cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New primal-dual algorithms for Steiner tree problems

We present new primal-dual algorithms for several network design problems. The problems considered are the generalized Steiner tree problem (GST), the directed Steiner tree problem (DST), and the set cover problem (SC) which is a subcase of DST. All our problems are NP-hard; so we are interested in their approximation algorithms. First, we give an algorithm for DST which is based on the traditional approach of designing primal-dual approximation algorithms. We show that the approximation factor of the algorithm is k, where k is the number of terminals, in the case when the problem is restricted to quasi-bipartite graphs. We also give pathologically bad examples for the algorithm performance. To overcome the problems exposed by the bad examples, we design a new framework for primal-dual algorithms which can be applied to all of our problems. The main feature of the new approach is that, unlike the traditional primal-dual algorithms, it keeps the dual solution in the interior of the dual feasible region. The new approach allows us to avoid including too many arcs in the solution, and thus achieves a smaller-cost solution. Our computational results show that the interior-point version of the primal-dual most of the time performs better than the original primal-dual method.
Cell holding system for microcoil-based MRI

We report the design and fabrication of a holding cell that enables concurrent imaging and visualization of a single cell during planar microcoil-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the cellular level. The present hardware design of many microcoil-based MRI prevents monitoring of cell interactions and compositions during MRI. The system was fabricated on a poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) structure using soft lithography on a glass substrate with dimensions consistent with the present design of microcoil MRI systems to enable seamless integration.
Hydrogen peroxide oxidation of Fe2(ttha)2−: a path different from autoxidation

Abstract FeII2(ttha)(H2O)22− is oxidized rapidly by H2O2, but greater than a 1:1 stoichiometric consumption of H2O2 occurs. While the oxidation product of O2/Fe2(ttha)(H2O)22− is greater than 95% Fe2O(ttha)2−, the H2O2 oxidation products include c. 80% FeIII2O(ttha)2−, c. 20% of a tetranuclear complex FeIII4(O)2(ttha)24−, and traces of FeIIICl4− and FeIII(tthaH)2−. The FeII2(ttha)(H2O)22− oxidation by H2O2 exhibits only a 6.8% suppression in the presence of 0.10 M t-butanol instead of a 50% suppression if production of HO· is a major pathway in the H2O2 oxidation. The mechanism is proposed to occur via formation of ferryl intermediates which may react with the second iron(II) site within the same molecule by an inner-sphere route forming the μ-oxo bridged FeIII2O(ttha)2− or by outer-sphere electron transfer forming an open-chain FeIII2(ttha)(H2O)2 complex. The same ferryl intermediate may react inner-sphere with a second FeIII2(ttha)(H2O)22− complex, leading to the tetranuclear product. The pathways which yield Fe2O(ttha)2− upon ring closure of open-chain FeIII2(ttha)(H2O)2 involve three parallel pathways utilizing aqua/aqua, aqua/hydroxy and hydroxyl/hydroxy forms of [FeIII2(ttha)] with first-order rate constants of 12.0, 11.6 and 0.11 s−1, respectively (μ=0.05, T=25.0 °C). The abnormally high reactivity of the aqua-aqua species for μ-oxo formation is consistent with a hydrogen-bonded orientation of FeIII2(ttha)(OH2)2 within its own solvent cage which places the FeIII centers close for μ-oxo formation. A peroxo complex forms via substitution at a terminal site of FeIII2(OH)22− with a second-order rate constant of 4.32±0.20 M−1 s−1. A slower first-order rearrangement of the initial peroxo adduct is observed (k=0.14±0.02 s−1) with an [H2O2]- independent rate. A rearrangement from an initial η2-peroxo coordination to an η1:η1 (bridged) coordination is proposed. The peroxo species of [FeIII2(ttha)] which is isolated by ethanol-induced precipitation from solution containing 13.6:1.0 H2O2:FeIII2(ttha)(H2O)2 exhibits a new band at 791 cm−1, consistent with η1:η1 coordination based on [CoIII2(H2O)2(O2)(histidinate)4] as a model. Although the η2-peroxo complex [FeIII(O2)(edta)]3− exhibits a purple color due to an LMCT band at 528 nm, neither [Fe2(O2)(ttha)]2−, nor [FeIII(hedta)(O2)]2− possess a band above 500 nm, a feature frequently attributed as diagnostic of ferric peroxo species with polyaminopoly- carboxylate ligands. [FeIII(hedta)(O2)]2− is observed to be golden-brown at pH 10.30 and to have the anticipated ν(OO) stretch at 810 cm−1 for the η2-peroxo complex. Yet it has no LMCT band above 440 nm.
Pd-Ce interactions and adsorption properties of palladium: CO and NO TPD studies over Pd-Ce/Al2O3 catalysts

