cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Volume Multi-Sphere-Model Development Using Electric Field Matching

Electrostatic actuation is the process of charging two spacecraft and using the resulting Coulomb interaction to exert touchless forces and torques between the two spacecraft. For all electrostatic actuation concepts, fast and accurate models for the electrostatic force and torque are needed. The Volume Multi-Sphere Method (VMSM) seeks the optimal placement and radii of a small number of equipotential spheres to accurately model the electrostatic force and torque on a conducting space object. Prior work optimized the VMSM models by varying the radii and position of the model spheres to match the force and torque produced by a finite element truth model. This process is challenging due to finite element model errors and smoothness considerations, as well as because the force solutions are dependent on the particular probe geometry chosen. This paper investigates fitting of VMSM models to Surface-MSM (SMSM) generated electrical field data, removing modeling dependence on probe geometry while significantly increasing performance and speed. A proposed electric field matching cost function is compared to a force and torque cost function. The inclusion of a self-capacitance constraint is explored and 4 degree-of-freedom VMSM models generated using electric field matching are investigated. The resulting E-field based VMSM development framework is illustrated on a box-shaped hub with a single solar panel. Despite the complex non-symmetric spacecraft geometry, elegantly simple 2-sphere VMSM solutions provide force and torque fits within a few percent.
A method for economic input-output social impact analysis with application to U.S. advanced manufacturing

Abstract Industrial sustainability performance has, up until recently, been mainly based on a combination of economic and environmental measures. The social dimension of sustainability performance remains largely unknown. The lack of understanding of social performance, i.e., how stakeholder needs are impacted by industrial production, limits the capacity of decision makers to pursue fully informed choices. Fortunately, large quantities of economic and social data exist in the public domain. The vast economic and social data enable the creation of industry-related social impact metrics that can describe how industry directly affects society. However, assessing social impacts in an economy requires a multidisciplinary modeling approach. The proposed method, economic input-output social impact assessment, is developed to integrate economic production with two new social impact metrics based on employee/worker-needs: Cost Of Injuries identifies employee safety/security needs, and Employees below a Living Wage identifies worker basic needs. The model is applied using a case study that introduces the economically important and technologically innovative Advanced Manufacturing cluster of industries in the United States. In 2012, Advanced Manufacturing represented over 39% of U.S. manufacturing output and 7.8%, or $2.25 trillion. of the U.S. total economic output ranking 6th in the total economy. As a result of the model, Advanced Manufacturing was attributed 8.5%, or $1.3 billion, for the total national social impacts of Cost Of Injuries, ranking 5th in the U.S. economy. Advanced Manufacturing was also attributed 3.5%, or 3 million employees, for the total national social impacts of Employees below a Living Wage, ranking 12th out of the 16 economic sectors studied. The economic input-output social impact assessment method is demonstrated to provide a measurable path forward to evaluate the social performance of industries.
The Desire for Power and Perceptions of Heterosexual Romantic Relationships: The Moderating Roles of Perceived Power and Gender

The purpose of the present studies was to examine whether the associations that the desire for power had with perceptions of the romantic relationship (e.g., relationship satisfaction, commitment) were moderated by perceived power and gender. Study 1 examined these associations in a sample of 376 U.S. heterosexual participants. Results showed that the desire for power had negative indirect associations with commitment through relationship satisfaction, investment, and quality of alternatives. Further, the association that the desire for power had with relationship satisfaction was moderated by perceived power and gender such that this association was especially strong for women who perceived themselves as having low levels of power. In addition, there was a significant negative association between the desire for power and commitment for men but not women. Study 2 examined both members of 74 U.S. heterosexual romantic couples. Results of dyadic analyses revealed that the desire for power reported by women was especially important for the perceptions of the romantic relationship for both members of the couple. For example, women who desired more power in their relationships reported less commitment and had male partners who were less committed to the relationship as well. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for understanding the connections between power and perceptions of romantic relationships.
Identifying Key Pathways and Components in Chemokine-Triggered T Lymphocyte Arrest Dynamics Using a Multi-Parametric Global Sensitivity Analysis.

The arrest of rolling T lymphocytes at specific locations is crucial to proper immune response function. We previously developed a model of chemokine-driven integrin activation, termed integrative signaling adhesive dynamics (ISAD). In addition, we have shown that loss of diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) leads to a gain of function regarding adhesion under shear flow. We undertook this study to understand the sensitivity of adhesion to perturbations in other signaling molecules. We adapted multi-parametric sensitivity analysis (MPSA) for use in our ISAD model to identify important parameters, including initial protein concentrations and kinetic rate constants, for T lymphocyte arrest. We also compared MPSA results to those obtained from a single parametric sensitivity analysis. In addition to the previously shown importance of DGK in lymphocyte arrest, PIP2 cleavage and Rap1 activation are crucial in determining T cell arrest dynamics, which agree with previous experimental findings. The l-selectin density on the T lymphocyte surface also plays a large role in determining the distance rolled before arrest. Both the MPSA and single-parametric method returned similar results regarding the most sensitive kinetic rate constants. We show here that the regulation of the amount of second messengers are, in general, more critical for determining T lymphocyte arrest over the initial signaling proteins, highlighting the importance of amplification of signaling in cell adhesion responses. Overall, this work provides a mechanistic insight of the contribution of key pathways and components, thus may help to identify potential therapeutic targets for drug development against immune disorders.
Spontaneous forward Brillouin scattering in carbon disulfide

