cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control and optimal control of assemble to order manufacturing systems under heavy traffic

We do a heavy traffic analysis of the optimal control of a classical manufacturing and inventory process, called Assemble-to-Order. Demand consists of one or more final products, each requiring either one or several of each of various part types. The intervals between demands are random and might occur either singly or in batches. The part types are produced by dedicated processors, with random production times. Unneeded parts of each type are stored in a finite buffer. When a demand for a final product arrives, if all needed parts are available, the product is assembled and delivered. Otherwise, the demand can either be lost or backlogged. Control is exercised by idling the processors or possibly via external supply sources. Thorough analyses of a great variety of problem formulations of the optimal control problem are given. The general limit problem is what is called a singular control problem, or a combination of the singular and impulsive control problems. New issues in heavy traffic analysis arise. ...
Technique for ground/image truthing using a digital map to reduce the number of required measurements

The U.S. Army CECOM Center for Night Vision and Electro-Optics (C2NVEO) maintains a terrain board for the purpose of testing and evaluating Automatic Target Recognizers (ATRs). A combination ground truth and image truth procedure has been devised which minimizes the number of location measurements made, thus reducing set-up time. Reference points are ground truthed using lasers mounted on optical benches on the north and east edges of the terrain board. The program uses the measured ground and image location of two targets (reference points), combined with a digital map of the region in question, to calculate the camera azimuth, elevation, and roll angles. Thereafter the program calculates the ground location of any target given the image location using a simple ray trace procedure. Since the ground truthing of a target is much more time intensive than the image truthing, a great deal of time is saved if there are more than two targets. An elegant user interface allows the operator to display the current image, mark the image location of each target with a mouse, and have the program display the ranges to each target. This procedure has dramatically reduced the personnel required to conduct a test. The ray tracing procedure can also be applied to field testing with some modifications. In order to increase the maximum range at which targets can be viewed within the confines of the terrain room, a mirror has recently been added. The ground truthing procedure for the mirror is discussed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Autonomic activity in boys with disruptive behavior disorders.

Skin conductance (SC) and heart rate (HR) were measured during rest, a series of tones, and a reaction time task in 34 boys with disruptive behavior disorder to ascertain (a) if this broadly defined group differed from control boys (n= 33) and (b) if there were differences within the spectrum related to component diagnoses or to target behaviors. Disruptive boys had higher resting HR than controls, due largely to those without a subdiagnosis of conduct disorder. Disruptive boys showed a smaller increment in SC response frequency for task instructions. They did not show a general deficit in phasic SC reactivity but habituated to signal stimuli at a faster rate than did controls. However, their SC response latencies were shorter despite slower motor reaction time. Responsivity variables were similar in boys with and without a subdiagnosis of conduct disorder. The data are not compatible with the hypothesis of low autonomic nervous system (ANS) baselines in disruptive boys but partially suggest low ANS reactivity. They generally support the validity of the disruptive behavior disorder spectrum. Correlations with measures of aggression and impulsivity suggest that individual differences within the spectrum might be more fruitfully described by behavior dimensions than by conventional subdiagnoses.
Laboratory diagnosis of breast cancer.

Laboratory diagnosis of breast cancer is discussed. The pathologist assumes the responsibility for the diagnosis after examination of the microscopic frozen and the permanent sections of surgical specimens. He must decide whether the specimen is adequate representative and has been properly handled and he must determine whether the frozen section is adequate for final diagnosis or whether it is desirable to wait for preparation of parafin microsections. The accuracy of frozen section diagnosis is between 80 and 95%. Diagnostic teamwork is especially important in correlating clinical pathologic and radiographic study in cases in which there may be no findings of clinically identifiable abnormality except for a nonpalpable malignant lesion detected only by mammography.
Diffusive relaxation of Li in particles of silicon oxycarbide measured by galvanostatic titrations

Abstract Experiments with silicon-oxycarbide, an anode material for Li-ion batteries, are compared with a rigorous solution for time-dependent diffusion profiles in spherical particles, which is supplemented by finite element analyses of cuboid shaped particles. In this way a value for the chemical diffusivity D = 1.8 × 10 −18 –4.2 × 10 −18 m 2 s −1 across the entire range of the state-of-charge is obtained. The method consists of galvanostatic titrations, where a constant current injection is followed by the measurement of the galvanic potential in open circuit relaxation, at various values of the state-of-charge. Comparison with theory shows that the relaxation time varies with the state-of-charge because the particles have variable size: small particles have short relaxations and dominate the low values of the state-of-charge. The theoretical results have additional notable features. We show that the solution for the spherical particles can be represented to a very good approximation by a single time constant of exponential relaxation. Its value is significantly slower than the results for one-dimensional solutions. The relaxation time is independent of the injection current and the state-of-charge, imparting significant generality to the results.
The Earth is not yet an artifact

