cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systematic Process for Constructing Spherical Four-Bar Mechanisms

This paper presents a methodology for constructing spherical four-bar mechanisms with an emphasis on utilizing simpler machining processes and part geometries. By building each link out of easily created pieces instead of a single complex shape, a mechanism can be quickly prototyped and tested. The paper discusses the benefits and some of the issues that need to be addressed by this approach. Significant areas of concern include link design and tolerancing issues.
Antiproliferative effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide in aortic and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells

Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by vascular remodeling involving smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and nitric oxide (NO) are potent vasodilators, and the inhibition of aortic smooth muscle cell (ASMC) proliferation by NO has been documented, but less is known about the effects of CGRP. The mechanism by which overexpression of CGRP inhibits proliferation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) and ASMC following in vitro transfection by the gene coding for prepro-CGRP was investigated. Increased expression of p53 is known to stimulate p21, which inhibits G(1) cyclin/cdk complexes, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation. We hypothesize that p53 and p21 are involved in the growth inhibitory effect of CGRP. In this study, CGRP was shown to inhibit ASMC and PASMC proliferation. In PASMC transfected with CGRP and exposed to a PKA inhibitor (PKAi), cell proliferation was restored. p53 and p21 expression increased in CGRP-treated cells but decreased in cells treated with CGRP and PKAi. PASMC treated with CGRP and a PKG inhibitor (PKGi) recovered from inhibition of proliferation induced by CGRP. ASMC treated with CGRP and then PKAi or PKGi recovered only when exposed to the PKAi and not PKGi. Although CGRP is thought to act through a cAMP-dependent pathway, cGMP involvement in the response to CGRP has been reported. It is concluded that p53 plays a role in CGRP-induced inhibition of cell proliferation and cAMP/PKA appears to mediate this effect in ASMC and PASMC, whereas cGMP appears to be involved in PASMC proliferation.
The efficiency of used vehicle markets: the case of technological obsolescence and differential repair records

This paper examines the effect of technological oboslescence, differential maintanance expenditures, and differential fuel efficiencies on the depreciated value of automobiles. Our results support the widely held belief that used vehicle markets are efficient. We show that the significant decline in the depreciated values of used automobiles is predominantly due to age. We also conclude that technological obsolescence causes a once-and-for-all decrease in the depreciated value of used automobiles, that for imported vehicle lines, differential maintanance expenditures affect depreciated value and, that for domestic vehicle lines, differential fuel efficiencies impact depreciated value.
Information Retrieval and Publishing

The sections in this article are 1 Forms of Communication in Electrical Engineering 2 Bibliographic Tools 3 Document Retrieval 4 Summary
Opto-thermorheologically reconfigurable microfluidics

Here we present our work on opto-thermorheologically induced flow manipulation. This optofluidic technique enables both local flow manipulation through valving, as well as dynamic large scale reconfiguration of flow channels in a microfluidic device.
Investor Sentiment and the Near-Term Stock Market

We investigate investor sentiment and its relation to near-term stock market returns. We find that many commonly-cited indirect measures of sentiment are related to direct measures (surveys) of investor sentiment. However, past market returns are also an important determinant of sentiment. Although sentiment changes are strongly correlated with contemporaneous market returns, our tests show that sentiment has little predictive power for near- term future stock returns. Finally, our evidence does not support the conventional wisdom that sentiment primarily affects individual investors and small stocks.
Low-complexity nulling-canceling detection algorithm for coded MIMO systems with near-optimal performance

We propose a nulling/canceling algorithm for decoding coded multi-input multi-output (MIMO) transmissions over flat fading channels. The algorithm works with a soft-input soft-output error-control decoder to iteratively detect the information symbols. Our algorithm is based on the BLAST (Bell-Labs Layered Space-Time) nulling/canceling algorithm, with the following differences: i) prior information from the error-control decoder is incorporated, ii) the ordering is based on a posteriori probabilities instead of signal to noise ratio (SNR), and iii) soft (as opposed to hard) interferences computed from a posteriori probabilities are canceled. Based on a previous work on low-complexity nulling/canceling without prior information and with SNR ordering, we present a modified "square-root" algorithm for the proposed nulling canceling detection scheme, with cubic-order complexity. We compared the performance of an iterative detection and decoding scheme based on the proposed MIMO detector and that based on a maximum a posteriori (MAP) detector. In a 4/spl times/4 system, our proposed detector had the same performance as the MAP detector for binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation. For 16-quadrature amplitude modulation, our algorithm came within 1 dB of the performance of an approximated MAP detector, list sphere decoder, at bit error rate of 10/sup -4/.
New direct observations of crack closure processes in Al-Li 2090 T8E41

