cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fluid dynamics effects following laser-induced optical breakdown

The fluid flow phenomena resulting from laser-spark decay is described based on a numerical simulation. The transient model involves the solution of the two-dimensional axial-symmetric transport equations of mass, momentum, and energy in nitrogen gas. Initial temperature and pressure profiles are taken upon the termination of the laser pulse, and are based on the laserinduced plasma formation processes. The specific heat and transport property models include the effects of dissociation and ionization. Temperature, pressure, and velocity profiles are reported at selected times, and experimental ultra-high speed photographs are compared with the numerical analog.
Effects of a Spruce Beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) Outbreak and Fire on Lutz Spruce in Alaska

The spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby), has had a major effect on the spruce forests of southcentral Alaska. In one area of the Chugach National Forest, 51% of the Lutz spruce, Picea glauca x lutzii Little, or nearly 90% of the commercial stand volume was killed by spruce beetles during a 16–yr period. The majority of the tree losses occurred during the first 10 yr of the outbreak. Tree species composition remained essentially the same after the outbreak. Forest structure changed with decreased tree density, and species richness declined significantly on the unburned, spruce beetle–effected plots. This reduction in plant diversity was probably a result of the significant increase, and competitive advantage, of bluejoint grass, Calamagrostis canadensis (Michaux) Beauvois, and fireweed, Epilobium angustifolium L., in the heavily beetle–effected plots. Although species richness did not change 7 yr after a prescribed fire, species composition did change. Specifically, the occurrence and percentage of blue joint and fireweed cover significantly increased.
Comparison of activity of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol and dihydrotachysterol2 in the thyroparathyroidectomized rat.

SummaryAssays of the activty of synthetic 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in the thyropara-thyroidectomized rat indicate that it is no more potent than ergocalciferol. These and other data (1) indicate that both 25-hydroxycholecalciferol and erygocalciferol are only 1/5 as active as dihydrotachysterol2 in this assay. These results suggest that the pharmacologic action of vitamin D as a substitute for parathyroid hormone operates through a mechanism different from the physiologic action of this sterol derivative.
Zoning Method for Galloping of Transmission Lines

In recent years,the accidents caused by galloping of power transmission lines frequently occur,and the area affected by galloping is increasing.Thus it is important to make a galloping distribution map for differential anti-galloping design both in technical and economic aspects.The core for making a galloping distribution map is to establish a scientific zoning method for galloping region.This paper introduces the galloping frequency method and galloping coefficient method and compares their application ranges and their merits and disadvantages.A case study is carried out by taking the Panjin and Dalian regions of the Liaoning provinces as an example and galloping coefficient method is used to make the zoning map of galloping.The case study shows that the distribution of galloping intensity obtained by the galloping coefficient method is in agreement with the practical situation.
Investigation on HIV,Syphilis,HCV and HBV infection in city drug abusers

Objective To understand HIV,Syphilis,HCV and HBV infection among drug abusers and to provide the information for controlling these diseases.Methods In 2008 and 2010,the blood specimens of 436 drug abusers,who are voluntary and compulsory to withdraw from the drug abuse,were collected.HIV infection was confirmed with ELISA and WB.Syphilis infection wad detected with quick plasma agglutination test(RPR) and gelatin particles agglutination(TPPA).HCV and HBV were determined with ELISA detection reagents box based on the instruction.Results 7 HIV infected cases among the 436 DUS were detected and the detection rate was 1.61%,5 cases of Syphilis and detection rate 1.15%;65 HbsAg cares and detection rate 14.90%;18 HCV cases and detection rate4.12%.Conclusion Compared with that of the other city,the HIV infection rate in drug abusers was low in our city,but it has surpassed 1%,but it amounts to tipping point which tells us that we should reinforced the healthy education for them in order to avoid the increase of the HIV infection rate in the drug abusers in our city.
Guidelines for Policy: Is It Really Possible to Eliminate Tobacco Advertising and Promotion?

The thesis of this paper is that the development, introduction, implementation, and enforcement of policies intended to ban tobacco advertising and promotion have been misguided and have failed to diminish the industry’s influence among consumers and potential consumers. For the most part, proponents of the prohibition of tobacco advertising do not understand the importance of an ethnographic approach to the subject (ie, loosely translated, the ability to think like the tobacco industry thinks) and the cultural contexts in which such policies are being designed. In effect, these policies remain an ideal and not a real inhibitory force. Our use of the term “guidelines” is not intended as a formula for enacting such policies but rather as a means of standardizing the terms of discussion and enhancing awareness of the many variables involved in confronting tobacco advertising and promotion.
Regional Organizations and Responsibility to Protect: Normative Reframing or Normative Change?

