cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potential impact of drug effects, availability, pharmacokinetics, and screening on estimates of drugs implicated in cases of assault.

Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a serious and troubling crime. It is important to know if and how different drugs might be used to facilitate assault in order to deter such crime. There are a number of ways in which drugs that are used for DFSA might not be detected by routine screens. The purpose of this analysis was to draw reasonable inferences regarding drugs with a high likelihood of being used for DFSA and not being detected by routine screens. National data from poison control centres, hospital emergency rooms, and law enforcement seizures were used to evaluate the relative magnitude of problems and illicit availability associated with different classes of drugs. General drug classes were examined to include additional drugs that might be used for DFSA on the basis of their amnesic effects, widespread availability, and pharmacokinetics (i.e. short half-life). The benzodiazepine-site ligands zolpidem and eszopiclone, 'club drugs' GHB and ketamine, muscle relaxants such as carisoprodol, and antihistamines such as diphenhydramine were identified as drugs that might be used for DFSA and remain undetected by routine screens. Future studies that are designed to examine the role of these drugs in DFSA cases could provide better estimates of their use for DFSA. A better understanding of what is being missed in DFSA cases might help prioritize the development of new assays, provide rationale for the availability of particular assays for routine testing, and inform practitioners and the general public of the potential DFSA risks of certain drugs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en
A protocol for voice and data integration in undirectional bus networks

A movable-boundary protocol is proposed for integrating packet voice and data in unidirectional bus networks. The head station on the bus learns the number of ready-to-transmit voice stations by reading a request bit in the header of the received packets and allocates the exact number of voice slots needed in each frame. The protocol guarantees that the delay of a voice packet will not exceed two times the frame duration plus the round-trip signal propagation delay at the head station. The average data packet delay is evaluated using simulation and an approximate analysis method. >
From Text to Screen: Portraits of Collaboration in Uranus

In this article, I explore how collaborators are portrayed in Marcel Ayme’s 1948 novel Uranus and Claude Berri’s 1990 film adaptation, with particular emphasis on analysing the differences in attitudes towards and punishments for ideological and material collaboration. Whereas Ayme’s version presents a bitter criticism of the post-war purges, one in which nearly every character is guilty of some form of collaboration, Berri’s version downplays the extent and softens the consequences of collaboration, and thus offers a less pessimistic view of France in 1945. Next, I examine Ayme’s ‘suspect’ reputation as a supporter of notorious collaborationists such as Robert Brasillach, and explore parallels between France’s prosecution of writers and the novel’s portrayal of the hunt for the collaborationist journalist Maxime Loin. Finally, I address how the novel and film demonstrate changing attitudes towards history.
Truncation of type IV pilin induces mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO579

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram negative, opportunistic pathogen that uses the overproduction of alginate, a surface polysaccharide, to form biofilms in vivo. Overproduction of alginate, also known as mucoidy, affords the bacterium protection from the host's defenses and facilitates the establishment of chronic lung infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis. Expression of the alginate biosynthetic operon is primarily controlled by the alternative sigma factor AlgU (AlgT/σ(22) ). In a nonmucoid strain, AlgU is sequestered by the transmembrane antisigma factor MucA to the cytoplasmic membrane. AlgU can be released from MucA via regulated intramembrane proteolysis by proteases AlgW and MucP causing the conversion to mucoidy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO579, a derivative of the nonmucoid strain PAO1, is mucoid due to an unidentified mutation (muc-23). Using whole genome sequencing, we identified 16 nonsynonymous and 15 synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). We then identified three tandem single point mutations in the pilA gene (PA4525), as the cause of mucoidy in PAO579. These tandem mutations generate a premature stop codon resulting in a truncated version of PilA (PilA(108) ), with a C-terminal motif of phenylalanine-threonine-phenylalanine (FTF). Inactivation of pilA(108) confirmed it was required for mucoidy. Additionally, algW and algU were also required for mucoidy of PAO579. Western blot analysis indicated that MucA was less stable in PAO579 than nonmucoid PAO1 or PAO381. The mucoid phenotype and high PalgU and PalgD promoter activities of PAO579 require pilA(108) , algW, algU, and rpoN encoding the alternative sigma factor σ(54) . We also observed that RpoN regulates expression of algW and pilA in PAO579. Together, these results suggest that truncation in type IV pilin in P. aeruginosa strain PAO579 can induce mucoidy through an AlgW/AlgU-dependent pathway.
Immunization with persistent attenuated Δlpg2 Leishmania major parasites requires adjuvant to provide protective immunity in C57BL/6 mice

Leishmania major parasites lacking the GDP-mannose transporter, termed Δlpg2 parasites, fail to induce disease in mice but persist long-term. We previously found that Δlpg2 organisms protect BALB/c mice from virulent L. major challenge. In contrast, we report here that Δlpg2 parasites induce protective immunity in C57BL/6 mice only when administered with CpG-containing oligodeoxynucleotides, indicating that parasite persistence alone is not sufficient to maintain protective immunity to L. major.
Trends in the outpatient treatment of atrial fibrillation in the USA from 2001 to 2010.

