cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On-chip Watchdog to monitor RTOS activity in MPSoC exposed to noisy environment

The use of Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) became a mandatory condition to design safety-critical real-time embedded systems based on multicore processors. At the same time, these systems are becoming more and more sensitive to transient faults originated from a large spectrum of noisy sources such as conducted and radiated Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). Therefore, the system's reliability degrades. In this work, we present a hardware-based infrastructure intellectual property (I-IP) core able to monitor the RTOS' activity in a multicore processor system-on-chip (MPSoC). The final goal is to detect faults that corrupt the task scheduling process in embedded systems based on preemptive RTOS. The I-IP core, namely RTOS-Watchdog (RTOS-WD), was described in VHDL and is connected to the address busses between the cores and their local iCache memories. A case-study based on a MPSoC running different test programs under the control of a typical preemptive RTOS was implemented and exposed to conducted EMI. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides higher fault coverage when compared to the native fault detection mechanisms embedded in the kernel of the RTOS.
Testing and design for test

This chapter discusses the testing of MEMS devices as well as the techniques and structures that enable testing. The chapter begins with a discussion of the need for testing which is related to the reality of imperfect fabrication and packaging processes. Parametric test structures encompassing a wide variety of MEMS technologies are discussed because they provide a means to monitor the fabrication and packaging process. Self testing techniques and test points provide a means to evaluate the performance of a device. During the packaging and assembly process, devices are often tested and then modified by trimming. After assembly, burn-in and reliability testing are often performed. These tests are often dependent on acceleration factors such as those described in the Arrhenius model. The chapter concludes with a discussion of testing of packaged MEMS devices in the field.
Imaging flow cytometer using computation and spatially coded filter

Flow cytometry analyzes multiple physical characteristics of a large population of single cells as cells flow in a fluid stream through an excitation light beam. Flow cytometers measure fluorescence and light scattering from which information about the biological and physical properties of individual cells are obtained. Although flow cytometers have massive statistical power due to their single cell resolution and high throughput, they produce no information about cell morphology or spatial resolution offered by microscopy, which is a much wanted feature missing in almost all flow cytometers. In this paper, we invent a method of spatial-temporal transformation to provide flow cytometers with cell imaging capabilities. The method uses mathematical algorithms and a specially designed spatial filter as the only hardware needed to give flow cytometers imaging capabilities. Instead of CCDs or any megapixel cameras found in any imaging systems, we obtain high quality image of fast moving cells in a flow cytometer using photomultiplier tube (PMT) detectors, thus obtaining high throughput in manners fully compatible with existing cytometers. In fact our approach can be applied to retrofit traditional flow cytometers to become imaging flow cytometers at a minimum cost. To prove the concept, we demonstrate cell imaging for cells travelling at a velocity of 0.2 m/s in a microfluidic channel, corresponding to a throughput of approximately 1,000 cells per second.
Investigation of Explosive Charge Driven Actuators for Guided Projectiles

In this paper the use of multiple squib charges as actuators for the guidance of transonic projectiles is explored. A series of experiments were developed to simulate squib explosions and these were compared with a limited set of measurements from actual squibs. The rapid release of high pressure gas was used to both generate thrust directly and to actuate a small guidance pin. The thrust developed, chamber pressure, drain time, as well as the rise and fall time of the pin were studied over a range of several pressures and configurations. Experimental tests were conducted at the Georgia Tech Research Institute and the Army Research Lab. Force and pressure measurements, impact response, and high-speed video captures were acquired for analysis and comparison. The results show that it is both possible to create a sub-millisecond thruster and to actuate a mechanical pin into an oncoming flow in less than a millisecond. However, further experimentation is needed to refine the experimental setup and obtain the smallest possible actuation times.
Intelligent Mobility Cane for People Who are Blind and Deaf-Blind: A Multidisciplinary Design Project That Assists People With Disabilities

Vision loss knows no boundaries; it can affect anyone, of any age, income level, race, or ethnic background, at any time. Regardless of the level of visual impairment, vision loss can impact a person’s life and their ability to complete everyday tasks. One of the greatest challenges that a blind or deaf blind person faces is the ability to navigate safely and independently through the physical world. Traveling with little or no vision at all can be challenged and inaccessible, limiting the ability to work, go to school, take care of personal needs, or socialize with others.The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss a multidisciplinary project to design and build a low cost, light weight “Intelligent Mobility Cane” prototype that will aid deaf-blind and blind persons in navigating surroundings via real-time tactile and directional force feedback and guidance. The system is designed for providing information about a physical surrounding environment to a user. The solution developed by the team is a handle that attaches to a white cane and provides directional feedback to the user using a roller assembly. The roller assembly uses four bearings that rotate in one direction or another to indicate the direction the user should move to avoid obstacles. A vibration motor with different patterns of vibration is also embedded in the handle to warn about objects at upfront. The ultra-sonic sensors are used to convey the information of the environment to the handle itself. The finished cane physically resembles a conventional cane therefore allowing the user to still be able to sweep the cane, tap and feel the ground. To evaluate the performance and usability of the designed handle, the authors visited Association of Blind and Visual Impaired Association, where they formed a group of blind and deaf-blind evaluators. The result of the evaluations was positive and several suggestions were shared by the group to improve the cane.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Control effect of occupational hazards in construction project of electronic aluminum foil