Responds to B. Allenby (see ibid., p.10-24) who argues the case for Earth systems engineering and management (ESEM). In advocating ESEM, Allenby stresses the extent of human transformation of the environment, arguing that the Earth has become a human artifact. He implies that, if the world is an artifact, then it is naive to try to maintain a landscape in its natural state, and naive to practice stewardship. I argue that while one may accept that artificiality demands active management, one ought to reject the claim that the world is now artificial. We should learn to control our environmental imprint before embarking on active planetary management.
Structure-based discovery of small molecule hepsin and HGFA protease inhibitors: Evaluation of potency and selectivity derived from distinct binding pockets

Hepatocyte growth factor activator (HGFA), matriptase and hepsin are all S1 trypsin-like serine endopeptidases. HGFA is a plasma protease while hepsin and matriptase are type II transmembrane proteases (TTSPs). Upregulated expression and activity of all three proteases is associated with aberrant cancer cell signaling through c-MET and RON tyrosine kinase cell-signaling pathways in cancer. We modeled known benzamidine protease inhibitor scaffolds into the active sites of matriptase, hepsin and HGFA to design new non-peptide inhibitors of hepsin and HGFA. First, we used a docking model of the irreversible inhibitor, Nafamostat, bound to the active site of HGFA in order to explore structure activity relationships (SAR). Compounds were screened for inhibition of HGFA activity in a kinetic enzyme assay using a chromogenic substrate. Next, we designed matched pair compound libraries of 3-amidino and 4-amidino phenylalanine (benzamidine) arginine peptidomimetics based on the structure of matriptase inhibitor, CJ-672. Compounds were screened for inhibition of HGFA, matriptase, and hepsin enzyme activity using fluorogenic substrates. Using this strategy we have discovered the first reported non-peptide small molecule inhibitors of both HGFA and hepsin. These inhibitors have differential potency and selectivity towards all three proteases. A subset of piperazinyl ureas highlighted by 25a, have excellent potency and selectivity for hepsin over matriptase and HGFA.
Knowledge About Heterosexual versus Lesbian Battering Among Lesbians

There is growing evidence to suggest that abuse in lesbian relationships does exist and may occur on a greater scale than most people are aware of. This paper will define battering in lesbian relationships, its prevalence and characteristics, critique the ability of traditional feminist models to explain lesbian battering, and address the consequent lack of community response to battered lesbians. We will also present results of a study indicating that the silence about lesbian battering among both feminist theorists and activists and the gay/lesbian community has contributed to the invisibility of lesbian battering, and thus lesbians' own lack of knowledge about lesbian battering. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the lesbian community is more familiar with phenomena associated with domestic violence in heterosexual relationships than with violence in intimate lesbian relationships. Community and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
Conformational Substates Modulate Hydride Transfer in Dihydrofolate Reductase

In earlier studies of the hydride-transfer reaction catalyzed by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) we identified features of the protein correlated with variations in the reaction barrier. We extend the scope of those studies by carrying out potential of mean force (PMF) simulations to determine the hydride-transfer barrier in the wild-type protein as well as the G121V and G121S mutants. While our prior studies focused on the reactant state, our current work addresses the full reaction pathway and directly probes the reactive event. The free energy barriers and structural ensembles resulting from these PMF calculations exhibit the same trends reported in our previous work. Fluctuations present in these simulations also exhibit trends associated with differences in the hydride-transfer barrier height. Moreover, vibrational modes anticipated to promote hydride transfer exhibit larger amplitudes in simulations that generate lowered barriers. The results of our study indicate that discrete basins (substates) on a potential energy landscape of the enzyme give rise to distinct hydride-transfer barriers. We suggest that the long-range effects of mutations at position 121 within DHFR are mediated by differentially preorganized protein environments in the context of distinct substate distributions, with concomitant changes to the dynamic properties of the enzyme.
Activation–Deactivation Adjective Check List: Current overview and structural analysis.

The Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD ACL) is a multidimensional self-rating test constructed and extensively validated for rapid assessments of momentary activation or arousal state...
Autonomic agent for transport networks

Autonomic networking refers to the self-managing characteristics (configuration, protection, healing, and optimization) of distributed network elements, adapting to unpredictable changes while hiding intrinsic complexity from operators and users. Autonomic Networking, which often involves closed-loop control, is applicable to the complete network (functions) lifecycle (e.g. installation, commissioning, operating, etc). An autonomic function works in a distributed way across various network elements, but allowing central guidance and reporting, and co-existence with non-autonomic methods of management. This paper will discuss some of the use cases for basics autonomic agent, which takes into consideration layer 1 (with focus on optical transport) performance for layer 3 decisions.
Influence of water on the viscosity and thermal expansion of sodium trisilicate glasses