In recent years, guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering has become an important tool in photonics, serving as the basis for everything from new forms of information processing to silicon lasers. Due to low losses and long interaction lengths, fiber optic systems offer an intriguing platform to harness these guided-wave light-sound interactions. However, within typical fiber optic systems these interactions are exceedingly weak---requiring complex microstucturing to yield appreciable light-sound coupling. Here, we enhance this light-sound coupling by using a ${\mathrm{CS}}_{2}$-filled liquid core optical fiber. Owing to tight confinement of the optical and acoustic modes within the fiber core, as well as the large electrostrictive response of ${\mathrm{CS}}_{2}$, this system yields an unprecedented forward Brillouin gain for a fiber optic system. To demonstrate this physics, we measure multipeaked spontaneous forward Brillouin scattering power spectra, yielding information about the fiber geometry, material properties, and acousto-optic coupling strength. To interpret these data, we simulate the spontaneous Brillouin scattering power spectrum for this fiber system. These results reveal that hybridized acoustic excitations within the fiber core and cladding produce this characteristic multipeaked power spectrum. In the future, the large forward Brillouin coupling, long interaction lengths, and low losses of liquid-core fibers may enable new forms of distributed sensing, lasers with customizable emission, and physics including continuum optomechanical cooling.
Should Archaeology Have a Future

Archaeologists have recently been discussing what the future may hold for archaeology, a focus firmly situated within the context that the discipline of archaeology is authentic and legitimate and deserves to have a future. In this paper, I want to challenge these ideas and think instead about whether archaeology should even have a future. This line of reasoning is developed by examining the relationship between capitalism and the academy, neoliberal transformations to higher education, and some of the ways that archaeologists have responded. I conclude with some suggestions for alternatives, both for those working within the dominant capitalist academic structures themselves and those that eschew capitalism itself.
High-Speed and High-Power MUTC Photodiode Working at 1064 nm

We demonstrate low-dark-current, high-speed and high-power back-illuminated flip-chip-bonded modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes operating at 1064 nm. The photodiodes with $15~\mu \text{m}$ and $18~\mu \text{m}$ diameters achieve 18.6 dBm RF output power at 55 GHz and 19.4 dBm RF output power at 41 GHz, respectively. The bandwidth is analyzed with parameters obtained from S-parameter fitting. There is good agreement between measured and calculated bandwidths.
Women and Netflix: disrupting traditional boundaries between television and film

Women and men’s relationships with the big and small screen have been the object of analysis and commentary for communication scholars and media critics for years (Karen Ross 2012). The considerati...
Convolutional Decoding of Polar Codes

Polar coding has found its way into many realms in communications and information theory. In most implementation setups, they are accompanied with the list successive cancellation (LSC) decoding algorithm which is shown to provide a superior error performance compared to the original successive cancellation (SC) decoding method. While the SC decoding is fairly well-studied, the exact math behind LSC’s superior performance still remains to be of mystery. Multiple techniques have been proposed to further improve the LSC’s error performance or to reduce its computational complexity, which are usually motivated by heuristic reasons and shown through numerical simulations. Most notable example is the CRC-aided LSC, which drastically improves the LSC’s performance by concatenating the polar code with some high-rate cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes.In this paper, we present polar codes that are concatenated with an underlying high-rate convolutional code, which are shown to have superior performances over CRC-aided LSC. We also present a computationally-efficient decoding algorithm for these codes which resembles the techniques used in the Viterbi algorithm, and hence is called the convolutional decoding algorithm. To do this, we revisit the error analysis of the original SC decoding along with the concept of Arikan’s helper genie. We address some shortcomings of the CRC-aided LSC and discuss how to turn around them by emulating a convolutional code instead of a CRC code. Contrary to CRC codes, most of the convolutional codes are not a proper choice for concatenation with polar codes. We introduce the bucketing algorithm to construct suitable punctured convolutional codes for this purpose. The proposed framework can accommodate any such underlying convolutional code, which allows one to search for the optimal convolutional code based on their design parameters.
A systematic review of venous stents for iliac and venacaval occlusive disease

