cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of synthesized nano-ZnO on cure and physico-mechanical properties of SBR/BR blends

This study focuses on the synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles by high temperature calcination as well as low-temperature hydrolysis methods and their efficiency as cure activator in styrene-butadiene rubber/polybutadiene rubber blend. The synthesized nano-ZnO samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, BET surface area and transmission electron microscopy. The synthesized nano-ZnO samples had wurtzite structure and average particle size in the ‘nm’ range. ZnO nanoparticles, synthesized on sepiolite template, were of smallest particle size (maximum number of particles in the range of 7–12 nm) and highest surface area (104 m2g−1). Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-6000 coated ZnO nanoparticles had rod-like structure; average diameter of the rods was 50 nm. In the case of PEG-coated ZnO containing compounds, optimum cure time of the blend was decreased by 5 min compared to that of standard rubber grade-ZnO containing compound (used as reference). Optimum cure time was lowered by 7–10 min in the case of synthesized nano-ZnO containing compounds compared to the reference ZnO based compound in presence of conventional filler, carbon black. It was also observed from ICP-OES analysis that the presence of very little amount of magnesium in one of the synthesized ZnO has noticeable impact on cure properties. PEG-coated ZnO increased the tensile strength of gum vulcanizates by 28% compared to the reference ZnO, acting as nanofiller at 3 phr loading. The study of curing behavior in dynamic condition was carried out using DSC. The results differ slightly from static curing except PEG modified nano-ZnO. Use of ZnO nanoparticles could provide faster crosslinking, better reinforcement at lower concentration compared to reference ZnO.
Improved designs of high power density inverters for 380 Vdc based microgrid architectures

This article describes a 380 Vdc based microgrid retrofitted within an existing, AC based, state-of-the-art trucking terminal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The DC microgrid is composed of renewable generation resources including 50 kW of solar photovoltaic generation, 5 kW of wind power, a 75 kWh energy storage system all coordinated to serve a 33.4 kW lighting load. A number of design constraints, including environmental conditions and renewable generation availability are considered in order to develop a design suited for the needs of the site. In such retrofit environments, however, there is often minimal space for the integration of new electric equipment indoors. To address this need, the second objective of this paper details the development of a high power density, GaN-based modular inverter capable of handling 2 kW at 400 Vdc within a 100W/in3 containment used to power motor loads in commercial settings.
Enacted abortion stigma in the United States.

Abstract Rationale Abortion is a common medical procedure at the center of political debate. Yet, abortion stigma at the individual level is under-researched; the nascent research on abortion stigma has not yet documented enacted (experienced) stigma instead capturing anticipated or internalized stigma. Objective This study documents how women and men who disclosed abortions perceived others’ reactions and determinants of those perceptions. Method The study uses the American Miscarriage and Abortion Communication Survey, a survey representative of American-resident adults. Data from the sub-sample who had personal experience with abortion were analyzed (total sample, N = 1640; abortion disclosure sub-sample, n = 179). The survey captured each disclosure of the most recent abortion. Respondents had eight possible choices for articulating how the listener reacted. Cluster analyses grouped these reactions. Multinomial logistic regression identified predictors of the perceived reactions. Ordinal logistic regression revealed which disclosers perceived exclusively negative reactions, exclusively positive reactions, and a mix of negative and positive reactions. Results Each disclosure fell into one of three clusters: negative reaction, supportive reaction or sympathetic reaction. The majority of abortion disclosures received largely positive reactions (32.6% were characterized as supportive and 40.6% were characterized as sympathetic). A substantial minority of disclosures received a negative reaction (26.8%). The perceived valence of the reaction is predicted, in part, by to whom the disclosure was made and why. Across all their disclosures, most people disclosing an abortion history perceived only positive reactions (58.3%). A substantial minority of people perceived either exclusively negative reactions (7.6%) or a mix of negative and positive reactions (34.1%). Ordinal logistic regression (with people as the unit of analysis) showed perceived reactions are predicted by the number of disclosures made and the revealer's race and income. Conclusion Whereas most people disclosing an abortion received support or sympathy, a substantial minority received stigmatizing reactions, which could plausibly have a negative impact on health.
The Mathematical Works of Andrew Wiles

This paper surveys the published mathematical works of Andrew Wiles up through the time he was awarded the Abel Prize.
SKILLED NURSING FACILITY TO HOME CARE TRANSITIONS: OUTCOMES OF EARLY OUTPATIENT FOLLOW-UP