Abstract The transformation range viscosity, activation energy for viscous flow and the dilatometric critical temperature of sodium trisilicate glasses are all decreased by addition of water, whereas the thermal expansion coefficient in the elastic region is not altered to a significant extent. Although these effects are similar to those observed in vitreous silica, they are considerably reduced in magnitude. Since sodium trisilicate glasses are already highly depolymerized by the presence of Na 2 O, the additional depolymerization due to small additions of water does not seem adequate to explain these results. It is suggested that water behaves similarly to the alkali oxides and that the results of this study may be due to an extreme case of the mixed-alkali effect.
Practical evaluation of antigenic relationships of yeastlike dematiaceous fungi

Thirty-eight strains of yeastlike dematiaceous fungi were studied serologically, using the methods of yeast cell agglutination, agglutinin absorption, and immunodiffusion. Antisera were obtained from rabbits immunized with the yeast phases of known cultures of Cladosporium werneckii, Hormodendrum dermatitidis, Phialophora jeanselmei, Pullularia pullulans, Sporotrichum gougerotii, and Torula bergeri. With few exceptions, good correlation was observed between the antigenic properties of an isolate and its micromorphology as determined from slide culture preparations. Isolates cultured from Tinea nigra were serologically identified as C. werneckii. Those obtained from subcutaneous abscesses and dermal cysts showed antigenic identity to S. gougerotii, P. jeanselmei, and H. dermatitidis. One etiologic agent of maduromycosis was antigenically most similar to P. jeanselmei, whereas a second fungus, also from a mycetoma, was most closely related to C. werneckii and P. pullulans. Fungi obtained from the blood stre...
Renal emphysema secondary to traumatic renal infarction

Renal emphysema is most often due to emphysematous pyelonephritis in diabetics. The emphysema is the result of infection by gas-forming organisms. Intrarenal gas can also be seen under noninfective conditions. The report is a case of renal emphysema following traumatic renal infarction.
Experimental Determination of the Effect of Hydrostatic Pressure on the Fermi Surface of Copper

We have measured the pressure derivatives of five cross-sectional areas of the Fermi surface of copper, using the fluid-He phase-shift method. The results are in excellent agreement with predictions of recent band-structure calculations by Davis, Faulkner, and Joy.
Harmonic duality, hyperfunctions and removable singularities

This article is devoted to the study of the boundary behavior of holomorphic functions on strictly pseudoconvex domains with real-analytic boundary in and to the theory of removable sets for such boundary values. The work depends on some preliminary results on the boundary values of harmonic functions on domains in with real-analytic boundaries and on a new result concerning the dual space of all such functions on a given domain.
The Kronig-Penney Model: A Single Lecture Illustrating the Band Structure of Solids

A simple model of a crystalline solid that leads to an electronic band structure is presented. The development requires no quantum mechanics beyond that taught in most physical chemistry courses and can be taught in a single one-hour lecture.
Relationship between the microstructure and rheology of micellar solutions formed by a triblock copolymer surfactant

We study the relationship between microstructure and rheology of spherical micelles formed by a triblock copolymer consisting of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide in aqueous solutions. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) is used to determine the self-association and hydration of the micelles at various polymer concentrations and temperatures. The intermicellar interaction can be described as a hard core repulsion with surface attraction. At elevated temperatures, the polymeric micelles exhibit a higher degree of association, dehydration, and surface adhesion. The low shear viscosity of the micellar solution is evaluated as a sum of the hydrodynamic contribution and a contribution from the interparticle interaction. The latter part is calculated based on the formula proposed by de Schepper, Smorenburg, and Cohen [Phys. Rev. Lett. {bold 5,} 2178 (1993)]. We adopt Baxter{close_quote}s model of a hard sphere with an adhesive surface to evaluate the interparticle structure factor and find that the surface attraction effectively increases the viscosity at high volume fractions. To calculate the relative viscosity at low shear rate of the polymeric micellar solutions, we use the volume fractions and intermicellar interaction potentials extracted from SANS data analysis. We obtain excellent agreement between the calculated viscosity values and the experimental measurements. {copyright} {italmore » 1996 The American Physical Society.}« less
A Framework for Fluid-Solid-Growth Modeling and its Application to Understanding the Enlargement of a Fusiform Aneurysm

Blood vessels adapt in response to changes in their biomechanical and biochemical environment under various physiological and pathological conditions. While advances in computational hemodynamics and arterial wall mechanics have been spectacular, such advances have been achieved separately; there is, therefore, a pressing need for coupling biosolid and biofluid mechanics within a computationally efficient framework to study effects of fluid-solid interactions (FSI) in growth and remodeling (G&R) of the vessel wall. Toward this end, we built a fluid-solid-growth (FSG) modeling framework [1] that incorporates four separate advances by our groups: biomechanics of G&R [2], a coupled momentum method for FSI during a cardiac cycle [3], a theory of small on large for coupling G&R and FSI models [4], and improved approaches for modeling fluid boundary conditions in complex vascular systems [5]. Although the framework presented here is sufficiently general to apply to many different vascular adaptation problems, we first apply this framework to a fusiform aneurysm with a simple geometry.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Maximum Entropy Stochastic Approach to Control Design for Uncertain Structural Systems

