cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling daylight availability and irradiance components from direct and global irradiance

This paper presents the latest versions of several models developed by the authors to predict short time-step solar energy and daylight availability quantities needed by energy system modelers or building designers. The modeled quantities are global, direct and diffuse daylight illuminance, diffuse irradiance and illuminance impinging on tilted surfaces of arbitrary orientation, sky zenith luminance and sky luminance angular distribution. All models are original except for the last one which is extrapolated from current standards. All models share a common operating structure and a common set of input data: Hourly (or higher frequency) direct (or diffuse) and global irradiance plus surface dew point temperature. Key experimental observations leading to model development are briefly reviewed. Comprehensive validation results are presented. Model accuracy, assessed in terms of root-mean-square and mean bias errors, is analyzed both as a function of insolation conditions and site climatic environment.
Carboxyl terminal deletion analysis of tryptophan hydroxylase.

Abstract Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of serotonin and participates (in a non-rate-limiting fashion) in melatonin biosynthesis. In rabbit, TPH exists as a tetramer of four identical 51 007 dalton (444 amino acids) protein subunits. An intersubunit binding domain responsible for tetramer formation of TPH was identified by assessing the role of a carboxyl terminal leucine heptad and 4-3 hydrophobic repeat. These repeats are conserved in all of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and have been shown to be required for the assembly of tyrosine hydroxylase tetramers. Polymerase chain reaction was utilized to create three TPH carboxyl terminal deletions (C Δ 8, C Δ 12 and C Δ 17) that sequentially remove members of the leucine heptad and 4-3 hydrophobic repeat. Each deletion and full-length recombinant TPH was expressed in bacteria to obtain soluble enzyme extracts for subsequent activity and structural analysis. It was found that removal of 8, 12 or 17 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus of TPH did not significantly alter enzymatic activity when compared to full-length recombinant TPH. However, the macromolecular structure of the deletions was dramatically affected as determined by dimeric and monomeric profiles on size exclusion chromatography. It can be concluded that amino acids 428–444 (the C-terminal 17 amino acids) comprise an intersubunit binding domain that is required for tetramer formation of TPH, but that tetramer assembly is not essential for full enzymatic activity.
“Bow-Tie” mitral valve repair: An adjuvant technique for ischemic mitral regurgitation

Abstract Background . Current techniques of mitral valve repair rely on decreasing valve area to increase leaflet apposition, but fail to address subvalvular dysfunction. A novel repair has been introduced with partial left ventriculectomy, which apposes the anterior leaflet to a corresponding point on the posterior leaflet creating a double-orifice valve, with reported adequate control of mitral regurgitation. Methods . We started to use the "bow-tie" repair as an adjunct to posterior ring annuloplasty in cases in which mitral regurgitation was not adequately controlled by decreasing mitral valve area (n = 6), or when placement of an annuloplasty ring was impractical (n = 4). Mean follow-up was 336 days (range, 82 to 551 days) with no postoperative deaths. Results . Mitral regurgitation decreased from 3.6 ± 0.5 to 0.8 ± 0.4 ( p p = 0.0156) before hospital discharge. Mitral valve area, measured by pressure half-time, decreased from a mean of 2.5 ± 0.3 to 2.1 ± 0.3 cm 2 , with a mean transvalvular gradient of 4.5 ± 2.0 mm Hg. In patients whose mitral valve was repaired using the bow-tie alone, mitral regurgitation was reduced from 4+, to a trace to 1+. Postoperatively, mitral valve area increased from 1.9 to 2.5 cm 2 during exercise, further supporting the concept that this technique preserves mitral valve annular function. Conclusions . These observations suggest that the bow-tie repair may offer advantages over conventional techniques of mitral valve repair and should be considered as an adjunct, especially in patients with impaired left ventricular function.
Effects of steady state adiabatic convection on the configuration of the near-Earth plasma sheet, 2

Convection in the plasma sheet is studied using two new two-dimensional, force-balanced magnetospheres that satisfy pV exp 5/3 = constant in the inner and middle plasma sheet. It is confirmed that there exists a substantial set of steady state adiabatic solutions. Like a previously obtained steady state solution, each of these models exhibit a broad minimum in equatorial magnetic field strength B(ze) tailward of the inner edge region between 10 and 20 R(E), but they possess higher values of flux tube content pV exp 5/3 and thus have more stretched tidal configurations and smaller minimum values of B(ze) than those in the original model. A steady state magnetic field model in which B(ze)/B(lobe) at 36 R(E) geocentric distance is close to the observed value has been constructed. The results indicate that the B(ze) minimum tends to form within the Alfven layers. The broader the Alfven layers, the less pronounced the minimum.
Why is Conventional ATPG Not Sufficient for Advanced Low Power Designs

