cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vivo kinematics of deep lunges and sit-to-stand activities in patients with bicruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty.

Aims The removal of the cruciate ligaments in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been suggested as a potential contributing factor to patient dissatisfaction, due to alteration of the in vivo biomec...
Investigation on the measles antibody level in healthy population in Xicheng district, Beijing

Objective To identify the level of measles antibody in healthy population,and provide scientific immunization strategy for the elimination of measles.Methods The subjects who had been living for over 6 months in Beijing were recruited for this study.Pps sample method was used to select 220 objects from 10 age groups.Demographic characteristics,vaccine immunization were investigated by questionnaire.The measles IgG antibody was measured by ELISA assay.Results Positive rate against measles antibody was 85.91％.Median of antibody was 976 IU · l-1.Positive rate and median of measles antibody were significantly different between population from different age groups(x2 =42.39,P ＜0.01 ;H =38.84,P ＜0.01).Antibody positive rate and median were lowest in the ＜ 8 month age group,which were separately 21.43％,120 IU · l-1 ;and highest in the 1-4,5-9 and ＞40 year age group,their positive rate all reach 95.45％ and median were separately 3059 IU · l-1,2099 IU · l-1,2308 IU · l-1.The range of antibody positive rate and median in other year group were 72.73％ ～95.45％ and 512 ～ 1679 IU · l-1,respectively.Antibody positive rate and median in population without vaccination history were lower than those population with vaccination history and people whose history unknown.The difference showed statistical significance (x2 =28.73,P ＜ 0.01 ;H =1.56,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions Among the persistent population in Beijing,measles antibody level among the children ag(1-9 years old) was high enough to prevent outbreak and epidemic of measles.However,we should try our best to strengthen the measles antibody level among the babies younger than 8 month and population aging between 15 and 40 years old. Key words: Measles; Antibody; Vaccines; Immunity
The Effect of Fear, Threat, and Trust Among Voters in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: An Abstract

The 2016 United States’ presidential election has been deemed “An Election like No Other” and could be characterized as the ultimate insider, Clinton, versus the ultimate outsider, Trump. This research, utilizing data (n = 375 likely voters) collected one week prior to the presidential election, finds that the brand image of a presidential candidate is formed through the dynamics of threat/fear and political trust. Trump tapped into a general belief that people do not trust the government, and the government is not working for them. He stated that government was broken and that he was the person who could fix it. The lack of a relationship between trust in the government and evaluation of Clinton as a candidate means that she was unable to establish a relationship between all the good government does for people and support for her candidacy. Trump avoided any negative feelings of political cynicism, which can be attributed to his “outsider” status in the minds of voters. He also understood the level of political cynicism in the country would be directed toward an experienced politician. It was found that voters’ levels of nostalgia, belief in equal rights for immigrants, free-trade resentment, and concerns over their financial future impacted their view of the political system. While voters’ trust in government and political cynicism impacted their perception of the image of the candidates, the opinion that immigration harms/benefits the country proved to be a significant and direct factor in evaluating the candidates.
Decentralized Filtering Adaptive Neural Network Control for Uncertain Switched Interconnected Nonlinear Systems

This article presents a novel decentralized filtering adaptive neural network control framework for uncertain switched interconnected nonlinear systems. Each subsystem has its own decentralized controller based on the established decentralized state predictor. For each subsystem, the nonlinear uncertainties are approximated by a Gaussian radial basis function (GRBF) neural network incorporated with a piecewise constant adaptive law, where the adaptive law will update adaptive parameters from the error dynamics between the host system and the decentralized state predictor by discarding the unknowns, whereas a decentralized filtering control law is derived to cancel both local and mismatched uncertainties from other subsystems, as well as achieve the local objective tracking of the host system. The achievement of global objective depends on the achievement of local objective for each subsystem. The matched uncertainties are canceled directly by adopting their opposite in the control signal, whereas a dynamic inversion of the system is required to eliminate the effect of the mismatched uncertainties on the output. By exploiting the average dwell time principle, the error bounds between the real system and the virtual reference system, which defines the best performance that can be achieved by the closed-loop system, are derived. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the decentralized filtering adaptive neural network control architecture by comparing against the model reference adaptive control (MRAC).
Assemblages of myxomycetes on subantarctic Macquarie Island and tropical Christmas Island

Christmas Island and Macquarie Island are two isolated islands of essentially the same size but providing very different environmental conditions for myxomycetes. The former is located in the tropics and the latter in the subantarctic. Surveys for myxomycetes carried out on Christmas Island in 2017 and Macquarie Island in 1995 yielded a total of 85 species. These data were published in two previous papers, but these papers did not consider the biogeographical distribution of all of the myxomycetes recorded from the two islands. Christmas Island and Macquarie Island share only nine species in common. Two of the 26 species recorded from Macquarie Island and one of the 68 species recorded Christmas Island were new to science.
Effects of metritis treatment strategies on health, behavior, reproductive, and productive responses of Holstein cows

