cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The minimal flow unit in complex turbulent flows

Direct numerical simulations of spanwise-rotating periodic turbulent channel flow were conducted for three rotation numbers: Rob = 0, 0.2, and 0.5 at a Reynolds number of 8000 based on laminar centerline mean velocity. An additional simulation was conducted at a Reynolds number of 27 000 and rotation number Rob = 0.2 to study higher-Reynolds number effects. In order to determine the proper computational box size for a minimal flow unit (MFU) at Rob = 0.5, spanwise arrays of Taylor–Gortler vortices in the highly turbulent pressure region were examined and complete realization of the vortices was demonstrated to be necessary for accurate MFU turbulence statistics requiring a minimum spanwise domain length Lz = π. An equivalent MFU model produced similar results for Rob = 0.2 but demonstrated decreased accuracy for the higher-Reynolds number simulation. Analysis of pressure statistics also showed that the MFU model could accurately approximate mean pressure but not fluctuating pressure distributions across t...
Essays on Risk and Uncertainty: Comparing J. M. Keynes and the Von Mises Brothers, Richard and Ludwig, on Probability and Decision Theory

Richard von Mises set forth a Limiting Frequency approach to probability for use primarily in physics and some areas of biology, chemistry and engineering. Emphasis was placed on the existence of series or sequences of events that resulted from a known generating mechanism. The series consisted of repeated, homogeneous events that were identical to each other, except for their particular place selection in an infinite series. This conception of probability is extremely limited and can play only a very limited role in liberal arts, social science, behavioral science, and especially in economics, business, and finance.Ludwig von Mises conception was that there were two different concepts of probability. First, there was a class concept of probability that was basically a version of a limiting frequency interpretation of probability. He had a second conception that he called case probability. Case probability was supposed to deal with unique events. It essentially is a subjective degree of belief approach that allows one to calculate no more than an ordinal relationship. Ludwig Von Mises is thus not a Bayesian Subjectivist. His dual approach to probability is reminiscent of Rudolf Carnap, although it is greatly underdeveloped technically when compared to Carnap.J. M. Keynes’s conception of probability is a logical theory of probability built on G. Boole’s earlier logical theory of probability. Keynes’s theory deals with the degree of rational belief one should believe and act on. It is not “a” or “the” degree of belief used by Subjectivists. It was a relative concept, which means that all probabilities are conditional probabilities. There is an objective probability relation that holds between a given body of evidence, the premises, E, and a conclusion or hypothesis, H. Thus, P (H/E) =α. The objective probability relation measures the degree of similarity (dissimilarity) that exists between the evidence, E (premises), and the conclusion or Hypothesis, H.There are many severe and numerous errors in Richard Von Mises book, Probability, Statistics and Truth, regarding Keynes’s logical theory of probability that will be identified and corrected in this paper. Neither of the Von Mises brothers understood Keynes’s interval valued approach to probability or had any clear cut understanding of the concept of weight or decision weights like Keynes’s conventional coefficient in chapter 26 of the A Treatise on Probability, although such an approach appears out of nowhere in Probability, Statistics and Truth in Lecture 4.Ludwig von Mises’s conception of case probability has no developed concept of the weight of the evidence underlying it. Its identification of probability as being ordinal probability would be too weak from Keynes’s point of view to help an entrepreneur in making decisions related to his revenues and costs and the question of whether he should invest in fixed capital now or wait to do so at some time in the future (liquidity preference and user cost of capital issues).
Watershed Protection to Secure Ecosystem Services: The New York City Watershed Governance Arrangement

In 1997, New York City and a group of smaller municipalities in the Catskills region of New York came to agree upon a novel and complex means of protecting water quality in the City9s upstate reservoirs. The Memorandum of Agreement they authored tied previously uncooperating governments to a new shared goal: preserve the ecological integrity of the Catskill and Delaware watersheds so that the City could avoid chemically filtering its municipal water. The agreement represents a policy experiment in reaction to a stark choice. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency9s 1986 Surface Water Treatment Rule mandated that the City either filter its surface water supply or maintain a watershed control program to ensure the long-term protection of water quality in its source watersheds. The City decided to pursue a watershed control program in lieu of the more expensive filtration. The choice has led to a governing arrangement that has theoretical implications for how to simultaneously secure ecosystem services, promote rural livelihoods, and produce the critical public good of potable water to millions of people. The policy solution displays how cooperative institutions may provide low-cost and low-tech solutions to environmental dilemmas to protect ecosystem services. However, over time, governing entities have faced challenges that raise questions about the durability of the arrangement. This case study explores those challenges to better elucidate the possibilities and pitfalls of watershed governance to secure ecosystem services.
Effect of Polymer Architecture on the Structure and Interactions of Polymer Grafted Particles: Theory and Simulations

