cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Large Elastic Deformations of Some Cord-Reinforcedrubber Shells

Abstract A simple theoretical treatment of certain large elastic deformations of a symmetrical network of cords embedded in rubber is explained. The calculations are based on the main assumptions of thin, inextensible and incompressible cords and a rubber behaving like a Neo-Hookean solid. This model, although simple, respects the physical characteristics of certain cord reinforced components which would be designed for large deformations. Calculations for the simple extension of the composite material, the two-dimensional extension and its application to the inflation of tubes, are compared to experiments with reasonable success. Theoretical predictions are made for related problems of the behavior of tubes in contact with plates.
Periodic Surface Roughness in High-Speed Turbulent Flow

Experimental data were collected for a periodic roughness pattern, consisting of an array of distributed diamond elements. The experiments were performed in a high-Reynolds number (Re/m ≈ 52 x 10 6 ) Mach 5 tunnel. Data were collected using schlieren photography and PIV. Preliminary results indicate that the diamond elements produce a strong response within the boundary layer. The diamond roughness produces a cyclical pattern of attached oblique shocks and expansion fans, which penetrate into the outer region of the boundary layer. Difficulties in seeding a high-Mach number rough-wall flow are discussed.
Thermal behavior of the rat before and after feeding.

SummaryRats exposed to low ambient temperatures were trained to depress a response bar to obtain heat. Rats tested for heat reinforcement before feeding pressed for more heat than those tested after feeding.
A Factor Analytic Replication and Comparison on the Dimensionality of the I-E Scale

The focus of this research was to determine whether the I-E Scale does measure multiple dimensions or is unidimensional as Rotter (1966) had intended.
Sorbent-Amended “Active” Sediment Caps for in-Place Management of PCB-Contaminated Sediments

In situ capping manages contaminated sediment on-site without creating the removal, transportation, and disposal exposure pathways associated with dredging. PCB mass, a perceived surrogate for risk posed by PCB-contaminated sediment, remains on site during in situ capping projects creating concerns over the 1) duration of chemical i solation provided by sediment caps in advection dominated sediment systems and 2) the potential for PCB mass reduction by biotic and abiotic means during periods of chemical isolation. This study characterizes and compares commercially available sorbents to amend traditional sand caps by measuring properties relevant to advective-dispersive transport through porous media and uses these properties as inputs to a numerical model that predicts the performance of thin sorbent layers as sediment cap media in advection and diffusion dominated systems. Thin layer (1.25cm) sorbent amendments include thermally altered carbonaceous materials (coke and activated carbon) and soil. Sorbents provide chemical isolation of PCB-contaminated sediment in the same order (activated carbon — coke and soil-sand) as measured (highest to lowest) sorption Freundlich constants and sorption capacity. All sorbents outperform sand, coke and soil behave similarly. Thin (1.25cm) activated carbon layers chemically isolate PCB-contaminated sediment in advection-dominated systems for hundreds to thousands of years allowing time for natural attenuation.
SU-D-202-05: Evaluation of Four-Dimensional Dose Reconstruction Under Breathing Irregularity

Purpose: A method of four dimensional dose reconstruction (4D-DR) using a cine mode of an EPID to determine the delivered 4D dose distribution has been suggested. This method, however, has not been tested under irregular breathing. This study investigated their effects on 4D-DR. Methods: The 4D-DR attempts to find the patient’s breathing phase associated with each EPID image by comparing it to pre-generated-EPID-quality DRRs of every breathing phases. A lung phantom with a tumor object (3cm diameter cylinder) on a moving platform was used for this test under conditions of amplitude reduction by 1/2 during (1) the entire delivery and (2) the duration when MLC blocked the tumor (hindering the phase determination). The dose delivered to the phantom was inversely reconstructed in the associated phase image of the phantom from each EPID image based on our documented inverse method of the 4D-DR; the phase-specific dose was integrated, generating the 4D reconstructed dose. Forward 4D Monte Carlo calculations were used as the 4D dose of a ground truth. Results: The reconstructed dose showed 98.1% gamma pass rate for 3%/3mm under regular breathing (i.e. no amplitude reduction) when compared with the forward 4D dose. When the irregular condition (#1) was adopted for treatment, the pass rate became 94.2%. The irregularity under the MLC block (#2) showed the pass rate of 91.3%. The two conditions did not affect the reconstruction noticeably in DVH plots of the tumor and lung-tumor. Conclusion: As long as the extent of on-treatment motion is smaller than that of the planning CT, the 4D-DR can be done accurately. Otherwise, ontreatment 4D CT images are necessary.
Sound source localization identification accuracy: Level and duration dependencies

