cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Probability Model of Load Exceedances under Cyclic Loadings

A probability model for nonlinear load exceedances subjected to a Poisson process with reversible cyclic load pulses was developed and is presented in this paper. A reversible cyclic load models are those load processes which may have bidirectional loadings such as earthquake loads, thermal loads or wind loads. The load deformation relationship used in the study was assumed to be bilinear with the unloading parallel to the initial loading path and the compressive properties being the same as tensile. A probability mass function for the load exceedances was developed based on a Markov process. Good agreements were found between the probability model developed and the histograms computed based on simulated load processes.
The Effect of Ionic Strength and pH on the Electrostatic Stabilization of NanoRDX

In this work, 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) with an average crystal size of 300 nm was prepared by bead milling to examine the effect of pH and ionic strength on the Zeta potential. The results showed that nanoRDX has no isoelectric point within the entire range studied (2<pH<11) . The maximum Zeta potential was reached under alkaline conditions of pH 11. The results indicate that the ionic strength, even at low concentrations of NaCl (0.002 mol/L), can increase the Zeta potential of the nanoRDX by 37 %. The Derjaguin-Landau and Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory was used to evaluate the stabilization of nanoRDX at different ionic strengths. The Hamaker constant was determined to be 1.84×10-20 J and the total potential energy of interaction was computed at different electrolyte concentrations. The DLVO theory predicts that 300 nm RDX particles are stable at a low salt concentration of 0.002 mol/L and unstable at 0.1 mol/L. Turbidity test was conducted for nanoRDX dispersed in a solution of pH 11 and electrolyte concentration (NaCl) of 0.002 mol/L and compared to the nanoRDX dispersed only in water. The turbidity test qualitatively confirmed the results predicted by DLVO theory and Zeta potential measurements, showing that the nanoRDX dispersion was stabilized with the addition of electrolyte in an alkaline solution.
Role of Behavioral Heterogeneity in Aggregate Financial Market Behavior: An Agent-Based Approach

Abstract In this paper, an agent-based model of stock market is proposed to study the effects of cognitive processes and behaviors of the traders (e.g. decision-making, interpretation of public information and learning) on the emergent phenomena of financial markets. In financial markets, psychology and sociology of the traders play a critical role in giving rise to unique and unexpected (emergent) macroscopic properties. This study suggests that local interactions, rational and irrational decision-making approaches and heterogeneity, which has been incorporated into different aspects of agent design, are among the key elements in modeling financial markets. When heterogeneity of the strategies used by the agents increases, volatility clustering and excess kurtosis arises in the model, which is in agreement with real market fluctuations. To evaluate the effectiveness and validity of the approach, a series of statistical analysis was conducted to test the artificial data with respect to a benchmark provided by the Bank of America (BAC) stock over a sufficiently long period of time. The results revealed that the model was able to reproduce and explain some of the most important stylized facts observed in actual financial time series and was consistent with empirical observations.
An Empirical Model of the Determinants of Public Opinion on Economic Globalization

We present the empirical framework that we employ when conducting our principle analysis. Specifically, we present a baseline econometric model and a series of closely-related regression specifications. Discussion of the choice of explanatory variables is coupled with the presentation of the empirical model, the included variables, and the estimation techniques that we employ. Finally, as motivation for the analysis to follow, we also review the findings obtained from the examination of a series of survey questions that provide insights into public opinion on immigrants and immigration, international trade, and FDI inflows.
Duplex Tear Film Evaporation Analysis

Tear film thinning, hyperosmolarity, and breakup can cause irritation and damage to the human eye, and these form an area of active investigation for dry eye syndrome research. Recent research demonstrates that deficiencies in the lipid layer may cause locally increased evaporation, inducing conditions for breakup. In this paper, we explore the conditions for tear film breakup by considering a model for tear film dynamics with two mobile fluid layers, the aqueous and lipid layers. In addition, we include the effects of osmosis, evaporation as modified by the lipid, and the polar portion of the lipid layer. We solve the system numerically for reasonable parameter values and initial conditions and analyze how shifts in these cause changes to the system's dynamics.
Infection of Caenorhabditis elegans with Vesicular Stomatitis Virus via Microinjection

Over the past 15 years, the free-living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans has become an important model system for exploring eukaryotic innate immunity to bacterial and fungal pathogens. More recently, infection models using either natural or non-natural nematode viruses have also been established in C. elegans. These models offer new opportunities to use the nematode to understand eukaryotic antiviral defense mechanisms. Here we report protocols for the infection of C. elegans with a non-natural viral pathogen, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) through microinjection. We also describe how recombinant VSV strains encoding fluorescent or luciferase reporter genes can be used in conjunction with simple fluorescence-, survival-, and luminescence-based assays to identify host genetic backgrounds with differential susceptibilities to virus infection.
Hospitalist Perspective of Interactions with Medicine Subspecialty Consult Services.

