cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bone-Free: Soft Mechanics for Adaptive Locomotion

Muscular hydrostats (such as mollusks), and fluid-filled animals (such as annelids), can exploit their constant-volume tissues to transfer forces and displacements in predictable ways, much as articulated animals use hinges and levers. Although larval insects contain pressurized fluids, they also have internal air tubes that are compressible and, as a result, they have more uncontrolled degrees of freedom. Therefore, the mechanisms by which larval insects control their movements are expected to reveal useful strategies for designing soft biomimetic robots. Using caterpillars as a tractable model system, it is now possible to identify the biomechanical and neural strategies for controlling movements in such highly deformable animals. For example, the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, can stiffen its body by increasing muscular tension (and therefore body pressure) but the internal cavity (hemocoel) is not iso-barometric, nor is pressure used to directly control the movements of its limbs. Instead, fluid and tissues flow within the hemocoel and the body is soft and flexible to conform to the substrate. Even the gut contributes to the biomechanics of locomotion; it is decoupled from the movements of the body wall and slides forward within the body cavity at the start of each step. During crawling the body is kept in tension for part of the stride and compressive forces are exerted on the substrate along the axis of the caterpillar, thereby using the environment as a skeleton. The timing of muscular activity suggests that crawling is coordinated by proleg-retractor motoneurons and that the large segmental muscles produce anterograde waves of lifting that do not require precise timing. This strategy produces a robust form of locomotion in which the kinematics changes little with orientation. In different species of caterpillar, the presence of prolegs on particular body segments is related to alternative kinematics such as "inching." This suggests a mechanism for the evolution of different gaits through changes in the usage of prolegs, rather than, through extensive alterations in the motor program controlling the body wall. Some of these findings are being used to design and test novel control-strategies for highly deformable robots. These "softworm" devices are providing new insights into the challenges faced by any soft animal navigating in a terrestrial environment.
The colloidal size spectrum of CDOM in the coastal region of the Mississippi Plume using flow field-flow fractionation

Abstract Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is a major component of the total dissolved organic matter in seawater, and it can interfere significantly with oceanographic remote sensing in nearshore waters. Coastal marine CDOM comprises an undefined, likely rapidly changing mixture of terrestrially and marine-derived substances. Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (FlFFF) offers a novel approach for separating the colloidal (high molecular weight) fraction of CDOM into broad size continuums that can offer insights to the characteristics and reactivity of CDOM constituents. FlFFF analyses of seawaters in and around the Mississippi Plume were performed during high and low flow conditions and the results compared to analyses of phytoplankton cultures and waters from a coastal estuary having low freshwater inputs. FlFFF fractograms displayed major differences in the size distribution of CDOM between offshore in the Gulf of Mexico (GOMex) and the Mississippi River plume. Colloidal size distributions in nearshore surface waters out of the immediate influence of the Mississippi Plume contained a mixture of features seen in offshore waters, plume waters, and in phytoplankton cultures. Plume waters had a high abundance of larger colloidal phases but continued dilution with coastal waters led to preferential losses of mid-sized colloidal matter. Colloidal size spectra in offshore waters of the GOMex during spring were similar to that observed in estuarine waters after the spring bloom. These preliminary findings suggest that the colloidal size spectrum of CDOM may provide information on its provenance and the relative mixtures of terrestrial and marine components.
Present-day and future contributions of glacier runoff to summertime flows in a Pacific Northwest watershed: implications for water resources

