cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of off-diagonal hyperfine interaction on mossbauer relaxation spectra

The M\"ossbauer line shape for systems where the nucleus is under the influence of a static axial electric field gradient and a time-dependent magnetic hyperfine interaction is considered. Ferric hemin serves as an example of the systems studied. The time dependence in the hyperfine interaction arises owing to relaxation in the ionic system, caused by the dipole-dipole interaction of the ions, between the ionic levels split by a crystalline field. This spin-spin relaxation rate is temperature dependent, slowing down somewhat as the temperature is increased. Its effect on the coupled nucleus-ion system is studied in perturbation theory based on the stochastic-theory model of Clauser and Blume. The presence of off-diagonal terms in the hyperfine interaction is found to produce some new interesting effects in addition to earlier results obtained by Blume in which the hyperfine interaction was assumed to be diagonal. Comparison of theory with experiments is made.
Osteoarthritis: Overcoming the Slippery Slope

Shoulder arthroplasty for osteoarthritis can be challenging because of eccentric posterior wear of the glenoid, glenoid retroversion, and concomitant posterior subluxation of the humeral head. Various techniques are available to restore a centered head: anterior capsulectomy, preferential anterior glenoid reaming, offset humeral head components, anteversion of the humeral component, posterior capsule plication sutures, and the use of a dual-radius glenoid prosthesis, in which the internal (articular) radius is designed to match the curvature of the humeral head prosthesis, while the external (nonarticular) radius corresponds to the overall size of the glenoid.
The association between cervical excisional procedures, midtrimester cervical length, and preterm birth

Objective To determine whether a prior cervical excisional procedure (a loop electrosurgical excision procedure or cold knife cone) is associated with a short midtrimester cervical length ( Study Design In this cohort study of women with a singleton pregnancy who underwent routine cervical length assessment between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation, women with a history of a prior cervical excisional procedure were compared with those without such a history. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify whether a prior cervical excisional procedure remained an independent risk factor for preterm birth after controlling for cervical length. Results Of the 6669 women who met inclusion criteria, 460 (6.9%) had a prior cervical excisional procedure. Mean cervical length was shorter (4.2 ± 0.9 cm vs 4.5 ± 0.9 cm, P P Conclusion Women with a prior cervical excisional procedure have shorter midtrimester cervical lengths. Both a prior cervical excisional procedure and a short cervix were independently associated with preterm birth. These data suggest that the risk of preterm birth associated with a prior loop electrosurgical excision procedure or cold knife cone is not merely due to postsurgical shortening of the cervix.
Intersubband transition spectroscopy of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well superlattice

The physics and application of the intersubband transitions in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well superlattice structures have been under intense investigation in recent years. In this report, theoretical design and experiment of three GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well superlattice samples are given in detail. The samples are grown by MBE technique on semi-insulating GaAs substrate. The three samples have different growth parameters and therefore different energy band structures. The transitions have bound to bound and bound to continuum states. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra and the infrared photoelectron tunneling (IPET) spectra are measured and the results agree well with each other and with the calculations.
Characterization of cu free air ball constitutive behavior using microscale compression test

In recent years, there is increasing interest in copper wirebond technology as an alternative to gold wirebond in microelectronic devices due to its superior electrical performance and low cost. At present, validated constitutive models for the strain rate and temperature dependent behavior of Cu free air ball (FAB) appear to be largely missing in the literature. The lack of reliable constitutive models for the Cu FAB has hampered the modeling of the wirebonding process and the ability to assess risk of fracture in ultra low-k dielectric stacks. The challenge to FAB characterization is primarily due to the difficulty in performing mechanical tests on spherical FAB of micrometers in size. To address this challenge, we perform compression tests on FAB using custom-built microscale tester in the current study. Specifically, the tester has three closed-loop controlled linear stages with submicron resolutions, a manual tilt stage, a six-axis load cell with sub-Newton load resolution for eliminating misalignment, a milliNewton resolution load cell, a capacitance sensor to estimate sample deformation and to control the vertical stage in closed loop, a high working depth camera for viewing the sample deformation, and controllers for the stages implemented in the LabVIEW environment. We compress the FAB between tungsten carbide punches and develop a constitutive model for the copper of FAB through an inverse modeling procedure. In the inverse procedure, the assumed constitutive model parameter values are iterated until the load-displacement response matches the experimentally observed response.
Hypoxia Prevents Induction of Aromatase Expression in Human Trophoblast Cells in Culture: Potential Inhibitory Role of the Hypoxia-Inducible Transcription Factor Mash-2 (Mammalian Achaete-Scute Homologous Protein-2)