Our objectives were to compare the effects of ceftiofur crystalline free acid (CCFA) and ampicillin trihydrate (AMP) treatments of cows diagnosed with metritis on uterine health, behavior, reproductive, and productive responses. A controlled randomized clinical trial was designed. Metritis was defined as vaginal discharge (VD) = 5 (fetid, watery, red/brown) within 21 d in milk (DIM) and rectal temperature (RT) <39.5°C, whereas VD = 5 and RT ≥39.5°C was defined as puerperal metritis. On the day of diagnosis (d 0), cows were paired by parity and severity of metritis (metritis vs. puerperal metritis) and assigned randomly to the AMP and CCFA treatments. Cows enrolled in the AMP (n = 308) treatment were moved to a nonsalable-milk pen, where they were treated once daily for 5 d, and were moved back to their original pen 72 h after the last treatment (d 7). Cows enrolled in the CCFA (n = 310) treatment remained in their original pen and received 2 treatments of CCFA, 72 h apart. Rectal temperature was measured daily from d 0 to 6 and on d 11. Vaginal discharge was evaluated on d 4, 6, and 11 to assess cure. Cure was defined as the absence of treatment with additional antimicrobial before experiment d 11, VD <5, and RT <39.5°C. Cows were examined at 28 ± 3 DIM for purulent VD (PVD) and at 35 ± 3 DIM for cytological endometritis. Pregnancy was diagnosed at 40 ± 3 and 60 ± 7 d after first and second artificial inseminations. Cure of metritis did not differ between treatments on d 11 (AMP = 64.6 ± 3.1, CCFA = 63.5 ± 3.1%). Cows treated with AMP had greater RT from experiment d 1 to 6 compared with cows treated with CCFA (AMP = 39.1 ± 0.02, CCFA = 39.0 ± 0.02°C). Cows in the AMP treatment had greater prevalence of PVD at 28 ± 3 DIM (AMP = 82.6 ± 2.3, CCFA = 74.4 ± 2.7%) and tended to have greater prevalence of cytological endometritis at 35 ± 3 DIM (AMP = 77.8 ± 6.2 vs. CCFA = 61.7 ± 7.5%) than CCFA-treated cows. Treatment did not affect the hazard of pregnancy among multiparous cows; however, among primiparous cows, CCFA treatment reduced the hazard of pregnancy and increased the median days to pregnancy (AMP = 145 vs. CCFA = 169 d). Finally, average daily milk yield up to 14 wk postpartum was not affected by treatment (AMP = 38.0 ± 0.4, CCFA = 37.5 ± 0.4 kg). We conclude from the current experiment that CCFA was more effective in reducing RT and improving uterine health of metritic cows; however, the improved hazard of pregnancy of primiparous cows treated with AMP is important and warrants further investigation.
The Design of Commercial Brokerage Agreements

This paper presents a novel view of brokerage contracts in commercial real estate. First, we show that commercial real estate brokerage compensation varies from simple at rate linear commissions to kinked commissions that offer greater incentives upon crossing certain price thresholds. Second, we relate commission types to property and market level factors and show that kinked commissions are associated with illiquidity at the time of sale. While past literature has focused on residential markets, this paper presents a new perspective of incentives in commercial real estate.
Force-Time History Assessment of a Generic Steel Vehicle Front Bumper and Crush Can Subjected to a Rigid Center Pole Impact

In this study, generic steel vehicle front bumper and crush cans (FBCC) were impacted against a rigid pole. The majority of studies regarding pole impact tests are related to full vehicle testing. There is a lack of studies regarding component level tests with FBCCs. Component level studies are important as vehicles utilize lighter-weight materials to vehicle structures in order to decrease weight. Computer aided models will then be helpful to assess performance of these structures. Thus, a novel component-level test procedure is valuable to aid in CAE correlation. A sled-on-sled testing method was used to conduct the tests. Two approaches were considered to assess force-time history, namely: direct force measurement and Newton’s second law. Applied impact force was directly measured by a load wall located behind the rigid pole. The load wall consisted of two uniaxial PCB 1204-03A load cells. Each load cell had a diameter of 6.06″ (153.9 mm) and load capacity of 50 klb (222 kN). A total of six accelerometers were used in the sled system. The off-axis accelerations of the sled-beam were also measured using a triaxial accelerometer system mounted on the left side of the beam. Two types of damped accelerometers were used in this study: Endevco 7264-2000 G piezoresistive and Measurement Specialties A40.
Native Nephrectomy with Renal Transplantation is Associated with a Decrease in Hypertension Medication Requirements for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Purpose: We assessed hypertensive control after native nephrectomy and renal transplantation in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.Materials and Methods: Blood pressure control was studied retrospectively in 118 patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease who underwent renal transplantation between 2003 and 2013. Overall 54 patients underwent transplantation alone (group 1) and 64 underwent transplantation with concurrent ipsilateral nephrectomy (group 2). Of these 64 patients 32 underwent ipsilateral nephrectomy only (group 2a) and 32 underwent eventual delayed contralateral native nephrectomy (group 2b). The number of antihypertensive drugs and defined daily dose of each antihypertensive was recorded at transplantation and up to 36-month followup.Results: Comparing preoperative to postoperative medications at 12, 24 and 36-month followup, transplantation with concurrent ipsilateral nephrectomy had a greater decrease in quantity (−1.2 vs −0.5 medications, p=0.008; −...
Duality and uniqueness of convex solutions to stationary Hamilton-Jacobi equations