Abstract We have examined the adsorption of CO and NO on powder Pd/Al 2 O 3 , Pd–Ce/Al 2 O 3 and CeO 2 /Al 2 O 3 catalysts, using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). For CO adsorption on oxidized and pre-reduced Pd–Ce/Al 2 O 3 TPD profiles are identical to those observed for Pd/Al 2 O 3 , suggesting that interactions between ceria and Pd have a negligible effect on the adsorption properties of CO. It does, however, affect the oxidation state of the palladium particles. For NO, there are differences between Pd/Al 2 O 3 and Pd–Ce/Al 2 O 3 . On oxidized catalysts, Pd/Al 2 O 3 is more efficient for NO dissociation. However, pre-reduction increases the amount of NO that can adsorb on Pd–Ce/Al 2 O 3 and react to N 2 O and N 2 . In comparison with Pd/Al 2 O 3 , reduced Pd–Ce/Al 2 O 3 catalysts dissociate NO at relatively high temperatures but they are more reactive and favor N 2 over N 2 O.
A DECISION TREE AND CLINICAL PATHS FOR THE ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder. Children with ADHD are disproportionately represented in pediatric populations characterized by school failure, criminal behavior, and substance abuse. Many children who present with ADHD symptomatology do not receive systematic assessments nor comprehensive treatment that is well coordinated across home and school environments. And yet, evidence suggests that early detection and appropriate treatment can alter the probability of a negative developmental trajectory. The Decision Tree and Clinical Paths for Assessment and Management of ADHD identify the critical components of care through a stepwise decision-making process involving the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome evaluation of children who present with ADHD symptomatology. Preliminary field testing supports the clinical utility and validity of the ADHD Decision Tree/Paths. In addition, cross-validation comparisons indicate consistency between the ADHD D...
Caries risk profiles using cariogram are predictive of caries incidence in permanent dentition.

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Cariogram validity in schoolchildren: a two-year follow-up study. Campus G, Cagetti MG, Sale S, Carta G, Lingstrom P. Caries Res 2012;46(1):16-22. Reviewer Marisol Tellez, BDS, MPH, PhD Purpose/Question The study sought to assess the effectiveness of the Cariogram to predict caries increment over a 2-year period Source of Funding Information not available Type of Study/Design Cohort study Level of Evidence Level 2: Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Not applicable
The Fine Structure of Galls in Phylogenetic Networks

A phylogenetic network is a generalization of a phylogenetic tree, allowing properties that are not tree-like. With the growth of genomic data, much of which does not fit ideal tree models, there is greater need to understand the algorithmics and combinatorics of phylogenetic networks (Posada and Crandall 2001, Schierup and Hein 2000). Wang et al. (2001) studied the problem of constructing a phylogenetic network for a set of n binary sequences derived from the all-zero ancestral sequence, when each site in the sequence can mutate from zero to one at most once in the network, and recombination between sequences is allowed. They showed that the problem of minimizing the number of recombinations in such networks is NP-hard, but introduced a special case of the problem, i.e., to determine whether the sequences could be derived on a phylogenetic network where the recombination cycles are node-disjoint. Wang et al. (2001) provide a sufficient, but not a necessary test, for such solutions. Gusfield et al. (2003, 2004) gave a polynomial-time algorithm that is both a necessary and sufficient test. In this paper, we study in much more detail the fine combinatorial structure of node-disjoint cycles in phylogenetic networks, both for purposes of insight into phylogenetic networks and to speed up parts of the previous algorithm. We explicitly characterize all the ways in which mutations can be arranged on a disjoint cycle, and prove a strong necessary condition for a set of mutations to be on a disjoint cycle. The main contribution here is to show how structure in the phylogenetic network is reflected in the structure of an efficiently-computable graph, called the conflict graph. The success of this approach suggests that additional insight into the structure of phylogenetic networks can be obtained by exploring structural properties of the conflict graph.
Early parental loss and depression history: Associations with recent life stress in major depressive disorder

Although exposure to early adversity and prior experiences with depression have both been associated with lower levels of precipitating life stress in depression, it is unclear whether these stress sensitization effects are similar for all types of stress or whether they are specific to stressors that may be particularly depressogenic, such as those involving interpersonal loss. To investigate this issue, we administered structured, interview-based measures of early adversity, depression history, and recent life stress to one hundred adults who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder. As predicted, individuals who experienced early parental loss or prolonged separation (i.e., lasting one year or longer) and persons with more lifetime episodes of depression became depressed following lower levels of life stress occurring in the etiologically-central time period of three months prior to onset of depression. Importantly, however, additional analyses revealed that these effects were unique to stressors involving interpersonal loss. These data highlight potential stressor-specific effects in stress sensitization and demonstrate for the first time that individuals exposed to early parental loss or separation, and persons with greater histories of MDD, may be selectively sensitized to stressors involving interpersonal loss.
Sites of benzidine, α‐naphthylamine and p‐toluidine retention in soils