We use Langevin dynamics simulations and Polymer Reference Interaction Site Model (PRISM) theory to study polymer grafted nanoparticles specifically to explain the impact of comb polymer architecture on the grafted layer structure and effective interparticle interactions in solvent and in matrix polymer. First, we use simulations to study a single particle grafted with comb polymers with varying comb polymer design (i.e., spacing and length of side chains along the comb polymer backbone), grafting density (i.e., polymer chains/particle surface area), and particle curvature in implicit solvent at the athermal limit. We find that increasing side chain length or decreasing side chain spacing along the comb polymer effectively swells and extends the polymer backbone due to the increasing side chain monomer crowding. For particles at finite curvature with increasing side chain monomer crowding, the monomer concentration profile of the comb polymer backbone at short distances from the surface resembles the conc...
Incidence of components of metabolic syndrome in the metabolically healthy obese over 9 years follow-up: the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study.

Some obese adults are not afflicted by the metabolic abnormalities often associated with obesity (the ‘metabolically healthy obese’ (MHO)); however, they may be at increased risk of developing cardiometabolic abnormalities in the future. Little is known about the relative incidence of individual components of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). We used data from a multicenter, community-based cohort aged 45–64 years at recruitment (the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study) to examine the first appearance of any MetSyn component, excluding waist circumference. Body mass index (BMI, kg m−2) and cardiometabolic data were collected at four triennial visits. Our analysis included 3969 adults who were not underweight and free of the components of MetSyn at the initial visit. Participants were classified as metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW), overweight (MHOW) and MHO at each visit. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated with proportional hazards regression models. The relative rate of developing each risk factor was higher among MHO than MHNW, with the strongest association noted for elevated fasting glucose (MHO vs MHNW, HR: 2.33 (1.77, 3.06)). MHO was also positively associated with elevated triglycerides (HR: 1.63 (1.27, 2.09)), low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HR: 1.68 (1.32, 2.13)) and elevated blood pressure (HR: 1.54 (1.26, 1.88)). A similar, but less pronounced pattern was noted among the MHOW vs MHNW. We conclude that even among apparently healthy individuals, obesity and overweight are related to more rapid development of at least one cardiometabolic risk factor, and that elevations in blood glucose develop most rapidly.
Lessons Our BSW Students Taught Us about Teaching Social Work in a Reservation Community.

ABSTRACTAmerican Indians and Alaska Natives are underrepresented as social work students, social work educators, and within the profession in general. In addition, many historical and socioeconomic factors have contributed to disproportionality in higher education attainment between these students and those within other ethnic groups. Compounding the challenges, many students in reservation communities lack access to programs that provide social work degrees. Faculty based in a small university in the upper Midwest delivered a BSW program to students in a tribal community over a 3-year period and share pedagogical lessons learned from their students and the literature.
Crosstalk between the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems in immunotoxicology

Abstract The interconnected nature of the endocrine, immune and nervous systems has been well established. The central nervous system innervates the primary and secondary immune organs and the endocrine glands through direct axonal contact. Hormonal signals from the endocrine system influence both the nervous and immune systems with differential effects based on sex and environmental exposures. Immune cells can communicate by either cytokine or neurotransmitter release to signal the endocrine, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. This review focuses on the effects of environmental toxicants on the inter-play between these systems with inclusion of effects from the microbiome and exposome. Endocrine disrupting chemicals and xenoestrogenic compounds affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal or gonadal axis, which can lead to hormonal alterations of communication between the nervous and immune systems. Immune responses within the nervous system and the delicate balance between appropriate response to infection/disease and detrimental effects through inappropriate response are discussed. Environmental chemicals, maternal immune activation, the microbiome, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury are all discussed in relation to alteration of immune–neuroendocrine communications and immune responses to environmental cues.
Early life risk factors for chronic sinusitis: A longitudinal birth cohort study.

Background Chronic sinusitis is a commonly diagnosed condition in adults who frequently present with late-stage disease and irreversible changes to the sinus mucosa. Understanding the natural history of chronic sinusitis is critical in developing therapies designed to prevent or slow the progression of disease. Objective We sought to determine early life risk factors for adult sinusitis in a longitudinal cohort study (Tucson Children's Respiratory Study). Methods Physician-diagnosed sinusitis was reported at age 6. Adult sinusitis between 22 and 32 years was defined as self-reported sinusitis plus physician-ordered sinus radiologic films. Atopy was assessed by skin prick test. Individuals were grouped into 4 phenotypes: no sinusitis (n = 621), transient childhood sinusitis only (n = 57), late-onset adult sinusitis only (n = 68), and early onset chronic sinusitis (childhood and adult sinusitis, n = 26). Results Sinusitis was present in 10.8% of children and 12.2% of adults. Childhood sinusitis was the strongest independent risk factor for adult sinusitis (odds ratio = 4.2; 95% CI: 2.5-7.1; P Conclusions We identified an early onset chronic sinusitis phenotype associated with a predisposition to viral infections/colds in early life, allergies, and asthma. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms for this phenotype may lead to future therapies to prevent the progression of the disease into adult sinusitis.
Satisfaction of Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Toward Physical Education Teachers