Purpose Several clinical trials have shown that rhythm-control drugs have serious adverse events and no survival advantage over ratecontrol drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation. The objectives were to determine and explain the recent trends in outpatient prescribing of both drug classes. Methods Data were obtained over 10years from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Visits by patients with atrial fibrillation were identified by ICD-9 diagnosis code 427.31. Trend lines were estimated for drug prescribing and comorbidities. A multinomial logistic model was estimated to predict treatment on the basis of visit characteristics. Results The percentage of visits mentioning only a rate-control medication trended upward (p=0.07) from 41.9% in 2001 to 47.3% in 2010; the percentage mentioning both rhythm-control and rate-control drugs also had an upward trend (p<0.05) from 3.1% to 12.5%; finally, the percentage mentioning rhythm-control drugs alone remained steady (p=0.37). Consistent with the increase (p=0.10) in the percentage of visits mentioning hypertension, there was a statistically significant (p<0.01) rise in the prescribing of β-blockers from 20.5% to 43.4%. The odds that a patient aged 65years or younger was prescribed a rhythm-control medication were significantly higher (p<0.01) than those for a patient older than 65years. The estimated odds that a diabetic patient was prescribed both rhythm-control and rate-control medications was only 0.269 (p<0.05). Conclusions This study documents change in the outpatient treatment of atrial fibrillation in the USA from 2001–2010. In clinical practice, there has been a growing reliance on rate-control medications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. key words—atrial fibrillation; outpatient treatment; rhythm-control medications; rate-control drugs; beta-blockers; calcium channel blockers; pharmacoepidemiology
RISN: An Efficient, Dynamically Tasked and Interoperable Sensor Network Overlay

Sensor network has given rise to a comprehensive view of various environments through their harnessed data. Usage of the data is, however, limited since the current sensor network paradigm promotes isolated networks that are statically tasked. In recent years, users have become mobile entities that require constant access to data for efficient processing. Under the current limitations of sensor networks, users would be restricted to using only a subset of the vast amount of data being collected, depending on the networks they are able to access. Through reliance on isolated networks, proliferation of sensor nodes can easily occur in any area that has high appeals to users. Furthermore, support for dynamic tasking of nodes and efficient processing of data is contrary to the general view of sensor networks as subject to severe resource constraints. Addressing the aforementioned challenges requires the deployment of a system that allows users to take full advantage of data collected in the area of interest to their tasks. In light of these observations, we introduce a hardware-overlay system designed to allow users to efficiently collect and utilize data from various heterogeneous sensor networks. The hardware-overlay takes advantage of FPGA devices and the mobile agent paradigm in order to efficiently collect and process data from cooperating networks. The computational and power efficiency of the system are herein demonstrated.
Acceptance angle effects on the beam attenuation in the ocean

The beam attenuation serves as a proxy for particulate matter and is a key parameter in visibility algorithms for the aquatic environment. It is well known, however, that the beam attenuation is a function of the acceptance angle of the transmissometer used to measure it. Here we compare eight different transmissometers with four different acceptance angles using four different deployment strategies and sites, and find that their mean attenuation values differ markedly and in a consistent way with instrument acceptance angle: smaller acceptance angles provide higher beam attenuation values. This difference is due to variations in scattered light collected with different acceptance angles and is neither constant nor easy to parameterize. Variability (in space or time) in the ratios of beam attenuations measured by two different instruments correlates, in most cases, with the particle size parameter (as expected from Mie theory), but this correlation is often weak and can be the opposite of expectations based on particle size changes. We recommended careful consideration of acceptance angle in applications of beam transmission data especially when comparing data from different instruments.
Emergency Duties and Deaths from Heart Disease among Firefighters in the United States

Results Deaths from coronary heart disease were associated with suppressing a fire (32.1% of all such deaths), responding to an alarm (13.4%), returning from an alarm (17.4%), engaging in physical training (12.5%), responding to nonfire emergencies (9.4%), and performing nonemergency duties (15.4%). As compared with the odds of death from coronary heart disease during nonemergency duties, the odds were 12.1 to 136 times as high during fire suppression, 2.8 to 14.1 times as high during alarm response, 2.2 to 10.5 times as high during alarm return, and 2.9 to 6.6 times as high during physical training. These odds were based on three estimates of the time that firefighters spend on their duties. Conclusions Certain emergency firefighting duties were associated with a risk of death from coronary heart disease that was markedly higher than the risk associated with nonemergency duties. Fire suppression was associated with the highest risk, which was approximately 10 to 100 times as high as that for nonemergency duties.
The pesticide methoxychlor given orally during the perinatal/juvenile period, reduced the spermatogenic potential of males as adults by reducing their Sertoli cell number