Abstract Objective Endovascular stenting of the deep venous system is increasingly used to treat stenotic and occluded veins. This article reviews the efficacy and safety of venous stenting for lower extremity occlusive disease. Methods The Ovid portal was used to search the MEDLINE database for English-language randomized controlled trials and case series published between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2018, involving venous stenting for lower extremity and inferior venacaval occlusive and compressive disease. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they contained at least 30 patients with at least 6 months of follow-up. Clinical outcomes, long-term patency, complications, and postoperative anticoagulation regimens were reviewed. Also included are nationally presented trial results of dedicated venous stents that may not have been formally published yet. Results Relevant studies were too heterogeneous for a formal meta-analysis to be performed. We analyzed 3812 stented limbs from 23 published studies and two national presentations. Dedicated venous stents were used in 740 patients, and standard stents were used in 3072 patients. The overall major complication rate was Conclusions Whereas the quality of evidence remains weak, iliocaval venous stenting appears to be a safe and effective treatment of chronic venous disease. In early results, dedicated venous stents appear safe and demonstrate results that are as good as or better than those of historically used devices.
Adolescent–Parent Relationships: Progress, Processes, and Prospects

The nature of adolescent–parent relationships has been a topic of enduring concern in developmental science. In this article, we review theory and current research on several central topics. First,...
Phenomena of Cultural Intelligence in Pennsylvania Libraries: A Research Study

This article describes a mixed methods research study of current Pennsylvania librarians to understand the phenomena of cultural intelligence within Pennsylvania libraries. The researcher surveyed Pennsylvania Library Association membership in September 2019. Survey participants took a cultural intelligence assessment, responded to qualitative questions, and addressed demographic questions. Overall, participants had varying levels of cultural intelligence, felt that cultural intelligence was important to their organizations and found value in its application. The results can inform library professionals and human resources about the importance of incorporation of cultural intelligence within everyday practices and communication with staff within libraries. Developing cultural intelligence through training and other activities will also impact the communities in which we serve. Best practices with cultural intelligence should be recorded and shared with other Pennsylvania libraries.
Institutional uncertainty and supply chain quality management: A conceptual framework

To cope with external uncertainty, managers adjust supply chain quality management (SCQM) practices to ensure that quality-related aspects of interorganizational resource flows remain stable. This ...
Linking preschoolers' parasympathetic activity to maternal early adversity and child behavior: An intergenerational perspective.

Increasing evidence suggests intergenerational effects of maternal early adversity on offspring self-regulation. Prior work has demonstrated associations between maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a parasympathetic biomarker associated with emotional and behavioral self-regulation. The present study examined these associations and additional potential pathways including children's violence exposure and maternal psychopathology among 123 biological mother-child dyads. Families were low-income and oversampled for violence exposure; children were 3-5 years old. RSA was examined during dyadic interaction using latent growth curve modeling (LGCM). On average, females exhibited greater RSA reactivity. Greater RSA withdrawal across the interaction was associated with greater child negative affect during the interaction, linking RSA reactivity to concurrent child behavior. Consistent with previous findings among infants, high maternal ACEs were associated with lower child RSA at task initiation but not with RSA reactivity across the interaction. Findings suggest that the association between high maternal ACEs and a lower set point for offspring RSA persists into the early childhood period, beyond the influence of maternal psychopathology and children's own violence exposure. These data provide further evidence for the biological embedding of maternal early adversity across generations as well as for the relevance of RSA to child behavioral regulation.
Reasons People Want Explanations After Unrecoverable Pre-Handover Failures.

Most research on human-robot handovers focuses on the development of comfortable and efficient HRI; few have studied handover failures. If a failure occurs in the beginning of the interaction, it prevents the whole handover process and destroys trust. Here we analyze the underlying reasons why people want explanations in a handover scenario where a robot cannot possess the object. Results suggest that participants set expectations on their request and that a robot should provide explanations rather than non-verbal cues after failing. Participants also expect that their handover request can be done by a robot, and, if not, would like to be able to fix the robot or change the request based on the provided explanations.
CAN THE TALK TEST BE USED TO PREDICT TRAINING INDUCED CHANGES IN VENTILATORY THRESHOLD

This study was designed to assess the ability of the Talk Test (TT) to track training-related changes in ventilatory threshold (VT). Thirteen recreational athletes (mean±SD; age, 20.5±1.91 years, (Males=7, Females=6) completed two incremental exercise tests (one with respiratory gas exchange and one with the TT) before and after 6-weeks of self-directed increases in training load. The TT was used to predict VT by assessing the ability to speak comfortably after 3-minute exercise stages based on speech comfort during a 100-word passage. Training load was documented using exercise logs based on sRPE and training duration. Repeated measures ANOVA, with Tukey’s post-hoc analysis, was used to detect differences between the changes in power output at the equivocal stage of the Talk Test and VT measured by gas exchange (p .05). However, the increase in power output at VT (+15.5%) was significantly underestimated by the change in power output at equivocal stage of the TT (+8.0%). The correlation between changes in power output at VT and PO at the equivocal stage of the TT was r=0.66. However, about 50% of subjects did not change their power output at the equivocal stage of the TT, so the individual correspondence between Talk Test and measured VT was only moderately strong.
Bayesian Comparison of Latent Variable Models: Conditional Versus Marginal Likelihoods