Background Medicine subspecialty consultation is becoming increasingly important in inpatient medicine. Objective We conducted a survey study in which we examined hospitalist practices and attitudes regarding medicine subspecialty consultation. Design and setting The survey instrument was developed by the authors based on prior literature and administered online anonymously to hospitalists at 4 academic medical centers in the United States. Measurements The survey evaluated 4 domains: (1) current consultation practices, (2) preferences regarding consultation, (3) barriers to and facilitating factors of effective consultation, and (4) a comparison between hospitalist-fellow and hospitalist-subspecialty attending interactions. Results One hundred twenty-two of 261 hospitalists (46.7%) responded. The majority of hospitalists interacted with fellows during consultation. Of those, 90.9% reported that in-person communication occurred during less than half of consultations, and 64.4% perceived pushback at least "sometimes " in their consult interactions. Participants viewed consultation as an important learning experience, preferred direct communication with the consulting service, and were interested in more teaching during consultation. The survey identified a number of barriers to and facilitating factors of an effective hospitalist-consultant interaction, which impacted both hospitalist learning and patient care. Hospitalists reported more positive experiences when interacting with subspecialty attendings compared to fellows with regard to multiple aspects of the consultation. Conclusion The hospitalist-consultant interaction is viewed as important for both hospitalist learning and patient care. Multiple barriers and facilitating factors impact the interaction, many of which are amenable to intervention.
Autopsy case of aortic dissection after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Aortic dissection is one of the severe but rare vascular complications arising from transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). This paper presents an autopsy case of an 81-year-old male patient with delayed aortic dissection with underlying haemorrhages and acute inflammation 3 years after TAVI.
The Impact of Obesity on the Perioperative, Clinicopathologic, and Oncologic Outcomes of Robot Assisted Total Mesorectal Excision for Rectal Cancer.

Purpose To analyze the feasibility and outcomes of robotic rectal cancer surgery in obese patients. Methods From 2005 to 2012, 101 consecutive rectal cancers operated robotically were enrolled in a prospective database. Patients were stratified into obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI l 30 kg/m2) groups. Operative, perioperative parameters, and pathologic outcomes were compared. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0, while statistical significance was defined as a p value ≤ .05. Results There were 33 obese patients (mean BMI 33.8 kg/m2). Patients were comparable regarding gender, T stage, and type of operation. Operative time and blood loss were higher in the obese group; only operative time was statistically significant. The conversion rate, length of stay, and anastomotic leak rates were similar. Circumferential margin positivity and lymph node yield were comparable. Disease free and overall survivals at 3 years were 75.8% versus 80.9% and 84.8% versus 92.6%, respectively for obese and non-obese subgroups. Conclusions Robotic surgery for curative treatment of rectal cancer in the obese is safe and feasible. BMI does not influence conversion rates, length of stay, postoperative complications, and quality of the specimen or survival when the robotic platform is used.
Lithium fuel cells:: I. Lithium/poly(organophosphazene) membrane anodes in KOH and seawater

Abstract The main goal of our research project is to design safe, high energy and power density lithium/water systems. We explored the feasibility of substituting the natural bilayer (formed on the lithium surface when lithium is in contact with water), for a thin polymeric film. By substituting the natural bilayer film we hope to reduce the parasitic reactions occurring at the lithium/water interface, thus yielding an increase in the anodic efficiency. We investigated the effect of placing or casting a thin, (lithium/ion-conducting) polymer layer on the lithium metal surface. This paper is part one in a series of two papers. Paper I presents the results obtained with a lithium/polymer system, where the polymer was a monolayer of a polyphosphazene with 90% trifluoromethylphenoxy and 10% lithium carboxyphenoxy side groups (Polymer 4), or a multilayer film formed of one layer of poly[bis(methoxyethoxyethoxy)phosphazene] (MEEP) and one to three layers of Polymer 4 containing from 0 to 75 wt.% of lithium triflate salts. Paper II presents results obtained when the polymer layers were prepared using a polymer with equal amounts of methoxyethoxyethoxy and phenoxy side groups containing from 0 to 75 wt.% of lithium triflate salts. Phosphazene membranes have been designed and tailored to allow lithium ion conduction and prevent water migration to the surface of lithium metal. The phosphazene membranes enhance the safety of an aqueous lithium cell by inhibiting (or reducing) the reaction of lithium with water that evolves hydrogen at the anode. Original tests of lithium/phosphazene systems led to unpredictable open circuit voltages (OCVs). When the adhesion of the membrane to the lithium metal was improved, the OCV stabilized. The OCVs for the half-cell of lithium polymer aqueous electrolytes varies between −3.1 and −2.8 VSCE, depending on the membrane. The current densities for this polymer system are in the range of 10−6–10−3 A/cm2. The Columbic anodic efficiency is assumed to be near 100%—as hydrogen evolution is not measurable. Some of the polymeric membranes developed pinholes with use. Layered systems have also been designed to avoid the development of pinholes over time. In this paper, we present the results obtained by using polyphosphazenes with a 9:1 ratio of trifluoromethylphenoxy and p-carboxyphenoxy side groups and the lithium salt of the carboxylate function. Poly(organophosphazene) membranes with a single layer and a multilayer structure were tested in 8 M KOH or synthetic seawater for up to 5 days.
Fusion of Global and Local Measurements of Damage in Bonded Joints