Value functions for convex optimal control problems on infinite time intervals are studied in the framework of duality. Hamilton-Jacobi characterizations and the conjugacy of primal and dual value functions are of main interest. Close ties between the uniqueness of convex solutions to a Hamilton-Jacobi equation, the uniqueness of such solutions to a dual Hamilton-Jacobi equation, and the conjugacy of primal and dual value functions are displayed. Simultaneous approximation of primal and dual infinite horizon problems with a pair of dual problems on finite horizon, for which the value functions are conjugate, leads to sufficient conditions on the conjugacy of the infinite time horizon value functions. Consequently, uniqueness results for the Hamilton-Jacobi equation are established. Little regularity is assumed on the cost functions in the control problems, correspondingly, the Hamiltonians need not display any strict convexity and may have several saddle points.
English Judges and Roman Jurists: The Civilian Learning Behind England's First Case Law

This Article looks at a historical problem — the first use of case law by English royal justices in the thirteenth century — and makes it a starting point for thinking about the ways legal reasoning works in the modern common law. In the first Part of the Article, I show that, at its origin, the English justices’ use of decided cases as a source of law was inspired by the work civil and canon law scholars were doing with written authorities in the medieval universities. In an attempt to make the case that English law was on par with civil law and canon law, the justices and clerks of the royal courts began to treat cases as if they were the opinions of great jurists, to apply the same types of dialectical reasoning that were used in civil law discourse to those cases, and to work them into systems of authority. They used cases, as the modern common law does; but they used cases to create systems of the kind we usually associate with civil law. In the second Part of the Article, I turn to the modern common law and, using the methods of medieval case law as a mirror, show that the differences between civil law and common law reasoning are more perceived than real. American lawyers tend to view common law as flexible and creative, whereas they view civil law as ossified and hierarchical. This largely stems from the fact that common lawyers focus on the judicial opinion as the place where legal reasoning takes place. By integrating other texts, like the student outline and the restatement — which seek to create a harmonious system out of judicial opinions — into the picture of common law reasoning, I show that common law reasoning shares quite a bit in common with civil law reasoning.
8.02x Electricity and Magnetism MITx on edX Course Report - 2013 Spring

This report describes 8.02x: Electricity and Magnetism, one of the first 11 courses offered by MITx on edX, a platform for delivering massive open online courses (MOOCs). Offered in the Spring of 2013, 8.02x covers concepts in electromagnetism, and follows the second course in the MIT on-campus introductory physics sequence. This report describes the course structure, in terms of the number of basic e-text, auto-graded problems, and video components. Following a methodology established for analysis of the first 17 HarvardX and MITx courses (Ho et al, HarvardX and MITx: The first year of open online courses), course registrants are described in terms of viewed, explored, and certified sub-populations, together with demographics. The diversity of student activity in the course, and the persistence of student interactions with the courseware, are addressed. The report concludes with descriptions of special features in 8.02x, including the integration of animations and interactive simulations originally developed for MIT’s Technology Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) classroom.
The Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) Applied to the International Seismology Literature at VESIAC

An effort is being made by the VELA Seismic Information Analysis Center (VESIAC) to organize and index the international seismology literature in accordance with the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) system. Complete revision of UDC 550.34 Seismology schedules is underway with the assistante of a special committee formed by VESIAC. In addition, VESIAC is developing a computer retrieval technique designed to provide requestors with a comprehensive deep search of the indexed literature.
Thermal dissipation modeling in optical components modules for electrical power consumption optimization

In a semi-conductor optical amplifier (SOA) as in any other optical devices, the performances that can be reached is strongly dependent on the chip temperature. For example, the optical output power of a laser or the optical gain in a SOA is reduced when the temperature of the junction increases. This latter can be controlled or monitored thanks to a thermo-electronic cooler (or a Peltier element) and a thermistor. In this paper, we first have calculated the thermal resistance of various semiconductor structures such as buried or ridge waveguides lasers. We then calculate the Peltier consumption necessary to maintain a given temperature. The influence of the thermistor position as well as the module conception have been investigated in these calculation. The size of the different mechanical elements, the nature and thermal properties of the material use for the module fabrication have been found to play an important role in the thermal performance of the optical modules. The Peltier size is defined by maximizing its efficiency. It depends on the power to be dissipated as well as the temperature operation of the device. The latter depends on the performance expected by the optical devices. We discussed the optimization of the device structure associated to its packaging to find the best compromise between performance and electrical consumption. The trade-off found depends on the temperature at which the device operates as well as on the thermal power to be dissipated.
Results of a mass casualty incident simulation in an undergraduate nursing program