The binding of benzidine (4,4′-diaminobiphenyl), α-naphthylamine (1-aminonaphthalene) and p-toluidine (4-methylaniline) by three soils was studied by incubating soils amended with the aromatic amines and then sequentially extracting them with 60:40 (v/v) ethylacetate: methanol (EtAc: MeOH), ammonium acetate (NH4OAc) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a function of time. Essentially all of the added α-naphthylamine and p-toluidine was extracted initially with EtAc: MeOH and NH4OAc, whereas only 21% of added benzidine was extracted by these reagents. After 24 h, a significant decrease was found for amines extractable with EtAc: MeOH and NH4OAc. During 63 to 84 d after incubation, a gradual increase in the proportion of amine recovered by NaOH extraction was found. Fractionation of the NaOH extract into humic and fulvic acids indicated that benzidine and α-naphthylamine were primarily associated with the humic acid fraction, whereas p-toluidine was in the fulvic acid fraction. Simultaneous measurement of 14CO2 evolved showed that the average decomposition rate was 2, 12 and 15% for benzidine, α-naphthylamine and p-toluidine, respectively. Results indicate that binding of benzidine, α-naphthylamine and p-toluidine to soils involves both rapid, reversible equilibrium with inorganic and organic components of soil and nucleophilic addition to the phenolic components of humus. These retention mechanisms may explain why benzidine, α-naphthylamine and p-toluidine resist decomposition in soils.
University Intramural Sport Administrators' Perceptions of Gender Modifications in Intramural Coed Flag Football.

Coed sport environments can be paradoxical settings where pre-existing gender biases influence participants' enjoyment and success. Furthermore, gendered messages and stereotypes as well as low expectations for females within coed sports can create participation barriers by reducing feelings of confidence and performance. Within university intramural sport programs, administrators have a significant role in determining participation opportunities and experiences. From a critical perspective, this investigation examined administrators' perspectives about coed intramural flag football gender modifications. Specifically, four research questions guided this study: (1) How do intramural sport administrators view coed flag football gender modifications? (2) To what extent do intramural sport administrators perceive gender modifications to impact coed flag football environments? (3) What level of awareness do intramural sport administrators have about the gendered messages of coed flag football gender modificati...
Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Amphidinolide F

Over 30 members of the diverse amphidinolide family of biologically active macrolides have been isolated from the dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp.[1] From this family, amphidinolides C (1–2)[2] and F(3)[3] stand among the most complex and densely functionalized members (Figure 1).[4] These natural products 1–3 contain eleven stereogenic centers embedded within a 25-membered macrolactone including two trans-disposed tetrahydrofuran ring systems, a 1,4-diketone motif and a highly substituted diene moiety at C9–C11. In addition to the sizable structural challenges present in 1–3, these macrolides have shown significant cytotoxic activity.[2,3] Consequently, compounds 1–3 have attracted considerable synthetic attention from numerous laboratories[5] including our own.[6] Despite these sizable endeavors,[5–6] neither amphidinolide C nor amphidinolide F have been successfully synthesized in the 20+ years since their isolation. It should be noted that the stereochemical assignment of compound 3 is based on analogy to compound 1 and isolation from the same organism. Herein, we disclose the first total synthesis of amphidinolide F (3), which confirms both the absolute and relative stereochemistry of the natural product.
IC design considerations for the harsh automotive electrical environment

This paper provides the reader with an overview of automotive industry standards for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), electrostatic discharge (ESD) and the thermal environment. Integrated circuit designers who work on automotive products must be technically aware of the harsh electrical environment that their ICs must not only survive, but often operate within specification. The many sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and its negative impact on electrical system performance are examined. More importantly to the IC designer, the design techniques for improving EMC and reducing EMI at the IC level are presented. >
College-Based Inclusion Programming for Transition-Age Students With Autism:

Considerations for college-based programming for transition-age students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are addressed in this article, with particular attention to social communication supports necessary to facilitate student success. An overview of current literature related to college-based programming and support for students with ASD in the area of social communication is presented, along with a preliminary survey of the perceptions of youth regarding their social communication competency. The need for support in this area is highlighted based on student evaluations of their ability and needs as well as on information gathered through an examination of current literature. Recommendations are offered for enhancing development of social communication skills for students with ASD in college-based programs.
Finite element modeling of the dynamic response of a composite reinforced concrete bridge for structural health monitoring

This paper describes three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) modeling of a composite steel stinger supported reinforced concrete (RC) deck highway bridge subjected to moving truck loads. FE models were validated using test data that were generated elsewhere for structural health monitoring. The FE models were established using a commercial FE analysis package called ABAQUS/standard. The case study bridge was discretized to a combination of shell and solid elements which represent the deck and piers, respectively. Numerous constrain interactions were defined to make the model suitable to obtain accurate results. Moving loads induced by two standard AASHTO trucks were developed through a specific load-time history, applied on 35 nodes on the superstructure. To study the dynamic behavior of the bridge under a moving load, a modal analysis followed by an implicit dynamic analysis was carried out. Acceptable agreement was found between the field measurements and FE simulation. Most concerned dynamic response was strains at different locations in bridge girders and columns, because it is the only critical parameter that can be measured with confidence during SHM at site. The range of strains determined in analysis was reasonably close to the measured strains at the site of the study bridge. Several parameters including damping, truck weight and speed, and material properties were studied. Truck speed had the highest effect on strain response of both girders and columns.
Developmental changes in the intracellular Ca2+ release mechanisms in porcine oocytes.