In this study we evaluate the measurements of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor embedded at the adhesive layer of a single composite lap joint subjected to harmonic excitation after fatigue loading. After a fully-reversed cyclic fatigue loading is applied to the composite lap joint, the full spectral response of the sensor is interrogated in reflection at 100 kHz during two states: with and without an added harmonic excitation. The dynamic response of the FBG sensor indicates strong nonlinearities as damage progresses. The short-time Fourier transform (STFT) is computed for the extracted peak wavelength information to reveal time-dependent frequencies and amplitudes of the dynamic FBG sensor response. Pulsed-phase thermography indicates a progression in defect size at the adhesive layer that strongly suggests non-uniform loading of the FBG sensor. These imaging results are applied to finite element modeling of the joint to simulate the non-linearities in the structural response.
Latent Theoretical Convergence upon a Pluralist Conception of Economic Action: Adam Smith and Max Weber

This paper engages in exploring certain latent theoretical convergences between the works of Adam Smith and Max Weber. The fact that these two have been major protagonists in the establishment and development of political economy and sociology respectively gives a rationale to such an endeavor. Another rationale is provided by the paucity of attempts at exploring the theoretical relations between Smith and Weber in the current economic and sociological literature. Helping fill in this gap in the literature is the paper's intended contribution. That Weber's writings contain pertinent convergences with Smith's work is the general premise of this article. In particular, the treatment of economic action epitomizes these congruencies between Smith's political economy and Weber's economic sociology.
Molecular testing during AML treatment for early prediction of clinical response.

7047Background: Early prediction of response in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy may have clinical utility. Currently, measurable residual disease (MRD) testi...
David Oliver: Should we use pay incentives for shortage specialties?

The crisis in recruitment and retention of the clinical workforce is the biggest threat to the viability of the health service in the UK. This stark reality has been acknowledged by think tanks, royal colleges, unions, professional organisations, and NHS leadership bodies.123 One in 10 medical vacancies is unfilled,4 and in the annual British Social Attitudes survey the public cited staff pressures and shortages as key concerns. Some clinical specialties are struggling especially hard to fill posts and to retain staff close to retirement age, with big geographical inequities.5 We need a whole variety of actions to train, support, re-enthuse, and retain more staff. Might pay incentives …
Interdigitating Rectangular Flaps and Dorsal Pentagonal Island Flap for Syndactyly Release.

Purpose Interdigitating triangular flaps is the most commonly described technique for syndactyly release. However, triangular flaps may be associated with flap misalignment, flap tip necrosis, and a steep learning curve in design and technique. This study describes a series of syndactyly reconstructions using interdigitating rectangular flaps in both simple and complex syndactyly. Methods A single surgeon’s experience of syndactyly reconstruction using interdigitating rectangular flaps was reviewed retrospectively. Patient demographics, associated syndromes, operative technique, complications, and recurrences were analyzed. Results Ninety-four web spaces in 50 children with 16 simple incomplete, 36 simple complete, 14 complex, 26 complicated, and 2 unclassified syndactylies were reconstructed with interdigitating rectangular flaps. Seventy-eight commissures were reconstructed with a dorsal pentagonal island flap and 16 with a dorsal rhomboid flap. Full-thickness skin grafts were used in 98% of webs. Five major complications required surgical intervention—2 recurrences, 2 web space scarrings, and 1 wound infection. Ten minor complications occurred—skin graft donor site dehiscence (3), partial loss of the skin graft (4), minor distal interphalangeal joint flexion contractures (2), and a case of minor web creep (1). Average follow-up was 13.7 months. All parents were satisfied with the function and appearance of their child’s reconstructed digits. Conclusions Interdigitating rectangular flaps provide an effective technique for release of both simple and complex syndactyly. Advantages include easy learning owing to the relative simplicity of design; intraoperative modification of flap design (cut as you go), and wide flap tips, which prevent flap tip necrosis. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Cardiovascular Health Trends in Electronic Health Record Data (2012-2015): A Cross-Sectional Analysis of The Guideline Advantage™.

