclei with 0.6 KC1 M and centrifuged in a sucrose density gradient appear in a DES competible peak with a sedimentation constant slightly lower than that of BSA. A series of experiments demonstrated that E2-free estrogen receptors in endometrial nuclei are not artifacts produced by cytoplasmic contamination, E2 exchange at 4°C, or loss of E2 during preparation of the nuclei. A procedure to measure concentrations of available and occuplied nuclear receptors, as well as available cytoplasmic receptors for E2, is described.
Temperature dependence of the silicon field evaporation voltage

Abstract The silicon field evaporation voltage has been measured as a function of temperature in ultra-high vacuum for the first time. A linear decrease in evaporation voltage by nearly a factor of two is observed as the temperature is increased from 50 to 530 K. The anomalous field evaporation (random, cluster desorption) previously observed at low temperatures is found to be replaced by uniform, layer-by-layer field evaporation at temperatures above 150 K. The temperature dependence is discussed in relation to previous measurements carried out in hydrogen, to recent theoretical predictions, and to the mechanism of pulsed laser stimulated field evaporation of silicon.
Testing for IIA in the Multinomial Logit Model

The multinomial logit model is perhaps the most commonly used regression model for nominal outcomes in the social sciences. A concern raised by many researchers, however, is the assumption of the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) that is implicit in the model. In this article, the authors undertake a series of Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the three most commonly discussed tests of IIA. Results suggest that the size properties of the most common IIA tests depend on the data structure for the independent variables. These findings are consistent with an earlier impression that, even in well-specified models, IIA tests often reject the assumption when the alternatives seem distinct and often fail to reject IIA when the alternatives can reasonably be viewed as close substitutes. The authors conclude that tests of the IIA assumption that are based on the estimation of a restricted choice set are unsatisfactory for applied work.
Optimal Ascent Trajectories for Stratospheric Airships Using Wind Energy

Stratospheric airships are lighter-than-air vehicles that have the potential to provide an extremely-long-duration airborne presence at altitudes of 18―22 km. In this paper, we examine optimal ascent trajectories that use wind energy to achieve minimum-time and minimum-energy flights. The airship is represented by a three-dimensional point-mass model, and the equations of motion include aerodynamic lift and drag, vectored thrust, added mass effects, and accelerations due to mass-flow rate, wind rates, and Earth rotation. A representative wind profile is developed based on historical meteorological data and measurements. Trajectory optimization is performed by first defining an optimal control problem with both terminal and path constraints, then using direct collocation to develop an approximate nonlinear parameter optimization problem of finite dimension. Optimal ascent trajectories are determined using SNOPT for a variety of upwind, downwind, and crosswind launch locations. Results of extensive optimization solutions illustrate definitive patterns in the ascent path for minimum-time flights across varying launch locations and show that significant energy savings can be realized with minimum-energy flights, compared with minimum-time flights, given small increases in flight time. In addition, the effects of time-varying mass and Earth rotation are found to be comparable with the effects of wind rate, and they are used in the optimal solutions.
Identification of selective, nonpeptidic nitrile inhibitors of cathepsin s using the substrate activity screening method.

The substrate activity screening method, a substrate-based fragment identification and optimization method for the development of enzyme inhibitors, was previously applied to cathepsin S to obtain low nanomolar 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazole-based aldehyde inhibitors (Wood, W. J. L.; Patterson, A. W.; Tsuruoka, H.; Jain, R. K.; Ellman, J. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 15521−15527). Replacement of the metabolically labile aldehyde pharmacophore with the nitrile pharmacophore provided inhibitors with moderate potency for cathepsin S. The inhibitors showed good selectivity over cathepsins B and L but no selectivity over cathepsin K. X-ray structures of two crystal forms (1.5 and 1.9 A) of a complex between cathepsin S and a triazole inhibitor incorporating a chloromethyl ketone pharmacophore guided the design of triazole substrates with increased cleavage efficiency and selectivity for cathepsin S over cathepsins B, L, and K. Conversion of select substrates to nitrile inhibitors yielded a low molecular w...
Photoacoustic ultrasound (PAUS)--reconstruction tomography.