Background : Nurses in collaboration with fire rescuers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and doctors are often called to be first responders to world-wide disasters ranging from terrorist attacks to catastrophic weather events. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has established the need for disaster-preparedness education in baccalaureate nursing programs. Limited research has been conducted about the impact of utilizing simulation as an educational tool to prepare nursing students for disaster response. This paper presents the results of a simulation of a mass casualty incident utilizing low-fidelity and static manikins, as well as actors to play the role of victims, family members and news personnel. Methods : One hundred and seven students from traditional and accelerated second-degree programs participated in a simulation in the roles of victims as well as providers. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used to assess students ’ self-perceptions. Results : Statistically significant improvement in self-perceived knowledge, attitudes and skills was seen. Students who participated as victims or providers reported similar improvements. Conclusions : Well-designed and concise mass casualty incident simulation is a valuable educational tool that can be easily incorporated into nursing curricula, with students undertaking the role of either a victim or a provider.
New apparatus for magneto-optical trapping of francium

Summary form only given. We have constructed a new apparatus for on-line magneto-optical trapping of radioactive francium atoms at the Stony Brook Superconducting LINAC. An ion beam with an energy of /spl sim/100 MeV from the accelerator strikes a target of gold or isotopically enriched platinum mounted on the end of a tungsten rod. A heavy-ion fusion reaction [/sup 16,18/O(/sup 197/Au,xn) or /sup 19/F(/sup 198/Pt,xn)] selectively produces the isotopes /sup 208-212/Fr in the target room of the accelerator. The beam power and an auxiliary heater heat the target, allowing the francium to diffuse rapidly to the surface. The target ionizes the francium as it diffuses out. We then transport the francium as ions to a different room for subsequent neutralization and capture in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Since the transport system is electrostatic, it is mass independent, allowing us to transport any isotope of Fr or even other alkalis. We have delivered over 3/spl times/10/sup 6/ Fr/sec to a Faraday cup in front of the trap, and tests show greater than 90% transport efficiency from the target. A small constriction in the vacuum system separates the target and transport region from the trap, permitting differential pumping of the trap.
A multi-modal spoken dialog system for interactive TV

In this demonstration we present a novel prototype system that implements a multi-modal interface for control of the television. This system combines the standard TV remote control with a dialog management based natural language speech interface to allow users to efficiently interact with the TV, and to seamlessly alternate between the two modalities. One of the main objectives of this system is to make the unwieldy Electronic Program Guide information more navigable by the use of voice to filter and locate programs of interest.
Low IF demodulation for physiological pulse Doppler radar

Quadrature receivers are employed in Doppler radar vital sign sensing to overcome position sensitivity issue of single channel receivers. However, quadrature architecture adds to the complexity of the system, and any imbalance between the two channels can introduce significant error in measurements. Pulse Doppler radar single channel receiver is investigated for extracting physiological signals. A low intermediate frequency demodulation method is employed to retrieve the physiological information. This architecture can take advantage of the benefits of a quadrature receiver without having the complexity and issues of such a receiver. Different motion patterns generated with a mechanical target and a human subject are investigated for proof of concept. This is the first reported use of low IF demodulation for pulse transceiver architecture for Doppler radar physiological sensing.
Contact or Inheritance? Criteria for distinguishing internal and external change in genetically related languages

Several prominent scholars have recently doubted whether it is possible to differentiate borrowing from internal change, to the point that in some cases subgrouping is not feasible or is restricted (Dench, 2001; Dixon, 2001). Since a situation of prolonged and intense contact between closely related languages is very common, language contact and its results are a major problem if not a real hazard to historical linguistics. The main practical problem is how to differentiate internal changes, changes motivated by internal processes, from external changes, changes due to language contact, when the structure of the languages is so similar. In other words, how do we know which linguistic form is the source of the change: one of the attested languages, or the mother of both of them? In this paper, I suggest two preliminary criteria to isolate the source language in cases of contact: 1) the existence of intermediary stages, and 2) an even spread of the change across categories. I will show, using test cases from the Semitic language family that these criteria can help us distinguish between internal and external changes.
Critical Person-in-environment Transitions in Medical Education

