cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Natural Experiment on Innovation Without Patents

Innovation occurs within a complex web of law. Of the myriad legal doctrines that affect innovation, the most directly relevant is intellectual property, particularly patent law. Despite the faith many have in the societal benefits afforded by patent protection, a crescendo of recent critics have suggested that the patent system may complicate, slow, or even thwart innovation. Empirical evidence evaluating how well the patent system achieves its stated goals of encouraging innovation is notably scarce. One section in the America Invents Act (“AIA”) – Section 33 – may offer a rare and valuable opportunity to explore how innovation might perform without the protections or constraints of patents. Section 33 of the AIA, which took effect on September 16, 2011, states that “[n]otwithstanding any other provision of law, no patent may issue on a claim directed to or encompassing a human organism.” Although patents claiming inventions “directed to or encompassing” aspects of human organisms, such as human bodies, organs, tissues, cells, genes, chemical products of physiological processes, and even thoughts have often been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), patents claiming this class of biotechnological inventions have proved increasingly difficult successfully to assert in court. It is too early to know precisely how the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) and the courts will interpret Section 33. Nevertheless, a rich body of judicial decisions on the validity, enforcement, and infringement of patents claiming human genes, human embryonic stem cells, chemicals produced by human physiology, and human thought (especially relating to diagnosis and therapy) do provide valuable insight into how far Section 33 may reach. These decisions suggest that inventions related to the human body and its functions represent a lacuna in patentable subject matter. If interpreted in a manner consistent with this body of court decisions, Section 33 may represent an apotheosis of the marked common law trend against the patenting of inventions relating to the humans, the human body, and human bodily processes. With the addition of Section 33 to the patent law, both statute and judicial precedent have now created a space in which innovation “directed to or encompassing a human organism” may take place substantially unfettered from fears of infringing patent rights. This safe harbor from patent infringement allows a natural experiment to take place in which innovation may operate without interference from patent rights. This natural experiment offers a valuable opportunity to observe whether innovation flourishes, wilts, or reacts with indifference to the rare circumstance of freedom from patents.
Steady-State Performance of Adaptive Diffusion Least-Mean Squares

We study the mean-square performance of a diffusion least mean-squares protocol proposed in recent work to address the problem of distributed estimation [1, 2]. By relying on energy conservation arguments [8] we derive closed form expressions for the mean-square deviation (MSD) and the excess mean-square error (EMSE) of the adaptive network. Examples show a good agreement between simulations and theory.
Wireless Compliant Software Design Model

In this paper, we present a new open software design model for developing adaptive, evolvable, and interoperable software for wireless network applications, devices, protocols, and platforms. The new model relies on two main components: an open software development technology structure and a new suggested standardization for inter-applications interface. The model gives the different wireless vendors the capability to address and implement wireless applications, protocols and concerns in an easy modular way that is more evolvable and suitable for wireless networks.
Gallbladder Na+/H+ exchange activity is up-regulated prior to cholesterol crystal formation.

Background Gallbladder Na + and H 2 O absorption are increased prior to gallstone formation and may promote cholesterol nucleation. Na + /H + exchange (NHE) isoforms NHE2 and NHE3 are involved in gallbladder Na + transport in prairie dogs. We examined whether increased gallbladder Na + absorption observed during early gallstone formation is the result of NHE up-regulation. Materials and methods Native gallbladder and primary cultures of gallbladder epithelial cells (GBECs) harvested from prairie dogs fed nonlithogenic (CON) or 1.2% cholesterol diet for varying lengths of time to induce cholesterol-saturated bile (PreCRYS), cholesterol crystals (CRYS), or gallstones (GS) were used. NHE activity was assessed by measuring dimethylamiloride-inhibitable 22 Na + uptake under H + gradient in primary GBECs. HOE-694 was used to determine NHE2 and NHE3 contributions. NHE protein and mRNA expression were examined by Western and Northern blots, respectively. Results Gallbladder total NHE activity was 25.1 ± 1.3 nmol mg protein -1 min -1 in the control and increased during gallstone formation peaking at the PreCRYS stage (98.4 ± 3.9 nmol mg protein -1 min -1 ). There was a shift in NHE activity from NHE2 to NHE3 as the animals progressed from no stones through the PreCRYS and CRYS stages to gallstones. The increase in NHE activity was partly caused by an increased V max without any change in K Na m . Both NHE2 and NHE3 protein increased moderately during the PreCRYS stage without increases in mRNA expression. Conclusions Increased gallbladder Na + absorption observed prior to crystal formation is in part caused by an increase NHE activity which is not fully accounted for by an increase in NHE proteins and mRNA levels but may be explained by enhanced localization in the membranes and/or altered regulation of NHE.
The binding of RecA protein to duplex DNA molecules is directional and is promoted by a single stranded region

