cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear dynamics of laminar boundary layers in pulsatile stagnation flows

In order to elucidate convective heat transfer in time-varying stagnation flows, a mathematical model was developed to study the nonlinear dynamics of the hydrodynamic and thermal boundary layers within a planar stagnation region to imposed temporal variations in both the freestream velocity and surface heat flux. Such a model has practical utility in the study of heat transfer to gas turbine blades, to experimental work involving pulsatile stagnation flows, and to the development of miniature thermal sensors. Equations are not linearized in order to preserve the influence of nonlinearitie s on dynamical behavior. As model parameters are varied, dramatically different responses arise due to the influence of nonlinearitie s. Time-averaged Nusselt numbers decrease with increasing pulse magnitude and are in excellent agreement with experimental results. Interactions between variations in the incident flow velocity and surface heating lead to very complex behavior in the thermal boundary layer, surface temperature, and Nusselt number responses.
Action spectrum for the induction of hyphal branches of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus: exposure sites versus branching sites.

The first action spectrum for a photo-induced response of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus is reported. At low light intensity, the responsive wavelengths for light-induced hyphal branching of the primary germ tube of Gigaspora gigantea were determined to be in the blue to UV-A range. The action spectrum showed the greatest stimulation of branching occurred around 390 nm although a shoulder was observed between 360–370 nm. A second major peak of light-induced branching occurred at 430 nm. The exposure of specific areas of the germ tube to high intensity blue light for a short period led to several interesting observations. By exposing 2 mm segments (0–2, 2–4, 4–6, etc.) or 3 mm segments away from the tip, it was determined that photoinduction of hyphal branches could occur anywhere along the axis of a growing germ tube except in the apical 2 mm. When 3 mm segments were exposed at greater distances from the tip (6–9, 9–12, and up to 33–36 mm), branches frequently formed in areas not directly exposed to light. The branches were usually in clusters which were spaced approximately 3 or 6 mm apart. Since light scattering could be ruled out, these results indicated that the exposure sites and sites of hyphal branching did not necessarily coincide and suggested the probable involvement of a second messenger during this blue light-induced event.
Global-constrained hidden Markov model applied on wireless capsule endoscopy video segmentation

Accurate analysis of wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) videos is vital but tedious. Automatic image analysis can expedite this task. Video segmentation of WCE into the four parts of the gastrointestinal tract is one way to assist a physician. The segmentation approach described in this paper integrates pattern recognition with statiscal analysis. Iniatially, a support vector machine is applied to classify video frames into four classes using a combination of multiple color and texture features as the feature vector. A Poisson cumulative distribution, for which the parameter depends on the length of segments, models a prior knowledge. A priori knowledge together with inter-frame difference serves as the global constraints driven by the underlying observation of each WCE video, which is fitted by Gaussian distribution to constrain the transition probability of hidden Markov model.Experimental results demonstrated effectiveness of the approach.
Bathyal ostracodes from the Florida-Hatteras slope, the Straits of Florida, and the Blake Plateau

Abstract Epibathyal ostracodes from the Florida-Hatteras slope, the Blake Plateau and the Straits of Florida were studied to determine the relationship of numerous genera and species to bottom-water environmental conditions such as dissolved oxygen and bottom-water temperatures. From a total of 100 samples, 44 samples evenly distributed between 200 and 1100 m water depth and having an average of 325 specimens were examined in detail. Using occurrence data from the adjacent continental shelf, carapace preservation, Rose Bengal staining and population data, indigenous death assemblages were distinguished from transported or reworked fossil specimens. The percent of transported specimens varied as follows: Blake Plateau 90% of the samples and usually constitute 10 to 30% of each.Trachyleberidea, Bairdoppilata, Saida, Paranesidea, Ambocythere, Bythocypris, Cytherella, Bradleya, Henryhowella, and Polycopidae occur in 45 to 80% of the samples in varying percentages. The upper depth limits of 39 taxa occur at or just below the thermocline suggesting a relationship to temperature.Australoecia, Quasibuntonia, Cytheropteron, Ruggieriella, Saida, Ambocythere, Trachyleberidea, Macrocypris, Krithe, “Thalassocythere”, andCytherella are most common or restricted to the O2 minimum zone. Conversely,Anchistrocheles, Bradleya, Henryhowella, andRockallia are most common below 750 m in well oxygenated water with temperatures below 8°C. The results show that: (1) ostracodes display a narrow depth zonation controlled by dissolved oxygen and water temperature; (2) species diversity is very high for a bathyal zone; (3) ostracodes can be used to identify the source of sediment that has been transported downslope; and (4) some taxa are useful in recognizing low oxygenated water in Cenozoic deposits.
Influence of Formulation and Processing Factors on Stability of Levothyroxine Sodium Pentahydrate