This paper describes the transitions of students into medical school and from pre-clinical to clinical training. Intensive retrospective, introspective, and prospective interviews, rating scales, and written narratives were used to elicit students' experiences of difficulties and strategies adopted to overcome those difficulties and achieve their goals. The findings suggest that many students entering medical school are overwhelmed by the volume of work, much of which is perceived as irrelevant to their future roles as physicians. To cope with this difficulty they seek support from within, and outside of, the medical school. In some instances they lower their aspirations to do well academically. At the clinical level many students feel unprepared for clinical training activities and fear they will fail to meet patients' needs and/or will be criticized by peers and professors. Many of these students seek to preserve a sense of well-being by maintaining their health and relying on significant others for sup...
Highly Sensitive Quantitative PCR for the Detection and Differentiation of Pseudogymnoascus destructans and Other Pseudogymnoascus Species

White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that has decimated bat populations across eastern North America. Identification of the etiologic agent, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (formerly Geomyces destructans), in environmental samples is essential to proposed management plans. A major challenge is the presence of closely related species, which are ubiquitous in many soils and cave sediments and often present in high abundance. We present a dual-probe real-time quantitative PCR assay capable of detecting and differentiating P. destructans from closely related fungi in environmental samples from North America. The assay, based on a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) specific to P. destructans, is capable of rapid low-level detection from various sampling media, including sediment, fecal samples, wing biopsy specimens, and skin swabs. This method is a highly sensitive, high-throughput method for identifying P. destructans, other Pseudogymnoascus spp., and Geomyces spp. in the environment, providing a fundamental component of research and risk assessment for addressing this disease, as well as other ecological and mycological work on related fungi.
Integrated neural network: time frequency method for detection and classification

We present a neural network algorithm for the detection and classification of transients in noise. The algorithm is a feed-forward three layered network capable of training and testing in a single pass. It benefits from the use of a time-frequency representation that conveys temporal information about the signal. 1.
Engagement by design

The focus of this workshop is on the development of interfaces for long-term, voluntary use, spanning dozens, if not thousands, of interactions, and in which maintenance of user adherence to a desired interaction usage pattern is of primary interest. Domains in which these issues are important include: wellness applications, such as long-term exercise or diet promotion; web site "stickiness"; multi-session intelligent tutoring systems; and computer games. This one-day CHI'09 workshop brings together researchers from a wide spectrum of disciplines who share a common interest in finding theoretical frameworks, models, and design methodologies to support longitudinal HCI.
Reversed Reverse Remodeling Can Biomonitoring Solve the Clinical Conundrum of the 3Rs

In the course of managing patients with chronic heart failure (HF) because of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD; typically defined as an LV ejection fraction [EF] ≤40–50%), the goals of care include prescription of guideline-directed medical therapy with the achievement of target doses of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor II blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and β-adrenergic blockers (BBs).1 Each of these guideline-directed medical therapy agents has been associated with reduction in complications of HF, improving event-free survival in a broad range of studies, particularly when titrated to target doses; together with cardiac resynchronization therapy, this represents the best care that can be delivered for our patients with HF. Article see p 434 Underlying clinical improvement is LV reverse remodeling (LVRR), characterized by decreased LV dimensions, normalization of LV shape, and improvement in systolic function; LVRR may be achieved through the application of guideline-directed medical therapy, in particular higher-dose BB therapy, and LVRR is unmistakably accompanied by improved prognosis. For example, pooled results of 22 studies about the effects of carvedilol suggest an improvement in LVEF of 6.9% during a 30-week follow-up period; in a smaller number of studies, concordant effects on LV volumes from carvedilol were also observed, with −26.7 and −33.9 mL changes in end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes, respectively, during a similar follow-up period.2 Models examining the likelihood for favorable outcome after LVRR suggested that improved LVEF or reduced LV volumes powerfully portend improved outcomes.2 Although LVRR frequently occurs during addition and uptitration of HF therapy (and is among the most powerful benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy), the precise mechanisms underlying the structural improvement are not well understood. Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy generally experience the greatest structural improvement, raising the possibility of a reversal of inflammatory or other nonischemic processes that led to LV dysfunction …
Wound healing: ultrastructural aspects.

Abstract Skin, gingiva, and mucous membranes are stratified squamous epithelia that are continuously renewing systems in a steady state. 1 Under normal conditions, mitotic reproduction, differentiation, and desquamation are balanced in order to achieve the steady state. The end product of normal keratinization is a completely differentiated horny cell that contains filaments and matrix and is enclosed by a thickened plasma membrane. 2,3 When the epithelium is wounded, the steady state is disrupted and the cells acquire a new activity, that of migration. 4–8 Differentiation is altered, and the production of membrane-coating granules, keratohyalin granules, and a thickened plasma membrane is interrupted. This paper is concerned with the cellular activities and ultrastructural changes that take place in response to an incision wound, the reparative process, and the return of the covering epithelium to the orthokeratotic steady state.
Simultaneous adaptive localization of a wireless sensor network