This paper applies the minimum data/maximum entropy modelling approach to the mean-square optimal control of flexible mechanical systems having a priori uncertainties in the structural elastic operator. With appropriate choice of the state variables, these uncertainties may be modelled as random skew-hermitian perturbations of the system dynamics map. After formulating the maximum entropy stochastic model for such a system we consider the specific problem of mean-square optimal, full-state feedback regulation. Various properties of the resulting stochastic Riccati equation are investigated. In particular it is shown that for sufficiently large levels of modelled uncertainty, the mean-square optimal design under the maximum entropy model directly produces an inherently robust rate-feedback control. Moreover, the burden of design computations is shown to be dictated by the number of "well-known" or "coherent" modes, and the maximum entropy approach is seen to be particularly suited to the treatment of large order systems.
Estimating the Benefits of Individual Retirement Accounts: A Simulation Approach

Historically, the decision about participation in an individual retirement account (IRA) has been an approximate one. Consumers and financial advisors have not had any precise way to evaluate the potential benefits of an IRA. As a result of this lack of information, many eligible people may have foregone a very worth while savings plan. This article provides a precise methodology for evaluating the benefits consumers can realize from IRAs and through computer simulation, provides estimates of “gain factors” for a wide variety of situations. These gain factors allow individual consumers to estimate the potential benefits of an IRA over a conventional savings plan. The evidence suggests that the potential gains are probably much greater than is commonly realized.
Low linolenic soybeans and beyond

Low linolenic soybean oil is the first in a series of modified oilseed products to be introduced to meet food company and consumer needs. Consumer packaged goods and foodservice companies are currently using this oil to successfully replace partially hydrogenated soybean oil, resulting in the reduction of trans fatty acids from the food supply. In addition to meeting consumer demand for healthier foods, many food processors have chosen low linolenic soybean oil based on taste, performance and cost benefits. Seed companies continue to utilize traditional breeding, marker assisted breeding and biotechnology approaches to modify oilseeds that produce oils with health and nutrition benefits. Additional modified oilseeds are at various stages of development. Soybeans with increased levels of stearic acid are being developed as an alternative to partially hydrogenated fats and high saturate fats required to provide solids and structure to food. High stability fry oils with increased levels of oleic acid, reduced levels of linolenic acid as well as a version with lower saturated fat are being developed. Soybeans are also being modified to offer more sustainable sources of omega-3s including stearidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid which will result in more efficacious sources of omega-3s compared to alpha-linolenic acid-containing vegetable oil and improved functionality/stability compared to fish and algal oils.
Smoking and cotton dust effects in cotton textile workers

Cotton textile workers have an increased prevalence of both obstructive and restrictive lung function patterns compared with control subjects. Similar abnormal patterns may occur with respiratory diseases of other etiologies, notably those associated with cigarette smoking. The shape of the maximum expiratory flow volume (MEFV) curve has been used to characterize patterns of lung function abnormality. To better evaluate the respiratory effects of cotton dust exposure and to contrast them with those of cigarette smoking, we defined a new functional parameter (angle β) related to the shape of the MEFV curve. We compared 477 cotton textile workers, both current smokers and never smokers, 45 years and older, with 932 similarly aged control subjects from three communities. Smokers, regardless of their occupational exposure or sex, have smaller β values than nonsmokers. Cotton textile workers, despite a greater prevalence of abnormal lung function, have β values that do not differ from those of persons without occupational exposure to cotton dust. We suggest that morphologic patterns of flow volume curves reflect separate effects of cotton dust exposure and smoking and may be related to different sites of airway injury.
Hack-a-vote: Security issues with electronic voting systems

In a quest for election legitimacy, officials are increasingly deploying direct recording electronic (DRE) voting systems. A project to assess their trustworthiness revealed both the ease of introducing bugs into such systems and the difficulty of detecting them during audits.
Arthur Golding's Metamorphoses: myth in an Elizabethan political context1

Modern scholarship has been divided over the literary quality and merits of Arthur Golding's 1567 translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses. While the text was popular in its day, most modern students find it rather odd. This paper argues that Golding's text conforms to a larger strategy exhibited in his oeuvre, and that failure to examine the Elizabethan Metamorphoses cognizant of the translator's other texts is to divorce it from a critical exegetical framework. Rather than being ‘odd’, Golding's translation served a literary agenda that can be explained and analysed once the crucial context is supplied. In order to place Golding's Metamorphoses in the perspective of his life's work, this essay examines his original writings, dedications, paratexts, and so on, to construct a coherent series of statements regarding religion, politics, society, and the purpose of literature in a culture conflicted by the debates of the Reformation. The authors also provide a textual analysis of the myths of Byblis and Orpheus to demonstrate the manner in which Golding translated Ovid's Latin. The final result places the Elizabethan Metamorphoses within Golding's world view and explains the ‘oddness’ to the modern readership.
Discrimination among Small Magnitude Events on Nevada Test Site