Stability of formulations over shelf-life is critical for having a quality product. Choice of excipients, manufacturing process, storage conditions, and packaging can either mitigate or enhance the degradation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), affecting potency and/or stability. The purpose was to investigate the influence of processing and formulation factors on stability of levothyroxine (API). The API was stored at long-term (25°C/60%RH), accelerated (40°C/75%RH), and low-humidity (25°C/0%RH and 40°C/0%RH) conditions for 28 days. Effect of moisture loss was evaluated by drying it (room temperature, N2) and placed at 25°C/0%RH and 40°C/0%RH. The API was incubated with various excipients (based on package insert of marketed tablets) in either 1:1, 1:10, or 1:100 ratios with 5% moisture at 60°C. Commonly used ratios for excipients were used. The equilibrium sorption data was collected on the API and excipients. The API was stable in solid state for the study duration under all conditions for both forms (potency between 90% and 110%). Excipients effect on stability varied and crospovidone, povidone, and sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) caused significant API degradation where deiodination and deamination occurred. Moisture sorption values were different across excipients. Crospovidone and povidone were hygroscopic whereas SLS showed deliquescence at high RH. The transient formulation procedures where temperature might go up or humidity might go down would not have major impact on the API stability. Excipients influence stability and if possible, those three should either be avoided or used in minimum quantity which could provide more stable tablet formulations with minimum potency loss throughout its shelf-life.
Dual electrode thalamic deep brain stimulation for the treatment of posttraumatic and multiple sclerosis tremor.

Objective To report the results of ventralis intermedius nucleus/ventralis oralis posterior nucleus (VIM) plus ventralis oralis anterior (VOA)/ventralis oralis posterior (VOP) thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of posttraumatic and multiple sclerosis tremor. Objective The treatment of posttraumatic tremor and multiple sclerosis tremor, by either medication or surgery, has proven difficult. Lesions and DBS have had mixed and somewhat disappointing results. Previously, we reported the use of two DBS electrodes (one at the VIM/VOP border and one at the VOA/VOP border) as effective for the treatment of posttraumatic tremor in a single patient. In this study, we report the results of this technique on four patients. Methods Four patients with either posttraumatic tremor (n = 3) or multiple sclerosis tremor (n = 1) underwent placement of two DBS electrodes (one at the VIM/VOP border and one at the VOA/VOP border). Patients underwent preoperative testing and testing at a minimum of 6 months after implantation in four conditions: On VIM DBS/On VOA/VOP DBS; On VIM DBS/Off VOA VOP DBS (5 h DBS washout); Off VIM DBS/Off VOA/VOP DBS (12 h overnight washout); and Off VIM DBS/On VOA/VOP DBS (5 h DBS washout). Results Each of the patients showed improvements in all four conditions when compared with the baseline. All of the improvements were maintained with chronic DBS, without tremor rebound. An analysis was performed to determine whether each condition was associated with symptom reduction (percentage change). The percentage reduction was significant for each condition and measure, despite the small number of participants. For the total tremor rating scale score, the Off VIM/Off VOA/VOP condition yielded less symptom reduction than the On VIM condition or the On VOA/VOP condition. The On VIM and On VOA/VOP conditions did not differ significantly from each other in terms of contralateral upper extremity symptoms or total clinical score. Activation of both the VIM and VOA/VOP electrodes was associated with the greatest symptom reduction. Conclusion Tremors, such as those examined in this study, that are refractory to medications and have a poor response to VIM DBS monotherapy, may respond favorably to VIM plus VOA/VOP DBS. Two electrodes may be better than one for the treatment of certain disorders; however, more study will be required to confirm this hypothesis.
Making Organization matter: looking back and looking ahead

This article calls upon scholars of organizational studies to take more active roles in confronting and addressing the social, political, economic and environmental problems of today. The article begins with the observation that the birth of organizational studies was deeply concerned with changes, problems and opportunities in an increasingly ‘organized’ world and argues that our studies should not abstract organizing from the world but use our conceptual and practical tools to engage the world fully. We offer six contemporary challenges for (critical) organizational studies in a global society: abstraction and virtuality, diversity and homogeneity, distinctiveness and linkage, boundaries and limits, transformations of labour/work and trust and cynicism. The article urges readers to consider in more specific terms how their work can not only illuminate these issues but also offer something practical, at whatever location or level of analysis, to make a positive difference in pedagogy, scholarship and wider community involvement.
Turbulence measurements with inclined hot-wires Part 1. Heat transfer experiments with inclined hot-wire

