cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies for the design and use of tumor‐reactive human monoclonal antibodies

Human hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) reactive with tumor cell antigens were produced in our laboratory by the immortalization of UC 729-6 with B lymphocytes isolated from regional draining lymph nodes of cancer patients. MoAbs were purified from the hybridoma supernates by standard biochemical procedures for in vivo studies and by affinity methods for in vitro experiments. Using a novel method in the preparation of slides containing adherent tumor cells, immunoreactivities of the MoAbs were evaluated by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Based on this data, human MoAbs can, therefore, be used as research reagents.
Aging increases CD8 T cell apoptosis induced by hyperstimulation but decreases apoptosis induced by agonist withdrawal in mice.

Abstract Apoptosis of T cells is thought to play a critical role in intrathymic T cell selection, in controlling the strength of the immune response to antigens, and in peripheral modulation of the T cell repertoire by influencing memory cell formation and survival. Peripheral T lymphocyte apoptosis or activation-induced cell death can be induced in vitro by repeated stimulation through the T cell receptor (TCR), and several groups have reported that aging increases the susceptibility of T cells to hyperstimulation-induced cell death in mice and humans. Alternately, apoptosis can also be induced in T cells by withdrawal of TCR stimulation from T cell blasts late in the activation process. This agonist withdrawal cell death, unlike apoptosis induced by repeated stimulation, is Fas- and TNFα-independent but is modulated by CD30 ligation. We show here that aging leads to an increase in susceptibility to apoptosis induced by repeated stimulation, but also to a decline in mouse CD8 T cell sensitivity to apoptosis induced by agonist withdrawal. Cell mixture experiments show that intercellular signals are required for the induction of apoptosis after agonist withdrawal and that the CD8 cells from aged mice can respond to these death-inducing signals but cannot produce them. A defect in this form of apoptosis after cessation of TCR signaling might contribute to the accumulation of functionally ineffective CD8 cells in aging mice.
Population-based outcomes of open descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair

Objective To evaluate national outcomes after open repair of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (DTA). Methods The DTA repairs were identified from the NIS database from 1988-2003 by ICD9 codes for thoracic vascular resection and replacement (38.45) and a diagnosis of intact (441.1) or ruptured (441.2) thoracic aortic aneurysm; excluding thoraco-abdominal aneurysm, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, cardioplegia, hypothermia, cardiac surgery, or aorta to carotid or subclavian bypass. Demographics and comorbidities were noted. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and complications. Annual hospital surgical volume terciles (high, medium, and low) were quantified for the series and patients assigned accordingly. Outcomes were compared between intact and ruptured aneurysm characteristics as well as annual hospital volume. Predictors of peri-operative mortality were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 2549 DTA repairs were identified (1976 intact, 573 ruptured). Mortality was 18% overall; 10% for intact (age P P P ) . Mortality after intact repair was lower at a high volume hospital (HVH) (8%) than a low volume hospital (LVH) (13%) or medium volume hospital (MVH) (12%). Hospital volume tercile did not predict rupture mortality. Complications after intact DTA repair were coded in 42%; including respiratory (13%), cardiac (11%), acute renal failure (8%), stroke (3%), and neurologic (non-stroke) (2%). Complications were coded in 49% after ruptured DTA repair including respiratory (13%), cardiac (13%), acute renal failure (20%), stroke (3%), and neuro (non-stroke) (2%). Predictors of mortality (for all DTA repairs) were (odd ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI]): age 65-74 vs age Conclusion Mortality after open repair of DTA is high and complications are common. Mortality is dependent upon age, rupture status, and hospital surgical volume. Results of endovascular DTA repair should be compared using similar population-based data.
Blue Nitride Lasers : Physics of Operation and Opportunities in Vertical-Cavity Devices

The blue nitride laser presents a fascinating case for the study of the microscopics of optical gain. For InGaN quantum wells, these are highlighted by the competition between localized and extended electronic states in this unusual, heterogeneous active laser medium. The InGaN QW gain medium present specific opportunities and challenges for the vertical cavity emitters whose contemporary progress is illustrated in this article.
Cell surface oligosaccharide modulation during differentiation: IV. Normal and transformed cell growth control