Summary Broadband data (0·02 to 20 Hz) from the University of California Lawrence Livermore Laboratory four-station seismic array, deployed at close range (less than 500km) azimuthally about Nevada Test Site (NTS), allow investigation of the body wave-surface wave discriminant between underground nuclear explosions and earthquakes for small events confined to NTS, extending previous results to magnitudes (ML) around 3·5. It is found that natural earthquakes, explosion collapses, and explosion aftershocks all are distinct from explosions, and that the populations do not seem to converge at the low magnitudes. Also, for explosions, there is no change in the slope of the Pn versus Rayleigh wave amplitude relation over more than three orders of magnitude. Since the non-explosion events are shallow, of low magnitude, and of different source types, differences in source dimension, focal depth, and focal mechanism appear inadequate to explain the discriminant at small magnitudes.
Substratum Preference of Philophthalmus sp. Cercariae for Cyst Formation Under Natural and Experimental Conditions

Abstract: Selection on parasites should favor adaptations that maximize the probability of transmission to the definitive host, such as the preference for and use of intermediate hosts or encystment substrata that are likely to be consumed by the definitive host. Eye flukes in the genus Philophthalmus are passed to their definitive avian host through the ingestion of metacercariae encysted on hard substrata. The life cycle of these parasites is generally well understood; however, there is almost no information on substratum use or preference of the cercariae of these parasites. In this study, we combine a survey of naturally occurring substrata with experimental, laboratory-based choice tests to determine the preferred substratum of Philophthalmus sp. and whether this preference is affected by the presence and density of pre-existing cysts. A concordance between natural and experimental data show a preference for the shells of multiple species of snail over other hard substrata that are common at the fiel...
Hypertext A New Vehicle for Computer Use in Reading Instruction

Newly available educational software packages provide effective alternatives to traditional computer-assisted software.
Testing asset pricing models with changing expectations and an unobservable market portfolio

When the assumption of constant risk premiums is relaxed, financial valuation models may be tested, and risk measures estimated without specifying a market index or state variables. This is accomplished by examining the behavior of conditional expected returns. The approach is developed using a single risk premium asset pricing model as an example and then extended to models with multiple risk premiums. The methodology is illustrated using daily return data on the common stocks of the Dow Jones 30. The tests indicate that these returns are consistent with a single, time-varying risk premium.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Evolution of a Definitional Construct

There is an impressive history associated with the evolution of the concept and definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this article, the author traces the evolution of the CSR cons...
Structures of endogenous nonecotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV) long terminal repeats in wild mice: implication for evolution of MLVs

To develop a better understanding of the interaction between retroviruses and their hosts, we have investigated the polymorphism in endogenous murine leukemia proviruses (MLVs). We used genomic libraries of wild mouse DNAs and PCR to analyze genetic variation in the proviruses found in wild mouse species, including Mus musculus (M. m. castaneus, M. m. musculus, M. m. molossinus, and M. m. domesticus), Mus spretus, and Mus spicelegus, as well as some inbred laboratory strains. In this analysis, we detected several unique forms of sequence organization in the U3 regions of the long terminal repeats of these proviruses. The distribution of the proviruses with unique U3 structures demonstrated that xenotropic MLV-related proviruses were present only in M. musculus subspecies, while polytropic MLV-related proviruses were found in both M. musculus and M. spretus. Furthermore, one unique provirus from M. spicelegus was found to be equidistant from ecotropic provirus and nonecotropic provirus by phylogenetic analysis. This provirus, termed HEMV, was thus likely to be related to the common ancestor of these MLVs. Moreover, an ancestral type of polytropic MLV-related provirus was detected in M. spretus species. Despite their “ancestral” phylogenetic position, proviruses of these types are not widespread in mice, implying more-recent spread by infection rather than inheritance. These results imply that recent evolution of these proviruses involved alternating periods of replication as virus and residence in the germ line.
Depletion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes has no effect on preterm delivery in a mouse model of Escherichia coli-induced labor