The human placenta has a remarkable capacity to aromatize C19-steroids, produced by the fetal adrenals, to estrogens. This reaction is catalyzed by aromatase P450 (P450arom), encoded by the CYP19 gene. In placenta, CYP19 gene expression is restricted to the syncytiotrophoblast layer. Cytotrophoblasts isolated from human placenta, when placed in monolayer culture in 20% O2, spontaneously fuse to form syncytiotrophoblast. These morphological changes are associated with a marked induction of aromatase activity and CYP19 gene expression. When cytotrophoblasts are cultured in an atmosphere containing 2% O2, they manifest increased rates of DNA synthesis and fail to fuse and form syncytiotrophoblast. The objective of the present study was to utilize cytotrophoblasts isolated from midterm human placenta to analyze the effects of O2 on CYP19 gene expression and the molecular mechanisms that mediate these effects. We observed that when trophoblast cells were maintained in 2% O2, there was only a modest induction of CYP19 expression as a function of time in culture, and aromatase activity was barely detectable. However, when cytotrophoblasts that had been maintained in 2% O2 for 3 days were placed in a 20% O2 environment, there was a rapid onset of cell fusion and induction of P450arom mRNA and aromatase activity. In addition, mRNAs for the helix-loop-helix factors Mash-2 (mammalian achaete-scute homologous protein-2) and Id1 (inhibitor of differentiation 1) were readily detectable in freshly isolated cytotrophoblasts and were markedly decreased upon differentiation to syncytiotrophoblast in 20% O2. By contrast, when cytotrophoblasts were cultured in 2% O2, mRNA levels for Mash-2 and Id1 remained elevated. Interestingly, overexpression of Mash-2 in primary cultures of human trophoblast cells markedly inhibited cell fusion and the spontaneous induction of P450arom mRNA levels and caused a marked decrease in expression of co-transfected fusion gene constructs containing either 125, 201, 246, or 501 bp of DNA flanking the 5'-end of the placenta-specific exon (exon I.1) of the human CYP19 gene linked to the human GH (hGH) structural gene, as reporter. In studies using BeWo, a human choriocarcinoma cell line, overexpression of Mash-2 also inhibited expression of cotransfected CYP19I.1:hGH fusion gene constructs. The findings that Mash-2 had no effect on the expression of a CYP19I.1(-42):hGH fusion gene in primary cultures of human trophoblast and BeWo cells suggest that Mash-2 exerts its inhibitory effects directly or indirectly though CYP19I.1 5'-flanking sequences that lie between -42 and -125 bp. By contrast, neither Id1 nor Id2 had an effect on CYP19I. 1 promoter activity in the transfected BeWo cells. These findings suggest that Mash-2 may serve as a hypoxia-induced transcription factor that prevents differentiation to syncytiotrophoblast and aromatase induction in human trophoblast cultured under low O2 conditions.
Public Administration, the History of Ideas, and the Reinventing Government Movement

Public administration writers, with some notable exceptions, generally have not paid a great deal of attention to the history of ideas. However, public administration inquiry is profoundly affected by longstanding political and social ideas. This article shows how the idea of the state as a purposive association—that is to say, a collective enterprise that is driven by some set of substantive ends or purposes—has helped to shape the thinking and discourse of some public administration writers, particularly those of the reinventing government movement. The implications of this for public administration inquiry and education are examined.
Reflections on Mourning Religion : A Response to the Respondents

This article is a response to the Mourning Religion review essays published in this forum. Specifically, it addresses the respondents’ concerns as they impact three related areas: the relationship between mourning and religion, mourning and melancholia, and mourning and the religious intellectual.
Flame/stretch interactions of premixed hydrogen-fueled flames: measurements and predictions

Abstract Fundamental unstretched laminar burning velocities, and flame response to stretch (represented by the Markstein number) were considered both experimentally and computationally for laminar premixed flames. Mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen with nitrogen, argon and helium as diluents were considered to modify flame transport properties for computationally tractable reactant mixtures. Freely (outwardly)-propagating spherical laminar premixed flames were considered for fuel-equivalence ratios of 0.6 to 4.5, pressures of 0.3 to 3.0 atm, volumetric oxygen concentrations in the nonfuel gases of 0.21 to 0.36, and Karlovitz numbers of 0 to 0.5, at normal temperatures. For these conditions, both measured and predicted ratios of unstretched-to-stretched laminar burning velocities varied linearly with flame stretch (represented by the Karlovitz number), yielding constant Markstein numbers for particular reactant conditions. The present flames were very sensitive to flame stretch, exhibiting ratios of unstretched-to-stretched laminar burning velocities in the range 0.6 to 3.0 for levels of flame stretch well below quenching conditions. At fuel-lean conditions, increasing flame temperatures (by dilution with argon rather than nitrogen) tended to reduce flame sensitivity to stretch whereas increasing pressures tended to increase tendencies toward preferential-diffusion instability behavior. At low pressures, helium-diluted flames had reduced tendencies toward preferential-diffusion instability behavior compared to nitrogen- and argon-diluted flames due to stabilization of flame properties by strong effects of preferential diffusion of heat. Predicted and measured flame properties exhibited encouraging agreement using contemporary reaction mechanisms. Finally, flame structure predictions suggest that H and OH radical production and transport are important aspects of preferential-diffusion/stretch interactions, reflecting the strong correlation between laminar burning velocities and H+OH radical concentrations for present test conditions.
Directional Effects of Shear Combined with Compression on Bridge Elastomeric Bearings