This study explored the satisfaction of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) toward physical education/adapted physical education (PE/APE) teachers using the Parent Perceptions Toward Adapted Physical Education Teachers (PPTAPET) survey (Columna, Cook, Foley, & Bailey, 2014) and examined the influence of related variables. Forty-one parents completed the PPTAPET. Most parents were satisfied or strongly satisfied regarding items associated with communication (n = 23, 56%), qualification (n = 23, 56%), and rapport (n = 25, 61%) subtests. Instructional placement of the child was correlated with communication ( p = .012 ), qualification ( p = .015 ), and rapport ( p = .009 ). In addition, parents reported lower satisfaction in communication ( p = .009 ), qualification ( p = .017 ), and rapport ( p = .011 ) when their child was educated in fully inclusive PE/APE compared to non-fully inclusive PE/APE. These results suggest that teachers should account for parent satisfaction when making decisions for instructional placements for children with ASD. More research is suggested to further analyze the satisfaction of parents of children with ASD. Subscribe to TPE
“I Didn’t Expect to Learn as Much as I Did”: Rewards of Caregiving in Young Adulthood

While much attention is given to unpaid caregivers in midlife, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding young adults in family caregiving roles. Although two out of 5 family caregivers are between the ages of 18 and 40, we know relatively little about these younger relatives providing support to ill and disabled family members. Understanding the experiences of this under-researched population is critical to effective social service provision for this new wave of caregivers. In addition, the challenges associated with caregiving are well documented, yet examining the positive aspects of caregiving is necessary to provide a balanced picture of caregiving. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the gains experienced by family caregivers in young adulthood. In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 22 individuals who were (or had previously been) caregivers while in young adulthood. Analysis of the data resulted in identification of four themes concerning gains experienced by young adult caregivers: a strengthening of family relationships, character growth, personal satisfaction in the care provided, and material benefit. This study sheds some understanding on rewards experienced by a subgroup of family caregivers who has received little attention—young adult caregivers.
MRI compatible MS2 nanoparticles designed to cross the blood–brain-barrier: providing a path towards tinnitus treatment

Fundamental challenges of targeting specific brain regions for treatment using pharmacotherapeutic nanoparticle (NP) carriers include circumventing the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and tracking delivery. Angiopep-2 (AP2) has been shown to facilitate the transport of large macromolecules and synthetic nanoparticles across the BBB. Thus, conjugation of AP2 to an MS2 bacteriophage based NP should also permit transport across the BBB. We have fabricated and tested a novel MS2 capsid-based NP conjugated to the ligand AP2. The reaction efficiency was determined to be over 70%, with up to two angiopep-2 conjugated per MS2 capsid protein. When linked with a porphyrin ring, manganese (Mn2+) remained stable within MS2 and was MRI detectable. Nanoparticles were introduced intracerebroventricularly or systemically. Systemic delivery yielded dose dependent, non-toxic accumulation of NPs in the midbrain. Design of a multifunctional MRI compatible NP platform provides a significant step forward for the diagnosis and treatment of intractable brain conditions, such as tinnitus.
Finiteness Conditions on Conjugates and Commutators

A group is said to be central-by-finite if its centre has finite index. The following important result is essentially due to Schur [1]; see also Baer [14], p. 177 and P. Hall [6], Theorem 8.1.
A Coring Method for the Nondestructive Evaluation of Effective Prestress Force in Prestressed Concrete Structures

Prestress forces are often applied to concrete structures to create compressive stresses in regions that will be subjected to superposed tension stresses due to applied service loads. Often these prestress forces are applied using steel tendons that are imbedded in the structure and stressed in tension. The tendons react against the structure and thus subject the concrete to compression. The structure may be fully-pre-stressed, so that the precompressed regions remain in compression under applied service loads, or partially-prestressed so that the precompressed regions may experience tension stress under applied service loads. Additional details of the mechanics of pre-stressed concrete members can be found in many textbooks (e.g. Reference [1]).
Neonatal nurse practitioner ethics knowledge and attitudes.