Typical Bayesian methods for models with latent variables (or random effects) involve directly sampling the latent variables along with the model parameters. In high-level software code for model definitions (using, e.g., BUGS, JAGS, Stan), the likelihood is therefore specified as conditional on the latent variables. This can lead researchers to perform model comparisons via conditional likelihoods, where the latent variables are considered model parameters. In other settings, however, typical model comparisons involve marginal likelihoods where the latent variables are integrated out. This distinction is often overlooked despite the fact that it can have a large impact on the comparisons of interest. In this paper, we clarify and illustrate these issues, focusing on the comparison of conditional and marginal Deviance Information Criteria (DICs) and Watanabe-Akaike Information Criteria (WAICs) in psychometric modeling. The conditional/marginal distinction corresponds to whether the model should be predictive for the clusters that are in the data or for new clusters (where "clusters" typically correspond to higher-level units like people or schools). Correspondingly, we show that marginal WAIC corresponds to leave-one-cluster out cross-validation, whereas conditional WAIC corresponds to leave-one-unit out. These results lead to recommendations on the general application of the criteria to models with latent variables.
Oncostreams: Self-organization and dynamics determine spatial heterogeneity and malignant behavior in gliomas

Abstract Tumor heterogeneity is a hallmark of cancer and a determinant of malignant behavior. How tumor heterogeneity arises is thus of fundamental importance. Gliomas display oncostreams, self-organizing multicellular fascicles of elongated, aligned, collectively motile glioma cells, that establish dynamic heterogeneity throughout gliomas. Gliomas exhibit two collective motion patterns: streams, displaying bidirectional collective motion, and flocks, displaying unidirectional collective motion. Oncostreams function as highways to facilitate the intratumoral spread of tumoral and non-tumoral cells. Detailed quantitative and deep learning analysis of rodent and human gliomas uncovered that the density of oncostreams correlates positively with glioma aggressiveness. Our study establishes the self-organizing dynamic nature of gliomas, and its role in setting up dynamic tumor heterogeneity and consequently tumor malignant behavior.
Communication Security in VANETs

Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a growing application in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that allows communication between Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure. The security of communication in VANET, particularly, the integrity, authentication and non-repudiation of communication is a major concern. We propose a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) based cryptographic protocol that can prevent replay attacks and provide integrity of messages, nonrepudiation and authentication of the vehicles using digital certificates and hashing techniques. The proposed protocol is tested and verified using the Scyther tool. Our results show that the protocol successfully resists the possible attacks against integrity, authentication and non-repudiation.
Market cognition: How exchange norms alter social experience

Market exchange and the ideologies that accompany it pervade human social interaction. How does this affect people’s beliefs about themselves, each other, and human nature? Here we describe market ...
In vivo Characterization of Prostate Cancer Metabolic Phenotype using [11C]Pyruvate and [11C]Alanine PET

1514 Objectives: Assessment of tumor metabolism by non-invasive means can facilitate accurate diagnosis and staging as well as selection of an appropriate therapeutic strategy and monitoring response to treatment. [18F]FDG has not proven to be a reliable probe for assessing metabolism in prostate cancer. Metabolic substrates labeled with carbon-11 represent promising alternatives as they can be completely catabolized and/or incorporated into larger biomolecules. Pyruvate is the nexus of cellular metabolism, where it is predominantly oxidized in cells with a lipogenic phenotype and reduced in cells with a glycolytic phenotype. We hypothesize that these different pathways can be differentiated by measuring the flux of radioactivity through tissue following administration of [11C]pyruvate. Alanine is a source of pyruvate and may also be an independent probe that captures utilization of amino acids for biomass production. Our aim was to prepare L-[3-11C]alanine and [3-11C]pyruvate and evaluate their ability to characterize the metabolic phenotype of two different prostate cancer cell lines by positron emission tomography (PET). Methods: L-[3-11C]Alanine was synthesized by alkylation of a Schiff base precursor with [11C]CH3I in the presence of chiral cinchonidium phase transfer catalyst. [3-11C]Pyruvate was synthesized from D/L-[3-11C]alanine using D-amino acid oxidase, alanine racemase, and catalase. The flux of radioactivity through LNCaP and PC3 xenograft tumors was determined following intravenous administration of the 11C-labeled metabolite in Tris buffer to male nu/nu tumor-bearing mice. A 30-minute dynamic PET acquisition (6 x 5 min slices) was performed beginning approximately 10 min post injection. Time-activity curves (TACs) were derived for each tracer in both LNCaP and PC3 xenografted tumors. Results: L-[3-11C]Alanine was prepared in 15.9 ± 11.3% decay-corrected radiochemical yield (dcRCY), >99% radiochemical purity (RCP) and >95% enantiomeric excess in 38 ± 2 min from end-of-bombardment (EOB). [3-11C]Pyruvate was prepared in 18.5 ± 2.2% dcRCY and >99% RCP in 52 ± 4 min from EOB. Activity in LNCaP tumors following [3-11C]pyruvate administration increases with time and is significantly higher than in PC3 tumors. The trends are reversed for L-[3-11C]alanine, which increases with time in PC3 tumors and exceeds activity in LNCaP tumors. Conclusions: L-[3-11C]Alanine and [3-11C]pyruvate are produced rapidly and in high RCP. These tracers can be used in tandem to assess the metabolic phenotype of prostate cancer by PET. High uptake and retention of [3-11C]pyruvate in LNCaP tumors is consistent with a lipogenic phenotype. By contrast, high utilization of L-[3-11C]alanine and lower retention of [3-11C]pyruvate in PC3 tumors is consistent with a more aggressive glycolytic phenotype.
"I'm Not a Bystander": Developing Teacher Leadership in a Rural School-University Collaboration