Elastomeric bearings are widely used in bridge supports to accommodate thermal and other movements. The study presented in this paper extends an earlier investigation of two-dimensional bearing performance to three dimensions. Large-deformation rubber hyperelasticity is reviewed and a theoretical model is described with the steel-reinforced bearing subjected to compression in the direction through the thickness followed by shear in various lateral directions, including bridge longitudinal and transverse directions. Computations are carried out using the general-purpose, finite-element analysis computer program, ABAQUS. Conclusions are drawn regarding the effects of shear direction on bearing behavior.
Black Teenage Pregnancy: A Dynamic Social Problem

This article examines the relative importance of race and socioeconomic status (SES) in determining whether Black and White teenagers report having ever been pregnant. Data gathered from 1999 to 2006 by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention included 1,580 Black and White females aged 15 to 19 years. Results supported the effects of race and SES, with SES having the stronger effect. However, the effects of race and SES differ when controlling for the state of the economy. No difference between Blacks and Whites was found during better economic times. During 2003-2004, the period of greatest economic stress, race was determined to be the only predictor of teenage pregnancy. In particular, during 2005-2006, the reduction in pregnancy rates for Black minors (15-17) fell below those for White minors within their respective SES categories. Policy implications are discussed in light of these findings.
Skin Rounds: A Standardized Approach to Pressure Injury Detection and Reporting in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Newborn Care Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Avoiding skin injury is critical to optimizing outcomes in hospitalized patients. High rates of pressure injuries have been reported among patients in pediatric and adult intensive care units (ICUs), but less data on incidence or prevention are available for neonatal ICU patients. The aim of this quality improvement program is to standardize the skin care of patients in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Proposed Change An interdisciplinary team was formed in an acute care, Level IIIC, all referral NICU. This team is responsible for weekly rounds on patients to assess and document skin injuries, collect demographic information, provide education to bedside caregivers, and provide recommendations for skin care. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation The team underwent standardized training over a 4-week period to detect and stage pressure injuries. Weekly skin rounds began in July 2011. Initial staff resistance to the change in routine was overcome by education via in-services and self-studies on skin injury prevention; this led to a gradual shift in perception and skin rounds are now an accepted routine. There was also tremendous support from administration and nursing, respiratory, and medical leadership, which helped integrate skin rounds into the unit culture. Between July 2011 and August 2013, the skin injury team rounded on a median of 47 patients per week for 100 weeks, for a total of 4,672 patient assessments. The overall incidence of Stage II or greater pressure injuries was 2.79 injuries per 1,000 patient days. Stage II pressure injuries accounted for 64.5% of the injuries assessed. Stage III pressure injuries accounted for 2.8% of the injuries. Suspected deep tissue injuries accounted for 21.5% of the injuries. Injuries that could not be staged accounted for 3.7% of the injuries. Mucosal injuries accounted for 7.5% of the injuries. No Stage IV pressure injuries were detected. The greatest cause of pressure injuries was respiratory devices followed by immobility. The incidence of pressure injuries after the formation of the unit-based skin team increased significantly (from a baseline of 0.49 injuries per 1,000 patient days), which demonstrated an improved detection of injuries with standardized skin rounds. Implications for Nursing Practice We have created the largest database of skin injury in the NICU by means of an interdisciplinary team focused on skin injury prevention, education, and regular skin assessments of all infants. This database provides a stable platform upon which to build and measure prevention strategies. This skin care approach could serve as a model for other institutions.
Achieving formations under medium access, relative position and velocity constraints

We consider the distributed control of multi-agent systems that must collaborate to achieve a formation specified by relative positions between agents and a constant velocity. The control law uses information exchange commensurate with redundancy for fault tolerance, is scalable, and respects medium access control (MAC) constraints, that prohibit two agents from simultaneously broadcasting to the same agent. Unlike this paper, our prior work under MAC constraints did not permit the specification of the formation velocity.
Tilorone Hydrochloride: an Oral Interferon-Inducing Agent