Abstract In previous studies [9–11] it was shown that cell surface oligosaccharide affinity class distributions and binding capacities were down-regulated as normal cells approach senescence. Using a sensitive, amplified, lectin/specific-ligand competition analysis three other growth regulation states were compared to that of cellular senescence. Non-senescent and senescent low-density and contact-induced growth inhibition was compared with neoplastic cell growth control. Non-senescent human fetal lung fibroblasts (IMR-90) down-regulated their mannosyl and galactosyl specificities in response to both low-density and contact-induced growth inhibition. Senescent IMR-90 down-regulate their mannosyl residues in response to contact conditions while they up-regulate their galactosyl residues under the same conditions. Growth-transformed transplantable canine glioma cells did not show density-dependent regulation of their cell surface oligosaccharide structures. Modulation of the CG cells with a specific α-mannosidase II inhibitor, Ricinus communis a galactosyl specific lectin, and pokeweed mitogen a cellular differentiating agent resulted in an altered growth phenotype and up-regulation of the mannosyl and galactosyl surface oligosaccharides. These data indicate a controller function for the cell surface oligosaccharides and a general influence on growth control.
Providing a clearer view: An examination of transparency on local government websites

Abstract This study examines the role of content professionalism and public outreach, along with partisanship in the availability of online local public information. Comparing county and school board websites in Florida, the author suggests that online public records serve as a proxy for the entity's overall level of transparency. A content analysis of 134 local government websites reveals that school boards had a higher level of transparency than counties in Florida, while websites with a more professional look and those located in communities with a high Republican proportion had greater transparency than others. Finally, implications for scholars and government leaders are discussed.
The effect of surface irradiance on the absorption spectrum of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the global ocean

Abstract The cycling pathways of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) within marine systems must be constrained to better assess the impact of CDOM on surface ocean photochemistry and remote sensing of ocean color. Photobleaching, the loss of absorption by CDOM due to light exposure, is the primary sink for marine CDOM. Herein the susceptibility of CDOM to photobleaching by sea surface-level solar radiation was examined in 15 samples collected from wide-ranging open ocean regimes. Samples from the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Southern Oceans were irradiated over several days with full-spectrum light under a solar simulator at in situ temperature in order to measure photobleaching rate and derive an empirical matrix, esurf (m−1 μEin−1), which quantifies the effect of surface irradiance on the spectral absorption of CDOM. Irradiation responses among the ocean samples were similar within the ultraviolet (UV) region of the spectrum spanning 300–360 nm, generally exhibiting a decrease in the CDOM absorption coefficient (m−1) and concomitant increase in the CDOM spectral slope parameter, S (nm−1). However, an unexpected irradiation-induced increase in CDOM absorption between approximately 360 and 500 nm was observed for samples from high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) environments. This finding was linked to the presence of dissolved nitrate and may explain discrepancies in action spectra for dimethylsulfide (DMS) photobleaching observed between the Equatorial Pacific and Subtropical North Atlantic Oceans. The nitrate-to-phosphate ratio explained 27–70% of observed variability in esurf at observation wavelengths of 330–440 nm, while the initial spectral slope of the samples explained up to 52% of variability in esurf at observation wavelengths of 310–330 nm. These results suggest that the biogeochemical and solar exposure history of the water column, each of which influence the chemical character and thus the spectral quality of CDOM and its photoreactivity, are the main factors regulating the susceptibility of CDOM to photodegradation in the surface ocean. The esurf parameter reported herein may be applied to remote sensing retrievals of CDOM to estimate photobleaching at the surface on regional to global scales.
The influence of situational context on naming performance in aphasic syndromes

Abstract This study examined the influence of two situational contexts on the naming performances of 40 aphasic patients: single-word confrontation naming and picture description. The subjects were evenly distributed among the syndromes of Broca's, Wernicke's, conduction, and amnesic aphasia. The two naming tasks used were each comprised of the same 40 target words. Patients with Broca's aphasia performed significantly better on confrontation naming than when naming on the picture-description task. In contrast, patients with Wernicke's aphasia displayed significantly better performance on the picture-description task. Although individual patients in the groups of amnesic and conduction aphasia were also influenced by the nature of the naming task being performed, neither of these groups showed a consistent pattern of performance differences on the two tasks. Patterns of naming errors produced within each group of aphasics were also examined. Differential error patterns were determined for these four diagnostic groups. The results are discussed in relation to neuropsychological concepts of aphasia and the naming process. Diagnostic and therapeutic implications are also addressed.
Saturation Properties from Equations of State

Following a review of cubic equations-of-state (EoS), a new identity linking the heat of vaporization, for pure components, to the EoS is derived. The identity is applied to simple cubic EoS to allow tuning of both the attraction (a) and repulsion (b) constants to experimental vapor pressures and heats of vaporization at subcritical temperatures. These new tuning procedures are compared with previous procedures for benzene and for methanol. The results show marked improvements to the point where the simpler Redlich−Kwong EoS provides better results with our procedures than does the usually superior Peng−Robinson EoS with conventional procedures.
Analysis of eosinophils and myeloid progenitor responses to modified forms of MPIF-2.