The measurement of the turbulent shear stresses and normal and bi-normal intensities with a hot-wire anemometer requires that the directional sensitivity of the hot-wire be known. Normal component or cosine law cooling is generally assumed, although for finite wire lengths the non-uniform wire temperature must cause a deviation from the cosine law.Careful heat transfer measurements from wires inclined and normal to the flow were taken for several values of the Reynolds number, the length-to-diameter ratio of the wire, the overheat ratio and for several support configurations. All experiments were performed in air at low subsonic velocities, i.e. M < 0·1. The measurements indicate that the heat loss from an inclined wire is larger than that from a wire normal to the flow with the same normal component of velocity. The data were correlated by \[ U^2_E(\alpha) = U^2(0)(\cos^2\alpha + k^2\sin^2\alpha), \] where UE(α) is the effective cooling velocity at the angle α between the normal to the wire and the mean flow direction and U(0) is the velocity at α = 0. The value of k was found to depend primarily upon the length-to-diameter ratio ([lscr ]/d) of the wire. For platinum wires k is approximately 0·20 for [lscr ]/d = 200, decreases with increasing [lscr ]/d, and becomes effectively zero at [lscr ]/d = 600.To aid in interpreting the heat transfer data, measurements of the temperature distribution along inclined and normal wires were made with a high sensitivity infra-red detector coupled to a high resolution microscrope with reflective optics. The measurements indicate that inclined wires and normal wires have nearly identical end conduction losses, although the temperature distribution on an inclined wire is slightly asymmetrical. Therefore, the deviation from the cosine law is caused by an increase in the convection heat loss, and this increase is attributed to the tangential component of velocity.
The Philadelphia NAACP: Race Versus Class Consciousness During the Thirties

On the reverse side of every NAACP membership card printed during the 1920s and 1930s appeared an inscription outlining the goals of that organization "to make the American Negro Physically free from lynching and mob violence; Mentally free from disenfranchisement; and Economically free from discrimination on the job." There was, however, an additional goal that the national office in New York City and the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP acted to achieve, but omitted from membership cards. Based on the evidence of Philadelphia branch correspondence, this goal might be summarized: "to make the Negro Middle Class socially free from the disrepute of the black masses."' The black middle class generally has lived on a substantially lower plane than its white counterpart. This means that status differences within the black population seldom have involved gaps in income and wealth as great as those among whites. Thus, the Great Depression had a disproportionate "leveling" effect on the black middle class. Since most black employment was already relegated to the most marginal and stigmatized jobs and markets, the small, black middle class of
Spatial and Temporal Variation in PM2.5 Chemical Composition in the United States for Health Effects Studies

BackgroundAlthough numerous studies have demonstrated links between particulate matter (PM) and adverse health effects, the chemical components of the PM mixture that cause injury are unknown.Objec...
MODEL BASED CHARACTERIZATION OF TRANSIENT RESPONSE OF A SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL SYSTEM

In this paper we perform transient analysis of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) system. We consider a steam reformer based SOFC system with anode recirculation and with methane as fuel. For the analysis, we develop a control-oriented model that captures the details of heat and mass transfer, chemical kinetics and electrochemistry of the SOFC system. The coupled dynamics of the steam reformer and the fuel cell anode control volumes are extracted and through coordinate transformations we derive closed-form expressions characterizing the steady-state and transient behaviors of two critical performance variables of reformer-based SOFC systems, namely utilization and steam-to-carbon balance. Our analysis is supported by simulations. Using the results derived, we address steady-state fuel optimization by posing it as a problem in linear programming. Our results can be applied in predicting system response to step changes in current and will be useful in designing control strategies for SOFC based power plants.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
A new state space for emergency control in the interconnected power system

A new state space is introduced for the large interconnected power system in which the state of the system can be estimated piecewise by local computations from conventional local measurements. The new state space is defined, its mathematical equivalence to the conventional state space is proven, and initial illustration is provided of its usefulness.
New or Used? Investment with Credit Constraints

Used capital is cheap up front but requires higher maintenance payments later on. We argue that the timing of these investment cash outflows makes used capital attractive to financially constrained firms, since it is cheap when evaluated using their discount factor. In contrast, it may be expensive from the vantage point of an unconstrained agent. We provide an overlapping generations model and determine the price of used capital in equilibrium. Agents with less internal funds are more credit constrained, invest in used capital, and start smaller firms. Empirically, we find that the fraction of investment in used capital is substantially higher for small firms and varies significantly with measures of financial constraints.
Semantic query reformulation in deductive databases

A method is proposed for identifying relevant integrity constraints (ICs) for queries involving joins/unions of base relations and defined relations by use of graphs. The method does not rely on heavy preprocessing or redundancy. To effectively select those ICs that are relevant to a given query, the relationship between the predicates in the query is identified using an AND/OR tree where an AND mode represents a join operation and an OR node represents a union operation. Ways of collecting ICs are described that are not directly related to the query but can be useful in query optimization. >
Effect of Temperature, pH, and Detergent on Survival of Bacteria Associated with Shell Eggs