RecA protein from E. coli binds more strongly to single stranded DNA than to duplex molecules. Using duplex DNA that contains single stranded gaps, we have studied the protection by RecA protein at various concentrations, of restriction sites as a function of their distance from the single stranded region. We show that the binding of RecA protein, initiated in the single stranded region, extends progressively along the adjoining duplex in the 5' to 3' direction with respect to the single stranded region. The strand exchange reaction is known to proceed in the same direction.
On-chip bond-wire antennas on CMOS-grade silicon substrates

The paper introduces a novel concept of using metal bond-wires as on-chip antennas on low resistivity CMOS-grade silicon substrate based ICs. Simulation results indicate that bond-wires, which can be readily realized with high-precision industry-standard tools, can indeed be used as on-chip antennas operating from 30-60 GHz. In particular, the paper examines the input impedance and radiation characteristics of a bond-wire antenna operating at 30 GHz, using the ANSOFT high frequency structure simulator (HFSS) program employing the full-wave finite element method. The results show a minimum return loss of 14.24 dB and a gain of 0.22 dBi at 33.8 GHz. The radiation efficiency of the antenna is 74%, which is considerably higher than standard on-chip antennas.
A highly scalable model for network attack identification and path prediction

The rapid growth of the Internet has triggered an explosion in the number of networked applications that leverage its capabilities. Unfortunately, many of them are intentionally designed to burden or destroy the capabilities of their peers and the supporting network infrastructure. Hence, considerable effort has been focused on detecting and predicting the breaches in security propagated by these malicious applications. However, the enormity of the Internet poses a formidable challenge to representing and analyzing such attacks on it using scalable models. Furthermore, the unavailability of complete information on network vulnerabilities makes the task of forecasting the systems that are likely to be exploited by such applications in the future even harder. This paper presents a technique to identify attacks on large networks using a highly scalable model, while filtering for false positives and negatives. It also forecasts the propagation of the security failures proliferated by attacks over time and their likely targets in the future.
Optimal controlled flooding search in a large wireless network

In this paper we consider the problem of searching for a node or an object (i.e., piece of data, file, etc.) in a large wireless network. We consider the class of controlled flooding search strategies where query/search packets are broadcast and propagated in the network until a preset TTL (time-to-live) value carried in the packet expires. Every unsuccessful search attempt results in an increased TTL value (i.e., larger search area) and the same process is repeated. We derive search strategies that minimize the search cost in the worst-case, via a performance measure in the form of the competitive ratio between the average search cost of a strategy and that of an omniscient observer. This ratio is shown in prior work to be lower bounded by 4 among all deterministic search strategies. In this paper we show that by using randomized strategies this ratio is lower bounded by e. We derive an optimal strategy that achieves this lower bound, and discuss its performance under other performance criteria.
Water Vapor Transport and Its Effects on the Deposition of Hygroscopic Droplets in a Human Upper Airway Model

The fundamentals of 3-D airflow as well as heat and water vapor transport and droplet vaporization (or hygroscopicity) are described for a human upper airway model under steady laminar-transitional-turbulent inspiratory flow conditions. Water vapor distributions from the mouth to the first four generations of the tracheobronchial tree are given in terms of relative humidity or mass fraction. The mass transfer coefficients of water vapor are correlated as a function of local flow rate and temperature-dependent diffusivity, which can be readily used for estimating the regional water loss or moisture variations in the human upper airways. Furthermore, the dynamics of hygroscopicity and deposition of isotonic saline droplets have been simulated as an example, applying the basic theory. Specifically, droplet evaporation rates and deposition pattern are analyzed and the effects of inhalation flow rates and thermodynamic air properties are discussed.
Bridging Cultures Bookshelf - Muslim Journeys: A Selected Annotated Bibliography

The Bridging Cultures -Muslim Journeys grant was gifted from the NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) to libraries throughout the United States to promote understanding between American and Arab culture, history and society. The items included in the grant are organized by six themes: American Stories, Connected Histories, Literary Reflections, Pathways of Faith, Points of View and Art, Architecture and Film and contain 25 books and 4 films. The goal of the collection was to “help public audiences in the United States become more familiar with the people, places, history, faith and culture of Muslims around the world and within the U.S.” This annotated bibliography summarizes fifteen titles selected that may help scholars, students, librarians or general readers gain an understanding of the Muslim Journeys collection.
NF-κB-mediated IAP expression induces resistance of intestinal epithelial cells to apoptosis after polyamine depletion

Apoptosis plays a crucial role in maintenance of intestinal epithelial integrity and is highly regulated by numerous factors, including cellular polyamines. We recently showed that polyamines regul...
Nonlinear effects in the two-dimensional adaptive-wall outer-flow problem