Objective To identify and evaluate the occupational hazards possibly existed in the project of electronic aluminum foil,provide evidence for occupational health management.Methods According to the current national occupational health standards,the evaluation was conducted by the methods of on-site investigation,detection,checklists,and occupational health examination.Results Some noise intensity levels exceeded national exposure limits in the workplaces,quality rates of noise were 33.3% and 42.9% in the sawing cutting and face milling workshop and calendaring workshop.The other occupational risk factors accorded with the requirements of national occupational standards.Conclusion There are some problems on noise protection for the project.Occupational hazards damage can be controlled and improved if the suggestions in the evaluation are adopted.
Acute Pancreatitis—Where Are We?

Clinical management of acute pancreatitis remains controversial. None of the nonsurgical measures that have undergone controlled clinical trials has demonstrated any significant therapeutic benefit. No subgroup of patients who benefit from early intra-abdominal surgery has been identified. Percutaneous peritoneal lavage appears to be an extremely effective adjunct to the management of early cardiovascular and respiratory complications of severe acute pancreatitis and has prevented virtually all early deaths from these causes. Lavage has not prevented the late septic sequelae of peripancreatic necrosis, and better measures are still needed to prevent and treat these complications.
Energy Sharing by Coupled Systems

This chapter discusses interaction of subsystems in modal terms. Single resonator systems are dealt with first, and some important basic theorems of SEA are derived in the chapter. The clamping or blocking concept for uncoupled systems is also appealing from an experimental viewpoint. A welded junction between a pipe and a plenum chamber, for example, is not readily identified in terms of the coupling parameters. When the coupling is increased, the two spectra shift farther apart, and the difference spectrum is increased. The concept of power flow between resonators being proportional to the difference in uncoupled energies is useful. The power flow is proportional to the difference in the actual kinetic energy, or potential energy, or total energy. This is a very useful result because it allows to calculate power flow either from input power to the system or from measured vibration.
Hysterectomy for Benign Conditions of the Uterus: Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is the most common major gynecologic procedure. Although alternatives to hysterectomy result in fewer procedures performed annually, and the use of endoscopic techniques and vaginal hysterectomy have resulted in a lower percentage performed by the open abdominal route, certain pelvic disorders require abdominal hysterectomy. Preoperative evaluation with informed consent and surgical planning are essential to select appropriate candidates. Prophylactic antibiotics, thromboprophylaxis, attention to surgical technique, and enhanced recovery protocols should be used to provide optimal outcomes.
Nitrogen in Ancient Mud: A Biosignature?

Abstract Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all life on Earth and possibly elsewhere. Burial of nitrogen bound to organic matter constitutes the major flux of nitrogen into sediments today, which has led to the inference that nitrogen enrichments in sedimentary rocks may be a biosignature. However, abiotic processes such as lightning or volcanism can fix atmospheric N2 and contribute to sedimentary nitrogen burial in the absence of life. It is therefore uncertain whether observed nitrogen enrichments of up to 430 ppm in Paleoarchean metasedimentary biotite grains are indeed biogenic. This study seeks to address that problem with a numerical model. The NH4+ concentration of an abiotic ocean is modeled as a function of source fluxes, pH-dependent NH3 volatilization, and equilibrated adsorption of NH4+ onto clay particles. The results suggest that the observed nitrogen concentrations in Paleoarchean biotite can only be reconciled with purely abiotic processes if the ocean was more acidic (pH <6) and/or if...
Outcome of ADHD with Developmental Incoordination

In a follow-up of 55 of 61 patients at age 22 years who had ADHD with and without comorbid developmental coordination disorder (DCD) at initial workup at 7 years, 58% of the ADHD/DCD group had a poor outcome compared with 13% in the comparison group.
Biochemical Markers of Nutrition Support in Critically Ill Trauma Victims