A range-free approach for adaptive localization of un-localized sensor nodes employing a mobile robot with GPS is detailed. A mobile robot navigates through the sensor deployment area broadcasting its positional estimate and the uncertainty in its estimate. Distributed computationally-inexpensive, discrete-time Kalman Filters, implemented on each static sensor node, fuse information obtained over time from the robot to decrease the uncertainty in each node's location estimate. On the other hand, due to dead reckoning and other systematic errors, the robot loses positional accuracy over time. Updates from GPS and from the localized sensor nodes serve in improving the localization uncertainty of the robot. A Continuous-Discrete Extended Kalman Filter (CD EKF) running on the mobile robot fuses information from multiple distinct sources (GPS, various sensors nodes) for robot navigation. This two-part procedure achieves simultaneous localization of the sensor nodes and the mobile robot. Also presented is an adaptive localization strategy to navigate the mobile robot to the area of least localized sensor nodes. This ensures that the robot maneuvers to an area where the sensor nodes possess the largest uncertainty in location, so that it can maximize the usefulness of its positional information in best localizing the overall network.
Comparison of the solutions of a phase-lagging heat transport equation and damped wave equation

The phase-lagging equation (PLE) is a new heat conduction equation which is different from the traditional heat equation since there exists a time lag of the heat-flux vector, while the damped wave equation (DWE) is its first-order approximation. In this article, we study the difference between the solutions of the PLE and the DWE by investigating the solutions of a test problem. Results show that the level of the solution obtained by the PLE is smaller in magnitude than the one obtained by the DWE, and that the DWE is a good approximation to the PLE when the time lag is small.
Input impedance calculation for a cylindrical microstrip antenna fed by a microstrip line

We consider the problem of excitation of a cylindrical microstrip antenna fed by a cylindrical microstrip line. The problem has been solved by the moments method in the spatial domain using a new representation of the Green’s function. In the model proposed, a cylindrical microstrip line of finite length is attached to the patch and is considered as its part. The so-called lumped delta generator is chosen as the excitation source. At the first stage, current distributions on the patch and in the microstrip line are found by solution of the integral equation. Then using the well-known relations of the transmission-line theory and the equivalent-scheme method, we calculate the reflection coefficient in the microstrip line and the antenna input impedance. Patches of different shapes are discussed.
A direct current superconducting quantum interference device gradiometer with a digital signal processor controlled flux‐locked loop and comparison with a conventional analog feedback scheme

A double‐washer dc superconducting quantum interference device(SQUID)gradiometer with a flux‐locked loop (FLL) based on a digital signal processor (DSP) has been developed for biomagnetic applications. All of the analog electronics in the conventional FLL are replaced and implemented by the DSP except for the low‐noise field‐effect transistor preamplifier at the front end of the signal recovery components. The DSP performs the signal demodulation by synchronously sampling the recovered signals and applying the appropriate full wave rectification. The signals are then integrated, filtered, and applied to the output. At 4.2 K, the white flux noise of the gradiometer measured in a DSP FLL mode is about 4μΦ0/√Hz and the noise at 1 Hz is 13 μΦ0/√Hz. The corresponding noise levels in the gradiometer operated by the conventional FLL are 1.8 and 3μΦ0/√Hz. The poorer system performance in the DSP FLL compared to the analog FLL is mainly caused by the ambient field noise and interference signals picked up through the connecting cables. Additional noise is also added to the overall noise floor by the instruments employed in the DSP system in the present prototype setup. Further improvement in the noise characteristics and the dynamic behavior of the DSP SQUIDgradiometer is expected when a better configuration of DSP with the associated I/O devices is implemented. Additional improvements of the DSP programs are expected by incorporating higher‐order integration, adaptive control, and noise reduction schemes.
An ultra-sensitive electrochemical enzyme immunoassay for thyroid stimulating hormone in human serum

Abstract A sensitive heterogeneous electrochemical enzyme immunoassay has been developed for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) by modifying a commercially available two-site immunoenzymometric assay. p -Aminophenyl phosphate (PAPP) was used as the substrate of alkaline phosphatase, and hydrolysed to p -aminophenol (PAP). The amount of PAP produced from the assay was proportional to the amount of TSH in the sample. Detection of PAP was done by oxidative amperometry in a flow injection system. The working electrode was a glassy carbon electrode whose potential was held at +325 mV (vs Ag/AgCl). The amperometric detection of PAP required only 1 μl of sample (the range of linearity: 50.0 fmol-100 pmol PAP, the limit of detection: 10.9 fmol PAP). Intra-assay precision over the assay range of linearity (0.02–60 mIU l −1 or 0.02–60 pIU TSH) showed a maximum RSD of 8.0%, and a low detection limit of 0.01 mIU l −1 or 0.01 pIU TSH. The study also indicates that this two-site electrochemical enzyme immunoassay correlates well with the Bio-Rad's immunoradiometric assay currently used in our medical center ( r = 0.992, slope = 1.53, n = 43) and a highly sensitive immunochemiluminometric assay in the Nichols Institute ( r = 0.986, slope = 0.499, n = 23).
Origin Of Anorthosite in the Adirondacks and in general