Earlier, crack opening as a function of position within an optically–opaque notched tensile sample (NT–3) of Al–Li 2090 was reported for four loads by Guvenilir and co–workers; these measurements were made with high resolution X–ray computed tomography. This paper reports the same type of results for a second notched tensile sample (NT–4): the authors believe this to be the second sample whose crack closure was quantified as a function of position. The crack within NT–4 was found to be more planar than and to close differently than that in NT–3. In NT–4, the crack ‘zippe’ shut from the tip; this is in contrast to the earlier results on the asperity– dominated crack in NT–3 where contact occured primarily behind the open crack tip. During unloading of NT–4, the crack faces came into contact above the closure load defined by the intersection of tangent lines to the upper and lower portions of the load–deflection curve; this is similar to previous observations in sample NT–3. Estimates of d a /d N as a function of Δ K for samples NT–3 and NT–4 agree with other’ measurements, which suggests that the closure observations of this paper also apply to compact tension samples of Al–Li 2090.
Within-Host Models of High and Low Pathogenic Influenza Virus Infections: The Role of Macrophages

The World Health Organization identifies influenza as a major public health problem. While the strains commonly circulating in humans usually do not cause severe pathogenicity in healthy adults, some strains that have infected humans, such as H5N1, can cause high morbidity and mortality. Based on the severity of the disease, influenza viruses are sometimes categorized as either being highly pathogenic (HP) or having low pathogenicity (LP). The reasons why some strains are LP and others HP are not fully understood. While there are likely multiple mechanisms of interaction between the virus and the immune response that determine LP versus HP outcomes, we focus here on one component, namely macrophages (MP). There is some evidence that MP may both help fight the infection and become productively infected with HP influenza viruses. We developed mathematical models for influenza infections which explicitly included the dynamics and action of MP. We fit these models to viral load and macrophage count data from experimental infections of mice with LP and HP strains. Our results suggest that MP may not only help fight an influenza infection but may contribute to virus production in infections with HP viruses. We also explored the impact of combination therapies with antivirals and anti-inflammatory drugs on HP infections. Our study suggests a possible mechanism of MP in determining HP versus LP outcomes, and how different interventions might affect infection dynamics.
First-Principles Assessment of H2S and H2O Reaction Mechanisms and the Subsequent Hydrogen Absorption on the CeO2(111) Surface

The main goal of this study is to assess the resistance of ceria against hydrogen penetration into its bulk, in the context of its application as a protective surface coating against hydrogen embrittlement in metals. We evaluate the reaction mechanisms between the H2S and H2O molecules and the CeO2(111) surface and their kinetic descriptors, using first principles based calculations in the density functional theory framework. Our approach is validated by performing an extensive comparison with the available experimental data. We predict that hydrogen penetration into CeO2(111) is a surface-absorption-limited process with a high-energy barrier (1.67 eV) and endothermicity (1.50 eV), followed by a significantly lower bulk dissolution energy and diffusion barrier (0.67 and 0.52 eV, respectively). We find that the presence of surface vacancies and higher coverages affects significantly the energetics of H2S/H2O adsorption, dissociation, and hydrogen subsurface absorption, facilitating most of these processes ...
Urinary cytodiagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection using the cytocentrifuge.

Schumann, G. Berry, Burleson, Richard L., Henry, John Bernard, and Jones, David B.: Urinary cytodiagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection using the cytocentrifuge. Am. J Clin Pathol 67: 134–140, 1977. The clinical diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection in immunosuppressed recipients can often be predicted or confirmed on the basis of characteristic urinary cytologic findings. Use of cytocentrifiigation permits a simple, rapid, reproducible and semiquantitative means of preparing cytologic urinary specimens of diagnostic quality from small quantities of urine. The cytodiagnosis of acute renal rejection was established before or on the same day a clinical diagnosis of rejection was made in the majority of renal transplant cases studied over a 12-month period. Renal tubular cells were found to be the exfoliated cells of greatest value in predicting an acute rejection episode, and their persistence has prognostic importance.
Impact of Behavior Modification Techniques on Locus of Control of Delinquent Boys

A locus of control scale was given to 21 juvenile delinquent boys residing in a treatment setting using behavior modification techniques. The scores at the posttest were significantly more internal than those from the pretest phase.
Beat Frequency Detector--Based High-Speed True Random Number Generators: Statistical Modeling and Analysis