Background: In critically ill patients, plasma serum albumin and transthyretin concentrations are thought to reflect the effects of acute illness, including resuscitation and inflammation. Their use as markers for preexisting nutrition status is, therefore, not recommended. Whether they can be used to assess subsequent effectiveness of artificial nutrition support is unclear. We sought to determine if these biomarkers are associated with enteral caloric intake in critically ill trauma patients. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from adult trauma victims who required ≥2 days of mechanical ventilation and ≥7 days of intensive care. We categorized patients into low, middle, or high enteral calorie delivery groups (2, 9, or 17 kcal/kg/d during the first week). We compared serial concentrations of serum albumin, transthyretin, and C-reactive protein. Multiple linear and Poisson regression were used to determine relationships between calorie intake and nutrition biomarkers. Results: In total, 1056 patient...
Case Study 1. The Darwinian Paradigm: An Evolving World View

One of the most influential interpretations of the history and philosophy of science was that of Thomas Kuhn, whose book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), introduced the term “paradigm” into popular vocabulary. In Kuhn’s understanding of science, science constructs a world view, or paradigm, that shapes the way we view the world and conduct or pursuit of science. When major theories are discarded and replaced, we have rejected one set of assumptions for another and undergone a revolution in thought. The most significant “paradigm shift” that has taken place in the biological sciences was the Darwinian Revolution, which introduced not only evolutionary thinking, but also the scientific method.
Myo1C and Endophilin Promote Kinesin-Driven Tubulation at Engineered Cytoskeletal Intersections

In cells, kinesin-driven membrane tubulation along microtubules (MT) typically initiates in regions with a locally high actin filament (AF) density, suggesting that membrane deformations may result from the cooperative activities of kinesin and myosin motors at cytoskeletal intersections. While kinesin-1 motors are likely the primary drivers of tubule extension, membrane-binding myosin-I motors have also been proposed to participate in tubulation and membrane deformation in vivo. We hypothesize that Myo1c anchors membrane vesicles at AF/MT intersections, providing a resistive force that enables effective kinesin-1-driven tubulation. We tested this proposal by attaching kinesin-1 and Myo1c motors to giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs); a truncated, His-tagged kinesin-1 construct (K560) was bound to NTA(Ni)-functionalized lipids and full length Myo1c was bound to PtdIns(4,5)P2 incorporated into the membrane. GUVs were introduced into chambers with engineered cytoskeletal arrays of sparse MTs bridging stripes densely-coated with short AFs. In the absence of Myo1c, kinesin-driven vesicles paused periodically at AF/MT intersections, but vesicle deformation was not observed. In contrast, GUVs with bound kinesin-1 and Myo1c motors paused at AF/MT intersections and deformed readily along MTs. However, extended tubules of diffraction-limited diameter were rarely observed. Next, we tested whether the addition of a BAR domain protein would facilitate vesicle tubulation by adding the membrane-binding domain of endophilin-A1, which is necessary for many endocytic trafficking tubulation events in vivo. We noted a significant, concentration-dependent, increase in the frequency and length of GUV tubulation events in the presence of endophilin. Importantly, this increased tubulation frequency required both kinesin-1 and Myo1c. These data provide insights into the interplay between cytoskeletal motors and BAR domain proteins in facilitating membrane tubulation. This work was supported by NIH grants GM087253 to E.M.O. and E.L.F.H. and T32-AR053461 to B.B.M.
Modeling Step Velocities and Edge Surface Structures during Growth of Non-Centrosymmetric Crystals

Almost all molecules are non-centrosymmetric, which produces interaction anisotropy within a crystal lattice. This anisotropy generates multiple types of kink sites on each crystal step and repeating patterns of rows with different growth units from the perspective of the lattice interaction environment, even for pure molecular crystals. As a result, unstable edge rows may be generated that dissolve under conditions of crystal growth. A method to account for edge surface structures, considering such effects, is required to accurately model the step velocity, which is vital for a mechanistic description of crystal growth. We classify both thermodynamic and kinetic contributions to step row instability and develop expressions for kink densities and step velocities that capture these important non-centrosymmetric phenomena. To demonstrate the utility of our framework, we consider in depth the case of an alternating-row A–B step. Our mechanistic predictions compare favorably to kinetic Monte Carlo simulations...
Introducing Protein 3-D Visualization Software to Freshman Undergraduate Students: Making Connections and Building Skills