Background:Neonatal nurse practitioners have become the frontline staff exposed to a myriad of ethical issues that arise in the day-to-day environment of the neonatal intensive care unit. However, ...
Phase stability of single phase Al0.12CrNiFeCo high entropy alloy upon irradiation

Abstract Phase stability of NiCoFeCr and Al0.12NiCoFeCr single phase high entropy alloys (HEAs) was studied under 3 MeV Ni2+ irradiation at 500 °C to a fluence of 1 × 1017/cm2 reaching a peak dose of ~100 displacements per atom (dpa). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) diffraction pattern and scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) were utilized to detect any second phases that formed in the irradiated regions of the specimens. While the single phase of NiCoFeCr alloy has remained stable under the irradiation, the phase in Al0.12NiCoFeCr alloy decomposed into FCC matrix phase, and Ni3Al type nanoprecipitates with L12 ordered structure. On the other hand, in Al0.12NiCoFeCr alloy, the non-irradiated region of the TEM specimen (annealed for 10 h at 500 °C) and the as-cast alloy annealed for 490 h at 500 °C exhibited no such precipitates similar to those observed in the irradiated region. Based upon the thermodynamic stability of these alloys, we propose that radiation-enhanced diffusion under the irradiation accelerated the formation of the Ni3Al type equilibrium phase. Our study clearly demonstrates that the phase stability of HEAs under irradiation should be considered as one of the deciding factors in the materials design and selection for nuclear applications.
Generation of primary cells from ADPKD and normal human kidneys

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney (ADPKD) is a common genetic disorder characterized by the presence of numerous fluid-filled cysts that lead to a progressive decline in renal function. Cystic tissues and primary cyst epithelial cells obtained from discarded human ADPKD kidneys provide unique biomaterials for the investigation of cellular mechanisms involved in cyst growth and changes in the microenvironment adjacent to the cysts. ADPKD cells have been used to develop straightforward in vitro cell model assays to study events down-stream of the mutant proteins in carefully controlled experimental conditions, test specific hypotheses, and evaluate the cellular response to potential therapeutic drugs. Normal cadaver kidneys deemed unsuitable for transplantation and "non-involved" portions of nephrectomy specimens removed for the treatment of kidney cancer provide important control tissues and the source of primary normal human kidney (NHK) cells for comparison to ADPKD specimens. This chapter describes the methods used in the collection of cystic and non-cystic tissues from ADPKD and normal kidneys and the generation of primary cell cultures. We also highlight strengths and weaknesses of using immortalized isogenic normal and PKD mutant cell lines.
Am I Speaking Prose? Rejoinder to “Critical Language and Discourse Awareness in Management Education”:

This essay claims too much and too little for Critical Language Discourse, an interesting subject, but in my view not necessary as a separate topic from Needed Communications Skills Education. Thos...
Improving the Interpretability of Neural Sentiment Classifiers via Data Augmentation.

Sentiment analysis has been widely used by businesses for social media opinion mining, especially in the financial services industry, where customers' feedbacks are critical for companies. Recent progress of neural network models has achieved remarkable performance on sentiment classification, while the lack of classification interpretation may raise the trustworthy and many other issues in practice. In this work, we study the problem of improving the explainability of existing sentiment classifiers. We propose two data augmentation methods that create additional training examples to help improve model explainability: one method with a predefined sentiment word list as external knowledge and the other with adversarial examples. We test the proposed methods on both CNN and RNN classifiers with three benchmark sentiment datasets. The model explainability is assessed by both human evaluators and a simple automatic evaluation measurement. Experiments show the proposed data augmentation methods significantly improve the explainability of both neural classifiers.
Deciding Machines: Moral-Scene Assessment for Intelligent Systems

Abstract Machines do not presently understand the world in moral terms, and therefore they act on a scene without consideration of moral implications. Asimov asserted his laws of robotics for narrative effect, but these laws also serve as a practical starting point when considering equipping machines with the ability to morally reason. Decomposing just the first clause of the first law (“A robot may not injure a human being”) reveals entailed perceptual and reasoning capabilities: What is a human being? How is a human injured? What is injurious to a human? Thus step one in setting the foundation on which intelligent machines may engage in interpersonal moral deliberation is to enable perception of these concepts of human, injury, and injuriousness. Image semantic labeling is presently indifferent to moral concerns; machines are incapable of identifying minds within a scene that may suffer and what affords or endangers those minds. Moral-Scene Assessment endows machines with a protoconscience by identifying what is morally salient in a scene, guiding interaction with those entities, and reasoning over potential harms to them. Identification of what is morally salient requires mind perception and qualification of objects of danger or affordance to those minds. With these percepts the machine is then prepared to adopt the appropriate stance in interacting with entities within a scene as it works with humans to build a shared context. With the appropriate mode of interaction selected per entity in a scene, the machine is now disposed to apply the respective ontology by which to reason over insults and injuries involving those entities.
Growth of a young journalist amid the pandemic and media repression

I am entering my senior year of college during a global pandemic. Classes have gone remote to prevent a campus coronavirus outbreak. I am likely to graduate in the wake, if not the height, of a glo...
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with depressive symptoms in older adults with HIV disease.