The importance of nonlinear effects to the solution of two-dimensional adaptive-wall outer-flow problems is presently evaluated by comparing outer-flow solutions computed on the basis of the transonic small perturbation equations with solutions based on the linear Prandtl-Glauert equation. Both methods are applied to simulated measurements of transonic flow past a two-dimensional airfoil in free air. Nonlinear effects are found to be important in the outer-flow solution only where the outer flow included supersonic flow.
Simultaneous Observations of Aerosol and Cloud Droplet Size Spectra in Marine Stratocumulus

Abstract Simultaneous field measurements of aerosol and cloud droplet concentrations and droplet diameter were performed at a maritime site on the coast of Washington State. The aerosol and droplet spectra were compared for estimating cloud condensation nucleus concentration (Nccn) as the number of particles with diameters greater than 80 nm, that is, Nccn ≡ N(Dp > 80 nm). Several analytical approaches were developed and applied to the data, including a stratification of the observations into periods of high and low liquid water content (LWC) based on a threshold value of 0.25 g m−3. The aerosol data were corrected for inertial losses of cloud droplets at the inlet using wind speed and droplet size; this correction improved the measured relationships between Nccn and droplet number concentration (Nd). These measurements, when coupled with the range of possible aerosol chemical compositions, imply a cloud supersaturation of 0.24%–0.31% at the Cheeka Peak sampling site during periods of high LWC. The observ...
Resistance to the Birch Leafminer Fenusa pusilla (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) within the Genus Betula

Abstract Thirteen Betula species were tested for resistanceto the birch leafminer, Fenusa pusilla (Lepeletier), usingno-choice assays. Birch leafminers were able to oviposit into expandingleaves of all Betula individuals tested. Larvae did notsurvive within any of the tested individuals of three species, B.alleghaniensis (Britt.), B. grossa (S. & Z.), andB. lenta (L.). Leafminer eggs deposited into the leaves ofthese species hatched, and larvae fed for a short period before dying.These three species were classified as highly resistant to birchleafminer, based on very low percent of mines (0.6-3.1%) with adiameter >3 mm. Eight species, B. papyrifera (Marsh),B. pendula (Roth), B. turkestanica (Litvin),B. glandulifera (Regal), B. ermanii (Cham.),B. platyphylla variety japonica [(Miq.) Hara],B. populifolia (Marsh) and B. maximowicziana(Regal) were classified as susceptible, with percent of mines >3 mmdiameter of 87-94%. Two species, B. costata (Trautv.) andB. davurica (Pall.), displayed intermediate and varia...
Intersection of understanding: the digital, tactile and physical in fabric architecture

The use of tensile fabric in architecture results in structures that can be both ecologically sensitive and delight the eye — but how do we begin to understand this nontraditional method of defining form and shaping space? Various methods of form finding help in understanding the capabilities of tensile fabric structures. Digital modeling, soap bubbles and stretchable fabrics can assist in understanding the inherent properties of fabric and the natural curvatures formed by the interaction of structure and fabric. These methods, however, are plagued by a steep learning curve and time investment that deters designers from utilizing fabric and makes it difficult to intuitively understand the properties of fabric. This paper explores how our group utilized a full-scale fabric installation meant to educate the user about the possibilities of fabric in architecture through an interactive and tactile experience. This study documented the users’ initial knowledge and comfort level with fabric in architectural applications as well as their understanding of its material properties and compared this understanding to their understanding after interacting with the installation. The results of this study show how the use of a hybrid methodology of exploring a new material can lead to an increased understanding of how to utilize fabric for architectural applications and form finding.
Fiscal and Generational Imbalances and Generational Accounts: A 2012 Update

The consistent refusal by Obama Administration officials to release details of the Office of Management and Budget's long range budget projections compelled the use of the only other reliable source of budget information: The Congressional Budget Office's 10-year budget projections from March 2012. In making its calculations, this paper extends those projections beyond 10 years using CBO's long range economic assumptions. This study also updates micro-data relative profiles used to distributed federal taxes, transfers, and other federal expenditures by age and gender. Provision by the Social Security Administration's Felicitie Bell of US population projections and underlying demographic assumptions used in the Social Security trustees' 2012 annual report and responses by CBO officials to the author's clarifying questions on CBO's federal budget accounting conventions are gratefully acknowledged.
Autoethnographic Poems and Narrative Reflections: A Qualitative Study on the Death of a Companion Animal

ABSTRACT This study explores the meaning of the death of a companion animal through autoethnographic poetry in conjunction with narrative reflections. This method expands the depth and scope of poetry in qualitative research by transforming expressive works into both the subject and product of inquiry.
Aquarius Scatterometer Calibration