True random number generators (TRNGs) are crucial components for the security of cryptographic systems. In contrast to pseudo--random number generators (PRNGs), TRNGs provide higher security by extracting randomness from physical phenomena. To evaluate a TRNG, statistical properties of the circuit model and raw bitstream should be studied. In this article, a model for the beat frequency detector--based high-speed TRNG (BFD-TRNG) is proposed. The parameters of the model are extracted from the experimental data of a test chip. A statistical analysis of the proposed model is carried out to derive mean and variance of the counter values of the TRNG. Our statistical analysis results show that mean of the counter values is inversely proportional to the frequency difference of the two ring oscillators (ROSCs), whereas the dynamic range of the counter values increases linearly with standard deviation of environmental noise and decreases with increase of the frequency difference. Without the measurements from the test data, a model cannot be created; similarly, without a model, performance of a TRNG cannot be predicted. The key contribution of the proposed approach lies in fitting the model to measured data and the ability to use the model to predict performance of BFD-TRNGs that have not been fabricated. Several novel alternate BFD-TRNG architectures are also proposed; these include parallel BFD, cascade BFD, and parallel-cascade BFD. These TRNGs are analyzed using the proposed model, and it is shown that the parallel BFD structure requires less area per bit, whereas the cascade BFD structure has a larger dynamic range while maintaining the same mean of the counter values as the original BFD-TRNG. It is shown that 3.25M and 4M random bits can be obtained per counter value from parallel BFD and parallel-cascade BFD, respectively, where M counter values are computed in parallel. Furthermore, the statistical analysis results illustrate that BFD-TRNGs have better randomness and less cost per bit than other existing ROSC-TRNG designs. For example, it is shown that BFD-TRNGs accumulate 150p more jitter than the original two-oscillator TRNG and that parallel BFD-TRNGs require one-third power and one-half area for same number of random bits for a specified period.
Experimental study on dehydration of crude oil using microwave radiation

Using uniform design method to design the experiment of the emulsion treatment with microwave radiation.Through the fitting of experimental data,the empirical formula among the microwave power P,radiation time T,moisture of emulsion A and the dehydration ratio after treatment S are obtained,and the regular of microwave to the demulsification and dehydration is studied.
The Millennial generation’s wine purchasing behaviors in casual-dining restaurants

ABSTRACTThe primary purpose of this research was to assess Millennial generation wine consumers’ attitudes, perceived behavioral controls, and subjective norms related to purchasing wine in casual-dining restaurants. Results indicated Millennials believe ordering wine with their friends and family in casual-dining restaurants will make them feel smart and sophisticated and that wine will increase the enjoyment of food. However, Millennials’ control beliefs indicated that a lack of wine information on menus, untrained wait staff, and the stereotype that wine is for fine dining and special occasions prohibited them from choosing wine as their beverage of choice in casual-dining restaurants.
Neutrophil myeloperoxidase measurement uncovers masked megaloblastic anemia [see comments]

We report the observation of a high neutrophil myeloperoxidase activity (MPXI) in patients with megaloblastic anemia. MPXI is rapidly measured as part of an automated complete blood count (Technicon H*1, Technicon Instruments Corp, Tarrytown NY). We describe the range of MPXI levels in healthy and patient populations and in 10 cases of megaloblastic anemia, including five having elevated mean cell volume (MCV) and five without macrocytosis. Regardless of the MCV, our megaloblastic patients had hypersegmented neutrophils and elevated MPXI levels without visible alteration of granule content. MPXI measurement may be particularly useful in identifying cases of “masked megaloblastic anemia” where the MCV is below 100 fL. The advantage of the MPXI over other methods of uncovering masked megaloblastic anemia is its simplicity when performed as part of a routine complete blood count on an automated hematology instrument.
Obesity is associated with increased risk of invasive penile cancer

To validate the association between obesity and penile cancer at a population level, we conducted a matched case–control study linking the Iowa Department of Motor Vehicles Drivers’ License Database (DLD) with cancer surveillance data collected by the State Health Registry of Iowa (SHRI). All men diagnosed with invasive penile squamous cell carcinoma from 1985 to 2010 were identified by SHRI. Two hundred sixty-six cancer cases and 816 cancer-free male controls, selected from the Iowa DLD, were matched within 5-year age and calendar year strata. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using self-reported height and weight from the DLD. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between BMI and the risk of developing invasive penile cancer. Obesity was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing penile cancer. For every five-unit increase in BMI the risk of invasive penile cancer increased by 53 % (OR 1.53, 95 % CI 1.29-1.81, p < 0.0001). We previously reported an association between obesity and higher risk of invasive penile cancer and advanced cancer stage at diagnosis in a hospital-based retrospective study. This population-based study confirms an association between obesity and invasive penile cancer.
Use of severity-indexed medication error reports to improve quality

A severity-indexed medication error reporting system using data from voluntary incident reports has provided enough information to target opportunities for quality improvement. Reports are ranked by severity and categorized by error type, system breakdown, drug category, and nursing unit. Specific reports are generated for review by different quality improvement committees in the hospital. Based on these data and the actions of these quality improvement committees, four problem areas in medication use have been identified. Recommendations for improvements have been made to solve problems with late IV antibiotic doses, narcotic errors, anticoagulant errors and transcription errors. Two of these initiatives have resulted in objective improvement. Two others are being actively pursued to resolve medication related problems.
Racial/ethnic differences in mothers' socialization goals for their adolescents.