Tilorone hydrochloride characteristically induces an unusually delayed and prolonged interferon response not commonly associated with other synthetic inducers. Maximum circulating interferon levels of 8,000 to 10,000 units/ml were detected 12 hr postinoculation and persisted for up to 30 hr after administration of tilorone. The fact that both oral and intraperitoneal injections of tilorone induce a similar response suggests that this delay is not based on the time required for adsorption from the gastrointestinal tract. In vitro, tilorone failed to induce detectable levels of interferon in either mouse peritoneal lymphocyte or macrophage cell cultures. Furthermore, interferon production could not be detected in the upper gastrointestinal tract after oral administration of tilorone. The striking suppression of interferon production in X-irradiated mice suggested that lymphatic tissue may be a source of interferon in response to tilorone. This concept was not supported, however, by experiments utilizing antilymphocyte serum (ALS). Tilorone induced comparable levels of interferon in both ALS-treated and control animals which had received normal serum, even though the ALS-treated mice had decreased spleen weights and peripheral lymphocyte counts. These data suggest that a radiosensitive cell population other than lymphocytes may be an important factor in the capacity of the host to produce interferon in response to tilorone. Mice which received repeated injections of tilorone developed a severe state of hyporeactivity. The degree of hyporeactivity was particularly striking when compared to that induced by polyinosinic acid:polycytidylic acid and emphasizes one of the major obstacles confronting interferon inducers as chemotherapeutic agents.
Estimating semantic confidence for spoken dialogue systems

In order for a spoken dialogue system to carry on a fluent conversation, it must be able to estimate confidence in its interpretation of the input that it is receiving. It must realize when it doesn't understand the user and interact to correct the problem. To this end, most systems have some form of confidence assessment mechanism. These algorithms generally estimate confidence on a word-by-word basis and sometimes use these estimates to accept or reject an utterance as a whole. This paper presents the confidence assessment mechanism developed for the CU Communicator spoken dialogue system. The focus of this mechanism is to assess confidence in the semantic representation extracted from an utterance by the system rather than in the string of words produced by the recognizer. We use a decision tree classifier with features based on acoustic models, language models, word lattice density, parser output and dialogue context. The classification performance is evaluated on a test set from the CU Communicator data. CU Communicator is a telephone based spoken dialogue system for getting information on air travel, hotels and rental cars.
Assessing the breeding potential of day-neutral converted racestock germplasm in the Pee Dee cotton germplasm enhancement program

The primitive, upland cotton landrace collection represents one of the untapped genetic resources in cotton breeding programs. Efforts to utilize these resources have been slow, but the development of day-neutral converted germplasm lines offers tremendous potential for broadening the genetic base in upland cotton. Using topcross hybrids involving elite germplasm from the unique Pee Dee germplasm enhancement program, we evaluated the breeding potential of a select number of day-neutral converted racestocks. The mean performance of parental lines and F2 topcross hybrids along with genetic effect estimates indicate that day-neutral converted germplasm lines decreased agronomic per- formance while increasing fiber quality performance. Results suggest that crosses between day-neutral converted racestocks and elite Pee Dee germplasm lines result in new allelic combinations associated with improved fiber quality performance that interact in a non-additive way. However, it appears that converted racestocks transmit negatively correlated alleles for agronomic performance and fiber quality. These negatively correlated allelic combinations present a major challenge for cotton breeding pro- grams. Future efforts that incorporate DNA based selection methods to identify and fix introgressed segments from converted racestocks and their off- spring should enhance the use of the genetic variation present in the primitive racestock germplasm accessions.
Drivers of facility deliveries in Africa and Asia: regional analyses using the demographic and health surveys

In the past few decades many countries have worked to increase the number of women delivering in facilities, with the goal of improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes. The purpose of this study is to explore the current situation of facility deliveries in Africa and Asia to understand where and with whom women deliver. Furthermore, we aim to test potential drivers of facility delivery at the individual, household, and community-level. Demographic and Health Survey data collected since 2003 from 43 countries in Africa and Asia is explored to understand the patterns of where women are delivering. We look at patterns by region and wealth quintile and urban/rural status. We then run a series of multi-level models looking at relationships between individual, household and community-level factors and the odds of a woman delivering in a facility. We explore this for Asia and Africa separately. We also look at correlates of delivery with a trained provider, in a public facility, in a private facility, with a doctor and in a hospital. The majority of women deliver in a facility and with a provider; however, about 20% of deliveries are still with no one or a friend/relative or alone. Rates of facility delivery are lower in Asia overall, and a greater proportion of deliveries take place in private facilities in Asia compared to Africa. Most of the individual level factors that have been found in past studies to be associated with delivering in a facility hold true for the multi-country-level analyses, and small differences exist between Asia and Africa. Women who deliver in private facilities differ from women who deliver in public facilities or at home. Most women in Africa and Asia are delivering in a facility, and drivers of facility delivery identified in smaller level or country specific studies hold true in multi-country national level data. More data and research is needed on other drivers, especially at the country-level and relating to the quality of care and maternal health complications.
Simulation of Combustion of C/B Clouds in Explosions