As hospital lengths of stay have decreased, more older adults have discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) prior to returning home. Patient characteristics and factors that prevent post-discharge adverse outcomes, such as hospital readmissions, are poorly understood. This study utilized a database comprised of data from one health system’s Electronic Medical Record, matched to Medicare, Medicaid and the Minimum Data Set. Among patients who transitioned from hospital to SNF to home, we used survival analysis to examine whether a home health visit or outpatient visit within one week of SNF discharge was associated with reduced hospital admission. Out of 8,754 community dwelling, hospitalized older adults with a hospital stay of 3 or more days, 4,577 were discharged home (52.3%; hospital to home group) and 3,025 (34.6%) were discharged to a SNF, of whom 1,543 (51.0%) returned home (SNF to home group). Patients discharged after SNF stay were older (median age 77.82 years v. 73.75, p<0.0001), had more comorbidities (median 6 v. 5, p<0.0001) and a longer hospital length of stay (median 7 v. 4 days, p<0.0001). After SNF discharge, a home health visit within a week was associated with reduced hazard of 30-day hospital readmission (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.61, p<0.0001) but outpatient physician visits were not (aHR=0.67, p=.8214). Patients discharged to a SNF prior to returning home are a high risk group. The finding that a home health visit within a week of discharge is associated with reduced hazard of 30-day hospital readmissions suggests a potential avenue for intervention.
Review of the mechanism of action of coal tar in psoriasis.

Purpose: Crude coal tar and its derivatives have been used in modern medicine for the treatment of psoriasis since at least 1925 as part of the Goeckerman regimen. To this day, coal tar remains a s...
Oxidative Stress and Biomaterials: The Inflammatory Link

Abstract Inflammation occurs after the in vivo introduction of biomaterials as the body responds to the material and the tissue damage caused by the process of implantation. This chapter describes the inflammatory and foreign body responses to biomaterials and the impact of the physicochemical properties of biomaterials on activating this innate response. Also discussed are the roles of reactive oxygen species produced by biomaterials and surrounding tissues on the initiation, propagation, and remedy of inflammation. In doing so, the relationship between inflammation and oxidative stress and how they help propagate each other will be elucidated. An understanding of this relationship will be helpful in developing strategies to mediate foreign body response and its deleterious effects on implanted biomaterials.
Missing Data/Imputation

Missing data are a common problem in adulthood and aging research. This entry overviews the problem and possible solutions. It begins by offering a definition of missing data, with examples. It presents a widely applied taxonomy of mechanisms that create the missing data. It then considers common, but limited, approaches: complete-cases, available cases, weighting analyses, and single imputation. More principled methods, namely multiple imputation, maximum likelihood, and inference from Bayesian posterior distributions, are then discussed. Keywords: imputation; missing at random; missing data; multiple imputation; nonresponse
Role of Prostaglandins in Macrophage Cell Function

Since their discovery in the 1930s as potent autacoids, and their subsequent isolation and characterization in the 1960s as derivatives of arachidonic acid, prostaglandins have been the topic of many symposia and the basis for exhaustive research. These ubiquitous fatty acid derivatives have proven to be extremely powerful chemicals synthesized by nearly every cell in the human body, except the erythrocyte. Their synthesis and release have shown to be dependent upon a wide variety of cell membrane perturbations ranging from slight mechanical or chemical disturbances to the binding of compounds to specific receptors. Increasing evidence supports the theory that prostaglandins of all types are “made on demand” and not stored, since the amount of prostaglandins released from specific cells, in response to an appropriate stimulus, is greater than the total prostaglandin content of the cells prior to stimulation (Horton, 1979).
The dendritic origins of fast prepotentials in pyramidal cells

We used compartmental modeling of a pyramidal cell to examine the hypothesis that prepotentials originate in hot spots or localized regions of high sodium and potassium conductances in the dendritic tree. The full range of experimentally observed prepotentials could be reproduced using compartmental models by incorporating hot spots containing fast sodium conductances and delayed rectifier potassium conductances in densities that were high relative to conductance densities estimated in labs where prepotentials were not observed.
Self-destructive Behaviors, Masochistic Dynamics, and Illness

Medical illness, and to some extent, physical decline associated with aging, are linked with the dynamics of power and control. When illness strikes, people become aware of the limits of their bodies. Once sickness sets in, we cannot change the fact that we are ill. On the other hand, illness can cause us to seize control by following medical regimens, improving self-care, and changing lifestyle behaviors that increase the risk of disease. This chapter will focus on parameters of self-care and how they relate to control over illness. I will begin by exploring this issue through the lens of the paradoxical situation when people with medical illness engage in behaviors that put themselves at further risk. These cases illustrate an extreme scenario in which feelings about oneself are physically manifested through unhealthy and self-destructive behaviors. At times such behaviors are often conducted with a specific aim of provoking a response in another person, but also represent complicated internal dynamics related to rage, confusion and feelings of powerlessness. Although some people behave with habitual self-destructive behaviors in illness, I will also address the common occurrence of those who engage in risky behaviors outside of the context of being ill. Given the high degree of noncompliance in the United States pertaining to lifestyle factors and illness, I will suggest that there are common components of a self-destructive instinct in many people. Though self-destructive behaviors can be differentiated from calculated risks (since we are all subject to activities, behaviors, and environmental influences that could be harmful and yet cannot avoid), I will make a case that certain psychological states related to fear of illness and death, and the resulting issues related to power, control, and omnipotence, can be covered loosely under the heading “masochism.”
Direct and Indirect Roles of Ran-GTP in Nuclear Export of RNAS in Higher Eukaryotes