OBJECTIVES We explored the socialization goals that African American, Latino, Chinese and White mothers held for their adolescents within 4 domains that are centrally relevant during adolescence-proper demeanor, academics, race/ethnicity, and peers. METHOD A card sort task and subsequent logistic regression analyses were used to explore mothers' choice of the most important socialization goals for their ethnically/racially diverse 6th-grade adolescents (N = 185). RESULTS Compared to White mothers, African American, Latino, and Chinese mothers were significantly more likely to select proper demeanor goals that emphasize deference over benevolence, and peer goals that emphasize instrumental over relational friendships. African American and Latino mothers were more likely to select race/ethnicity goals that emphasize cultural over egalitarian goals compared to Chinese and White mothers. All mothers were more likely to select academic engagement as more important than performance. In contrast to mothers' emphases within domains, mothers' ranked the importance of these different domains remarkably similarly. CONCLUSIONS Mothers' socialization goals illustrate both similarities and differences across race/ethnicity. Findings are discussed with reference to how mothers' goals reflect broad cultural orientations as well as the contextual demands of their adolescents' experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record
Robust Notch Filtering by Combining Adaptation in both Time and Frequency

A fully adaptive infinite impulse response (IIR) notch filter has been proposed before with a very good tracking property over a certain frequency range (Torres and DeBrunner, 1998). It is shown that when the frequency to be notched is closed to DC or the Nyquist frequency (fn) the performance of the IIR notch filter is degraded. A finite impulse response (FIR) notch filter with equal number of coefficients exhibits a reversed performance: the tracking performance is worse than the IIR notch filter in those frequencies far from DC and fn but better than the IIR notch filter in those frequencies close to either DC or fn. Hence, a combination of these two filters is proposed in this paper to improve the tracking performance of the notch filter over the total range of frequencies. Computer simulations show the improved performance of the combined adaptive filter. The design is also simple in computation and robust in tracking a time-varying sinusoidal signal.
138. Microencapsulated Aptamer Sensors for Digital Quantification of Blood Biomarkers

Analysis and quantification of blood biomarkers including proteins, nucleic acids and circulating cells becomes an emerging approach to detect, predict and monitor diseases including blood inflection and cancer. Unfortunately, existing methods of biomarker detection (e.g., PCR, ELISA, and flow cytometry) often suffer from 1) poor sensitivity given that many biomarkers exist in low numbers in blood, and 2) large preanalytical variability due to lengthy sample processing required by those assays. Here we present a new technology termed “Integrated Comprehensive Droplet Digital Detection (IC 3D)” that is able to selectively detect a variety of biomarkers including cells and miRNA directly from blood at a single-cell (or single-molecule) sensitivity in a one-step process within 1-3 hours. The IC 3D integrates target-sensing aptamer biosensors, droplet microencapsulation and a high throughput 3D particle counter system. Fluorogenic aptamer sensors used here are short catalytic oligonucleotides that are identified by in vitro evolution to specifically react with specific marker(s), leading to a rapid, real-time fluorescence signal. For instance, we demonstrate that the IC 3D can provide absolute quantification of target bacteria or cancer miRNA from patient samples with a broad range of extremely low concentration from 10 to 10,000 copies(or cells)/mL with exceptional robustness. Our IC 3D system as a platform technology has the potential to introduce a new paradigm for rapid detection, in particular of biological markers that are in low quantity, in other diseases as well.
Thing to Service: Perspectives from a Network of Things

As technology evolves to the Internet of Things (IoT), understanding context of the information about and from those things can be challenging. Numerous distributed heterogeneous devices reporting large quantities of data, and that may be interconnected to provide evolving services to multiple stakeholders will be characteristic of IoT ecosystems. Although the IoT is in the incubation phase, we can gain perspectives from current Networks of Things. In this article the author defines characteristics of complex domains that affect network management, including a case study of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Airspace System (NAS). Today’s tools, standards, and models are not sufficient to capture operating domain knowledge consistent to these characteristics. The author offers a new model to serve as a framework to obtain domain knowledge context for the individual resources and their applicable services, while simplifying complexity needed for effective maintenance management.
Technology and Human Needs

Psychologists have accounted for human behavior in many ways since the late 19th century. At first, behavior was seen as driven by instincts, then later by unconscious drives, and still later by needs and motives. Most recently, behavior has been explained by higher order mental processes involving intellectual activity, such as cognitions and expectations. What all of these explanations have in common is that they are based on social forces within the individual that cannot be seen or touched. These ghosts have such names as dissonance, id, and creativity, to name but a few. Each lives for a brief moment and then is forgotten as new explanations arise. Despite their being short-lived, psychology needs its ghosts, perhaps even more than the church needs the notion of a soul. How else are we to capture the richness and complexity of human beings? Surely not by behavior alone.
Ab Initio Thermodynamics of Hydrated Calcium Carbonates and Calcium Analogues of Magnesium Carbonates: Implications for Carbonate Crystallization Pathways