Abstract Survival was studied of shell egg related microorganisms that were subjected to various combinations of water temperature, pH, and the presence of egg-washing detergents. Numbers of Salmonella typbimurium in buffered tryptic soy broth (BTSB) increased over a 7-hr period at pH 7 and 8 in water temperatures 35, 40, and 45 C. At pH 9 and 45 C, counts gradually decreased. At pH 10 and 11 counts always decreased, sometimes to 0, regardless of temperature. At 50 and 55 C, counts always decreased, sometimes to 0, regardless of pH. In commercial egg washing detergent (pH 11) at 50 C, survival of Salmonella, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Proteus, and Klebsiella strains ranged from 0 to 90 seconds during several replicates. Survival times of most were extended somewhat in the presence of 1.0% suspended whole egg solids (e.g., Klebsiella—3 min). Strains of Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium, and Pseudomonas demonstrated survival trends similar to those of the enterics: Flavobacterium survived the longest, almost 4 min either with or without egg material in the detergent solution. Pseudomonas and Escherichia coli were killed off almost instantaneously under the same conditions. Survival of Staphylococcus aureus was adversely affected by the presence of the detergent (12 min) but was somewhat protected by the egg material (37 min). Streptococcus faecalis was virtually unaffected in either case, surviving up to 2.5 hr.
How I Became a Hydraulic Engineer

Summary This forum is a brief overview of my life as a woman civil engineering student during World War II and one of the first women graduate engineers to practice in the United States. Early interest in science and mathematics led to studies at the University of Iowa and 30 years as a hydraulic engineer and water resources planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to joining the faculty of the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona. People and events that shaped my life are reviewed, and the increasing role of women in civil engineering as undergraduate students, graduate students, and practicing professionals is summarized.
Finite element simulation of infrared laser ablation for mass spectrometry

Rationale Laser ablation is widely used in conjunction with ambient ionization techniques, and a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of material removal is important to its optimal use in mass spectrometry. Finite element analysis simulates the laser material interaction on larger time and distance scales than atomistic approaches. Here, a two-dimensional finite element model was developed to simulate infrared laser irradiation of glycerol using a wavelength-tunable infrared (IR) laser. Methods The laser fluence used for the simulations was varied from 1000 to 6000 J/m(2), the wavelength was varied from 2.7 to 3.7 µm, and both flat-top and Gaussian shape laser profiles were studied. Results Phase explosion conditions were found for laser wavelengths near 3 µm (which corresponds to the OH stretch absorption of glycerol) and fluences above 2000 J/m(2). This suggests that laser ablation of glycerol is driven by phase explosion in the OH stretch region. The Gaussian profile generated regions of higher glycerol temperature, whereas the flat-top profile heated a larger volume of material above the phase explosion temperature. Conclusions These results suggest that the best performance for pulsed IR laser sample irradiation is in the wavelength range from 2.9 to 3.1 µm for materials with a strong OH stretch absorption.
Monte Carlo simulation of scattering from a layer of vertical cylinders

Electromagnetic scattering by a collection of randomly distributed vertical cylinders over a half-space dielectric is considered, using two approaches. In the first approach, a Monte Carlo simulation that takes into account scattering terms up to second order is used. Closed-form expressions for the second-order scattering terms are derived for cylinders that are in each other's near field. The second approach is based on the radiative transfer equations, which are solved by an iterative method up to and including the second-order terms. Radar backscatter measurements at X-band for a collection of metallic cylinders over a conducting ground plane are compared with the Monte Carlo and radiative transfer solutions. The data were acquired polarimetrically from 144 independent spots of the cylinder layer at incidence angles ranging from 20 degrees to 60 degrees . The simulation results agree well with the measured data and are used to check the validity of the radiative transfer results for a medium with large particles. It is shown that both the phase function computed for the cylinders and the extinction matrix of the layer are overestimated in the radiative transfer solution. >
Aqueous sulfate separation by crystallization of sulfate–water clusters

An effective approach to sulfate separation from aqueous solutions is based on the crystallization of extended [SO4(H2O)5(2-)]n sulfate-water clusters with a bis(guanidinium) ligand. The ligand was generated in situ by hydrazone condensation in water, thereby bypassing the need for elaborate syntheses, tedious purifications, and organic solvents. Crystallization of sulfate-water clusters represents an alternative approach to the now established sulfate separation strategies that involve encapsulation of the "naked" anion.
Stand By To Repel Historians: Modern Scholarship and Caribbean Pirates, 1650‐1725

(1984). Stand By To Repel Historians: Modern Scholarship and Caribbean Pirates, 1650‐1725. The Historian: Vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 219-234.
Curcumin enhances oral bioavailability and anti‐tumor therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel upon administration in nanoemulsion formulation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of curcumin (CUR) in oral bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel (PTX) administered in nanoemulsion to SKOV3 tumor-bearing nu/nu mice. Oral administration of the mice with CUR at 50 mg/kg for 3 consecutive days resulted in a down regulation of intestinal P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and cytochrome P450 3A2 (CYP3A2) protein levels. PTX, a Pgp and CYP3A2 substrate, was administered orally at 20 mg/kg in solution or nanoemulsion either as single agent or upon pretreatment with CUR at 50 mg/kg in tumor-bearing mice. Plasma AUC(0-∞) of PTX administered in nanoemulsion to CUR pretreated mice showed 4.1-fold increase relative to controls. Similarly, relative PTX bioavailability was increased by 5.2-fold, resulting in a 3.2-fold higher PTX accumulation in the tumor tissue. PTX administered in nanoemulsion to CUR pretreated mice also showed significantly enhanced anti-tumor activity. Preliminary safety evaluation showed that CUR + PTX combination did not induce any acute toxicity as measured by body weight changes, blood cell counts, liver enzyme levels, and liver histopathology. The results of this study suggest that combination of PTX and CUR, administered in nanoemulsions, could improve oral bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy in ovarian adenocarcinoma.
Reinduction of relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia with ATRA and low dose antimetabolite-based chemotherapy