Almost all RNAs are synthesized in the nucleus, and must be exported to the cytoplasm before they can function in cell metabolism. Specific proteins, export receptors, carry the RNA cargoes out of the nucleus, mediating the interaction between the cargo and components of the nuclear pore complex (NPC). To date, two RNA export receptors that bind the export cargo in a Ran·GTP-dependent manner have been identified: Xpo-t (exportin-t), which binds directly to its tRNA export cargo, and CRM1 (Xpo-1 or exportin-1), which uses specific protein adapters to bind export cargos like snRNAs, certain cellular mRNAs, unspliced HIV-1 retroviral mRNA and rRNAs. Like other proteins that are exported by CRM1, these RNA export adapters have specific (often leucine-rich) nuclear export signals (NESs) (Chapter 2). Both Xpo-t and CRM1 are members of the large family of importin s-like transport receptors. A different type of RNA export receptor, TAP (or NXF1), which does not directly require Ran·GTP for association with its cargo, is responsible for export of most mRNAs.
Is There a Limit to Adoption of Dynamic Ridesharing Systems? Evidence from Analysis of Uber Demand Data from New York City:

Recent technological advances have paved the way for new mobility alternatives within established transportation networks, including on-demand ride hailing/sharing (e.g., Uber, Lyft) and citywide b...
A Contemporary Analysis of Pediatric Urology Surgical Volume at a Tertiary Care Center.

Abstract Objective To describe the annual volume of pediatric urology cases in an academic, tertiary care setting. Methods A retrospective review was performed of all patients operated on by 4 pediatric urologists (total of 2.5 full-time equivalents) at an academic, tertiary care center with a free-standing children's hospital from 2016 to 2017 (24 months). Basic case information was collected from operative reports. Descriptive statistics are reported using nonparametric methods. “Uncommon” was defined a priori as occurring Results During the entire study period, 2718 patients underwent 4580 procedures. This equated to 1088 patients and 1832 procedures per full-time equivalent. Median age at surgery was 3.2 years (IQR 0.8-10) and 757 (16.5%) of patients were female. Most procedures were elective (4406, 96.2%) and did not require postoperative admission (3842, 83.9%). Urgent and emergent cases were uncommon (174, 3.8%). Most cases were classified as general pediatric urology (3894, 85%) with 319 (7%) classified as major reconstruction, 275 (6%) as laparoscopy/endourology and 92 (2%) as oncology. The most common cases involved the groin/scrotum (1415, 30.9%), prepuce (809, 17.7%), phallus (802, 17.5%), and endoscopy (652, 14.2%). All other case types were uncommon. Conclusion This description of an academic pediatric urology practice at a tertiary care center with a free-standing children's hospital noted a high volume of elective, outpatient procedures that are largely general pediatric urology. Uncommon cases include urgent/emergent interventions, major reconstruction, laparoscopy/endourology, and oncology procedures.
Pseudomeningocele after spine surgery: An important cause for failed back syndrome and its management–a mini review

Pseudomeningoceleis a known complication after cranial and spinal surgeries These lesions involve extradural accumulations of cerebrospinal fluid CSF They are mostly asymptomatic nevertheless can potentially cause serious complications in certain situations Owing the high incidence of spontaneous regression most of these lesions are managed conservatively In symptomatic patients with persistent pseudomeningoceles a more aggressive approach may be necessary The current article discusses comprehensively the pathophysiology diagnostic pearls and management guidelines of these rare pathologies
La3+ and Er3+ co-doped Y2O3 transparent ceramics with a tunable refractive index and long coherence lifetime

La3+ is used as an index modifier to tune the refractive index of Er3+ doped Y2O3 transparent ceramics without reducing the coherence lifetime of Er3+ 4I13/2−4I15/2 transition. La3+ and Er3+ are incorporated into Y2O3 through a solution-phase nanoparticle synthesis and nanoparticles are sintered into transparent ceramics by hot isostatic press. The maximum La3+ doping concentration is about 10%, which increases the refractive index of Y2O3 by 0.009 (Δn/n = 0.48%). La3+ doping doesn’t reduce Er3+ optical coherence lifetime. The homogeneous linewidth of Er3+(20 ppm) 4I13/2−4I15/2 transition in La3+ doped Y2O3 ceramics is about 10 kHz at 2 K and 0.65 T, which is close to the reported homogeneous linewidth in Er3+ doped Y2O3 ceramics and single crystals. Such La3+ Er3+ co-doped Y2O3 ceramics are proper materials to fabricate optical waveguides for quantum memory applications.
Influence of Waste Temperatures on Long-Term Landfill Performance: Coupled Numerical Modeling

AbstractA coupled thermo-hydro-bio-mechanical (CTHBM) numerical model to simulate the long-term behavior of municipal solid waste in landfills is presented. Three numerical simulations—a convention...
Controlling the Reduction of Chelated Uranyl to Stable Tetravalent Uranium Coordination Complexes in Aqueous Solution.