We have developed adaptive high-resolution methods for numerical simulations of turbulent combustion of chemical/biological (C/B) clouds in thermobaric explosions. The code is based on our AMR (Adaptive Mesh Refinement) technology that was used successfully to simulate distributed energy release in explosions, such as: afterburning in TNT explosions and turbulent combustion of Shock-Dispersed Fuel (SDF) charges in confined explosions. Versions of the methodology specialized for low-Mach number flows have also been developed and extensively validated on a number of laboratory scale laminar and turbulent flames configurations. In our formulation, we model the gas phase by the multi-component form of the reacting gas-dynamics equations, while the particle-phase is modeled by continuum mechanics laws for 2-phase reacting flows, as formulated by Nigmatulin. Mass, momentum, and energy interchange between phases are taken into account using Khasainov's model. Both the gas and particle phase conservation laws are integrated with their own second-order Godunov algorithms that incorporate the non-linear wave structure associated with such hyperbolic systems. Specialized ordinary differential equation (ODE) methods are used to integrate chemical kinetics and interphase terms. Adaptive grid methods are used to capture the energy-bearing scales of the turbulent flow (the MILES approach of J. Boris) without resorting to traditional turbulence models. The code is built on an AMR framework that manages the grid hierarchy. Our work-based load-balancing algorithm is designed to run efficiently on massively-parallel computers. Gas-phase combustion in the explosion products (EP) cloud is modeled in the fast-chemistry limit, while Aluminum particle combustion in the EP cloud is based on the finite-rate empirical burning law of Ingignoli. The thermodynamic properties of the components are specified by the Cheetah code. At the 19th HPCUG meeting in 2009, we summarized recent progress in: "AMR Code Simulations of Turbulent Combustion in Confined and Unconfined SDF Explosions". These models were used successfully to simulate the simultaneous after-burning of booster products and combustion of Aluminum (Al) in SDF explosion clouds. Computed pressure histories were shown to be in excellent agreement with the data -- thereby proving the validity of our combustion modeling of such explosions. This year, the modeling has been extended to include the mixing and combustion of C/B clouds in such explosion fields. Here we will establish how the cloud consumption by combustion depends on chamber environments.
Real-time in vivo optical coherence microscopy

Summary form only given. In-vivo confocal microscopy has been proposed/sup 1/ and demonstrated as a powerful tool for noninvasive imaging permitting optical sectioning in bulk biological samples due to its strong axial discrimination. Depending on the numerical aperture (NA), axial and lateral resolutions of several micrometers are obtainable. The maximal depth of imaging is limited to several hundred microns in highly scattering tissues such as the skin, however, by multiple scattered photons arising from out-of-focus-regions of the sample. Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is a combination of confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT). In OCM, the coherence gate of OCT is overlapped with the confocal gate of confocal microscopy to provide increased rejection of multiply scattered photons and therefore extend the usable depth range.
Does Implant Design Influence the Accuracy of Patient Specific Instrumentation in Total Knee Arthroplasty

PSI software adjusts preoperative planning to accommodate differences in implant design. Such adjustments may influence the accuracy of intraoperative jig placement, bone resection, or component placement. Our purpose was to determine whether implant design influences PSI accuracy. 96 and 123 PSI TKA were performed by a single surgeon using two different implant systems and identical PSI software. Femoral coronal alignment outliers were greater for Implant 1 (23.9% Implant 1 vs. 13.4% Implant 2; P=0.050). Tibial coronal alignment outliers were greater for Implant 2 (10.9% Implant 1 vs. 22.7% Implant 2; P=0.025). There was no difference in overall mechanical axes. Differences in implant design can influence bone resection and component alignment. PSI software rationale must align with surgeons' intraoperative goals.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans: Coordinators of multiple signaling pathways during chondrogenesis

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans are abundantly expressed in the pericellular matrix of both developing and mature cartilage. Increasing evidence indicates that the action of numerous chondroregulatory molecules depends on these proteoglycans. This review summarizes the current understanding of the interactions of heparan sulfate chains of cartilage proteoglycans with both soluble and nonsoluble ligands during the process of chondrogenesis. In addition, the consequences of mutating genes encoding heparan sulfate biosynthetic enzymes or heparan sulfate proteoglycan core proteins on cartilage development are discussed.
Did The Pension Protection Act (PPA) Of 2006 Resolve The Pension Crisis In Corporate America