The relationships of the Adirondack anorthosite and associated rocks have been reinvestigated. The order of intrusion is interpreted as anorthosite, gabbro, quartz-syenite, diabase, granite, diabase (Keeweenawan). The evidence is clear that gabbro and quartz-syenite form dikes in anorthosite, and it is believed that they also show evidences of chilling against anorthosite. The anorthosite-magma has given rise to profound pyrometasomatic replacements of limestone country rock of a type peculiar to it. The metamorphosed rocks are locally injected by quartz-plagioclase veinings related to the anorthosite. All the phenomena are consistent in indicating formation of the anorthosite through differentiation from a gabbroic anorthosite-magma with a distinct content of volatiles. The hypothesis of a rest-magma of the composition of the quartzsyenite on the one hand, squeezed out from an anorthositic fraction on the other, does not satisfy the requirements of the new data.
Interest-Rate Volatility, Basis Risk and Heteroscedasticity in Hedging Mortgages

This paper investigates the validity of the OLS regression to estimate the hedge ratio for mortgages (GNMA) and provides alternative methodologies. In particular, this paper is concerned with the variance structure (conditional and unconditional heteroscedasticities) and the misspecification (nonlinearities) of the simple linear regression model for direct as well as cross-hedging. Using data on spot prices of GNMA and futures prices of GNMAs and T-bills for the period September 1979 to January 1985, we show that there exists significant heteroscedasticity particularly for crosshedging, and nonlinearity between cash and futures prices for direct as well as cross-hedging. Alternative hedge ratio estimates are provided using the Box-Cox transformation model and an autoregressiv e conditional heteroscedastic (ARCH) Model.
Lymphocide: cytokines and the control of lymphoid homeostasis

In a human, about 1011 excess peripheral lymphocytes die every day. This death process maintains a constant lymphocyte population size in the face of a continuous influx of new lymphocytes and the homeostatic proliferation of old ones. Death is triggered when a lymphocyte fails to acquire signals from survival factors, the availability of which, therefore, determines the size of the pool of lymphocytes. A lymphocyte acquires survival signals through receptors for cytokines, antigens, hormones and probably other extracellular factors. Here, we discuss current concepts of the intracellular signalling pathways for survival versus death that establish cytokine-regulated lymphocyte homeostasis.
Is it natural to drive species to extinction

Whether or not extinction caused by human activities is natural depends on which sense of the term 'natural' is under consideration. Given one sense of that term which has some grip on the popular imagination, it is. This suggests that at a minimum environmentalists should be very careful about invoking 'the natural' and related concepts such as 'acting naturally' when they propose moral principles. I argue here for the stronger claim that the 'natural' is either redundant and serves to obscure more than it brings to light, or that it is bound up with a picture of the world which is false, and so theoretically useless. Thus 'the natural' can do no useful theoretical work in a completely developed environmental ethic.
Effect of adenoviral titer and instillation pressure on gene transfer efficiency to arterial and venous grafts ex-vivo

Objective: Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer to arterial and venous grafts has potential in the treatment of a number of vascular diseases. Despite widespread use of these vectors to mediate gene transfer to blood vessel walls, the optimal transduction conditions for each type of vessel has yet to be determined. Our objective was to study the effect of adenoviral titer and instillation pressure on efficiency of gene transfer to arterial and venous grafts ex-vivo. Methods: Jugular vein and carotid artery segments of 8 cm were harvested from Yorkshire Cross pigs. Tissue culture media or different titers of an adenoviral vector encoding human placental alkaline phosphatase (hpAP) were instilled into venous and arterial grafts at 0 mm Hg or 80 to 100 mm Hg of pressure and bathed externally in the same solution at 37° C for 30 minutes. The grafts were rinsed, opened longitudinally, and incubated in culture media at 37° C for 48 hours. Grafts were fixed and stained for hpAP transgene expression to quantitate percent luminal transduction or homogenized for alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity to determine total transmural transduction. Results: For venous grafts, the percent luminal area stained for hpAP was greatest with 108 plaque-forming units/mL at 0 mm Hg (81% ± 7%) and decreased with increasing titers (53% ± 9% at 109 pfu/mL and 44% ± 11% at 5 × 109 pfu/mL; n = 7; P < .05). No increase in percent luminal area stain was achieved with an instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg at any viral titer. The inverse finding was observed in arterial grafts. For arterial grafts, the greatest percent luminal area stained was achieved with 5 × 109 pfu/mL at 80 to 100 mm Hg (76% ± 7%). An instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg increased the percent luminal area stained at 108 pfu/mL from 31% ± 9% to 66% ± 8% (n = 8; P = .01). For venous grafts, total AP activity peaked with 109 pfu/mL at 0 mm Hg and decreased with an instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg (30.6 ± 9.7 U/mg versus 10.9 ± 2.5 U/mg; n = 7; P < .01). However, for arterial grafts, total AP activity peaked with 5 × 109 pfu/mL (0 mm Hg) and increased with an instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg (32.8 ± 9.9 U/mg versus 63.4 ± 20.5 U/mg; n = 8; P < .05). Conclusion: High transduction efficiency can be achieved with adenoviral-mediated gene transfer of arterial and venous grafts. Gene transfer with the vascular graft's physiologic pressure conditions improved transduction efficiency for the artery (80 to 100 mm Hg) and vein (0 mm Hg). Comprehensive analysis of adenoviral transduction conditions is important to realize the full promise of adenoviral-mediated gene transfer. (J Vasc Surg 2002;36:263-70.)
When Is the Brain Enlarged in Autism? A Meta-Analysis of All Brain Size Reports