[1] While the impacts of long-term climate change trends on glacier hydrology have received much attention, little has been done to quantify direct glacier runoff contributions to streamflow. This paper presents an approach for determining glacier runoff contributions to streamflow and estimating the effects of increased temperature and decreased glacier area on future runoff. We focus on late summer streamflow (when flow is lowest and nonglacier contributions to flow are minimal) of a small glacierized watershed on the flanks of Mount Hood, Oregon, United States. Field and lab measurements and satellite imagery were used in conjunction with a temperature-index model of glacier runoff to simulate potential effects of increased temperature and reduction in glacier area on late summer runoff in the watershed. Discharge and stable isotope data show that 41–73% of late summer streamflow is presently derived directly from glacier melt. Model simulations indicate that while increased temperature leads to rapid glacier melt and therefore increased streamflow, the consequences of glacier recession overcomes this effect, ultimately leading to substantial declines in streamflow. Model sensitivity analyses show that simulation results are most sensitive to degree day factor and less sensitive to uncertainties in debris-covered area and accumulation area ratio. This case study demonstrates that the effects of glacier recession on streamflow are a concern for water resource management at the local scale. This approach could also be extended to larger scales such as the upper Columbia River basin where glacier contributions to late summer flows are also thought to be substantial.
Aromatische Nitro-Verbindungen als Depolarisator in hochbelastbaren Batterie-Elektroden†

Verschiedene aromatische Nitro-Verbindungen sind aufgrund ihrer hohen theoretischen Coulomb-Kapazitat als Depolarisator fur Primarbatterien interessant. Zur Herstellung von Elektroden mus die organische Substanz mit elektronenleitenden Stoffen verarbeitet werden, welche bezuglich der Reduktionsreaktion eine ausreichende elektrochemische Aktivitat aufweisen. Am besten geeignet sind hierfur bestimmte Aktivkohle-Pulver. Die richtige Auswahl der verwendeten Kohle sowie die Herstellungsmethode sind von entscheidendem Einflus auf die Elektrodeneigenschaften. Durch ein spezielles Verfahren ist es gelungen, Elektroden zu entwickeln, die mit Stromdichten bis zu 1 A/g aktiver Masse im Dauerbetrieb belastet werden konnen. Herstellung und Eigenschaften dieser Elektroden werden beschrieben.
Functional Subregions in Primary Auditory Cortex Defined by Thalamocortical Terminal Arbors: An Electrophysiological and Anterograde Labeling Study

Several functional maps have been described in primary auditory cortex, including those related to frequency, tuning, latency, binaurality, and intensity. Many of these maps are arranged in a discontinuous or patchy manner. Similarly, thalamocortical projections arising from the ventral division of the medial geniculate body to the primary auditory cortex are also patchy. We used anterograde labeling and electrophysiological methods to examine the relationship between thalamocortical patches and auditory cortical maps. Biotinylated dextran-amine was deposited into physiologically characterized sites in the ventral division of the medial geniculate body of New Zealand white rabbits. Approximately 7 d later, the animal was again anesthetized and the ipsilateral auditory cortex was mapped with tungsten microelectrodes. Multi-unit physiological data were obtained for the following characteristics: best frequency (BF), binaurality, response type, latency, sharpness of tuning, and threshold. Immunocytochemical methods were used to reveal the injection site in the ventral division of the medial geniculate body as well as the anterogradely labeled thalamocortical afferents in the auditory cortex. In 86% of the cases (12 of 14), entry into a thalamocortical patch was associated with a marked change in physiological responses. A consistent BF and binaural class were usually observed within a patch. The patches appear to innervate distinct functional regions coding frequency and binaurality. A model is presented showing how patchy thalamocortical projections participate in the formation of tonotopic and binaural maps in primary auditory cortex.
DDOMAIN: Dividing structures into domains using a normalized domain–domain interaction profile