Rural teachers need ongoing, flexible professional development designed to encourage collaboration and curriculum development. Furthermore, rural school reform requires successful collaborations between schools and colleges to create leaders within schools. Therefore, this case study is a program review that investigates how social studies teachers at Timberwood High School, a rural high school in the American southeast, are emerging as teacher leaders through a school-university partnership to improve their practice, mentor pre-service teachers, and generate reform. Interviews were conducted with members of the social studies department, all of whom were involved in the project. The findings indicate that the school-university partnership encouraged experimentation with new strategies, stimulated reflective practices and teacher growth, and created a more cohesive social studies department. However, while it was evident that teacher leadership did develop through the process, traditional school norms of egalitarianism and structural hierarchy prevented teachers from fully embracing their roles as teacher leaders. Study findings suggest that rural administrators and rural school-university partnerships must focus on developing teacher leaders to initiate school reform and grow professionally.
Systems of Linear Equations

Consider the system of linear equations $$\displaystyle{ Ax = b, }$$ (3.1) where A is m × n and b is an m-element vector.
Measurements to Support Performance Evaluation of Wireless Communications in Tunnels for Urban Search and Rescue Robots

We describe general methods for evaluating the over-the-air performance in various radio propagation environments of wireless devices used for control and telemetry of urban search and rescue robots. These methods are based on identification and evaluation of performance metrics that can be used to assess impairments to the wireless link. The type and level of each impairment are derived from measurement data in a given environment, here a subterranean tunnel. We illustrate how parameters can be extracted from the measurement data to determine specific values for the performance metrics and discuss how these values can be used to develop standardized test methods for assessing, verifying, or predicting robot performance.
Influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation on hydrochemistry of the Rio Grande, USA, and Mexico

[1] The hydrochemistry has been examined using the major element composition of river water at 12 gauging stations along the Rio Grande. As the Rio Grande Basin consists of two watersheds that have different hydrologic and climatic regimes, two chloride concentration records from the El Paso and Falcon Dam gauging stations have been extracted to reflect long-term variability in river chemistry of the upper and lower basins over the last 50–70 years. Both records contain decadal variability in chloride concentration but are different in nature. The chloride concentration record from the upper basin displays a distinct pattern of decadal variability similar to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). This indicates the chloride concentration at El Paso is largely determined by the amount of stream discharge of the upper basin that is associated with the PDO. Conversely, there is no such pattern of decadal variability in the chloride concentration record from the lower basin though several of the chloride concentration maxima coincide with minima in the PDO index. Instead, the chloride concentration record from the lower basin contains a progressively increasing trend of chloride concentration from 1970 to 1990, suggesting that anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., dam constructions and increased irrigation demands) may also play a role in intervening long-term changes in river chemistry.
Combining a flexible data model and phase schema translation in data model reverse engineering

A data reverse engineering tool whose input can be from heterogeneous legacy systems which can range from COBOL record layouts to DB/2 data definitions needs to be able to utilize a flexible data model as well as phase schema translations. The flexible data model allows a designer to fully understand the legacy system as well as know what corrections could be made during conversion to a new implementation. The phase schema translation takes the database designer through the reverse engineering process in such a way that the user can concentrate on one aspect of the process at a time and not to get bogged down in the process itself.
Radiation chemistry: from the early days to the next millennium