The solution-state interactions between octadentate hydroxypyridinone (HOPO) and catecholamide (CAM) chelating ligands and uranium were investigated and characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometry and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), as well as electrochemically via spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. Depending on the selected chelator, we demonstrate the controlled ability to bind and stabilize UIV, generating with 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO), a tetravalent uranium complex that is practically inert toward oxidation or hydrolysis in acidic, aqueous solution. At physiological pH values, we are also able to bind and stabilize UIV to a lesser extent, as evidenced by the mix of UIV and UVI complexes observed via XAS. CV and SEC measurements confirmed that the UIV complex formed with 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO) is redox inert in acidic media, and UVI ions can be reduced, likely proceeding via a two-electron reduction process.
Numerical study of equilibrium radial positions of neutrally buoyant balls in circular Poiseuille flows

In this article, we have studied, via direct numerical simulations, the equilibrium radial positions of neutrally buoyant balls moving in circular Poiseuille flows. For the one ball case, the Segre–Silberberg effect takes place at low Reynolds numbers (Re) as expected. However, at higher Re, the ball moves to one of two equilibrium positions. At even higher Re, the ball is pinched to a radial position closer to the central axis. For the case of two neutrally buoyant balls placed on a line parallel with the central axis initially, this two-ball train is stable at low Re and its mass center moves to the outer Segre–Silberberg equilibrium position like the migration of a single neutrally buoyant ball. Moreover, for Re values greater than the critical value, Rec = 435, the two-ball train is unstable. The two balls interact periodically, suggesting a (kind of) Hopf bifurcation phenomenon. Nevertheless, the averaged mass center of the two balls is located at the inner equilibrium radial position.
Integrating additional knowledge into the estimation of graphical models

Graphical models such as brain connectomes derived from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data are considered a prime gateway to understanding network-type processes. We show, however, that standard methods for graphical modeling can fail to provide accurate graph recovery even with optimal tuning and large sample sizes. We attempt to solve this problem by leveraging information that is often readily available in practice but neglected, such as the spatial positions of the measurements. This information is incorporated into the tuning parameter of neighborhood selection, for example, in the form of pairwise distances. Our approach is computationally convenient and efficient, carries a clear Bayesian interpretation, and improves standard methods in terms of statistical stability. Applied to data about Alzheimer's disease, our approach allows us to highlight the central role of lobes in the connectivity structure of the brain and to identify an increased connectivity within the cerebellum for Alzheimer's patients compared to other subjects.
Do Family Successions (Really) Reduce Firm Performance? Evidence from Large US Firms

This paper examines whether founder family successions lower performance in large US firms. We find no significant decreases in either accounting performance or firm value, and instead find evidence that both are improved. Consistent with this, we present evidence that family successions are associated with higher levels of employee trust, and that employee's human capital is not as easily transferable at family firms. Consistent with the literature, we find that the decision to appoint a founder family member as a successor CEO is not random, and occurs in low-growth, yet profitable firms. To mitigate these endogeneity problems, we first propensity match founder family firms with non-founder firms and examine the change in performance around founder successions relative to the matched firms. We also use two instruments of founder family successions in our analysis.
Regulation of adrenergic, serotonin and dopamine receptors to inhibit diabetic retinopathy: monotherapies versus combination therapies

We compared monotherapies and combinations of therapies that regulate G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) with respect to their abilities to inhibit early stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in streptozotocin-diabetic mice. Metoprolol (MTP; 0.04-1.0 mg/kgbw/day), bromocriptine (BRM; 0.01-0.1 mg/kgbw/day), doxazosin (DOX; 0.01-1.0 mg/kgbw/day) or tamsulosin (TAM; 0.05-0.25 mg/kgbw/day) were injected individually daily for 2 months in dose-response studies to assess their effects on the diabetes-induced increases in retinal superoxide and leukocyte-mediated cytotoxicity against vascular endothelial cells (ECs), both of which abnormalities have been implicated in the development of DR. Each of the individual drugs inhibited the diabetes-induced increase in retinal superoxide at the higher concentrations tested, but the inhibition was lost at lower doses. To determine if combination therapies had superior effects over individual drugs, we intentionally selected for each drug a low dose that had little or no effect on the diabetes-induced retinal superoxide for use separately or in combinations in 8-month studies of retinal function, vascular permeability and capillary degeneration in diabetes. At the low doses used, combinations of the drugs generally were more effective than individual drugs, but the low dose MTP alone totally inhibited diabetes-induced reduction in a vision task, BRM or DOX alone totally inhibited the vascular permeability defect, and DOX alone totally inhibited diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries. Although low-dose MTP, BRM, DOX or TAM individually had beneficial effects on some endpoints, combination of the therapies better inhibited the spectrum of DR lesions evaluated. Significance Statement The pathogenesis of early stages of diabetic retinopathy remain incompletely understood, but multiple different cell-types are known to be involved in the pathogenic process. We have compared the effects of monotherapies to those of combinations of drugs that regulate G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) signaling pathways with respect to their relative abilities to inhibit the development of early diabetic retinopathy.
Postmodernity and Pedagogy: Connecting the Dots