Background: Electronic health record (EHR) data can measure cardiovascular health (CVH) of patient populations, but have limited generalizability when derived from one health care system. Objective: We used The Guideline Advantage™ (TGA) data repository, comprising EHR data of patients from 8 diverse health care systems, to describe CVH of adult patients and progress towards the American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) 2020 Impact Goals. Methods: Our analysis included 203,488 patients with 677,733 encounters recorded in TGA from 2012 to 2015. Five measures from EHRs [cigarette smoking status, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus (DM)] were categorized as poor/intermediate/ideal according to AHA’s Life’s Simple 7 algorithm. We presented distributions and trends of CVH for each metric over time, first using all available data, and then in a subsample (n = 1,890) of patients with complete data on all metrics. Results: Among all patients, the greatest stride towards ideal CVH attainment from 2012 to 2015 was for cigarette smoking (50.6 percent to 65 percent), followed by DM (17.3 percent to 20.7 percent) and BP (21.1 percent to 23.2 percent). Overall, prevalence of ideal CVH did not increase for any metric in the subsample. Males slightly improved in ideal CVH for BMI and cholesterol; meanwhile, females saw no improvement in ideal CVH for any metric. As ideal CVH for BP and cholesterol increased slightly among white patients, ideal CVH for BP, cholesterol, BMI, and DM worsened for non-whites. Conclusion: Despite improvements in some CVH metrics in the outpatient setting, more tangible progress is needed to meet AHA’s 2020 Impact Goals.
The Status of Large-Scale Assessment Practices for Students with Disabilities in Rural America:

The status of large-scale assessment practices for students with disabilities in rural states compared to urban and other states is explored in this article. Based on responses to a survey of state...
Mobility Prediction Based Proactive Dynamic Network Orchestration for Load Balancing With QoS Constraint (OPERA)

Load imbalance among small and macro cells is a major challenge that undermines the gains of emerging ultradense heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Existing load balancing (LB) schemes have one common caveat which is operating in reactive mode i.e., cell parameters are tweaked reactively in accordance with the dynamics of cell loads. The inherent reactiveness of these LB schemes hinder in achieving promising quality of experience (QoE) gains from 5G and beyond. To cope with this issue, in this paper we propose a novel proactive load balancing framework “OPERA” empowered by mobility prediction paradigm for future ultra dense networks (UDNs). The pro-activeness of OPERA stems from its novel capability that instead of passively waiting for congestion indicators to be observed and then reacting to them, OPERA predicts future cell loads and then proactively optimizes key antenna parameters and cell individual offsets (CIOs) to preempt congestion before it happens. OPERA also incorporates capacity and coverage constraints and load aware association strategy for ensuring conflict free operation of LB and coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) self-organizing network (SON) functions. Simulation results show that compared to real network deployments settings and published state-of-the-art reactive schemes, OPERA can yield significant gain in terms of fairness in load distribution and percentage of satisfied users. Superior performance of OPERA on several fronts compared to current schemes stems from its following features: 1) It preempts congestion instead of reacting to it; 2) it actuates more parameters than any current LB schemes thereby increasing system level capacity instead of just shifting it among cells; 3) while performing LB OPERA simultaneously maximizes residual capacity while incorporating throughput and coverage constraints; 4) it incorporates a load aware association strategy for ensuring conflict free operation of LB and CCO SON functions; 5) the ahead of time estimation of cell loads allows ample time for heuristics search algorithms to find LB solutions with high gain.
Provider-Patient Communication on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) for HIV Prevention: An Exploration of Healthcare Provider Challenges.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a once-daily pill prescribed by healthcare providers to protect patients from contracting HIV. Current data suggests that a minority of healthcare providers have ...
Compared to whom? Social and historical reference points and performance appraisals by managers, students, and the general public

Experimental studies in public administration often focus on samples of non-practitioner groups. In these cases, it is unclear whether findings from non-practitioner groups are generalizable to public managers. Some literature suggests that bureaucrats are likely to hold biases similar to the rest of the population while other research argues that bureaucratic expertise and training allow practitioners to make decisions in more strategic or rational ways. This study works within the literature of performance information to test for differences in responses to the same experiment among college students, citizens, and public managers in the context of U.S. K-12 education. Some differences were detected across groups, though results reveal largely similar findings which have implications for when and how scholars might rely on non-practitioner samples to consider the attitudes and behaviors of bureaucrats or elected policymakers.
Association of Epileptiform Abnormality on Electroencephalography with Development of Epilepsy After Acute Brain Injury.