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the achievements of radiation chemistry and particularly focuses on the contributions from radiation chemistry to the broader area of physical chemistry and other areas of general contemporary interest in chemistry. Whereas much of the underlying mechanisms for the effects of radiation on materials were outlined using steady state radiation sources, the advent of pulse radiolysis on the heels of flash photolysis opened a window into direct observation of the intermediates. A major contribution from radiation chemistry to general physical chemistry was the experimental confirmation of the Marcus theory for electron transfer by Miller and Closs. The advantage of the radiolytic approach over the analogous laser flash photolysis technique, in this context, is the ability to generate only the reduced radical on one donor-acceptor molecule. Thus, a charge-shift reaction could be studied rather than an electron-hole recombination that is commonly generated photolytically. Nonetheless, the implications of the theory, which gain credence from the experimental verification, are far reaching especially in photoinduced electron transfer.
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) as a stimulus of the human acrosome reaction and a component of ovarian follicular fluid : correlation of follicular ANP content with in vitro fertilization outcome

Atrial natriuretic peptides (ANPs) from several species induced the human acrosome reaction. The maximal response was highest for human ANP (18.6% above unstimulated or baseline values) and decreased progressively for peptides derived from animals lower on the phylogenetic scale. ANP concentrations required for a half-maximal effect in noncapacitated spermatozoa ranged from 0.07 to 0.38 nM. ANP induced the acrosome reaction in capacitated spermatozoa, but the concentration required was higher than in noncapacitated cells. The response in noncapacitated spermatozoa was independent of added extracellular Ca2+ and was completely inhibited by 1 microM LY83583 (inhibits particulate guanylate cyclase). However, 10 microM N omega-nitro-L-arginine (inhibits soluble guanylate cyclase) had no effect. ANP (80 pM) and 3 microM 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycerol each induced a nearly half-maximal acrosome reaction. Added in combination, they produced no increased response, suggesting antagonism. Follicular fluid had variable levels of immunoreactive ANP. Average ANP content was nearly zero in samples that contained no oocyte at the time of aspiration but was higher (6.9 pM; 90% confidence limits = 1.67-28.72 pM) in follicular fluid containing oocytes that did not fertilize in vitro. Highest concentrations of ANP were present in follicular fluid containing oocytes that fertilized in vitro (72.8 pM; 90% confidence limits = 38.1-139.1 pM). These data suggest that noncapacitated spermatozoa can acrosome react without added extracellular Ca2+ in response to an extracellular ligand. Also, human spermatozoa appear to contain receptors for ANP similar to those found in other cell types. The ANP content of follicular fluid might partly explain the ability of follicular fluid to induce the acrosome reaction.
TFTR neutral beam control and monitoring for DT operations

Record fusion power output has recently been obtained in TFTR with the injection of deuterium and tritium neutral beams. This significant achievement was due in part to the controls, software, and data processing capabilities added to the neutral beam system for DT operations. Chief among these improvements was the addition of SUN workstations and large dynamic data storage to the existing Central Instrumentation Control and Data Acquisition (CICADA) system. Essentially instantaneous lookback over the recent shot history has been provided for most beam waveforms and analysis results. Gas regulation controls allowing remote switchover between deuterium and tritium were also added. With these tools, comparison of the waveforms and data of deuterium and tritium for four test conditioning pulses quickly produced reliable tritium setpoints. Thereafter, all beam conditioning was performed with deuterium, thus saving the tritium supply for the important DT injection shots. The lookback capability also led to modifications of the gas system to improve reliability and to control ceramic valve leakage by backbiasing. Other features added to improve the reliability and availability of DT neutral beam operations included master beamline controls and displays, a beamline thermocouple interlock system, a peak thermocouple display, automatic gas inventory and cryo panel gas load monitoring, beam notching controls, a display of beam/plasma interlocks, and a feedback system to control beam power based on plasma conditions.
Neuroendocrine and behavioral development during puberty: a tale of two axes.

Abstract Puberty is marked by dramatic changes in neuroendocrine function. These changes have profound effects on the structure and function of the maturing nervous system, resulting in altered physiological and behavioral potentials in the adult organism. Indeed, the changes in neurobehavioral development during puberty rival those occurring during neonatal development. This review discusses the pubertal maturation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axes; specifically, how the pubertal rise in gonadal hormones influences the development of various steroid‐dependent motivated behaviors in adulthood, as well as the differences in stress reactivity in prepubertal and adult animals. We conclude that puberty represents another significant and perhaps critical period of neurobehavioral development. Furthermore, we suggest that perturbations of the developing nervous system during this period of maturation may result in deleterious outcomes in the future physiological and behavioral function of an individual on reaching adulthood.
Adjacent-level biomechanics after single versus multilevel cervical spine fusion.