Formation of calcium carbonate and its hydrates are important for a wide variety of geological, biological, and technological concerns. Recent studies have determined that formation of anhydrous crystalline calcite, aragonite, and vaterite can involve a complex series of nonclassical pathways in which the hydrated polymorphs monohydrocalcite (CaCO3·H2O), ikaite (CaCO3·6H2O), and amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) play key roles and in some instances are stable or metastable endproducts. The stages of nucleation and crystallization along these pathways are not well understood, nor is how what is learned in an aqueous environment transfers to CO2-rich conditions. In this work ab initio thermodynamics based on density-functional theory and experimental chemical potentials for H2O-rich and CO2-rich systems are used to determine the stability of calcium carbonate polymorphs as a function of environmental conditions. In water-saturated supercritical CO2, formation of ikaite and monohydrocalcite are both highly e...
Multivariate resting-state functional connectivity predicts response to cognitive behavioral therapy in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for many with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, response varies considerably among individuals. Attaining a means to predict an individual's potential response would permit clinicians to more prudently allocate resources for this often stressful and time-consuming treatment. We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging from adults with OCD before and after 4 weeks of intensive daily CBT. We leveraged machine learning with cross-validation to assess the power of functional connectivity (FC) patterns to predict individual posttreatment OCD symptom severity. Pretreatment FC patterns within the default mode network and visual network significantly predicted posttreatment OCD severity, explaining up to 67% of the variance. These networks were stronger predictors than pretreatment clinical scores. Results have clinical implications for developing personalized medicine approaches to identifying individual OCD patients who will maximally benefit from intensive CBT.
Making Gay History: The Podcast. Eric Marcus

In the late 1980s Eric Marcus conducted roughly one hundred oral history interviews for his book, Making Gay History: The Half-Century Fight for Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights (New York: Perennial, 2...
Flooding attacks against secure time-critical communications in the power grid

Many communication messages in electric substations of the power grid need to be delivered in a very short time (e.g., 3ms according to IEC 61850). However, the delivery delay of such messages is sensitive to flooding attacks that will increase the delay. IEC 62351 specifies that these messages should be signed with digital signatures to provide authentication. The processing of signature generation and verification further increases the delay of message delivery and makes time-critical messages more sensitive to flooding attacks. In this paper, we first experimentally study how flooding attacks affect the delivery delay of time-critical messages protected with popular authentication schemes both in wireless and wired networks. The experimental results show that flooding attacks can easily increase the delay of time-critical communications in wireless networks but not in wired networks. Then we identify a practical intelligent flooding attack where even a small number of flooding packets can significantly increase the delivery delay in a wired network. Finally, we propose a defense scheme to address the intelligent attack and evaluate its effectiveness.
Numerical simulation and use of the PICUP framework for use in an undergraduate acoustics course

The use of numerical simulations in an undergraduate course introductory acoustics course can be a way to provide students with a method of exploring concepts that are difficult or costly to replicate in a classroom. For a course taught that serves a diverse group of students studying a large variety of majors, the importance of having multiple ways to present and revisit concepts should not be underestimated. Several simulations have been developed using Glowscript for use in a general education acoustics course. Additionally, the PICUP framework for development of exercise sets has been used to structure classroom activities in a way that encourages scaffolding of concepts from the most basic ideas to more complex applications. Examples of the Glowscript simulations and the development of PICUP exercises will be demonstrated.The use of numerical simulations in an undergraduate course introductory acoustics course can be a way to provide students with a method of exploring concepts that are difficult or costly to replicate in a classroom. For a course taught that serves a diverse group of students studying a large variety of majors, the importance of having multiple ways to present and revisit concepts should not be underestimated. Several simulations have been developed using Glowscript for use in a general education acoustics course. Additionally, the PICUP framework for development of exercise sets has been used to structure classroom activities in a way that encourages scaffolding of concepts from the most basic ideas to more complex applications. Examples of the Glowscript simulations and the development of PICUP exercises will be demonstrated.
Quantification of high temperature oxidation of U3O8 and UO2

Abstract A response surface design of experiment (DOE) was developed to model crystallographic changes of UO2 and α-U3O8 after aging at elevated temperatures in controlled oxygen environments. Crystallographic changes to UO2 and α-U3O8 were quantified using powder X-ray diffractometry (p-XRD). In total, 108 samples were analyzed to build the DOE model on aging between 2 and 48 h, temperatures from 100 °C to 400 °C, and partial pressures of O2 from ∼0.0 kPa to 21.3 kPa. Rietveld refinement analysis was performed on all p-XRD patterns to quantify the exact composition of UO2, U4O9, U3O7, U3O8, and UO3. While no oxidation of the U3O8 was observed for the conditions evaluated in these experiments, the UO2 readily oxidized to U4O9 and U3O7 over short time periods, with low concentrations of oxygen. As the oxygen content increased, the oxidation of UO2 to U3O8 occurred rapidly. The response surface model indicates that oxidation of UO2 occurs within 2 h when any oxygen is present at elevated temperatures. Results from this study are presented relative to the oxidation of UO2 fuel in nuclear power reactors; as well as a forensics signature for identifying processing history in nuclear forensics.
Sexual and Gender Prejudice

Sexual prejudice is defined by Herek (2000, p. 19) as “all negative attitudes based on sexual orientation, whether the target is homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual.”
Q methodology--a journey into the subjectivity of human mind.