While the disease-free survival of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML) now approaches 75%, some children continue to experience relapses, and questions remain as to the optimal management of these patients. We describe two young children who experienced combined relapses in the bone marrow and extramedullary locations following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). An induction regimen, consisting of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), methotrexate, and 6-mercaptopurine (6MP), successfully and safely achieved hematologic remission in one patient and molecular remission in the other. These cases demonstrate that there is a role for ATRA plus differentiating chemotherapy other than arsenic trioxide in the treatment of relapsed APML. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;48:582–585. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Serum disopyramide concentrations and suppression of ventricular premature contractions

Serum disopyramide determinations and 24-hour Holter monitoring were performed in 20 cardiac subjects with ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) after the first, seventeenth, and thirty-seventh doses of disopyramide, 100 mg (10 subjects; low-dose group) or 200 mg (10 subjects; high-dose group) every 6 hr for 10 days to assess the ability of single- or first-dose data to predict serum disopyramide concentrations at steady state and the relationship between steady-state serum disopyramide concentrations and VPC suppression. Control Holter recordings were made for 48 hr in each subject. There were strong correlations in both groups between data for the AUC over 0 to 6 hr for the first dose (AUC60) and average (C ss) and trough (C min) steady-rate serum disopyramide concentrations after the seventeenth and thirty-seventh doses and the two combined. C ss and C min were related to AUC60 by the following expressions for both dosage groups: C ss = 0.22 AUC60 + 0.90 and C min = 0.20 AUC60 + 0.70. There were good correlations between 6-hr serum disopyramide concentration after the first dose and C ss and C min. There was strong correlation between overall average steady-state serum disopyramide concentration and suppression of VPC frequency. The relationship between VPC suppression and overall average trough serum disopyramide concentration at steady state, on the other hand, was weak.
An architecture for lossy compression of waveforms using piecewise-linear approximation

Lossy compression schemes are often desirable in many signal processing applications such as the compression of ECG data. This paper presents a relaxation of a provably good algorithm for lossy signal compression, based on the piecewise linear approximation of functions. The algorithm approximates the data within a given tolerance using a piecewise linear function. The paper also describes an architecture suitable for the single-chip implementation of the proposed algorithm. The design consists of control, two multiply/divide units, four adder/subtracter units, and an I/O interface unit. For uniformly sampled data, no division is required, and all operations can be completed in a pipelined manner in at most three cycles per sample point. The corresponding simplified architecture is also presented. >
Nanoelectronic neuromorphic networks (CrossNets): new results

Our group is developing neuromorphic network architectures for future hybrid semiconductor/nanowire/molecular ("CMOL") circuits. Estimates show that such networks ("CrossNets") may eventually overcome the cerebral cortex in areal density, operating at much higher speed, at acceptable power consumption. In this report, we demonstrate that CrossNets based on simple (two-terminal) molecular devices can be configured to reproduce the behavior of any known neural network, either feedforward or recurrent, using a synaptic weight import procedure. Two other training methods including the global reinforcement (that may enable CrossNets to perform more intelligent tasks) are also described in brief.
Noisy feedback improves communication reliability

We show how to exploit a noisy feedback link to implement high-reliability communication. We specify a variable-length coding strategy that achieves the error exponent (in delay) of erasure decoding using any noisy feedback channel which has a positive zero-rate random coding error exponent. Building on this result, we give a second approach that, depending only on the capacity of the feedback link, achieves an error exponent up to half of the Burnashev exponent - the maximum exponent that can be achieved with a noiseless feedback link. The resulting exponent can be far larger than the exponent of erasure decoding, particularly at rates close to capacity
Introduction to the special issue on neural networks in financial engineering

There are several phases that an emerging field goes through before it reaches maturity, and computational finance is no exception. There is usually a trigger for the birth of the field. In our case, new techniques such as neural networks, significant progress in computing technology, and the need for results that rely on more realistic assumptions inspired new researchers to revisit the traditional problems of finance, problems that have often been tackled by introducing simplifying assumptions in the past. The result has been a wealth of new approaches to these time-honored problems, with significant improvements in many cases.
Inhomogeneity‐Packing Density Relations in Binary hwders