Object Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with spinal fusion are at greater risk for adjacent-segment disease and require additional surgery. It has been postulated that excessive motion of a given motion segment unit (MSU) leads to an increased risk of disc degeneration. It is the authors' hypothesis that a greater increase in adjacent-segment motion will be observed following a 2-level versus a single-level anterior cervical discectomy and instrumented fusion (ACDF). Therefore, they undertook this study to determine the effect of single-level versus 2-level ACDF on the biomechanics of adjacent MSUs. Methods Ten fresh-frozen human cervical spines were used in this study. The specimens were potted at C-4 and T-1 and tested in flexion and extension. Range of motion (ROM) was 30° of flexion and 15° of extension at a maximum load of 50 N. The specimens were tested intact and then were randomized into 2 groups of 5 specimens each. Group 1 underwent a single-level ACDF at the C5–6 level first, an...
Kinetics of aquation of tris(methylmalonato)chromate(III) anion in acidic solutions

Abstract The aquation of tris(methylmalonato)chromate(III) anion was studied at 25–40° in 0·10–1·0 F HClO 4 (μ = 0·20−1·0, NaClO 4 ). The observed pseudo-first order rate constant k obs was found to be dependent on the hydrogen-ion concentration over the entire range of [H + ]: k obs = k′[H + ] + k″ . At 25° k′ = 5·88 × 10 −4 1mole −1 sec −1 , and k″ = 0·967 × 10 −4 sec −1 . Over the temperature range E a = 22·0kcal/mol, and log PZ = 16·5. The product of aquation was found to be trans -[Cr(Mmal) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ] − (Mmal = methylmalonate), and a mechanism in which a dissociation of the protonated intermediate, [Cr(Mmal) 2 (HMmal)] 2− , followed by a fast attack of two water molecules in opposite directions is proposed.
Cerebral Blood Flow Velocities in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants with Hypotension and Infants with Normal Blood Pressure

Objective To determine whether extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants with hypotension have similar cerebral hemodynamics when compared with control subjects with normal blood pressure. We hypothesized that ELBW infants with low or normal blood pressure have similar cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity. Study design In this case control study, CBF velocity (with Doppler ultrasound scanning), Pco 2 , and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) were continuously monitored twice daily before intensive care procedures. If an infant became hypotensive (MABP ≤ gestational age in weeks), additional monitoring was performed for 10 to 20 minutes, before treatment with dopamine. Thirty ELBW infants were enrolled (637 ± 140 g, 24.2 ± 1.1 weeks); 15 had hypotension, and 15 were gestational age/birth weight–matched control subjects with normal blood pressure. CBF velocity was compared by use of the Mann-Whitney U test. Results The groups did not differ significantly in gestational age, birth weight, race, sex, Pco 2 , Apgar scores, or occurrence of severe intraventricular hemorrhage. There was no difference in mean CBF velocity ( P = .934) in infants with hypotension (MABP: 23 [20-24.9] mm Hg) compared with infants with normal blood pressure (MABP: 32.6 [27.5-35.7] mm Hg). Conclusion Despite having hypotension, ELBW infants (before treatment) had similar CBF velocity compared with control subjects with normal blood pressure. On the basis of these results, hypotension may not indicate decreased CBF.
Effects of somatostin on food intake in rats

Abstract We examined the possibility that somatostatin, a tetradecapeptide distributed in the gut and the central nervous system, may influence food intake and behavior in rats. Although intravenously infused somatostatin did not alter food intake in 8 hour fasted rats, intracerebroventricularly infused somatostatin resulted in a biphasic response, first increasing then decreasing food intake. We also observed that the effects of somatostatin vary depending upon whether animals are fed or fasted. In fed rats, food intake was decreased, while in fasted rats food intake was increased. These results suggests that somatostatin can act in the central nervous system to stimulate appetite; but that other factors, possibly related to gut motility or clearance, may inhibit further feeding once the stomach is full.
Shock structure in numerical solutions of the Navier-Stokes and Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook equations

The dynamics of compressible viscous flows can be modeled by the well-developed theory of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics leading to a continuum description of the process. At the same time, kinetic models aim to address the same phenomena from a more fundamental and completely different view point. In contrast to the continuum approach, kinetic theory allows a description of a system and its characteristics from the microscopic picture of the underlying processes based on collision dynamics. The task of comparing these two approaches and explaining how they are related is a major challenge for applied mathematics. It is known that kinetic models such as the Boltzmann and Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook equations can theoretically yield continuum models such as the equations of Euler or Navier-Stokes via the Hilbert and Chapman-Enskog expansions. Despite these theoretical results, mathematical modeling using the kinetic approach is not straightforward, in particular when it comes to numerical approximations. Various difficulties arise when attempting to adopt an appropriate kinetic numerical algorithm to obtain results comparable to solutions of continuum models. In this work we address a small aspect of this problem. The one-dimensional Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook equation and its shock forming initial and boundary conditions are considered. A numerical algorithm to simulate a shock formation is developed, discussed and the results are compared to a similar process based on a continuum model. Both approaches are evaluated and compared numerically.
Family Stress and Posttraumatic Stress: The Impact of Military Operations on Military Health Care Providers