The adoption of the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) by all United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) member states in 2005, and its reaffirmation in dozens of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, indicate that there is a growing consensus around the world that egregious human rights violations necessitate a cooperative and decisive international response. But just as the political debates raged surrounding the precise articulation of RtoP between 2001 and 2005, so too goes the contemporary debate surrounding the implementation of RtoP. Regional divergences in RtoP implementation, in particular, have been noted by many scholars, as regional organizations implement those elements of RtoP that best suit their policy goals. This paper will apply recent scholarship on norm-lifecycles, specifically on “norm localization” to the operationalization of RtoP by regional organizations. We seek to explore regional divergences on RtoP implementation between the European Union (EU), League of Arab States (LAS), and the African Union (AU) on Libya and Syria. From this assessment, three main arguments will be put forward: (1) regional organizations remain politicized, reframing RtoP in divergent ways that dilute the strength of the norm, (2) politicization of the RtoP discourse constrains regional norm localization processes, (3) politicization and reframing of RtoP inhibit regional normative change and limit the potential for timely and decisive responses to protect civilians.
Cyber Victimization, Psychological Intimate Partner Violence, and Problematic Mental Health Outcomes Among First-Year College Students

Abstract Both cyber victimization and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) have been associated with negative mental health outcomes among adolescents and young adults. The present study examined relations among cyber victimization, psychological IPV, and mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, antisocial behavior) among first-year college students. Consistent with polyvictimization theory, we hypothesized that cyber victimization and psychological IPV would be related to each other. We also hypothesized that each would uniquely contribute to depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior, after accounting for the other. Participants (N = 342, M age = 18.33 years; 50% male) completed questionnaires during a single lab visit. Results indicated that cyber victimization and psychological IPV were related to each other, and both contributed uniquely to depressive symptoms, but only cyber victimization contributed uniquely to antisocial behavior. Exploratory analyses indicated that experiencing both...
Cytotoxicity and Mechanism of Action of the Marine-Derived Fungal Metabolite Trichodermamide B and Synthetic Analogues.

The trichodermamides are modified dipeptides isolated from a wide variety of fungi, including Trichoderma virens. Previous studies reported that trichodermamide B (2) initiated cytotoxicity in HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells, while trichodermamide A (1) was devoid of activity. We recently developed an efficient total synthesis for the trichodermamides A–C (1–3). Multiple intermediates and analogues were produced, and they were evaluated for biological effects to identify additional structure–activity relationships and the possibility that a simplified analogue would retain the biological effects of 2. The antiproliferative effects of 18 compounds were evaluated, and the results show that 2 and four other compounds are active in HeLa cells, with IC50 values in the range of 1.4–21 μM. Mechanism of action studies of 2 and the other active analogues revealed different spectra of activity. At the IC85 concentration, 2 caused S-phase accumulation and cell death in HeLa cells, suggesting response to DNA double-s...
Primary cilia: Cell and molecular mechanosensors directing whole tissue function

Primary cilia are immotile, microtubule-based organelles extending from the surface of nearly every mammalian cell. Mechanical stimulation causes deflection of the primary cilium, initiating downstream signaling cascades to the rest of the cell. The cilium forms a unique subcellular microdomain, and defects in ciliary protein composition or physical structure have been associated with a myriad of human pathologies. In this review, we discuss the importance of ciliary mechanotransduction at the cell and tissue level, and how furthering our molecular understanding of primary cilia mechanobiology may lead to therapeutic strategies to treat human diseases.
Aspects of the Molecular Biology of Microorganisms of Relevance to the Aquatic Environment

Our increased knowledge of living things at the molecular level has greatly ­influenced the modern approach in biology. Thus, for example, the taxonomy of microorganisms is no longer based mostly on their morphology, but also on the sequence of bases in the genes of the 16S RNA of the small subunit of the ribosomes. This chapter looks at selected basic molecular biology topics of relevance to the environment. The processes of transcription and translation in protein synthesis are discussed. The principles behind some molecular procedures such as the polymerase chain reaction and micro-arrays are discussed. Many microorganisms in environments such as water and soil are not culturable and are studied only with molecular biology. Metagenomics, or the culture-independent genomic analysis of an assemblage of microorganisms, in environments such as marine or freshwater has potential to answer fundamental questions in microbial ecology.
Selection of a lectotype for Brachycrus laticeps mooki Schultz and Falkenbach (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Merycoidodontidae)

In 1968 Schultz and Falkenbach described a new oreodont subspecies , Brachycrus laticeps mooki , from a locality 11 km (7 miles) southeast of Fort Logan, Meagher County, Montana. As a holotype for this new taxon, Schultz and Falkenbach (1968:369) designated both American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) specimen number 21321 (a skull) and AMNH 21322 (a left ramus). Although the citation of two separate catalog numbers as a holotype is highly unusual, Schultz and Falkenbach believed that the specimens cataloged under both numbers represent only a single individual. The use of the term ‘holotype’ was appropriate, therefore, although it would have been more common practice to place elements believed to represent a single individual under a single catalog number. Schultz and Falkenbach did not give a justification for their opinion that AMNH 21321 and AMNH 21322 represent the same individual, although they stated this belief in two publications (1941 and 1968).
Oxide inclusions in laser additive manufactured stainless steel and their effects on impact toughness and stress corrosion cracking behavior