This article calls for an acceptance of a constructive postmodernity and links that epoistemology with the use of collaborative learning techniques. If we and our students live in a postmodern world, then our pedagogy must make sense within that same postmodernity. To ignore these epistemological horizons is to split our intellectual commitments from our teaching. The tone of the work is set by a sketch of the muddled term “postmodern.” Four markers are developed to situate postmodernity's ironic sense of reality and to link it to a suspicion of any universal master narrative. Why should teachers care? Because learning should reflect our picture of knowing. We teach a world in what we do. The pedagogical practices most in line with the postmodern vision involve collaborative learning, which itself represents a departure from the classic vision of knowing. The article ends with a coda on the theologies resonant with these commitments.
Fundamentals of Legal Research, Tenth Edition

Fundamentals of Legal Research covers research methods and sources for United States law, with additional chapters on public international law and the law of the United Kingdom. This new edition continues the tradition of explaining and illustrating the standard sources, while incorporating new sources. Our goal was to make the content useful to contemporary readers who are familiar with online tools (and indeed prefer them) while also covering print resources sufficiently to ground students in the structure of legal authority and provide a useful reference for those needing information about print legal materials.The excerpts posted here include the Preface, the Acknowledgements (listing the many librarians who reviewed and updated chapters), the Summary of Contents, and the first pages of several chapters:An Introduction to Legal ResearchThe Legal Research ProcessCommunicating Research Results Through WritingTopical ServicesElectronic Legal ResearchNative American Tribal LawAn abridged, softbound edition, Legal Research Illustrated, is in press. An accompanying workbook with exercises is being prepared by Susan T. Phillips (Texas A&M).
Probing the electronic response of nanostructures by THz time-domain spectroscopy

THz spectroscopy, by allowing one to measure the frequency-dependent complex conductivity, provides a powerful means of examining the charge transport in solids. The approach is of particular value for investigations of nanoscale systems, for which it is typically difficult to make direct electrical contact to the nanostructures under study. We describe recent applications of THz time-domain spectroscopy to probing nanostructures, including semiconductor nanoparticles and single-wall carbon nanotubes. Because of the pulsed nature of the THz probe radiation in the time-domain spectroscopy approach, the method is readily applicable to photo-excited systems, thus permitting one to examine photo-doped nanostructures and their dynamics. We are consequently able to obtain fundamental information about the charge carriers in nanostructures, including their lifetime and the nature of their response to applied electric fields.
Modeling Coalitional Values

The idea of a set of elements along with elementary notions about subsets are fundamental concepts in modern mathematics and are well-known to contemporary mathematics students. These elementary concepts, together with some method for assigning numbers to various subsets of a given set, are often sufficient to begin applying the techniques of mathematical modeling to a good number of interesting and nontrivial applications. Many important situations are characterized to a large extent by describing the set of participants involved and the values achievable by certain subsets of these participants. Such applications occur in economics and politics, business and operations research, the social and environmental sciences, and elsewhere.
First-line treatment of advanced ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths, both within the US and worldwide. There have been major treatment advances in NSCLC over the past decade with the discovery of molecular drivers of NSCLC, which has ushered in an era of personalized medicine. There are several actionable genetic aberrations in NSCLC, such as epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). In 3%-7% of NSCLC, a chromosomal inversion event in chromosome 2 leads to fusion of a portion of the ALK gene with the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene. The constitutive activation of the ALK fusion oncogene renders it vulnerable to therapeutic intervention. This review focuses on the first-line treatment of advanced ALK-positive NSCLC using ALK inhibitors. Crizotinib was the first agent proven to be efficacious as first-line treatment for ALK-positive NSCLC. However, acquired resistance inevitably develops. The central nervous system is a sanctuary site that represents a common site for disease progression as well. Hence, more potent, selective next-generation ALK inhibitors that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier have been developed for treatment against crizotinib-resistant ALK-positive NSCLC and are also currently being evaluated for first-line therapy as well. In this review, we provide summary of the clinical experience with these drugs in the treatment of ALK-positive NSCLC.
Polynomial factorization algorithms for adaptive root estimation

The authors present two new polynomial factorization algorithms suitable for use in adaptive signal processing applications where it is required to track the movements of roots. Their distinguishing feature is that they provide methods for updating the roots optimally (and efficiently) in response to coefficient perturbations. This is useful, for example, for online estimation and tracking of time-varying roots. A Gauss-Newton type algorithm that requires approximately 2n/sup 2/ floating-point operations to update all roots of an nth-order polynomial is presented. An eigenvalue-based method that requires approximately 6n floating-point operations per individual root update is also proposed. Close to the true root vector, the rate of convergence of both algorithms is quadratic or faster. Unlike available direct pole estimation algorithms, the methods proposed here are not restricted to estimation of the roots of ARMA (autoregressive moving average)-like processes, but can be used in any situation where online estimates of polynomial coefficients are available. >
A Strategy to Model Nonmonotonic Dose-Response Curve and Estimate IC50