Background Multiple studies have reported increased brain size in autism, while others have found no difference from normal. These conflicting results may be due to a lack of accounting for age-related changes in brain enlargement, use of small sample sizes, or differences in data acquisition methods. Methods Reports of autism head circumference (HC), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and post-mortem brain weight (BW) that met specific criteria were identified and analyzed. Percent difference from normal values (%Diff) and standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated to compare brain size across studies and measurement methods. Curve fitting, analysis of variance, and heterogeneity analyses were applied to assay the effects of age and measurement type on reported brain size in autism. Results A fitted curve of HC and MRI %Diff values from 15 studies revealed a largely consistent pattern of brain size changes. Specifically, brain size in autism was slightly reduced at birth, dramatically increased within the first year of life, but then plateaued so that by adulthood the majority of cases were within normal range. Analysis of variance of MRI and post-mortem %Diff values by age group (young child, older child, adult) and measurement type (MRI, BW) revealed a significant main effect of both age and measurement type, with the youngest ages (2–5) showing the greatest deviation from normal. Random effects heterogeneity analysis revealed a significant effect of age on HC and MRI SMD. Conclusions These findings reveal a period of pathological brain growth and arrest in autism that is largely restricted to the first years of life, before the typical age of clinical identification. Study of the older autistic brain, thus, reflects the outcome, rather than the process, of pathology. Future research focusing on this early process of brain pathology will likely be critical to elucidate the etiology of autism.
A physical approach to asymptoticallysolving some integral equations occurring in solid mechanics

Abstract We use the Comninou model of the interface crack to illustrate a method of solving aclass of integral equations containing a small parameter. We need to know the inverse of the integral equation when this small parameter is set equal to zero. This inverse, when applied to the original integral equation, leads to an expression for the unknown which is an asymptotic series in the small parameter, provided the field point x is outside the boundary layer. Next we need to know the inverse of an integral equation which models the given integral equation for points x in the boundary layer. When this inverse is applied to the original integral equation, one obtains an expression for the unknown which is an asymptotic series in the small parameter, provided the field point x is inside the boundary layer. This solution and the former solution are often referred to as the inner and outer solutions, respectively. They each contain unknown constants. These constants are determined by matching the inner and outer solutions on an overlap region where both solutions are valid. A uniform expression for the solution is obtained by adding the inner and outer solutions and subtracting off the matching terms.
The excess enthalpy for a mixture of krypton and xenon: experiment and theory

Measurements of the excess enthalpy of krypton and xenon mixtures at 163 K are reported. These results are found to disagree with the only other published result. This discrepancy is discussed. Conformal solution theory is used to provide an unbiased prediction of the excess enthalpy. We review published experimental and calculated excess thermodynamic properties of the Kr/Xe system at zero pressure and 161.38 K and 165 K.
The Role of X-Rays in the Treatment of Gas Gangrene: A Historical Assessment

While the use of x-rays to treat patients with gas gangrene ended in the early 1940’s with the advent of antibiotics, x-ray had been widely accepted as a useful and highly effective treatment for this condition. The present paper re-assesses the historical foundations of this belief, the quality of the data, use of confirmatory animal models, and underlying mechanisms that might account for the therapeutic role of x-rays in the treatment of gas gangrene.
SECOND-HARMONIC GENERATION-FREQUENCY-RESOLVED OPTICAL GATING ANALYSIS OF LOW-INTENSITY SHAPED FEMTOSECOND PULSES AT 1.55 MU M

We illustrate observation and characterization of medium- and low-intensity shaped ultrashort pulses at ?=1.55 µm through single-shot geometry (multishot-average) second-harmonic generation–frequency-resolved optical gating. The pulses are shaped by amplitude filters in the Fourier plane of a compact folded shaper. Sensitivity to pulses with energies of less than 20 pJ and high dynamic range is reported for this configuration. Application of this method to the propagation of ?170?fs pulses through a 50-m fiber link is also illustrated.