The presence of different intracellular Ca 2+ release mechanisms in porcine oocytes and their involvement in mediating Ca 2+ transients in different developmental stages were investigated. Metaphase II arrested oocytes showed an increase in intracellular Ca 2+ concentration after injection of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP 3 ), the InsP 3 receptor agonist. Similar Ca 2+ spikes could be detected after injection of ryanodine and cyclic ADP ribose, the ryanodine receptor agonists. The InsP 3 -induced Ca 2+ release was inhibited by heparin, the InsP 3 receptor antagonist, whereas procaine, the ryanodine receptor antagonist, blocked the Ca 2+ transients generated by ryanodine and cyclic ADP ribose. In germinal vesicle-stage oocytes, intracellularly stored Ca 2+ could also be mobilized by agonist treatment, though the effective concentration to generate the Ca 2+ spikes was higher. After in vitro fertilization, repetitive Ca 2+ transients were generated in oocytes starting 2.5-3 h after insemination. They ceased around the time of pronuclear formation when the oocytes entered first interphase. At this stage, the receptors were still capable of mediating Ca 2+ release upon agonist treatment ; in many cases these spikes were of longer duration, suggesting that in interphase it takes a longer time for the Ca 2+ stores to resequester the mobilized Ca 2+ from the cytosol. These results suggest that porcine oocytes possess both InsP 3 and ryanodine Ca 2+ channel receptors and that the properties of the Ca 2+ release mechanisms change during oocyte development.
Advanced vehicle system concepts

Various nonpetroleum vehicle system concepts for passenger vehicles in the 1990's are being considered as part of the Advanced Vehicle (AV) Assessment at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The vehicle system and subsystem performance requirements, the projected characteristics of mature subsystem candidates, and promising systems are presented. The system candidates include electric and hybrid vehicles powered by electricity with or without a nonpetroleum power source. The subsystem candidates include batteries (aqueous-mobile, flow, high-temperature, and metal-air), fuel cells (phosphoric acid, advanced acids, and solid polymer electrolyte), nonpetroleum heat engines, advanced dc and ac propulsion components, power-peaking devices, and transmissions.
Effect of baffle fenestration on outcome of the modified Fontan operation.

BACKGROUND The "fenestrated Fontan" (surgical baffle fenestration followed by transcatheter test occlusion and permanent closure after postoperative recovery) was adopted in an effort to reduce perioperative mortality and morbidity. This study assesses the effect of baffle fenestration on outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients having a modified Fontan operation with a cavocaval baffle and cavopulmonary anastomosis were retrospectively selected for study. Those with baffle fenestration (n = 91) were compared with those without baffle fenestration (n = 56) with respect to preoperative risk factors, age, anatomy, surgical date, and presence or absence of a previous bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis. Outcome variables were failure (death or take-down) and duration of postoperative pleural effusions and hospitalization. Survival and clinical status after hospital discharge were ascertained. The two groups did not appear to differ with respect to age or anatomic diagnosis. Patients having baffle fenestration were at significantly greater preoperative risk by univariate and multivariate analysis (p < 0.01). Operative failure was low in both groups (11% without and 7% with baffle fenestration, p = NS). Durations of pleural effusions and hospitalization were significantly shorter with baffle fenestration (p < 0.01). Neither date of surgery nor a previous bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis appeared to contribute to improved outcome. Patients with baffle fenestration had lower postoperative systemic venous pressure (p < 0.01). There were no late deaths. Functional status in both groups is good (82% in New York Heart Association class I). CONCLUSIONS Baffle fenestration is associated with low mortality, significantly less pleural effusion, and significantly shorter hospitalization among high-risk patients having a modified Fontan operation.
Risk-based regulatory reform and public participation

Meaningful public participation has been perceived as difficult to accommodate in regulatory proceedings requiring technical scientific judgments, especially those involving quantitative risk assessments. Quantitative risk assessment, however, is not a purely technical exercise, but instead involves the application of policy preferences in the form of assumptions, extrapolation from animal data to humans and high to low doses, management of incomplete data sets, and resolution of scientific uncertainties. Such junctures at which policy preferences are applied are opportunities to reflect social value choices that are not wholly "scientific". Those opportunities should be explicitly identified as such by the regulator. These considerations argue for a "soft" form of risk assessment that expressly takes societal values into account. Non-adversarial, consensus-based mechanisms of public participation that encourage greater dialogue and interaction among interested parties and with the regulator may enhance the potential for non-scientific social values to be effectively accommodated in regulatory proceedings with a heavy technical component.
Leptin Deficiency and Beta-Cell Dysfunction Underlie Type 2 Diabetes in Compound Akt Knockout Mice