Dividing protein structures into domains is proven useful for more accurate structural and functional characterization of proteins. Here, we develop a method, called DDOMAIN, that divides structure into DOMAINs using a normalized contact-based domain–domain interaction profile. Results of DDOMAIN are compared to AUTHORS annotations (domain definitions are given by the authors who solved protein structures), as well as to popular SCOP and CATH annotations by human experts and automatic programs. DDOMAIN’s automatic annotations are most consistent with the AUTHORS annotations (90% agreement in number of domains and 88% agreement in both number of domains and at least 85% overlap in domain assignment of residues) if its three adjustable parameters are trained by the AUTHORS annotations. By comparison, the agreement is 83% (81% with at least 85% overlap criterion) between SCOP-trained DDOMAIN and SCOP annotations and 77% (73%) between CATH-trained DDOMAIN and CATH annotations. The agreement between DDOMAIN and AUTHORS annotations goes beyond single-domain proteins (97%, 82%, and 56% for single-, two-, and three-domain proteins, respectively). For an ‘‘easy’’ data set of proteins whose CATH and SCOP annotations agree with each other in number of domains, the agreement is 90% (89%) between ‘‘easy-set’’-trained DDOMAIN and CATH/SCOP annotations. The consistency between SCOP-trained DDOMAIN and SCOP annotations is superior to two other recently developed, SCOP-trained, automatic methods PDP (protein domain parser), and DomainParser 2. We also tested a simple consensus method made of PDP, DomainParser 2, and DDOMAIN and a different version of DDOMAIN based on a more sophisticated statistical energy function. The DDOMAIN server and its executable are available in the services section on http://sparks.informatics.iupui.edu.
Persons, Places, and Times: The Meanings of Repetition in an STD Clinic

In this article we work the tensions between the way clinical medicine and public health necessarily construct the problem of “repetition” in the context of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic and the ways patients narrate their illness experiences. This tension—between clinical and epidemiological exigencies and the messiness of lived experience—is a recurring theme of work conducted at the intersections of epidemiology, anthropology, and clinical medicine. Clinically, repeated infections are a threat to the individual body and to “normal” biological processes like reproduction. From a public health perspective, “repeaters” are imagined to be part of a “core group” that keeps infections in circulation, endangering the social body. Yet patients' accounts are anchored in particular social histories, and their experiences rely on different time scales than those implicated in either of these types of readings. Extended analyses are provided of two such accounts: one in which repetition can be “read” as part of a performance of recovery, and one in which repetition is bound up in the effort to avoid becoming the involuntary subject of institutionally administered intervention. We argue the need to open up the category of repeaters to include the social and draw on work by Cheryl Mattingly to suggest that one way to do this in the context of the STD clinic might be to adopt forms of therapeutic practice that make use of interpretive, in addition to technical, skills.
Effect of Dietary Protein and Energy Levels on Pullet Development

The effects of protein and energy levels in rearing diets and protein levels in layer diets on pullet development and subsequent layer performance were studied using 576 Single Comb White Leghorn pullets of a commercial strain. Twelve groups of 16 1-d-old chicks were assigned to each of three dietary treatments. All chicks were fed a 19% CP starter diet during Week 1. Respective protein levels in diets fed during Weeks 2 through 6, 7 through 14, and 15 through 18 were 13.5, 15.8, and 18.9% for the increasing protein treatment; 15.8, 15.8, and 15.8% for the constant protein treatment; and 18.9, 15.8, and 13.5% for the decreasing protein treatment. During Weeks 15 through 18, half of the groups in each protein treatment were assigned to a high (3.09 Mcal AMEn/kg) or a low (2.78 Mcal AMEn/kg) energy diet. After 18 wk, half of the pullets within each rearing treatment were fed a layer diet containing 16% CP and 0.34% methionine, whereas the other half were fed a layer diet with 19% CP and 0.40% methionine. Increasing the level of protein fed during Weeks 2 through 6 significantly (P < 0.05) increased body weight and feed intake up to 14 wk of age. High dietary energy increased weight gain and decreased feed intake during Weeks 15 through 18. Mortality and days to 50% egg production, as well as egg production, feed intake, feed conversion, and egg weight during the first 16 wk following photostimulation were not affected by rearing dietary treatments. Egg weight, but not other production parameters, was significantly increased by raising CP in the layer diet from 16 to 19%.
Selectivity of face distortion aftereffects for differences in expression or gender

