cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An “Audio Annotation” Technique for Intuitive Communication in Spatial Tasks

Navigating in any environment can be a very tedious task, and it becomes considerably more difficult when the environment is unfamiliar or when it contains threats that could possibly jeopardize the success of the mission. Often in difficult navigation environments there are external sensors present in the area that could provide critical information to the ground operator. The challenge is to find a way to transmit this information to the ground operator in an intuitive, timely, and unambiguous manner. In this study, we explore a technique called “audio annotation” where the sensor information is transmitted to a remote observer who processes it and relays it verbally to an operator on the ground. Spatial information can be conveyed intuitively by using a spatial audio display to project the apparent location of the remote observer's voice to an arbitrary location relative to the ground operator. The current study compared the “audio annotation” technique to standard monaural communications in a task tha...
Atrial tachycardia with block treated with digitalis.

Fifteen cases of atrial tachycardia with block were seen at the Henry Ford Hospital in 1 year. In nine cases the arrhythmia was not a result of digitalis excess. One of these nine patients has had the arrhythmia for 5 years, and two others had not received prior digitalis. In four cases, stopping digitalis and adding potassium did not affect the arrhythmia. Two patients experienced a brief episode of the arrhythmia while continuing digitalis. The addition of digitalis or a continued maintenance dose was necessary to control congestive heart failure or a rapid ventricular rate in all nine patients. The six remaining patients with atrial tachycardia with block had digitalis intoxication. When one first encounters this arrhythmia, the possibility of digitalis intoxication should immediately be considered. Digitalis and diuretics should be stopped and potassium added. If the arrhythmia persists despite this therapy, digitalis intoxication becomes less likely and the administration of the drug may be indicated.
Coordination state probabilities and the solvation free energy of Zn2+ in aqueous methanol solutions.

Coordination state probabilities for the [Zn(H2O)n(CH3OH)m]2+ complex in aqueous methanol solutions are calculated as a function of the bulk solution concentration, and the number of methanol ligands, m = 0, 1, …, 6 with n+m = 6. Zinc ion solvation free energies, which serve to normalize these probabilities, also reproduce the methanol concentration dependence of the experimentally derived free energy of zinc ion transfer from water to aqueous methanol solutions. Coordination state probabilities, p(n, m), are derived by extending quasi-chemical theory of ion hydration to solvent mixtures and mixed ligands. Free energy contributions to p(n, m) include the free energy of forming the mixed-ligand complex in the ideal gas, obtained by quantum chemical calculations, and the solvation free energy of the complex, approximated by a dielectric continuum model. We find that replacing water ligands with methanol ligands preferentially stabilizes methanol-rich complexes in the ideal gas. Conversely, water-rich complexes are stabilized by the solvation free energy contribution, such that the [Zn(H2O)6]2+ complex is the dominant species in solution for all methanol concentrations considered. Stabilization of the methanol-rich complexes is a consequence of the local coordination chemistry, dominated by the delocalization of charge on the zinc ion, while the stabilization of water-rich complexes is a consequence of favorable ion-solvent electrostatic interactions and smaller dielectric cavities for the water-rich complexes at fixed total charge in the dielectric continuum model. Our analysis also highlights an entropic contribution associated with the reversible work required to remove n water and m methanol molecules from bulk solution to form the [Zn(H2O)n(CH3OH)m]2+ complex, which captures the methanol concentration dependence of the solvation free energy of the zinc ion.
Reliability of a Craniomandibular Index

The Craniomandibular Index (CMI) was developed to provide a standardized measure of severity of problems in mandibular movement, TMJ noise, and muscle and joint tenderness for use in epidemiological and clinical outcome studies. The instrument was designed to have clearly defined objective criteria, simple clinical methods, and ease in scoring; it is divided into the Dysfunction Index and the Palpation Index. Inter-rater reliability (three raters) and intra-rater reliability (19 patients examined twice by one rater) were tested to determine whether the instrument has operational definitions sufficiently precise to allow for consistency in use between different raters and with one rater over time. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient for inter-rater reliability was 0.84 for the Dysfunction Index, 0.87 for the Palpation Index, and 0.95 for the CMI. Correlation for intra-rater reliability was 0.92 for the Dysfunction Index, 0.86 for the Palpation Index, and 0.96 for the CMI. These results support the reliability of the CMI for use in epidemiological and clinical studies. Users are cautioned about the subjectivity of numerous items within the CMI and the strict methodological guidelines that must be followed in order to assure accuracy and reproducibility of results.
Volumetric properties of the convex hull of an n-dimensional Brownian motion