Phenotypic analyses of mice null for the individual Akt isoforms suggested that they are functionally distinct and that only Akt2 plays a role in diabetes. We show here that Akt isoforms play compensatory and complementary roles in glucose homeostasis and diabetes. Insulin resistance in Akt2(-/-) mice was inhibited by haplodeficiency of Pten, suggesting that other Akt isoforms can compensate for Akt2 function. Haplodeficiency of Akt1 in Akt2(-/-) mice, however, converts prediabetes to overt type 2 diabetes, which is also reversed by haplodeficiency of Pten. Akt3 does not appear to contribute significantly to diabetes. Overt type 2 diabetes in Akt1(+/-) Akt2(-/-) mice is manifested by hyperglycemia due to beta-cell dysfunction combined with impaired glucose homeostasis due to markedly decreased leptin levels. Restoring leptin levels was sufficient to restore normal blood glucose and insulin levels in Akt1(+/-) Akt2(-/-) and Akt2(-/-) mice, suggesting that leptin-deficiency is the predominant cause of diabetes in these mice. These results uncover a new mechanism linking Akt to diabetes, provide a therapeutic strategy, and show that diabetes induced as a consequence of cancer therapy, via Akt inhibition, could be reversed by leptin therapy.
Biological Potency of Selenium from Sodium Selenite, Selenomethionine, and Selenocystine in the Chick

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of selenium (Se) from sodium selenite, selenomethionine, and selenocystine for promoting weight gain and preventing exudative diathesis. The chicks used were hatched from eggs low in Se. They were fed a basal diet made up mostly of corn (low in Se) and torula yeast or the basal diet supplemented with various levels of Se from sodium selenite, selenomethionine, or selenocystine. At 10 μg. of added Se per kg. of diet, sodium selenite and selenocystine were about equal in promoting weight gain and preventing exudative diathesis. Selenomethionine was less effective. Tissues from chicks fed the various Se sources providing 60 μg. Se per kg. of diet for four weeks were analyzed for Se. The content of tissues from chicks fed sodium selenite or selenocystine was similar. Chicks fed selenomethionine had a higher concentration of Se in the pancreas and breast muscle than chicks fed the other two Se sources, but a lower concentration in the kidney, liver, and heart. The level of Se in the kidney, liver, or heart which a Se source produces seems to be more important for preventing exudative diathesis than that which is found in the pancreas or muscle.
A New Tort Code Emerges in China: An Introduction to the Discussion and a Translation of Chapter 8 - Tort Law of the Official Discussion Draft of the Proposed Revised Civil Code

In 1986 China enacted a comprehensive Civil Code. In 2002 the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress issued a discussion draft for a revised code. The property law revisions recently passed after wide debate. The subject of tort law will soon be considered by the legislature. Since the official discussion draft was issued scholars have produced suggested alternative drafts. The Tort Liability chapter, which first appeared in translation in the Peking University Press journal SiFa (Private Law Review), is presented here with an introductory essay.
The Development of Comb Foundation

Comb foundation came into use about a hundred years ago. Its “invention” was a direct outcome of Langstroth's concept of framed combs, a subject which Dr. and Mrs. Johansson put into fresh perspect...
Draft Genome Sequences of Two Pseudoalteromonas porphyrae Strains Isolated from Seagrass Sediment.

Here, we present the draft genome sequences of Pseudoalteromonas porphyrae UCD-SED9 and UCD-SED14 (phylum Proteobacteria). These strains were isolated from sediment surrounding the roots of the seagrass, Zostera marina, collected near the UC, Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory (Bodega Bay, California). The assemblies contain 4,847,456 bp and 4,817,752 bp, respectively.
Feather Removal from Spent Hens up to 24 Hr Post-Mortem

Abstract Rendering spent hens is an option for egg producers who find it difficult to sell aging flocks to traditional markets. Renderers, however, may have problems with feathers on hen carcasses which can make the product difficult to handle and adulterate it with indigestible material. Whole-bird hydrolyzation would improve the digestibility of the feather proteins but degrade the quality of the meat proteins. These problems could be eliminated if feathers were removed from the carcasses before rendering. Our experiments indicated that feed withdrawal for up to 3 days before hens are killed has little influence on ease of feather removal and that spent hens dead for up to 24 hr can be picked adequately for rendering. The feathers remaining on picked hen carcasses constituted only 0.1-0.2% of the total picked body mass. This feather-picking efficiency would allow Renderers to accept spent hens virtually without limitation, making it feasible, perhaps, to install simple batch scalding and picking facilities at rendering plants to receive hen carcasses. Picking spent hens that have been dead for at least several hours requires attention to scalding bath temperature, scalding time, and carcass temperature because the primary and secondary feathers of the wings release under different conditions than feathers on other body areas, and carcasses of different temperature require different scalding conditions for an optimum pick.
Spatial and Temporal Evolutions of Microwave Scattering from Laser Spark in Air