The perceived configuration of a face can be strongly biased by prior adaptation to a face with a distorted configuration. These aftereffects have been found to be weaker when the adapt and test faces differ along a number of dimensions. We asked whether the adaptation shows more transfer between faces that share a common identity, by comparing the strength of aftereffects when the adapt and test faces differed either in expression (a configural change in the same face identity) or gender (a configural change between identities). Observers adapted to expanded or contracted images of either male or female faces with either happy or fearful expressions, and then judged the perceived configuration in either the same faces or faces with a different gender and/or expression. The adaptation included exposure to a single face (e.g. expanded happy) or to alternated faces where the distortion was contingent on the attribute (e.g. expanded happy vs. contracted fearful). In all cases the aftereffects showed strong transfer and thus only weak selectivity. However, selectivity was equal or stronger for the change in expression than gender. Our results thus suggest that the distortion aftereffects between faces can be weakly modulated by both variant and invariant attributes of the face.
A room temperature all-optical polarization switch based on the excitation of spin-polarized "virtual" carriers in quantum wells

Room temperature operation of a polarization switch based on virtual excitation of spin-polarized carriers in quantum wells is demonstrated, which exhibits a contrast ratio of /spl sim/27:1 and a switching time of /spl sim/575 fs.
High-affinity DNA base analogs as supramolecular, nanoscale promoters of macroscopic adhesion.

Adhesion phenomena are essential to many biological processes and to synthetic adhesives and manufactured coatings and composites. Supramolecular interactions are often implicated in various adhesion mechanisms. Recently, supramolecular building blocks, such as synthetic DNA base-pair mimics, have drawn attention in the context of molecular recognition, self-assembly, and supramolecular polymers. These reversible, hydrogen-bonding interactions have been studied extensively for their adhesive capabilities at the nano- and microscale, however, much less is known about their utility for practical adhesion in macroscopic systems. Herein, we report the preparation and evaluation of supramolecular coupling agents based on high-affinity, high-fidelity quadruple hydrogen-bonding units (e.g., DAN·DeUG, Kassoc = 108 M–1 in chloroform). Macroscopic adhesion between polystyrene films and glass surfaces modified with 2,7-diamidonaphthyridine (DAN) and ureido-7-deazaguanine (DeUG) units was evaluated by mechanical test...
Prevention and screening efficacy messages in newspaper accounts of cancer

The news media are a primary source of cancer prevention and detection information for the general public, but little is known about the content of cancer prevention and detection messages in mainstream media. This study examines how cancer prevention and screening efficacy messages are presented in cancer news media coverage. Efficacy messages provide information about skills related to prevention and screening behaviors. Analysis of cancer-related stories in 44 major US daily newspapers during 2003 (n = 2448) reveals that efficacy messages were rarely present in cancer stories. Efficacy messages were less likely to appear in stories that had a 'local' angle, but efficacy messages were more likely to appear in stories that contained 'mobilizing information' (additional resources for readers) or stories that mentioned highly preventable cancers (lung, skin, esophagus and bladder). The discussion includes a theory of norms for effectively influencing cancer-related behaviors through news reports. Implications of this work extend to the lack of efficacy messages when highly detectable cancers are mentioned, thus the lack of actionable information when health risks are presented, and a dearth of efficacy messages when localized information is present, each of which represent key areas for encouraging health journalists to include more efficacy statements.
Intracranial Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma

A 61-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of nausea, difficulty with gait, morning headaches in the frontal region, and subjectively decreasing upper extremity strength bilaterally . Neuro­ logic examination revealed a trace of left upper extremity weakness and no evidence of papilledema. A conventional radionuclide bone scan demonstrated increased tracer uptake in the right parietal region. Skull radiographs revealed dense flocculent calcification measuring 3 x 4 cm just off the midline and posterior to the coronal suture on the right. A CT scan of the head showed heavy calcification in the right frontal area with some mass effect. The calcification was not contiguous with the calvaria (Fig. 1 A). Another CT scan, taken after administration of contrast material , revealed a large, inhomo­ geneously enhancing mass surrounding the calcification with some edema posteriorly (Fig. 18). A right internal carotid arteriogram showed no neovascularity associated with the calcification (Figs. 2A and 28). There was no feeding of the tumor from the right external carotid vessels. Dural calcification extending into the interhemispheric fissure was well demonstrated on the anteroposterior view. At surgery, a large, calcified mass attached to the right parietal convexity dura and falx was removed in part. Radiation therapy was planned and the patient is doing well postoperatively.
Shielded coherent synchrotron radiation and its possible effect in the Next Linear collider