Abstract Myeloid progenitor inhibitory factor (MPIF)-2 is a β-chemokine with select and potent activities on eosinophils and myeloid progenitors. In the β-chemokine family, biological activity is modulated by differential processing of the amino-terminus. Here, for MPIF-2, we describe the biological activities of NH 2 -terminal deletion mutants and compare regions necessary for eosinophil and myeloid progenitor activities. Five MPIF-2 proteins with deletions at the amino-terminus were produced in Escherichia coli and assayed for calcium mobilization, chemotaxis and receptor binding activities on eosinophils, and for their ability to inhibit colony formation of human myeloid bone marrow progenitors. For eosinophils, deletion of the first two amino acids did not markedly alter activity, while subsequent truncations result in a complete loss of activity. One of the MPIF-2 mutants, MPIF-2 (P30-R99) was converted from an agonist to an antagonist of eotaxin, MPIF-2 and MCP-4 functional responses in eosinophil calcium flux and chemotaxis assays. Surprisingly, while displaying a complete loss of agonist activity toward eosinophils, MPIF-2 (P30-R99) retains ability to inhibit human bone marrow myeloid progenitor cell colony formation. In addition, processing at the amino terminus of MPIF-2 in vivo, may result in a chemokine with altered biological activities.
Original Contribution: Population coding by simultaneous activities of neurons in intrinsic coordinate systems defined by their receptive field weighting functions

In this paper we address the problem of how external stimuli from the outside world, which can be represented as vectors by a set of numbers, might be expressed, transformed, and possibly reconstructed in neuronal networks of sensory brain areas. Our work is based on the approach of modeling the firing rate responses of simple linear sensory neurons. As characteristic functions, the receptive field weighting profiles can be determined from the firing rate responses of linear neurons to external stimuli in electrophysiological experiments. The responses of such neurons to arbitrary stimuli can be described as a linear function of the dot product of the stimulus vector and a special vector, the receptive field weighting function. The stimulus vector can be reconstructed in the coordinate system whose basis vectors are the receptive field weighting functions of linear neurons as a linear combination of the basis vectors and some weighting coefficients calculated from the firing rates of the neurons. Georgopoulos, Kettner, and Schwartz developed a scheme of population coding to reconstruct a simple three-dimensional vector, the direction of an arm movement from results of electrophysiological observations in primate motor cortex. Daugman introduced an iterative algorithm to compress and reconstruct image vectors in a network of neural elements whose receptive field weighting functions were similar to receptive field weighting functions of orientation-selective neurons in cat visual cortex. Pellionisz and Llinas showed in their tensor network theory how sensorimotor transformations of vectors might take place in neuronal networks. We show how these seemingly different approaches are related and compare their advantages and disadvantages. We adopted the iterative algorithm of Daugman to code image vectors and calculated the weights of neural elements taking place in the reconstruction of the stimuli in different layers of the network. Then we determined what the receptive field profiles of neurons in higher layers look like at different stages of the iteration process and at equilibrium. Finally, we provide theoretical predictions that might be verified in electrophysiological experiments to reveal which population coding scheme is applied by the particular neuronal network in sensory areas of the brain.
Origins of bulk viscosity in relativistic heavy ion collisions

A variety of physical phenomena can lead to viscous effects. Several sources of shear and bulk viscosity are reviewed with an emphasis on the bulk viscosity associated with chiral restoration and with chemical nonequilibrium. We show that in linear response approximation and in a mean field treatment of the limiting case of a second-order phase transition, the bulk viscosity peaks in a singularity at the critical point.
Some impasses in applied optics

Progress in optics during the past 300 years has not been continuous, but has occurred in a succession of forward leaps with periods of stagnation between. Often the industry has had to wait for a development in some entirely different field before progress could be resumed, although the precise form of its need was often not realised at the time. In particular, the development of telescopes, microscopes, and photography was often delayed by impasses of this kind.
The energy spectra of gamma-ray bursts: old puzzles, recent analysis and new results

Gamma-ray burst spectroscopy has at times been thought of as the key to understanding these mysterious events, and at others as a source of disappointment and confusion. Early spectral measurements contained evidence for cyclotron-line-like absorption and emission features. These results were the main anchor for the galactic neutron star paradigm for the origin of gamma-ray bursts. Ginga provided striking confirmation with evidence in three bursts for cyclotron absorption with both first and second harmonics present. The absorption line energies were consistent with the teragauss magnetic fields expected for neutron stars. The BATSE experiment on CGRO has dealt a severe blow to this paradigm. BATSE has found no evidence for the expected galactic anisotropy and also no evidence for cyclotron lines. The exact degree of inconsistency between BATSE and earlier GRB line results remains a complicated and unresolved question. In general, burst spectra display a wide variety of both spectral and temporal behavior. In essentially all bursts where spectral measurements are possible, the spectrum evolves during the burst. This spectral complexity and variability has presented researchers with a challenging task. At the present time, only the broadest correlations and characterizations are in hand. This paper will; 1) give a brief historical overview of GRB spectroscopic measurements and 2) provide a summary of the current observational situation with emphasis on the BATSE/Ginga controversy.
The Institutionalization of IT Budgeting: Empirical Evidence from the Financial Sector