Let K be the convex hull of the path of a standard brownian motion B(t) in R^n, taken at time 0 < t < 1. We derive formulas for the expected volume and surface area of K. Moreover, we show that in order to approximate K by a discrete version of K, namely by the convex hull of a random walk attained by taking B(t_n) at discrete (random) times, the number of steps that one should take in order for the volume of the difference to be relatively small is of order n^3. Next, we show that the distribution of facets of K is in some sense scale invariant: for any given family of simplices (satisfying some compactness condition), one expects to find in this family a constant number of facets of tK as t approaches infinity. Finally, we discuss some possible extensions of our methods and suggest some further research.
Gender, Nonstandard Work Schedules, and Marital Quality

Relatively few studies have focused on the effects of working late and rotating shifts on marital dynamics. This study addressed the limitations of prior studies by sampling from a sector of the economy (i.e., grocery and drug store workers) where shift work and rotating schedules were common, and by controlling for numerous accompanying disruptive effects of shift work on marital quality. Results show that working late shifts reduces marital quality among men, whereas among women, job-family spillover explained away marital quality effects of working rotating schedules. These results suggest that more than men, women remain largely responsible for family life irrespective of work schedules, yet further research on how family lives are affected by work schedules is needed.
Intrinsic charge transfer in the mixed halide PtCl«I−« linear chain solids

Abstract In this paper, we report theoretical results on an intrinsic charge transfer effect which possibly occurs in the mixed halide linear chain compound: PtCl«I 1−« . PtCl and PtI are two of a family of mixed-valence-transition-metal linear chain compounds: [M 2 (en) 4 X 2 ]Y 4 (M = Pt, Pd, Ni, X = Cl, Br, I en denotes the ethylenediamine ligand, and Y is a counter-ion (such as ClO − 4 ) to neutralize the chain). The respective pure chains are identified to have charge-density-wave (CDW) ground states, with strong and weak CDW strengths for PtCl and PtI, respectively. Our modeling suggests that when PtI and PtCl are mixed, electrons spontaneously transfer from the PtI segment to the PtCl segment. This charge transfer results in the formation of localized electron bi-polarons in the PtCl segment and of extended hole bi-polarons in the PtI segment. As in classical p − n junctions, the driving force for this phenomenon arises from the fact that the Pt valence band of PtI is higher in energy than the Pt conduction band of PtCl. The energy gain through the charge transfer is large enough to overcome the elastic energy cost from the charge of CDW dimerization pattern in both segments. Preliminary experimental result on the crystal structure of PtCl «I 1−« is consistent with the present theory.
Empirical Models for Moisture Sorption Isotherms at Very High Water Activities

Published moisture sorption data of selected gums, fibers and starch determined at water activities of up to 0.98-0.99 were fitted by an empirical three parameter model. It had the general mathematical structure of the GAB model but its abscissa's range was expanded from zero to one, to zero to infinity. This was done by substituting In [1/(1 -aw)] or aw/(1-aw) for aw, terms that could be derived from Henderson's and Oswin's models. This hybrid model with either substitution had a particularly good fit to the isotherms part that accounted for moisture sorption at high water activities. The model with the logarithmic transformation, however, appeared to be more practical and to better account for the intermediate part of the moisture sorption isotherm.
Dosimetric Predictors of Radiation-Induced Vaginal Stenosis After Pelvic Radiation Therapy for Rectal and Anal Cancer.

Purpose Although vaginal stenosis (VS) is a recognized toxicity in women who receive pelvic radiation therapy (RT), the relationship between RT dose and the volume and extent of toxicity has not been analyzed. We modeled this relationship to identify predictors of VS. Methods and Materials We evaluated 54 women, aged 29 to 78 years, who underwent pelvic RT for rectal or anal cancer during 2008 to 2011 and were enrolled in a prospective study evaluating vaginal dilator use. Maximum dilator size was measured before RT (baseline) and 1 month and 12 months after RT. Dilator use was initiated at 1 month. The difference ( D ) in dilator size before and after RT was recorded. Those with D ≤−1 were classified as having VS (n=35); those with D ≥0 were classified as having no VS (n=19 at 1 month). Dose-volume parameters were extracted, and the generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) was used to build a predictive model. Results The mean vaginal doses were 50.0 Gy and 36.8 Gy for anal and rectal cancer patients, respectively. One month after RT, a gEUD model using a wide range of a values suggests that sparing of vaginal volume to a low dose may be important. When gEUD ( a = −1) was P =.02). A 1-year analysis suggests increasingly negative D values with increasing mean dose. However, patients with compliance Conclusions Vaginal stenosis is influenced by multiple RT dose-volume characteristics. Mean dose and gEUD constraints together may reduce the risk of severe VS. Patients receiving higher mean vaginal doses should have greater compliance with dilator therapy to minimize risk of toxicity. Further validation with independent datasets is needed.
State Estimate Based on Nonlinear Filter of ElectroSlag Remelting Process