Sound source localization accuracy for noises was measured for sources in the front azimuthal open field mainly as a function of overall noise level and duration. An identification procedure was used in which listeners identify which loudspeakers presented a sound. Noises were filtered and differed in bandwidth and center frequency. Sound source localization accuracy depended on the bandwidth of the stimuli, and for the narrow bandwidths, accuracy depended on the filter's center frequency. Sound source localization accuracy did not depend on overall level or duration.
Hydroaesthetics in the Little Ice Age: Theology, Artistic Cultures and Environmental Transformation in Early Modern Braj, c. 1560–70

Examining the visual tactics of framing flowing water in landscape painting and riparian architecture in Braj, a pilgrimage centre in North India where the god Krishna is believed to have spent his youth, the essay foregrounds a new conception of hydroaesthetics that emerged with the onset of the Little Ice Age (c. 1550–1850), a climatic period marked by catastrophic droughts and famines in South Asia. An engagement with the hydroaesthetics of beholding the river Yamuna's passage through Braj, the essay argues, brings to the forefront a reciprocal relationship between artistic practices based on a theological aesthetic of venerating the natural environment and ecological calamities. In doing so, the essay attempts to delineate a possible methodology for an ecological art history.
Wireless MEMS for space applications

Abstract For most wireless devices, the increase of capability with concurrent reduction in size has also required for mechanical components a reduction in size, a feat accomplished in part by micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The same is true for spacecraft applications, with the exception of some large satellites where power and weight reduction achievable by MEMS devices is minimal and does not validate some of the shortcomings of the reduction in size. But in general, with the high launch cost, and also the goal to launch constellations of small satellites, MEMS is one technology enabling satellites to be made smaller without a reduction in capability. One reason for the advancement of MEMS in the commercial sector, of course, is quantity; there is the opportunity to manufacture mechanical components identically and at high volume. However, spacecraft and instrument payloads are not a quantity commodity, and for the near future small quantities and custom builds will be the norm. With the growth in small constellations, we may be seeing a change in the future. This chapter discusses satellite applications in general, with a focus on communications and networks. For applicable spacecraft subsystems, potential insertion points for MEMS technology are being discussed, together with examples where such systems have already been demonstrated, in the laboratory or in some cases in the space environment. For one subsystem, communication and antenna systems, reconfigurable antenna technology is being enabled by the development of MEMS RF switches. The application of MEMS for scientific payloads provides new capabilities, such as the shutters for the James Webb Space Telescope, for example, a technical feat not achievable with traditional machining tools. MEMS also can help reduce the size of science instruments and allow small satellites or instruments to take meaningful science data without the high launch cost of large systems. MEMS have been utilized, for example, in spectrometers, radiometers, particle detectors, and in some cases materials characterization in planetary exploration. Most microcircuits developed with the intent of being used in the space environment are radiation hardened and available over extended temperature ranges. Alternately, mitigation techniques are to be used. MEMS devices for space, especially for wireless application such antenna and communications systems, will for the most part be commercial off-the-shelf devices (COTS devices). The special circumstances for MEMS in the space environment and what to consider when transitioning COTS components into the space environment are discussed at the end of the chapter.
Automatic Bone and Marrow Extraction from Dual Energy CT through SVM Margin-Based Multi-Material Decomposition Model Selection

In this work, we present a fully-automatic approach for segmenting bone and marrow structures from dual energy CT (DECT) images. The images are represented using a multi-material decomposition model (MMD) computed from a triplet of physical materials at two different energy attenuation levels. We employ support vector machine learning to select the most relevant MMD model for the anatomical structure of interest so that highly accurate segmentation of the said structures can be achieved. We evaluated our approach for segmenting bone and marrow structures with varying amounts of metastatic bone disease on multiple longitudinal follow up patient scans. Our approach shows consistent and robust segmentation despite changes in bone density due to disease progression, high-density contrast material uptake in neighboring tissue, and significant metal artifacts.
Optimal scheduling of real-time messages in peer-to-peer wireless networks

This paper studies the problem of service allocation and scheduling of real-time messages in peer-to-peer wireless networks. Using stochastic network theory and optimization we propose a model that allows us to design a dynamic service allocation algorithm that maximizes the total network utility while meeting deadline constraints, by appealing to connections between Lagrange multipliers and deficits in service. The model allows for general interference constraints and arrival models. Using simulations we compare our algorithm against an optimal solution proposed for scheduling persistent real-time traffic and show the limitations of that approach to handle real-time messages for providing fairness.
New horizons: forensic mental health services for older people

Although the older adult population makes up only a small percentage of mentally disordered offenders, there is a clear need for forensic mental health services for older people. However, these services to date have developed ad hoc and with no coordination. In this article we discuss the evolution, current provision, future direction and therapeutic implications of such services. Although the epidemiology, criminology and clinical characteristics of older people are sufficiently different from those of younger people to warrant such service specificity, we suggest that the provision of care should be geared to services based on older people’s multiple and complex needs, rather than on arbitrary age cut-offs.
Structural Insights into G-tract Recognition by the hnRNP H-RNA Recognition Motif