Shielded coherent synchrotron radiation is discussed for two cases: (1) a beam following a curved path in a plane midway between two parallel, perfectly conducting plates, and (2) a beam circulating in a toroidal chamber with resistive walls. Wake fields and the radiated energy are computed with parameters for the high-energy bunch compressor of the Next Linear Collider (NLC). >
The frontotemporal lobar degeneration risk factor, TMEM106B, regulates lysosomal morphology and function

Haploinsufficiency of Progranulin (PGRN), a gene encoding a secreted glycoprotein, is a major cause of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin (FTLD-U) positive inclusions. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the TMEM106B gene were recently discovered as a risk factor for FTLD-U, especially in patients with PGRN mutations. TMEM106B is also associated with cognitive impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. Despite these studies, little is known about TMEM106B at molecular and cellular levels and how TMEM106B contributes to FTLD. Here, we show that TMEM106B is localized in the late endosome/lysosome compartments and TMEM106B levels are regulated by lysosomal activities. Ectopic expression of TMEM106B induces morphologic changes of lysosome compartments and delays the degradation of endocytic cargoes by the endolysosomal pathway. Furthermore, overexpression of TMEM106B correlates with elevated levels of PGRN, possibly by attenuating lysosomal degradation of PGRN. These results shed light on the cellular functions of TMEM106B and the roles of TMEM106B in the pathogenesis of FTLD-U with PGRN mutations.
The Impact of the Incredible Years Parent, Child, and Teacher Training Programs on Children's Co-Occurring Internalizing Symptoms

The Incredible Years (IY) Series includes separate group interventions to improve parenting interactions, teacher classroom management, and child social-emotional regulation. Although originally developed to treat early onset conduct problems, IY targets many of the proposed mechanisms and risk factors for internalizing distress in early childhood. Prior studies have demonstrated the effects of the IY parent intervention on co-occurring depressive symptoms. We attempted to extend these findings by examining the unique and combined effects of IY interventions on children's co-occurring internalizing symptoms. One-hundred and fifty-nine families with children ages 4- to 8-years-old were randomly assigned to parent training (PT); parent plus teacher training (PT + TT); child training (CT); child plus teacher training (CT + TT); parent, child, plus teacher training (PT + CT + TT); or a waiting list control group. Children who received any of the intervention components were more likely to have lower mother-rated internalizing symptoms at posttreatment compared to children in a wait-list control group. Implications for future research and for designing interventions and prevention strategies for children with internalizing symptoms are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record
Evaluation of HardSys: a simple EMI expert system

The concepts used in designing HardSys, a simple expert system capable of reasoning about EMI problems, are described. These are then evaluated by running the expert system on a test case previously analyzed by an EMI consultant. The test case was a subset of the NEMP (nuclear electromagnetic pulse) hardening of a typical military helicopter. The knowledge representation used in HardSys is of a fuzzy nature and it is this fuzziness which the authors evaluate. It is concluded that the present knowledge representation is a very powerful tool for EMI engineers. >
Limited scan antenna systems using phased-array feeds (versus direct radiating array apertures) require fewer array elements; or do they?