State estimate strategy of electroSlag remelting process based on nonlinear filter algorithm was put forward in order to settle difficulty that electrode immersion depth can not directly measured, other state variable can not be unable directly measured and directly measure variable is with all kinds noise. The nonlinearfilter algorithms including unscented Kalman Filter UKF, Divided Difference filter (DDF) that includes first-order DDF (DD1) and second-order DDF (DD2) were established. Estimated performance of three filter estimators was simulated. Study results shows that nonlinear filter algorithm of electroslag remelting process is feasible. It can effectively estimate the state variable including slag temperature, electrode immersion depth, and electrode mass, ram position etc. The estimate precision of DD1 and DD2 is better than UKF for root-mean-square error (RMS). As The computing efficiency of DD1 higher than DD2, the DD1 is more feasible of electroSlag remelting process though the estimate precision of DD2 better than DD1.
Clinical results of ab interno trabeculotomy using the trabectome for open-angle glaucoma: the Mayo Clinic series in Rochester, Minnesota.

Purpose To determine outcomes of ab interno trabeculotomy for treatment of open-angle glaucoma (OAG). Design Retrospective interventional single-surgeon, single-center case series. Methods Data were collected from 246 patients undergoing ab interno trabeculotomy between September 1, 2006, and December 1, 2010, with 3 months' follow-up or longer. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed using Criteria A (postoperative intraocular pressure [IOP] ≤21 mm Hg or ≥20% reduction from preoperative IOP) and Criteria B (IOP ≤18 mm Hg and ≥20% reduction in IOP). Failure included increased glaucoma medications or subsequent surgery. Failure risk factors were identified using Cox proportional hazards ratio (HR). Results Of 88 cases of ab interno trabeculotomy-only and 158 cases of ab interno trabeculotomy with cataract extraction, the retention rate was 70% for 1 year and 62% for 2 years. Preoperative mean IOP was 21.6 ± 8.6 mm Hg; the number of glaucoma medications was 3.1 ± 1.1. At 24 months postoperatively, mean IOP was reduced 29% to 15.3 ± 4.6 mm Hg ( P P P P P Conclusions For criteria involving IOP ≤18 mm Hg, the 24-month survival of ab interno trabeculotomy is low. This surgery is appropriate for patients requiring a target IOP of 21 mm Hg or above.
Geriatric High-Energy Polytrauma With Orthopedic Injuries: Clinical Predictors of Mortality

Background:The impact of orthopedic injuries in the elderly patient with multi-trauma and the effect of operative fixation on these injuries have not been thoroughly evaluated.Methods:We reviewed g...
An Orderly Transition to a Transformed Electricity System

In September 2001, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored a workshop to develop a roadmap on communication and control technologies for distributed energy resources. From this and subsequent activities with industry, academia, and other research institutions, the concepts and vision of an interactive and adaptable electricity system emerged; a vision that is now commonly referred to as smart grid. Supported by significant federal investment announced in 2009, the DOE, its national laboratories, and industry partners are now making significant strides in smart grid deployments, demonstrations, and research. An imperative underlying these activities is that they contribute to ensuring the steps taken in transitioning toward a smart grid retain a system with dependable performance to the economy and society it services. This paper summarizes the status of current smart grid related efforts, explains smart grid priorities, and describes the direction of research and development activities supported by the DOE.
Children with autism learn to initiate to peers when social scripts modeled using a speech-generating device are faded

Abstracted from: Wichnick, A. M., Vener, S. M., Keating, C., & Poulson, C. L. (2010). The effect of a script-fading procedure on unscripted social initiations and novel utterances among young children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 4, 51–64. Source of funding: City University of New York's Science Fellowship.
Training the Peer Facilitator: Using Participatory Theatre to Promote Engagement in Peer Education.

‘Training the peer facilitator: using participatory theatre to promote engagement in peer education’ examines the role of participatory theatre in a peer education setting in relation to the goal of young people engaging and empowering their peers to create new knowledge together. Extending research about the use of applied theatre conventions (specifically Michael Rohd's activating scenes) in peer education, my discussion examines the integral role of the facilitator within the aesthetic framework of the applied theatre workshop. In the context of peer education, this facilitator is called a peer facilitator: a young person who bears the responsibility of leading the workshop. This paper examines the specific challenges that peer facilitators faced in the context of my thesis project (MA in Applied Theatre, CUNY). I also present a method for measuring participants' aesthetic engagement in participatory theatre and future recommendations for implementing theatre in a peer education setting.
When Education Research Matters

The tangled relationship between education research and policy has received little serious scrutiny, even as paeans to “scientifically based research” and “evidence-based practice” have become a staple of education policymaking in recent years. For all the attention devoted to the 5-year-old Institute of Education Sciences, to No Child Left Behind’s call for “scientifically based research,” to professional interest in data-driven decision-making, and to the refinement of sophisticated analytic tools, little effort has gone into understanding how, when, or why research affects education policy. Instead, most discussion has focused on how to identify “best practices” or “scientifically based” methods and how to encourage classroom educators to use research findings. In this article, based on the new volume, When Research Matters: How Scholarship Influences Education Policy, Frederick M. Hess examines these questions.
Higher education faculty perceptions on technology integration and training