The half-maximal inhibitory concentration IC is an important pharmacodynamic index of drug effectiveness. To estimate this value, the dose response relationship needs to be established, which is generally achieved by fitting monotonic sigmoidal models. However, recent studies on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) mutants developing resistance to antiviral drugs show that the dose response curve may not be monotonic. Traditional models can fail for nonmonotonic data and ignore observations that may be of biologic significance. Therefore, we propose a nonparametric model to describe the dose response relationship and fit the curve using local polynomial regression. The nonparametric approach is shown to be promising especially for estimating the IC of some HIV inhibitory drugs, in which there is a dose-dependent stimulation of response for mutant strains. This model strategy may be applicable to general pharmacologic, toxicologic, or other biomedical data that exhibits a nonmonotonic dose response relationship for which traditional parametric models fail.
Stability Reliability for Elementary-Age Students on the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised (Achievement Section) and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement.

These two studies examined the stability reliability for the Woodcock-Johnson-Revised (WJ-R; Woodcock & Johnson, 1989) and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievment (KTEA; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1985) with approximately a 2-week retest interval for elementary-age students. Results indicated that across grade levels, the Broad Reading Cluster for the WJ-R remained stable. Most correlations for the clusters for mathematics and written language as well as the subtests for reading, mathematics, and written language were less than .90. Correlations for all composites and subtests for the KTEA exceeded .90. These data illustrate the need for more specific information in test manuals on test-retest reliability in order to enable examiners to select the most reliable measures.
Crayfish induce a defensive shell shape in a freshwater snail

. This study was undertaken to determine whether intraspecific variation in shell morphology of the freshwater snail Elimia (=Goniobasis) livescens is caused by predator-induced morphological changes. Juvenile snails from 3 populations were grown in the presence of effluent from predatory crayfish feeding on conspecific snails or in effluent from conspecific snails only. Snails from one population, Clear Creek, exhibited a predator-induced morphology; they grew a narrow body whorl when exposed to the effluent from crayfish. Experimental feeding trials with crayfish and snails from Clear Creek were conducted to determine whether a narrow body whorl reduced predation in the presence of the crayfish Orconectes propinquus. In the feeding trials, snails with a narrow body whorl were eaten less frequently than snails with wider shells. However, there was no difference in overall size (length) between snails that were eaten and those that were not. Thus, juvenile snails from Clear Creek exposed to the presence of crayfish were induced to develop relatively narrow shells, which reduce the risk of successful attack by these crayfish. Hence the induced shell morphology is probably a defense against predation by crayfish.
Nonparametric internet tomography

The substantial overhead of performing global Internet monitoring motivates techniques for inferring spatially localized information about performance using only host-based, end-to-end measurements. In this paper, we present a novel methodology for inferring queuing delay distributions across internal links in the network based solely on unicast, end-to-end measurements. A key feature of our new approach is that it is nonparametric, meaning that no a priori limit is placed on the number of unknown parameters used to model the delay distributions. The nonparametric approach is required in order to accurately estimate the wide variety of internal delay distributions. The methodology is formulated according to a recently proposed nonparametric, wavelet-based density estimation method in combination with an expectation-maximization optimization algorithm that employs a novel fast Fourier transform implementation. We perform network level ns simulations to verify the accuracy of the estimation procedure.
Enhancing Construction Education Using an Online Multimedia Collection

Modern information technology, such as digital multimedia and the Internet has made a great impact on people's lives, especially today's undergraduate students who grew up in the digital world and are more comfortable in image-rich environments than with text. This new generation of students is both information and multimedia literate, and has learning expectations, styles and needs different from past generations. Educators are faced with the challenge of adapting their teaching styles to accommodate this new generation of learners. In an attempt to enhance teaching and learning about construction, and to experiment with a new tool to motivate students, faculty members at Auburn University have developed an online construction multimedia library. This paper presents the utilization of this digital library through lectures, homework assignments and projects in two courses within the curriculum: 1) Construction Materials, Methods and Equipment, and 2) Reinforced Concrete. This paper demonstrates the value ...
Effect of Temperature Regimes on Germination of Dimorphic Seeds of Atriplex prostrata

Dimorphic seeds of Atriplex prostrata were removed from cold dry storage monthly over a one year period to test for fluctuations in seed dormancy and germination rate. For each seed type, four replicates of 25 seeds were exposed to four alternating night/day temperature regimes mimicking seasonal fluctuations in Ohio: 5/15 °C; 5/25 °C; 15/25 °C and 20/35 °C with a corresponding 12-h photoperiod (20 μmol m−2 s−1; 400 – 700 nm). We found a significant three-way interaction of seed size, temperature and month for both percent germination and the rate of germination. Large seeds showed the greatest germination at the 20/35 °C and 5/25 °C temperature regimes and small seeds at the 5/25 °C regime. Large seeds had greater germination at all temperatures as compared to small seeds. Large seeds had the fastest germination rates at 20/35 °C followed by 5/25 °C whereas small seeds had the fastest rates at 5/25 °C followed by 20/35 °C.
Regulation of colonic epithelial repair in mice by Toll-like receptors and hyaluronic acid.