Perinatal and juvenile oral treatment of rats with the insecticide, methoxychlor (MXC), reduced testicular size and other reproductive indices including the number of epididymal sperma- tozoa in those animals as adults (6). The objective was to determine if these males exposed during development had fewer Sertoli cells which might explain these testicular effects. Rat dams were gavaged with MXC at 0, 5, 50, or 150 mg.kg -1.day -1 for the week before and after they gave birth. Resulting male pups (15/group) then were dosed directly from postnatal day 7 to 42. Testes were fixed in Bouin's and in OsO4, embedded in Epon and sectioned at 0.5 μm, stained with toluidine blue, and evaluated stereologically or cut at 20 μm to measure Sertoli cell nuclei with Nomarski optics. Sertoli cell number was calculated as the volume density of the nucleus times the parenchymal weight (90% of testicular weight) divided by the volume of a single Sertoli cell nucleus. Across dose groups, there were no changes in the nuclear volume density, the volume of a single nucleus, or the number of Sertoli cells per g parenchyma. There were highly significant dose-related changes in the vol- ume of Sertoli cell nuclei per testis and the number of Sertoli cells per testis. Reduced testicular weight (r = 0.94) and reduced numbers of epididymal spermatozoa (r = 0.43) were significantly (p < 0.01) correlated to reduced number of Sertoli cells per testis. Hence, perinatal and juvenile oral exposure to MXC can reduce spermatogenic potential of males as adults by reducing their number of Sertoli cells.
Category-Specific Semantic Deficits in Focal and Widespread Brain Damage: A Computational Account

Category-specific semantic impairments have been explained in terms of preferential damage to different types of features (e.g., perceptual vs. functional). This account is compatible with cases in which the impairments were the result of relatively focal lesions, as in herpes encephalitis. Recently, however, there have been reports of category-specific impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease, in which there is more widespread, patchy damage. We present experiments with a connectionist model that show how "category-specific" impairments can arise in cases of both localized and wide spread damage; in this model, types of features are topographically organized, but specific categories are not. These effects mainly depend on differences between categories in the distribution of correlated features. The model's predictions about degree of impairment on natural kinds and artifacts over the course of semantic deterioration are shown to be consistent with existing patient data. The model shows how the probabilistic nature of damage in Alzheimer's disease interacts with the structure of semantic memory to yield different patterns of impairment between patients and categories over time.
Checking linked data structures

In the program checking paradigm, the original program is run on the desired input, and its output is checked by another program called a checker. Recently, the notion of program checking has been extended from its original formulation of checking functions to checking a sequence of operations which query and alter the state of an object external to the program, e.g., checking the interactions between a client and the manager (server) of a data structure. In this expanded paradigm, the checker acts as an intermediary between the client, which generates the requests, and the server, which processes them. The checker is allowed a small amount of reliable memory and may provide a probabilistic guarantee of correctness for the client. We present off-line and on-line checkers for data structures such as linked lists, trees, and graphs. Previously, the only data structures for which such checkers existed were random access memories, stacks, and queues. >
A Community of Violence: The SiPo/SD and Its Role in the Nazi Terror System in Generalbezirk Kiew

This essay reconstructs the activities of the German Security Police (SiPo) and Security Service (SD) field office in Generalbezirk Kiew—the German administrative unit carved out of the Kiev and Poltava provinces in Ukraine. It sheds light on the role of the SiPo/SD in the mass murder of Soviet citizens and on the social and psychological profile of its functionaries. The latter ranged from dedicated zealots to “ordinary men,” but all fulfilled their murderous tasks. “As soon as the Germans entered Kiev,” recalls a Kiev resident, “the SD and the Security Police, known among the population simply as ‘Gestapo,’ inherited the gloomy gray building on 33 Korolenka Street ... . At the door of this building stands a sentry in thick boots. His profile and helmet are clearly imprinted on the background of a black flag with the two lightning-like letters ‘SS.’ The banner is mounted in an iron base adorned with the Soviet symbols of stars, hammer, and sickle ... . Such a combination seems incredible.” 1 Despite this odd amalgamation of Nazi and Soviet emblems, Kiev city dwellers considered the installation of the German security services on 33 Korolenka Street befitting. Not only did the “Gestapo” inherit the Soviet security police (NKVD) headquarters—the point of no return for alleged “enemies of the people” in the 1930s—but it further enhanced its own notoriety by the reign of terror that soon engulfed the Kiev region. Thousands of people passed through its torture chambers and prison cells and were sent to their deaths just outside the city. Consequently, although other German counterintelligence and police forces also operated in Kiev and its vicinity—the military intelligence and counterintelligence (Abwehr); the Secret Field Police (Geheime Feldpolizei, GFP); the Order Police (Ordnungspolizei, OP, including the Municipal Police or Schutzpolizei in urban areas and the Gendarmerie in the countryside)—the average Soviet citizen labeled them all inclusively “Gestapo,” a sinister omnipresent force overshadowing everyday life. 2 While relatively small branches, the Security Police (Sicherheitspolizei, SiPo) and the Security Service (Sicherheitsdienst, SD) in occupied Ukraine consisted of
Effects of Temperature on the Development and Survival of Metriona Elatior (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Immatures