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine how faculty technology literacy and technology training impact the integration of technology into their pedagogy. This required a quantitative examination of how faculty technology literacy skills relate to pedagogical practice (integrating technology into their pedagogy), while controlling for training. Respondents surveyed in this study consisted of faculty members from the fifteen peer institutions of the University of North Dakota. In this second article, three of the original research questions are addressed. The inferential results of the study showed significant correlations between technology literacy and pedagogical practice integration.
Using classification trees to assess low birth weight outcomes

Objective: Low birth weight (LBW) is a major public health problem. Compared to normal weight infants, LBW is positively associated with infant mortality and negatively associated with normative childhood cognitive and physical development. In the past two decades, research has identified important risk factors of LBW. In this study, we used classification trees to study the interactive nature of these factors. In particular we: (1) identify subgroups of women who are at a high risk of a LBW outcome in seven geographical regions of Florida, and (2) study the predictive performance of classification trees by comparing the tree-based results to those obtained using logistic regression. Methods: The data, 181,690 singleton births, were derived from Florida birth certificates recorded in 1998. Classification trees and logistic regression models were built based on seven geographical regions. The outcome variable consisted of two classes, namely LBW ( =2500g) cases, while a large number of known risk factors was examined. Tree and logistic regression models were compared using Receiving Operating Curves, and sensitivity and specificity analyses. Results: The use of classification trees has revealed a number of high-risk subgroups. For instance, White, Hispanic or Other non-white mothers who were healthy and smoked with a weight gain less than 20lbs had a higher risk of a LBW birth compared to those with the same characteristics but with a weight gain of more than 20lbs. Factors such as parity and marital status were important predictors for pregnancy outcomes among nonsmoker White, Hispanic or Other non-white mothers. Furthermore, we found that Black mothers were directly classified as a high-risk subgroup in the regions of Panhandle, Northeast, North Central, while in the Southern regions a series of other characteristics further defined the high-risk subgroup of Black mothers. Overall, the differences in predictive performance between tree models and logistic regression were minimal. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that classification trees can be used to identify high-risk subgroups of mothers who are at risk of LBW outcomes. Although these exploratory tree analyses revealed a number of distinctive variable interactions for each geographical area, the variable selection was similar across all seven regions. This study also demonstrated that classification trees did not outperform logistic regression models or vice versa; both approaches provided useful analyses of the data.
Wilhelm Roux: visionary with a blind spot.

Wilhelm Roux est le precurseur de l'embryologie experimentale du XIX e siecle car il demontra que la differenciation des embryons ne peut s'expliquer qu'a partir d'experiences analytiques
Lamellar stack formation and degradative behaviors of hydrolytically degraded poly(ε‐caprolactone) and poly(glycolide‐ε‐caprolactone) blended fibers

Electrospun fibrous mats have gained popularity in bioengineering over the past decade, but few papers detail their degradative mechanisms. To address this, blends of hydrophobic poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) and hydrophilic PGA-PCL-PGA triblock copolymer were electrospun into aligned fibrous mats to assess the copolymers' mechanical and degradative properties. Increased hydrophilic triblock content led to enhanced morphological uniformity of fiber, tightening of fiber diameters, increased storage and Young's modulus, and decreased elongation. The corresponding decrease in hydrophobic PCL content led to faster hydrolytic degradation rate, as reflected by enhanced decrease in mass, molecular weight, and modulus loss at 25, 37, and 45°C. The activation energy for hydrolytic degradation for 15:85 PCL: triblock copolymer was approximately half that of 85:15 PCL: triblock copolymer. Detailed examination of fiber morphology and crystallinity revealed initial surface erosion followed by the evolution of crystalline lamellar stacks and bulk degradation at 37°C. Because of the high surface to volume and short diffusion length scale of the small diameter fibers, surface and bulk degradation may both contribute to the hydrolytic degradative behavior of these electrospun fibrous mats. Electrospun mats' distinct architecture that embodies high specific surface to volume and interfiber porous ultrastructures that lead to their unique degradative behaviors hold much potential for significant impact in the field of tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery.
Two-tiered wireless sensor network architecture for structural health monitoring

In this paper, we make a brief study of some of the important requirements of a structural monitoring system for civil infrastructures and explain the key issues that are faced in the design of a suitable wireless monitoring strategy. Two-tiered wireless sensor network architecture is proposed as a solution to these issues and the protocol used for the communication in this network is described. The power saving strategies at various levels, from the network architecture, to communication protocol, to the sensor unit architecture are explained. A detailed analysis of the network is done and the implementation of this network in a laboratory setting is described.
Sliding-window self-healing key distribution