Abstract Intergranular and intragranular Si and Mn rich oxide inclusions are present in laser additive manufactured austenitic stainless steel. The uniform oxide dispersions in additive manufactured material promoted early initiation of microvoids and reduced its impact toughness relative to powder metallurgy (hot isostatic pressing) and wrought materials. For stress corrosion cracking in high temperature water, the silica inclusions along the grain boundaries preferentially dissolved and appeared to accelerate oxidation and caused extensive crack branching.
Electroaerodynamic Thruster Performance as a Function of Altitude and Flight Speed

Electroaerodynamic thrust has been proposed as a means for aircraft propulsion, potentially enabling near-silent and solid-state flight. Studies to date have experimentally quantified electroaerody...
FIT DOES MATTER! AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PRODUCT FIT UNCERTAINTY IN ONLINE MARKETPLACES

This paper examines the antecedents and consequences of product uncertainty in online marketplaces by conceptualizing the dimensions of product uncertainty - description uncertainty (identifying product characteristics), performance uncertainty (inferring product’s future performance) and fit uncertainty (matching product’s characteristics with buyer’s needs). It also theorizes the distinction, relationship, and effects of the dimensions of product uncertainty. Finally, it proposes a set of IT-enabled mechanisms to reduce product uncertainty. The hypotheses are tested with data from 274 buyers in the largest online marketplace in China (Taobao). The results first demonstrate the distinction between the dimensions of product uncertainty, show that relative to description and performance uncertainty, fit uncertainty has the only significant effect on price premiums, satisfaction, product returns, and repurchase intentions, and support the effects of computer-mediated communication (between buyers and sellers and among buyers), product forums, and decision support systems on fit uncertainty. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Other Non-commutative Multiple-Valued Logic Algebras

In this chapter we present some specific properties of other non-commutative multiple-valued logic algebras: pseudo-MTL algebras, bounded Rl-monoids, pseudo-BL algebras and pseudo-MV algebras. As main results, we extend to the case of pseudo-MTL algebras some results regarding the prime filters proved for pseudo-BL algebras. The Glivenko property for multiple-valued logic algebras is defined and studied.
Dynamic Jahn-Teller Theory of High-Tc Superconductivity

Several experiments reported at this Workshop offer compelling evidence for the presence of anharmonic oxygen vibrations (“nonlinear phonons”) and double-well potentials in high-T c superconductors. Also reported were extensive experimental and theoretical evidence for marginal Fermi-liquid character of the hybrid O(2p)-Cu(3d) hole/electron states responsible for both the normal-state metallic and superconducting properties of high-T c oxides.
The influence of race and phenotype on the erythrocyte D antigen studied by I-131-labeled anti-D.

A method for the preparation of I131-labeled anti-D eluates (I[unknown] anti-D) specific for the D antigen by adsorption and elution from intact D positive red cells is presented. A standard D antigen reference system for the quantitative comparison of the red cell D antigen from various donors was developed on the basis of kinetic studies of the effect of pH, temperature and antigen concentration on the I[unknown] anti-D reaction with the D antigen. The red cell D antigen determinations of the blood from 33 Negro and 102 Caucasian donors showed wide monomodal frequency distributions which indicate a heterogeneity of quantitative D antigen reactivity consistent with previous serologic and I131-labeled anti-D studies. The average red cell D antigen reactivity of the 20 probable D homozygote and 14 established D hemizygote Caucasian donors was similar to the D antigen reactivity of the 102 random Caucasian donors. The red cell D antigen reactivity was strongly depressed by the C antigen (or C gene) in Caucasian bloods and enhanced by the E antigen (or E gene) in Negro bloods. The E antigen (or E gene) may also have enhanced the D antigen reactivity in red cells from Caucasian donors, but the difference in D zygosity provides an alternative explanation for the results. The marked influence on red cell D antigen reactivity in the presence of the C and E antigen may well have obscured any lesser influence of D zygosity.
On Geometry of Phenomenological Thermodynamics

Thanks to works of Caratheodory [4] and Gibbs [5] phenomenological thermodynamics of equilibrium (PTE) has become a standard axiomatic theory. Formulated in the general way [11,3], it reveals the structure which is universal in the sense that the later statistical and quantum statistical mechanics have not replaced it but rather serve as models of the general scheme. 1
The wisdom of collectives in organizations: An update of the teamwork competencies.