The structure and dynamics of proteins are an essential part of understanding the molecular foundations of complex biological processes and serve an important role in the field of computational biology. Biomolecular visualization software can serve as an entryway to begin exploration of, and expose students to, protein structure-function relationships and aid in their development in basic science knowledge. In addition, technical skills and effective writing and presentation of scientific material are critical for students entering the field of bioinformatics and computational biology. Training and education utilizing biomolecular visualization software and honing writing and presentation skills are often reserved for special studies or higher-level coursework. Presenting more advanced concepts and skills that can connect ideas from introductory level classes in chemistry, biology, and physics earlier in the curriculum is imperative to success in advanced classes and application in research settings for undergraduate students. Thus, student-centered activities that can satisfy the development of new skills and critical thinking, in addition to computational knowledge and practice, provide foundational principles for developing future scientists and increasing their chances of success. By designing a one-credit hour, introduction to biomolecular visualization course, freshman biochemistry undergraduate students were exposed to higher-level thinking and application, and gained skills in biomolecular visualization and scientific presentation. In addition, biomolecular visualization and molecular modeling were used to introduce the students to the field of computational biology and computational skills such as command-line usage, unix interfaces, and parallel computing.Overall, this study discusses the benefits of introducing bimolecular visualization software early in the undergraduate education curriculum to a small pilot group and the potential for implementation on a larger scale to prepare students by providing discipline-specific foundations relevant to the use of computational tools. We share this work as a means for starting the discussion on updating undergraduate education and curriculum to reflect computational needs and realities to best prepare and develop students for the workforce.
Belton Semiconductors (a)

The manager of a large management consulting firm has evaluated Belton's operating model and recommended changes to get the organization back on its historical growth trajectory. He has led a competitive assessment, conducted extensive interviews within the company and throughout the semiconductors industry, framed a highly structured issue tree, and developed a recommended operating model and five-year road map for the company. But Belton's COO is questioning every aspect of the analysis. Excerpt UVA-BP-0556 Rev. Jul. 30, 2012 BELTON SEMICONDUCTORS (A) It was too much to hope for to have a window from which he could stare pensively. James Heneghen, a manager for a large management consulting firm, was trapped in a tense meeting in a windowless conference room in San Jose, California. Conference rooms at manufacturing facilities never seemed to have windows, but there were always a few stock photos or paintings. Here, they were of sailboats. Heneghen looked at the boats with envy—at that moment, he wished for the freedom they had to maneuver out in the open water. Stephen Tanaka, COO of Belton Semiconductors (Belton), was not only pushing back at the recommendations of the management consulting firm for Belton's strategic operating model, he was aggressively questioning every aspect of the analysis. Throughout the first 35 minutes of the meeting, Tanaka had listened mostly in silence, taking notes and asking brief, clarifying questions. But for the last 10 minutes, he had transitioned from active listener to active criticizer. Heneghen had led much of the competitive assessment, conducted extensive interviews within the organization and throughout the industry, helped frame a highly structured issue tree, and developed a recommended operating model and five-year road map for Belton; Tanaka's aggressive response was not simply unexpected but also illogical given the pressure on Belton's current market position. The words of Tanaka's last sentence were still ringing in Heneghen's ears: “We do not agree with these conclusions.” Heneghen had been with his firm for four years after receiving his MBA and, within those four years, had never heard a client disagree so decisively during a final report out. Heneghen had never been surer of the quality, depth, feasibility, and recommendations from his analysis, which made the situation perplexing. A questioning look across the table at Bob McIntire, the senior executive leading this project who was also Heneghen's mentor, brought no additional guidance for next steps. . . .
Investigating Tangible Collaboration for Design Towards Augmented Physical Telepresence

While many systems have been designed to support collaboration around visual thinking tools, much less work has investigated how to share and collaboratively design physical prototypes—an important part of the design process. We describe preliminary results from a formative study on how designers communicate and collaborate in design meetings around physical and digital artifacts. Addressing some limitations in current collaboration platforms and drawing guidelines from our study, we introduce a new prototype platform for remote collaboration. This platform leverages the use of augmented reality (AR) for rendering of the remote participant and a pair of linked actuated tabletop tangible interfaces that acts as the participant’s shared physical workspace. We propose the use of actuated tabletop tangibles to synchronously render complex shapes and to act as physical input.
Evaluating Weather Research and Forecasting Model Sensitivity to Land and Soil Conditions Representative of Karst Landscapes