The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H (hnRNP H) family of proteins are involved in RNA splicing of cellular and viral mRNAs. These proteins function as both splicing activators and repressors. The hnRNP H family proteins have previously been found to interact with poly-G sequences (G-tracts) of cellular and viral mRNAs using quasi RNA recognition motifs (qRRMs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). hnRNP H proteins are composed of three qRRMS, which are separated by linkers and two Glycine rich domains at C-terminal. The qRRM1 and qRRM2 domains are located at the N-terminus and separated by 10-residue linker, whereas qRRM3 is located towards the C-terminus. To gain structural insights into hnRNP H protein, here we solved the solution structure of the HRRM12 domain of hnRNP H using NMR spectroscopy. We used paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) and Residual dipolar couplings (RDC) to obtain distance restraints and orientational restraints between the HRRM1 and HRRM2 domains. T1, T2 and NOE experimental data is consistent with calculated structure of HRRM12 domain and reveals that HRRM12 adopt the compact (closed) structure. To better understand principals of hnRNP H-RNA recognition, we systematically screened G-tracts of RNA oligos against HRRM12 by using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and NMR spectroscopy. We examined the minimal G-tract RNA (--GGG--) sequence requirements for HRRM12 binding. The HRRM12 domain of hnRNP H exhibited no substantial differences in binding affinities for G-tracts of RNA (AGGGX) and HRRM12 residues involved in binding G-tracts of RNA were detected by NMR chemical shift perturbation experiments and a data-driven model of the complex was determined using HADDOCK. Taken together, this study provides the molecular insights for better understanding the role of the qRRM domains of hnRNP H in RNA splicing of cellular and viral mRNAs.
Modeling of eye's response in viewing 3D light field display

We presented a generalized model capable of rendering eye’s response in viewing a 3D light field display. The simulation shows that it is a convenient tool to correctly represent the eye’s response and further analyze the accuracy of focus cues.
Civic Duty and Political Preference Formation

While a sense of civic duty has long been perceived as important for political participation, little is known about its implications for political preference formation. I argue that civic duty has salubrious effects for opinion formation by dampening partisan distortions in decision making. I theorize that a heightened sense of civic duty stimulates a motivation to form “accurate” opinions and, in doing so, diminishes the effects of partisan motivated reasoning. Using survey experiments focused on tax and education policies, I provide evidence that when civic norms are accentuated, at times, people shirk party endorsements and incorporate substantive policy information in preference formation. The implications for citizen competence and public opinion in democratic politics are discussed.
Cameos for Calculus : Visualization in the First-Year Course

A thespian or cinematographer might define a cameo as "a brief appearance of a known figure," while a gemologist or lapidary might define it as "a precious or semiprecious stone." This book presents fifty short enhancements or supplements (the Cameos) for the first-year calculus course in which a geometric figure briefly appears. Some of the Cameos illustrate mainstream topics such as the derivative, combinatorial formulas used to compute Riemann sums, or the geometry behind many geometric series. Other Cameos present topics accessible to students at the calculus level but not usually encountered in the course, such as the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, the arithmetic mean-geometric mean inequality, and the Euler-Mascheroni constant. There are fifty Cameos in the book, grouped into five sections: Part I Limits and Differentiation; Part II Integration; Part III Infinite Series; Part IV Additional Topics, and Part V Appendix: Some Precalculus Topics. Many of the Cameos include exercises, so Solutions to all the Exercises follows Part V. The book concludes with References and an Index.Many of the Cameos are adapted from articles published in journals of the MAA, such as the American Mathematical Monthly, Mathematics Magazine, and the College Mathematics Journal. Some come from other mathematical journals, and some were created for this book. By gathering the Cameos into a book we hope that they will be more accessible to teachers of calculus, both for use in the classroom and as supplementary explorations for students.
Quantitative MRI Biomarkers of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Moving from Scientific Insights toward Clinical Practice (P06.030)

OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the use of quantitative MRI biomarkers in a series of cases from a subspecialty academic medical center practice of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. BACKGROUND: Patients with Alzheimer9s disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Posterior Cortical Atrophy, and other neurodegenerative diseases may present diagnostic challenges to the neurologist, especially early in their course or in atypical cases. Although a brain MRI scan is usually obtained in the evaluation of patients suspected of having these conditions, at present most clinical practices visually inspect these scans but do not routinely perform quantitative analyses to try to identify abnormalities of brain structure. DESIGN/METHODS: Employing publicly available software (FreeSurfer), we developed a method to apply this suite of software tools to MRI scans obtained in our clinical practice and produce quantitative reports of brain structure readable by clinicians, producing Z scores across the cerebral cortex and for specific subcortical brain structures which are used to identify abnormalities. We then compare the spatial patterns of abnormal brain structure to “disease signature” patterns from groups of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. RESULTS: In many patients, the quantitative maps of cortical atrophy and other abnormalities in brain structure are consistent with known patterns of one of the neurodegenerative diseases. In some cases, abnormalities were subtle enough that they were not confidently identified from visual inspection of MRI scans but were readily detectable from quantitative analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the potential value of quantitative analysis of MRI scans in clinical practice as part of the diagnostic evaluation of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Further work is in progress to compare these findings with FDG-PET and to analyze MRI scans from patients with molecular markers of neuropathology. Supported by: Grants from the NINDS (R21 NS077059), the NIA (R01 AG0323065; P50-AG005134), and the Alzheimer9s Association. Disclosure: Dr. Dickerson has received personal compensation for activities with Pfizer Inc and En Vivo as a consultant. Dr. Domoto-Reilly has received research support from TauRX. Dr. Hollenbeck has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sapolsky has nothing to disclose. Dr. Brickhouse has nothing to disclose.
Ecosystem carbon exchange on conversion of Conservation Reserve Program grasslands to annual and perennial cropping systems