Symptoms of depression are common among persons with HIV (PWH) and can have a significant impact on socioeconomic and personal well-being, but little is known about their neurobiological substrates in the context of HIV disease. This study examined the possible role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in symptoms of depression and other aspects of mood in 109 PWH and 43 seronegative participants aged 50 and older. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) which measured six dimensions of mood and was normatively adjusted for sex. A model controlling for medical comorbidities and substance use diagnoses among PWH showed a significant interaction between BDNF and POMS subscales. Planned post hoc analyses revealed that lower BDNF was only associated with higher scores on Depression-Dejection and Confusion-Bewilderment POMS subscales among PWH and at small-to-medium effect sizes. Lower levels of BDNF were associated with AIDS diagnoses and CD4 count, but not with viremia or duration of infection. BDNF levels did not differ between the PWH and HIV − samples, and there were no significant correlations between BDNF and any POMS variable in the HIV − group. Findings implicate BDNF in the neuropathophysiology of specific depressive symptoms in the context of HIV disease. Future studies may examine whether BDNF levels change over time, are sensitive to other aspects of mood disorders in HIV, and are associated with markers of HIV-associated neural injury.
Iodine reduction for reproducible and high-performance perovskite solar cells and modules.

Perovskite-based electronic materials and devices such as perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have notoriously bad reproducibility, which greatly impedes both fundamental understanding of their intrinsic properties and real-world applications. Here, we report that organic iodide perovskite precursors can be oxidized to I2 even for carefully sealed precursor powders or solutions, which markedly deteriorates the performance and reproducibility of PSCs. Adding benzylhydrazine hydrochloride (BHC) as a reductant into degraded precursor solutions can effectively reduce the detrimental I2 back to I−, accompanied by a substantial reduction of I3−-induced charge traps in the films. BHC residuals in perovskite films further stabilize the PSCs under operation conditions. BHC improves the stabilized efficiency of the blade-coated p-i-n structure PSCs to a record value of 23.2% (22.62 ± 0.40% certified by National Renewable Energy Laboratory), and the high-efficiency devices have a very high yield. A stabilized aperture efficiency of 18.2% is also achieved on a 35.8-cm2 mini-module.
High-Power X -Band Relativistic Backward-Wave Oscillator with Exceptional Synchronous Regime Operating at an Exceptional Point

An exceptional point of degeneracy (EPD) is induced in a system made of a linear electron beam interacting with an electromagnetic (EM) guided mode in a vacuum tube made of a corrugated circular metallic waveguide with distributed output ports. This scheme enables an exceptional synchronous regime in backward-wave oscillators (BWOs) where the electron beam provides distributed gain to the EM mode with distributed power extraction. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation results demonstrate that the proposed EPD BWO has a starting-oscillation current that scales quadratically with BWO length to a nonvanishing value, which does not occur in standard BWOs and demonstrates the occurrence of the EPD and hence the exceptional synchronism operational regime. The degeneracy of two interactive hot modes is also verified by observing the coalescence of their complex-valued wave numbers at the EPD frequency. Observations on the kinetic energy distribution of the electrons along the BWO demonstrate that the proposed EPD-BWO regime is capable of achieving higher power conversion efficiency at higher levels of power generation due to its ability to maintain the synchronism for longer BWO lengths compared to the standard BWO regime of operation.
Moral inertia

I argue that, according to ordinary morality, there is moral inertia, that is, moral pressure to fail to intervene in certain circumstances. Moral inertia is manifested in scenarios with a particular causal structure: deflection scenarios, where a threatening or benefiting process is diverted from a group of people to another. I explain why the deflection structure is essential for moral inertia to be manifested. I argue that there are two different manifestations of moral inertia: strict prohibitions on interventions, and constraints on interventions. Finally, I discuss the connection between moral inertia and the distinction between killing and letting die (or doing and allowing harm).
Validity of informant report interpretations: Role of examinee performance and symptom invalidity.