On August 17, 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act (PL 109-280). The 907-page federal law has been referred to as the most comprehensive reform of the nations pension law since the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974 (Lucas, 2008). This paper will examine the major provisions of the Pension Protection Act (PPA). Additionally, the paper will analyze the impact of PPA on the retirement programs in corporate America and whether it resolved the pension crisis that existed prior to its passage as a federal law.
Role of biochemical markers in assessment of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is one of the major problems facing the aging population. The two most important variables in evaluating patients with osteoporosis, either from the standpoint of research studies or in their clinical management, are the prevailing level of bone mineral density (BMD) and the level of bone turnover.
Not a Dandy Walker Malformation but Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

We report a male neonate who was prenatally diagnosed as having Dandy Walker malformation. Post natal cranial computerised tomography showed periventricular calcifications and ventriculomegaly. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated findings that could be interpreted as a Dandy Walker malformation. Aetiologic investigations revealed a positive viral culture and a polymerase chain reaction for cytomegalovirus DNA indicating a congenital cytomegalovirus infection.
Predictive Haptic Feedback for Obstacle Avoidance Based on Model Predictive Control

New sensing and steering technologies enable safety systems that work with the driver to ensure a safe and collision-free vehicle trajectory using a shared control approach. These shared control systems must constantly balance the sometimes competing objectives of following the driver’s command and maintaining a feasible trajectory for the vehicle. This paper presents a novel technique for creating haptic steering feedback based on a prediction of the system’s need to intervene in the future. This feedback mirrors the tension between the two controller objectives of following the driver and maintaining a feasible path. The paper uses simulation and experiment to investigate the impact of varying the prediction horizon on system performance. A novel in-vehicle driver study based on decoupling visual and haptic cues demonstrates that this feedback provides a statistically significant improvement in response time and reduced time to collision (TTC) in an obstacle avoidance task.
Imaging through thick turbid medium using time-resolved measurement

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel method to image a scene hidden behind a 1.5cm thick scattering medium. Our method is based on time-resolved measurement combined with an optimization framework for inversion.
The p21-activated kinase, PAK2, is important in the activation of numerous pancreatic acinar cell signaling cascades and in the onset of early pancreatitis events

In a recent study we explored Group-1-p21-activated kinases (GP.1-PAKs) in rat pancreatic acini. Only PAK2 was present; it was activated by gastrointestinal-hormones/neurotransmitters and growth factors in a PKC-, Src- and small-GTPase-mediated manner. PAK2 was required for enzyme-secretion and ERK/1-2-activation. In the present study we examined PAK2's role in CCK and TPA-activation of important distal signaling cascades mediating their physiological/pathophysiological effects and analyzed its role in pathophysiological processes important in early pancreatitis. In rat pancreatic acini, PAK2-inhibition by the specific, GP.1.PAK-inhibitor, IPA-3-suppressed cholecystokinin (CCK)/TPA-stimulated activation of focal-adhesion kinases and mitogen-activated protein-kinases. PAK2-inhibition reversed the dual stimulatory/inhibitory effect of CCK/TPA on the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway. However, its inhibition did not affect PKC activation. PAK2-inhibition protected acini from CCK-induced ROS-generation; caspase/trypsin-activation, important in early pancreatitis; as well as from cell-necrosis. Furthermore, PAK2-inhibition reduced proteolytic-activation of PAK-2p34, which is involved in programmed-cell-death. To ensure that the study did not only rely in the specificity of IPA-3 as a PAK inhibitor, we used two other approaches for PAK inhibition, FRAX597 a ATP-competitive-GP.1-PAKs-inhibitor and infection with a PAK2-dominant negative(DN)-Advirus. Those two approaches confirmed the results obtained with IPA-3. This study demonstrates that PAK2 is important in mediating CCK's effect on the activation of signaling-pathways known to mediate its physiological/pathophysiological responses including several cellular processes linked to the onset of pancreatitis. Our results suggest that PAK2 could be a new, important therapeutic target to consider for the treatment of diseases involving deregulation of pancreatic acinar cells.
Quantitative 3D measurement of ilmenite abundance in Alpe Arami olivine by confocal microscopy: Confirmation of high-pressure origin

A critical aspect of the debate about the origin and conditions of metamorphism of the Alpe Arami (AA) peridotite is the disagreement over how much ilmenite is contained in the older generation of olivine and therefore how much TiO 2 might have been dissolved at high pressure and temperature. We have now determined quantitatively the 3-dimensional distribution of ilmenite in AA olivine by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The CLSM measurements show an average concentration of 0.31 vol% of ilmenite in olivine, with individual grains containing up to 1.2 vol%. This translates into average and maximum concentrations of 0.23 and 0.9 wt% TiO 2 in olivine, respectively, and confirms the original estimation of maximum concentration of ~1 vol% TiO 2 . The vast majority of ilmenite in AA olivine is distributed randomly (although topotactically oriented) and, in all cases, is accompanied by chromite in a ratio of ~4:1. These observations are consistent with an origin of the ilmenite (and chromite) by exsolution from an olivine solid solution at P = 9–12 GPa and temperatures above the stability field of titanian clinohumite, but are not consistent with suggested breakdown of titanian clinohumite. Combining these results with other recent findings suggests that exsolution followed deformation under relatively high fugacity of H 2 O, and that the high solubility of TiO 2 is probably explained by pressure-induced accommodation of Ti in the tetrahedral site of silicates.
Fluid dynamics of disease transmission