In this paper, we discuss the Aquarius scatterometer calibration, starting with the instrument calibration. We examine the stability of Aquarius as quantified using the loop-back power and estimated receiver gain to shown Aquarius has been extremely stable to order 0.1 dB since mission start. We show the temperatures of scatterometer components not contained in the loop-back path have been controlled precisely to 0.5°C to minimize any temperature-dependent losses. Combined, these results show Aquarius produces accurate $\sigma_0$ over the mission lifetime. In the next section, we discuss the stability as quantified using external models and again show stability to order 0.1 dB in very good agreement with instrument-only methods. Then, we discuss the methods used to absolutely calibrate Aquarius $\sigma_0$ with respect to previous L-band radar systems. We show that Aquarius is relatively calibrated to order 0.1 dB for copolarization channels and better than 0.2 dB for cross-polarization channels. Finally, we discuss the calibration of the Aquarius wind speed product. We compare the Aquarius wind speed with radiometer wind speed products, other radar scatterometers, and numerical weather products. We show that the Aquarius wind speed product is on par with previous scatterometers in data quality.
Cyclo-Oxygenase-2 Enzyme and Its Inhibition in Tumor Growth and Therapy

Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an enzyme induced in pathologic states such as inflammatory disorders and cancer, where it mediates production of prostanoids. The enzyme is commonly expressed in both premalignant lesions and overt cancer of different types. A growing body of evidence links COX-2 with tumor development, aggressive biological tumor behavior, resistance to standard cancer treatment, and adverse patient outcome. Preclinical investigations have demonstrated that inhibition of this enzyme with selective COX-2 inhibitors enhances tumor response to radiation and chemotherapeutic agents. These preclinical findings have been rapidly advanced to clinical oncology. Clinical trials of the combination of selective COX-2 inhibitors with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or both in patients with a number of cancers have been initiated, and preliminary results are encouraging. This chapter discusses the role of COX-2, its products (prostaglandins), and inhibitors of the enzyme in tumor growth and treatment.
Like Her Own Ideals and Experiences of the Mother-In-Law/Daughter-In-Law Relationship

This article explores ideals and experiences of the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship using semi-structured interviews with 46 members of 22 families living in one Indian village. Ideally, the relationship is characterized by love and understanding, where one's mother-in-law or daughter-in-law is like one's own daughter or mother. In practice, the relationship varies in quality. Some women experienced affectionate, high quality relationships, while others' relationships were characterized by hurtful exchanges and not speaking. Previous literature portrays the relationship as negative, but these results point to the relevance of positive aspects as well. I also suggest that these ideals and experiences are shaped by the joint family system. The joint family system contributes to the strongly positive ideal, while the tensions that women experience arise from the contradictory family locations that they occupy within that system. Daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law are simultaneously strangers and close family members.
Towards Regulatory Compliance Through PLM

Increasingly stringent laws regulating the amounts of hazardous substances and recyclable content in products are placing a heavy burden on product manufacturers. While manufacturers strive to be the first to bring innovative products to the market, they need to safeguard against late design changes or penalties that might result from non-compliance. At the same time, they need to ensure that the quality of the product is maintained, and prevent undue pressure on suppliers, who have to meet targets specified by the manufacturer. This paper presents a method to utilize the enterprise-wide scope provided by modern PLM systems to account for these considerations in the early design stages during the selection of material and processing specifications for product components. The method employs the chance constrained programming technique to account for the inherent uncertainties faced during these early design stages.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Combined Cycle Status Matching and Data Reconciliation through the Heat Balance Solver

[Abstract] Accurate performance guarantees for the potential plant upgrades proposed by the manufacturers rely on precise modeling and simulations of the combined cycle plants that have certain degrees of degradations. Due to the uncertainties and/or gross errors in the measurements, the measured data need to be reconciled before being utilized as the model inputs for the plant modeling. In the process of data reconciliation, the reconciled values are obtained by means of maximizing the likelihood function and satisfying the plant physical constraints at the same time. By assuming that all measurements are independent and have Normal distributions for uncertainties, maximizing the likelihood function formed by Normal distribution functions leads to minimizing the least square object function. In this study a well-built combined cycle heat balance model was used as a transfer function replacing the complex nonlinear model constraints to perform the data reconciliation for the HRSG (heat recovery steam generator). By introducing the heat balance solver, the optimization problem becomes unconstrained and the number of independent variables (measured values to be reconciled) is significantly reduced. Most importantly, the detailed modeling of the HRSG heat balance solver allows us to perform data reconciliation and estimate the degradation status simultaneously. In order to mitigate the contamination effects caused by gross errors during the data reconciliation, the contaminated Normal distribution function was introduced to form a new object function, which is less sensitive to gross errors. This helps to reduce the contamination effects and to detect the gross errors.
Smart Client Flow Engine Based on Ajax

In order to solve the problems of lacking intelligence and server overload in the traditional Ajax engine,a new Ajax engine based on the browser caching mechanism named Smart Client Flow Engine(SCFE) is proposed.It separates business logic layer from data access layer and transfers business logic layer and the relevant data to the client catch to implement.Theory and practice prove that SCFE can reduce the frequency of accessing server effectively,solve the server overload problem,and make the Web applications more intelligent.
Kinetics of hydrogen isotope exchange in β-phase Pd-H-D