What do we mean by the wisdom of collectives? This is best illustrated by examining the trend toward discussing emergence within teams (Kozlowski & Klein, 2000) and other social systems (Chu, Strand, & Fjelland, 2003; Streufert, 1997). Emergence is characterized by the creation of “novel and coherent structures, patterns and properties during the process of self-organization in complex systems” (Goldstein, 1999, p. 49). Emergent properties are the result of the interaction of the components of the system from which these emergent properties arise but cannot be reduced to or described wholly in terms of the elementary components of the system considered in isolation. The whole truly is greater than (or at least different from) the sum of its parts. In this way some teams are able to synergistically combine the attributes of its members to produce outcomes well beyond the capacity of any one individual member or of the pooled or summated output of all its members (Cannon-Bowers, Salas, & Converse, 1993; Salas, Cannon-Bowers, & Johnston, 1997; Salas, Rosen, Burke, Goodwin, & Fiore, 2006). This is what we refer to with the phrase the wisdom of collectives: the increased capacity for performance of various types afforded by the interactions of team members.
Composing graphical models with neural networks for structured representations and fast inference

We propose a general modeling and inference framework that combines the complementary strengths of probabilistic graphical models and deep learning methods. Our model family composes latent graphical models with neural network observation likelihoods. For inference, we use recognition networks to produce local evidence potentials, then combine them with the model distribution using efficient message-passing algorithms. All components are trained simultaneously with a single stochastic variational inference objective. We illustrate this framework by automatically segmenting and categorizing mouse behavior from raw depth video, and demonstrate several other example models.
Preliminary Evidence That Motor Planning Is Slower and More Difficult for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Motor Cooperation.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit impairment in helping someone else with a motor action, which may arise from impairment in selecting and preparing motor responses. Five children with ASD and five typically developing children performed a cooperative motor planning task that required them to reach for, lift, and hand an object (hammer or stick) to a researcher. The response, movement, and grasp time were measured. Children with ASD grasped the object longer on trials where they helped, indicating that the action was planned in sequence versus as a whole (i.e., prior to the onset of movement). The hammer object elicited a quicker response than the stick, suggesting the facilitation of planning by tools with inherent action properties. Finally, the increased helping of children with ASD was not mirrored by changes in the response, movement, or grasp time.
Metal-Embedded Chip Assembly Processing for Enhanced RF Circuit Performance

This paper presents the radio frequency (RF) benefits of a heterogeneous integration technique for multi-chip modules. Passive components, such as lumped metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) and ceramic capacitors, as well as coupler circuits implemented on alumina substrates, are integrated in a metal-embedded chip assembly (MECA) process together with GaN monolithic microwave-integrated circuits (MMICs) in a way that provides a common RF and thermal ground. Simulations show that photolithographically defined interconnects can outperform wire bonds from 10 to 100 GHz. The interconnect layer of the MECA process forms bridge transmission lines with lower loss and comparable dispersion to microstrip lines, and with 35% higher characteristic impedances, validated by measurements up to 25 GHz. Microstrip Lange and branch-line couplers are designed partially on alumina and completed with MECA interconnects during the integration process, resulting in good performance in agreement with simulations. Finally, measurements of a GaN power amplifier (PA) MMIC integrated into the MECA process show gain and power-added efficiency (PAE) improvements of up to 3 dB and 3.2 percentage points, respectively.
Social Media as an Alternative to Surveys of Opinions About the Economy

There is interest in using social media content to supplement or even substitute for survey data. In one of the first studies to test the feasibility of this idea, O’Connor, Balasubramanyan, Routle...
Robotic Cutting of Solids Based on Fracture Mechanics and FEM

Cutting skills are important for robots to acquire not only because of a need from kitchen automation, but also because of the technical challenge for robotic manipulation. Modeling of fracture and deformation during a cutting action, often based on the finite element method (FEM), provides the force and shape information used in knife control to implement a skill such as slice, chop, or dice. However, an object’s 3D mesh model can be computationally prohibitive for achieving a desired accuracy since numerous tiny elements must be used near the knife’s moving edge. To address this issue, we represent the object as evenly spaced slices normal to the cutting plane such that cutting of each slice requires only a 2D mesh. Fracture and force can be then interpolated between every two adjacent slices. Experiment with an Adept arm and an ATI force/torque (F/T) sensor has demonstrated reasonable accuracy in force ad shape modeling.
Dynamical response of a pinned two-dimensional Wigner crystal

We reexamine a long-standing problem of the finite-frequency conductivity of a weakly pinned twodimensional classical Wigner crystal. In this system an inhomogeneously broadened absorption line ~pinning mode! centered at disorder- and magnetic-field-dependent frequencyv p is known to appear. We show that the relative linewidth Dv p /v p of the pinning mode is of the order of 1 in weak magnetic fields, exhibits a power-law decrease in intermediate fields, and eventually saturates at a small value in strong magnetic fields. The linewidth narrowing is due to a peculiar mechanism of mixing between the stiffer longitudinal and the softer transverse components of the collective excitations. The width of the high-field resonance proves to be related to the density of states in the low-frequency tail of the zero-field phonon spectrum. We find a qualitative agreement with recent experiments and point out differences from the previous theoretical work on the subject.
Antigen-Specific CD4 + T Cells Exhibit Distinct Kinetic and Phenotypic Patterns During Primary and Secondary Responses to Infection

