cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MIMO Wireless Channel Modeling and Experimental Characterization

While coding and signal processing are key elements to successful implementation of a MIMO system, the communication channel represents a major component that determines system performance. A considerable volume of work has been performed to characterize communication channels for general wireless applications. However, because MIMO systems operate at an unprecedented level of complexity to exploit the channel space-time resources, a new level of understanding of the channel space-time characteristics is required to assess the potential performance of practical multiantenna links. This chapter will focus on experimental measurements and models aimed at characterizing the MIMO channel spatio-temporal properties. Generally, we will define this channel to include the electromagnetic propagation, antennas, and transmit/receive radio circuitry, although different measurement and modeling techniques may include all or only part of this set. When evaluating the results of these modeling and measurement campaigns, much of the discussion will focus on the pertinent properties of the propagation environment. However, an examination of the topic of MIMO channels would be incomplete without some discussion of the impact of antenna element properties – such as directivity, polarization, and mutual coupling – antenna array configuration, and radio frequency (RF) architecture on communication behavior. Therefore, we will highlight techniques for including these channel aspects in MIMO system characterization and will
The effect of selection on brain and body size association in rats.

Changes in brain size, body size and their co variance are reported from a long-term replicated directional selection experiment on body weight gain in rats. Two strains had been selected for increased and two for decreased weight gain between 3 and 9 weeks of age, and there were two randomly selected control lines. Selection produced significant changes in body weight in all selected lines. Divergence from the controls occurred in brain size in those strains selected for increased weight gain; no significant divergence was found for the strains selected for decreased weight gain. Divergence among unselected control lines suggests that genetic drift occurred in expression of brain size. Sexual dimorphism in response to selection results from sex differences in heritabilities and genetic correlations in relevant traits. In spite of considerable change in body size and brain size, no significant change in their covariation occurred either between the selection lines or between sexes. The relevance of these results to a brain and body size ‘scaling effect’ during evolutionary divergence is discussed.
RIGOR; OR, STUPID USELESSNESS

In his seminars on the death penalty, Derrida consistently describes Kant's arguments in favor of capital punishment as “rigorous” and explicitly relates that rigor to the mechanisms of execution and the subsequent rigor mortis of the corpse. ‘Rigor’ has also often been a contested term in descriptions of deconstruction: different commentators have either deplored or celebrated the presence or the absence of rigor in Derrida's work. Derrida himself uses the term a good deal throughout his career, usually in a positive sense, although he also at least once, in passing, suggests the need to question the rigor of the concept of rigor itself. In this paper, I will outline the place of Kant in the Death Penalty Seminars and suggest that it is the very rigor attributed to Kant that makes him (rather than some other writers—whether supporters or opponents of the death penalty—whose arguments seem less rigorous to Derrida) an exemplary object for deconstructive attention, not for the first time in Derrida's work. Broadening the focus beyond the texts Derrida explicitly analyzes, I suggest that this kind of attention can also be fruitfully brought to bear on some more general arguments in Kant about right and justice. In conclusion, I suggest some implications of this situation for the still difficult issue of the more general relation between deconstruction and critique in the Kantian sense.
Analyses of the stability and wave properties of a new continuum traffic theory

This paper investigates certain qualitative properties of a new continuum traffic flow theory developed by Zhang. It shows that the linearized version of the new theory is inherently stable, as is the LWR theory, that the theory has a hierarchy of first and second order waves through which small disturbances are propagated, and that it does not admit smooth traveling wave solutions. The paper also compares the instability criteria of traffic flow for a number of related theories. It is found that various instability criteria can be reduced to a single criterion derived from first order waves traveling faster than slow second order waves in the higher order theories, and that viscosity is not necessary for the existence of two critical concentrations in traffic flow.
Onset of phase separation in segmented urethane polymerization

The development of heterogeneous structure during the polymerization of a polyurethane system using a polyether diol of Mn = 2000 as the soft segment and 4,4′-diphenylmethane disocyanate extended with 1,4-butanediol as the hard segment was monitored following the amount of light transmitted by the sample and the increase in viscosity of the reacting mixture. The amount of light transmitted by the reacting sample was observed to decrease sharply at a given point in the reaction. The cloud point was taken as the onset of phase separation in the system and the number average sequence at this point was found to be fairly constant at about 1.3 independent of reaction temperature and system composition. In many cases, the cloud point occurred at quite low conversion, meaning that a significant amount of subsequent polymerization occurs in a heterogeneous medium. It was also found that the viscosity of the material reached very large values at partial conversions of the monomers and presented throughout the reaction values larger than those expected from an increase in molecular weight alone. Viscosity is apparently sensitive to a different aspect of the phase separation process than the light transmission.
Acacetin inhibits VEGF expression, tumor angiogenesis and growth through AKT/HIF-1α pathway.