Aims This paper introduces a relatively new research methodological tool, known as Q method, useful in exploring issues related to human subjectivity. Description Q methodology is unique as it combines the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research traditions. The sequential steps involve generation of ideas about the research topics, clarification and refinement of the ideas, and rank ordering these ideas by the respondents in a quasinormal distribution. The data are extracted with by-person factor analysis and useful in exploring arrays of attitude either cross-sectionally or longitudinally over a period of time. Conclusion Q methodology can be used to analyse opinions, perceptions, and attitudes in both clinical and non-clinical settings. It is a preferred method of human subjectivity study as it provides more in-depth analysis of complex subjectivity issues.
5.12 – Integration of Cardiac Output and Venous Return

This chapter presents an analysis of the integrated operation of the cardiovascular system in which the operating point is defined by the intersection of the cardiac function curve with the vascular function curve. The cardiac function curve is obtained experimentally. The vascular function curve is derived from the thought experiment of stopping the heart and then starting it up again. The idea of the mean systemic pressure is introduced. The experimentally determined vascular function curve follows the theoretical result only for positive right atrial pressures. At lower pressures, the veins flutter, limiting flow. The effect of vasoconstriction or vasodilation, hemorrhage, or transfusion on the vascular function curve is considered. The effect of sympathetic stimulation or heart disease on the cardiac function curve is also considered. The effect of sympathetic stimulation on both the vascular function curve and cardiac function curve is discussed last.
Clustered and neutron-rich low density "neck" region produced in heavy-ion collisions

The creation of a clustered and neutron-rich midvelocity ({open_quotes}neck{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}hot spot{close_quotes}) region in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions is discussed. Reaction simulations suggest that the preponderance of the neutron-rich species in isotopic and isobaric ratios results primarily from the amplification of the initial neutron excess due to d (and by inference {alpha}-particle) cluster formation. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Automated rough line-edge estimation from SEM images using deep convolutional neural networks

We propose a deep convolutional neural network named EDGENet to estimate rough line edge positions in low-dose scanning electron microscope (SEM) images corrupted by Poisson noise, Gaussian blur, edge effects and other instrument errors and apply our approach to the estimation of line edge roughness (LER) and line width roughness (LWR). Our method uses a supervised learning dataset of 100800 input-output pairs of simulated noisy SEM rough line images with true edge positions. The edges were constructed by the Thorsos method and have an underlying Palasantzas spectral model. The simulated SEM images were created using the ARTIMAGEN library developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The convolutional neural network EDGENet consists of 17 convolutional, 16 batch-normalization layers and 16 dropout layers and offers excellent LER and LWR estimation as well as roughness spectrum estimation.
Semi-synchronocity Enabling Protocol and Pulsed Injection Protocol For A Distributed Ledger System

Distributed ledger technologies have a central problem that involves the latency. When transactions are to be accepted in the ledger, latency is incurred due to transaction processing and verification. For efficient systems, high latency should be avoided for the governance of the ledger. To help reduce latency, we offer a distributed ledger architecture, Tango, that mimics the Iota-tangle design as articulated by Popov [1] in his seminal paper. We introduce a semi-synchronous transaction entry protocol layer to avoid asynchronism in the system since an asynchronous system has a high latency. We further model periodic pulsed injections into the evaluation layer from the entry layer to regulate the performance of the system.
Could prenatal food insecurity influence neonatal abstinence syndrome severity