Epileptiform abnormalities (EA) on continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) are associated with increased risk of acute seizures; however, data on their association with development of long-term epilepsy are limited. We aimed to investigate the association of EA in patients with acute brain injury (ABI): ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, traumatic brain injury, encephalitis, or posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, and subsequent development of epilepsy. This was a retrospective, single-center study of patients with ABI who had at least 6 hours of cEEG during the index admission between 1/1/2017 and 12/31/2018 and at least 12 months of follow-up. We compared patients with EAs; defined as lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs), lateralized rhythmic delta activity (LRDA), generalized periodic discharges (GPDs), and sporadic interictal epileptiform discharges (sIEDs) to patients without EAs on cEEG. The primary outcome was the new development of epilepsy, defined as the occurrence of spontaneous clinical seizures following hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included time to development of epilepsy and use of anti-seizure medications (ASMs) at the time of last follow-up visit. One hundred and one patients with ABI met study inclusion criteria. Thirty-one patients (30.7%) had EAs on cEEG. The median (IQR) time to cEEG was 2 (1–5) days. During a median (IQR) follow-up period of 19.1 (16.2–24.3) months, 25.7% of patients developed epilepsy; the percentage of patients who developed epilepsy was higher in those with EAs compared to those without EAs (41.9% vs. 18.6%, p = 0.025). Patients with EAs were more likely to be continued on ASMs during follow-up compared to patients without EAs (67.7% vs. 38.6%, p = 0.009). Using multivariable Cox regression analysis, after adjusting for age, mental status, electrographic seizures on cEEG, sex, ABI etiology, and ASM treatment on discharge, patients with EAs had a significantly increased risk of developing epilepsy compared to patients without EA (hazard ratio 3.39; 95% CI 1.39–8.26; p = 0.007). EAs on cEEG in patients with ABI are associated with a greater than three-fold increased risk of new-onset epilepsy. cEEG findings in ABI may therefore be a useful risk stratification tool for assessing long-term risk of seizures and serve as a biomarker for new-onset epilepsy.
Factors Influencing Outcomes of the Dysplastic Hip in Nonambulatory Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Background Hip dysplasia in the nonambulatory child with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) is a common condition not always effectively treated with conservative measures even when recognized early. Optimal surgical intervention strategies and timing are not clear from previous studies. Contralateral hips with less severe subluxation in these patients also often undergo surgery and little is known of outcomes of these less severe hips. This study aims to clarify treatment factors related to long term success following hip surgery for subluxation in nonambulatory children with CP. Methods A total of 183 nonambulatory subjects with CP and a minimum of 2-year follow-up were included. All subjects underwent varus rotational osteotomy of the femur; other surgical factors considered were addition of pelvic osteotomy (PO), capsulorrhaphy, and soft tissue releases. Additional factors studied were age at index surgery, sex, and unilateral versus bilateral surgery. Severely subluxated (SS) hips, defined as having >50% migration, were studied separately from contralateral nonsevere hips. Surgeries were deemed successful if final follow-up indicated a migration of 25% migration were categorized as failures. Results A 60% success rate was found in SS hips and a 68% success rate in nonsevere hips. Age at index surgery did not influence success rates in SS hips. In the nonsevere hips, success was associated with index surgery at older age. The addition of a PO was the only concomitant procedure demonstrated to improve outcomes. In SS hips, those with a successful outcome were 2.5 times more likely to have had a PO. The addition of capsulorrhaphy had a negative effect on the entire group, reducing odds of success to 0.8. No other factors were significant. Conclusions The findings from this multicenter retrospective study suggest that PO be added to varus rotational osteotomies in patients with severe hip subluxation. Surgery should be undertaken for severe dysplasia without concern for age. The addition of capsulorrhaphy does not improve rate of success. Level of evidence Level III-retrospective comparative study.
The association of co-morbid asthma and overweight/obese status with healthcare utilization and caregiver perception of health in children 4-17 years, a NHANES study.

Asthma and obesity are two of the most common chronic childhood illnesses. The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between co-morbid asthma and obesity in children aged ...
Estimation and construction of confidence intervals for biomarker cutoff-points under the shortest Euclidean distance from the ROC surface to the perfection corner

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive type of cancer with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. As in many other diseases, its diagnosis might involve progressive stages. It is common that in biomarker studies referring to PDAC, recruitment involves three groups: healthy individuals, patients that suffer from chronic pancreatitis, and PDAC patients. Early detection and accurate classification of the state of the disease are crucial for patients' successful treatment. ROC analysis is the most popular way to evaluate the performance of a biomarker and the Youden index is commonly employed for cutoff derivation. The so-called generalized Youden index has a drawback in the three-class case of not accommodating the full data set when estimating the optimal cutoffs. In this article, we explore the use of the Euclidean distance of the ROC to the perfection corner for the derivation of cutoffs in trichotomous settings. We construct an inferential framework that involves both parametric and nonparametric techniques. Our methods can accommodate the full information of a given data set and thus provide more accurate estimates in terms of the decision-making cutoffs compared with a Youden-based strategy. We evaluate our approaches through extensive simulations and illustrate them on a PDAC biomarker study.
A Galvanizing Solution: Colonoscopy Bowel Preparation as a Trigger for Supraventricular Tachycardia.