Hydrogen isotope gas exchange within palladium powders is examined using a batch-type reactor coupled to a residual gas analyzer (RGA). Exchange rates in both directions (H2 + PdD and D2 + PdH) are measured in the temperature range 178–323 K for the samples with different particle sizes. The results show this batch-type exchange is closely approximated as a first-order kinetic process with a rate directly proportional to the surface area of the powder particles. An exchange rate constant of 1.40 ± 0.24 μmol H2/atm cm2 s is found for H2 + PdD at 298 K, 1.4 times higher than that for D2 + PdH, with an activation energy of 25.0 ± 3.2 kJ/mol H for both exchange directions. A comparison of exchange measurement techniques shows these coefficients, and the fundamental exchange probabilities are in good agreement with those obtained by NMR and flow techniques.
Knowledge gaps to understanding cardiac macrophage polarization following myocardial infarction

Following myocardial infarction (MI), macrophages coordinate both pro-inflammatory and reparative responses of the left ventricle (LV) by reacting to and secreting cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors and by stimulating endothelial cells and fibroblasts to modulate neovascularization and scar formation. Healing of the infarcted LV can be divided into three distinct, but overlapping phases: inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation. Macrophages are involved in all phases. Despite macrophages being a major leukocyte cell type in the post-MI LV, how this cell type regulates LV remodeling over the post-MI time continuum is not completely understood. In this review, we summarize the current literature as a foundation to discuss the major knowledge gaps that remain. Defining the post-MI temporal macrophage phenotypes to establish a classification system is the first step in exploring how macrophage phenotypes are regulated, how temporal stimulation and secretion profiles evolve, and how best to modify stimuli to yield predictable cell responses. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The role of post-translational protein modifications on heart and vascular metabolism edited by Jason R.B. Dyck & Jan F.C. Glatz.
Studying the interaction of UAS and human pilots using the X-Plane flight simulator

A system of networked computer components is described allowing realistic simulation and performance assessment of see-and-avoid algorithms for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Due to its realistic physics engine and relatively open architecture, the X-Plane flight simulator is adopted to simulate computer-generated traffic or an aircraft controlled by a human pilot. Using the UDP interface in X-Plane, real-time collision avoidance algorithms are then implemented, where the simulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) controller reads aircraft positions from X-Plane and updates control inputs to the UAV using sequential quadratic programming (SQP) to avoid collisions in real time. The basic concept is illustrated through an example flight involving a single aircraft in an airport pattern and a UAV flying through the same airspace. A second experiment is performed where a human pilot intentionally flies across the path of the UAV.
Colorimetric evaluation of vita shade resin composites.

The shades of several resin composite materials are keyed to the Vita Lumin shade guide. This study was designed to determine whether different composites of the same designated Vita shade were actually similar in color. A small-area colorimeter was used to compare the L*a*b* color parameters of three hybrid resin composites--Pertac-Hybrid, Prisma AP.H, and XRV Herculite. Four Vita shades (A2, B3, C2, and D3) of each material were evaluated. Color differences (delta E values) between composites of the same designated shade ranged from 2.07 for the A2 shades of Herculite and AP.H to 7.64 for the D3 shades of Herculite and Pertac. Color differences in this range are perceptible to many observers under ideal viewing conditions.
Anomalous Intensity Fluctuations in a High-Gain Gas Laser

Recently, spectral characteristics of high gain lasers such as semiconductor diode lasers and Xenon 3.5 pm high gain gas laser have attracted attention because the spectral line width of a semiconductor laser deviates from the Schawlow-Townes formula1) and multimode high-gain Xenon 3.51 μm and He-Ne 3.39 pm gas lasers showed peculiar low frequency fluctuations2).
Informing Evidence-Based Assessment of ADHD in Veterans and Service Members

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is diagnosed in approximately 2.5% to 5% of the population, and though epidemiological studies of ADHD in veterans and service members are lacking, a...
Effect of Inspiration on Bolus Injection

Adequate compact intravenous (i.v.) bolus injections of radiopharmaceuticals are essential for many quantitative radionuclide studies. Techniques have been described to obtain optimum bolus injections. The effect of inspiration on i.v. bolus injections was studied in 36 individuals. A slow, deep inspiration just prior to the arrival of the bolus within the superior vena cava significantly improved the quality of the bolus.
Quality of life among African-American and caucasian-American patients diagnosed with mycosis fungoides