Each year, businesses and organizations around the world invest billions of dollars in information technology IT related products and services. What are the factors influencing each individual firm's investment budget decisions? Limited empirical results derived from firm-level data suggest that internal affordability, such as previous IT budget levels, sales, profitability, and size, are significant sources of influence. In this study, we introduce the perspective of external institutional influence for examining corporate IT budgeting processes in addition to the internal affordability perspective. Using firm-level IT and financial data of publicly traded companies in the financial sector, we show that the two most significant sources of influence on corporate IT budgets are the firm's IT spending level of the previous year internal and the IT spending level of the perceived industry leaders external. We posit that as IT becomes pervasive in all aspects of business operations and all sectors of the economy, IT budgeting processes have been at least partially institutionalized. The implications of this institutionalization are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.
Adsorption of pyridine by combusted oil shale

Large volumes of solid waste material will be produced during the commercial production of shale oil. An alternative to the disposal of the solid waste product is utilization. One potential use of spent oil shale is for the stabilization of hazardous organic compounds. The objective of this study was to examine the adsorption of pyridine, commonly found in oil shale process water, by spent oil shale. The adsorption of pyridine by fresh and weathered samples of combusted New Albany Shale and Green River Formation oil shale was examined. In general, pyridine adsorption can be classified as L-type and the isotherms modeled with the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. For the combusted New Albany Shale, weathering reduced the predicted pyridine adsorption maximum and increased the amount of pyridine adsorbed at low solution concentrations. For the combusted Green River Formation oil shales, weathering increased the predicted pyridine adsorption maximum. The pyridine adsorption isotherms were similar to those produced for a combusted Australian oil shale. Although adsorption can be mathematically described by empirical models, the reduction in solution concentrations of pyridine was generally less than 10 mg/l at an initial concentration of 100 mg/l. Clearly, the observed reduction in solution pyridine concentrations does not sufficiently justify using spent oil shale as a stabilizing medium. However, data in the literature suggest that other organic compounds can be effectively removed from solution by spent oil shale and that adsorption is dependent on process conditions and organic compound type.
Visual Performance for Incandescent and Solid-State Cap Lamps in an Underground Mining Environment

Miners depend most heavily on visual cues to recognize underground mining hazards; consequently, illumination plays a critical role in miners' safety. Some hazards are located in the miners' peripheral field-of-view (10 degrees to about 60 degrees off-axis) or on-axis (0 degrees). The objective of this research was to determine if there were visual performance improvements when using solid-state cap lamps with light- emitting diodes (LEDs) as compared to incandescent light bulbs commonly used in miner cap lamps. Recent research has indicated that an increased short-wavelength content of the spectral power distribution of LEDs relative to incandescent lamps improves peripheral visual performance for low-light (mesopic) conditions. The visual performances of nine subjects were quantified by measuring the subjects' speed and accuracy in detecting floor objects located on axis and at plusmn20 degrees off axis. The objects were located near field (1.83 meters) and far field (3.66 meters). Upon presentation of the objects, subjects would count and point to each object using a red-laser pointer. The object detection response time and number of missed objects were recorded. The results of the visual performance comparison for an LED, a prototype LED, and an incandescent cap lamp are presented. There we no missed objects when subjects used the LED-based cap lamps but, there were three missed object occurrences when subjects used the incandescent cap lamp. The mean detection time when using the incandescent cap lamp was 55.3% greater than the prototype LED cap lamp and 43.5% greater than the LED cap lamp. It can be inferred from this data that the spectral distribution of LED-based cap lamps could enable significant visual performance improvements as compared to incandescent cap lamps.
Automatic Segmentation of Subfigure Image Panels for Multimodal Biomedical Document Retrieval

Biomedical images are often referenced for clinical decision support (CDS), educational purposes, and research. The task of automatically finding the images in a scientific article that are most useful for the purpose of determining relevance to a clinical situation is traditionally done using text and is quite challenging. We propose to improve this by associating image features from the entire image and from relevant regions of interest with biomedical concepts described in the figure caption or discussion in the article. However, images used in scientific article figures are often composed of multiple panels where each sub-figure (panel) is referenced in the caption using alphanumeric labels, e.g. Figure 1(a), 2(c), etc. It is necessary to separate individual panels from a multi-panel figure as a first step toward automatic annotation of images. In this work we present methods that add make robust our previous efforts reported here. Specifically, we address the limitation in segmenting figures that do not exhibit explicit inter-panel boundaries, e.g. illustrations, graphs, and charts. We present a novel hybrid clustering algorithm based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) with fuzzy logic controller (FLC) to locate related figure components in such images. Results from our evaluation are very promising with 93.64% panel detection accuracy for regular (non-illustration) figure images and 92.1% accuracy for illustration images. A computational complexity analysis also shows that PSO is an optimal approach with relatively low computation time. The accuracy of separating these two type images is 98.11% and is achieved using decision tree.
Iterative linearization methods for approximately optimal control and estimation of non-linear stochastic system