Abstract Land use changes into and out of agricultural production may substantially influence ecosystem carbon (C) balance for many years. We examined ecosystem C balances for eight years after the conversion of 22 year-old Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands and formerly tilled agricultural fields (AGR) to annual (continuous no-till corn) and perennial (switchgrass and restored prairie) cropland. An unconverted CRP field (CRP-Ref) was maintained as a historical reference. Ecosystem C balance was assessed using adjusted net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEEadj) calculated by adding C removed in harvested biomass to NEE measured using eddy covariance method. The cumulative NEEadj of the corn and perennial systems on former CRP fields showed that these systems were a net C source to the atmosphere over the 8-year period while on former AGR fields, the perennial systems were net C sinks and the corn system near-neutral. The CRP-Ref was near neutral until a drought year when it became a net source. The corn system on the CRP field will likely reach a new lower soil C equilibrium at least 14 years after conversion but will never regain the C lost upon conversion under current no-till management with residue partially removed. On the other hand, the perennial systems could fully regain in ∼14 years the C lost following conversion. The cumulative NEEadj of the corn systems exhibited a higher C emission than did the perennial systems within the same land use histories, reflecting the dominant role of crop type and management in agricultural ecosystem C balance. Results suggest that converting croplands to grasslands results in immediate C gains whereas converting grasslands to croplands results in permanent (no-till corn with partial residue removal) or temporary (perennial herbaceous crops) net C loss to the atmosphere. This has a significant implications for global climate change mitigation where biomass production from annual and perennial crops is promoted to avoid fossil-fuel C emissions (biofuel) or to remove CO2 from the atmosphere (bioenergy C capture and storage).
An Examination of the Role of Supramaximal Resection of Temporal Lobe Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Background Resection of the T1 contrast-enhancing portion of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has been shown to increase patient survival, although whether GBM resection beyond these boundaries has an additional survival benefit is not clear. In this study, we examined the effect of resecting the enhancement and a margin of brain tissue surrounding the enhancement in patients with GBM of the temporal lobe. Methods We identified 32 consecutive patients with temporal lobe GBM who underwent initial resection between 2012 and 2015. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed based on the following categories: subtotal resection (STR; Results Patients undergoing SMR demonstrated a substantially improved median PFS (15 months) compared with those undergoing GTR (7 months) or those undergoing STR (6 months) ( P P P = 0.039) and OS (HR, 0.169; 95% CI, 0.05–0.57; P P = 0.66). Conclusions Achieving SMR substantially improved survival in patients with temporal lobe GBM compared with GTR of the enhancement alone.
Re-Engineering Humanity

Every day, new warnings emerge about artificial intelligence rebelling against us. All the while, a more immediate dilemma flies under the radar. Have forces been unleashed that are thrusting humanity down an ill-advised path, one that's increasingly making us behave like simple machines? In this wide-reaching, interdisciplinary book, Brett Frischmann and Evan Selinger examine what's happening to our lives as society embraces big data, predictive analytics, and smart environments. They explain how the goal of designing programmable worlds goes hand in hand with engineering predictable and programmable people. Detailing new frameworks, provocative case studies, and mind-blowing thought experiments, Frischmann and Selinger reveal hidden connections between fitness trackers, electronic contracts, social media platforms, robotic companions, fake news, autonomous cars, and more. This powerful analysis should be read by anyone interested in understanding exactly how technology threatens the future of our society, and what we can do now to build something better.
A power-efficient formulation of tandem-hopped radar & communications

It was recently demonstrated that spectral notches in FM noise radar can be occupied by shaped OFDM subcarriers, thereby forming a composite far-field radar/communication emission that can be readily used for pulse compression matched filtering on receive. Here an optimization technique is presented that forms the composite waveform directly, such that the embedded OFDM subcarriers are part of a single constant amplitude multi-function signal that also possesses desirable autocorrelation properties. The impact on radar and communication performance is assessed by varying the number of embedded OFDM subcarriers, the size/structure of the symbol constellation, and their placement within the radar spectrum.
Packet pump: overcoming network bottleneck in on-chip interconnects for GPGPUs