1405 Purpose: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a malignancy of mature helper T-cells that initially invades the skin with clinical manifestations of widespread erythroderma, severe pruritus, and ulcerations. We conducted a study to evaluate the change in quality of life (QoL) of individuals diagnosed with MF. Also, we evaluated the racial disparity in QoL post-diagnosis. Experimental Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study was designed; potential study participants were identified from the Henry Ford Health System tumor registry. Eligibility criteria included (1) confirmed pathologic diagnosis of mycosis fungoides and (2) 18 years of age or older at the time of diagnosis. QoL was measured using two self-administered instruments, each comprised of four domains: emotional, functional, physical, and social/family well-being. Income was estimated from Census data. For each instrument, a composite score of the four sub-categories made up the overall QoL score, standardized to a scale of 0 to 100. Internal consistency of the QoL domains was assessed by Cronbach coefficient alpha values. The impact of ethnicity on QoL was analyzed by Student t-tests and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Of the 123 individuals who participated in this study, 27.5% were African-American (AA), and 72.5% were Caucasian American (CA). At the time of diagnosis, the mean age for AAs was 56.0 years vs. 58.9 years for CAs (p=0.355). The estimated mean annual income for AAs was significantly lower than CAs (p=0.0005). There were no statistically significant differences between AAs and CAs by age, gender, or stage at first diagnosis. However, at the time of the last treatment, 31.3% AAs vs. 16.3% CAs were classified as stage II or higher (p=0.047). Although more CAs reported a positive change and AAs reported a negative change in emotional well-being between the first diagnosis and the last treatment, the difference was not statistically significant. Both ethnic groups reported a positive change in physical and functional well-being scores, while scores for social/family well-being declined for both ethnic groups. Conclusions: Our preliminary analysis suggests that there was no statistically significant difference in the QoL between CAs and AAs. However, more AAs reported a decrease in QoL, while more CAs reported an overall increase in QoL between the time of the first diagnosis and the last treatment. The self-reported change in QoL may be a function of cultural values and/or progression of the disease among AA patients.
Performance of Density Functional Theory for Predicting Methane-to-Methanol Conversion by a Tri-Copper Complex

Efficient, low-temperature, and catalytic methane-to-methanol conversion (MMC) is of great interest, as methanol can be used as a liquid fuel and is a value-adding intermediate in the petrochemical industry. MMC can be achieved through direct C–H activation or via oxidation in strongly acidic media using noble metal catalysts. However, these processes are expensive and generally have low selectivity for methanol. In contrast, copper-exchanged zeolites can facilitate methane oxidation stoichiometrically under mild conditions with high selectivities for methanol. Approaches for achieving catalytic MMC on copper-exchanged zeolites have recently been developed. A better understanding of this process is required in order to facilitate the design of more efficient catalysts. In this work, we benchmark the performance of density functional theory (DFT) for modeling the MMC pathway by a tri-copper complex, [Cu3O3(H2O)6]2+. This complex is reminiscent of [Cu3O3]2+ proposed as the active-site motif in the zeolite m...
Continuous Flow of Upper Labrador Sea Water around Cape Hatteras.

Six velocity sections straddling Cape Hatteras show a deep counterflow rounding the Cape wedged beneath the poleward flowing Gulf Stream and the continental slope. This counterflow is likely the upper part of the equatorward-flowing Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC). Hydrographic data suggest that the equatorward flow sampled by the shipboard 38 kHz ADCP comprises the Upper Labrador Sea Water (ULSW) layer and top of the Classical Labrador Sea Water (CLSW) layer. Continuous DWBC flow around the Cape implied by the closely-spaced velocity sections here is also corroborated by the trajectory of an Argo float. These findings contrast with previous studies based on floats and tracers in which the lightest DWBC constituents did not follow the boundary to cross under the Gulf Stream at Cape Hatteras but were diverted into the interior as the DWBC encountered the Gulf Stream in the crossover region. Additionally, our six quasi-synoptic velocity sections confirm that the Gulf Stream intensified markedly at that time as it approached the separation point and flowed into deeper waters. Downstream increases were observed not only in the poleward transport across the sections but also in the current’s maximum speed.
Modeling second language writing quality: A structural equation investigation of lexical, syntactic, and cohesive features in source-based and independent writing

Abstract This study develops a model of second language (L2) writing quality in the context of a standardized writing test (TOEFL iBT) using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. A corpus of 480 test-takers’ responses to source-based and independent writing tasks was the basis for the model. Four latent variables were constructed: an L2 writing quality variable informed by scores of source-based and independent writing tasks, and lexical sophistication, syntactic complexity, and cohesion variables informed by lexical, syntactic, and cohesive features within the essays. The SEM analysis showed that an L2 writing quality model had a good fit, and was generalizable across writing prompts (with the exception of lexical features), gender, and learning contexts. The structural regression analysis indicated that 81.7% of the variance in L2 writing quality was explained by lexical decision reaction time scores (β = 0.932), lexical overlap between paragraphs (β = 0.434), and mean length of clauses via lexical decision reaction time scores (β = 0.607). These findings indicate that higher-rated essays tend to contain more sophisticated words that elicited longer response times in lexical decision tasks, greater lexical overlap between paragraphs, and longer clauses accompanying more sophisticated words. Implications for evaluating lexical, syntactic, and cohesive features in L2 writing are discussed.
Timber and Amenities on Nonindustrial Private Forest Land