Acacetin (5,7-dihydroxy-4′-methoxyflavone) is a flavone compound, some of which have anti-cancerous effects. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in angiogenesis and tumor growth. In this study, we found that acacetin decreased the steady level of VEGF mRNA level and inhibited VEGF transcriptional activation. To further determine the potential mechanism of acacetin in inhibiting VEGF expression, we showed that acacetin inhibited HIF-1α expression and AKT activation. Over-expression of HIF-1α or AKT restored acacetin-decreasing VEGF transcriptional activation, indicating that AKT and HIF-1 are the essential downstream targets of acacetin for inhibiting VEGF expression in the cells. Moreover, acacetin significantly inhibited ovarian cancer cell-induced angiogenesis and tumor growth in vivo through inhibiting HIF-1α and VEGF expression. Acacetin did not change HIF-1α mRNA level, but inhibited HIF-1α protein level through increasing its degradation and decreasing its stability. These results indicate that acacetin may be a useful natural compound for ovarian cancer prevention and treatment.
Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry and Image Analysis of Cement-Based Materials

Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) is a widely used technique for characterizing the distribution of pore sizes in cement-based materials. It is a simple and quick indirect technique, but it has limitations when applied to materials that have irregular pore geometry. The relationship between MIP results and the actual pore distribution and connectivity can be better understood with the use of image analysis. This paper discusses the use of MIP to describe the pore structure of cements and the efforts to validate the technique with microscopy. In particular, a study using molten Wood's metal as an alternate intrusion liquid that is solid in the pores at room temperature and can be examined by scanning electron microscopy will be presented. Results of the image analysis and the intrusion behavior of Portland cement mortars will be discussed.
On Reliable Stabilization via Rectangular Dilated LMIs and Dissipativity-Based Certifications

In this short note, we consider the problem of reliable stabilization for multi-channel systems, where our main objective is to maintain the robust stability of the perturbed closed-loop system when there is a single controller failure in any of the control channels. Specifically, we present a less-conservative result than results in the literature in terms of a set of dilated LMIs for the reliable state-feedback stabilization of the nominal system, while a dissipativity-based certification is used to extend the stability condition when there is an additive model perturbation in the system. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the applicability of the proposed technique.
The Archaeological Record of Human Impacts on Animal Populations

Recent archaeological research has fundamentally altered our understanding of the scope of past human impacts on nondomesticated animal populations. Predictions derived from foraging theory concerning the abundance histories of high-return human prey and diet breadth have been met in many parts of the world. People are known to have introduced a broad variety of nondomesticated animals, from sponges to agoutis and rats, to a remarkably broad set of contexts, in turn causing a wide variety of secondary impacts. By increasing the incidence of fire, human colonists have in some cases transformed the nature of the vegetation on the colonized landscape, in turn dramatically affecting animal populations on those landscapes. In island settings, these triple threats--predation, biotic introductions, and vegetation alteration--routinely led to extinctions but there is no archaeological evidence that small-scale societies caused extinction by predation alone on islands or continents. Indeed, the recent history of this famous argument suggests that it is better seen as a statement of faith about the past rather than as an appeal to reason. Perhaps most importantly, our burgeoning knowledge of past human impacts on animals has important implications for the conservation biology of the future.
Accelerated Adaptive Markov Chain for Partition Function Computation

We propose a novel Adaptive Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to compute the partition function. In particular, we show how to accelerate a flat histogram sampling technique by significantly reducing the number of "null moves" in the chain, while maintaining asymptotic convergence properties. Our experiments show that our method converges quickly to highly accurate solutions on a range of benchmark instances, outperforming other state-of-the-art methods such as IJGP, TRW, and Gibbs sampling both in run-time and accuracy. We also show how obtaining a so-called density of states distribution allows for efficient weight learning in Markov Logic theories.
A theoretical model for the upward laminar spread of flames over vertical fuel surfaces

Abstract A theoretical model was developed for the upward laminar propagation of flames over vertical fuel surfaces. The model, which applies to small scale fires, makes use of a boundary layer approximation to describe the flow and of an ignition temperature to define the rate of flame spread. Expressions for the rate of flame spread along thermally thick and thin fuels are obtained as functions of the thermophysical properties of the fuel and ambient oxidizer. Experimental measurements are reported of the dependence on time of the height of the pyrolysis front and of the flame height for upward laminar propagation of flames over polymethylemethacrylate (PMMA) sheets. It is shown that the theoretical predictions agree qualitatively with the experimental measurements.
iPad Use and Student Engagement in the Classroom.

iPads and handheld digital devices have been securing their place in educational institutions surrounded by debates between advocates and skeptics. In light of not enough evidence supporting the use of iPads in education, this study examined the ways that college students in two foreign language classrooms perceived the influence of the use of iPads on their learning and engagement with classroom activities. The participants, students enrolled in two foreign language classrooms at a college in the Southwest of the US, responded to a 5-point Likert type questionnaire. The data analysis and results showed that students believed that the iPads played a significant role in their learning engagement thus promoting active learning in the classroom and paving way for student success.
Mediation and Moderation of the Association Between Cynical Hostility and Systolic Blood Pressure in Low-Income Women:

Hostility may be related to risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as blood pressure. However, the process by which hostility affects blood pressure is not fully understood. The current study sought to evaluate abdominal obesity (waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]) as a potential mediator and modifier of the relationship between cynical hostility and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a group of disadvantaged women. Path analysis and multiple regression models were used to identify mediating and moderating pathways in the relationship between cynical hostility and SBP. Results indicate a significant interaction between WHR and cynical hostility. WHR was a partial mediator and significant moderator of the association between hostility and blood pressure. These findings highlight the potential importance of examining abdominal obesity and psychosocial factors as conjunctive determinants of CVD and risk factors for related metabolic conditions.
Measuring the size of polymers with negative radii using MALS/QELS: an exploration of the thermodynamic radius.

The concept of ‘size’ in polymer science can have several interpretations, including definitions that rely on either statistical or equivalent-hard-sphere measures of the spatial extent of macromolecules in solution. A definition such as that of the equivalent thermodynamic radius (RT), which relies on the second virial coefficient of the polymer solution, offers the possibility of a zero or even a negative size parameter for macromolecules, depending on whether the polymer solution is in a theta or poor thermodynamic state, respectively. Here, we present the results of multi-angle light scattering measurements of RT for polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate), showing positive, negative, and zero values for this radius, depending on dilute solution thermodynamics. These results are augmented with measurements of the hydrodynamic radius, using quasi-elastic light scattering, and with random-walk-based calculations of the root-mean-square and viscometric radii. Re-examination of the literature provides additional examples of negative radii of polymers and oligomers.
Racial Glass Ceilings, Gendered Responses: Taiwanese American Professionals’ Experiences of Otherness

This article examines Taiwanese American professionals’ interpretations of the glass ceiling to illuminate the manifestations of structural inequality at the micro-level of social life. Data are based on 40 in-depth interviews in the Chicago metropolitan area. Findings suggest that racial inequalities are experienced through race relations. Ethnic cultures construct relational fences along racial lines that designate the place of each group in the racial hierarchy. Although frustrated and alienated by their marginalized position, women and men use different strategies to negotiate the meaning of being an “other.” Women act confrontationally to transgress social boundaries, while men adopt acquiescent and coalitional approaches to dwell in their designated territories. I argue that race intersects with gender and citizenship in shaping the salience of individuals’ social identities, which affects their responses to racial inequality in the white-collar workplace.
Entering the Tourism Industry and Generation Y “Prospects:” Turkish Entrepreneurs Planning to Enter the American Market

Many foreign firms competing globally are trying to secure a piece of the tourism market share in the United States. However, people are finding that starting and expanding a new business in the tourism industry to American consumers in the United States can be challenging. This document explores the strategy and mission of Turkish entrepreneurs assessing the tourism industry from a global perspective and choosing the United States to start securing a piece of the market with Generation Y individuals due to the countrys economic factors, the spending power of the average person, the hunger for cultural awareness and diversity, and the political stability of the country. Overall, the marketing strategy of the organization is discussed for the following factors: the product/service, pricing, distribution, and promotion. For calculating the budget, two options which are the fixed costs and the variable costs options are discussed. The focus of this study was to set up a business in a country such as the United States because such a country would have various types of diverse markets. The average income of most consumers in the developing countries seems to be sufficient to purchase services for pleasure, cultural awareness and other desires they would like to pursue. As such, it makes good business sense to enter this competitive market by differentiating ones offering through price, product and service quality to guarantee initial success.
Survey of Turbine Bucket Erosion, Deposits, and Corrosion

The possibility of employing hot gas from a fluidized bed coal combustion system to drive a gas trubine appears attractive except that ash particles are likely to give serious trouble with turbine bucket erosion, deposits, and corrosion. This paper summarizes the principal information obtained from a comprehensive survey of the literature coupled with personal discussions with men who have worked on these problems. The information available indicates that the problems are formidable indeed, but that there is reason to hope that the superior characteristics of the fluidized bed coal combustion system will give both less abrasive particles and sufficiently better retention of the ash, particularly the alkali metal sulfates, that such a system might be developed.Copyright © 1975 by ASME
Comparison of the Overall Efficiency of Fresnel and Prismatic Solar Concentrators

Solar concentrators are frequently characterized by an acceptance angle that specifies optical efficiency when the concentrator is misaligned. Here we compare the combined optical and electrical efficiency of Fresnel and Prismatic-type solar concentrators.
Combined linear response quantum mechanics and classical electrodynamics (QM/ED) method for the calculation of surface-enhanced Raman spectra.