This paper presents an iterative Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian method for locally-optimal control and estimation of non-linear stochastic systems. The new method constructs an affine feedback control law, obtained by minimizing a novel quadratic approximation to the optimal cost-to-go function, and a non-adaptive estimator optimized with respect to the current control law. The control law and filter are iteratively improved until convergence. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated on a complex biomechanical control problem involving a stochastic model of the human arm.
Standardized Anomalies Applied to Significant Cold Season Weather Events: Preliminary Findings

Abstract Forecasting significant weather events, such as floods, heat waves, arctic outbreaks, ice storms, large severe weather outbreaks, and major winter storms, is a critical function for all weather services. However, conventional pressure level geopotential and temperature fields often are insufficient to determine whether an event represents a large departure from normal. This is largely due to the variability that exists throughout the year and regionally throughout the world. What represents an unusual departure from average conditions in fall may not be as unusual in winter. What is an unusual departure from average conditions in California may be normal in New England. This paper presents a method, normalized field departures from local climatology, that gives forecasters guidance on the relative rarity of events. Thus, in this paper a method is presented to help forecasters identify potentially significant weather events. The focus of this paper is on significant winter storms. However, a recor...
Machine-Age Ideology: Social Engineering and American Liberalism, 1911-1939

In this multidisciplinary work, John Jordan traces the significant influence on American politics of a most unlikely hero: the professional engineer. Jordan shows how technical triumphs - bridges, radio broadcasting, airplanes, automobiles, skyscrapers, and electrical power - inspired social and political reformers to borrow the language and logic of engineering in the early twentieth century, bringing terms like efficiency, technocracy, and social engineering into the political lexicon. Demonstrating that the cultural impact of technology spread far beyond the factory and laboratory, Jordan shows how a panoply of reformers embraced the language of machinery and engineering as metaphors for modern statecraft and social progress. President Herbert Hoover, himself an engineer, became the most powerful of the technocratic progressives. Elsewhere, this vision of social engineering was debated by academics, philanthropists, and commentators of the day - including John Dewey, Thorstein Veblen, Lewis Mumford, Walter Lippmann, and Charles Beard. The result, Jordan argues, was a new way of talking about the state.
How Useful the Combined Impedance-pH Monitoring Is for Evaluation of Refractory Reflux Symptoms?: Author's Reply.

TO THE EDITOR: We would like to appreciate the interest shown on our study by Dr. Cho.1 Our response to her queries is as follows: (1) We do agree that doubling the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) dose could be the most appropriate therapeutic strategy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients who are refractory to single dose of PPI before performing a pH-impedance measurement. However, previous studies challenged this approach and showed the majority of patients with persistent GERD symptoms on single PPI dose to experience symptoms continuously on even higher doses of PPIs.2,3 Our results showed that even though patients on standard PPI dose continued to report more symptoms during the study, the PPI dose seemed to have no impact on the symptom index analysis.4 This finding could imply that increase of the PPI dose should not be the solution in patients with refractory GERD like symptoms and that other causes (ie, functional heartburn and hypersensitive esophagus) could explain the origin of symptoms. Moreover, in every day clinical practice, escalation of the dose is sometimes problematic. In our study, the majority of our population was referred by others and the low rate of double dose PPI usage reflects the absence of reimbursement for PPIs above the standard dose in Greece. (2) We also agree that in GERD patients with atypical symptoms, pH-impedance monitoring is better to be performed while they are off medication. As we had mentioned in the article, our patient population was inhomogeneous. Many patients reported both typical and atypical symptoms, whereas others reported only atypical symptoms. It is clear that this practice influenced the sensitivity and clinical impact of pH-impedance monitoring. Choosing the most prevalent symptom could be a better surrogate index. However, it is widely accepted that the majority of patients report more than one symptom. Large population-based studies have shown presence of ENT and pulmonary symptoms among patients with reflux symptoms.5,6 As pH-impedance monitoring is a new technique that tries to find its position in the everyday clinical practice, further studies are needed to evaluate its clinical impact and usefulness.
Association Energy of Vacancies and Impurities with Edge Dislocations in NaCl