Economic analyses of the joint production timber and amenities from nonindustrial private forest lands (NIPF) have been conducted for several decades. Binkley (1981) summarized this strand of research and elegantly articulated a microeconomic household model in which NIPF owners maximize utility by choosing optimal combinations of timber income and amenities. Most follow-up attempts have been limited to either simulations based on stylized characterization of joint production (Max and Lehman 1988) or to empirical representations hampered by data limitations— particularly with regard to measuring amenity production (Hyberg and Holthausen 1989). In attempting to redress this gap, Holmes (1986) was limited to binary representations of timber and amenities and did not get conclusive results. In this chapter, we use data from North Carolina that includes timber output and amenity indices to illustrate a method for empirically characterizing Binkley’s household model.
Paul Green and a Brief History of Marketing Research

Unraveling the tradeoffs between personal memoir and intellectual history in telling Paul Green’s story is perhaps a problem worthy of the sophisticated research tools that he pioneered. He has been so directly involved in the development of the field of marketing research over more than four decades that it is difficult to separate the life of Paul Green from the story of the field. A retrospective on marketing research and the man who shaped it must go hand in hand. A conference to celebrate Green’s intellectual contributions and the development of the field, such as the one to celebrate his 40th anniversary at Wharton in May of 2002 — an event that launched this book — inevitably turns into a personal celebration of Paul Green himself. He is a pioneer in marketing research, a prolific scholar, and a mentor to the next generation of scholars, not to mention an accomplished pianist.
A Pareto Front Based Evolutionary Model for Airfoil Self-Noise Prediction

According to NASA's report on the technologies that could reduce external aircraft noise by 10 dB, a challenge equally as important as finding approaches on airframe noise reduction is the demand to bring up strategies by which airframe noise can be predicted both accurately and rapidly. One of the components of the overall airframe noise is the self-noise of the airfoil itself. In this paper, an evolutionary symbolic implementation for airfoil self-noise prediction was proposed. Multi-objective genetic programming as a subset of evolutionary computation along with adaptive regression by mixing algorithm was used to create an executable fused model. The developed model was tested on the airfoil self-noise database and the performance of the developed model was compared to the previous works and benchmark machine learning algorithms. The reasonable results suggest that the proposed model can be applied to noise generation by low-Mach-number turbulent flows in aerospace, automobile, underwater, and wind turbine acoustic communities.
Managing Stakeholder Interests in a Nonprofit Setting: Who Matters Most? An Abstract

Increasingly, firms are adopting what is known as a stakeholder perspective in how they conduct business. In the business community, it was previously common for managers to believe that the primary stakeholder of the firm is the owner (shareholder) and therefore serving the customer in the most profitable way possible was best. However, in our rapidly changing marketplace, managers are finding that addressing multiple stakeholder groups is essential to being successful. Take, for example, consumers’ growing interest in issues related to sustainability. To remain competitive, firms have therefore adopted a stakeholder interest that encompasses not only the financial objectives of the business but also the social interests of various stakeholder groups and the environmental interests of the community in which it operates.
Water loading driven size, shape, and composition of cetyltrimethylammonium/hexanol/pentane reverse micelles.

Abstract Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/hexanol reverse micelles have found a variety of applications that demand control over physical parameters. Water content or loading is among the most basic tunable components and is the major driver of the physical properties of these systems. This study uses small-angle scattering with contrast variation to characterize these systems as a function of water loading. The scattering data were analyzed with a variety of approaches, resulting in converging physical specifications. Equations that describe basic physical parameters were determined that allow for characterization and manipulation of the CTAB/hexanol reverse micelle surfactant system. The shape of the reverse micelles was revealed to be slightly ellipsoidal and varies slightly through the water loading range. The surfactant shell is shown to contain a higher fraction of hexanol upon addition of water. Analysis reveals that the size, shape, and surfactant/cosurfactant composition are directly tunable by variation of the water content and that these properties are consequences of the balance of forces present in the reverse micelles.
An Unusual Cause of Massive Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding-Gastric Mucormycosis

Mucormycosis of the gastrointestinal tract is a life threatening infection most commonly seen in patients with severe immunosuppression. A 42-year-old male with history of choriocarcinoma was admitted to the intensive care unit with septic shock. He developed massive hematemesis requiring upper endoscopy which showed multiple deep gastric ulcers. Due to uncontrollable bleeding he underwent an emergent gastrectomy which revealed necrotic ulcers with evidence of angioinvasion in the ulcer bed with mucor organisms. The PCR revealed the mucor to be Mycotypha microspora which is extremely rare. We discuss the challenges involved in the diagnosis and treatment of gastric mucormycosis.
Physical Waveform Optimization for Multiple-Beam Multifunction Digital Arrays