Due to their particular physiographic, geomorphic, soil cover, and complex surface-subsurface hydrologic conditions, karst regions produce distinct land–atmosphere interactions. It has been found that floods and droughts over karst regions can be more pronounced than those in non-karst regions following a given rainfall event. Five convective weather events are simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting model to explore the potential impacts of land-surface conditions on weather simulations over karst regions. Since no existing weather or climate model has the ability to represent karst landscapes, simulation experiments in this exploratory study consist of a control (default land-cover/soil types) and three land-surface conditions, including barren ground, forest, and sandy soils over the karst areas, which mimic certain karst characteristics. Results from sensitivity experiments are compared with the control simulation, as well as with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction multi-sensor precipitation analysis Stage-IV data, and near-surface atmospheric observations. Mesoscale features of surface energy partition, surface water and energy exchange, the resulting surface-air temperature and humidity, and low-level instability and convective energy are analyzed to investigate the potential land-surface impact on weather over karst regions. We conclude that: (1) barren ground used over karst regions has a pronounced effect on the overall simulation of precipitation. Barren ground provides the overall lowest root-mean-square errors and bias scores in precipitation over the peak-rain periods. Contingency table-based equitable threat and frequency bias scores suggest that the barren and forest experiments are more successful in simulating light to moderate rainfall. Variables dependent on local surface conditions show stronger contrasts between karst and non-karst regions than variables dominated by large-scale synoptic systems; (2) significant sensitivity responses are found over the karst regions, including pronounced warming and cooling effects on the near-surface atmosphere from barren and forested land cover, respectively; (3) the barren ground in the karst regions provides conditions favourable for convective development under certain conditions. Therefore, it is suggested that karst and non-karst landscapes should be distinguished, and their physical processes should be considered for future model development.
Apolipoprotein E ε4 Genotype Is Associated with Elevated Psychiatric Distress in Veterans with a History of Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.

Since few studies have examined the relationship between the APOE gene and clinical outcomes following military-related traumatic brain injury (TBI), we aimed to determine whether the e4 allele of the APOE gene influences neuropsychiatric symptoms in Veterans with a history of mild to moderate TBI. Participants included 133 Veterans (TBI=79, military controls [MC]=54) who underwent APOE genotyping and were divided into e4+ (TBI=18, MC=15) and e4- (TBI=61, MC=39) groups. All participants underwent evaluation of psychological distress using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and PTSD Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M). Two-way analyses of variance were conducted to examine the effect of group (TBI vs. MC) and APOE-e4 status (e4+ vs. e4-) across symptom measures. There was a significant main effect of group across all symptom measures (TBI>MC; all p-values <.001), no main effect of e4 genotype (p=.152-.222), and a significant interaction of group by e4 genotype across al...
El rol del dinero en modelos neokeynesianos

En este documento se evaluan las diferentes alternativas que los investigadores han empleado para incluir la cantidad de dinero en los modelos neokeynesianos que los bancos centrales utilizan para conducir la politica monetaria. Se concluye diciendo que, a la fecha, no existe evidencia suficiente que justifique la incorporacion del dinero en la estructura de los modelos neokeynesianos.
Green’s Functions: Taking Another Look at Kernel Approximation, RadialBasis Functions, and Splines

The theories for radial basis functions (RBFs) as well as piecewise polynomial splines have reached a stage of relative maturity as is demonstrated by the recent publication of a number of monographs in either field. However, there remain a number of issues that deserve to be investigated further. For instance, it is well known that both splines and radial basis functions yield “optimal” interpolants, which in the case of radial basis functions are discussed within the so-called native space setting. It is also known that the theory of reproducing kernels provides a common framework for the interpretation of both RBFs and splines. However, the associated reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (or native spaces) are often not that well understood — especially in the case of radial basis functions. By linking (conditionally) positive definite kernels to Green’s functions of differential operators we obtain new insights that enable us to better understand the nature of the native space as a generalized Sobolev space. An additional feature that appears when viewing things from this perspective is the notion of scale built into the definition of these function spaces. Furthermore, the eigenfunction expansion of a positive definite kernel via Mercer’s theorem provides a tool for making progress on such important questions as stable computation with flat radial basis functions and dimension independent error bounds.
Retrofitting Reliability into Complex Systems

Many systems evolve incrementally and hence the need arises to retrofit reliability into existing and often very complex systems. Here we discuss some of the major options for performing that task without needing to recode the existing application from scratch.
An optical method for the measurement of combustion gas temperature in particle laden flows

Abstract Temperature measurements in combustion systems are challenging due to the physical limitations of measurement devices and the complexity of combustion flows. The objective of this work is to investigate the Integrated Spectral Band Ratio (ISBR) method for measuring the temperature of combustion product gases surrounded by radiating walls or within a mixture of gas and particles. Five conditions in a multi-fuel reactor were investigated using an optical probe. A Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer provided detailed spectral measurements of hot gas and particle emissions at wavelengths of 1.69–2.15 μm, focusing on a spectral region where H2O is the dominant participating gas. These measurements were used to infer the gas temperature of the flows. It was found that the measurement path length needed to be at least 0.25 m in order to obtain a signal large enough to infer temperature accurately. For four of the five operating conditions tested, optically measured gas temperatures were found to be in good agreement with the average temperature along the measured path as taken with a suction pyrometer (aspirated thermocouple). For these four operating conditions the particle media were optically thin. Temperatures for the in-flame fine wood particle condition did not exhibit as good of agreement due to high particle loading causing optically thick zones along the line of sight. Modeling experiments showed that when particles and gasses are optically thin, the optical gas temperature measured with this technique will be near the arithmetic mean of the line of sight temperature.
An efficient deprotection method for 5′-[O,O-bis(pivaloyloxymethyl)]-(E)-vinylphosphonate containing oligonucleotides