Performance validity tests (PVTs) and symptom validity tests (SVTs) detect inaccuracies in examinee-completed measures, though methods for assessing the accuracy of informant reports-which may be inaccurate due to examinee deception, motivation for external incentives (e.g., disability payments), or attempts to validate examinee experiences-remain underexplored. We used a sample of 72 veteran-informant dyads undergoing evaluation of possible epilepsy-related neurocognitive disorder to assess the association between examinee response invalidity (i.e., performance and/or symptom invalidity) and informant report measures. Examinees completed PVTs, SVTs, cognitive, and self-report measures. Informants completed measures on examinee functioning and their own caregiver burden. Performance invalidity was defined as failure on two or more PVTs. Symptom invalidity for psychopathology symptom reports (SVT-P) and cognitive/somatic symptom reports (SVT-CS) were separately defined via above-threshold scores on two or more SVT criterion. Independent samples t tests demonstrated the associations of the PVT, SVT-CS, and SVT-P groups with informant-report measures. Informants for examinees with performance invalidity reported worse functioning in the examinee than informants for examinees in the valid performance group (medium-large effect sizes). Symptom validity status (for both SVT-CS and SVT-P) was meaningfully but less strongly related to informant-reported examinee functioning (small-medium effect sizes). Neither performance nor symptom invalidity was meaningfully related to informant-reported caregiver burden (negligible effect sizes). Informant reports for examinees with response invalidity should be interpreted with caution. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Nanomedicine hitchhikes on neutrophils to the inflamed lung.

Supramolecular arrangement of proteins provides nanoparticles with neutrophil tropism via complement opsonization during an acute inflammation, enabling diagnosis and treatment of acute lung injury.
Competition in Executive Education: A Global Marketing Perspective

The development of executive education programs with an international focus constitutes a new strategic thrust for many U.S. business schools. Yet schools are discovering that market success is made difficult by well-established competitors, mainly in Europe. This paper uses the case of an executive program in global marketing to investigate and compare the perceptions of American, Canadian, and European executives. Preferences for content and teaching delivery are explored and conclusions drawn for the successful positioning of such programs.
Isomorphism invariants for actions of sofic groups

For every countable group G, a family of isomorphism invariants for measurepreserving G-actions on probability spaces is defined. In the special case in which G is a countable sofic group, a special class of these invariants are computed exactly for Bernoulli systems over G. This leads to a complete classification of Bernoulli systems for many countable groups including all finitely generated linear groups. These results are combined with recent rigidity results of S. Popa to obtain classification results for Bernoulli shifts over special classes of groups G up to von Neumann equivalence and/or orbit equivalence.
Lightning strike thermal damage model for glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites and its application to wind turbine blades

Abstract A physics-based model describing the thermal interaction between a lightning channel and a composite structure has been developed. The model includes: (i) spatial and temporal evolution of the lightning channel as a function of the electric current waveform; (ii) temporary and spatially non-uniform heat flux generated at the composite structure, where the heat flux is an explicit function of the electric current waveform and the instant lightning channel radius; (iii) nonlinear transient heat transfer problem formulation for layered anisotropic composites that accounts for temperature-dependent material properties, a moving boundary of the expanding lightning channel, and phase transition moving boundary associated with instantaneous material removal due to sublimation. The model is applied for evaluation of thermal damage of the tip glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite panel of the Sandia 100-meter All-glass Baseline Wind Turbine Blade (SNL 100-00) subjected to lightning strike.
Synaptic communication and signal processing among sensory cells in taste buds

Taste buds (sensory structures embedded in oral epithelium) show a remarkable diversity of transmitters synthesized and secreted locally. The known transmitters accumulate in a cell type selective manner, with 5-HT and noradrenaline being limited to presynaptic cells, GABA being synthesized in both presynaptic and glial-like cells, and acetylcholine and ATP used for signalling by receptor cells. Each of these transmitters participates in local negative or positive feedback circuits that target particular cell types. Overall, the role of ATP is the best elucidated. ATP serves as a principal afferent transmitter, and also is the key trigger for autocrine positive feedback and paracrine circuits that result in potentiation (via adenosine) or inhibition (via GABA or 5-HT). While many of the cellular receptors and mechanisms for these circuits are known, their impact on sensory detection and perception remains to be elaborated in most instances. This brief review examines what is known, and some of the open questions and controversies surrounding the transmitters and circuits of the taste periphery.
Predictors of Long-term Mortality in Patients With Cirrhosis of the Liver Admitted to a Medical ICU

Context: The long-term survival of patients with cirrhosis of the liver admitted to the ICU has not been described. Objective: The main objectives were to determine the 1-year and 5-year mortality rates of a cohort of patients admitted to a medical ICU (MICU), and to identify the risk factors that may predict long-term outcomes. Design: This is a cohort study. We used a model-building (MB) and model validation (MV) procedure that has previously been described to determine the risk factors for overall mortality. Settings: An MICU in a major referral medical center. Patients: Four hundred twenty consecutive patients admitted to the ICU from January 1, 1993, through October 31, 1998, met the inclusion criteria of diagnosis of liver failure, cirrhosis, chronic liver disease, variceal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, or hepatorenal syndrome. Patients with acute liver failure who had undergone liver transplantation, or candidates for orthotopic liver transplantation were excluded. Intervention: None. Results: The 1-year mortality rate was 69%, and the 5-year mortality rate was 77%. The median survival time was 1 month. The independent predictors of mortality in patients in the MB group who retained their significance in the MV group were as follows: an acute physiology, age, and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) III score of ≥ 90 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6 to 2.8; p ie , APACHE III score ≥ 90, use of pressors, and jaundice) had a 92% 1-month mortality rate compared to 11.2% for patients with no risk factors. Conclusions: Patients admitted to an MICU with underlying cirrhosis who are not eligible for liver transplantation have a poor long-term prognosis, even if they survive the ICU admission, particularly as the number of risk factors increases.
19F and 13C NMR studies of polyol metabolism in freeze-tolerant pupae of Hyalophora cecropia.