Objective The objective of the study was to investigate the role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in a mouse model of Escherichia coli -induced labor. Study Design Intraperitoneal injection of rabbit antimouse PMN antiserum or control was performed in CD-1 mice 29 hours and 5 hours prior to laparotomy and intrauterine injection of either killed E coli or phosphate-buffered saline on day 14.5 of pregnancy. Preterm delivery was defined as delivery of at least 1 pup within 48 hours. Circulating leukocyte counts were determined manually or by flow cytometry at the time of surgery and 8, 24, and 48 hours afterward. Maternal and fetal tissues were analyzed in a separate group of animals 8 hours after surgery. Results Pretreatment with anti-PMN antiserum significantly decreased the numbers of circulating leukocytes and the proportion of neutrophils among all leukocytes by 70–80% at surgery and at least 8 hours thereafter. Neutrophil depletion significantly reduced 2 markers of neutrophil activation in the uterus and placenta (neutrophil elastase and myeloperoxidase activity) and neutrophil infiltration into gestational tissues in bacterially treated animals to baseline (control) levels but did not affect preterm birth rates. The large E coli -induced increases in uterine inflammatory markers (interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor, chemokine ligand-5, cyclooxygenase-2) were not affected or were only minimally affected by neutrophil depletion. Conclusion Although PMN antiserum reduces both neutrophil number and activity, it does not diminish sensitivity to bacterially induced delivery or meaningfully alter the expression of inflammatory markers in the mouse model. Preterm birth and inflammation in this model are not likely to depend on neutrophil function.
A model for the 19th century eruption of Eta Carinae: CSM interaction like a scaled-down Type IIn Supernova

This paper proposes a simple model for the 19th century eruption of Eta Carinae that consists of two components: (1) a strong wind ( u M = 0.33M⊙ yr −1 ; v∞=200 km s −1 ), blowing for 30 years, followed by (2) a �10 50 erg explosion (10 M⊙; 750-1000 km s −1 ) occuring in 1844. The ensuing collision between the fast ejecta and the dense circumstellar material (CSM) causes an increase in brightness observed at the end of 1844, followed by a sustained high-luminosity phase lasting for 10-15 years that provides a close match to the observed historical light curve. The emergent luminosity is powered by converting kinetic energy to radiation through CSM interaction, analogous to the process occurring in more luminous Type IIn supernovae, except with �10 times lower explosion energy and at slower speeds (causing a longer duration and lower emergent luminosity). We demonstrate that such an explosive event not only provides a natural explanation for the light curve evolution, but also accounts for a number of puzzling attributes of the highly scrutinized Homunculus, including: (1) rough equipartition of total radiated and kinetic energy in the event, (2) the double-shell structure of the Homunculus, with a thin massive outer shell (corresponding to the coasting cold dense shell) and a thicker inner layer (between the cold dense shell and the reverse shock), (3) the apparent single age and Hubble-like flow of the Homunculus resulting from the thin swept-up shell, (4) the complex mottled appearance of the polar lobes in Hubble Space Telescope images, arising naturally from Raleigh-Taylor or Vishniac instabilities at the contact discontinuity of the shock, (5) efficient and rapid dust formation, which has been observed in the post-shock zones of Type IIn supernovae, and (6) the fast (3000–5000 km s −1 ) material outside the Homunculus, arising from the acceleration of the forward shock upon exiting the dense CSM. In principle, the bipolar shape has already been explained following earlier studies of interacting winds, except that here the requisite pre-existing “torus” may be provided by periastron collisions occuring around the same time, and the CSM interaction occurs over only 10 years, producing a thin shell with the resulting structures then frozen-in to a homologously expanding bipolar nebula. This self-consistent picture has a number of implications for other eruptive transients, many of which may also be powered by CSM interaction. A key remaining unknown is the ultimate source of the 10 50 ergs of energy required in the
Shady3D: A Robot that Climbs 3D Trusses

This paper describes a truss climbing robot we designed and prototyped. The robot has a minimalist design with three motive degrees of freedom that enable movement along three-dimensional truss structures. This robot can form a six-degree-of-freedom structure by connecting to another identical module using a passive bar as a medium. We present the design and implementation of this robot, control algorithms for moving the robot in a 3D truss structure, and hardware experiments
The effect of temperature gradients on the sharkskin surface instability in polymer extrusion through a slit die

The sharkskin surface instability is commonly observed in the extrusion of polymer melts. We present a series of experiments in which a specifically designed rectangular slit die with insulated and independently heated sides and is used to induce precise temperature gradients across a flowing polyethylene melt. Our previous experiments demonstrated that the character of the surface distortions produced by the sharkskin instability was a function of the die wall temperature and therefore the extrudate had viscoelastic properties at the surface. In this paper, we explore the role of temperature and viscoelastic property gradients near the capillary wall. The amplitude of the sharkskin instability is quantified and plotted against apparent shear and extension rates. Analysis of the data demonstrates that the amplitude and frequency of the instability is independent of bulk temperature and temperature gradient and is dependent only on wall temperature. The data are normalized using a dimensionless Weissenberg number based on the extension rate to collapse the data collected over all temperatures and gradients onto a single master curve. We conclude with an example of a rectangular extrudate exhibiting varying surface roughness due to differential die heating and discuss the implications of our observations on the sharkskin surface instability mechanism and on commercial applications.
Effect of erythropoietin and transfusion threshold on neurological recovery after traumatic brain injury: a randomized clinical trial