Calculations have been made of the energies of association of ${\mathrm{Sr}}^{++}$ ions, ${\mathrm{Cd}}^{++}$ ions, and positive-ion vacancies with the core of a (110) edge dislocation in NaCl. It is found that the vacancy has an association energy of 0.4 ev, but that other impurities have smaller association energies. On the basis of this energy of association, the numbers of vacancies and divalent ion-vacancy complexes pinned in the cores of the (110) edge dislocations in a well-annealed crystal were calculated. These numbers are large enough at room temperature to suggest that impurity and vacancy pinning might be the agent determining the critical yield stress in annealed NaCl. The elastic field interaction between point defects and a dislocation is tabulated and compared with the interaction obtained within the core. It is shown that the elastic energy of interaction does not necessarily project into the core in a smooth fashion, but that in the case of the vacancy, an elastically "large" inclusion behaves like a "small" inclusion in the core. Several possible suggestions are made which may explain the strong hardening effect of divalent impurity additions to NaCl.
WHO IS TO BLAME? RAPE OF HINDU‐MUSLIM WOMEN IN INTERETHNIC VIOLENCE IN INDIA

This research examined attitudes that predict rape blame in contexts of interethnic violence between minority Muslims and dominant Hindu communities in Mumbai, India. I hypothesized that, in contexts of interethnic violence, prejudicial attitudes toward communities and attitudes that view rape as a conflict tool (i.e., an effective strategy to control an ethnic community) would predict victim blame. This study is among the first to provide empirical support that ethnic prejudice and specific misogynistic attitudes are important predictors of rape victim blame in ethnic violence contexts. Findings indicate that attitudes that exploit women's positions across categories of gender and religious community predict higher victim blame attributions. Findings are relevant to current intercommunity relationships and provide insights for community-based responses and primary interventions.
Unchaining from the channel: Cooperative computation over multiple-access channels

Motivated by recent work applying lattice codes to physical-layer network coding, we study a system in which the receiver computes a finite-field linear combination of users' messages. Previous lattice techniques require that the linear combination be closely matched to the channel coefficients in order to achieve a non-trivial computation rate. To overcome this issue, we present a cooperative computation scheme based on a lattice-coding approach to block Markov encoding. In addition to improving the computation rate, the cooperative approach significantly increases the set of linear combinations that can be recovered at the receiver, increasing the flexibility of wireless network-coded systems.
Autonomic failure as the initial presentation of Parkinson disease and dementia with Lewy bodies

The authors report the clinical and postmortem neuropathologic findings of two patients, one with Parkinson disease (PD) and one with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), both of whom initially sought treatment for isolated autonomic failure. These cases suggest that neurodegeneration in PD and DLB may begin outside the CNS in autonomic postganglionic neurons, a finding with potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
Responses of mono- and bi-articular muscles to load perturbations of the human arm.

We studied the behavior of muscles acting synergistically in elbow flexion in response to load perturbations. The perturbations were applied either proximally or distally to the elbow joint and consisted of single pulses or steps of torque and of pseudorandom sequences of torque pulses. They produced changes in angular position and torque at both the shoulder and elbow joints. The electromyographic (EMG) responses evoked in biceps, brachio-radialis and brachialis muscles were different when elbow and shoulder motion was in the same direction and when the two angular motions were oppositely directed. For example, elbow extension resulted both when a downward force perturbation was applied to the forearm as well as when a posteriorly directed force applied to the upper arm was released. Elbow flexors were activated at a short latency only in the former case and not in the latter. The modulation of EMG activity in elbow flexors evoked by the perturbations was related to the global motion of the limb, including the angular motions at both the shoulder and elbow joints. The time course of the EMG responses in biceps, which acts on both joints, differed from that of brachio-radialis and brachialis muscles, which act only at the elbow. The results are discussed in the context of the possible mechanisms responsible for the muscle responses to the perturbations.
Chronic Exercise Preserves Lean Muscle Mass in Masters Athletes