In order to fully exploit GPGPU's parallel processing power, on-chip interconnects need to provide bandwidth efficient data communication. GPGPUs exhibit a many-to-few-to-many traffic pattern which makes the memory controller connected routers the network bottleneck. Inefficient design of conventional routers causes long queues of packets blocked at memory controllers and thus greatly constrained the network bandwidth. In this work, we employ heterogeneous design techniques and propose a novel decoupled architecture for routers connected with memory controllers. To further improve performance, we propose techniques called Injection Virtual Circuit and Memory-aware Adaptive Routing. We show that our scheme can effectively eliminate NoC bottleneck and improve performance by 78% on average.
Suppression of Gonadotropin Release and Ovulation in Animals by Inhibitory Analogs of Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone

The basic assumption in developing competitive inhibitors of luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone-releasing hormone (LH/FSH-RH), the structure of which is shown in Figure 1, was that analogs could be designed which could retain the ability to bind to pituitary receptor sites whilst being devoid of gonadotropin-releasing activity. The first indication that this approach was valid came out of work by Vale et al. (1972) who found that removal of histidine from the peptide chain gave a nonapeptide of very low LH-RH activity which was capable of inhibiting the action of LH-RH on cultures of anterior pituitary cells. This inhibition was, however, weak and subsequently could not be demonstrated in vivo in rats (Vilchez-Martinez et al., 1974a). Other inhibitors based on the original decapeptide sequence were shown (Vilchez-Martinez et al., 1974a) to be active in vivo; however, these were also too weak to be of practical value. It became obvious, therefore, that ways must be found to substantially raise the binding affinity of an inhibitor, again without increasing agonistic activity to any great extent.
A Rule of Law for Women? Women, Law, and Development in Colombia

This honours paper was supervised by Professor Hilary Charlesworth. This article examines the concept of the rule of law as a development mechanism and its application to women in developing and post-conflict situations. It identifies three main approaches to the rule of law in the development context, the market-centred approach, the human rights-based approach, and the hybrid approach. What these approaches share is an emphasis on institutional reform, which has proved ineffective in protecting the rights of women and advancing their interests. This is particularly the case in conflict and post-conflict areas as illustrated by the case study of Colombia. The paper concludes by examining some alternatives to the formalist understanding of the rule of law and argues that this notion should be extended to incorporate the use of legal and non-legal services, incorporate civil society, and create sustainable legal cultures.
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology

The application of fine needle aspiration ­cytology to the management of thyroid disorders has an interesting practical history. The first clinical uses of aspiration cytology evolved from Scandinavia in the 1950s [1]. Martin and Ellis utilized this technique in 1930 to diagnose a variety of masses at Memorial Hospital in New York [2]. Stewart then reported 2,500 tumors in 1933 [3]. Subsequently, other European publications began to emphasize the utility of this method to more accurately characterize thyroid nodules [4–7]. How did the interest in cytology polarize to Scandinavia in those early years? At that time, pathologists in the United States were reluctant to accept this technique due to various reasons.
STRONG-D: Strength training regimen for normal weight diabetics: Rationale and design.

Abstract Background Currently, there is a lack of data on effective lifestyle recommendations for normal-weight diabetics (NWD), who can represent up to 1 in 5 individuals with Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). NWD is especially prevalent in Asian populations and the elderly. Specific exercise treatment recommendations are needed for patients with normal-weight diabetes (NWD), as those in this category face higher mortality rates than overweight and obese diabetics. Standard T2DM treatment recommends aerobic training; however, performing aerobic training alone may not be appropriate for NWD and strength training may be a more effective treatment recommendation. Objective While it is known that strength and aerobic training are beneficial in obese diabetics, there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend this regimen in NWD. The Strength Training Regimen for Normal Weight Diabetics (STRONG-D) study aims to determine the best exercise regimen for NWD and address the current lack of appropriate physical activity recommendations for this population. The primary goal of this study is to determine whether strength training aids glycemic control better than aerobic training in NWD. Study design STRONG-D is a three-arm randomized controlled trial designed to compare the clinical effectiveness of structured strength training only, aerobic training only, and combination (strength + aerobic) training sessions, modeled after the intervention in the Health Benefits of Aerobic and Resistance Training in T2DM patients (HART-D) study. Potential participants meeting eligibility criteria of HbA1c values of 6.5% to 13.0% and BMI of 18.5 kg/m2 to 25 kg/m2 will be enrolled. After randomization, participants will begin a 9-month exercise intervention. The primary outcomes will be HbA1c levels. The secondary endpoints will include physical fitness, body composition measured by Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans, and leg strength and endurance measured by Biodex testing. Initial follow-up visits will occur at 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. To determine the long-term effects of the exercise intervention, passive follow-up will continue via electronic health records (EHR) until a 24-month follow-up visit. A total of 282 participants will be randomized into the three study arms determine the clinically significant differences between strength-only, aerobic-only and combination regimens.
Assembling Ordered Crystals with Disperse Building Blocks.