Background and aims In general populations, prenatal food insecurity negatively affects maternal and infant health. Our aim was to estimate and test the association between prenatal food insecurity and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) severity. Design/setting Single-site prospective cohort design. Women receiving opioid agonist treatment with methadone or buprenorphine were interviewed (including demographics and food insecurity) during the third trimester at the combined obstetric/opioid use disorder treatment clinic at Boston Medical Center (BMC) in Boston, MA, USA, a large urban safety-net hospital. During postnatal hospitalization, infants were assessed and treated per hospital NAS protocol. Maternal clinic and infant hospitalization data were abstracted from medical records. Participants Women (n = 75; aged ≥ 18 years; fluent English; singleton pregnancy; intending to deliver at BMC and maintain parental custody) receiving care in the specialized clinic were study eligible (2013-15). Women who delivered infants Primary measurements Predictors: validated two-question Hunger Vital Sign™ food insecurity screener; outcomes: extent of NAS pharmacological treatment and length of hospital stay (LOS) for NAS. Findings Of the mother-infant dyads, 61 (81%) infants were treated pharmacologically for NAS. Mean hospital LOS was 19.9 (standard deviation = 9.4) days. Maternal food insecurity (n = 43, 57.3%) was associated with infant NAS pharmacological treatment in logistic regression analyses individually adjusted for prenatal: maternal depression [adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 3.69 (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.02-13.43, P = 0.05)] and methadone agonist treatment [aOR = 4.17 (95% CI = 1.05-16.50, P = 0.04)]. Associations of food insecurity and LOS were inconclusive regardless of covariate control (P > 0.05). Conclusion Among women receiving opioid agonist treatment, prenatal food insecurity appears to be associated with increased risk for neonatal abstinence syndrome pharmacological treatment.
How minimum parking requirements make housing more expensive

A growing consensus argues that minimum parking requirements (MPRs) make housing more expensive. This paper examines two claims from this discussion: (1) that MPRs discourage the construction of small units; (2) that the costs of building required parking are "passed on" to buyers and renters in the form of higher prices and rents. However, the mechanisms behind these two effects have never been made explicit in the literature. This paper proposes, for each claim, a plausible mechanism relying on the specific choices of housing suppliers and consumers. We propose that MPRs discourage small units because they eliminate the most profitable floorspace/parking bundle to supply to relatively lower-income households. We propose that parking costs may be passed on by reducing the supply of housing on offer at a given price.
Typical bad differentiable extensions

Abstract By a 1923 result of V. Jarnik, every differentiable map φ from a closed subset P of R into R has a differentiable extension f : R → R . It has been recently proved, by the authors, that among such differentiable extensions of φ there is always one that is nowhere monotone on R ∖ P . In particular, the family E φ 1 ( R ) of “bad” differentiable extensions f : R → R of φ, for which the set [ f ′ = 0 ] : = { x ∈ R : f ′ ( x ) = 0 } is dense in R ∖ P , is nonempty. We notice here that E φ 1 ( R ) with a natural distance is a complete metric space and prove that actually a typical function in E φ 1 ( R ) is nowhere monotone on R ∖ P . At the same time, the set M φ ( R ) , of functions f ∈ E φ 1 ( R ) which are monotone on some nonempty subinterval of every nonempty open U ⊂ R ∖ P , is dense in E φ 1 ( R ) . This last statement remains true, when the term “monotone” is replaced with either of the following three terms: “strictly increasing,” “strictly decreasing,” or “constant.”
Activation of BDNF mRNA and protein after seizures in hyperbaric oxygen: implications for sensitization to seizures in re-exposures.

Previous studies have demonstrated that exposure to convulsive doses of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) increases sensitivity to seizures in re-exposures. Because brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is induced after a variety of seizures and increases cell excitability, it may contribute to the mechanism of sensitization. In this study, a fast induction in BDNF mRNA 2 hr after seizures and a temporary increase in BDNF protein 1 day after seizures induced by 100% O2 at 5 atm (gauge pressure) were demonstrated in the rat cortex. To determine whether an elevation in BDNF protein level can modify sensitivity to the toxic effect of HBO, recombinant BDNF (12 μg) was injected into cerebral ventricles 30 min prior to exposure. Administration of exogenous BDNF significantly shortened latent time to seizures in HBO exposures. We propose that upregulation of BDNF expression in the brain after seizures may contribute to sensitization to HBO toxicity.
Interstitial lung abnormality in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer: A validation study for the association with poor clinical outcome.

Abstract Purpose The presence of interstitial lung abnormality (ILA) at diagnosis of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has previously shown to be associated with shorter overall survival (OS). The present study aimed to validate the association between ILA and shorter OS in a larger cohort of treatment-naive stage IV NSCLC patients. Materials and methods This study includes 484 patients (205 men and 279 women) with a pathological diagnosis of stage IV NSCLC with pretreatment baseline CT available for review. ILA was visually scored on the baseline chest CT with a 3-point scale (0=no ILA, 1=indeterminate for ILA, 2 = ILA) as published previously. Clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS) were compared in patients with ILA score 2 vs. those with ILA score 0 or 1. Results ILA was present (score 2) on baseline CT in 19 of 484 patients (3.9%, 95%CI2.4–6.1%). Patients with ILA were significantly older (p = 0.0008) and more commonly male (p = 0.03) compared to those with ILA score 0 or 1. Patients with ILA score 2 showed significantly shorter OS compared to those with ILA score 0 or 1 (median OS 9.95 months vs. 16.95 months; p = 0.0002). In multivariate analyses, baseline ILA score 2 remained significant as a marker for shorter OS (HR = 2.09, p = 0.004) after adjustments for age (HR = 1.48; p = 0.001), gender (HR = 1.22, p = 0.06), and smoking (HR = 0.79; p = 0.051). Conclusions ILA on baseline CT at diagnosis of stage IV NSCLC patients was associated with shorter OS (HR = 2.09, p = 0.004), validating ILA as an independent marker for poor clinical outcome.
Microstructural interaction of Y2Ba4Cu8O16 stacking faults within YBa2Cu3O7−x