In this paper phenomena seen in microwave scattering experiements from a laser-induced plasma in atmospheric air will be explained via Mie scattering theory. The relative transparency of the laser-induced plasma at microwave frequency is shown to lead to a transition from coherent Rayleigh scattering to Mie scattering. A sharp increase in conductivity during the avalanche ionization phase of the spark evolution alters the microwave penetration from total transparency to partial shielding. Temporal and polar scatterings plots will be presented to show the effects of the transition from Rayleigh scattering to Mie scattering and change in transparency.
Land Tenure Patterns in Northern New Spain

The evolution of the historical literature on land tenure in northern New Spain has closely paralleled general historiographical trends of New Spain's far northern frontier. For many years, “borderlands” history focused almost exclusively upon the study of those institutions which have been stereotyped as peculiar to the frontier, the mission and the presidio; upon political and administrative history; or upon biographies of notable figures. These studies laid important foundations, but, in general, borderlands historians were slow to adopt the social science methodologies of the new social and economic history which became popular in the 1960s in most fields of historical inquiry. Well after both its Anglo and Hispanic progenitors began to be studied from a perspective which emphasized social and economic structures and relationships, did the geographical area which corresponds to the Provincias Internas (all of today's border states plus Sinaloa, Durango and Baja California) begin to receive similar attention. Thus, our understanding of the social and economic history of the region is still rudimentary, and this is nowhere more evident than in the area of landholding patterns and agrarian development.
Rational strategy to stop arrhythmias: Early afterdepolarizations and L-type Ca2+ current.

Unlike the brief action potentials (APs) in skeletal myocytes or neurons, the human cardiac AP takes 100s of milliseconds to repolarize the cell. This slow repolarization is essential for proper excitation–contraction coupling in cardiac muscle, and precise control of AP duration contributes to electrical stability. Under various pathological conditions, often when the AP duration is prolonged, repolarization can transiently fail with a sudden transient depolarization of membrane potential (Fig. 1). If such an early afterdepolarization (EAD) reaches threshold, it can trigger a premature AP and thereby initiate potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias such as torsades de pointes (TdP) and ventricular fibrillation (Cranefield and Aronson, 1991). Thus, understanding the causes of EADs and how one might block them is of significant clinical importance.
Detection of Stomach Cancer and Atrophic Gastritis Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy

In order to find a valid method to distinguish gastric cancer and atrophic gastritis,auto-fluorescence of laser induced(514.5nm and 488.0nm) is measured.The serum spectrum is different between normal and cancer.To gastric cancer,average value of serum's spectrum shift is bigger than 12nm and relative intensity of Raman peak C by 514.5nm excited is weaker than that by 488.0nm.To atrophic gastritis,the distribution state of Raman peaks is similar to the normal serum and auto-fluorescence spectrum's shape is similar to that of gastric cancer.We considered it as a criterion and got an accuracy of 85.6% for diagnosis with the result of clinical diagnosis.
The Female Press of Peiping in the National Salvation Movement against Japan

The female field of Peiping during the movement against Japan from 1931 to 1937 was very active.There were lots of female newspapers and magazines at that time.It showed that it is the highest quantity in the history of female publishment of Beijing.National saluation is the main key even though there are different voices.And the press under the leadership of underground party held a leading position in this movement.
A Training Algorithm for a Piecewise Linear Neural Network

A neural network implementing the Piecewise Linear Machine is developed, and its operation is demonstrated. The weight vectors of the cells in the network’s middle layer represent prototype vectors for the various classes. The network classifies patterns according the minimum Euclidean distance to the prototype vectors. The training rule is controlled by parameters e and δ. If there is no cell of the correct class within distance e of a training pattern, a new prototype cell is created. And all prototype cells within distance δ of the training pattern have their weights adjusted, either towards or away from the training vector, depending upon their class. Cells of the same class that are moved close together are merged. The parameters e and δ can be varied during training, to achieve a low classification error rate with a minimum number of prototype cells.
Quantifying crater production and regolith overturn on the Moon with temporal imaging

Random bombardment by comets, asteroids and associated fragments form and alter the lunar regolith and other rocky surfaces. The accumulation of impact craters over time is of fundamental use in evaluating the relative ages of geologic units. Crater counts and radiometric ages from returned samples provide constraints with which to derive absolute model ages for unsampled units on the Moon and other Solar System objects. However, although studies of existing craters and returned samples offer insight into the process of crater formation and the past cratering rate, questions still remain about the present rate of crater production, the effect of early-stage jetting during impacts and the influence that distal ejecta have on the regolith. Here we use Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) temporal ('before and after') image pairs to quantify the contemporary rate of crater production on the Moon, to reveal previously unknown details of impact-induced jetting, and to identify a secondary impact process that is rapidly churning the regolith. From this temporal dataset, we detected 222 new impact craters and found 33 per cent more craters (with diameters of at least ten metres) than predicted by the standard Neukum production and chronology functions for the Moon. We identified broad reflectance zones associated with the new craters that we interpret as evidence of a surface-bound jetting process. We also observe a secondary cratering process that we estimate churns the top two centimetres of regolith on a timescale of 81,000 years-more than a hundred times faster than previous models estimated from meteoritic impacts (ten million years).
On Provably Safe Obstacle Avoidance for Autonomous Robotic Ground Vehicles