Designs using advanced low power techniques like Multi- Supply Multi-Voltage and Power Shutoff bring with them a new set of challenges that manufacturing test must deal with carefully. These designs have low power components – isolation cells, retention flops, level shifters, power switches, etc., – that must be tested not only structurally but also addressing their behavior across multiple power modes. This paper describes the challenges in testing the key low power components and proposes novel solutions. The defective behavior of state retention logic is modeled to enable fault grading. ATPG modeling of defective behavior of isolation logic and level shifters is described for designs that support multiple supply voltages and power shutoff. The solutions are supported by experimental results on industrial designs.
Effect of Dietary Thiamin Supplementation on Milk Production by Dairy Cows

We conducted three experiments to determine the effects of dietary thiamin supplementation on milk production by dairy cows. In trial 1, 28 Holstein cows were blocked by parity and assigned randomly to either placebo or thiamin top-dress for the 8-wk experiment to provide a supplemental thiamin intake of 0 or 150 mg/d per cow. Within each of these groups, cows were further assigned randomly to two total mixed rations (TMR) for 4 wk, with the TMR treatments then reversed for a second 4-wk experimental period. Milk yield was 2.7 kg/d higher for thiamin-supplemented cows. Yields of milk fat and protein were increased 0.13 and 0.10 kg/ d, respectively, by dietary thiamin supplementation. In trial 2, 20 multiparous Holstein cows were used in a crossover design with 4-wk periods. Placebo or thiamin premixes were added to TMR to provide an approximate daily supplemental thiamin intake of 0 or 300 mg/cow. Milk and protein yields tended to be 0.7 and 0.04 kg/d higher, respectively, for thiamin-supplemented cows. In trial 3, 16 multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square with 21-d periods. Placebo or thiamin premixes were added to TMR to provide an approximate daily supplemental thiamin intake of 0 or 300 mg/cow. Dry matter intake tended to be 0.8 kg/d lower for thiamin-supplemented cows. Milk fat percentage tended to be 0.18 percentage units lower and fat yield was 0.08 kg/d lower for thiamin-supplemented cows. Thiamin supplementation tended to increase milk and component production when dietary concentrations of neutral and acid detergent fiber were lower and nonfiber carbohydrate was higher than recommended.
Two optimized combination assays to examine apoptosis pathways in clinical samples.

Background: A consequence of a number of diseases is an alteration in apoptosis. Currently, there is no single assay that measures the main stages of apoptosis, requiring that multiple assays be performed. This hinders studies on clinical samples that have limited cell numbers. Our objective was to combine and optimize assays that target specific stages of apoptosis for use in a typical clinical blood sample. Methods: Two flow cytometric assays were developed for use on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) collected in two 8-ml tubes from a single draw. One measures caspase-12 activity, the level of active caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation. The second assesses depolarization of the mitochondria and phosphatidylserine externalization. Cell populations present within the samples were determined by flow cytometry. Apoptosis was validated by ELISA. Results: Each assay was optimized for use with cell numbers and sample volumes typical of clinical blood samples. Each combination assay effectively distinguished apoptotic from nonapoptotic blood cells. Conclusions: This combined optimized method comprised of two independent assays makes it possible to assay the major pathways of apoptosis in addition to determining the blood cell subsets that are affected. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Comparison of the Eulerian and Lagrangian methods for predicting particle transport in enclosed spaces

The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods has been widely used in modeling particle transport and distribution in enclosed spaces. Generally, the particle models can be classified as either Eulerian or Lagrangian methods while each has its own pros and cons. This investigation is to compare the two modeling methods with an emphasis on their performance of predicting particle concentration distributions in ventilated spaces. Both the Eulerian and Lagrangian models under examination were performed based on the same airflow field calculated by solving the RANS equations with the k-e turbulence model. The numerical results obtained with the two methods were compared with the experimental data. The comparison shows that both of the methods can well predict the steady-state particle concentration distribution, while the Lagrangian method was computationally more demanding. The two models were further compared in predicting the transient dispersion of the particles from a coughing passenger in a section of airliner cabin. In the unsteady state condition, the Lagrangian method performed better than the Eulerian method.
Multianode Microchannel Array Detector Systems: Performance Characteristics

Multianode microchannel array detector systems with formats as large as 256 x 1024 pixels are currently under evaluation in the laboratory. Performance data recorded with sealed ultraviolet and visible-light detector tubes have shown that the detector systems have unique characteristics that make them complementary to photoconductive ar-ray detectors, such as charge-coupled devices, and superior to alter-native pulse-counting detector systems employing high-gain microchannel plates.
Cellular Fatty-Acid Analysis of Bacillus thuringiensis Var. kurstaki Commercial Preparations