Aging is commonly associated with a loss of muscle mass and strength, resulting in falls, functional decline, and the subjective feeling of weakness. Exercise modulates the morbidities of muscle aging. Most studies, however, have examined muscle-loss changes in sedentary aging adults. This leaves the question of whether the changes that are commonly associated with muscle aging reflect the true physiology of muscle aging or whether they reflect disuse atrophy. This study evaluated whether high levels of chronic exercise prevents the loss of lean muscle mass and strength experienced in sedentary aging adults. A cross-section of 40 high-level recreational athletes ("masters athletes") who were aged 40 to 81 years and trained 4 to 5 times per week underwent tests of health/activity, body composition, quadriceps peak torque (PT), and magnetic resonance imaging of bilateral quadriceps. Mid-thigh muscle area, quadriceps area (QA), subcutaneous adipose tissue, and intramuscular adipose tissue were quantified in magnetic resonance imaging using medical image processing, analysis, and visualization software. One-way analysis of variance was used to examine age group differences. Relationships were evaluated using Spearman correlations. Mid-thigh muscle area (P = 0.31) and lean mass (P = 0.15) did not increase with age and were significantly related to retention of mid-thigh muscle area (P < 0.0001). This occurred despite an increase in total body fat percentage (P = 0.003) with age. Mid-thigh muscle area (P = 0.12), QA (P = 0.17), and quadriceps PT did not decline with age. Specific strength (strength per QA) did not decline significantly with age (P = 0.06). As muscle area increased, PT increased significantly (P = 0.008). There was not a significant relationship between intramuscular adipose tissue (P = 0.71) or lean mass (P = 0.4) and PT. This study contradicts the common observation that muscle mass and strength decline as a function of aging alone. Instead, these declines may signal the effect of chronic disuse rather than muscle aging. Evaluation of masters athletes removes disuse as a confounding variable in the study of lower-extremity function and loss of lean muscle mass. This maintenance of muscle mass and strength may decrease or eliminate the falls, functional decline, and loss of independence that are commonly seen in aging adults.
Analysis of 3-D Braided Composite Ablative Rocket Nozzle

Aerodynamic flow, thermal flow, and stress analyses of a proposed 2.5-in braided composite ablative nozzle were conducted. The nozzle was made up of PAN based carbon fiber and Primaset Cyanate Ester resin. The designed thermal and structural layers’ thicknesses were 0.62-in and 0.42-in, respectively. The objective of this paper is to establish the thermal stability and structural integrity of the nozzle. A ballistic profile of 17 seconds burn at 740 psi maximum pressure was used in the analysis. The combustion gas flow was subsonic, sonic, and supersonic, respectively, in the inlet, throat, and exit sections of the nozzle. The exit plane Mach number was 2.32. Three thermochemical states were considered: 100% efficiency, 72% efficiency and no aluminum combustion and 72% efficiency and 100% aluminum combustion. Flow analysis was conducted by NAT92 Code, thermal analysis by CMAFLOW92 Code, and structural analysis by ANSYS. Ablation rates for the three cases were 0.023, 0.047, and 0.01-in/sec, respectively. The recession life of thermal layer was 27, 13, and 62 sec for the three cases. Stress analysis of the nozzle due to aerodynamic pressure and temperature resulted in low strains and presents no concern.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Optimal call admission and preemption control for public safety communications

Public safety communication systems are implemented as trunked mobile radio systems. The finite-source queueing model, i.e., the Engset model, has been suggested as the appropriate model in literature for these systems. In this paper, we present the analytical framework and characteristics of the optimal call admission and preemption control for such systems. We consider two classes of users, namely, of high and low priority. We show that the optimal low priority (LP) call admission policy is a state dependent threshold based policy. We also demonstrate that the optimal LP call preemption policy is a threshold based policy.
Mechanism of Hydrogen Generation via Water Reaction with Aluminum Alloys

Solid alloys of aluminum, gallium, indium and tin have been shown to react with water at room temperature to produce hydrogen and aluminum hydroxide in an exothermic reaction. The gallium, indium and tin components are inert and recoverable. The aluminum hydroxide can be recycled back to aluminum by the Hall-Heroult process. Several different experiments have been conducted to understand the reaction mechanism. There is strong evidence indicating that the presence of a liquid phase in the alloy microstructure allows for a continuous reaction between aluminum and water to generate hydrogen. Hydrogen yield and reaction rate kinetics were studied for various compositions and reaction temperatures. Alloy reactivity displayed a strong dependence on microstructure, resulting from variations in composition and method of preparation.
RNA-Seq analysis and targeted mutagenesis for improved free fatty acid production in an engineered cyanobacterium

Background High-energy-density biofuels are typically derived from the fatty acid pathway, thus establishing free fatty acids (FFAs) as important fuel precursors. FFA production using photosynthetic microorganisms like cyanobacteria allows for direct conversion of carbon dioxide into fuel precursors. Recent studies investigating cyanobacterial FFA production have demonstrated the potential of this process, yet FFA production was also shown to have negative physiological effects on the cyanobacterial host, ultimately limiting high yields of FFAs.
Control of a Heated High Reynolds Number Mach 0.9 Jet Using Plasma Actuators