Nowadays, robots interact more frequently with a dynamic environment outside limited manufacturing sites and in close proximity with humans. Thus, safety of motion and obstacle avoidance are vital safety features of such robots. We formally study two safety properties of avoiding both stationary and moving obstacles: (i) passive safety, which ensures that no collisions can happen while the robot moves, and (ii) the stronger passive friendly safety in which the robot further maintains sufficient maneuvering distance for obstacles to avoid collision as well. We use hybrid system models and theorem proving techniques that describe and formally verify the robot’s discrete control decisions along with its continuous, physical motion. Moreover, we formally prove that safety can still be guaranteed despite location and actuator uncertainty.
Carbohydrate, Fat and Amino Acid Metabolism in the Pregnant Woman and Fetus

Pregnancy evolves in a tricomponent system represented by the mother, the placenta, and the fetus. Growth of the fetoplacental unit known as the conceptus is a consequence of the genetic potential for growth and the availability of nutrients needed to realize these potentials. Since the genetic potential is established at conception, the nutrients become a key variable during gestation. The availability of nutrients depends on several factors, including the frequency, quantity, and quality of foods ingested by the mother; their concentration in the maternal circulation; rates of placental transport, the resultant of discrete transport systems and placental blood flow; and the composition of nutrient mixtures reaching the fetus. To understand these relationships we begin with the mother and how pregnancy adapts her to provide for the conceptus. We then consider that unique organ of pregnancy, the placenta and, last but not least, the fetus. This chapter deals with three classes of macronutrients—nitrogen, fats, and carbohydrates—and examines regulation of their availability, their utilization by specific fetal structures, and, where possible, their specific effects on growth.
Connecting Criterion scores and Classroom Grading Contexts: A Systemic Functional Linguistic Model for Teaching and Assessing Causal Language

This study utilized theory proposed by Mohan, Slater, Luo, and Jaipal (2002) regarding what they refer to as the Developmental Path of Cause to examine issues of AWE score use in classroom contexts. Utilization of this model enabled this study to investigate the accuracy of the AWE scores by comparing them to ratings based on teachers’ intuition as well as to scores generated based on existing rubrics. The qualitative data collected from focus group interviews of three experienced teachers’ justifications for their intuitive evaluations of essays suggested that the Developmental Path of Cause helped teachers articulate their intuitions, identifying the core features of the model. The quantitative results showed that the grades provided by raters trained to use the Developmental Path of Cause tended to support Criterion scores more strongly than did instructor grades. The findings from this study suggest that AWE scores from Criterion not only closely correlated with teachers’ intuitions and with raters trained to use the Developmental Path of Cause, but that the use of the Developmental Path of Cause for teaching may support the use of AWE systems in the classroom context, and would help students focus on the core of a cause-effect essay: appropriateness and sophistication of causal language.
Using Diversity Ensembles with Time Limits to Handle Concept Drift

While traditional supervised learning focuses on static datasets, an increasing amount of data comes in the form of streams, where data is continuous and typically processed only once. A common problem with data streams is that the underlying concept we are trying to learn can be constantly evolving. This concept drift has been of interest to researchers the last few years and there is a need for improved machine learning algorithms that are capable of dealing with concept drifts. A promising approach involves using an ensemble of a diverse set of classifiers. The constituent classifiers are retrained when a concept drift is detected. Decisions regarding the number of classifiers to maintain and the frequency of retraining classifiers are critical factors that determine classification accuracy in the presence of concept drift. This study systematically investigated these issues in order to develop an improved classifier for online ensemble learning. The impact of reducing the time requiring additional ensembles was studied using artificial and real world datasets. Findings from these studies revealed that in many cases the number of time steps additional ensembles are in memory can be reduced without sacrificing prequential accuracy. It was also found that this new ensemble approach performed well in the presence of false concept drift.
Achieving one-planet living through transitions in social practice: a case study of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

The per capita resource consumption for inhabitants of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (DR) is less than ten percent of the average American in most major categories, approximating “one planet” living in...
The role of retinol dehydrogenase 10 in the cone visual cycle