A multiscale method is presented that allows for evaluation of plasmon-enhanced optical properties of nanoparticle/molecule complexes with no additional cost compared to standard electrodynamics (ED) and linear response quantum mechanics (QM) calculations for the particle and molecule, respectively, but with polarization and orientation effects automatically described. The approach first calculates the total field of the nanoparticle by ED using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The field intensity in the frequency domain as a function of distance from the nanoparticle is calculated via a Fourier transform. The molecular optical properties are then calculated with QM in the frequency domain in the presence of the total field of the nanoparticle. Back-coupling due to dipolar reradiation effects is included in the single-molecule plane wave approximation. The effects of polarization and partial orientation averaging are considered. The QM/ED method is evaluated for the well-characterized test...
We Use Bioincompatible Peritoneal Dialysis Solutions

Despite advances in peritoneal dialysis (PD) technique and therapy over the last 40 years, PD therapy for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States remains underutilized. One of the major factors contributing to this underutilization involves concerns about technique failure. More physiologic PD solutions, with a lower concentration of glucose degradation products and a neutral pH, exist and are readily available in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Several benefits of these biocompatible solutions exist over the conventional solutions including a slower decline in residual renal function and better maintenance of urine volumes. There may also be a beneficial effect of the biocompatible solutions in limiting the increase in peritoneal transport that is characteristic of patients maintained on conventional solutions. It should be of concern to the US nephrology community that biocompatible PD solutions are unavailable in the United States.
Linear Exponential Quadratic Stochastic Differential Games

In this technical note a two person noncooperative stochastic differential game described by a linear stochastic equation with a Brownian motion and a payoff that is the exponential of a quadratic functional in the state and the control strategies of the two players is explicitly solved. The optimal strategies form a Nash equilibrium. The value of the game is also determined explicitly. The solution of this problem is naturally related to a linear quadratic stochastic differential game and a linear exponential quadratic control problem.
When repeating aloud enhances episodic memory for spoken words: interactions between production- and perception-derived variability

ABSTRACTWe demonstrate that the phonetic detail of an original speaker’s pronunciation for a word can be detected with a memory measure even when a participant listens to and then repeats that word aloud (production). At study, native English participants heard English words pronounced by a native speaker of American-English or by a Chinese national. For half of the words they listened. For the others, they produced it. In both recall and old/new recognition tests in Experiment 1, production improved performance relative to listening alone. Effects of accent were present only in recognition and only in interaction with production. In Experiment 2, a source-monitoring recognition test where participants identified whether the speaker of a word changed from study to test, effects of accent and production were additive indicating that hearing an unfamiliar accent increased memory irrespective of production. An exemplar account including both production- as well as perception-derived experience describes the ...
Messages that motivate: How praise molds students' beliefs, motivation, and performance (in surprising ways).

Publisher Summary One of the most important things social psychology has done is showing how profoundly people's beliefs affect their behavior. These beliefs are key components of students' eagerness to learn, their love of challenge, and their ability to persist and thrive in the face of difficulty. The most exciting thing about this is that beliefs can be changed. So, even more important than showing that beliefs matter for students' motivation and achievement is showing that when beliefs change, motivation and achievement can be achieved. The chapter presents two theories of intelligence that students hold: (1) the belief that intelligence is a fixed trait that cannot be developed and (2) the idea that intelligence is a malleable quality, a potential that can be cultivated. Finally, the belief that intelligence can be developed makes students want to do just that. It leads them to value learning, look smart, enjoy effort and challenges, and thrive in the face of difficulty.
Military Emulation in Argentina, 1895–1930

“It is no longer possible to improvise armies as in the past,” warned Argentina's War Minister, Guillermo Villanueva, in 1896, as the country prepared to match the military developments under way in the region. Argentine journalist Ernesto Quesada was more insistent and denigrating, decrying in 1898 Argentina's military “negligence” in the face of “military imbalance” favoring the “Chilean hordes.” In the decade after the start of Chile's military emulation Argentina relied on its old army to face the growing power of its rival across the Andes. Yet it did so for other than financial reasons. Argentina in the 1890s was entering the new century as the most developed and prosperous of the Latin American republics and one of the richest nations in the world. Between the time of effective national union in 1880 and the First World War, Argentina experienced one of the world's most rapid economic growth rates. Its average annual growth rate between 1870 and 1914 was an estimated 5 percent, fueled by a tremendous expansion in agricultural and livestock production, and a large influx of foreign capital and immigrant labor. Argentina's was an export-led economy, with its major strategic sectors controlled by foreign (mainly British) capital. During this same time period, Argentina also experienced enormous social and demographic changes, essentially turning from a Latin to a European country in the makeup of its population, society, and cultural habits.
Life of William Ellis