Background & Aims The protective component of the host response to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in the mouse is mediated through the activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4, the induction of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and prostaglandin E 2 production. TLR4 ligands include bacterial lipopolysaccharide and hyaluronic acid, a component of the extracellular matrix. Our hypothesis is that hyaluronic acid, through TLRs, plays a protective role in the host response to DSS-induced colitis. Methods DSS (2.5%) was administered for 7 days in wild-type and MyD88 −/− mice. The mice also received intraperitoneal hyaluronic acid. The expression of hyaluronic acid, COX-2, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results DSS induced a marked increase in hyaluronic acid in the lamina propria of wild-type but not MyD88 −/− mice. Treatment with DSS also induced the MyD88-dependent expression of hyaluronic acid synthases 2 and 3, enzymes involved in hyaluronic acid synthesis, in lamina propria macrophages. Exogenous hyaluronic acid induced the expression of tumor necrosis factor α, MIP-2, and COX-2 in the colon in a MyD88-dependent manner. In wild-type but not MyD88 −/− , TLR4 −/− , COX-2 −/− mice, hyaluronic acid was protective against DSS-induced colitis. In wild-type mice, hyaluronic acid was therapeutic in established DSS-induced colitis. Conclusions Endogenous hyaluronic acid expression is markedly increased in DSS-induced colitis and preserves the epithelium through TLR activation and COX-2 expression. Furthermore, exogenous hyaluronic acid, through the activation of TLRs and the production of prostaglandin E 2 through COX-2, has protective effects in DSS-induced colitis.
The spectrum of the Schrödinger S matrix: low energies and a new Levinson theorem

Abstract This paper proves that under certain conditions on the potential the eigenphase shifts of the Schrodinger S matrix for a noncentral potential behave in the low-energy region similarly to the phase shifts for central potentials: For each integer l ≥ 0 there are 2 l + 1 eigenphase shifts that are O ( k 2 l +1 ) (mod π). Furthermore, the corresponding eigenfunctions of the S matrix approach (non-conventional) spherical harmonics of order l . It is also demonstrated that the asymptotic angle-dependence of each bound-state wavefunction, in the limit as the potential strength decreases to the corresponding threshold, approaches one of the above mentioned special spherical harmonics, and thus every bound state is associated with an individual eigenphase shift. Each of the eigenphase shifts is then shown to satisfy its own Levinson theorem.
Breast cancer patients' experiences within and outside the safety net

Abstract Background Following reforms to the breast-cancer referral process for our city’s health Safety Net (SN), we compared the experiences from first abnormality to definitive diagnosis of breast-cancer patients referred to Siteman Cancer Center from SN and non-SN (NSN) providers. Materials and methods SN-referred patients with any stage (0–IV) and NSN-referred patients with late-stage (IIB–IV) breast cancer were prospectively identified after diagnosis during cancer center consultations conducted between September 2008 and June 2010. Interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim; transcripts were independently coded by two raters using inductive methods to identify themes. Results Of 82 eligible patients, 57 completed interviews (33/47 SN [70%] and 24/35 NSN [69%]). Eighteen SN-referred patients (52%) had late-stage disease at diagnosis, as did all NSN patients (by design). A higher proportion of late-stage SN patients (67%) than either early-stage SN (47%) or NSN (33%) patients reported feelings of fear and avoidance that deterred them from pursuing care for concerning breast findings. A higher proportion of SN late-stage patients than NSN patient reported behaviors concerning for poor health knowledge or behavior (33% versus 8%), but reported receipt of timely, consistent communication from health care providers once they received care (50% versus 17%). Half of late-stage SN patients reported improper clinical or administrative conduct by health care workers that delayed referral and/or diagnosis. Conclusions Although SN patients reported receipt of compassionate care once connected with health services, they presented with higher-than-expected rates of late-stage disease. Psychological barriers, life stressors, and provider or clinic delays affected access to and navigation of the health care system and represent opportunities for intervention.
Optimal regularity results in boundary control of elastic systems with fractional order damping

In this article a criterion known as the “operator Carleson measure criterion” is applied to obtain regularity results for a general class of second-order boundary control problems. As specific examples, optimal regularity results are obtained for a wave equation and a plate equation, both with fractional order damping and on a rectangular domain with one edge controlled.
Concentration and relative entropy for compound Poisson distributions