Importance There is limited information about the effect of erythropoietin or a high hemoglobin transfusion threshold after a traumatic brain injury. Objective To compare the effects of erythropoietin and 2 hemoglobin transfusion thresholds (7 and 10 g/dL) on neurological recovery after traumatic brain injury. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized clinical trial of 200 patients (erythropoietin, n = 102; placebo, n = 98) with closed head injury who were unable to follow commands and were enrolled within 6 hours of injury at neurosurgical intensive care units in 2 US level I trauma centers between May 2006 and August 2012. The study used a factorial design to test whether erythropoietin would fail to improve favorable outcomes by 20% and whether a hemoglobin transfusion threshold of greater than 10 g/dL would increase favorable outcomes without increasing complications. Erythropoietin or placebo was initially dosed daily for 3 days and then weekly for 2 more weeks (n = 74) and then the 24- and 48-hour doses were stopped for the remainder of the patients (n = 126). There were 99 patients assigned to a hemoglobin transfusion threshold of 7 g/dL and 101 patients assigned to 10 g/dL. Interventions Intravenous erythropoietin (500 IU/kg per dose) or saline. Transfusion threshold maintained with packed red blood cells. Main Outcomes and Measures Glasgow Outcome Scale score dichotomized as favorable (good recovery and moderate disability) or unfavorable (severe disability, vegetative, or dead) at 6 months postinjury. Results There was no interaction between erythropoietin and hemoglobin transfusion threshold. Compared with placebo (favorable outcome rate: 34/89 [38.2%; 95% CI, 28.1% to 49.1%]), both erythropoietin groups were futile (first dosing regimen: 17/35 [48.6%; 95% CI, 31.4% to 66.0%], P = .13; second dosing regimen: 17/57 [29.8%; 95% CI, 18.4% to 43.4%], P P = .28). There was a higher incidence of thromboembolic events for the transfusion threshold of 10 g/dL (22/101 [21.8%] vs 8/99 [8.1%] for the threshold of 7 g/dL, odds ratio, 0.32 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.79], P = .009). Conclusions and Relevance In patients with closed head injury, neither the administration of erythropoietin nor maintaining hemoglobin concentration of greater than 10 g/dL resulted in improved neurological outcome at 6 months. The transfusion threshold of 10 g/dL was associated with a higher incidence of adverse events. These findings do not support either approach in this setting. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT00313716
Inducing Innovation Through Prizes

Today, as corporate and philanthropic interests experiment increasingly with different types of competitions to induce breakthroughs, we are experiencing a resurgence of innovation through prizes. From competitions for writing business plans to cash purses that have inspired private commercial space exploration, the power of prizes is gaining increased attention. This essay seeks to establish a common understanding of prizes, including their constraints and their potential for leveraging real outcomes. THE MODEL OF PRIZE-INDUCED INNOVATION When Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic in 1927 to become the first pilot to fly from New York to Paris, his fame led to important developments in the budding aviation industry. Within a year, applications for pilot licenses in the U.S. increased by 300 percent; the number of licensed aircraft in the U.S. increased by 400 percent; and the number of U.S. airline passengers increased from 5,782 in 1926 to 173,405 in 1929 (a roughly 30-fold expansion). 1 While many recognize the value of Lindbergh’s accomplishment as having inspired a new generation of industry, there has been relatively little focus on one of the motivating factors that drove him and others to attempt such an important breakthrough. Lindbergh was one of nine competitors attempting to win a prize. Hotelier Raymond Orteig had offered $25,000 to the first pilot to traverse successfully the Atlantic. 2 Business interests formed to compete for the prize, stimulating a combined investment of over $400,000 from teams attempting to win the purse. Clearly the most famous of these attempts was Lindbergh’s successful crossing in
A Methodology for Automating Co-Scheduling for Reconfigurable Computing Systems

A formal methodology for automatic hardware-software partitioning and co-scheduling between the muP and the FPGA has not yet been established. Current work in automatic task partitioning and scheduling for reconfigurable systems strictly addresses the FPGA hardware, and does not take advantage of the synergy between the microprocessor and the FPGA. In this work, we consider the problem of co-scheduling task graphs on reconfigurable systems. The target systems have an execution model which allows any subtask that can run on the FPGA to also run on the microprocessor, and allows reconfigurability of the FPGA (subject to area, performance, resource, and timing constraints). In this paper, we introduce a methodology for automatic co- scheduling using a proposed heuristic algorithm for hardware/software co-scheduling, ReCoS. It will be shown that the proposed algorithm provides up to an order of magnitude improvement in scheduling and execution times when compared with hardware/software co-schedulers found in related fields such as embedded systems, heterogeneous systems, and reconfigurable hardware systems.
Scattering-Based Cytometric Detection Using Integrated Arrayed Waveguides With Microfluidics

Scattering-based on-chip excitation and detection on the arrayed-waveguide platform has been developed and implemented. Detected signals were processed with the proposed multiplication-based cross-correlation algorithm. The algorithm is capable of not only achieving signal enhancement (80 dB relative to the untreated signals) but also velocity measurement. Thus, particles flowing at different speed could also be accurately detected. Processed signals were verified by comparison to frame-by-frame video images, showing excellent correspondence. The signal processing algorithm can be easily extended to real-time on-chip detection
Bovine muscle shortening and protein degradation after electrical stimulation, excision and chilling.