In contrast to Henry Brougham’s public career and fame as a politician, William Ellis proceeded quietly to accomplish his goals. In addition to the anonymity of the articles he wrote for the Westminster Review, Ellis published his first books anonymously. Moreover, he refused to make public or disclose the amounts of his generous financial contributions in support of numerous educational efforts.1 Despite his association with some of the leading figures of the day and his founding of several schools that became the model for numerous other schools, his preference for remaining in the background afforded Ellis little recognition in his lifetime and has left him almost unknown today.
Iterative learning control for human-robot collaborative output tracking

This article studies human-robot learning control for collaborative output-tracking tasks. We propose an algorithm to adaptively tune the frequency-dependent iteration gain and apply it to two cases: when the desired output is directly available to the robot and when the robot infers the desired output from human-achieved output. Experiment results are presented to illustrate the application of the proposed approach to a human-robot collaborative output-tracking task. Results show that the error converges to less than the closed-loop robot tracking error, and that the approach can provide varying levels of robot assistance by selecting the desired human-robot collaboration level.
Association between Decreased Renal Function and Reticular Macular Disease in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose To compare renal function in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with and without concurrent reticular macular disease (RMD). Design Retrospective cohort study. Participants Patients with documented AMD with and without RMD. Methods Via our electronic health record system, we retrospectively identified patients assigned an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, code associated with AMD between January 2012 and January 2016. Patients met inclusion criteria if they had at least 1 macular spectral-domain optical coherence tomography volume scan, 1 provider note, and 1 glomerular filtration rate (GFR) value in the electronic medical record. We evaluated images for the presence or absence of RMD; we defined RMD as the presence of at least 1 subretinal drusenoid deposit in at least 1 macular slice. Patients with RMD in at least 1 eye were deemed RMD positive. Patients with bilateral choroidal neovascularization were excluded from analysis. Main Outcome Measure Observation of renal function in RMD patients. Results Inclusion criteria were met by 119 patients (mean age, 75 years; range, 46–101 years). To account for the significant difference in RMD prevalence at extreme ages, we limited our study population to 107 patients 50 to 90 years of age. A GFR less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 was found in 45.0% (27/60) of those with RMD compared with 12.8% (6/47) of those without RMD (odds ratio, 5.6; 95% confidence interval, 2.1–15). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that low GFR was a significant predictor for RMD, even after accounting for differences in age, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and other potential confounders. When comparing within classification subsets for RMD and GFR in patients with choroidal thickness data, significant choroidal thinning was associated with RMD (170 vs. 228 μm; P = 0.01) and GFR less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 (144 vs. 219 μm; P = 0.0008). Conclusions Our analysis showed an association between RMD and renal dysfunction. Larger cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of the association of RMD with kidney function are warranted to better understand the nature and biological basis of this observed connection.
Everybody's gotta give: Development of initiative and teamwork within a youth program

After the last bell rings, a typical high school classroom is transformed into a meeting place as youth begin arriving. These members of the Clarkston High School FFA chapter seat themselves on top of desks and begin several excited conversations, generating ideas for planning a Day Camp for 4th graders in the middle of the summer.1 The youth’s goal for the camp is to interest children in agriculture, partly with the hope that they will want to become FFA members when they reach high school. As the cascade of conversations goes on, the adult advisor interrupts to ask who is leading the meeting, and the youth in unison point to Susan. In the minutes that follow, youth continue to throw out ideas in spontaneous and rapid succession. Many of these ideas are wildy unrealistic, which adds to the humor, and despite occasional entreaties from Susan and others to “focus,” their ideas flow for 45 minutes with little apparent or clear direction.
Preclinical evaluation of 11C-sarcosine as a substrate of proton-coupled amino acid transporters and first human application in prostate cancer

Sarcosine is a known substrate of proton-coupled amino acid transporters (PATs), which are overexpressed in selected tissues and solid tumors. Sarcosine, an N-methyl derivative of the amino acid glycine and a metabolic product of choline, plays an important role for prostate cancer aggressiveness and progression. Methods:11C-radiolabeled sarcosine was tested as a new PET imaging probe in comparison with 11C-choline in 2 prostate cancer tumor xenograft models (DU-145 and PC-3). We characterized 11C-sarcosine transport in PC-3 and LNCaP tumor cells and performed 11C-sarcosine PET with CT in the first human subject with localized Gleason 4 + 3 prostate cancer. Target metabolite analyses of sarcosine and its natural precursors, glycine and choline, were performed from independent human prostate tissues. Results: In vitro assays indicated blockage of 11C-sarcosine uptake into PC-3 and LNCaP tumor cells by excess unlabeled (cold) sarcosine. 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan, but not 2-aminobicyclo-(2,2,1)-heptane-2-carboxylic acid, competitively inhibited 11C-sarcosine tumor cell uptake, confirming PAT-mediated transport. In vivo tumor-to-background ratios (TBRs) obtained from 11C-sarcosine PET were significantly elevated compared with 11C-choline in DU-145 (TBR: 1.92 ± 0.11 for 11C-sarcosine vs. 1.41 ± 0.13 for 11C-choline [n = 10; P < 0.002]) and PC-3 tumors (TBR: 1.89 ± 0.2 for 11C-sarcosine vs. 1.34 ± 0.16 for 11C-choline [n = 7; P < 0.002]). 11C-sarcosine produced high-contrast images in 1 case of localized clinically significant prostate cancer. Target metabolite analyses revealed significant stepwise increases of sarcosine, glycine, and choline tissue levels from benign prostate tissue to localized prostate cancer and subsequently metastatic disease. 11C-sarcosine showed a favorable radiation dosimetry with an effective dose estimate of 0.0045 mSv/MBq, resulting in 2.68 mSv for a human subject (600-MBq dose). Conclusion:11C-sarcosine is a novel radiotracer for PATs and shows initial utility for prostate cancer imaging, with potential benefit over commonly used 11C-choline.
Constructing National Identity Online: The Case Study of #IranJeans on Twitter