Cellular fatty acid (CFA) composition of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) preparations was determined by use of the MIDI Sherlock microbial identification system on a Hewlett-Packard 5890 gas chromatograph. Four commercial preparationsone Btk sample obtained from the U.S. Forest Service, one Btk sample obtained from Dugway Proving Ground, and Btk and Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) preparations obtained from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC)were analyzed and evaluated. This study demonstrated the capability to detect the strain variation in the bacterial species Btk and to clearly differentiate strain variants on the basis of qualitative and quantitative differences in hydrolyzable whole CFA compositions in the preparations examined. We conclude that CFA analysis may be used to identify commercial products but that a more intensive study would be required to evaluate the potential of CFA to provide an inexpensive screening tool applicable to several levels of isolate or produ...
A higher symmetry crystal structure for apatite compounds

The room temperature structure (P63/m) of apatite compounds can be viewed as a distortion from a higher symmetry structure having space group P63/mcm. The distortion has a (+) or (−) sense corresponding to observed twinning in Cd5(PO4)3Cl. A specific high symmetry structure is obtained by taking the half way positions in switching from (+) to (–) domains. Energy considerations are made which (1) predict that the structure of microcrystals is closer to the high symmetry phase than larger samples and (2) explain why twinning of this sort is more likely in Cd5(PO4)3Cl than Ca5(PO4)3F. Finally, the transition from high to low symmetry is discussed in terms of a „frozen in” soft phonon of the high symmetry phase. It is shown that the soft mode must have A2g symmetry.
A novel design of short-seeking control for hard disk drives

This paper discusses short seeking control for a hard disk drive with voice coil motor (VCM). A novel design method is proposed based on the track following control and initial value adjustment (IVA). Initial value adjustment, which adjusts the initial values of the track-following controllers for short seeking, makes the use of the feedforward controller and reference trajectory unnecessary. The proposed design also takes into consideration the compromise between speed and overshoot in short seeking when seeking distance becomes longer by using a two-stage IVA scheme: (1) In the first stage (when the read/write head is far away from the target track), the integral action of the track following controller is inactivated and IVA is designed to yield a high-speed seeking; (2) In the second stage (when the head approaches the target track), the integral action is switched on, and IVA is designed to produce a fast and smooth response without overshoot. A design example verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Theory of Viscous Elasticity

Earlier we examined the modifications of classical elasticity theory that arise when thermal effects are included in the formulation. We now proceed to consider briefly the corresponding modifications that result when viscous effects are included. These effects arise because the resistance to deformation of certain solids, called viscoelastic solids, is found to depend not only on the amount of elastic deformation, but also on the manner in which the deformation is produced. They are generally of minor importance in the deformation of common structural metals and alloys but have considerable significance when modern materials such as soft plastics or other polymers are considered.
Efficient software model checking of soundness of type systems

This paper presents novel techniques for checking the soundness of a type system automatically using a software model checker. Our idea is to systematically generate every type correct intermediate program state (within some finite bounds), execute the program one step forward if possible using its small step operational semantics, and then check that the resulting intermediate program state is also type correct--but do so efficiently by detecting similarities in this search space and pruning away large portions of the search space. Thus, given only a specification of type correctness and the small step operational semantics for a language, our system automatically checks type soundness by checking that the progress and preservation theorems hold for the language (albeit for program states of at most some finite size). Our preliminary experimental results on several languages--including a language of integer and boolean expressions, a simple imperative programming language, an object-oriented language which is a subset of Java, and a language with ownership types--indicate that our approach is feasible and that our search space pruning techniques do indeed significantly reduce what is otherwise an extremely large search space. Our paper thus makes contributions both in the area of checking soundness of type systems, and in the area of reducing the state space of a software model checker.
Shale Fracturing for Energy Recovery: Current Issues and Review of Available Analytical and Computational Models

The paper reviews some of the major scientific challenges faced in the field of non-conventional energy production. Particular attention is given to shale rocks, in which the production of hydrocarbons involves hydraulic fracturing, fracture connectivity, multiphase flow, and reactive-transport. In regard to these problems, the paper describes a series of analytical and computational models to study fracturing in quasi-brittle solids and capture failure events in multi-phase geomaterials subjected to simultaneous changes in stress state, fluid pressure, moisture content, thermal and chemical conditions. Advantages and limitations of the different techniques are discussed, setting a vision for a new generation of multi-scale/multi-physical models for shale that can be used to support the optimization of the extraction processes, as well as to address industrial needs and mitigate the risks of environmental hazards, groundwater contamination and induced seismicity.
Triple arrays and related designs

We consider a problem posed by Donald Preece more than 30 years ago. Let S be a set of 35 distinct elements. Construct a 7x15 rectangular array A, each of whose entries is a member of S, with no symbol repeated in any row or column, with the following properties: (P1)each symbol occurs precisely three times in the array; (P2)any two distinct rows contain precisely five common symbols; (P3)any two distinct columns contain precisely one common symbol; (P4)any row and any column contain precisely three common symbols. We shall present a solution, survey related work, and look toward further problems.
Bone growth into porous high-density polyethylene.