Sorbitol biosynthesis and regulation in freeze tolerant pupae of Hyalophora cecropia have been investigated as a function of temperature by 19F and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy using several 13C-labeled and/or fluorine-substituted carbohydrates. 3-Deoxy-3-fluoro-D-glucose (3DFG) was metabolized to 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-sorbitol (3DFS), 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-fructose (3DFF), and 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-gluconic acid (3DFGA), indicating that the enzymes required for sorbitol biosynthesis and metabolism are active in H. cecropia at warm (22 degrees C) and cold (4 and -10 degrees C) temperatures. Two additional metabolites were produced when pupae were injected with either 3DFG, 3DFS, 3DFF, or 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-mannose (3DFM). One of these was identified as 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-mannitol (3DFML) by 13C NMR using [1-13C]3DFM and [1-13C]3DFG as metabolic probes. H. cecropia pupae injected with D-glucose labeled with 13C at C-1, C-2, or C-3 and subsequently analyzed by 13C NMR clearly demonstrated the ability to generate sorbitol and fructose. In contrast, gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis of hemolymph failed to detect sorbitol in pupae reared under natural conditions (i.e. in the absence of injected enriched sugars). Thus, although H. cecropia pupae have the enzymic machinery to biosynthesize sorbitol, they do not appear to accumulate high steady-state concentrations of this polyol over the temperature range studied. The specificity of the enzymes involved in alditol biosynthesis in H. cecropia was examined by 13C NMR with a wide range of aldoses enriched with 13C at C-1. Pupae were capable of converting these sugars to their corresponding [1-13C]alditols, indicating that nonspecific dehydrogenase(s), in addition to aldose reductase, is(are) involved in polyol biosynthesis in H. cecropia pupae.
Physico--Mathematical Interactions: The Chern--Simons Story

The essential role played by Chern--Simons terms in a variety of physical models provides yet another illustration of the unexpected but profound interactions between the two disciplines.
Approximation of kernel k-means for streaming data

Streaming data are any data that are sequentially presented to a system such that future data cannot be accessed. By their nature, streaming data are often large data sets and can quickly outgrow the working memory for a typical computer. Clustering is one of the primary tasks used in the pattern recognition and data mining communities and kernel k-means is a well-studied and popular algorithm. However, kernel k-means is ill-suited to streaming data. In this paper, I develop an approximation to the kernel k-means that only needs access to data from time-step t and (t-1); hence, the memory requirement of the proposed algorithm is only O(n2), where n is the size of the data chunk at time t. Empirical results show that streaming kernel k-means (skKM) produces partitions similar to those produced by kernel k-means run on the entire data set.
Novel targets and stimulation paradigms for deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an accepted therapy for appropriately selected patients with movement disorders and psychiatric disease. The recent advances in lead technology and the advent of novel stimulation parameters have spurred a number of improvements that will likely be implemented in the clinical setting. Although the mechanisms and biology of DBS remain poorly understood, the progress in our understanding of network level dysfunction has driven the introduction of a variety of new targets and approaches to the treatment of human disease. Here we summarize the recent advances in novel stimulation patterns and customized field shaping. We also review new targets, novel applications of DBS and the immediate and long-term horizon for this therapy.
Seismic response of steel frame structures with hybrid passive control systems

SUMMARY The concept of the hybrid passive control system is studied analytically by investigating the seismic response of steel frame structures. Hybrid control systems consist of two different passive elements combined into a single device or system. The hybrid systems investigated in this research consist of a rate-dependent damping device paired with a rate-independent energy dissipation element. The innovative configurations exploit individual element strengths and offset their weaknesses through multiphased behavior. A nine-story, five-bay steel moment-frame was used for the analysis. Six different seismic resisting systems were analyzed and compared. The conventional systems included a special moment-resisting frame (SMRF) and a dual SMRF–buckling-restrained brace (BRB) system. The final four configurations are hybrid passive systems. The different hybrid configurations utilize a BRB and either a high-damping rubber damper or viscous fluid damper. The analyses were run in the form of an incremental dynamic analysis. Several damage measures were calculated, including maximum roof drift, base shear, and total roof acceleration. The results demonstrate the capability of hybrid passive control systems to improve structural response compared with conventional lateral systems and to be effective for performance-based seismic design. Each hybrid configuration improved some aspect of structural response with some providing benefits for multiple damage measures. The multiphased nature provides improved response for frequent and severe seismic events. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Explicit steady state solutions for a particular M(x)/M/1 queueing system

An explicit steady state solution is determined for the distribution of the number of customers for a queueing system in which Poisson arrivals are bulks of random size. The number of customers per bulk varies randomly between 1 and m, m arbitrary, according to a point multinomial, and customer service is exponential. Queue characteristics are given.
Status epilepticus in children: etiology, clinical features, and outcome.