We propose a new method for distributing a common key to a dynamic group over an unreliable channel. In [15], an unconditionally secure "self-healing" protocol that solves this problem and has significant advantages over previous work in this area is presented. However, the protocol suffers from inconsistent robustness, high overhead and expensive maintenance costs. We propose a more practical self-healing protocol that attempts to address these three problems. First, we use a sliding window to make error recovery consistently robust. Second, we significantly reduce overhead. Finally, we give the group manager the ability to spread the cost of personal key distribution over multiple sessions, rather than having to distribute new personal keys to all users at the same time.
Thermodynamic assessment of hydrothermal alkali feldspar-mica-aluminosilicate equilibria

Abstract The thermodynamic properties of minerals retrieved from consideration of solid-solid and dehydration equilibria with calorimetric reference values, and those of aqueous species derived from studies of electrolytes, are not consistent with experimentally measured high-temperature solubilities in the systems K2O- and Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O-HCl (e.g., K-fs — Ms — Qtz — K+ — H+). This introduces major inaccuracies into the computation of ionic activity ratios and the acidities of diagenetic, metamorphic, and magmatic hydrothermal fluids buffered by alkali silicate-bearing assemblages. We report a thermodynamic analysis of revised solubility equilibria in these systems that integrates the thermodynamic properties of minerals obtained from phase equilibria studies ( Berman , 1988) with the properties of aqueous species calculated from a calibrated equation of state ( Shock and Helgeson , 1988). This was achieved in two separate steps. First, new values of the free energies and enthalpies of formation at 25°C and 1 bar for the alkali silicates muscovite and albite were retrieved from the experimental solubility equilibria at 300°C and Psat. Because the latter have stoichiometric reaction coefficients different from those for solid-solid and dehydration equilibria, our procedure preserves exactly the relative thermodynamic properties of the alkali-bearing silicates ( Berman , 1988). Only simple arithmetic adjustments of −1,600 and −1,626 ( ±500 ) cal/mol to all the K- and Na-bearing silicates, respectively, in Berman (1988) are required. In all cases, the revised values are within ±0.2% of calorimetric values. Similar adjustments were derived for the properties of minerals from Helgeson et al. (1978). Second, new values of the dissociation constant of HCl were retrieved from the solubility equilibria at temperatures and pressures from 300–600°C and 0.5–2.0 kbars using a simple model for aqueous speciation. The results agree well with the conductance-derived dissociation constants from Franck (1956a,b) for temperatures from 300–550°C. Compared to the conductance-derived results of Frantz and Marshall (1984), our dissociation constants agree well at the highest densities, but are greater at lower densities. At the lowest density, at 600°C and 1 kbar, the discrepancy of 0.9 log units is within the overall uncertainties associated with our experimental results and those associated with deriving dissociation constants from conductance measurements in highly associated solutions ( Oelkers and Helgeson , 1988). Finally, we also report an equation of state fit to the standard thermodynamic properties of the aqueous HCl molecule that is consistent with a wide array of independently determined dissociation constants of HCl and permits interpolation and extrapolation of the dissociation constant of HCl to 1000°C and 5.0 kbars.
Packaging and performance of high power semiconductor lasers of high heat flux up to 2000 W/cm/sup 2/

High power broad area semiconductor lasers have found increasing applications. Compared to low power narrow-stripe semiconductor lasers, packaging including the assembly design, process and thermal management, has much higher impact on the output power and reliability of high power broad area lasers which generate more heat and have high heat flux. In this paper, we first introduce the package structures and assembling process of high power broad area lasers. We report two types of high power broad area laser assemblies. One is a microchannel liquid cooled assembly and the other is a conduction cooled CT-mount assembly. The performances including output power, thermal behavior and far fields are presented. The measurement results showed that excellent thermal management through package structure design as well as quality die attachment is the key in not only improving output power, but also significantly improving beam divergence and far field distribution. The reliability of indium solder bonded and AuSn solder bonded CT mount assemblies were evaluated. The results showed that the die attach solder can significant impact the reliability of high power broad area lasers and that indium solder is not suitable for high power laser applications due to electromigration at high current densities and high temperatures.
Tribological behavior of PEEK components with compositionally graded PEEK/PTFE surfaces

Abstract PEEK is a high strength engineering thermoplastic that suffers from a high friction coefficient and a friction induced wear mode. Past studies with 10 μm PEEK and PTFE powders resulted in composite solid lubricant that (at the optimal composition) had a wear rate of k = 2 × 10 −9 mm 3 /Nm with a friction coefficient of μ = 0.12. A compositional grading of PEEK and PTFE is implemented in this study to create a bulk composite with the functional requirements of component strength, stiffness and wear resistance while providing solid lubrication at the sliding interface. The tribological performances of three functionally graded PEEK components were evaluated on linear reciprocating, rotating pin-on-disk and thrust washer tribometers. Wear rates comparable to samples of the bulk solid lubricant and comparable or improved frictional performance were achieved by compositionally grading the near surface region of PEEK components.
Lethal mutations in the major homology region and their suppressors act by modulating the dimerization of the rous sarcoma virus capsid protein C‐terminal domain