The larval developmental rate of the tortoise beetle Metriona elatior Klug (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a potential biocontrol agent of tropical soda apple (TSA) Solanum viarum Dunal (Solanaceae), was studied in the laboratory at 3 constant temperatures (20[degree], 25[degree], and 30[degree]C), photoperiod (14:10 L: D), and relative humidity 60%- 80% in growth chambers. Sixteen neonate larvae were individually reared on excised TSA leaves placed in 0.5-liter transparent-plastic containers for each temperature treatment. Larvae were daily checked to determine the number and duration of larval instars at each of the temperature tested. At 20[degrees] and 25[degree]C, the percent survival from first instar to adult was 75 and 73%, respectively. A constant temperature of 30[degrees]C had a detrimental effect on the larvae and none reached the pupa/adult stages. The general life cycle of this beetle is discussed.
Estimates Of Intangible Capital In Financial Statements

This research implements an inquiry into theoretical financial models and their related applications to intellectual capital (intangible expenditures) in accounting financial statements. Intellectual capital differs from intangible property in that intellectual capital has not yet been documented in the form of patents, copyrights, trademarks, or other specific balance sheet assets (intellectual property). Intellectual capital is indicative of expenditures of a discovery or development nature that has yet to prove its usefulness to the corporation or its marketability to external parties. A random sample of 28 companies was selected from the top Fortune 100 as defined by revenues, using an Internet random number generator. Rather than using earnings to compute capitalization rates, cash flow from operations is used as the surrogate. The rationale is that cash flow is not as easily manipulated as earnings and is not subject to changing accounting rules. Cash flow is critical to corporate survival and so is its funding of development for intangibles. Stock prices are unstable; they even might be categorized as “chaordic.” Accounting information provides us with historical cost in a global economy where future inventions and implementations of creative, instantaneous ideas are the foundation for new wealth. Discount rates from four models (capital asset pricing model, weighted average cost of capital, Ibbitson, Black/Isom) are applied to the cash flow from operations stream of the sample firms to determine an estimate of the unrecorded intellectual capital.
Changing what's happening in high school computer science

Computing has become ubiquitous. IT innovation drives our economy, underlies many of the advances we are making in science and engineering, and ensures our national security. IT has the highest projected job growth of any STEM field and its careers consistently rank near the top of "best job" lists. Yet student interest in computing has plummeted - the proportion of incoming college students who intend to major in computing has fallen by 70% this decade, 80% for women - and we are producing significantly fewer degrees than are needed.
Data sources on patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property

In this book chapter, we provide a roadmap of the sources of data on the various forms of intellectual property protection. We first explain what data is available about patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other types of intellectual property, and where to find it. Then we identify and analyze data sources specifically relating to intellectual property licensing and litigation, growing areas of research by scholars and lawyers.
Animate affects: censorship, reckless pedagogies, and beautiful feelings

ABSTRACTThis paper argues that affect bears a potent teaching capacity. To do so, it explores the intensities that built around a student-teacher's dismissal from a US school placement. In this incident, the topic of homophobia in a poetry lesson elicited a buzz among students that enacted a pedagogy that exceeded the speaking subject. It was these animating capacities of affect, the author argues, that were deemed particularly threatening by the school. Affect as pedagogy puts pressure on legacies that position the human, usually the teacher, as the sole locus of pedagogy in the classroom and that privilege telos-driven notions of curricular ‘progress’. The paper concludes by drawing connections between the animating capacities of affect and larger debates around trigger warnings on curricular materials. The author suggests that, rather than seeking to foreclose intensities in classrooms, educators might pay more attention to how affect offers richly generative, but often overlooked, sites of pedagogical...
The In Vitro Propagation of Stunting Syndrome Agent