The purpose of this study was to delineate the process by which bone comes to fill the pores of porous high-density polyethylene (PHDPE) implants. PHDPE (450μ pore size) pellets 4 mm in diameter and 1 cm long were implanted into the femurs of dogs. A bone biopsy procedure was utilized to obtain PHDPE pellets implanted for periods of 3 days through 8 weeks. A one-year biopsy specimen taken from the PHDPE coating on the stem of a canine total-hip prosthesis was also studied. The results demonstrated that significant amounts of bone formed within the PHDPE pellets as early as 14 days after implantation. Bone was identified throughout the specimens after 4 weeks. After 6 weeks, the tissue in the implants consisted of well-developed lamellar bone spicules and healthy hematopoietic marrow. Scanning electron microscopy was utilized in conjunction with light microscopy and microradiography to study the ultrastructural features of the bone ingrowth process.
Uncertainties of Temperature Measurements on Snow-Covered Land and Sea Ice from In Situ and MODIS Data during BROMEX

AbstractThe Bromine, Ozone, and Mercury Experiment (BROMEX) was conducted in March and April of 2012 near Barrow, Alaska, to investigate impacts of Arctic sea ice reduction on chemical processes. During BROMEX, multiple sensors were deployed to measure air and surface temperature. The uncertainties in temperature measurement on snow-covered land and sea ice surfaces were examined using in situ data and temperature measurements that were derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and are part of the Terra and Aqua ice-surface temperature and land-surface temperature (LST) standard data products. Following an ~24-h cross-calibration study, two Thermochrons (small temperature-sensing devices) were deployed at each of three field sites: a sea ice site in the Chukchi Sea, a mixed-cover site, and a homogeneous tundra site. At each site, one Thermochron was shielded from direct sunlight and one was left unshielded, and they were placed on top of the snow or ice. The best agreement bet...
Analysis and simulation of a new algorithm for spotlight-mode synthetic aperture radar

An algorithm was proposed for computer-aided tomography and spotlight-mode synthetic aperture radar in a recent work by W. Lawton (IEEE Trans. Acoust., Speech, and Signal Process, vol.36, p.933-971, June 1988). This processing scheme assumes that Fourier transform samples of the projections obtained lie on a concentric-squares polar grid. The spatial-domain image is produced through a series of convolutions and DFTs (discrete Fourier transforms), all performed using FFTs (fast Fourier transforms). The algorithm requires O(N/sup 2/logN) operations to produce an N*N image and is made possible by the geometry of the concentric-squares polar grid. The present authors more completely describe the Lawton algorithm and derive a closed-form, approximate expression for its impulse response for the case of spotlight-mode synthetic aperture radar. A formula is given for the exact number of multiplications required by the algorithm, and a set of simulated point target responses is given to help assess the image quality provided by the algorithm. >
Two alleles of a developmentally regulated alpha-tubulin locus in Physarum polycephalum replicate on different schedules.

Abstract The replication timing of a pair of natural alleles was compared at two alpha-tubulin loci of the Physarum plasmodium. Taking advantage of the naturally synchronous cell cycle of nuclei within the syncytial plasmodium, we analyzed the replication schedule of specific DNA fragments to a resolution of 10-min intervals within a 3-h S phase. At this level of resolution, differences in replication timing between polymorphic alleles at the same locus can be detected in a heterozygote. Specifically, the 3' region of the altA1 allele completes replication at between 20 and 40 min of S phase. The same region of the altA2 allele completes replication at between 40 and 80 min of S phase. In contrast, both alleles at the altB locus replicate concurrently within the first 10 to 15 min of S phase. Previous studies showed that both altA and altB are expressed in the plasmodium, their message levels peaking at mitosis, just minutes before the onset of S phase. However, altB message is detected at substantially higher levels than altA message on Northern (RNA) blots. The temporal windows over which the altA alleles each replicate are very broad in comparison with the levels of mitotic synchrony and altB replication synchrony in a single plasmodium. The allele-specific replication schedule of the altA locus demonstrates that the temporal organization of replicons is not strictly conserved between homologous chromosomes.
A Chipless RFID Sensor System for Cyber Centric Monitoring Applications

A chipless RF identifiction (RFID) sensor system platform consisting of passive chipless RFID sensor tags and specialized reader has been developed for cyber centric monitoring applications. The sensor tags are fabricated on a flexible substrate, and the tag identification (ID) generation circuit consists of microstrip transmission lines. Two tag configurations are presented. The first configuration (conf-I) consists of an antenna and an integrated sensor. The second configuration (conf-II) consists of an antenna, ID generation circuit, and a sensor. The specialized reader system, consisting of an analog reader section and an on-board computer system, communicates with the sensor tags using load modulated backscattered communication techniques, at 915-MHz carrier signal. The reader, receiving the ID code generated by a tag, constructs it into a standardized RFID data frame, suitable for cyberspace information exchange. The developed system has been tested for wireless monitoring of ethylene gas. Using a conf-I tag, demodulated voltage change of 3.05 mV is observed at the reader, when the ethylene gas concentration changes from 0 to 100 ppm. The presented conf-II tag prototype allows generation of eight different ID codes and an average of 26.51deg/pF phase change in the backscattered signal, when the load capacitance (sensor) of the tag changes between 1-5 pF.
Absence of the CAAX Endoprotease Rce1: Effects on Cell Growth and Transformation