Background:Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based solutions are among the most commonly used bowel preparation regimens for colonoscopy. Although these solutions are well tolerated, rare adverse cardiac e...
Linear Systems Modelling with Wavelet Theory

This chapter addresses system modelling with wavelet theory. The previous chapters presented the wavelet theory that is required for this chapter. Multiple, and possibly unconstrained, wavelet transforms and their resolution properties were accentuated. This freedom in the choice of the mother wavelet is critical for formulating system models with wavelet theory. This chapter constructs linear, time-varying system models with wavelet theory. This new system model exploits specific results of the previous chapters; it also justifies the topics covered in the previous chapters.
Hck: Hck protein-tyrosine kinase (vertebrates) (p59hck)

Hck is a membrane-associated nonreceptor protein-tyrosine kinase. Originally identified by virtue of its similarity to other Src family members, HCK transcripts have been shown to accumulate primarily in hematopoietic cells, especially monocytes and granulocytes. Neither receptors that stimulate Hck, nor substrates upon which it acts have been unambiguously identified. Expression of Hck increases in human leukemic cell lines as differentiation proceeds. By analogy with other better-characterized Src family members, the myristoylated N-terminal region probably mediates interaction with transmembrane receptors. The kinase domain contains a single autophosphorylation site (Y390) and a C-terminal phosphorylation site (Y501) that acts as a negative regulatory element, in that mutations at this site unmask the transforming properties of the kinase. The activity of immunoprecipitated protein is customarily measured by autophosphorylation or phosphorylation of enolase (or other nonphysiological substrates) following incubation with [γ32P]ATP.
Rent Control and Rent Stabilization as Forms of Regulatory and Physical Takings

The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits the government’s taking of private property without adequate compensation. Rent controls and rent stabilization unduly burden property owners by depriving them of market rate rental revenue. Furthermore, these methods of producing artificially low rents are often ineffective, failing to alleviate the financial hardships of the programs’ intended beneficiaries. Due to these dual aspects of rent control and rent stabilization programs— as well as by analogizing the programs to more classically recognized forms of regulatory takings, such as where the government deprives a property owner of all reasonable uses of his land—this Note reasons that rent control and rent stabilization measures also constitute unconstitutional tak-
Applications of Vibrational Spectroscopy in the Study of Explosives

Abstract : This article discusses the ways in which vibrational spectroscopy is applied to the study of the class of energetic materials that are commonly called explosives. The article begins with a very brief overview of types and classes of explosives, continues with a few remarks about how a vibrational spectroscopist might approach the study of explosives, discusses some of the most common methods applied to the study of explosives, provides a brief summary of several investigations, and provides a table of vibrational spectroscopic methods and how they have been applied to the study of explosives. A glossary and list of references is also provided. The scientific literature over the last several decades contains thousands of articles dealing with spectroscopy of explosives. Even so, the number of review articles dealing with the applications of vibrational spectroscopy to the study of explosives is limited. Our goal in writing this article is to provide an entry point for those interested in the study of vibrational spectroscopy of explosives, and a reference tool to the spectroscopist currently engaged in explosives research.
Descartes Embodied: Descartes and Experiment in the Discourse and Essays

It is generally recognized that knowledge for Descartes is the clear and distinct perception of propositions by the intellect; knowledge in the strictest sense is certain, indeed indubitable, and grounded in the purely rational apprehension of truth. But it is also generally recognized that Descartes was a serious experimenter, at least in his biology and his optics, and that in these areas, at least, he seemed to hold that knowledge requires an appeal to experience and experiment. Writing, for example, in Part VI of the Discourse on Method , Descartes laments the fact that he has neither the time nor the resources to perform all the experiments ( experiences ) necessary to complete his system, and calls upon his readers to “communicate to me those that they have already made, and to help me in performing those which remain to be done” (AT VI 65). (One can see in the Discourse a clear anticipation of an important later literary form, the grant application.) To the twentieth-century philosopher this looks a bit puzzling: How can Descartes be both a rationalist, who sees knowledge as deriving from the intellect, and an experimentalist, who sees experiment and observation as essential to the enterprise of knowledge? This is the puzzle I would like to address in this essay. I shall argue that not only is there no contradiction here, but that the appeal to experience is an essential part of the method for constructing a deductive science. We shall begin with a brief account of Descartes' procedure for constructing his science, his method.
Abstract P150: Association of Non-Framingham Stroke Risk Factors With Incident Stroke Among Individuals With and Without Diabetes

Diabetes is a pro-inflammatory state characterized by a high burden of non-traditional risk factors not included in the Framingham stroke risk equation. We assessed the association between factors absent from the Framingham stroke risk equation with incident stroke among individuals with and without diabetes, separately, using the US population-based REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study. Diabetes was defined by self-report with concurrent insulin or oral hypoglycemic medication use, fasting serum glucose ≥126 mg/dL or non-fasting serum glucose ≥200 mg/dL. Non-Framingham risk factors included high sensitivity c-reactive protein >3.0 mg/dL, low high-density-lipoprotein (HDL-C; men: 150 mg/dL, abdominal obesity (waist circumference: men >102 cm, women >88 cm), urinary albumin-to-creatinine-ratio (ACR) >30 mg/dL, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Bi-annual telephone contacts were used to identify incident s...
A voltage-controlled double layer