Electrical stimulation-dependent improvement in beef tenderness resulted from mechanisms other than avoidance of cold shortening in excised muscle chilled at a normal rate (10°C at 10h post-stimulation). At normal chilling rate, electrical stimulation enhanced degradation of the myofibrillar proteins, alpha actinin and troponin-T, and increased the amount of a 30 000 dalton protein, as assessed by gel electrophoresis, whereas sarcomere lengths were not different from unstimulated muscle. Under slightly accelerated chilling conditions (10°C at 5 h post stimulation), electrical stimulation prevented cold shortening but the meat was more tender than, and had the same sarcomere length as, unstimulated muscle chilled to 10°C in 10 h. Electrical stimulation did not improve the tenderness of beef chilled at a rapid rate (10°C at 2 h post stimulation), nor did it prevent cold shortening when muscles were chilled rapidly.
Majority rule: adaptation and the long-term dynamics of species

Where do species that become important players in ecosystems evolve? This simple yet crucial question must be answered if we want to understand how the biosphere is rejuvenated following a crisis. We cannot simply assume that the environments in which we find fossil remains of a given species, or living populations of a species, are the environments in which that species evolved. Take the most obvious example: Fossil human skeletons have been unearthed by the hundreds in North America, but all available evidence points to a human origin in Africa. We can often identify the general geographic origins of species and clades thanks to fossil occurrences and the application of phylogenetic techniques; but can we do likewise for more ecological aspects of the environment? Advances in population biology and in paleobiology now permit us to outline a hypothesis of the circumstances most favorable to the evolution of abundant, widespread, or ecologically powerful species, those with adaptations that are selectively advantageous across many environments, and large short-term and long-term effects in ecosystems. We can rephrase the problem and the question. Of the very large number of populations of a species inhabiting Earth at any given time, not all will contribute to the population composition of the species in the future. How does the environment in which a population is embedded affect the contribution that it will make over evolutionary time? The importance of this issue is underscored by the finding that the type and expression of selective regime varies greatly from place to place and over time within most species (Thompson 1994, 1998, 1999a,b; Benkman et al. 2001, 2003; Thompson and Cunningham 2002; Forde et al. 2004). Some populations of pollinating moths and figwasps, for instance, may have a mutualistic relationship with their …
Cluster Introduction - Legal Education, Social Justice, and the Law School Dean: Latinas at the Center

The opening of LatCrit XVI in San Diego, CA, on October 9, 2011, coincided with the events that are identified as the start of the global expression of the Occupy Movement. The Occupy Movement began to gain media attention on September 17, 2011, in Zuccotti Park in New York City. By October 9, protests had taken place or were ongoing in eighty-two countries and over 600 communities in the United States. The broad theme for LatCrit XVI was "Global Justice" and the conference was billed as "an opportunity to explore theories, histories, and futures of global justice. Of particular importance [was] the relationship between universality and difference, and comparative conceptions of equality and justice." Now, some four months later, the Occupy Movement has succeeded in changing the zeitgeist by changing the political vocabulary and focusing the U.S. presidential debate as well as much of the globe on income inequality. "We are the 99%" has become a rallying cry about the maldistribution of social resources, especially in the allocation of wealth away from the middle classes towards the ultra-rich. This recent period has come to be called the "American Autumn" in comparing this regional activism and revolutionary fervor with the "Arab Spring," the months that saw protests against oppressive regimes spread from Tunisia and Egypt through Libya and into more than thirteen other Middle Eastern and North African countries.
A Four-Equation Model of the Feed-Livestock Economy and Its Endogenous Mechanism

A model along these lines was developed to study the effect of support programs for corn on prices of corn and on production of livestock products over a series of years. Four equations are given that can be used in sequence to follow through the effects of changes in feed supplies or consumer income on livestock production and on feed and livestock prices or to study the effects over time of alternative support programs for corn. These form a system of simultaneous linear difference equations.2 In this paper, a brief discussion is given of the rationale behind the model and of the statistical methods used in obtaining the constants, and a detailed explanation is given of the computations involved in analyzing the endogenous mechanism.
Scholarship on Women and Policing Trends and Policy Implications

A systematic review of the literature on women and policing for the period of 1972 to 2012 was undertaken to determine how gender was incorporated in research and how this scholarship changed over ...
Entry of L-phenylalanine-C14 into brain and cerebrospinal fluid.

SummaryThere is a close resemblance of the time curves of phenylalamne-C14 in CSF and the acid soluble fractions of several regional brain areas in the anesthetized dog. This supports the view that in vivo studies of CSF provide information relevant to the entry of isotopically labelled amino acids into the brain.