Using a simple inequality about the relative entropy, its so-called "tensorization property," we give a simple proof of a functional inequality which is satisfied by any compound Poisson distribution. This functional inequality belongs to the class of modified logarithmic Sobolev inequalities. We use it to obtain measure concentration bounds for compound Poisson distributions under a variety of assumptions on their tail behavior. In particular, we show how the celebrated "Herbst argument" can be modified to yield sub-exponential concentration bounds. For example, suppose Z is a compound Poisson random variable with values on the nonnegative integers, and let f be a function such that |f(k+1) - f(k)| les 1 for all k. Then, if the base distribution of Z does not have a finite moment-generating function but has finite moments up to some order L > 1, we show that the probability that f(Z) exceeds its mean by a positive amount t or more decays approximately like (const)middott-L, where the constant is explicitly identified. This appears to be one of the very first examples of concentration bounds with power-law decay
Fast-Tracking African Unity or Making Haste Slowly? A Note on the amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union

The launching of the African Union on 9 July 2002 marked the turning of a new page in Africa's modern history. This is especially significant in the context of efforts by African nations to achieve deeper political unity and economic integration. The Constitutive Act of the African Union was adopted barely nine months after the adoption of the Sirte Declaration on 9 September 1999, by which African leaders decided to reorient the objectives of the Organization of African Unity to accelerate African integration as a pillar of the continent's collective response to the challenge of globalization. This article argues that while the speedy elaboration, adoption and ratification of the Act demonstrated the collective desire of African countries to accelerate the process of integration, this rush inadvertently precluded a serious debate on the nature and scope of integration entailed in the project of the African Union. The result was the adoption of a document regarded by some of its own signatories, for varied reasons, as an instrument lacking in substance and limited in its scope. These perceived inadequacies have necessitated the early amendment of the Act. However, it is argued here that these amendments will do nothing to hasten the pace of African political unity or economic integration, as they are largely symbolic. They do not deal with the substantive lacunae identified in the Act.
Design considerations for array processing languages

The Department of Energy (DoE) has a long history of large-scale scientific calculation on the most advanced ‘number-crunching’ computers. Recently, an effort to improve communications and software sharing among DoE laboratories has been underway. One result of this sharing is a project to design and implement a common language. That language turns out to be FORTRAN 77 significantly extended with new data structures, control structures and array processing. The data used to design the array processing feature is surprising and likely to be of use to others working in scientific language design; it is reported here so that others may profit from DoE's experience.
Dysideaprolines A-F and barbaleucamides A-B, novel polychlorinated compounds from a Dysidea species.

Chemical investigation of a marine sponge, Dysidea sp., collected at Bararin Island, Philippines, has afforded the novel metabolites 1−6, proline-derived analogues of dysidenin (7). We have termed compounds 1−6 dysideaprolines A−F, respectively. Also isolated were compounds 8 and 9, structural analogues of barbamide (10), a metabolite originally isolated from the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula. We have termed these novel compounds barbaleucamides A (8) and B (9). It is most probable that the compounds presented here are actually derived from a symbiotic cyanobacterium found in close association with the Dysidea sp. Structure elucidation of the isolated metabolites involved high-field 2D NMR spectroscopy including 1H−1H COSY, HSQC, and HMBC.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for the asymptotic normality of perturbed sample quantiles

Abstract We deal with perturbed sample quantiles based on a kernel k and a sequence of window-width an > 0. Under minimal assumptions on the underlying cumulative distribution and the kernel k, necessary and sufficient conditions for the central limit theorem to hold for these quantiles are found for the sequence {an}. Our results (i) generalize the central limit theorem of Nadaraya (1964), and (ii) extend results of Chanda (1975) and Falk (1985). Several applications are included.
Papillary morphology of the tongue of the American chameleon: Anolis carolinensis

Based on regional differences in surface morphology, the dorsum of the tongue of Anolis carolinensis can be subdivided into four distinct zones. The first quarter of the tongue is relatively smooth, whereas the second and fourth quarters are festooned with closely packed cylindriform papillae, which are covered by typical parakeratotic stratified squamous epithelium. The third quarter of the tongue is covered by papillae of novel morphology that we have named "plumose papillae." These are composed of a slender connective tissue core covered by stratified squamous epithelium from whose surface numerous elongated cells radiate. These "plume cells" are about 30-40 microns long and have an extremely irregular nucleus in their expanded terminus. Their stalks are affixed by desmosomes to the deeper cells of the epithelium, and their free surfaces are covered by intricately patterned microplications. Their cytosol contains a dense web of 100-A cytofilaments that may be involved in maintaining the peculiar morphology of the cells. Regardless of type, all lingual papillae of A. carolinensis contain a single longitudinally oriented skeletal muscle fiber that originates from the underlying lingual muscles, raising the possibility that the papillae can be moved at will. The plumose papillae and their retinue of plume cells are unique morphological structures that may be important in mastication and deglutition of food.