In an MOS device, the application of a bias field across the oxide layer controls the concentration of electrons or holes in the channel and leads to enhanced conduction between the source and the drain. The concentration of ionic species in a double layer can be controlled in a similar way by applying a bias field across a dielectric layer in contact with bipolar medium. As an example, the effect of a bias field on the frequency response of an interdigital electrode structure in Exxon Univolt 60 transformer oil at room temperature was investigated experimentally. The frequency dependence of the gain and phase associated with the potentials at the driven and sensing electrodes are plotted for several values of the bias voltage. >
Automatic Classification of Article Errors in L2 Written English

This paper presents an approach to the automatic classification of article errors in non-native (L2) English writing, using data chosen from the MELD corpus that was purposely selected to contain only cases with article errors. We report on two experiments on the data: one to assess the performance of different machine learning algorithms in predicting correct article usage, and the other to determine the feasibility of using the MELD data to identify which linguistic properties of the noun phrase containing the article are the most salient with respect to the classification of errors in article usage.
Priming reverse transcription with oligo(dT) does not yield representative samples of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cDNA

Several recent publications have suggested that oligo(dT) can prime reverse transcription of several mycobacterial mRNAs. To determine if this is the case for most Mycobacterium tuberculosis mRNA species, reverse transcription reactions of M. tuberculosis RNA were primed with oligo(dT) or with other primers that did not target polyadenylylated sequences, and the resultant cDNA product was evaluated. Priming with oligo(dT) yielded more cDNA than priming with an arbitrary primer for only 1 of 12 unrelated M. tuberculosis genes, as measured by competitive PCR. Priming with oligo(dT) yielded cDNA for only 30% of the genes primed for by 37 M. tuberculosis genome-directed oligonucleotides, as assessed by hybridization of cDNA with an M. tuberculosis microarray. These data demonstrate that priming of reverse transcription of mycobacterial mRNA with oligo(dT) does not yield representative samples of cDNA.
Neuroethological Studies of Freely Swimming Aplysia Brasiliana

Recently developed neurophysiological and behavioural techniques were used to study swimming in the marine gastropod Aplysia brasiliana . Aplysia swim by bilateral parapodial flapping with an anterior to posterior meta-chronal wave. Parapodial oscillations are measured from video records. Population recordings from nerves innervating the parapodia during normal swimming in intact Aplysia reveal synchronous phasic activity in large efferent units associated with parapodial opening. Isolated brain studies and stimulation of central pathways in intact animals suggest a central pattern generator. We conclude that the output of the neuronal oscillator that controls parapodial flapping radiates synchronously from each pedal ganglion. The putative command to swim originates within the cerebral ganglia.
Psychological Contributions to Travel Demand Modeling

The area of travel demand modeling has traditionally been concerned with assessing the determinants of current travel patterns, predicting changes in these patterns as a function of projected changes in transportation systems, and developing more efficient transportation systems based on users’ needs and preferences. The concept of a demand for travel is essentially an economic one: Travel is rarely valued for its own sake; rather, it is valued as a means of attaining some other end. Theoretically, it should be possible to map out the quantities of travel that are purchased at each of a range of prices. Normative planning goals could then be achieved by setting supply of transportation and demand for transportation in equilibrium. Although this is an attractive concept, firmly grounded in the well-developed area of consumer theory in economics, a range of problems plagues most attempts to put it into operation in transportation planning. Indeed, research in the general area of travel demand modeling has been moving rapidly toward theory and methods that may be broadly viewed as attempts to develop explanations of human travel behavior, in general, and human travel choices, in particular. As will be described in this chapter, such research relies heavily on the contributions of psychological measurement and modeling.
Effect of nitrogen fertilizer and nodulation on lime-induced chlorosis in soybeans

Abstract Previous studies have indicated that addition of nitrogen to Fe‐inefficient PI54619–5–1 soybeans, when grown in calcareous Hacienda loam soil, intensified iron chlorosis. It was reasoned that when large amounts of nitrate were taken up, more hydroxyl ions were expelled by roots with resultant less availability of soil Fe. It was further reasoned that if N were fixed symbiotically, cation (K, Ca, Mg) uptake would considerably exceed anion (H2PO4 ‐, SO4 =, Cl‐) uptake with no need for uptake of NO3 ‐ with resultant increase in protons excreted. Iron availability then would be increased and there would be less Fe deficiency. An experiment was conducted with and without innoculation with the PI54619–5–1 soybeans in the calcareous soil to test the ability of nodules to prevent Fe chlorosis. The only plants in the experiment with nodules were those with innoculum added and these plants were most free of Fe chlorosis. Iron analyses indicated that the hypothesis may be correct. It can be concluded that c...
Siderophile trace element diffusion in Fe–Ni alloys