This article explores social media users’ circulation of a Twitter hashtag #IranJeans as it reflects a complex transnational dialogue about Iranian identity markers in a globalized mediascape. By conducting a thematic analysis of 140 tweets and photos shared under #IranJeans, this study draws attention to the ways in which social media provide users a unique space to address global political discourse, reconstruct their identities, and refute cultural misconceptions on a transnational level. The study presents this transcultural dialogue as an “affirmative opposition,” focusing on identity construction processes that simultaneously critique and rearticulate existing cultural binaries. This, in turn, expands the discussion of identity construction from older generations of mass media to new, online, media platforms.
Development of the Cooking and Food Provisioning Action Scale (CAFPAS): A new measurement tool for individual cooking practice

Abstract Researchers studying consumer food-behaviors, like cooking, in everyday life require better tools for assessment of food-related abilities. This study presents a measurement tool for assessing cooking and food-preparation practices: the Cooking and Food Provisioning Action Scale (CAFPAS). The CAFPAS is based on the “Food Agency” framework for understanding cooking behavior as sociological “agency” that emerges from the interaction individual abilities and skills and social structure (see Trubek, Carabello, Morgan, & Lahne, 2017; Wolfson et al., 2017). Thus, the scale seeks to measure the degree to which individuals are able to set and achieve cooking and provisioning goals. Potential scale items were generated and screened by experts (N = 7). The resulting 70 items, with demographic and validation items, were administered to a development sample of US adults through email listservs (N = 445) and administered to an independent validation sample of US adults through Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 498) and both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to evaluate structural stability and generalizability. Composite scale scores were regressed against indicator variables – including the Food Involvement Scale (FIS) and self-reported meals cooked at home – to assess construct validity. Close model fit was achieved using 28 items on three subscales: Food Self-Efficacy, which comprises self-perceptions of cooking and provisioning abilities; Food Attitude, which comprises attitudes towards food and cooking; and Structure, the influence of non-food barriers on provisioning. The model was generalizable up to partial-scalar invariance across samples. In linear regression, CAFPAS scores significantly predicted reported meals cooked per week (+1 meal/week per unit increase in CAFPAS). Thus, the CAFPAS is a structurally valid tool, based in a novel paradigm, for evaluating cooking and food-preparation abilities.
Case 57: Cystic Neuroendocrine Tumor

56-year-old woman with right upper quadrant pain underwent a CT for evaluation. An incidental cystic lesion was found in the head of the pancreas.
Tightening the Circle: Alfonso Reyes' Project to Form a Pan-American Intelligentsia

Alfonso Reyes’ plan to form a Pan-American intellectual elite contains an esoteric element. As Reyes introduces key poetic words and literary texts to convey the mysticism and arcane knowledge that he believes emanated from the American continent, he configures an obscure dimension that resonates within the community of intellectuals that he seeks to organize. By tracing Reyes’ affinities with other Latin American and European intellectuals regarding his cultural project, and by addressing how these are inscribed in his historical context, this paper sheds new light on the operations Reyes assigned to a Pan-American intelligentsia that would guide the development of contemporary society. El plan de Alfonso Reyes para la formacion de una intelligentsia panamericana contiene un elemento esoterico. Reyes configura una obscura dimension, la cual resuena dentro de la comunidad de intelectuales que busca organizar, a medida que introduce palabras poeticas y textos literarios claves para trasmitir el misticismo y conocimiento arcano que el piensa emanan del continente. Al rastrear sus afinidades con intelectuales latinoamericanos y europeos acerca de su proyecto cultural, y al analizar como se inscriben en su contexto historico, este articulo arroja una nueva luz sobre las operaciones que Reyes le asigna a la intelligentsia panamericana que guiaria el desarrollo de las sociedades contemporaneas.
Perceived Social Isolation and Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure

BackgroundPerceived social isolation has been shown to have a negative impact on health outcomes, particularly among older adults. However, these relationships have not been fully examined among pa...
Glucocorticoids inhibit apoptosis of human neutrophils

Human neutrophils rapidly undergo apoptotic cell death. Because glucocorticoids are known to modulate an array of neutrophil functional activities as well as induce rapid apoptosis in susceptible lymphocyte populations, we have examined the effects of glucocorticoids on apoptosis in mature human neutrophils. In cultures of neutrophils maintained in vitro, the glucocorticoids, dexamethasone, 6 alpha-methylprednisolone, and hydrocortisone, inhibited the development of apoptotic morphology by 59% to 90% when assessed at 12, 24, and 48 hours. In contrast, corticosteroids lacking anti-inflammatory activity and progesterone failed to affect development of the morphologic features of apoptosis. The concentration of dexamethasone required to reduce apoptosis by 50% at 24 hours was approximately 5 x 10(-8) mol/L, a concentration that is achievable in plasma after dexamethasone treatment. Dexamethasone (10(-6) mol/L), but not progesterone, reduced the percentage of hypodiploid (apoptotic) nuclei by 40% to 90% over this time course. Similarly, dexamethasone reduced the DNA cleavage associated with apoptosis and prolonged the viability of neutrophils maintained in culture for 12 to 48 hours. Glucocorticoid-mediated modulation of neutrophil apoptosis was qualitatively similar, but lesser in magnitude, when compared with the effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (100 ng/mL). Thus, glucocorticoids exert a protective effect on human neutrophil survival by delaying apoptosis.
Continuous Time Markov Chains

In Chap. 1 we considered Markov chains Xn with a discrete time index n = 0, 1, 2, … In this chapter we will extend the notion to a continuous time parameter t ≥ 0, a setting that is more convenient for some applications. In discrete time we formulated the Markov property as: for any possible values of j, i, in−1, … i0 $$\displaystyle{P(X_{n+1} = j\vert X_{n} = i,X_{n-1} = i_{n-1},\ldots,X_{0} = i_{0}) = P(X_{n+1} = j\vert X_{n} = i)}$$ In continuous time, it is technically difficult to define the conditional probability given all of the Xr for r ≤ s, so we instead say that Xt, t ≥ 0 is a Markov chain if for any 0 ≤ s0 < s1⋯ < sn < s and possible states i0, …, in, i, j we have $$\displaystyle{P(X_{t+s} = j\vert X_{s} = i,X_{s_{n}} = i_{n},\ldots,X_{s_{0}} = i_{0}) = P(X_{t} = j\vert X_{0} = i)}$$ In words, given the present state, the rest of the past is irrelevant for predicting the future. Note that built into the definition is the fact that the probability of going from i at time s to j at time s + t only depends on t the difference in the times.
A Glimpse of Walter Kohn

We finally made it to San Diego, all across the country and the stark expanse of the southwest, in a red Volkswagen Rabbit with no air conditioning, my wife, a pet dog, a myriad potted plants, boxes of photocopied papers, stacks of computer outputs and not much else. I was going to be Walter Kohn’s postdoc. All throughout the trip I thought about what it was going to be like. Vivid accounts of Walter from my mentors at Cornell made me almost certain of his looks, his worldview, and his sharp critical mind. I felt that I had known the person since my childhood, although I had never seen him or met him. There was always a Walter story floating around at Cornell, thanks to Vinay and David, respectively a former student and a postdoc. In short, I came all prepared, as though this was my destiny. My wife, Nancy, who is not a physicist, and had so far met only the fun-loving, quirky physics types, did not have a clue of what was going through my mind, as I am sure went through the minds of many past and future wannabe postdocs of Walter.
Alloy Solidification as a Nonquilibrium Pattern-Forming Systm

We provide a summary of current research into patterns formed during directional solidification of alloys. Our focus is on deep cells, the transition from cells to dendrites and the possible coupling between tip dynamics and wavelength selection processes.
Identification of Cohesive-Zone Laws from Crack-tip Deformation Fields

A hybrid framework for inverse analysis of crack-tip cohesive zone model was developed to determine cohesive zone laws from full-field measurement of crack-tip fields by combining analytical, experimental and numerical approaches. The framework is based on the analytical solution method developed to extract cohesive-zone laws from elastic far-fields by using eigenfunction expansion of cohesive crack-tip fields and path-independent integrals. Electronic Speckle Patten Interferometry (ESPI) was used to provide crack-tip deformation fields as input data for the inverse analysis. To overcome ill-conditioning of the inverse problem, a global noise reduction algorithm was developed by implementing a PDE-constrained error minimization problem. The analytical, experimental and numerical approaches were combined to extract cohesive zone laws of fracture processes in glassy polymers, so called crazing. The results demonstrated that the inverse analysis framework provided a systematic and rigorous method to obtain cohesive-zone laws from experimental measurements, so that more realistic cohesive zone modeling can be achieved to predict fracture processes in various engineering materials and interfaces.
Ceria in automotive exhaust catalysts: I. Oxygen storage