This study uses data from the 2005 Department of Defense Survey of Health-Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel to examine relationships between family stress and posttraumatic stress symptoms across 4 subgroups of Operation Iraqi Freedom-deployed (i.e., war in Iraq) or Operation Enduring Freedom-deployed (i.e., war in Afghanistan) active-duty military service members. Results suggest the following: (a) the greatest positive correlation of family stressors with posttraumatic stress symptoms was found within the military health care officer group, and (b) these military health care officers differed in family stressors mediating posttraumatic stress with divorce and financial problems accounting for significant and unique portions of the variance. Implications for care of service members and their families are discussed.
Perfluorinated polymer surfaces comprising SF5-terminated long-chain perfluoroacrylate

Abstract A new perfluorinated acrylate monomer containing the SF 5 (CF 2 ) 6 -perfluorinated side chain was synthesized and polymerized into films. Bulk monomer characterization is consistent with the molecular structure based on FTIR, mass spectrometry and NMR analyses. The surface properties of polymer coatings were studied with aqueous wetting (contact angle) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods. The surface composition is shown to be highly enriched in the terminal side chain SF 5 -chemistry and exhibits properties consistent with a highly apolar, non-wetting perfluorinated polymer surface. Depth-dependent XPS studies using angular-resolved methods (ADXPS) confirmed a non-stoichiometric enrichment of sulfur and fluorine at the film ambient interface, consistent with a surface presence of the terminal SF 5 -group and possibly film structural anisotropy in the surface zone. Time-of-flight (TOF) secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis supplements the XPS data by showing the presence of all expected SF 5 -acrylate chemistry components in the outer 15 A of the film surface.
The microwave spectrum of 14NH3 in the v = 000011 state

Abstract The frequencies and assignments of 50 lines in the pure inversion spectrum of 14 NH 3 in the 0001 1 vibrational state are reported in the microwave frequency region 18–53 GHz and in selected regions up to 58 GHz. The J = 0 inversion frequency, K -type doubling constant K , l = 2, −1 and molecular dipole moment in this state are 32 904.7 ± 2.0 MHz, 1.958 ± 0.040 MHz and 1.459 ± 0.002 D, respectively, where model inadequacies are included in the uncertainties of the first two parameters. The dipole moment measurements for this and the ground state are in excellent agreement with Stark laser measurements. An expression containing the effective l -type doubling constant is obtained from the combination of frequencies [ν(1, 1, 1) − ν(1, 1, −1) − ν(2, 1, 1) + ν(2, 1, −1)] 8 = 10 361.894 ± 0.004 MHz . A preliminary value for the l -type doubling constant is 10 655 ± 20 MHz.
High proper motion X-ray binaries from the Yale Southern Proper Motion Survey

We discuss the results of cross-correlating catalogs of bright X-ray binaries with the Yale Southern Proper Motion catalog (version 4.0). Several objects already known to have large proper motions from Hipparcos are recovered. Two additional objects are found which show substantial proper motions, both of which are unusual in their X-ray properties. One is IGR J17544-2619, one of the supergiant fast X-ray transients. Assuming the quoted distances in the literature for this source of about 3 kpc are correct, this system has a peculiar velocity of about 275 km/sec -- greater than the velocity of a Keplerian orbit at its location of the Galaxy, and in line with the expectations formed from suggestions that the supergiant fast X-ray transients should be highly eccentric. We discuss the possibility that these objects may help explain the existence of short gamma-ray bursts outside the central regions of galaxies. The other is the source 2A~1822-371, which is a member of the small class of objects which are low mass X-ray binaries and long (i.e. $>$ 100 millisecond) X-ray pulsars. This system also shows both an anomalously high X-ray luminosity and a large orbital period derivative for a system with its orbital period, and some possible indications of an eccentric orbit. A coherent picture can be developed by adding in the proper motion information in which this system formed in the Perseus spiral arm of the Galaxy about 3 Myr ago, and retains a slightly eccentric orbit which leads to enhanced mass transfer.
A Note on the Application of Linear Programming to a Distribution System Orientated Toward Service

A recent article by Marien developed a linear programming model for determining the minimum cost pattern for purchasing and shipping commodities subject to a constraint in the level of service provided. The approach taken is first to describe the problem in terms of network theory. Although this is theoretically correct it leads to an unnecessarily complex discussion of what is basically a very simple problem. More importantly it leads to a mathematical model for the sample problem presented that has 23 constraints when only 4 are needed. This fact can be extremely important to anyone who is considering using the model on a “real” problem involving many more product‐shipment combinations. Following is an alternate representation of the problem in a form which lends itself much more readily to extension to larger problems and to matrix generation.