An infective retrovirus requires a mature capsid shell around the viral replication complex. This shell is formed by about 1500 capsid protein monomers, organized into hexamer and pentamer rings that are linked to each other by the dimerization of the C-terminal domain (CTD). The major homology region (MHR), the most highly conserved protein sequence across retroviral genomes, is part of the CTD. Several mutations in the MHR appear to block infectivity by preventing capsid formation. Suppressor mutations have been identified that are distant in sequence and structure from the MHR and restore capsid formation. The effects of two lethal and two suppressor mutations on the stability and function of the CTD were examined. No correlation with infectivity was found for the stability of the lethal mutations (D155Y-CTD, F167Y-CTD) and suppressor mutations (R185W-CTD, F167Y-CTD). The stabilities of three double mutant proteins (D155Y/R185W-CTD, F167Y/R185W-CTD and F167Y/I190V-CTD) were additive. However, the dimerization affinity of the mutant proteins correlated strongly with biological function. The CTD proteins with lethal mutations did not dimerize, while those with suppressor mutations had greater dimerization affinity than WT-CTD. The suppressor mutations were able to partially correct the dimerization defect caused by the lethal MHR mutations in double mutant proteins. Despite their dramatic effects on dimerization, none of these residues participate directly in the proposed dimerization interface in a mature capsid. These findings suggest that the conserved sequence of the MHR has critical roles in the conformation(s) of the CTD that are required for dimerization and correct capsid maturation.
Front-end success factors and the impact on high technology industry new product development

This investigation identified factors in the initial phase of the product development process that influence product development success. Specific factors that were investigated included new product strategic fit, product definition, project definition, and project roles. Both external market based performance and project internal operational based performance were included in the analyses. Generalizability analyses were conducted and the relationship between front-end factors and product development performance were found to be generalizable across three levels of product innovation.
Organic matter degradation in sediments of the York River estuary: Effects of biological vs. physical mixing

Abstract We investigated the influence of biological and physical seabed disturbance on the degradation of bulk organic matter and source specific lipid biomarker compounds by measuring downcore changes in bulk elemental composition, bulk stable isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) signatures, and lipid biomarker compounds in sediment cores collected from two sites in the York River, a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay, USA. One site (LY) is influenced by biological mixing (bioturbation), restricted to the upper 15–20 cm, while the other site (POD) experiences intense, episodic physical mixing events that penetrate 50–100 cm into the sediment. We utilized a suite of auxiliary measurements to constrain the sources of organic matter, depositional environments, and general ages of the cores. Diagenetic modeling of total organic carbon and total nitrogen in sediments yielded higher apparent rate constants for POD than LY suggesting that the physical mixing regime promotes enhanced degradation of bulk organic matter. Apparent rate constants for select lipids representing distinct sources of organic matter were also higher at POD than LY for all but the most labile (i.e., diatom-derived fatty acids) biomarkers. Differences in stanol/stenol ratios also supported enhanced diagenesis of stenols at POD. The source-specific biomarkers, while useful in qualitatively identifying the sources of sedimentary organic matter, likely do not represent the full spectrum of its reactivity. However, based on our results, we hypothesize that the intense sediment disturbance at POD promotes degradation of more recalcitrant organic material, due to prolonged exposure to oxygen and other electron acceptors (e.g., NO3−, Mn and Fe oxides). In contrast, the degradation of more labile constituents is equally facilitated by biological and physical disturbance.
Templating silicon nanowires seeded with oxygen reactive materials

The nanopatterning of semiconductors and other surfaces in a controlled manor is of a great interest for industrial application. The current technique is a new method of controlling the spatial placement of the growth of nanowires (NWs) seeded with oxygen reactive materials such as aluminum, which is a standard metal in silicon process line. The technique is based about patterning a semiconductor substrate or other like substrate which is capable of forming a semiconductor alloy with an oxygen reactive element during a subsequent annealing step. Moreover, it does not require removal of the patterned compound oxide layer.
Auditor: a microcomputer‐based expert system to support auditors in the field

: Public accounting firms are beginning to use more sophisticated forms of decision support as competitive pressures rise and technological advances are made. One form of support is the microcomputer-based expert system. This paper describes the development of one such system to aid external auditors in estimating the dollar amount of their client's uncollectible accounts receivable. The resulting system is Auditor, which is based on the general inference engine, AL/X, developed by Michie. The details of the development process from initial interviews to validation are presented. Insights into the process of audit decision making and into the development of microcomputer-based expert system for auditing are discussed.
Comparison of autoionization and photoelectron spectra for CO