A transmission electron microscopy study of a post-annealed YBa2Cu3O7−x thin film shows that extra Cu–O planes within the structure can aggregate as stacking faults to form a defect microstructure rather than forming the well-ordered Y2Ba4Cu8O16 phase. Interaction of the stacking faults with the surrounding matrix results in strain effects and microstructural variations which may hinder ordering as well as influencing superconducting properties if occurring in higher concentration. When viewed normal to the plane of the film, the boundaries of the stacking faults can be imaged as dislocation-like defects, indicating the size and shape of the stacking faults and their relationship to other defects such as twins and second phase precipitates.
Similarity-based Compression with Multidimensional Pattern Matching

Sensors typically record their measurements using more precision than the accuracy of the sensing techniques. Thus, experimental and observational data often contain noise that appears random and cannot be easily compressed. This noise increases storage requirement as well as computation time for analyses. In this work, we describe a line of research to develop data reduction techniques that preserve the key features while reducing the storage requirement. Our core observation is that the noise in such cases could be characterized by a small number of patterns based on statistical similarity. In earlier tests, this approach was shown to reduce the storage requirement by over 100-fold for one-dimensional sequences. In this work, we explore a set of different similarity measures for multidimensional sequences. During our tests with standard quality measures such as Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), we observe that the new compression methods reduce the storage requirements over 100- fold while maintaining relatively low errors in PSNR. Thus, we believe that this is an effective strategy to construct data reduction techniques.
Tunneling spectroscopy of c -axis epitaxial cuprate junctions

Atomically precise epitaxial structures are unique systems for tunneling spectroscopy that minimize extrinsic effects of disorder. We present a systematic tunneling spectroscopy study, over a broad doping, temperature, and bias range, in epitaxial $c$-axis $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{x}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}/\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}/\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{x}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ heterostructures. The behavior of these superconductor/insulator/superconductor (SIS) devices is unusual. Down to 20 mK there is complete suppression of $c$-axis Josephson critical current with a barrier of only 2 nm of $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$, and the zero-bias conductance remains at 20--30% of the normal-state conductance, implying a substantial population of in-gap states. Tunneling spectra show greatly suppressed coherence peaks. As the temperature is raised, the superconducting gap fills in rather than closing at ${T}_{c}$. For all doping levels, the spectra show an inelastic tunneling feature at \ensuremath{\sim}80 meV, suppressed as T exceeds ${T}_{c}$. These nominally simple epitaxial cuprate junctions deviate markedly from expectations based on the standard Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory.
Detection and Oncologic Outcomes of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Origin.

Background/aim To assess factors that predict detection of tumors and oncologic outcomes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary (SCCUP). Patients and methods This was a retrospective cohort study at a single tertiary care institution. Results The primary site was detected at examination under anesthesia (EUA) in 92 (51.1%) patients. The primary site was detected by directed biopsies in 60 (65%), palatine tonsillectomy in 28 (30.4%), and lingual tonsillectomy in 4 patients (4.3%). Four of eight lingual tonsillectomies were positive (50%). Primary locations included: palatine tonsils (51, 28.3%), base of tongue (37, 20.6%), larynx (4, 2.2%), oral cavity (3, 1.67%) and nasopharynx (1, 0.6%). Human papillomavirus (HPV) positive status (HR=0.26, p=0.004) and treatment with chemoradiation (CRT) (HR=0.38, p=0.004) were associated with better disease free survival (DFS). Conclusion A primary site was located after aggressive investigation in approximately half of the patients. More research is warranted towards the use of lingual tonsillectomy. Predictors of favorable prognosis included HPV positive status and treatment with CRT.
Investigating the thermodynamics of conformational transitions in DNA oligomers

Abstract I first met Professor Wilhelm when I joined the Board of Directors of the North American Calorimetry Conference (CalCon) in 2009. Since that time, I have had the pleasure of seeing him every year at CalCon. Although I am formally trained in organic chemistry, my research has evolved to nucleic acid biophysics. None the less, I would attend Prof. Wilhelm’s lecture whenever possible at the CalCon meetings. The first lecture I attended focused on fugacity and afterwards, I thought to myself: “I could learn some physical chemistry from this man!” I am honored to contribute my story to this special issue of The Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics. The work reviewed below focuses on biophysical approaches by my research group to study conformational transitions in DNA using designed DNA oligomers and monitoring temperature or salt induced transition by optical melting and calorimetric determinations. Further, the influences on DNA sequence context and environmental conditions on these transitions are also discussed.