Coughs and sneezes can directly contribute to the transmission of communicable diseases, as these violent exhalations break up mucus and explosively emit pathogen-bearing droplets into the environment. The range of contamination of an unprotected sneeze can be quite substantial—up to 20 feet—with the smallest droplets carried the farthest in a turbulent cloud. Scharfman and colleagues set out to investigate what physical mechanisms set the droplet size distribution of the sneeze ejecta and therefore the range of contamination. Using high-speed videography, the authors recorded the initial ejection of mucosalivary fluid from the mouth at up to 8000 frames per second, more than 300 times faster than regular video recordings. Rather than a spray containing different droplet sizes, the video revealed a complex cascade of bulk fluid emission at 35 meters per second (around 80 miles per hour), followed by fluid sheet formation, sheet destabilization, ligament formation, and finally droplet pinch-off. In particular, the authors observed elongation, twisting, and shortening of the ejected fluid ligaments, along with bead formation on the ligament. These observations suggest that the viscoelastic properties of the mucosalivary fluid play an important role in the fluid fragmentation process and droplet size selection during sneezing, and may therefore directly affect the range and concentration of contamination. These results also begin to fill an important gap in our understanding of how pathogens may be transmitted from peer-to-peer and how the properties of the fluid carrier medium might help shape and select the contamination profile while indoors. This knowledge can have important consequences on the redefinition of route of transmission for common infectious diseases, in particular the notions of airborne versus large-droplet transmission typically used in public health and infection prevention. The work by Scharfman et al. also raises the interesting question about whether pathogens might be able to interact with the fluid properties to enhance their dispersal during violent exhalations, begging further research into the fluid dynamics of disease transmission. B. E. Scharfman et al. , Visualization of sneeze ejecta: Steps of fluid fragmentation leading to respiratory droplets. Exp. Fluids 10.1007/s00348-015-2078-4 (2016). [[Full Text] ][1] [1]: http://math.mit.edu/~bush/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Sneeze-2016.pdf
A Fuzzy Safety Measure

In deciding the chances of failure of a design, two types of information are available: objective and subjective. In dealing with objective information in the form of countable data, unbiased probability distributions of loading and structural capacity are obtained by employing the principle of maximum entropy. Subjective information is considered in a linguistic form and requires a transformation from the verbal to the numerical. This is attained by the use of fuzzy set theory. The fuzzy calculus is then employed to fuzzify the objective probability in light of the subjective insight. The result is a fuzzy safety measure that expresses the confidence in the objective probability and also in other, larger values of the probability of failure. In this way objective, numerical, frequency type information can be augmented by professional insight and experience.
A New Species of Tenthredo from the Appalachians (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae)

During the summer of 1946 a new species of Tenthredo was obtained from two localities, separated by several hundred miles, in the Appalachian mountains that traverse Pennsylvania. Later another female and two more males were studied, which had been collected in 1939 from a more distant part of the Appalachian ranges in North Carolina and Tennessee. The specimens from Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, were captured in a patch of jewel-weed at the edge.of a dense, moist woods. Since most Tenthredo's are active fliers, the jewel-weed could be a “sitting” habitat and not necessarily the host in which oviposition occurs.
A new method for determination of polysaccharides in Maca

Objective To investigate the method for extraction,purification and content determination of polysaccharides in Maca by ultraviolet spectrophotometric method. Methods The sample was processed by water extraction and alcohol precipitation and then by the purification of alkaline copper sulfate method. Polysaccharides,under stron g acidic conditions,were hydrolyzed into monosaccharide molecules. Followin g dehydration in a boilin g water bath,hydroxymethyl furaldehyde was produced,which was subjected to condensation with phenol to produce a pale orange yellow compound. The color intensity was in a sensitive and stable positive relationship with the concentration of monosaccharides in the solution and exhibited maximum light absorption at 485 nm wavelength in colorimetric determination. Results Good linearity was presented between the absorbance value and the concentration of the reference substance( poly glucosan) over the range of 0. 005 mg / ml-0. 100 mg / ml. The regression equation was y = 10. 612 3x-0. 001 7( r = 0. 999 6). The average recovery rate was 96. 89% and the RSD was1. 44%. Conclusion Ultraviolet spectrophotometry is sensitive,rapid,stable and cost-effective and suitable for determination of polysaccharides in Maca.
High K diets markedly reduce atherosclerotic cholesterol ester deposition in aortas of rats with hypercholesterolemia and hypertension.