Pigment regeneration is critical for the function of cone photoreceptors in bright and rapidly-changing light conditions. This process is facilitated by the recently-characterized retina visual cycle, in which Muller cells recycle spent all-trans-retinol visual chromophore back to 11-cis-retinol. This 11-cis-retinol is oxidized selectively in cones to the 11-cis-retinal used for pigment regeneration. However, the enzyme responsible for the oxidation of 11-cis-retinol remains unknown. Here, we sought to determine whether retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10), upregulated in rod/cone hybrid retinas and expressed abundantly in Muller cells, is the enzyme that drives this reaction. We created mice lacking RDH10 either in cone photoreceptors, Muller cells, or the entire retina. In vivo electroretinography and transretinal recordings revealed normal cone photoresponses in all RDH10-deficient mouse lines. Notably, their cone-driven dark adaptation both in vivo and in isolated retina was unaffected, indicating that RDH10 is not required for the function of the retina visual cycle. We also generated transgenic mice expressing RDH10 ectopically in rod cells. However, rod dark adaptation was unaffected by the expression of RDH10 and transgenic rods were unable to use cis-retinol for pigment regeneration. We conclude that RDH10 is not the dominant retina 11-cis-RDH, leaving its primary function in the retina unknown.
Quantifying opening-mode fracture spatial organization in horizontal wellbore image logs, core and outcrop: Application to Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation tight gas sandstones, USA

Abstract The Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation is a naturally fractured gas-producing sandstone in Wyoming. Regionally, random and statistically more clustered than random patterns exist in the same upper to lower shoreface depositional facies. East-west- and north-south-striking regional fractures sampled using image logs and cores from three horizontal wells exhibit clustered patterns, whereas data collected from east-west-striking fractures in outcrop have patterns that are indistinguishable from random. Image log data analyzed with the correlation count method shows clusters ∼35 m wide and spaced ∼50 to 90 m apart as well as clusters up to 12 m wide with periodic inter-cluster spacings. A hierarchy of cluster sizes exists; organization within clusters is likely fractal. These rocks have markedly different structural and burial histories, so regional differences in degree of clustering are unsurprising. Clustered patterns correspond to fractures having core quartz deposition contemporaneous with fracture opening, circumstances that some models suggest might affect spacing patterns by interfering with fracture growth. Our results show that quantifying and identifying patterns as statistically more or less clustered than random delineates differences in fracture patterns that are not otherwise apparent but that may influence gas and water production, and therefore may be economically important.
Hepatitis C virus reactivation in patients receiving cancer treatment: A prospective observational study.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) reactivation in patients receiving cancer treatment has been reported in retrospective studies. We sought to determine prospectively the incidence, predictors, and clinical significance of HCV reactivation during cancer treatment. HCV-infected patients receiving cancer treatment at our institution (11/2012-07/2016) were studied. Reactivation was defined as an increase in HCV-RNA ≥1 log10 IU/mL over baseline and hepatitis flare as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increase to ≥3 times the upper limit of normal. One hundred patients were studied, 50 with hematologic malignancies and 50 with solid tumors. Reactivation occurred in 23 patients (23%), including 18 patients (36%) with hematologic malignancies and 5 (10%) with solid tumors. In univariate analysis, patients with reactivation were more likely than those without, to have prolonged lymphopenia (median, 95 vs 22 days, P=0.01) and to have received rituximab (44% vs 9%, P<0.0001), bendamustine (22% vs 0%, P<0.001), high-dose steroids (57% vs 21%, P=0.001), or purine analogs (22% vs 5%, P=0.02). Rituximab (odds ratio [OR]=9.52, P=0.001), and high-dose steroids (OR=5.05, P=0.01) retained significance in multivariable analysis. Of the 23 patients with reactivation, 10 (43%) had hepatitis flare. No patient with reactivation experienced liver failure or liver-related death within 36 weeks after initiation of cancer treatment. Fourteen patients with hepatitis flare of whom 6 had reactivation, required discontinuation or dose reduction of cancer treatment. Conclusions HCV reactivation occurred in 23% of HCV-infected patients receiving cancer treatment, and most had an unremarkable clinical course. However, reactivation can affect the cancer treatment plan. Our findings suggest that HCV infection should not contraindicate cancer therapy and infected patients should have access to multiple cancer treatments with close monitoring while receiving regimens associated with HCV reactivation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Gender Differences and Perceived Efficacy of Humor Styles in the Workplace

Humor as a tool in the management toolkit has been underutilized and not well understood. Yet, humor has been found to result in many positive employee and organizational outcomes such as lowered stress and higher productivity. Further, it is asserted to be selectively and effectively applied by managers with the right knowledge of humor to enhance their relationships with subordinates. This paper specifically postulates how several types of humor can affect subordinate attributions of managerial competence and satisfaction with supervision. The proposed relationships are hypothesized to be moderated by gender.
Using Replicates in Information Retrieval Evaluation

This article explores a method for more accurately estimating the main effect of the system in a typical test-collection-based evaluation of information retrieval systems, thus increasing the sensitivity of system comparisons. Randomly partitioning the test document collection allows for multiple tests of a given system and topic (replicates). Bootstrap ANOVA can use these replicates to extract system-topic interactions—something not possible without replicates—yielding a more precise value for the system effect and a narrower confidence interval around that value. Experiments using multiple TREC collections demonstrate that removing the topic-system interactions substantially reduces the confidence intervals around the system effect as well as increases the number of significant pairwise differences found. Further, the method is robust against small changes in the number of partitions used, against variability in the documents that constitute the partitions, and the measure of effectiveness used to quantify system effectiveness.