Stunting syndrome (SS) is a viral enteric disease of turkey poults. The etiologic agent (stunting syndrome agent [SSA]) of this disease has been reported recently. The objective of this study was to develop a method for in vitro propagation of SSA. Primary cells, various continuous cell lines, and embryonated eggs were evaluated. Turkey embryos that were inoculated via the amniotic cavity at 24-25 days of incubation were susceptible to SSA infection. The jejunal maltase activity of SSA-inoculated turkey embryos was significantly (P < or = 0.001) lower than that of control embryos. D-xylose absorption was also altered in SSA-infected turkey embryos. The extent of reduction of D-xylose absorption and maltase activity in the infected embryos was nearly identical to that observed when day-old poults were infected with SSA. The intestines from the infected turkey embryos were pale, thin walled, and distended with fluid. Electron microscopic examination of the intestinal fluid and epithelial cell lysate of infected embryos revealed pleomorphic membraned SSA viral particles. SSA that had been serially passaged in turkey embryos retained its ability to induce SS in day-old poults. All the primary and continuous cells that were evaluated did not support the replication of SSA on the basis of cytopathic effects, electron microscopy, and turkey embryo inoculation. Inoculation of chicken embryos by various routes failed to support SSA. All routes of inoculation, other than the amniotic route at 24-25 days, failed to support SSA in turkey embryos. The results of the this study indicate that the SSA was successfully propagated in turkey embryos that exhibited alterations in embryo intestinal absorption and digestive enzyme activity similar to poults with SS. Successful propagation of SSA in turkey embryos should prove beneficial for future studies including characterization of SSA, prevention and control strategies, and enteric disease modeling.
High fidelity modeling of energy transfer and chemical reactions in shock waves

In this work, newly-developed MD-QCT databases for nitrogen dissociation cross sections and interal energy relaxation are implemented in DSMC simulations of heat bath cases and normal shocks in nitrogen and the results are compared with those obtained using the traditional TCE and LB models. In the heat bath cases the MD-QCT chemical reaction model predicts more dissociation and less nonequilibrium in the steady state and faster relaxation of the vibrational temperature compared with using the TCE-LB models. In the relatively low speed hypersonic one-dimensional unsteady shocks cases with conditions similar to those in the heat bath case, the flow field results exhibit similar behavior as those seen in the heat bath case when the MD-QCT cross sections are progressively added. Finally, for the higher speed shock conditions such as those in the experiments by Fujita et al., the use of MD-QCT cross sections for both chemical reaction and interal energy relaxation processes predicts more dissociation in the downstream region of the shock but slower relaxation of the rotational temperature than the baseline TCE and LB models. Furthermore, the rotational temperature in the shock region is in better agreement with experiments and confirms that large rotational nonequilibrium is present in very strong nitrogen shocks.
Temporal and Spatial Changes in Abundance of the Asparagus Miner, Ophiomyia simplex (Loew) (Diptera: Agromyzidae), in Michigan

The asparagus miner, Ophiomyia simplex (Loew), was studied in commercial and research plantings of asparagus from 1974 to 1975. It had two generations per year, with second-generation pupae overwintering in the stems. Second-generation larvae pupated further below the soil surface than first-generation larvae. The distribution and abundance of both larvae and pupae were analyzed and compared throughout the season. The relationship between sample mean and variance was used to determine appropriate sample sizes to estimate the mean with specific coefficients of variability.
The Prognostic Utility of a Simplified Biventricular Echocardiographic Index of Cardiac Remodeling in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background Right ventricular (RV) remodeling has been associated with outcomes in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the additive prognostic significance of RV remodeling and left ventricular (LV) morphology in PH is unclear. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the ratio of RV end-diastolic area to LV end-diastolic area is a biventricular index predictive of outcome in patients with PH. Methods In total, 139 patients with precapillary PH (mean age, 55 ± 15 years; 75% women) and 22 control subjects (mean age, 40 ± 17 years; 73% women) were studied. The apical four-chamber view was used to measure the RV-to-LV end-diastolic area ratio as an index of biventricular cardiac remodeling. RV free wall and global strain were measured using speckle-tracking echocardiography. The study design was prospective, with all-cause mortality over 5 years predefined as the outcome event. Results Patients with PH had significantly larger RV to LV end-diastolic area ratios than normal subjects, as expected (1.06 vs 0.67, P P = .019). RV global strain was also significantly associated with survival using a cutoff of ≥−15% (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.03-2.67; P = .044). In a multivariate analysis, only age and biventricular index were independent predictors of survival among other clinical and echocardiographic features. Conclusions The RV-to-LV end-diastolic area ratio is a simplified biventricular echocardiographic index of cardiac remodeling that is predictive of long-term survival in patients with PH.
The Revival of the "Cash versus Food" Debate

The longstanding "cash versus food" debate has received renewed attention in both research and practice. This paper reviews key issues shaping the debate and presents new evidence from randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations that deliberately compare cash and in-kind food transfers in ten developing counties. Findings show that relative effectiveness cannot be generalized: although some differences emerge in terms of food consumption and dietary diversity, average impacts tend to depend on context, specific objectives, and their measurement. Costs for cash transfers and vouchers tend to be significantly lower relative to in-kind food. Yet the consistency and robustness of methods for efficiency analyses varies greatly.
Separation and Purification of Flavonoids from Potato Peel with Polyamide Resin

The effectiveness of separation and purification of total flavonoids from potato peel with polyamide resin was studied.Both static adsorption experiments and dynamic adsorption experiments were conducted to study the effects of various factors on the adsorption and desorption of flavonoids.The optimal desorption conditions for static adsorption were determined as being 70% ethanol as desorption solution,pH value at 6,temperature at 30℃,and oscillation for 4 hours following by store for 24 hours.For 20 g of polyamide resin,the optimal desorption conditions for dynamic adsorption were determined as being 70% ethanol as desorption solution,and 2.0/10.0(cm/cm) for diameter to height ratio of the chromatographic column.
Multi-sensor robust relative estimation framework for GPS-denied multirotor aircraft