After isoprenylation, the Ras proteins and other CAAX proteins undergo two additional enzymatic modifications—endoproteolytic release of the last three amino acids of the protein by the protease Rce1 and methylation of the carboxyl-terminal isoprenylcysteine by the methyltransferase Icmt. This postisoprenylation processing is thought to be important for the association of Ras proteins with membranes. Blocking postisoprenylation processing, by inhibiting Rce1, has been suggested as a potential approach for retarding cell growth and blocking cellular transformation. The objective of this study was to develop a cell culture system for addressing these issues. We generated mice with a conditional Rce1 allele (Rce1flox) and produced Rce1flox/flox fibroblasts. Cre-mediated excision of Rce1 (thereby producing Rce1Δ/Δ fibroblasts) eliminated Ras endoproteolytic processing and methylation and caused a partial mislocalization of truncated K-Ras and H-Ras fusion proteins within cells. Rce1Δ/Δ fibroblasts grew more slowly than Rce1flox/flox fibroblasts. The excision of Rce1 also reduced Ras-induced transformation, as judged by the growth of colonies in soft agar. The excision of Rce1 from a Rce1flox/flox skin carcinoma cell line also significantly retarded the growth of cells, and this effect was exaggerated by cotreatment of the cells with a farnesyltransferase inhibitor. These studies support the idea that interference with postisoprenylation processing retards cell growth, limits Ras-induced transformation, and sensitizes tumor cells to a farnesyltransferase inhibitor.
SecGraph: a uniform and open-source evaluation system for graph data anonymization and de-anonymization

In this paper, we analyze and systematize the state-of-the-art graph data privacy and utility techniques. Specifically, we propose and develop SecGraph (available at [1]), a uniform and open-source Secure Graph data sharing/publishing system. In SecGraph, we systematically study, implement, and evaluate 11 graph data anonymization algorithms, 19 data utility metrics, and 15 modern Structure-based De-Anonymization (SDA) attacks. To the best of our knowledge, SecGraph is the first such system that enables data owners to anonymize data by state-of-the-art anonymization techniques, measure the data's utility, and evaluate the data's vulnerability against modern De-Anonymization (DA) attacks. In addition, SecGraph enables researchers to conduct fair analysis and evaluation of existing and newly developed anonymization/DA techniques. Leveraging SecGraph, we conduct extensive experiments to systematically evaluate the existing graph data anonymization and DA techniques. The results demonstrate that (i) most anonymization schemes can partially or conditionally preserve most graph utilities while losing some application utility; (ii) no DA attack is optimum in all scenarios. The DA performance depends on several factors, e.g., similarity between anonymized and auxiliary data, graph density, and DA heuristics; and (iii) all the state-of-the-art anonymization schemes are vulnerable to several or all of the modern SDA attacks. The degree of vulnerability of each anonymization scheme depends on how much and which data utility it preserves.
New Evidence on Charitable Gift Restrictions

Gift restrictions are a common tool used by donors to ensure charitable intent. Due to increased monitoring costs and the loss of flexibility, gift restrictions are costly to the recipient nonprofit. Using an economic experiment, we study the impact of offering donors the option to restrict their charitable gift. Our primary finding demonstrates that allowing the option to restrict a charitable gift increases the average gift size, whether or not the donor chooses to exercise that option. This result implies that restricted gifts are both an important tool for increasing donations and may be less costly to the nonprofit than originally thought. We further demonstrate that high levels of religious attendance are associated with an increased use of gift restrictions and an increased responsiveness to those restrictions.
Minimum Unit Stream Power and Fluvial Hydraulics

Fluvial hydraulics is complex because the velocity, slope, depth, and channel roughness are all subject to change. The unit stream power, defined as the rate of potential energy expenditure per unit weight of water, required to transport a given sediment load is sensitive to water depth when the sediment concentration is low. The interdependence between unit stream power and water depth decreases as sediment concentration increases. A computer program is used to generate different combinations of velocity, slope, depth, and unit stream power for a given sediment load. The generated unit stream power in the lower flow regime either has a clear minimum value at a particular depth or approaches a minimum value for a given sediment load. These agreements suggest that an alluvial channel in the lower flow regime adjusts its velocity, slope, depth, and roughness in such a manner that a given sediment load can be transported with the minimum amount of unit stream power.
Transition From Inclined to In-Plane 60° Misfit Dislocations in a Diffuse Interface