Abstract 5′-(E)-Vinylphosphonate (VP) is an effective bioisostere of the natural 5′-monophosphate in small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Solid-phase synthesis of VP-siRNAs requires the use of appropriately protected VP-phosphoramidites in combination with optimal oligonucleotide deprotection conditions. Addition of 3% (v) neat diethylamine to the standard aqueous ammonia deprotection conditions allows clean and rapid one-step deprotection of 5′-[O,O-bis(pivaloyloxymethyl)] (POM)-protected VP oligonucleotides, minimizing side reactions and impurities, which broadly enhances the scope of VP oligonucleotide synthesis.
Advances in asthma in 2017: Mechanisms, biologics, and genetics

This review summarizes some of the most significant advances in asthma research over the past year. We first focus on novel discoveries in the mechanism of asthma development and exacerbation. This is followed by a discussion of potential new biomarkers, including the use of radiographic markers of disease. Several new biologics have become available to the clinician in the past year, and we summarize these advances and how they can influence the clinical delivery of asthma care. After this, important findings in the genetics of asthma and heterogeneity in phenotypes of the disease are explored, as is the role the environment plays in shaping the development and exacerbation of asthma. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of advances in health literacy and how they will affect asthma care.
Quantification of material degradation and its behavior of elastodynamic Green’s function for computational wave field modeling in composites

Abstract The objective of this fundamental study is to provide a comprehensive insight on how the constitutive coefficients are degraded due to various common defects. These defects are such as voids and fiber breakages. Furthermore, understanding of how the degraded material properties affect the elastodynamic Green’s function in composite materials at low frequencies is investigated in detail. Traditionally, in wave propagation analysis for computational nondestructive evaluation (CNDE), except discontinuities, the test specimens are considered homogeneous and non-defective. However, how the degraded material properties affect the ultrasonic waves in the test specimen are not fully understood. In this study, the effective material properties of a composite material with various distributed damages are calculated using a proposed generalized model where all constitutive coefficients can be obtained. In General, the effect of modified constitutive material properties on Green’s function is negligible. However, in this study, it was found that it can be influential even at the lower frequencies. Thus, for accurate CNDE, it is recommended to use compromised constitutive coefficients for wave computation when material is degraded. A baseline composite material with unidirectional fibers and woven composite are considered in this study. The proposed model was verified by comparing the results with previously published models.
Amino acid and fatty acid metabolomic profile during fasting and hyperinsulinemia in girls with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance (IR) and altered muscle mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. IR in adults with obesity and diabetes is associated with c...
OP122: Field changes in the clinically normal contralateral mucosa of patients with oral pre-malignant and malignant lesions

Purpose Presence of field cancerization is a major challenge in the management of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). These multifocal changes are often clinically imperceptible and can occur randomly in areas distant from the primary lesion. The prevalence of field changes in clinically normal contralateral mucosa has not been widely studied. Methods Patients with suspicious oral lesion(s) are evaluated and biopsied at the Oral Cancer Screening Clinic at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Selected patients with a primary index lesion (IL) that was histopathologically confirmed as oral pre-malignant lesions (OPLs)/OSCC were included in this study. All patients provided a control biopsy from a clinically normal contralateral site. Results Eighty-one patients with IL were identified, 62 with squamous dysplasia (SD), 8 with carcinoma in situ (CIS), and 11 OSCC. Of these, 30 patients (37%) had OPLs/OSCC diagnosed on their contralateral control biopsies (27 mild-SD, 1 moderate-SD, 1 CIS and 1 OSCC). The prevalence of contralateral lesions (CL) was higher in males (45%) when compared to females (27%), though not statistically significant (p = 0.09). Other patient factors including age, race, smoking status, alcohol intake, and OSCC history were not predictive of the presence of CLs. Similarly, lesion factors such as location [gingiva (31%) vs. tongue (42%) vs. floor of the mouth (50%), p = 0.61], IL size [ Conclusion Over one-third of the patients presenting with OPL/OSCC exhibited unexpected field changes in the clinically normal contralateral sites. Awareness of this fact is important for the treatment planning and follow-up for oral cancer.
Formation of the Potential Jump Over the Geomagnetically Quiet Sunlit Polar Cap Region