Conventional colloidal crystallization techniques typically require low dispersity building blocks in order to make ordered particle arrays, resulting in a practical challenge for studying or scali...
Green’s Function and Positive Solutions of a Third-Order Equation with Periodic Boundary Conditions

We apply the fixed point index to obtain positive solutions of a nonresonant periodic boundary value problem for a third-order differential equation .
Pollen production for 13 urban North American tree species: allometric equations for tree trunk diameter and crown area

Estimates of airborne pollen concentrations at the urban scale would be useful for epidemiologists, land managers, and allergy sufferers. Mechanistic models could be well suited for this task, but their development will require data on pollen production across cities, including estimates of pollen production by individual trees. In this study, we developed predictive models for pollen production as a function of trunk size, canopy area, and height, which are commonly recorded in tree surveys or readily extracted from remote sensing data. Pollen production was estimated by measuring the number of flowers per tree, the number of anthers per flower, and the number of pollen grains per anther. Variability at each morphological scale was assessed using bootstrapping. Pollen production was estimated for the following species: Acer negundo, Acer platanoides, Acer rubrum, Acer saccharinum, Betula papyrifera, Gleditsia triacanthos, Juglans nigra, Morus alba, Platanus x acerfolia, Populus deltoides, Quercus palustris, Quercus rubra, and Ulmus americana. Basal area predicted pollen production with a mean R2 of 0.72 (range: 0.41 - 0.99), whereas canopy area predicted pollen production with a mean R2 of 0.76 (range: 0.50 - 0.99). These equations are applied to two tree datasets to estimate total municipal pollen production and the spatial distribution of street tree pollen production for the focal species. We present some of the first individual-tree based estimates of pollen production at the municipal scale; the observed spatial heterogeneity in pollen production is substantial and can feasibly be included in mechanistic models of airborne pollen at fine spatial scales.
Patterns of Failure and the Need for Biliary Intervention in Resected Biliary Tract Cancers After Chemoradiation.

This study assessed patterns of failure and rates of subsequent biliary intervention among patients with resected biliary tract cancers (BTCs) including gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) and extra- and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA and iCCA) treated with adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). In this single-institution retrospective analysis of 80 patients who had GBC (n = 29), eCCA (n = 43), or iCCA (n = 8) treated with curative-intent resection and adjuvant CRT from 2007 to 2017, the median radiation dose was 50.4 Gy (range 36–65 Gy) with concurrent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy. All but two of the patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. The 2-year locoregional failure (LRF), 2-year recurrence-free survival (RFS), and 2-year overall survival (OS), and univariate predictors of LRF, RFS, and OS were calculated for the entire cohort and for a subgroup excluding patients with iCCA (n = 72). The predictors of biliary interventions also were assessed. Of the 80 patients (median follow-up period, 30.5 months; median OS, 33.9 months), 54.4% had American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage 1 or 2 disease, 57.1% were lymph node-positive, and 66.3% underwent margin-negative resection. For the entire cohort, 2-year LRF was 23.8%, 2-year RFS was 43.7%, and 2-year OS was 62.1%. When patients with iCCA were excluded, the 2-year LRF was 22.6%, the 2-year RFS was 43.9%, and the 2-year OS was 59.2%. In the overall and subgroup univariate analyses, lymph node positivity was associated with greater LRF, whereas resection margin was not. Biliary intervention was required for 12 (63.2%) of the 19 patients with LRF versus 11 (18%) of the 61 patients without LRF (P < 0.001). Of the 12 patients with LRF who required biliary intervention, 4 died of biliary complications. The LRF rates remained significant despite adjuvant CRT. Lymph node positivity may be associated with increased risk of LRF. Positive margins were not associated with greater LRF, suggesting that CRT may mitigate LRF risk for this group. An association between LRF and higher rates of subsequent biliary interventions was observed, which may yield significant morbidity. Novel strategies to decrease the rates of LRF should be considered.
Who decides? Mothers’ and children’s beliefs about food disagreements