Abstract Photoelectron spectra and the autoionization portion of the Auger spectra are compared for CO. Eight final states of the photoelectron spectra coincide with those of the autoionization spectra: three of them are the well-known one-hole states and the other five are two-hole—one-electron states. A photoelectron band at 27.4 eV is identified for the first time by its exact match to the strongest band of the autoionization spectra. The symmetries of these and other two-hole—one-electron states are induced by comparing the intensifies of X-ray and UV photoelectron spectra.
Gender and Conversational Interaction

Gender and Conversational Interaction. Deborah Tannen ed. Oxford Studies in Sociolinguistics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. 327 pp.
Racial Disparities in Intensity of Care at the End-of-Life: Are Trauma Patients the Same as the Rest?

Introduction . Medicare data show Blacks and Hispanics use more health care resources in the last six months of life than Whites. We sought to determine if similar differences exist in trauma patients who died following moderate to severe injury. Methods . We analyzed data from a prospective cohort study of 18 Level 1 and 51 non-trauma centers in 12 states to examine racial/ethnic variation in intensity of care and hospital costs. Results . Blacks were more likely than Whites to receive critical care consultation RR=1.67 (95% CI, 1.22, 2.30), specialty assessments RR=1.44 (95% CI, 1.12, 1.86) and procedures RR=1.22 (95% CI, 1.00, 150). Hispanics were less likely than Whites to have withdrawal-of-care orders, RR=0.72 (95% CI, 0.53, 0.98). Conclusion . Among patients who die after trauma, Blacks receive higher intensity of care and Hispanics were less likely to have withdrawal of care orders than others. This suggests racial disparities in patient preferences and provider treatment.
Direct manipulations of B-spline and NURBS curves

This paper presents a method for the direct manipulations of B-spline and non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) curves using geometric constraints. A deformable model is developed to define the deformation energy functional of B-spline and NURBS curves. The finite element method is used to minimize the deformation energy functional and solve for the deformed shape of curves subjected to constraints. This approach results in a set of linear equations for a B-spline curve and a set of non-linear equations for a NURBS curve. A perspective mapping is used to linearize the NURBS formulations. NURBS curves are first mapped from the 3D Cartesian coordinate space to the 4D homogeneous coordinate space, and transformed to 4D B-spline curves. After the manipulation in the 4D homogeneous coordinate space, the modified NURBS curves are then mapped back to the 3D Cartesian coordinate space. The approach is implemented by a prototype program, which is written in C, and runs under WINDOWS. Several examples are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of this approach. q 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Reliability of image-free navigation to monitor lower-limb alignment.

Proper alignment of the mechanical axis of the lower limb is the principal goal of a high tibial osteotomy. A well-accepted and relevant technical specification is the coronal plane lower-limb alignment. Target values for coronal plane alignment after high tibial osteotomy include 2° of overcorrection, while tolerances for this specification have been established as 2° to 4°. However, the role of axial plane and sagittal plane realignment after high tibial osteotomy is poorly understood; consequently, targets and tolerance for this technical specification remain undefined. This article reviews the literature concerning the reliability and precision of navigation in monitoring the clinically relevant specification of lower-limb alignment in high tibial osteotomy. We conclude that image-free navigation registration may be clinically useful for intraoperative monitoring of the coronal plane only. Only fair and poor results for the axial and sagittal planes can be obtained by image-free navigation systems. In the future, combined image-based data, such as those from radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging, and gait analysis, may be used to help to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of quantitative intraoperative monitoring of lower-limb alignment.
Rare Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Regulatory Regions of the Superoxide Dismutase Genes in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Oxidative stress is suspected to be one of the several contributing factors in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We analyzed genes of the superoxide dismutase family (SOD1, SOD2, and SOD3) that are part of a major antioxidative stress system in human in order to detect the genetic variants contributing to the development of ASD. Using the optimized high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis, we identified two rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the etiology of ASD. Both are located in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene and have a minor allele frequency in healthy population ∼5%. The SNP c.239 + 34A>C (rs2234694) and SNP g.3341C>G (rs36233090) were detected with an odds ratio of 2.65 and P < 0.01. Both are located in the noncoding potentially regulatory regions of the SOD1 gene. This adds to the importance of rare SNPs in the etiology of complex diseases as well as to the importance of noncoding genetic variants analysis with a potential influence on the regulation of gene expression. Autism Res 2014, 7: 138–144. © 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Disc–jet coupling in black hole accretion systems – I. General relativistic magnetohydrodynamical models