Although CD4+ T cell memory is a critical component of adaptive immunity, antigen-specific CD4+ T cell recall responses to secondary infection have been inadequately studied. Here we examine the kinetics of the secondary response in an important immunological model, infection with attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). We identify CD4+ T cell subsets that preferentially expand during a secondary response and highlight the importance of prime-boost strategies in expanding and maintaining antigen-specific, tissue-resident memory CD4+ T cells. Following intravenous infection with an attenuated strain of Lm, we found that total antigen-specific CD4+ T cells responded more robustly in secondary compared with primary infection, reaching near-peak levels in secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) and the liver by three days post-infection. During the secondary response, CD4+ T cells also contracted more quickly. Primary Lm infection generated two main classes of effector cells: Th1 cells that assist macrophages and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells that aid B cells in antibody production. We found that during the secondary response, a population of Ly6C+ Tfh cells emerged in SLOs and was the basis for the skewing of this response to a Tfh phenotype. Deletion of T-bet in T cells precluded development of Ly6C+ Tfh cells, but did not alter anti-Lm antibody responses. Moreover, during recall responses, CD49a+ Th1 cells preferentially expanded and accumulated in the liver, achieving a new set point. Parabiosis experiments indicated that, in contrast to Tfh cells and most splenic Th1 cells, the majority of CD49a+ Th1 cells in the liver were tissue resident. Overall, these data demonstrate a robust secondary CD4+ T cell response that differs in kinetics and composition from the primary response and provide insight into targets to enhance both peripheral and tissue-resident CD4+ T cell responses.
Insulin enhances presynaptic glutamate release via opioid receptor-mediated disinhibition

Insulin influences activity in brain centers that mediate reward and motivation in humans. However, nothing is known about how insulin influences excitatory transmission in regions like the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which governs motivational processes in the adult brain. Further, insulin dysregulation that accompanies obesity is linked to cognitive decline, depression, anxiety, and aberrant motivation that also rely on NAc excitatory transmission. Using a combination of whole-cell patch clamp and biochemical approaches we determined how insulin affects NAc glutamatergic transmission. We show that insulin receptor activation increases presynaptic glutamate release via a previously unidentified form of opioid receptor-mediated disinhibition. In contrast, activation of IGF receptors by insulin decreases presynaptic glutamate release in adult male rats. Furthermore, obesity results in a loss of insulin receptor-mediated increases and a reduction in NAc insulin receptor surface expression, while preserving reductions in transmission mediated by IGRFs. These results provide the first insights into how insulin influences excitatory transmission in the adult brain, they provide foundational information about opioid-mediated regulation of NAc glutamatergic transmission, and have broad implications for the regulation of motivation and reward related processes by peripheral hormones.
Sexual Science and the Catholic Church: Areas of Common Ground.

The fields of sexuality and Catholic theology are often seen in the public eye as polar opposites—and not from an unfounded base. While there are many topics the Catholic church and the field of se...
Combination therapy for osteoporosis.

Abstract The effect of therapy that simultaneously stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone resorption was evaluated in five patients with primary osteoporosis. The technique of in vivo neutron activation analysis was used to measure total body calcium (TB-Ca). The patients were treated with calcium supplements and salmon calcitonin combined with either a low or a high dose of growth hormone (hGH). There was no significant increase in skeletal mass (TB-Ca) during the low-dose hGH regimen. An increase in skeletal mass was observed in all patients following the high-dose regimen, except for one patient who developed secondary hyperparathyroidism. Although this study must be considered to be of a preliminary nature, the magnitude of the response in calcium balance suggests that skeletal mass can be increased in osteoporosis if combination therapy is employed.
Mechanistic probability

I describe a realist, ontologically objective interpretation of probability, “far-flung frequency (FFF) mechanistic probability”. FFF mechanistic probability is defined in terms of facts about the causal structure of devices and certain sets of frequencies in the actual world. Though defined partly in terms of frequencies, FFF mechanistic probability avoids many drawbacks of well-known frequency theories and helps causally explain stable frequencies, which will usually be close to the values of mechanistic probabilities. I also argue that it’s a virtue rather than a failing of FFF mechanistic probability that it does not define single-case chances, and compare some aspects of my interpretation to a recent interpretation proposed by Strevens.
Foxes and sheep: effect of predictive logic in day-to-day dynamics of route choice behavior