The theoretical underpinnings of photoacoustic ultrasound (PAUS) reconstruction tomography are presented. A formal relationship between PAUS signals and the heterogeneous distribution of optical absorption within the object being investigated is developed. Based on this theory, a reconstruction approach, analogous to that used in x‐ray computed tomography, is suggested. Initial experimental results suggest that this approach produces ‘‘reasonable’’ reconstructions for absorbers distributed within a narrow plane embedded within a highly scattering medium.
The Subprime Crisis and African Americans

There is a long history of unfair housing and lending practices in the United States and generally, African Americans have been disproportionately negatively impacted by these activities. In order to understand the current economic crisis and its impacts on African Americans, one must first explore the historical spectrum of discriminatory actions leveled against blacks in housing and mortgage lending. This paper discusses the recent subprime mortgage crisis and identifies the ways that African Americans were impacted. It provides an historical review of mortgage lending and housing discrimination and the role that public policy played in these practices. It then chronicles the subprime mortgage crisis and connects the consequences of lending policy run amok by targeting minority communities.
A bounce-averaged ion Fokker–Planck code for Penning fusion devices

Abstract A bounce-averaged Fokker–Planck code (BAFP) has been developed and tested. BAFP implements a multi-dimensional, energy-conservative, time-implicit solution of the Fokker–Planck equation in two velocity and one spatial dimensions. A Jacobian-free, Newton–Krylov solver efficiently inverts the time-implicit equations. Bounce averaging removes the fast time scale for motion of trapped ions, so low-collisionality ion systems can effectively be treated. BAFP has been applied to ion dynamics in virtual-cathode spherical inertial electrostatic (IEC) fusion devices, which employ a spherical cloud of electrons to create a kV electrostatic well to confine and spherically focus ions. Here, Penning-type IEC devices are studied. Steady-state ion distribution functions obtained with BAFP in operating limits of interest are presented, and show that a variety of steady-state equilibriums are possible in these systems.
Formation of paratacamite nanomaterials via the conversion of aged and oxidized copper nanoparticles in hydrochloric acidic media

Nanoparticles and nanostructured aggregates of paratacamite are prepared in acidic solutions through the conversion of copper-based nanoparticles. Aged and oxidized copper nanoparticles with an average primary particle size of ∼15 nm, when combined with hydrochloric acid solutions in the range of 0.025 to 0.1 M, show interesting behavior yielding both a change in nanoparticle primary size, as measured by an electrospray scanning mobility particle sizer, and in chemical composition to produce a copper chloride hydroxide mineral identified as paratacamite (γ-Cu2(OH)3Cl) by powder X-ray diffraction of the dehydrated solid sample. Taken together, these data suggest that paratacamite nanoparticles in solution can aggregate to yield microporous paratacamite materials. Microporous paratacamite was characterized by several techniques including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, electron energy loss spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface area measurements. Oxidation of these copper-based nanoparticles with molecular oxygen and the role of the oxidized layer in the formation of paratacamite have been investigated. Comparison to microscale copper particles showed there is unique oxidation behavior of nanoscale copper particles that results in unique reaction chemistry of oxidized nanoscale copper particles with hydrochloric acid solutions to form paratacamite. This study provides a new route for the formation of paratacamite nanomaterials that can be used in a wide range of chemically interesting applications including hydrogen storage materials and as a heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of green solvents such as dimethyl and diethyl carbonates. Additionally, this study suggests a potentially new pathway for the degradation of art objects and ancient artifacts as well as other cultural heritage materials containing small copper particles that has not been previously considered.
Human Flavor-Aversion Learning: A Comparison of Traditional Aversions and Cognitive Aversions☆☆☆

Abstract Traditional flavor aversions form when an organism consumes a flavor prior to an illness-producing unconditioned stimulus (US). Rozin (1986), however, introduced a second type of taste-aversion learning produced by a disgust-eliciting US. In the present work, Rozin's disgust categorization is extended to include other human situations (negative information, forced consumption) in which taste aversions are mediated by cognitive processes. College students completed a self-report questionnaire that addressed their experiences with taste-aversion learning. The results show that cognitive aversions were stronger and longer-lasting than traditional aversions, they formed to foods of animal origin more than to other substances, and they could be produced without nausea. Finally, individuals who reported having a cognitive aversion had significantly more taste aversions than individuals who reported having a traditional aversion. These results provide additional evidence that taste-aversion learning can occur without the direct mediation of an illness-producing US.
Long-term stability of the place-field activity of single units recorded from the dorsal hippocampus of freely behaving rats