Abstract Who do mothers and children believe is in charge of what and how much a child should eat? We explored beliefs about the scope of parental authority over food decisions, by integrating quantitative and qualitative methods. Mothers and their 5- or 7-year-old children responded separately to 4 hypothetical scenarios where a child disagreed with a mother who requested them to: eat a healthy food, eat an unhealthy food, eat an equally healthy but different food, and eat a different amount of food. Mothers were also interviewed about actual family food disagreements and resolution strategies. In healthy scenarios both mothers and children viewed what children ate as the mothers’ decision; however, in all other scenarios mothers viewed what to eat as the child’s choice. In contrast, children more often judged food decisions as up to the parent, only reliably categorizing the unhealthy scenario as the child’s choice. Justifications differed by scenario, but overall children were more focused on health and parental authority while mothers often discussed children’s personal choice. The proportion of mothers’ reported use of rule-like strategies for real-life food conflicts was correlated with children’s authority-based answers. No other self-reported strategies were related to children’s reasoning patterns. Exploratory analysis showed mothers’ political position also predicted children’s decisions, with children of conservative parents more likely to focus on authority.
Inhibition of Mixed Biofilms of Candida albicans and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Positively Charged Silver Nanoparticles and Functionalized Silicone Elastomers

Both bacterial and fungal organisms display the ability to form biofilms; however, mixed bacterial/fungal biofilms are particularly difficult to control and eradicate. The opportunistic microbial pathogens Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus are among the most frequent causative agents of healthcare-acquired infections, and are often co-isolated forming mixed biofilms, especially from contaminated catheters. These mixed species biofilms display a high level of antibiotic resistance; thus, these infections are challenging to treat resulting in excess morbidity and mortality. In the absence of effective conventional antibiotic treatments, nanotechnology-based approaches represent a promising alternative for the treatment of highly recalcitrant polymicrobial biofilm infections. Our group has previously reported on the activity of pure positively charged silver nanoparticles synthesized by a novel microwave technique against single-species biofilms of C. albicans and S. aureus. Here, we have expanded our observations to demonstrate that that silver nanoparticles display dose-dependent activity against dual-species C. albicans/S. aureus biofilms. Moreover, the same nanoparticles were used to functionalize catheter materials, leading to the effective inhibition of the mixed fungal/bacterial biofilms. Overall, our results indicate the potent activity of silver nanoparticles against these cross-kingdom biofilms. More studies are warranted to examine the ability of functionalized catheters in the prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infections.
Resolving nonuniform temperature distributions with single-beam absorption spectroscopy. Part II: Implementation from broadband spectra

Abstract Several past studies have described how absorption spectroscopy can be used to determine spatial temperature variations along the optical path by measuring the unique, nonlinear response to temperature of many molecular absorption transitions and performing an inversion. New laser absorption spectroscopy techniques are well-suited to this nonuniformity measurement, yet present analysis approaches use only isolated features rather than a full broadband spectral measurement. In this work, we develop a constrained spectral fitting technique called E ″ -binning to fit an absorption spectrum arising from a nonuniform environment. The information extracted from E ″ -binning is then input to the inversion approach from the previous paper in this series (Malarich and Rieker, JQSRT 107455 [1] ) to determine the temperature distribution. We demonstrate this approach by using dual frequency comb laser measurements to resolve convection cells in a tube furnace. The recovered temperature distributions at each measurement height agree with an existing natural convection model. Finally, we show that for real-world measurements with noise and absorption model error, increasing the bandwidth and the number of measured absorption transitions may improve the temperature distribution precision. We make the fitting code publicly available for use with any broadband absorption measurement.
The Performance Implications of Entrepreneurial Proclivity: A Dynamic Capabilities Approach

This study uses the concept of dynamiccapabilities to study the management orientation of entrepreneurial proclivity.Dynamic capability refers to the continual modification of resources tocreate difficult-to-imitate competencies that give a firm competitive advantagein the marketplace. Understanding of retailer dynamic capabilities is limitedby two aspects: (1) little empirical research focuses on retailer's ability toconvert knowledge resources to develop specific capabilities, and (2) mostmodels fail to integrate management orientations, which drive the accumulationof knowledge and development of dynamic capabilities. A model was developed that represents the effects of entrepreneurialproclivity on knowledge resources and their employment. Entrepreneurialproclivity is theorized to be prior to a retailer's knowledge of (1) customers,competitors, suppliers, and governing agencies. The model was tested through asurvey of 269 small retailers. Results confirm that a retailer's management orientation to entrepreneurialproclivity (1) provides a basis for the development of knowledge resources andinfluences the process of creating dynamic market responsiveness, and (2)influences the conversion of supplier and regulatory knowledge into the dynamiccapability of market responsiveness. Overall, the study shows the central roleof entrepreneurial proclivity in retailers' development and use of knowledgeresources. (TNM)
Validation of a handheld somatic cell count device

Mastitis is the most common and costly disease of dairy cattle. It impacts farm economics through diagnostic and treatment costs and loss of income through discarded milk, decreased milk production, and loss of milk quality premiums. It negatively affects cow comfort and increases the culling risk. Most cases of mastitis are subclinical, leading to undetected economic losses. To mitigate these losses, surveillance for subclinical mastitis (SCM) indicators can be useful. One such indicator is the somatic cell count (SCC). Elevated SCC indicates inflammation, most likely caused by bacterial infection. One barrier to early detection of SCM is the lag between sample collection and availability of test results. The objective of this study was to evaluate a novel handheld, cow-side instrument for the enumeration of somatic cells in milk, the DQI iPod Touch Cell Counter. Our goal is to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and agreement of the instrument compared to currently available laboratory methods.
Optimal Placement and Kinematic Design of 2-DoF Robotic Arm