A theoretical procedure for determining the specific volume of an inhomogeneous binary mixture having a large radius ratio is presented. The procedure is based on the hypothesis that the Furnas model holds on a local level. The methodology developed is demonstrated using two hypothetical compositional distribution functions. In one case the compositional distribution describes changes that occur from a completely unmixed to a completely mixed state. The second utilizes the normal distribution for describing smaller compositional variations.
On Discrete-Time Pursuit-Evasion Games With Sensing Limitations

In this paper, we address discrete-time pursuit-evasion games in the plane where every player has identical sensing and motion ranges restricted to closed disks of given sensing and stepping radii. A single evader is initially located inside a bounded subset of the environment and does not move until detected. We propose a sweep-pursuit-capture pursuer strategy to capture the evader and apply it to two variants of the game. The first involves a single pursuer and an evader in a bounded convex environment, and the second involves multiple pursuers and an evader in a boundaryless environment. In the first game, we give a sufficient condition on the ratio of sensing to stepping radius of the players that guarantees capture. In the second, we determine the minimum probability of capture, which is a function of a novel pursuer formation and independent of the initial evader location. The sweep and pursuit phases reduce both games to previously studied problems with unlimited range sensing, and capture is achieved using available strategies. We obtain novel upper bounds on the capture time and present simulation studies that address the performance of the strategies under sensing errors, different ratios of sensing to stepping radius, greater evader speed, and a different number of pursuers.
Solomonic Justice, Rights, and Truth and Reconciliation Commissions: A Confucian Meditation*

This chapter focuses first, on the differing and usually conflicting goals of truth and reconciliation commissions; second, how these goals are best achieved by employing the conceptual apparatus of religion; and third, how a Confucian perspective can place the religious dimensions of the work of reconciliation in a secular framework that does not require grounding in any theological beliefs.
Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Responses to Environmental Stressors in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert

We studied responses of ant communities to shrub removal and intense pulse seasonal grazing by domestic livestock for four consecutive years. Weighted relative abundance and percent of traps in which an ant species occurred were analyzed using randomized complete block design, split in time analysis of variance to test for significant differences between means of ant groups. The ant community in the Chihuahuan Desert grassland is dominated by small, liquid-feeding ants, Conomyrma insana (Buckley), and large seed harvesting ants, Pogonomyrmex desertorum Wheeler. The weighted relative abundance of C. insana was significantly reduced on the plots without shrubs. The relative abundance of P. desertorum was significantly lower on grazed plots without shrubs than on the ungrazed plots without shrubs. There were no detectable effects of shrub removal or intense, pulse grazing on the less abundant ant species. These results suggest that the recent encroachment of shrubs into Chihuahuan Desert grasslands has increased the relative abundance of the dominant ant species in these communities. Intensive grazing by livestock has had an adverse effect on the most abundant seed-harvester, P. desertorum.
On the Full C 1 -Q k Finite Element Spaces on Rectangles and Cuboids

We study the extensions of the Bogner-Fox-Schmit element to the whole family of Qk continuously differentiable finite elements on rectangular grids, for all k≥3, in 2D and 3D. We show that the newly defined C1 spaces are maximal in the sense that they contain all C1-Qk functions of piecewise polynomials. We give examples of other extensions of C1-Qk elements. The result is consistent with the Strang's conjecture (restricted to the quadrilateral grids in 2D and 3D). Some numerical results are provided on the family of C1 elements solving the biharmonic equation. AMS subject classifications: 65M60, 65N30
I’d Like to Teach the World to Think: Commercial Advertising and Manipulation

This commentary on Cass Sunsteinâs âFifty Shades of Manipulationâ queries Sunsteinâs account of manipulation as influence that does not sufficiently engage or appeal to someoneâs capacity for reflection and deliberation. Manipulation sometimes undermines the targetâs reflection and deliberation; but it is also possible to manipulate someone by providing âbad inputsâ to a properly nondeliberative response. This kind of manipulation does not consist of a failure to sufficiently engage reflection and deliberation. While good practical reasoning and good practical engagement with the world requires some reflection and deliberation, it does not require reflection and deliberation at every turn. Sometimes we just like something without reflecting on its virtues. For example, we just like a beverage because it tastes good and feels good, and it comes in a pretty bottle. Building on Sunsteinâs discussion of commercial advertising, I consider some ways in which commercial advertising might manipulate these âlikings,â as well as other ways in which commercial advertising and marketing potentially manipulate consumers, focusing in particular of food advertising and marketing.
Abstract 166: Indirect Revascularization for Symptomatic Intracranial Arterial Stenoses: Clinical and Angiographic Outcomes