Over 90% of all spontaneously active hippocampal pyramidal cells in freely moving rats signal the animal's spatial position by reliably changing their firing rate each time the animal enters a given place within an environment. This place-field activity exhibits plasticity when specific environmental variables are manipulated. Indeed, the hippocampus is perhaps best known as a system that serves as a model of neuronal plasticity. Although place-field activity has previously been examined only over relatively short experimental sessions, this behavioral correlate of hippocampal functional activity has been assumed to exhibit stability rather than plasticity in the absence of environmental changes. The present study shows that hippocampal neurons have stable place-field correlates that persist over very long periods of time. Single-unit activity was chronically recorded from the dorsal hippocampus of rats foraging repeatedly in a stable spatial environment. The location of the place fields of all units were stable over all time periods tested, for intervals up to 153 days in duration. The consistency of the information conveyed by this single-unit activity in a fixed spatial environment indicates that stability of neuronal activity may be as important as plasticity in the integrated processing of information that occurs in the hippocampus and throughout the nervous system.
The Navy's coupled atmosphere-ocean-wave prediction system

An air-ocean-wave modeling system has been developed by the Naval Research Laboratory to provide improved predictive capabilities to the warfighter in regions that include an oceanic component. Each of the three operational models, run in a standalone mode, have provided 48 to 96 hour forecast guidance for the past several years. Utilizing the Earth System Modeling Framework, a model coupler exchanges needed information between the model components and interpolates between the model grids. This paper will discuss the model coupling and provide a brief overview of validation studies that have been performed in the Adriatic Sea, Ligurian Sea and Kuroshio extension, with a particular emphasis on air-sea interactions. Model studies presented here focus on the upper ocean (mixed layer) heat fluxes, near surface winds, temperature, moisture, the air-sea interaction, and the marine boundary layer characteristics. Validation studies presented here show the most improvements in ocean heat fluxes, due to a more realistic sea surface temperature. The coupled system is scheduled for operational implementation at Navy production centers beginning in 2011.
Sense and Sensibility in Technical Documentation How Feminist Interpretation Strategies can Save Lives in the Nation's Mines

This article analyzes postaccident investigation reports from a feminist perspective to show (a) how the conventions of public discourse privilege the rational (male) objective voice and silence hu...
Indice de masse corporelle: Infections du site opératoire et mortalité après pontage du membre inférieur selon le National Surgical Quality Improvement Program 2005-2007

Objectif Les patients operes d’un pontage des membres inferieurs sont a risque eleve d’infections du site operatoire (ISO). Nous avons revu les pontages des membres inferieurs selon l’origine du pontage et l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC) afin analyser les differences concernant la mortalite post-operatoire et la survenue d’ISO. Methodes Le National Surgical Quality Improvement Program 2005-2007, une base de donnees multicentrique ajustee selon le risque, a ete interroge pour comparer la mortalite post-operatoire (30 jours), la mortalite globale et les ISOs apres pontage des membres inferieurs pour pathologie arterielle occlusive peripherique. Les pontages ont ete classes selon leur origine aorto-iliaque, femorale ou poplitee. Les donnees demographiques des patients, les comorbidites, les donnees operatoires et les evenements post-operatoires ont ete analyses. Resultats 7595 pontages ont ete effectues (1596 aorto-iliaques, 5483 femoraux et 516 poplites). La mortalite a ete identique quel que soit le niveau d’origine (2,8%, 2,4% et 2,7%; p = 0,57). Les ISOs ont globalement complique 11% des cas (10%, 11% et 11%; p = 0,47). L’echec du pontage a ete significativement associe a la survenue d’une ISO post-operatoire (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2,4, intervalle de confiance 95% [IC] 1,9-3,1, p Conclusion Les ISOs compliquent frequemment les pontages de membres inferieurs independamment de leur origine et sont associees a une thrombose precoce et a un sepsis. L’obesite est predictive d’ISO post-operatoire. Le risque de mortalite etait plus eleve chez les patients en insuffisance ponderale, suivi par ceux presentant une obesite morbide et ceux normo-ponderes, tandis que le surpoids et l’obesite minime a moderee etaient associes a la plus faible mortalite.
Implications of Obstructive Sleep Apnea for Atrial Fibrillation and Sudden Cardiac Death