It is generally accepted that a limited-scan antenna system with a phased-array feed uses significantly fewer elements than a direct-radiating, phased-array aperture (planar array) for similar scan coverage. This paper presents an analysis showing this is not necessarily the case. The author derives the relative number of elements for both cases (phased-array fed lens and direct radiating aperture) using two grating lobe conditions: (1) elimination of grating lobes in "real space"; and (2) elimination of grating lobes within the antenna coverage area. The former grating lobe condition does result in fewer array elements for the phased-array feed as expected. But imposing the latter grating lobe condition, often of interest in GEO satellite communication, yields no benefit in element count between a direct-radiating, phased-array aperture and the phased array fed, dual-lens antenna system used in the analysis.
Acute onset anterior uveitis after darbepoetin alfa infusion

A 79-year-old female with a 2-month history of newly diagnosed myelodysplastic syndrome for which she received blood transfusion with darbepoetin alfa presented with bilateral anterior uveitis 1 day after her fourth transfusion. On exam, visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes with biomicroscopy notable for conjunctival injection and anterior chamber cell and flare consistent with anterior uveitis. She had no systemic symptoms, no history of eye trauma, and no known infections. This case, along with prior reports in the literature, suggests that anterior uveitis may be an idiosyncratic complication of darbepoetin alfa therapy.
Drittes Kapitel. Geometrische Konstruktionen. Die Algebra der Zahlkörper

Konstroktionsprobleme sind immer ein beliebter Gegenstand der Geometrie gewesen. Wie sich der Leser aus seiner Schulzeit erinnern wird, last sich allein mit Zirkel und Lineal eine grose Mannigfaltigkeit von Konstruktionen ausftihren. Strecken oder Winkel konnen halbiert werden, von einem Punkt aus kann ein Lot auf eine gegebene Gerade gefallt werden, ein regulares Sechseck kann einem Kreis einbeschrieben werden u. a. m. Bei all diesen Aufgaben wird das Lineal nur als geradlinige Kante benutzt, als Instrument zum Ziehen gerader Linien, nicht zum Messen oder Abtragen von Entfemungen. Die traditionelle Beschrankung auf Zirkel und Lineal allein geht schon auf das Altertum zuruck, obwohl die Griechen seIber sich nicht scheuten, auch andere Hilfsmittel zu benutzen.
Blade/Casing Rub Interaction in Turbomachinery: Structural Parameters’ Influence on Stability

This paper studies the dynamics induced by interactions of rotating blades and the surrounding casing in turbomachinery such as aeroengines. Also known as “blade/casing rub dynamics,” this phenomenon results in vibrations that contribute to fatigue failure, especially in blades. Recently, it was proposed that the underlying dynamics of these interactions is analogous to internal milling operations. This introduces the concept of chatter and its intrinsic time-delay component in the dynamics, which is known to invite some nontrivial instability characteristics. The present paper investigates how the structural properties of the blade and casing components influence the stability of the combined interaction. The cluster treatment of characteristic roots paradigm is used for a delay-dependent stability analysis in the space of the operational parameters. An in-depth analysis reveals important aspects of the stability, which may provide valuable tools for designers. Analytical expressions are derived to calcu...
BNB Method for No-Reference Image Quality Assessment

It is challenging to quantitatively assess image quality in real time without a reference image while achieving human-level perception performance. In this paper, we present a no-reference (NR) image quality assessment (IQA) method called BNB (an acronym for blurriness, noisiness, and blockiness). Our BNB method quantifies the blurriness, noisiness, and blockiness of a given image, which are considered as three critical factors affecting users’ quality of experience. This method is rooted in the observation that for any image, the difference between any two adjacent pixel values follows a generalized Laplace distribution with zero mean. This Laplace distribution changes differently when the image experiences various types of artifacts, i.e., blurriness, noisiness, and blockiness. To construct a metric for each BNB artifact, we first extract features for each type of artifacting from the changing Laplace distribution and then identify the quantitative relationship between the feature value and the variation of the artifact. Given human perception scores of a popular image database, we use the k-nearest neighbor algorithm to map our three BNB metrics of an image to a human perception score. Experimental results reveal that the image quality score obtained from our BNB method has higher correlation with human perceptual scores in addition to requiring notably less computation compared with existing NR IQA methods.
Controlled Production of Droplets by In-Flight Electrospraying