Recent developments in the heating capabilities of our free jet facility using a storagebased off-line electric heater have made it possible to test the effectiveness of the localized arc filament plasma actuators (LAFPAs) over a wide range of temperatures. These actuators have been used successfully in high Reynolds number, high-speed unheated jets in our laboratory. The facility consists of an axisymmetric jet of exit diameter 2.54 cm with different nozzle blocks and variable temperature in an anechoic chamber. The focus of this paper is on high subsonic (Mj = 0.9) jet mixing enhancement. Characterization of this jet with heating capabilities shows consistency with previously published results in both farfield acoustic characteristics as well as centerline velocity and turbulent kinetic energy profiles. Twelve experiments with various forcing modes (m = 0, 1, and ±1) and temperatures (To/Ta = 1.01, 1.40, and 1.99) have been conducted and the results are compared with the baseline results to characterize the control authority of LAFPAs. The results show that LAFPAs can consistently produce significant mixing enhancement. Across the range of temperatures collected, the control authority of LAFPAs improves as temperature increases. Possible reasons for the increase in effectiveness are discussed.
An interface design tool based on explicit task models

Producing high-quality, comprehensible human interfaces is a difficult, labor-intensive process that requires experience and judgment. In this paper, we describe an approach to assisting this process by using explicit models of the user’s task to drive the interface design and to serve as a functional component of the interface itself. The task model helps to ensure that the resulting interface directly and transpru-ently supports the user in performing his task, and serves as a scaffolding for providing in-context help and advice. By crafting a library of standardized, reusable tasks and interface constructs, we believe it is possible to capture some of the design expertise and to amortize much of the labor required for building effective user interfaces.
Importance Of Technology Investments In The Logistics Service Providers: A Case Study Of UPS And Its Use Of Online Tools

Logistics service providers must become competitive in mail delivery, customer relationship management (CRM) strategies, and technological integration. UPS, for example, uses a logistics service strategy to effectively manage the logistical requirements for its 7.9 million daily customers. Within the competitive market of parcel delivery, logistics service providers must routinely invest in technology in an e-commerce environment in order to successfully develop strategies to meet the demands of B2B and B2C customers, while accomplishing customer efficiency and return on investments. This strategy has helped logistics service providers to leverage their core competencies; in particular for UPS to become the shipping industry leader in e-commerce. This research outlines the history, inner workings and culture of UPS, while simultaneously examining the subtleties, which have led to the company’s extraordinary success. Throughout this analysis, the research will show that in fact there is a rather complex model, which allows UPS to function, as it incorporates B2B, B2C, investments in technology and on-line tools into an outcome of seemingly effortless customer efficiency.
A linear MOSFET regulation system to improve the performance of the booster-ramping power supplies at the APS

The APS booster ring uses ramping power supplies to power the sextupole, quadrupole, and dipole magnets as the beam energy ramps up linearly to 7 GeV. Due to the circuit topology used, those supplies are unable to follow the linear ramp to the desired accuracy. The best regulation achieved is 0.5% while 0.1 % is desired. In addition to the unsatisfying regulation, those supplies are sensitive to AC line perturbations and are not able to reject AC line noises higher than a few tens of Hertz. To improve the performance, a linear MOSFET regulation system using paralleled MOSFET devices in series with the power supply is proposed. The system uses a real-time current feedback loop to force the MOSFETs to work in the linear operation mode. By using this linear MOSFET regulator, the voltage drop on MOSFETs, and hence the voltage imposed on magnets, can be regulated very quickly. As a result, the regulation of the magnet current can be improved significantly. Experiments and simulation have been performed to verify the proposed method. Results show that, with the linear regulator, the current regulation can be improved to better than 0.1%. Because of the high bandwidth of the linear regulator, it can reduce the harmonic content in the output current as well as reject the AC line disturbance.
A microprogrammable VLSI routing controller for HARTS

The design and implementation of a VLSI routing controller for use in the Hexagonal Architecture for Real-Time Systems (HARTS), which is currently being built, are presented. The routing controller is a microprogrammed unit designed to function as an intelligent front-end interface for the interconnection network. Unlike other routine controllers known to date, this routing controller allows for the flexibility to investigate several low-level routing algorithms by downloading the appropriate microcode into the routing controller. The design was carried out using the combination of Seattle Silicon Technology's silicon compiler and Mentor Graphic's schematic capture and simulation tools. The implementation is targeted for a 64-pin package using a 1.2- mu m CMOS process. >
Robust Analog Canceller for High-Dynamic-Range Radio Frequency Measurement

An automated analog canceller is presented that uses feedforward cancellation in a bridge configuration. A minimum of 70 dB of analog cancellation is obtained. The canceller is used to construct an intermodulation distortion measurement system achieving up to 120 dBc of intermodulation dynamic range in two-port transmission testing and 140 dBc of intermodulation dynamic range in one-port reflection testing for frequency separations of at least 1 kHz. At a two-tone frequency separation of 1 Hz, the respective dynamic ranges are at least 94 and 111 dBc. The relationship of cancellation performance and dynamic range is examined in terms of application-specific definitions of dynamic range. The system is then used to measure passive intermodulation distortion using a two-tone test with a tone frequency separation from 1 Hz to 100 MHz.