General relativistic numerical simulations of magnetized accretion flows around black holes show a disordered electromagnetic structure in the disc and corona and a highly relativistic, Poynting-dominated funnel jet in the polar regions. The polar jet is nearly consistent with the stationary paraboloidal Blandford-Znajek model of an organized field threading the polar regions of a rotating black hole. How can a disordered accretion disc and corona lead to an ordered jet? We show that the polar jet is associated with a strikingly simple angular-integrated toroidal current distribution dI Φ /dr oc r -5/4 , where I Φ (r) is the toroidal current enclosed inside radius r. We demonstrate that the poloidal magnetic field in the simulated jet agrees well with the force-free field solution for a non-rotating thin disc with an r -5/4 toroidal current, suggesting rotation leads to negligible self-collimation. We find that the polar field is confined/collimated by the corona. We also study the properties of the bulk of the simulated disc, which contains a turbulent magnetic field locked to the disc's Keplerian rotation except for rapidly rotating prograde black holes (a/M≥ 0.4) for which within r ≤ 3GM/c 2 the field locks to roughly half the black hole spin frequency. The electromagnetic field in the disc also scales as r -5/4 , which is consistent with some Newtonian accretion models that assume rough equipartition between magnetic and gas pressure. However, the agreement is accidental since towards the black hole the magnetic pressure increases faster than the gas pressure. This field dominance near the black hole is associated with magnetic stresses that imply a large effective viscosity parameter a ∼1, whereas the typically assumed value of a ∼0.1 holds far from the black hole.
The Ineludible (Constitutional) Politics of Guns

The murders at Newtown intensified the American political debate about guns — a debate that often fits within the framework of a larger national conversation about violent crime and the political approaches to addressing it. Yet the gun control debate has resulted in a strange but fascinating intersection of law and politics, particularly law and politics of the constitutional sort, when we consider where the historical political battle lines have been drawn on matters of crime and punishment. This Article, written as part of a symposium on the Second Amendment and gun control, explores that intersection, giving special attention to the law and politics of federalism as reflected in the narrative concerning the “overfederalization” of crime. Rather than focusing on gun rights and the Second Amendment, then, this paper focuses on Congress’s power to create federal gun crimes using the authority of the Commerce Clause. The Article traces the relevant Supreme Court and lower court decisions and evaluates the state of Commerce Clause litigation involving federal gun possession crimes. The Article ultimately suggests that, because federalism has become a consistent theme of Roberts Court jurisprudence, firearms-related litigation could be a vehicle for Commerce Clause-based federalism to reemerge as a mechanism for cabining federal criminal law-making power. This would be appealing to those, particularly on the political Right, who favor sensible gun controls and have a comparatively narrow view of gun rights, but who are also troubled by the contemporary scope of federal criminal law powers.
Faulting along the southern margin of Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee

Abstract The Reelfoot Lake basin, Tennessee, is structurally complex and of great interest seismologically because it is located at the junction of two seismicity trends of the New Madrid seismic zone. To better understand the structure at this location, a 7.5-km-long seismic reflection profile was acquired on roads along the southern margin of Reelfoot Lake. The seismic line reveals a westerly dipping basin bounded on the west by the Reelfoot reverse fault zone, the Ridgely right-lateral transpressive fault zone on the east, and the Cottonwood Grove right-lateral strike-slip fault in the middle of the basin. The displacement history of the Reelfoot fault zone appears to be the same as the Ridgely fault zone, thus suggesting that movement on these fault zones has been synchronous, perhaps since the Cretaceous. Since the Reelfoot and Ridgely fault systems are believed responsible for two of the main-shocks of 1811-1812, the fault history revealed in the Reelfoot Lake profile suggests that multiple mainshocks may be typical of the New Madrid seismic zone. The Ridgely fault zone consists of two northeast-striking faults that lie at the base of and within the Mississippi Valley bluff line. This fault zone has 15 m of post-Eocene, up-to-the-east displacement and appears to locally control the eastern limit of Mississippi River migration. The Cottonwood Grove fault zone passes through the center of the seismic line and has approximately 5 m of up-to-the-east displacement. Correlation of the Cottonwood Grove fault with a possible fault scarp on the floor of Reelfoot Lake and the New Markham fault north of the lake suggests the Cottonwood Grove fault may change to a northerly strike at Reelfoot Lake, thereby linking the northeast-trending zones of seismicity in the New Madrid seismic zone.
A proposed modification of the arterial switch operation: When better may not be the enemy of good.

From the Department of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, American Family Children’s Hospital, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wis. Disclosures: Author has nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication Feb 26, 2016; accepted for publication Feb 27, 2016; available ahead of print March 23, 2016. Address for reprints: Petros V. Anagnostopoulos, MD, American Family Children’s Hospital, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, H4/358 Clinical Sciences Center, 600 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53792 (E-mail: petros@surgery.wisc.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2016;151:e93-4 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2016 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.02.061