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder with important cardiovascular consequences, including arrhythmogenesis. The unique pathophysiology of OSA results in multiple intermediate mechanisms that may promote atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. These mechanisms may act acutely to trigger nocturnal dysrhythmias, or chronically by affecting the electrical and myocardial substrates. Burgeoning epidemiological data have identified an increased risk for atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death related to OSA. Currently, few data exist to support the efficacy of OSA therapy, namely continuous positive airway pressure, as an adjunct for arrhythmia prevention or management.
Hospital Readmission Among Older Adults Who Return Home With Unmet Need for ADL Disability

Purpose: This study determined whether returning to the community from a recent hospitalization with unmet activities of daily living (ADL) need was associated with probability of readmission. Methods: A total of 584 respondents to the 1994, 1999, and/or 2004 National Long-Term Care Surveys (NLTCS) who were hospitalized within 90 days prior to the interview and reported ADL disability at the time of the interview were considered for analysis. Medicare claims linked to the NLTCS provided information about hospital episodes, so those enrolled in Health Maintenance Organizations or Veterans Affairs Medical Centers were not included (n = 62), resulting in a total sample size of 522. ADL disability was defined as needing human help or equipment to complete the task. Unmet ADL need was defined as receiving inadequate or no help for one or more ADL disabilities. Disability that began within 90 days of the interview was considered new disability. Results: After adjusting for demographic, health, and functioning characteristics, unmet ADL need was associated with increased risk for hospital readmission (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.03–1.82). Risk of readmission was greater for those with unmet need for new disabilities than those with unmet need for disabilities that were present before the index hospitalization (HR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.01–2.73). Implications: Many older patients are discharged from the hospital with ADL disability. Those who report unmet need for new ADL disabilities after they return home from the hospital are particularly vulnerable to readmission. Patients' functional needs after discharge should be carefully evaluated and addressed.
Visuospatial perception and navigation in Parkinson’s disease

A shifted field of view, an altered perception of optic flow speed, and gait asymmetries may influence heading direction in Parkinson's disease (PD). PD participants (left body-side onset, LPD, n=14; right body-side onset, RPD, n=9) and Healthy Control participants (n=17) walked a virtual hallway in which the optic flow speeds of the walls varied. Three-dimensional kinematics showed participants veered away from the faster moving wall. Although veering normally occurs toward the side with smaller step length, in both LPD and RPD this bias was overridden by a shifted field of view, which caused veering in the opposite direction, toward the side of the brain with more basal ganglia damage.
Surface States of Topological Insulators

We introduce a topological boundary condition to study the surface states of topological insulators within a long-wavelength four-band model. We find that the Dirac point energy, the band curvature, and the spin texture of surface states are crystal-face dependent. For an arbitrary termination of a bulk crystal, the energy of the symmetry protected Dirac point is determined by the bulk physics that breaks particle-hole symmetry in the surface normal direction and is tunable by surface potentials that preserve time reversal symmetry. For a model appropriate to ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ the constant energy contours are generically elliptical with spin textures that are helical on the cleavage surface, collapsed to one dimension on any side face, and tilted out of plane otherwise. Our findings identify a route to engineering the Dirac point physics on the surfaces of real materials.
Theoretical and experimental study of a terahertz time-domain spectrometer based on photoconductive antenna

We construct a terahertz time-domain spectrometer (THz-TDS) system based on photoconductive antenna (PCA). A 800 nm Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser with 80 MHz repetition rate provides the pump and probe laser pulse, which has a 45 fs pulse width (as short as 15 fs is available) and as much as 400 mW power. Two commercial PCAs with 34 um and 6 um gap size are used as the emitter and receiver, respectively. We characterize this system by measuring its absolute radiated THz power, spectral bandwidth, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and dynamic range. Using this system, we study the response of the PCA as the emitter and receiver to the laser power and/or biased DC voltage, as well as their influences on the SNR and dynamic range of the TDS system.