An estimation framework is presented that improves the robustness of GPS-denied state estimation to changing environmental conditions by fusing updates from multiple view-based odometry algorithms. This allows the vehicle to utilize a suite of complementary exteroceptive sensors or sensing modalities. By estimating the vehicle states relative to a local coordinate frame collocated with an odometry keyframe, observability of the relative state is maintained. A description of the general framework is given, as well as the specific equations for a multiplicative extended Kalman filter with a multirotor vehicle. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate the ability of the proposed algorithm to produce accurate and consistent estimates in challenging environments that cause a single-sensor solution to fail.
Enzyme Activities in Muscles of Seasonally Acclimatized House Finches

Members of the avian subfamily Carduelinae have served as subjects of numerous investigations on adaptations of small birds to cold winters (Salt, 1952; Dawson and Tordoff, 1964; West, 1972; Dawson and Carey, 1976; Carey et al. 1978; Weathers et al. 1980; Marsh et al. 1984; Reinertsen, 1986; Yacoe and Dawson, 1983; and others). These birds, including goldfinches, pine siskins, house finches, grosbeaks, crossbills, and redpolls, are particularly well suited for such study because of their principally northern distribution and small body sizes. Their success in cold climates appears to be linked in part to a type of metabolic acclimatization, involving enhanced capabilities for sustained elevated production of heat for prolonged periods (Dawson and Carey, 1976; Dawson et al. 1983a, b; Dawson and Marsh, 1988).
Trends in 24-hours sodium and potassium intake, and association with all-cause mortality among US Stroke Survivors (S30.008)

BACKGROUND: American Heart Association recommends daily sodium intake 4700mg/day for cardiovascular disease prevention. The precise relationship between sodium and potassium intake and mortality after stroke remains uncertain and little is known regarding consumption among stroke survivors. OBJECTIVES: To describe trends and predictors of sodium and potassium intake, and to determine their association with all-cause mortality among stroke survivors. DESIGN/METHODS : Data were obtained from a national sample of US adults (蠅18 years) who participated in NHANES 1988-1994 and 1999-2004, with linked mortality through 2006. We estimated 24-hour sodium and potassium intake using dietary recall. We assessed the relationship between potassium to sodium ratio and all-cause mortality using Cox regression analysis comparing lowest to highest quartile before and after adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: Among 926 individuals with history of stroke, mean 24-hour sodium intake was 2294 mg/day and potassium intake was 2146 mg/day. The proportion of participants achieving the recommended sodium intake decreased from 18[percnt] to 15[percnt] and those achieving recommended potassium intake increased from 11[percnt] to 15[percnt] from1988-1994 to 1999-2004. Predictors of high sodium consumption were male sex, younger age ( th vs. 1 st quartile HR 1.41, IQR 0.97-2.03, p=0.07) CONCLUSIONS: Less than one in five stroke survivors in the US meet recommendations for sodium consumption. High sodium intake is associated with higher mortality after stroke among the elderly. The combination of high potassium and low sodium intake trended toward a better survival after stroke, highlighting the need for targeted dietary interventions. Disclosure: Dr. Lin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Markovic has nothing to disclose.
Experience, Experiment, Evaluate: A Framework for Assessing Experiential Games

The design of effective educational games has proven itself difficult for many years, leading to sparse and somewhat inconsistent insight into the principles governing such systems. While attempts at constructing frameworks for educational games certainly exist, their nature is often quite general (limiting the practical utility) or noticeably specific (limiting the scope of projects to which that framework might be applied). We present a design framework for a broad, but well-defined genre known as experiential games. We have named our framework the Experience, Experiment, Evaluate (EEE) framework and believe it to be an adequate lens under which to analyze such games. This article presents the EEE framework in detail and provides example analyses of three games (a U.S. Civil War history game, a medical diagnosis game, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time). We present empirical results for two of these games showcasing evidence that presumed adherence to EEE provides benefits in the classroom. In particular, the medical diagnosis game, Rashi, is shown to elicit higher quantity and quality of student responses when features were added that more tightly bound the game to our framework. Additionally, we provide evidence that activities within our U.S. Civil War game, ‘A Nation Divided’, are more successful in providing learning gains to students when those activities more carefully apply the ideas within our framework. We do not present any empirical results regarding Ocarina of Time, but include it as an anecdotal example of how commercial games have applied these principles successfully in order to teach the mechanics of the game to players, and argue that this is, in many ways, an exercise in pedagogy. We end by offering suggestions for strategically incorporating elements of our framework in the development and design of future systems.
Cross-modal attention influences auditory contrast sensitivity: Decreasing visual load improves auditory thresholds for amplitude- and frequency-modulated sounds