The co-design of multiple RF functions provides the means to efficiently use the resources available for transmission (i.e. time, frequency, space, and power). Digital array technology supports simultaneous control over all domains of diversity through independent generation of the waveform emitted by each antenna element. The Far-field Radiated Emission Design (FFRED) formulation considers the efficient use of all available resources by simultaneously performing multiple functions in the same frequency band via spatially separated beams. The waveforms in the FFRED problem are constrained to have attractive signal properties via reduction in peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) to increase power efficiency. This design constraint is shown to leverage the spatial orthogonal complement to the desired transmission directions so as to not interfere with the RF functions. Here, the FFRED problem is formulated as a gradient-based optimization with reduced computational complexity relative to the previous alternating projection implementation. For a certain initialization, the optimized waveforms are shown to be near-optimal in terms of minimal energy within the orthogonal complement.
Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli: Link to Foodborne Urinary Tract Infections in Humans

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Escherichia coli are a serious societal and public health concern owing to the resultant morbidity, productivity loss, and healthcare costs. The increasing prevalence of UTIs caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli combined with the dearth of effective preventative measures, such as vaccines, has kept UTIs on the radar of scientists, public health officials, and physicians. Historically, UTIs were viewed as individual, isolated infections caused by bacteria from the patient’s intrinsic endogenous intestinal flora; however, recent data suggest that the pathogenesis of some UTIs is due to a foodborne origin. The prevalence of UTIs caused by MDR strains of E. coli is increasingly reported from many countries. In parallel, MDR E. coli with urovirulence properties and some uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) lineages have been isolated from poultry and poultry meat indicating possible zoonotic transmission of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) with poultry serving as a reservoir for UPEC. Considering the public health implications and societal burden presented by UTIs, the proposed poultry reservoir for UPEC merits thorough investigation. This chapter discusses a potential foodborne link between APEC and UTIs in humans, providing general knowledge on extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli in general, and then UPEC, APEC, and retail poultry E. coli, separately, followed by the present state of understanding of APEC as a cause of foodborne UTI.
Cherenkov-excited luminescence scanned imaging using scanned beam differencing and iterative deconvolution in dynamic plan radiation delivery in a human breast phantom geometry.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to demonstrate high resolution optical luminescence sensing, referred to as Cherenkov excited luminescence scanning imaging (CELSI), could be achieved during a standard dynamic treatment plan for a whole breast radiotherapy geometry. Methods The treatment plan beams induce Cherenkov light within tissue, and this excitation projects through the beam trajectory across the medium, inducing luminescence where there can be molecular reporter. Broad beams generally produce higher signal but low spatial resolution, yet for dynamic plans the scanning of the multileaf collimator allows for a beam-narrowing strategy by recursively temporal differencing each of the Cherenkov images and associated luminescence images. Then reconstruction from each of these size-reduced beamlets defined by the differenced Cherenkov images provides a well-conditioned matrix inversion, where the spatial frequencies are limited by the higher signal-to-noise ratio beamlets. A built-in stepwise convergence relies on stepwise beam size reduction, which is associated with a widening of the bandwidth of Cherenkov spatial frequency and resultant increase in spatial resolution. For the phantom experiments, europium nanoparticles were used as luminescent probes and embedded at depths ranging from 3 to 8 mm. An intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plan was used to test this. Results The Cherenkov images spatially guided where the luminescence was measured from, providing high lateral resolution, and iterative reconstruction convergence showed that optimization of the initial and stopping beamlet widths could be achieved with 15 and 4.5 mm, respectively, using a luminescence imaging frame rate of 5/s. With the IMRT breast plan, the original lateral resolution was improved 2X, that is, 0.08-0.24 mm for target depths of 3-8 mm. In comparison, a dynamic wedge (DW) plan showed an inferior image fidelity, with relative contrast recovery decreasing from 0.86 to 0.79. The methodology was applied to a three-dimensional dataset to reconstruct Cherenkov excited luminescence intensity distributions showing volumetric recovery of a 0.5 mm diameter object composed of 0.5 μM luminescent microbeads. Conclusions High resolution CELSI was achieved with a clinical breast external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) plan. It is anticipated that this method can allow visualization and localization for luminescence/fluorescence tagged vasculature, lymph nodes, or superficial tagged regions with most dynamic treatment plans.
Stereochemistry of remote dianion addition to imines. Application to the synthesis of (1S, 8aS)-1-hydroxyindolizidine

Abstract A stereoselective route to (1S, 8aS)-1-hydroxyindolizidine is reported herein that incorporates as a pivotal step the diastereoselective addition of the dianion of 4-(phenylsulfonyl)butanoic acid (4-PSBA) to a chiral α-benzyloxymethyl imine.