High K diets prevent hypertensive endothelial injury and intimal thickening. Cholesterol esters often deposit during hypercholesterolemia. Would a high K diet influence cholesterol ester deposits? In a normal rat on a normal diet, no cholesterol esters are detected in the aorta. Stroke prone SHR rats were fed for 3 months a basic diet containing 4% cholesterol, 14% coconut oil and 7% NaCl. One group of 13 rats had normal (.5%) K in the diet. Another group of 10 rats ate high (2.1%) K. Mean intraarterial blood pressures averaged 165 mm Hg in the normal K group and 161 mm Hg in the high K group (P = NS). The serum cholesterol averaged 229 mg/dL in the normal K group and 214 in the high K group (P = NS). Total aortic cholesterol esters per rat involving 16 and 18 carbon chain fatty acids averaged 187 micrograms in normal K v 68 micrograms in high K, measured by gas chromatography. These were the main esters; other esters were negligible. Thus high K reduced cholesterol ester deposits by 64% (P less than .0003), even though blood pressure and cholesterol levels were quite similar in the two groups. Both high cholesterol and high BP injure endothelial cells and increase invasion of macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells into the intima and increase endothelial permeability to proteins. With high plasma cholesterol, these processes lead to atherosclerosis with cholesterol ester deposition. The high K diet, by protecting endothelial cells, can greatly decrease this cholesterol ester deposition. This effect could possible be useful for preventing atherosclerotic complications such as heart attacks in human hypertension.
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with a rituximab-containing preparative regimen for non-Hodgkin lymphoma

7112 Background: We investigated the safety and outcome after adding Rituximab to our standard high-dose chemotherapy conditioning regimen with BEAM in patients receiving autologous hematopoietic s...
Basic Experiential Expressions

The study of subjective experience (long the province of phenomenology) has often failed to transcend the established terms of the behaviorism/mentalism duality, in spite of the availability of much relevant work in the contemporary philosophy of mind. In what follows, I seek to reaffirm the relevance to the study of basic human experiences of the pragmatics of ordinary-language use and of experiential expressions in particular.
Systemic Risk Illustrated

Author(s): Sun, Li-Hsien | Advisor(s): Fouque, Jean-Pierre | Abstract: Due to the recent financial crisis, systemic risk is becoming a central research topic. In this study, we propose a simple model of inter-bank borrowing and lending where the evolution of the log-monetary reserves of $N$ banks is described by a system of diffusion processes coupled through their drifts in such a way that stability of the system depends on the rate of inter-bank borrowing and lending. Systemic risk is characterized by the non-negligible probability of a large number of defaults. In order to study the behavior of this coupled system, we discuss the comparison of the coupled diffusions not only coupled through the drift and non-drift but correlated through Brownian motions. In addition, we introduce a game feature in the lending and borrowing system where each bank controls its own rate of borrowing from or lending to the central bank under a quadratic cost. The optimization reflects the desire of each bank to borrow from the central bank when its monetary reserve falls below a critical level or lend if it rises above this critical level which is chosen here as the average monetary reserve. The equilibria with finitely many players are solved explicitly and the financial implication is that the central bank acts as a clearing house, adding liquidity to the system without affecting its systemic risk. We also study the corresponding Mean Field Game in the limit of large number of banks in the presence of a common noise. Finally, we consider two inhomogeneous unsymmetrical grouping problems where banks have strategies using heterogeneous parameters and obtain that the central bank must provide extra cash into the system or keep deposits for banks in order to stabilize this bank system using the heterogeneity framework.
Physical Characteristics of Coastal Hazards

Coastal hazards are among the world’s most threatening hazards. With half of the world’s population living near the coast, an immense threat is posed by these hazards to life and health, livelihood, and the economy. In this chapter, characteristics of coastal hazards are described, first by presenting a historical context, then by laying out our current understanding of the physical problems of interest for coastal design, and finally by presenting simple methods for initial interpretation of the hazard. A number of natural processes and anthropogenic activities adversely impact coastal communities, critical infrastructure, and port facilities along the coast. Natural coastal hazards may generally be classified into those that are episodic and those that occur over long periods of time. Episodic hazards include coastal storms and tsunamis while long-term hazards include, for example, sea-level rise . Many anthropogenic activities also result in long-term impacts at the coast. For example, inland dam construction produces long-term impacts on coastal sediment supply. In the following, we describe the most common coastal hazards and then discuss methods for evaluating their impacts at the coast.