Diameter, velocity, and charge measurements of progeny droplets produced in-flight by a millimeter-size parent drop subjected to electric and ionic fields are reported. Different drop breakup modes were studied using phase doppler anemometry and high-speed digital photography. Drop breakup occurred in applied electric (∼1 kV/cm to ∼10 kV/cm) and ionic (∼1013/m3 to ∼1015/m3) fields that were generated using a DC-corona discharge in a needle−plate configuration. Effects of the external electric field and the diameter of the parent drop are considered. Several models are summarized, including simulations of the electrohydrodynamics of the corona discharge, electrocapillary stability analysis of the jet, and progeny droplets mobility analysis. Using experimental and model results, the charge of progeny drops is shown to vary as the three-halves power of their diameter.
High Levels of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in the Great Lakes Atmosphere

Levels of 12 organophosphate flame retardants (OPs) were measured in particle phase samples collected at five sites in the North American Great Lakes basin from March 2012 to December 2012 (inclusive). The target compounds were three chlorinated OPs [tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP), and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP)], three alkyl phosphates [tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), tris(butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), and tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP)], and six aryl phosphates [triphenyl phosphate (TPP), tri-o-tolyl phosphate (TOTP), tri-p-tolyl phosphate (TPTP), tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl) phosphate (TDMPP), tris(2-isopropylphenyl) phosphate (TIPPP), and tris(4-butylphenyl) phosphate (TBPP)]. Total OP (ΣOP) atmospheric concentrations ranged from 120 ± 18 to 2100 ± 400 pg/m3 at the five sites, with the higher ΣOP levels detected at Cleveland and Chicago. ΣOP concentrations at these urban sites were dominated by the chlorinated OPs (TCEP, TCPP, and TDCP...
Mortality and Body Weight of Breeder Chicks as Influenced by Air Temperature Fluctuations

Abstract Newly hatched male grandparent breeder chicks in commercial containers (80 chicks per container) were exposed for 50 hr to a constant temperature of 85°F or one of three cyclic temperature ranges: 85±5°F, 85±10°F, and 85±15°F. The cyclic temperatures simulated possible thermal conditions during air shipments. The chicks were subjected to the temperature regimes either with or without a supple of feed and water supplement (Aqua-Jel). The results showed no significant difference (P>.05) in chick mortality or body weight loss between the constant temperature and the cyclic temperatures for both nutritional conditions. Chicks with feed and Aqua-Jel supply, however, had significantly lower (P
Engineering Simple Interest Rate Derivatives

This chapter discusses financial engineering methods that use forward loans, Eurocurrency futures, and forward rate agreements (FRAs). Interest rate strategies, hedging, and risk management present more difficulties than FX, equity, or commodity-related instruments for at least two reasons. First of all, the payoff of an interest rate derivative depends, by definition, on some interest rate. In order to price the instrument, one needs to apply discount factors to the future payoffs and calculate the relevant present values. But the discount factor itself is an interest rate-dependent concept. If interest rates are stochastic, the present value of an interest rate-dependent cash flow will be a nonlinear random variable; the resulting expectations may not be as easy to calculate. There will be two sources of any future fluctuations—those due to future cash flows themselves, and those due to changes in the discount factor applied to these cash flows. When dealing with equity or commodity derivatives, such nonlinearities are either not present or have a relatively minor impact on pricing.
TH‐AB‐202‐11: Spatial and Rotational Quality Assurance of 6DOF Patient Tracking Systems