We consider the formation of a potential drop over the Earth's polar cap during geomagnetically quiet daytime. The observed potential drop is primarily defined by the hydrogen, photoelectron, and polar rain fluxes ratios and depends strongly on the energy distribution of the photoelectron flux. Polar rain is an essential component of the model required for plasma quasineutrality. The potential distribution along the magnetic field line has two regions, with a small, gradual, potential drop of 3 to 4 volts and a potential jump. The value of the potential jump depends on the hydrogen ion to photoelectron flux ratio and is also controlled by polar rain electrons. With quasineutrality required at its upper boundary, the jump only occurs in the presence of polar rain and its location depends on the polar rain flux. Model predictions compare well with FAST (Fast Auroral SnapshoT) observations presented by Kitamura et al.(2012, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JA017459).
New cytokines and their clinical application.

The production of mature blood cells is controlled by a network of proteins called hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs). A number of HGFs were identified by their ability to stimulate colony formation in semi solid agar culture of normal bone marrow (1-2), and were called colony stimulating factors (3). It was shown that colonies of mature granulocytes were formed in the presence of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) (4), colonies of mature macrophages were formed in the presence of macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF or CSF-1) (5) and mixed colonies of macrophages and granulocytes were formed in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (6). Subsequently, some of the CSFs have been taken to clinical trials and are now used routinely in clinical treatments. G-CSF for example has been shown to stimulate recovery of neutrophils after chemotherapy and is used clinically to shorten the period of neutropenia after chemotherapy (7,8). Both G-CSF and GM-CSF are routinely used alone or in combination with chemotherapy to mobilize peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) from the bone marrow to the peripheral circulation (9,10). The use of PBPC has replaced the use of bone marrow for cellular support following high dose chemotherapy, due to more rapid recovery in neutrophils and platelets resulting in a considerable decrease in overall costs of the transplant (11).
Chapter 14 – Other Mammals

Apart from rodents (see Chapter 13), other mammals assayed at one time or another in the Avise lab include several macaque monkeys, white-tailed deer, and nine-banded armadillos. These species were chosen because of their relevances to patterns of gene expression in hybrid animals, conservation and wildlife management issues, and the peculiar phenomenon of polyembryony (monozygotic “quadrupling”), respectfully.
Compatibility Analysis of Piezoelectric Actuators in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The compatibility of a multilayer piezoelectric actuator operating in supercritical carbon dioxide was tested using a voltage-based self-sensing technique. The phase transitions of carbon dioxide to supercritical state were recorded visually. No degradation was observed in leakage current of the piezoelectric actuator after being immersed in supercritical carbon dioxide for hours. This confirmed compatibility allows further applications of supercritical carbon dioxide as the insulating medium in power equipment, like a fast mechanical switch for hybrid direct current circuit breakers in medium voltage direct current power systems.
Natural Leaders: Some Interlocutors Elicit Greater Convergence Across Conversations and Across Characteristics

Are there individual tendencies in convergence, such that some speakers consistently converge more than others? Similarly, are there natural "leaders," speakers with whom others converge more? Are such tendencies consistent across different linguistic characteristics? We use the Switchboard Corpus to perform a large-scale convergence study of speakers in multiple conversations with different interlocutors, across six linguistic characteristics. Because each speaker participated in several conversations, it is possible to look for individual differences in speakers' likelihood of converging and interlocutors' likelihood of eliciting convergence. We only find evidence for individual differences by interlocutor, not by speaker: There are natural leaders of convergence, who elicit more convergence than others across characteristics and across conversations. The lack of similar evidence for speakers who converge more than others suggests that social factors have a stronger effect in mediating convergence than putative individual tendencies in producing convergence, or that such tendencies are characteristic-specific.
Images of Bursting Sources of High-Energy Cosmic Rays: Effects of Magnetic Fields

It has recently been shown that the highest energy cosmic rays (CRs) may originate in the same cosmological objects that produce γ-ray bursts. This model requires the presence of an intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) to delay the arrival times of ~1020 eV CRs by 50 yr or longer relative to the γ-rays, of an amplitude that is consistent with other observational constraints. Sources of CRs coming from individual bursts should be resolved with the planned "Auger" experiment, with as many as hundreds of CRs for the brightest sources. We analyze here the apparent angular and energy distribution of CRs from bright sources below the pion production threshold (in the energy range 1019 eV < E < 4 × 1019 eV) expected in this model. This observable distribution depends on the structure of the IGMF: the apparent spectral width ΔE is small, ΔE/E 1%, if the intergalactic field correlation length λ is much larger than 1 Mpc, and large, ΔE/E = 0.3, in the opposite limit, λ 1 Mpc. The apparent angular size is also larger for smaller λ. If the sources of CRs we predict are found, they will corroborate the bursting model and provide us with a technique to investigate the structure of the IGMF.
Ethnic minority party formation and success in Europe