Despite tremendous activity during the last few decades in the study of strain relaxation in thin films grown on substrates of a dissimilar material, there are still a number of problems which are unresolved. One of these is the nature of misfit dislocations forming at the film/substrate interface: depending on the misfit, the dislocations constituting the interfacial network have predominantly either in-plane or inclined Burgers vectors. While, the mechanisms of formation of misfit dislocations with inclined Burgers vectors are reasonably well understood, this is not the case for in-plane misfit dislocations whose formation mechanism is still controversial. In this paper, misfit dislocations generated to relax the strains caused by diffusion of boron into silicon have been investigated by plan-view and crosssectional transmission electron microscopy. The study of different stages of boron diffusion shows that, as in the classical model of Matthews, dislocation loops are initially generated at the epilayer surface. Subsequently the threading segments expand laterally and lay down a segment of misfit dislocation at the diffuse interface. The Burgers vector of the dislocation loop is inclined with respect to the interface and thus the initial misfit dislocations are not very efficient. However, as the diffusion proceeds, non-parallel dislocations interact and give rise to product segments that have parallel Burgers vectors. Based on the observations, a model is presented to elucidate the details of these interactions and the formation of more efficient misfit dislocations from the less-efficient inclined ones.
Prostate MRI: a national survey of Urologist's attitudes and perceptions.

Introduction The use of multi-parametric (MP) MRI to diagnose prostate cancer has been the subject of intense research, with many studies showing positive results. The purpose of our study is to better understand the accessibility, role, and perceived accuracy of MP-MRI in practice by surveying practicing urologists. Materials and Methods Surveys were sent to 7,400 practicing American Urological Association member physicians with a current email address. The survey asked demographic information and addressed access, accuracy, cost, and role of prostate MRI in clinical practice. Results Our survey elicited 276 responses. Respondents felt that limited access and prohibitive cost of MP-MRI limits its use, 72% and 59% respectively. Academic urologists ordered more MP-MRI studies per year than those in private practice (43.3% vs. 21.1%; p<0.001). Urologists who performed more than 30 prostatectomies a year were more likely to feel that an MP-MRI would change their surgical approach (37.5% vs. 19.6%, p-value=0.002). Only 25% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that MP-MRI should be used in active surveillance. For patients with negative biopsies and elevated PSA, 39% reported MP-MRI to be very useful. Conclusions Our study found that MP-MRI use is most prominent among practitioners who are oncology fellowship-trained, practice at academic centers, and perform more than 30 prostatectomies per year. Limited access and prohibitive cost of MP-MRI may limit its utility in practice. Additionally, study participants perceive a lack of accuracy of MP-MRI, which is contrary to the recent literature.
Case 233: Blastomycosis

A rare infection that can affect multiple organ systems is blastomycosis, a fungal disease endemic to the Great Lakes, Southeast, and South Central regions of the United States along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Improvement in sensitivity of novel magnetic sensor using Y-Ba-Cu-O ceramic superconductor film

The authors report an improvement in the sensitivity of a magnetic sensor made of high-T/sub c/ ceramic superconductor. The sensitivity is discussed in connection with the noise measurement of a film element. It is believed that a high sensitivity comparable to that of a high-T/sub c/ SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) utilizing ceramic materials can be obtained with the present magnetoresistive superconductive element. The magnetic field dependence of the electric resistance of the element at 77 K is shown. The sensitivity as a function of the current is compared for various elements. It is found that the sensitivity of this element is about 100000 times higher than that of a bulk element reported last year. The magnetoresistance at low magnetic field is attributed to the weak couplings between superconductive grains in a ceramic semiconductor. Thus the ceramic superconductor is considered to be a multiconnected Josephson network. The noise is mainly due to the presence of trapped magnetic flux. The reduction of the noise for parallel magnetic field implies the elimination of the trapped flux. Noise measurements are also reported. >
Numerical investigation of the water entry of cylinders without and with spin

We consider the water entry of horizontal cylinders with vertical impact velocity, either kept constant or freely falling, without and with spin, into quiescent water under the effect of gravity. We focus on the flow and cavity forming stages with non-dimensional submergence time , Froude numbers , spin ratios and mass ratios , all of . We develop numerical simulations using a modified smoothed particle hydrodynamics method to obtain predictions for the impact kinematics and dynamics. These are in detailed agreement with available experiments. We elucidate the evolutions of the free surface, contact point positions, flow field, forces and trajectories and their dependence on , and . We define and quantify the contact point location as a function of , clarifying the qualitative difference between sub- and supercritical and the observed absence of air-entrained trailing cavities at low . By subtracting the buoyancy associated with , we show that, unlike the total drag, the remaining dynamic components are qualitatively similar for all . For a freely falling cylinder, we show that the total drag can be predicted from the constant velocity case with the same instantaneous velocity, providing a simple way to predict its trajectory based on the latter. The presence of spin results in lift, even when the asymmetry in is small. For fixed , lift increases with subcritical . For a freely falling cylinder, the lateral motion causes an appreciable asymmetry in and a reduction in lift.
Reliability of glutamate and GABA quantification using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The consistency and reliability of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) assessments of neurotransmitter concentration has not been widely examined over multiple days. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of glutamate and GABA measures using a single-voxel 1H-MRS protocol in healthy men and women. Glutamate and GABA quantitations were obtained from the primary motor cortex (M1) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in 13 healthy individuals across 3 data collection sessions, including a baseline (Visit 1), 2-week (Visit 2), and 2-month time point (Visit 3). Glutamate concentrations were similar across visits in M1 (p=0.72) and the DLPFC (p=0.52). Reliability across days was excellent in M1 (R=0.93), and in the DLPFC (R=0.99). GABA concentrations were similar across visits in M1 (p=0.44) and in the DLPFC (p=0.59). Reliability of GABA concentration across days was excellent in M1 (R=0.93), and in the DLPFC (R=0.97). 1H-MRS is a reliable method for quantifying glutamate and GABA concentration in M1 and the DLPFC in humans.
Almost Output Regulation of LFT Systems Via Gain-Scheduling Control