We used a cross-modal dual task to examine how changing visual-task demands influenced auditory processing, namely auditory thresholds for amplitude- and frequency-modulated sounds. Observers had to attend to two consecutive intervals of sounds and report which interval contained the auditory stimulus that was modulated in amplitude (Experiment 1) or frequency (Experiment 2). During auditory-stimulus presentation, observers simultaneously attended to a rapid sequential visual presentation-two consecutive intervals of streams of visual letters-and had to report which interval contained a particular color (low load, demanding less attentional resources) or, in separate blocks of trials, which interval contained more of a target letter (high load, demanding more attentional resources). We hypothesized that if attention is a shared resource across vision and audition, an easier visual task should free up more attentional resources for auditory processing on an unrelated task, hence improving auditory thresholds. Auditory detection thresholds were lower-that is, auditory sensitivity was improved-for both amplitude- and frequency-modulated sounds when observers engaged in a less demanding (compared to a more demanding) visual task. In accord with previous work, our findings suggest that visual-task demands can influence the processing of auditory information on an unrelated concurrent task, providing support for shared attentional resources. More importantly, our results suggest that attending to information in a different modality, cross-modal attention, can influence basic auditory contrast sensitivity functions, highlighting potential similarities between basic mechanisms for visual and auditory attention.
Analog Computing in a Modern Context: A Linear Algebra Accelerator Case Study

Approaching the post-Moore's law era, researchers are looking for scalable ways to get useful computation from existing silicon technology. This article presents a programmable analog accelerator for solving systems of linear equations. The authors compensate for commonly perceived downsides of analog computing, such as low precision and accuracy, limited problem sizes, and difficulty applying it to different workloads. On the basis of a prototyped analog accelerator chip, they compare the analog solver's performance and energy consumption against an efficient digital algorithm running on a general-purpose processor. The analog accelerator approach is 10 times faster and provides 33 percent energy savings. Owing to the speed and efficiency of linear algebra algorithms running on digital computers, an analog accelerator that matches digital performance needs a large silicon footprint, which limits scalability. The authors conclude that problem classes outside of systems of linear equations could hold more promise for analog acceleration.
Computational Analysis Supporting the Design of a New Beamline for the Mines Neutron Radiography Facility

Abstract The Colorado School of Mines installed a neutron radiography system at the United States Geological Survey TRIGA reactor in 2012. An upgraded beamline could dramatically improve the imaging capabilities of this system. This project performed computational analyses to support the design of a new beamline, with the major goals of minimizing beam divergence and maximizing beam intensity. The new beamline will consist of a square aluminum tube with an 11.43 cm (4.5 in) inner side length and 0.635 cm (0.25 in) thick walls. It is the same length as the original beam tube (8.53 m) and is composed of 1.22 m (4 ft) and 1.52 m (5 ft) flanged sections which bolt together. The bottom 1.22 m of the beamline is a cylindrical aluminum pre-collimator which is 0.635 cm (0.25 in) thick, with an inner diameter of 5.08 cm (2 in). Based on Monte Carlo model results, when a pre-collimator is present, the use of a neutron absorbing liner on the inside surface of the beam tube has almost no effect on the angular distribution of the neutron current at the collimator exit. The use of a pre-collimator may result in a non-uniform flux profile at the image plane; however, as long as the collimator is at least three times longer than the pre-collimator, the flux distortion is acceptably low.
Behavioral and Cognitive Testing Procedures in Animal Models of Epilepsy

The choice of appropriate behavioral assays is arguably the most important factor determining effective examination of neurobehavioral comorbidities of epilepsy, in the laboratory setting. The purpose of this chapter is to help interested investigators in selecting behavioral tests for examining phenomenology and mechanisms of epilepsy comorbidities observed in animal systems, as well as to design preclinical therapeutic trials. The discussion is focusing on such epilepsy comorbidities as impairments in learning and memory, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. The assays are described in the context of their relevance to human conditions, complications that may arise with data yield and analysis, when applied to animals with chronic epilepsy, as well as an interpretation of test outcomes when several neurobehavioral comorbidities exist concurrently in the same epileptic animal.
Aldohexofuranoses: Reduction of Aldono-1,4-lactones with Bis(3-methyl-2-butyl)borane

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reduction of suitably blocked aldono-l,4-lactones to blocked aldofuranoses with bis(3-methyl-2-butyl)borane. Bis(3-methyl-2-butyl)borane is the reagent of choice for this reduction because ester-blocking groups are not reduced and the reactions often give nearly quantitative yields. The diborane generator consists of a distilling flask equipped with a pressure-equalizing dropping funnel, a magnetic stirring bar, a nitrogen inlet, and an exit for diborane. The mixture of diborane and nitrogen are passed through a trap of sodium borohydride in bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether to remove contaminating boron trifluoride, and then into a receiving flask containing tetrahydrofuran. The concentration of diborane in tetrahydrofuran varies from 1.6 to 2.5 M.
Carbide Precipitation in Ferrite in Nb-V-Bearing Low-Carbon Steel During Isothermal Quenching Process