Between August 1984 and September 1986, data were gathered prospectively on 114 episodes of convulsive status epilepticus, defined as seizure duration longer than 30 minutes, affecting 97 children....
Built for jumping: the design of the frog muscular system

Frogs must generate a high level of mechanical power when they jump. The muscular system of frogs that jump is presumably designed to deliver these high powers. The length changes and activation pattern that muscles undergo during jumping were measured, and isolated muscle bundles were driven through this in vivo pattern. During jumping, muscles generated maximum power. Specifically, the muscle fibers (i) operated at optimal sarcomere lengths, (ii) operated at optimal shortening velocities, and (iii) were maximally activated during power generation. Thus, many different parameters must have evolved in concert to produce a system capable of this explosive jumping movement.
Random number generators for parallel processors

Abstract The fundamental requirements for the sequence of numbers produced by a random number generator in a computer program are that (1) the sequence be indistinguishable from that produced by an iid sequence of standard uniformly distributed random variables; (2) the sequence be identically reproduced on a subsequent execution of the same computer program. For computers with multiple processors it is sensible to add the additional requirement that (3) the sequences used by each of the several processors be indistinguishable from independent sequences. If one uses a standard random number generator developed for a uniprocessor in an environment with multiple processors, then each one of these requirements may be violated. This paper contains a review of previous attempts to satisfy the three requirements for a multiprocessor and concludes that none are really successful.
Differences in Inhaled Fluticasone Bioavailability Between Holding Chambers in Children with Asthma

Study Objective. To determine if differences between holding chambers in previous in vitro aerosol studies would agree with the bioavailability of inhaled fluticasone propionate between the same holding chambers in children with asthma. Design. Double-blind, randomized, crossover study. Setting. University of Florida Clinical Research Center. Patients. Eight children (aged 5–9 yrs) with stable asthma. Intervention. Under observation, the children inhaled two 110-μg puffs of fluticasone twice/day through the InspirEase or E-Z Spacer holding chamber. Measurements and Main Results. Blood samples were collected at baseline and then at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, and 6 hours after the last dose of fluticasone. Primary outcome measures were peak fluticasone steady-state plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the fluticasone plasma concentration-time curve from 0–6 hours (AUC0–6). The fluticasone plasma concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric assay. Mean ± SD Cmax from InspirEase (245 ± 77 pg/ml) was 18% higher than that after E-Z Spacer (199 ± 58 pg/ml, p<0.05). Mean ± SD AUC0–6 from InspirEase (1103 ± 305 pg ·hr−1· ml−1) was 22% higher than that delivered from E-Z Spacer (863 ± 258 pg · hr−1 · ml−1, p=0.06). Conclusion. Differences in inhaled fluticasone bioavailability between these holding chambers in children with asthma corroborate differences reported in earlier in vitro aerosol studies.
Interaction between a disclination and a uniaxial–isotropic phase interface in a nematic liquid crystal

Abstract We consider the interaction between a disclination line of strength ± 1 2 and an interface between the uniaxial and isotropic phases of a nematic liquid crystal. We apply a recently developed set of interface conditions including a configurational force balance which generalizes the Gibbs–Thomson equation to account for the curvature elasticity of the uniaxial phase and the orientation dependence of the interfacial free-energy density. We consider a rectangular vessel containing both phases and a disclination. We formulate a relevant free-boundary problem and use numerical methods to determine equilibrium shapes of the interface. When the interfacial free-energy is constant, the shape of the interface is insensitive to whether the strength of the defect is + 1 2 or − 1 2 and to rotations of the director field consistent with the boundary conditions. Accounting for the dependence of the interfacial free-energy density on the angle between the interfacial unit normal field and the director field eliminates these degeneracies. In particular, when such dependence is taken into account, different solution branches are found, indicating the presence of a bifurcation. We find also that, depending on the magnitude of the anisotropic contribution to the interfacial free-energy density, the interaction between the disclination and the interface may be repulsive or attractive. When the interaction is repulsive, the disclination line positions itself at an energetically optimal distance adjacent to the interface. Otherwise, the uniaxial phase expels the disclination to the interface where a cusp forms.