Objective: Symptomatic intracranial arterial stenoses have a high rate of recurrent stroke despite medical and endovascular treatments. We present clinical and angiographic quantitative outcomes of indirect revascularization for patients with symptomatic intracranial stenosis. Methods: Patients treated for symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis by indirect revascularization were included. Patients had failed maximal medical management and were unsuitable for or had failed endovascular therapy. Patients underwent encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS) with or without burr holes. Preoperative and postoperative angiograms were evaluated for change in caliber of extracranial blood vessels (superficial temporal artery and middle meningeal artery) and for evidence of neovascularity. Results: Thirteen patients underwent EDAS. Ischemic symptoms ceased within 3 weeks of surgery in 92.3% of patients and in all patients by 3 months. During the follow-up period (median follow-up 4.5 years) 85% of patients remained symptom-free, returning in a delayed fashion in only 2 (one at 1 year and one at 4 years). No patients treated with EDAS developed strokes or died. All donor blood vessels increased in size relative to preoperatively (average increase of 52% for proximal STA, p=0.01, 74% for midpoint of STA, p=0.01, and 84% for the MMA, p=0.02). In addition, 8 of 11 (73%) patients demonstrated direct spontaneous anastamoses from extracranial to MCA branches and all patients demonstrated angiographic evidence of vascular blush and/or new branches from the STA and/or MMA. Conclusions: Indirect revascularization appears to be a safe and effective method to reduce TIAs, stroke and death in patients with symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis. Neovascularity and enlargement of the external carotid branches were observed in all patients and correlated with improvement in ischemic symptoms. Indirect revascularization is an option for patients who have failed medical therapy.
Methods to Assess Changes in the Pattern of Nuclear Phosphoinositides

Phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) and its phosphorylated derivatives represent less than 5% of total membrane phospholipids in cells. Despite their low abundance, they form a dynamic signalling system that is regulated in response to a variety of extra and intra-cellular cues (Curr Opin Genet Dev 14:196-202, 2004). Phosphoinositides and the enzymes that synthesize them are found in many different sub-cellular compartments including the nuclear matrix, heterochromatin, and sites of active RNA splicing, suggesting that phosphoinositides may regulate specific functions within the nuclear compartment (Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 4:349-360, 2003; Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 282:177-206, 2004; Cell Mol Life Sci 61:1143-1156, 2004). The existence of distinct sub-cellular pools has led to the challenging task of understanding how the different pools are regulated and how changes in the mass of lipids within the nucleus can modulate nuclear specific pathways. Here we describe methods to determine how enzymatic activities that modulate nuclear phosphoinositides are changed in response to extracellular stimuli.
Voltage-activated cation permeability in high-potassium but not low-potassium red blood cells.

We have recently reported that voltage-activated fluxes of Na, K, and Ca occur in human red blood cells [J.A. Halperin, C. Brugnara, M. Tosteson, T. Van Ha, and D. C. Tosteson. Am. J. Physiol. 257 (Cell Physiol. 26): C986-C996, 1989]. The cation permeability increases progressively as the membrane potential becomes more inside positive above +20 mV. In this paper we show that this effect also occurs in high-potassium (HK), but not in low-potassium (LK), sheep and dog red blood cells. This result suggests that the voltage-activated cation transport pathway is not the result of nonspecific dielectric breakdown of the lipid bilayer but, rather, relates to some membrane component, presumably a protein, that is expressed in HK human and sheep but not in LK sheep and dog red blood cells.
Ochronotic arthropathy: Rapid destructive hip osteoarthritis associated with metabolic disease

Ochronosis is a musculoskeletal manifestation of alkaptonuria, an inherited metabolic disorder associated with various systemic abnormalities related to the deposition of homogentisic acid pigment in connective tissues. This report describes a 58-year-old woman with ochronotic arthropathy who, in addition to the typical clinical features of the disorder, presented with rapidly progressive hip osteoarthritis. The destruction of the joint architecture and the severe functional impairment necessitated a total hip replacement which resulted in a satisfactory outcome.
An extensible simulation framework for evaluating centralized traffic prediction algorithms

Due to the increasing popularity of smartphones and in-dash navigation equipment, traffic data gathered by mobile devices has grown in popularity as a basis for predicting traffic conditions. Mobile devices submit location information to a central server, where future traffic conditions are computed. Because this type of system would be expensive to test with real drivers, algorithms for road traffic prediction are often evaluated according to the outcomes of simulations. These simulations frequently use the same types of vehicle data to model the flow of traffic. Based on the observation that these algorithm simulators share common functionality, we have developed a framework to facilitate the rapid development of simulators for traffic prediction. Using our framework, developers can quickly implement traffic prediction simulators with included data processing and visualization features. To date, we have utilized the framework in creating two separate simulators for influence-aware predictive density queries and naive density queries, respectively.
Do Athletes Need More Dietary Protein and Amino Acids