Abstract Oxygen storage capacities of CeO 2 , CeO 2 Al 2 O 3 , and PM/CeO 2 /Al 2 O 3 , measured by a pulse injection method, are affected by pretreatment temperature, pulsing temperature, partial pressure of CO, presence of precious metals (PM), and the concentration of CeO 2 on alumina. They are lowered by higher pretreatment temperature but increase with the pulsing temperature in the range of application. At a pulsing temperature ≤500 °C, the capacities are not affected by oxygen pressure but increase with partial pressure of CO. The presence of PM lowers the reduction temperature and increases the oxygen storage capacity of CeO 2 . TPR was used to measure the oxygen removal at various temperatures. At 900 °C, the maximum amount of oxygen removed from unsupported or alumina-supported ceria is about 25%. The TPR traces of the unsupported ceria show two peaks at 500 and 750 °C which are associated with the reduction of surface capping oxygen and bulk oxygen anions, respectively. For alumina-supported ceria, the TPR traces show a third peak at 850 °C which is associated with the reduction of the shared oxygen anions at the interface. The presence of PM lowers only the reduction temperature of the capping oxygen anions but not of the other two oxygen species. Both oxygen chemisorption and TPR were used to measure the oxygen anion restoration at various temperatures following the reduction at 500 and 900 °C, respectively. Chemisorption data show that the oxygen uptake per CeO 2 is highest at the lowest CeO 2 concentration. The TPR traces show that a new oxygen species, probably a molecular oxygen anion, is formed at 25 °C which converts slowly at 500 °C to the capping oxygen anion. Complete restoration of all three types of oxygen anions is accomplished at 850 °C in air.
Changes in chronic nightmares after one session of desensitization or rehearsal instructions.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of one session of instructions on the frequency of chronic nightmares and on self-rated distress. METHOD Twenty-eight volunteers with chronic nightmares (mean duration = 19 years) were treated with either one session of desensitization with instructions on how to practice this treatment or with one session of instructions to change the nightmare and how to rehearse the new version. The authors administered four scales of the SCL-90 and the corresponding scales of the Symptom Questionnaire. RESULTS At 7-month follow-up of 23 patients, there was a significant reduction in the frequency of nightmares and significant decreases in self-rated depression, anxiety, and hostility. There were no significant differences between the effects of the two types of treatment. In four patients, whose mean duration of nightmares was 23 years, the nightmares ceased. CONCLUSIONS The results of this preliminary study suggests that the instructions given to the patients reduced the frequency of their chronic nightmares and decreased their self-rated distress.
Vitamin D, diet, and lifestyle in a chronic SCI population

Cross-sectional study. Determine dietary, lifestyle, and clinical factors associated with plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in persons with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boston, MA. 174 participants completed food frequency and health questionnaires, provided a blood sample, and underwent dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess %total body fat. Linear regression models were used to assess cross-sectional associations of personal, lifestyle, and nutritional factors with plasma 25(OH)D. Independent factors positively associated with higher plasma 25(OH)D included vitamin D intake, age, hours of planned exercise, female sex, white race, wine consumption, and if a never or former smoker. The most important predictor of 25(OH)D was supplement intake. The majority of subjects (98.9% for vitamin D and 74.1% for calcium) did not meet the recommended daily allowance for adults from their diet alone. Level and completeness of SCI, injury duration, mobility, %total body fat, time outside, and comorbid diseases were not associated with plasma 25(OH)D. Plasma 25(OH)D level in chronic SCI is not associated with clinical factors specific to SCI such as injury level and completeness, injury duration, and mobility mode, but related to supplement intake and other lifestyle factors.
Identifying the Characteristics of Promising Renewable Replacement Chemicals

Summary Although several “renewable” strategies have been recently proposed to produce high-volume as well as new (replacement) chemicals, the identification of good targets for such strategies remains challenging. Such chemicals that are expensive to obtain today from fossil fuel feedstocks would have an advantage if produced cheaply using alternative methods in the future. In this work we identify the characteristics of such potentially promising replacement chemicals. We also identify the characteristic of promising bio-based replacement chemicals that are relatively easy to obtain through bio-conversions. This work provides insights into the development of renewable chemicals to support a sustainable economy.
Conformally soft theorem in gauge theory

Four-dimensional Minkowskian scattering amplitudes can also be presented in a basis of a different group ($S\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}L(2,C)$), which acts as the conformal group on the celestial two-sphere at null infinity. This type of representation is useful for understanding the flat-space holography. The authors propose a procedure for taking the (conformally) soft limit of tree-level scattering amplitudes in this basis.