What causes ethnic minority parties (EMPs) to emerge, and why do only some of them become electorally successful? I test commonly offered explanations for variation in EMP emergence and success wit...
Kinematic Redundancy Resolution for Baxter Robot

This paper reports the results of the kinematic redundancy resolution for the Baxter research robot arms. A robot manipulator arm is said to be kinematically redundant if it has more degrees of freedom than strictly needed for executing a given task. The redundant degrees of freedom can be used to achieve additional goals while the given task is executed. In this study, we will use cartesian velocity control to show that a Baxter robot arm can be programmed to improve its manipulability measure, avoid singularities or obstacles while its end effector follows the required six degrees of freedom motion trajectory.
Pointing a ground antenna at a spinning spacecraft using conical scan-simulation results

The authors present the results of an investigation of ground antenna pointing errors which are caused by fluctuations of the receiver automatic gain control signal due to thermal noise and a spinning spacecraft. Transient responses, steady-state errors and losses are estimated using models of the digital conscan (conical scan) loop, the fast Fourier transform (FFT), and antenna characteristics. Simulation results are given for the Voyager mission and for the Galileo mission, which uses a spinning spacecraft. The simulation for the Galileo spacecraft predicts 1 mdeg of error with a 1280-s scan and 4 mdeg with a 32-s scan assuming an AGC loop signal-to-noise ratio of 35 to 30 dB. >
Traumatic intubation: An under-recognized cause of dysphagia

Abstract Dysphagia is a common complaint, which can have a profound impact on a patient's health and quality of life. In the surgical patient, endotracheal intubation can result in trauma to structures of the upper aerodigestive tract, which may manifest as a variety of complaints, including dysphagia. In some cases, dysphagia may develop gradually over the course of several months following intubation, and thus may be misdiagnosed or mistakenly associated with other comorbid conditions. Herein, we present a perplexing case of a prior traumatic intubation leading to the development of dysphagia in an elderly woman as a result of progressive enlargement of a fibrovascular lesion likely occurring through the process of normal deglutition. This case highlights traumatic intubation as a potential and under-recognized cause of dysphagia that may elude even experienced clinicians. In the setting of dysphagia without other apparent etiologies, a patient's medical records should be extensively reviewed for a history of difficult intubation or peri-intubation complaints.
Probiotic engineering strategies for the heterologous production of antimicrobial peptides

Engineered probiotic bacteria represent an innovative approach for treating and detecting a wide range of diseases including those caused by infectious agents. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics for combating antibiotic-resistant infections. These molecules can be delivered orally to the gut by using engineered probiotics, which confer protection against AMP degradation, thus enabling numerous applications including treating drug-resistant enteric pathogens and remodeling the microbiota in real time. Here, we provide an update on the current state of the art on AMP-producing probiotics, discuss methods to enhance gut colonization, and end by outlining future perspectives.
Teachers' Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Breakfast in the Classroom: The Importance of Health

BACKGROUND Teacher resistance is sometimes cited as a barrier to implementing Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC), an approach to school breakfast in which students eat at their desks after the school day has begun. Given their role in serving breakfast with BIC, teacher perceptions may be critical in implementing an effective BIC program. METHODS K-5 teachers (N = 249) in an urban, low-income school district completed an online survey that assessed their expectations of BIC (retrospectively), perceptions of its benefits and challenges, and current program satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation tests, and multiple regression analyses were performed. RESULTS Most teachers (64%) whose students were currently receiving BIC were satisfied with the program overall, and 81% of teachers agreed that (1) BIC should continue and (2) is worth the effort. The most commonly identified problem was lack of breakfast variety and healthfulness. Retrospective positive expectations were positively correlated with current program satisfaction (r = .61, p < .001), although overall post-implementation perceptions are much more positive. Additionally, the perception that BIC improves students' health is related to higher satisfaction with BIC. CONCLUSIONS Focusing on the health implications of BIC may be important to implementing new BIC programs.
3D Speckle Intensity Correlations in Propagation of Optical Vortex Beams

We developed an analytical model for 3D spatial cross-correlations in speckles fields generated by scattering of structured beams. Specific properties identified for different types of optical vortices can guide their use in remote sensing applications.