The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein is based primarily on data derived from subjects whose lifestyles were essentially sedentary. More recent well-designed studies that have employed either the classic nitrogen balance approach or the more technically difficult metabolic tracer technique indicate that overall protein needs (as well as needs for some specific individual amino acids) are probably increased for those who exercise regularly. Although the roles of the additionally required dietary protein and amino acids are likely to be quite different for those who engage in endurance exercise (protein required as an auxiliary fuel source) as opposed to strength exercise (amino acids required as building blocks for muscle development), it appears that both groups likely will benefit from diets containing more protein than the current RDA of 0.8 g.kg-1.day-1. Strength athletes probably need about 1.4-1.8 g.kg-1.day-1 and endurance athletes about 1.2-1.4 g.kg-1.day-1.
Nest relocation in the slavemaking ants Formica subintegra and Formica pergandei: a response to host nest availability that increases raiding success

Social insects typically occupy spatially fixed nests which may thus constrain their mobility. Nevertheless, colony movements are a frequent component of the life cycle of many social insects, particularly ants. Nest relocation in ants may be driven by a variety of factors, including nest deterioration, seasonality, disturbances, changes in microclimate, and local depletion of resources. The colony movements of slavemaking ants have been noted anecdotally, and in recent studies such relocations were primarily attributed to nest deterioration or shifts to overwintering locations. In this study we explore nest relocations in large colonies of formicine slavemakers which occupy stable and persistent earthen nest mounds. We investigate the hypothesis that colony relocations of these slavemakers are best explained by efforts to improve raiding success by seeking areas of higher host availability. Five summers of monitoring the raiding behavior of 11–14 colonies of the slavemakers Formica subintegra and Formica pergandei revealed relatively frequent nest relocations: of 14 colonies that have been tracked for at least three of 5 years, all but one moved at least once by invading existing host nests. Movements tended to occur in the middle of the raiding season and were typically followed by continued raiding of nearby host colonies. Spatial patterns of movements suggest that their purpose is to gain access to more host colonies to raid: the distance moved is typically farther than the mean raiding distance before the move, which may indicate an effort to escape their local neighborhood. Furthermore, the mean distance of raids after relocation is shorter than the distance before relocation. For many slavemaking ant colonies, particularly those on the verge of relocating, raiding distance increased as the raiding season progressed. In addition, movements tended to be toward areas of higher local host density. Nest relocation is likely an important component of the ecology of slavemaking ants that contributes to the dynamic nature of their interaction with the host ant population.
Promoting Help Seeking Among Veteran Households: Associations Between Exposure to Multiple Types of Health Messages and Intentions to Utilize Related Public Health Hotlines

ABSTRACT This study presents preliminary evidence that exposure to different health campaigns enhance intentions to seek help from telephone hotlines among Veteran households. Data were collected from telephone surveys (N = 8,756) conducted with both Veteran (n = 3,904), and for comparison, non-Veteran households (n = 4,852). Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify associations between message exposure variables (“type” or “number”) with a high intent to use different hotlines (e.g., suicide prevention, domestic violence). As the number of types of messages an individual was exposed to increased, reported high intent for hotline use also increased. This remained significant across hotline type and for both Veteran and non-Veterans households. Results underscore the need for further research on dissemination strategies of public messaging and their impact on health behavior among Veteran populations.
Abstract 4320: Circulating vitamin D2 and D3 levels and single nucleotide polymorphism associations with lung cancer status: A case-control study

Vitamin D is an essential micronutrient, required for normal physiological function and classically recognized for its role regulating calcium metabolism. Recent work is beginning to demonstrate a role of vitamin D in chronic illnesses, such as cancer, but questions addressing how depletion of this nutrient affects cancer risk remain largely unanswered. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine report highlighted the need for more research to explore the role of vitamin D in non-skeletal health outcomes. Previously, vitamin D has largely been measured using radio- and chemiluminescence immunoassays, unable to distinguish between D2 (from plant dietary sources and supplements) and D3 forms. We measured circulating serum levels of both, inactive (25(OH)D), and active (1,25(OH)2D) forms of D2 and D3 using sensitive liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in 406 lung cancer cases and 437 controls. We observed that levels of inactive D3 are associated with decreased lung cancer risk across quartiles, after adjustment for age, gender, race, smoking status, pack years, interview year and blood collection month (ORadjusted = 0.5 (95% CI = 0.2, 0.9), P Citation Format: Majda Haznadar, Kristopher W. Krausz, Ezra Margono, Elise D. Bowman, Brid M. Ryan, Frank J. Gonzalez, Curtis C. Harris. Circulating vitamin D2 and D3 levels and single nucleotide polymorphism associations with lung cancer status: A case-control study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4320.
Origin of Calcite Decomposition Nuclei

The thermal decomposition of natural calcite single crystals was found to occur at surface defects at which well-formed decomposition nuclei eventually developed. The occurrence of the nuclei was strongly dependent on the history of the specimen surface. An initial heat treatment in CO2 would anneal out many surface defects; however, longer annealing drastically increased the defect concentration by allowing impurity precipitation throughout the crystal. Closed dislocation loops appeared to surround the pockets of precipitation. Strong evidence is presented to suggest impurity-associated dislocations are primarily responsible for nucleation.