Abstract Experiments were performed in a piston cylinder apparatus to characterize the diffusion behavior of the siderophile elements, Mo, Cu, Pd, Au, and Re in solid Fe–Ni alloy (90 wt.% Fe, 10 wt.% Ni). All experiments were conducted at 1 GPa and temperatures ranging from 1175 to 1400 °C. Activation energies of all elements fall between 270 kJ/mol (Cu) and 360 kJ/mol (Mo). Mo, Cu, Pd, and Au all show similar diffusivities at the same conditions, but the diffusivity of Re was consistently close to an order of magnitude lower. Initial experiments on other refractory elements (Os, Pt, and Ir) indicate that their diffusivities are close to or slightly lower than that of Re.
A framework of distributed quality control

Abstract Historically, members of the supply chain exchanged quality-related information in a static, cumbersome manner. With recent advances in internet technologies, we propose that a new distributed quality control framework is possible. The proposed framework will support an initiative that integrates state-of-the-art information technologies with quality control tools for swift product design, process design, and quality assurance. The biggest impact of the proposed approach is that customers can be involved in decision making about product quality while the manufacturing of ordered products is being planned and produced, and after production at a supplier's facility is complete, without physically being there.
Ahmes expansions of formal Laurent series and a class of nonarchimedean integral domains

Let R be an integral domain with quotient field K . It is proved that each nonzero element fg −1 of K((X)) such that f, g e R[[X]] and deg( f ) g ) can be expressed as r 1 / h 1 + … + r m h m with each h i , e R[[X]] ,0≠ r i e R and {deg( h i )} positive strictly increasing if and only if∩ Rr n ≠ 0 for each nonzero element r of R . If the above conditions hold, then each fg −1 as above admits an expression of the above type with m = 1. The above conditions do hold if K((X)) is the quotient field of R[[X]] . The converse is false even if R is a valuation domain. Indeed, a valuation domain R admits such expansions within K((X)) if and only if each nonzero prime ideal of R has infinite height.
SIMPLE ANALYSIS AND GEOMETRIC OPTIMIZATION OF A PASSIVE OPTICAL LIMITER BASED ON INTERNAL SELF-ACTION

Passive optical limiting based on nonlinear refraction in a "thick" medium is analyzed using a simple model. In a tight focus geometry we found that the position of the sample with respect to the focal plane is an important parameter in the limiting characteristics of the device. In particular we have examined such characteristics in liquid CS2 using 300 ns pulses at 10.6 μm.
Combined Effects of Overflow and Quantization in Fixed-Point Digital Filters

Abstract The combined effect of two′s complement overflow and quantization in digital filters is investigated. It is shown that the filter dynamics can be quite different when the two nonlinear operations are operating together rather than individually. Both the state-space and direct-form structures are considered and sufficient conditions are established for stability under the combined effect of overflow and quantization. Some properties of limit cycles are also derived.
Novel mechanism for the Nafion membrane transfer of anthraquinones

The observed special behavior of anthraquinone and its derivatives in a Nafion membrane system is reported here. It is observed that anthraquinone (AQ) in aqueous suspension can diffuse through a Nafion membrane if there is a strongly reducing species on the acceptor side of the membrane. In order to explore this phenomenon, the authors use hydroquinone and soluble derivatives of AQ as models. It is shown that the reduction to the hydroquinone form increases the separation coefficient of the species above that expected by its molecular weight. Therefore, AQ must be a special exception as it can only diffuse through the membrane if it is first reduced to the corresponding anthrahydroquinone (AHQ) form. It is shown that a very high surface concentration of AHQ is responsible for the measurable permeation of the membrane by AQ species. The enhancement of membrane transfer by addition of dissolved wood lignin is also explored.
Ultrastructural lesions of retinal pericapillary Müller cells in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Seventeen Wistar inbred rats were made diabetic by a single injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg body weight) and were killed after periods of 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Pathological changes in pericapillary Muller cells of the retina were studied using electron microscopy. Basement membrane-like material proliferated in the intercellular space of the Muller cell network and occasionally appeared to insinuate into the Muller cell cytoplasm far from capillary pericytes and endothelial cells. The part of the Muller cell that was enveloped by proliferating basement membrane-like material showed partial necrosis which was thought to contribute to the widening of the capillary wall. A breakdown of the retinal framework, which leads to capillary dilatation, was also thought to be associated with partial necrosis of Muller cells. Highly electron-dense bodies accumulated in the Muller cell cytoplasm which surrounded the retinal capillaries. Ultrastructurally, these dense bodies resembled lysosomes. Their increased number might reflect the altered metabolism of the diabetic retina.