In this study drivers are categorized into two groups, called first-level (sheep) or second-level (foxes) thinkers, based on extent of reliance on predictive logic in their day-to-day decision process. While the first-level thinkers are using the distributed information as the only contributor to their belief, the second-level thinkers strategize by means of predicting others’ behavior. The study shows how the proportion of the two user types will affect system travel times. Investigation is performed primarily through numerical experiments conducted in an idealized traffic system. There is a threshold for the proportion of the second-level thinkers, which minimizes the variability of the travel time in the traffic system. Below this value, the second-level thinkers benefit from using the foxy logic. This advantage decreases with increase in the proportion of the second-level thinkers and disappears once the threshold is exceeded. It is also shown that in a learning society, opportunistic behavior pays off less. Learning also reduces the system fluctuations, resulting in greater stability. Implications for advanced traveler information and intelligent system management are discussed.
Human performance modeling in manned weapon systems

The authors present a methodology developed for integrating human performance in performance modeling of manned weapon systems. Literature in this area is briefly reviewed to provide necessary background knowledge. A discussion of alternative methodologies for the performance modeling of such systems is provided. The proposed methodology is composed of four parts: (1) formally define the system; (2) formally define the performance functions, or the effectiveness function; (3) formally define the measurement; and (4) perform the sensitivity analysis. The purpose of the methodology is to integrate the human factor into the system from the very beginning of the design of the system. This is achieved by systematically considering all the interacting parts of the system, omitting minor errors only after quantifying the errors. >
Global modelling: 1. The models☆

Abstract This article reviews selectively the field of global modelling, which has expanded and developed rapidly since 1971. Major issues in modelling include the gap between rich and poor nations, the management and distribution of natural resources, and the role of science and scientists in judging policy issues. The seven global models presented in full to IIASA Symposia plus the two original models by Forrester and Meadows are critically assessed through a description of their origin, objectives, structure, and conclusions. A briefer description is given of ten related projects, most of which are developments from, or refinements of sections of, earlier global models.
Subspace system identification using a multichannel lattice filter

This work presents a new class of subspace algorithms for system identification, in which the projection of future data onto past data is performed by a multichannel least-squares lattice filter with parameterizations and channel arrangements particularly suited to subspace system identification. Because an adaptive lattice filter provides the core computational engine of the new subspace algorithms, the main computational burden of the algorithms can be executed in real time, as data is being sampled. This approach produces much faster system identification algorithms than existing batch algorithms for subspace identification.
Protecting Privacy Against the Police in the European Union: The Data Retention Directive

This essay examines the European Union's new turn towards protecting personal data against the police. The first part explores the developments that have given rise to these policies: the dramatic possibilities of today's digital technologies for the police and the intensification of police cooperation in the European Union following the terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid, and London. The second part analyzes the piece of legislation with the most significant data protection ramifications to be enacted at the time of this writing: the Data Retention Directive. The essay concludes with some thoughts on how the largely positive rights experience of the Data Retention Directive can inform the protection of other, classic liberal rights in the rapidly growing domain of European cooperation on fighting crime.
Prenatal exposures and childhood cancer.

SY03-02 Many lines of evidence suggest a role for in utero environmental exposures in childhood cancer, especially in childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). For example, the chromosomal rearrangement t(12;21), commonly seen in childhood ALL, is detectable in the neonatal blood spots (Guthrie cards) of the cases (6). Although data are conflicting, there is epidemiologic evidence that maternal exposure in pregnancy to pesticides, vehicle exhaust emissions, benzene, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as well as polymorphisms in children9s genes that metabolize these xenobiotics (e.g., CYP1A1, GST-M1, -T1, -P1) are associated with childhood ALL (3;5)(4;8)(7). In addition to the NYC (NM) cohort, the populations were participants in a study of the effects of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, residents in Krakow, Poland, and residents in Tongliang, China. Mean adduct concentrations in both maternal and cord blood and the proportion of samples with detectable adducts increased across the populations [NM in utero exposure to PAHs may disproportionately increase carcinogenic risk. Heightened fetal susceptibility could result from higher rate of cell proliferation and differentiation, greater absorption or retention of xenobiotics, and/or less efficient detoxification, DNA repair, or apoptotic mechanisms. Chromosomal aberrations are a validated intermediate marker for increased risk for cancer. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with whole chromosome painting probes for chromosomes 1–6, we have measured chromosomal aberrations in a representative subset of 60 newborns of the CCCEH NYC cohort (2). The frequency of stable chromosomal aberrations was significantly associated with exposure to PAHs (p= in utero exposures, we are evaluating specific changes known to be directly pre-leukemogenic. The TEL-AML1 fusion product appears to be a necessary but not sufficient step for the development of childhood ALL (4;6)(6). The origin of these initial chromosomal translocations is not known but appears to be linked to prenatal exposures. We are currently analyzing cord blood samples from our cohort for TEL-AML1 in order to evaluate their possible relationship with prenatal exposures. These studies suggest that there is substantial transplacental exposure to carcinogens in the urban environment, that procarcinogenic genetic damage in the form of adducts and chromosomal aberrations results from prenatal exposures, and that the fetus is more susceptible to DNA damage than the mother. Further studies are ongoing to determine the persistence of chromosomal aberrations through early childhood and the relationship between prenatal exposures and specific pre-leukemogenic rearrangements in cord blood samples. Such molecular epidemiologic data can help inform us of the full range of carcinogenic risk from environmental exposures and thus contribute to the development of policies that will protect the young.
Improving simulated borescope inspection with constrained camera motion and haptic feedback