Output regulation of general uncertain systems is a meaningful yet challenging problem. In spite of the rich literature in the field, the problem has not yet been addressed adequately due to the la...
Letter by Murray and Barrow Regarding Article, “Trends in Recruitment Rates for Acute Stroke Trials, 1990–2014”

The article by Feldman et al1 discussing trends and difficulties in recruitment for stroke trials was read with a great deal of interest. Although difficulties of recruitment into stroke trials are multifactorial, there has been a shift from academic to nonacademic, mostly Primary Stroke Centers as the front line of acute stroke care. Historically, clinical trials have been almost exclusively conducted at large academic medical …
Theoretical perspectives of traumatic stress and debriefings.

This chapter examines theoretically the concept of psychological debriefings as forms of intervention following exposure to traumatic stressors. It presents a critical event matrix analysis of psychological debriefings, i.e. a set of factors that can be placed into a conceptual matrix to identify the mechanisms, processes and factors germane to understanding the potential effects of debriefings and various types of intervention. A complex theoretical model of debriefings must specify the quantitative and qualitative differences between events requiring debriefings and how the nature of the traumatic event, in a sense, dictates the targeted interventions that may be required to aid those in need of assistance, either as a direct victim or as a responder. Understanding the applications and utility of conducting interventions after traumatic events will broaden the spectrum of knowledge and make informed choice possible for the greatest good for those who suffer from traumatic exposure.
Redesigning Go’s Built-In Map to Support Concurrent Operations

The Go language lacks built-in data structures that allow fine-grained concurrent access. In particular, its map data type, one of only two generic collections in Go, limits concurrency to the case where all operations are read-only; any mutation (insert, update, or remove) requires exclusive access to the entire map. The tight integration of this map into the Go language and runtime precludes its replacement with known scalable map implementations.This paper introduces the Interlocked Hash Table (IHT). The IHT is the result of language-driven data structure design: it requires minimal changes to the Go map API, supports the full range of operations available on the sequential Go map, and provides a path for the language to evolve to become more amenable to scalable computation over shared data structures. The IHT employs a novel optimistic locking protocol to avoid the risk of deadlock, and allows large critical sections that access a single IHT element, and can easily support multikey atomic operations. These features come at the cost of relaxed, though still straightforward, iteration semantics. In experimentation in both Java and Go, the IHT performs well, reaching up to 7× the performance of the state of the art in Go at 24 threads. In Java, the IHT performs on par with the best Java maps in the research literature, while providing iteration and other features absent from other maps.
The influence of CEO and CFO power on accruals and real earnings management

In this study, we examine the effect of CEO and CFO power on both accruals and real earnings management (AEM and REM, respectively), and the extent to which CEO and CFO power mitigate the effect of one another on AEM and REM. We further examine whether the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) altered these effects. In the pre-SOX period, we find that AEM (REM) is greater when the CEO (CFO) is powerful relative to the CFO (CEO). In the post-SOX period, however, we find that the effect of relative CEO power on AEM subsides, whereas the effect of relative CFO power on REM persists. Additionally, we find evidence to suggest that powerful CFOs inhibit the AEM preferences of powerful CEOs in both the pre- and post-SOX periods. Finally, we find evidence to suggest that powerful CEOs inhibit the REM preferences of powerful CEOs in the pre-SOX period, but not in the post-SOX period. Collectively, our results suggest that the power of the CEO relative to the CFO is an important factor in the both the type and magnitude of earnings management.
Case Study: Health Care for the Poor and Underserved Populations in India

Ramesh, a 12-year-old male, is brought to a low-cost clinic by his parents in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala in South India. Ramesh has been suffering from severe asthma for several years. He appears younger and underdeveloped for his age. Ramesh’s parents had previously sought several doctors who repeatedly informed them that Ramesh has asthma. Ramesh’s parents had sold all their belongings to pay for his health care prior to this last visit. The family lives in a thatched-roof hut. His parents are in their early 30s; his father is the sole family breadwinner working as a day laborer.
Retrovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer to Tumors