The precipitation behavior of nanometer-sized carbides in ferrite in Nb–V-bearing low-carbon steel was studied by electron microscopy and nanoindentation hardness measurements. The results indicated that interphase precipitation and random precipitation could occur simultaneously for the specimen isothermally treated at 700 °C for 60 min, while in other specimens, only random precipitation was observed. This phenomenon might be explained by mass balance criterion during the diffusional phase transformation. Nanohardness result indicated that the average hardness of the specimens isothermally held at 600 °C for 20 min was 3.87 GPa. For the specimen isothermally holding at 650 °C for 20 min, the average hardness was 4.10 GPa and the distribution of the nanohardness was in a narrower range compared with that of the specimen isothermal holding at 600 °C for 20 min. These implied that the carbides in the specimens isothermal treated at 650 °C were more uniformly dispersed, and the number density of the carbides was greater than that treated at 600 °C. Using Ashby–Orowan model, the contribution of precipitation strengthening to yield strength was estimated to be ~110 MPa for the specimen isothermally treated at the temperature of 650 °C for 20 min.
Reliability-Based Robust Optimal Design of Structures with Variable Cross-Section

The paper discusses reliability problem of variable cross-section structural components with uncertain parameters of normal distribution, including the sensitivity analysis and robust optimal design. It also studies the change rule of reliability index and reliability of the cross-section. Based on the reliability sensitivity and reliability robust design, the fault sensitivity of the components can be predicted and identified, and reliability assessment can be verified. It provides a reliability-based sensitivity analysis and robust optimal design method for engineering structural design. And it also presents a method of reliability-based sensitivity identification and robust optimal design of variable cross-section wedge beam. In addition, the method for reliability-based sensitivity and robust design of variable cross-section components with the certain reliability index is proposed. Through numerical analysis, as application examples, the graph of reliability index, reliability and reliability sensitivity of variable cross-section structural components are obtained and discussed.
PAR3–PAR6–atypical PKC polarity complex proteins in neuronal polarization

Polarity is a fundamental feature of cells. Protein complexes, including the PAR3–PAR6–aPKC complex, have conserved roles in establishing polarity across a number of eukaryotic cell types. In neurons, polarity is evident as distinct axonal versus dendritic domains. The PAR3, PAR6, and aPKC proteins also play important roles in neuronal polarization. During this process, either aPKC kinase activity, the assembly of the PAR3–PAR6–aPKC complex or the localization of these proteins is regulated downstream of a number of signaling pathways. In turn, the PAR3, PAR6, and aPKC proteins control various effector molecules to establish neuronal polarity. Herein, we discuss the many signaling mechanisms and effector functions that have been linked to PAR3, PAR6, and aPKC during the establishment of neuronal polarity.
Gendered Competitive Interaction and Women's Executive Electoral Success

This paper focuses on women’s access to executive governing power, specifically on women’s selection as prime minister in parliamentary systems with cabinet government in West Europe. First, I review the pattern of women’s executive power across the past half century, to establish a descriptive foundation. Second, I discuss the pattern of women’s executive power in prime ministerships, in comparison to presidencies. Third, I identify the conditions under which a woman is likely to become a prime minister and develop a research design for testing these conditions. I discuss the particularities of ascension to prime minister in parliamentary democracies, and investigate two conditions that create an opening for a woman’s rise to prime ministerial power: 1) a scandal or major electoral failure that removes a male party leader and his leadership team; and 2) the desistement, or candidacy deferral, of quality male replacements in conditions of uncertainty. I argue that it is not just the behavior of political women that advances them to executive office; it is also the behavior of male politicians in specific crisis circumstances that creates the political opportunity. In a preliminary examination of these links, I focus on two cases of women’s executive succession and the process by which each approached executive power: Angela Merkel (Federal Republic of Germany) and Margaret Thatcher (Great Britain).
Finding user/kernel pointer bugs with type inference

Today's operating systems struggle with vulnerabilities from careless handling of user space pointers. User/kernel pointer bugs have serious consequences for security: a malicious user could exploit a user/kernel pointer bug to gain elevated privileges, read sensitive data, or crash the system. We show how to detect user/kernel pointer bugs using type-qualifier inference, and we apply this method to the Linux kernel using CQUAL, a type-qualifier inference tool. We extend the basic type-inference capabilities of CQUAL to support context-sensitivity and greater precision when analyzing structures so that CQUAL requires fewer annotations and generates fewer false positives. With these enhancements, we were able to use CQUAL to find 17 exploitable user/kernel pointer bugs in the Linux kernel. Several of the bugs we found were missed by careful hand audits, other program analysis tools, or both.