Results are presented from empirical evaluation of a borescope simulator developed for non-destructive inspection training. Two experiments were conducted, manipulating camera rotation constraint and provision of haptic feedback. Performance of experienced borescope inspectors is measured in terms of speed and accuracy, with accuracy clearly shown to improve by placing constraints on the simulator's camera tip rotation and by providing haptic response. This is important as damage avoidance of a real borescope is a critical criterion of borescope inspection training. These are likely to be the first such experiments to have been conducted with aircraft engine inspectors evaluating the potential of haptics in borescope simulation.
The Semileptonic decays B ---> pi lepton neutrino and D ---> pi lepton neutrino from lattice QCD

We present a lattice QCD calculation of the form factors and differential decay rates for semileptonic decays of the heavy-light mesons B and D to the final state $\ensuremath{\pi}l\ensuremath{\nu}.$ The results are obtained with three methodological improvements over previous lattice calculations: a matching procedure that reduces heavy-quark lattice artifacts, the first study of lattice-spacing dependence, and the introduction of kinematic cuts to reduce model dependence. We show that the main systematics are controllable (within the quenched approximation) and outline how the calculations could be improved to aid current experiments in the determination of $|{V}_{\mathrm{ub}}|$ and $|{V}_{\mathrm{cd}}|.$
Cell fusion induced by the murine leukemia virus envelope glycoprotein.

Abstract To determine whether ecotropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV) envelope glycoproteins are sufficient to cause cell-to-cell fusion when expressed in the absence of virus production, we used an ecotropic MuLV, AKV, to construct env expression vectors that lack the gag and pol genes. The rat cell line XC, which undergoes cell-to-cell fusion upon infection with ecotropic MuLV, was transfected with wild-type env expression vectors, and high levels of syncytium formation resulted. Transfection of the murine cell line NIH 3T3 with expression vectors containing the wild-type or mutated env region did not result in syncytium formation. Immunoprecipitation analysis of the envelope glycoproteins expressed in NIH 3T3 and XC cells showed that the mature surface glycoprotein expressed in XC cells was of a much lower apparent molecular weight than that expressed in NIH 3T3 cells. Further characterization showed that most if not all of this difference was the result of differences in glycosylation. Finally, site-directed mutagenesis was used to introduce several conservative and nonconservative changes into the amino-terminal region of the transmembrane protein. Analysis of the effect of these mutations confirmed that this region is a fusion domain.
Physikalische Theorie der Beugung von Materieteilchen

Inhaltsubersicht. Das physikalische Paradoxon der Dualitat mit ihren zwei entgegengesetzten ,,Manifestationen Als-Ob“ kann durch die einheitliche Quantenmechanik, im besonderen durch die Duanseche Auswahlregel fur den linearen Impuls uberwunden werden. Dies wird am Beispiel der Elektronenbeugung am Kristall und am einfachen und Doppelspalt gezeigt. Was Einstein als, Beruhigungsphilosophie’ bezeichnete, kann dadurch in objektive Physik verwandelt werden.
A potential model interpretation of isobaric analog resonances applicable to even-even and even-odd targets☆

Abstract With a reasonably general expression for the effective nucleon-nucleus interaction, we show that a single set of potential parameters can reproduce both the resonance energies and the spectroscopic factors observed for a range of nuclei. The range and variety of experimental data considered makes possible a consistent and sensitive determination of the real central potential, the isospin, and the spin-spin dependent potential terms in the effective interaction.
Segmentation of pulmonary nodules in three-dimensional CT images by use of a spiral-scanning technique

Accurate segmentation of pulmonary nodules in computed tomography (CT) is an important and difficult task for computer-aided diagnosis of lung cancer. Therefore, the authors developed a novel automated method for accurate segmentation of nodules in three-dimensional (3D) CT. First, a volume of interest (VOI) was determined at the location of a nodule. To simplify nodule segmentation, the 3D VOI was transformed into a two-dimensional (2D) image by use of a key "spiral-scanning" technique, in which a number of radial lines originating from the center of the VOI spirally scanned the VOI from the "north pole" to the "south pole." The voxels scanned by the radial lines provided a transformed 2D image. Because the surface of a nodule in the 3D image became a curve in the transformed 2D image, the spiral-scanning technique considerably simplified the segmentation method and enabled reliable segmentation results to be obtained. A dynamic programming technique was employed to delineate the "optimal" outline of a nodule in the 2D image, which corresponded to the surface of the nodule in the 3D image. The optimal outline was then transformed back into 3D image space to provide the surface of the nodule. An overlap between nodule regions provided by computer and by the radiologists was employed as a performance metric for evaluating the segmentation method. The database included two Lung Imaging Database Consortium (LIDC) data sets that contained 23 and 86 CT scans, respectively, with 23 and 73 nodules that were 3 mm or larger in diameter. For the two data sets, six and four radiologists manually delineated the outlines of the nodules as reference standards in a performance evaluation for nodule segmentation. The segmentation method was trained on the first and was tested on the second LIDC data sets. The mean overlap values were 66% and 64% for the nodules in the first and second LIDC data sets, respectively, which represented a higher performance level than those of two existing segmentation methods that were also evaluated by use of the LIDC data sets. The segmentation method provided relatively reliable results for pulmonary nodule segmentation and would be useful for lung cancer quantification, detection, and diagnosis.
Endophytes — the Chemical Synthesizers inside Plants:

Endophytes are microbial entities that live within living tissues of plants. In most cases their relationship with the host plant is symbiotic and probably mutualistic. Many are capable of synthesi...
Normal subgroups of classical groups over Banach algebras

All subgroups H of the general l inear group G L , A , n >-3, over a Banach a lgebra A with 1, which are normal ized by e l emen ta ry matr ices were descr ibed in [2] (when n = 2, [2] shows that the si tuation becomes more compl ica ted and gives partial results). In this paper , we obta in similar result for uni tary groups. In the next two pa rag raphs we give Wall ' s [4] definition of uni tary groups which include symplect ic and o r thogona l groups. Let A be an associat ive ring with 1, *: A-,A an an t i au tomorph i sm of A (i.e. * is a bi ject ion on A such that ( x y ) * = x * y * and (xy)* = y ' x * for all x and y in A). We assume tha t x** = exe* for some unit e = e *-~ of A and every x in A. Set F, = e~,2 + Ee2. J + " " " + e~n_ t.z,, + ee2,,.2n 1 E GL2,,A, where e,.i are the matrix units. Let Uz, (A , *, e) or just U~,A for short deno te the group of all g in G L z , A such that g*F,g = F, (* is ex tended to an t i au tomorph i sms of the matr ix rings in the usual way: (g*)i,l = (g~,,)*)Since F,*, = FS t, F, e U2,A and U2,A is invariant under * He re are classical examples .
Selenotrisulfide inhibits initiation by RNA polymerase II but not elongation.

Abstract We previously reported that RNA polymerase II (purified from wheat germ) is inhibited by selenotrisulfides, the products of the reaction of selenite with sulfhydryl compounds [Frenkel, Walcott, and Middleton, Molecular Pharmacology 31 , 112 (1987)]. We have now found that the initiation stage of the reaction is inhibited by selenotrisulfide but the elongation stage of the reaction is not. The actual start of the RNA chain is not inhibited by the selenotrisulfide, but rather the formation of the enzyme- DNA binary complex. Selenotrisulfide has a similar differential effect on initiation and elongation by RNA polymerase II from HeLa cells; in contrast, with E. coli RNA polymerase, it inhibits elongation as well.
C- and L-band erbium-doped aluminum oxide lasers with silicon nitride distributed Bragg reflector cavities

We demonstrate erbium-doped waveguide lasers with lithographically-defined silicon nitride distributed Bragg reflectors. We measure output powers of up to 5 mW and show emission over a wide wavelength range (1536, 1561 and 1596 nm).
Differential Diagnosis of Central Nervous System Manifestations of the Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome

Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been associated with a variety of neurologic manifestations. The evidence for an association between aPL and most of these is weak because (1) no association actually exists, (2) the manifestation is rare or (3) sufficiently powered studies have not been performed. The only neurologic manifestation that is considered to have sufficient evidence to justify it being a part of the criteria for the diagnosis of Anti-phospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS) is cerebral ischemia. In this mini-review, most of the neurologic syndromes with an actual or suspected association with aPL are considered. The role of aPL in the differential diagnosis of these syndromes is considered as well.
Looking for extraterrestrial life: The search is for societies that are willing to join the club

People have always wondered whether there are other people. Chosen from innumerable quotes that could be adduced, from classical Greek times to the nineteenth century, here is the thought of Teng Mu, Chinese philosopher of the thirteenth century, “Empty space is like a kingdom, and heaven and earth no more than a single individual person in that kingdom. Upon one tree are many fruits, and in one kingdom many people. How unreasonable it would be to suppose that, besides the heavens and earth which we can see, there are no other heavens and no other earths?”
FTC Goes Wild Over Whole Foods Merger

Despite a credit crunch in 2007, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has continued at a rapid pace. The two primary regulatory agencies that evaluate proposed mergers—the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—issued a guidelines commentary in 2006. It gave us vital insight on how the DOJ and FTC evaluate mergers. The authors review the commentary and show how it worked in the case of one recent acquisition—where the FTC and DOJ disagreed. The authors then discuss how companies can avoid the M&A mistakes of the past. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.