For the effective management of robotized sites during the design phase of robot manipulator design in industrial and automation projects, specialized tools based on simulation of robotized sites are required which aims to provide aid to the user, e.g. the optimum robot trajectory to accomplish a specific task for a better cost as well as time management. In this work, we propose a general approach based on Matlab simulation to simulate collision-free optimal positioning & manipulation of robot's task by considering the effect of workspace & workshop grid size, link length, maximum joint angle limits, robot base radius, and obstacles size, location, and clearance. The proposed simulation strategy can be directly mapped to a real robot and able to cope with almost all problems related to the real implementation of manipulators. This approach deals with the optimal placement and kinematic design of a 2-DOF robotic arm using dynamic performance indices and angular constraints within and amongst links. The two degrees of freedom depict two rotations of the two movable links and no translational motion (z-direction) is considered. The mathematical modeling of the 2-DOF manipulator is briefly discussed and kinematics equations are derived using an inverse kinematics approach with an emphasis on developing an optimal 2-DOF robot for use in precision assembly applications. This configuration consists of direct drive planar linear motors traveling on a tabletop platen surface combined with an overhead 2-DOF manipulator.
Urea-induced release of heat-labile enterotoxin from Escherichia coli.

Urea induces the release of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) from cells of LT-producing Escherichia coli strains. Optimal conditions were defined by using the checkerboard immunoblotting system. LT release was highest when E. coli cells were incubated in 8 M urea, pH 8.0, at 37 degrees C in a water bath for 30 min. Urea was more effective than polymyxin B in inducing the release of LT antigen from E. coli; the activity of LT from urea-treated cells was seven times that of LT from polymyxin B-treated cells. Urea also increased the antigenic and biological reactivities of purified LT. This procedure is potentially applicable for the detection of LT-producing E. coli strains in the clinical laboratory. Images
Book Review Essayists: David Sawicki

I was a planning graduate student at Cornell University from 1965 to 1970, a time of great intellectual turmoil in planning. Half of the faculty (many of them architects) believed they knew how to ...
BEYOND THE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS: RATIONALES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SEROTONERGIC AGENTS

Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of mood, arousal, aggression, sleep, learning, nociceptions, nerve growth, and appetitive functions. Medications that act on 5-HT and its receptors have applications in the treatment of a variety of psychiatric disorders, among them depression, anxiety, psychoses, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and conditions associated with aggression. The clinical effects of these medications depend not only on their capacity to increase synaptic concentrations of 5-HT, but also on their effects on subtypes of 5-HT receptors and on other neurotransmitter systems
Spin-orbit relaxation and recombination dynamics in I2−(CO2)n and I2−(OCS)n cluster ions: A new type of photofragment caging reaction

We report a new type of photofragment caging reaction that is only possible because of the strong solvent-induced perturbation of the inherent electronic structure of the chromophore. The photoexcitation of I2− at 395 nm promotes it to a dissociative state correlating with I−+I*(2P1/2), the only near-ultraviolet dissociation channel for unsolvated I2−. In I2−(CO2)n and I2−(OCS)n clusters, interaction with the solvent is observed to result in extremely fast spin-orbit relaxation. In general, we detect three reaction pathways: (1) direct dissociation of the chromophore to I−+I*(2P1/2); (2) the I2−→I−+I* dissociation, followed by spin-orbit quenching leading to I−+I(2P3/2) products; and (3) the I2−→I−+I* dissociation, followed by spin-orbit quenching and I−+I(2P3/2)→I2− recombination and vibrational relaxation. We present experimental evidence of the spin-orbit relaxation and caging and discuss possible mechanisms. The results include: the measured translational energy release in 395 nm photodissociation of ...
Reactions of Pilots to Warning Systems for Visual Collision Avoidance.

Abstract : A series of six experiments was conducted that have application to the development of Pilot Warning Instruments (PWI). The experiments were concerned with the effect of warning rates on pilot performance, pilot response to imminent collision threats, the evaluaion of scanning patterns, the value of warning-only, the effect of relative motion on pilot performance, and the effect of PWI display sector size. The results of these experiments offer a variety of useful data in the area of visual collision avoidance. (Author)
Photodefinable polyimides. II. The characterization and processing of photosensitive polyimide systems

Two negative-working photodefinable polyimides with different backbones have been prepared using a four-step synthesis process based on polyiminolactone chemistry. These polyimides have been formulated, coated onto silicon wafers, patterned directly using standard UV microphotolithography, and thermally cured to produce polyimide relief structures. Aspects of the synthesis and processing are discussed, and the properties of the two polyimides after curing are compared. >