Vectors derived from retroviruses have been widely studied as tools for gene transfer into mammalian tissue in vivo. One application for which retroviral vectors have received particular attention is gene transfer into tumor cells for treatment of cancer. Simple retroviruses, such as murine leukemia virus (MLV), and the vectors derived from them, require cell division for infection and thus possess a degree of inherent specificity for the rapidly dividing cells of neoplastic tissue. This unique property and the ease with which retroviral vectors are manipulated and produced have provided much of the impetus for their use in experimental and clinical cancer gene-therapy studies.
Non-Linear Far-Field Theories in Relaxing Gas Flows

In the introduction the small amplitude non-linear far-field theory for one-dimensional isentropic wave propagation is briefly reviewed. The extension to non-equilibrium situations is then discussed for both high frequency and low frequency disturbances and the limitations of these classical theories are examined. It is shown that a suitable small-energy approach can be used both to remove these limitations and to provide a simplified description over the whole frequency range.
V2V: Vector Embedding of a Graph and Applications

We present V2V, a method for embedding each vertex in a graph as a vector in a fixed dimensional space. Inspired by methods for word embedding such as word2vec, a vertex embedding is computed through enumerating random walks in the graph, and using the resulting vertex sequences to provide the context for each vertex. This embedding allows one to use well-developed techniques from machine learning to solve graph problems such as community detection, graph visualization, and vertex label prediction. We evaluate embeddings produced by V2V through comparing results obtained using V2V with results obtained through a direct application of a graph algorithm, for community detection. Our results show that V2V provides interesting trade-offs among computation time and accuracy.
Analysing the effect of uncertainty in airport surface operations

Designing efficient and robust automated planning and scheduling systems for complex logistics applications presents many challenges, especially if the executing environment is changing unpredictably. In this paper, we study the problem of planning and scheduling airport surface movement at large airports. We describe a fast-time simulation tool that is easily extensible to different scenarios and airports, and is capable of simulating uncertainty in the form of unexpected delays in aircraft movement at different locations. We also describe an approach to scheduling surface movement which is comprised of a deterministic 'rolling horizon' scheduler, paired with heuristic search based on conflict detection and resolution. We summarize a set of experiments designed to quantify the effects of uncertainty on the robustness of schedules and the incurred delays. The system developed is open sourced at https://github.com/heronyang/airport-simulation.
Behaviors Associated with Internet Use in Military Medical Students and Residents.

Introduction Problematic use of video games, social media, and Internet-related activities may be associated with sleep deprivation and poor work performance. The Internet Addiction Test was given to military medical and nursing students and housestaff to assess problematic Internet use. Methods Medical and nursing students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and residents from Naval Medical Center San Diego were contacted via email (n = 1,000) and given a survey that included the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and questions asking about other specific lifestyle variables. Individuals who received an Internet Addiction Score (IAS) ≥50 were identified as likely experiencing harmful effects of Internet addiction (IA). Results Of 399 surveys submitted, 68 were omitted due to gross incompletion or failing to finish the entirety of the IAT. Of the participants included, 205 (61.1%) were male and 125 (37.9%) were female. The mean age was 28.6 years old (S.D. = 5.1 years). In regards to training status, completed surveys were assessed for 94 medical residents, 221 School of Medicine students, and 16 Graduate School of Nursing students. Our survey showed 5.5% of the participants (n = 18) indicated problems with Internet use that are concerning for IA. Conclusions The study results indicated that our population showed problematic Internet use in the lower range of global estimates of IA. Rates of IA further decreased between medical students and residents. Multiple lifestyle variables were significantly associated with IA score and may serve as indicators of a higher score. Interestingly, the use of social media during sleeping hours was most significantly associated with increased IAS. This paper discusses IA among military medical and nursing trainees and how problematic Internet use may affect work performance and force readiness.
A Compact 3.9-4.7 GHz, 0.82 mW All-Digital PLL with 543 fs RMS Jitter in 28 nm CMOS

This paper presents an ultra-low power all-digital phase-locked loop (ADPLL) with 543 fs rms jitter. Fabricated in a commercial 28-nm CMOS technology, the ADPLL covers 3.95-to-4.685 GHz (17% fractional tuning range). Measured phase noise (PN) at 100 kHz, 1 MHz and 10 MHz offsets is -98.3, -104.1 and -126.5 dBc/Hz respectively (referenced to 4.6 GHz). Integrated PN of less than -36 dBc Single Side Band (SSB) was recorded for 10 kHz to 20 MHz integration range. The ADPLL consumes $572 {\mu} A$ from a 0.8V analog supply and $400 {\mu} A$ from a 0.9 V digital supply, for a total power consumption of 0.82 mW. The ADPLL occupies an active area of less than 0.105 mm2.