Purpose: External tracking systems used for patient positioning and motion monitoring during radiotherapy are now capable of detecting both translations and rotations (6DOF). In this work, we develop a novel technique to evaluate the 6DOF performance of external motion tracking systems. We apply this methodology to an infrared (IR) marker tracking system and two 3D optical surface mapping systems in a common tumor 6DOF workspace. Methods: An in-house designed and built 6DOF parallel kinematics robotic motion phantom was used to follow input trajectories with sub-millimeter and sub-degree accuracy. The 6DOF positions of the robotic system were then tracked and recorded independently by three optical camera systems. A calibration methodology which associates the motion phantom and camera coordinate frames was first employed, followed by a comprehensive 6DOF trajectory evaluation, which spanned a full range of positions and orientations in a 20×20×16 mm and 5×5×5 degree workspace. The intended input motions were compared to the calibrated 6DOF measured points. Results: The technique found the accuracy of the IR marker tracking system to have maximal root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.25 mm translationally and 0.09 degrees rotationally, in any one axis, comparing intended 6DOF positions to positions measured by the IR camera. The 6DOF RSME discrepancy for the first 3D optical surface tracking unit yielded maximal values of 0.60 mm and 0.11 degrees over the same 6DOF volume. An earlier generation 3D optical surface tracker was observed to have worse tracking capabilities than both the IR camera unit and the newer 3D surface tracking system with maximal RMSE of 0.74 mm and 0.28 degrees within the same 6DOF evaluation space. Conclusion: The proposed technique was effective at evaluating the performance of 6DOF patient tracking systems. All systems examined exhibited tracking capabilities at the sub-millimeter and sub-degree level within a 6DOF workspace.
A simple approach to performance optimization in HPLC and its application in ultrafast separation development

This installment of "Column Watch" describes a simple, three-step optimization procedure that was developed to select the optimum particle size, column length, and eluent velocity to achieve the highest plate count in a given analysis time. This approach was applied successfully to developing ultrafast 30-s separations at an elevated temperature with both sub-2-μm fully porous particles at ultrahigh pressure (1100 bar) and sub-3-μm superficially porous particles at moderate pressure (550 bar). As shown here, such ultrafast separations are ideal for pharmaceutical dissolution testing and are 3-5 times faster than traditional HPLC separations used for this application.
Adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network® Guidelines for Testicular Cancer

Purpose: Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy among young men and well established treatment guidelines exist to optimize outcomes. We characterized errors in the management of testicular cancer observed among patients seen at 3 referral centers in the United States.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from 593 patients presenting with testicular cancer to 3 academic medical centers from 2007 to 2016. Nonguideline directed care was defined as management differing from National Comprehensive Care Network guideline recommendations. Cases of nonguideline directed care were systematically described. Patient and tumor characteristics were compared between guideline directed care and nonguideline directed care. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of nonguideline directed care, and Cox regression modeling was used to assess the association between nonguideline directed care and relapse-free survival.Results: Nonguideline directed care was identified in ...
Robotics in education: a tool for recruiting, engaging, retaining and educating students

Robotics is being used in the Montana Tech Computer Science Department in a variety of ways: to increase awareness of the field, to assist us in recruiting students, to engage our existing students, and to provide an advanced research and development experience for our upper level students. The use of robotics in our Computational Thinking course has shown statistically significant effect in the tested increase in logical and mathematical thinking as measured with a pre-test and post-test, which has been administered over the last three years that the course has been offered. Other robotics projects that are underway will take time before results are expected, including the implementation of our NAOCam project, since it is still in its design phase. Thus far, though, our results are promising, and we are optimistic that as additional robotics efforts are completed, those results will also be positive.
Text messaging versus email for emergency medicine residents’ knowledge retention: a pilot comparison in the United States

We evaluated the effectiveness of text messaging versus email, as a delivery method to enhance knowledge retention of emergency medicine (EM) content in EM residents. We performed a multi-centered, prospective, randomized study consisting of postgraduate year (PGY) 1 to PGY 3 & 4 residents in three United States EM residency programs in 2014. Fifty eight residents were randomized into one delivery group: text message or email. Participants completed a 40 question pre- and post-intervention exam. Primary outcomes were the means of pre- and post-intervention exam score differences. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and multiple linear regressions. No significant difference was found between the primary outcomes of the two groups (P=0.51). PGY 2 status had a significant negative effect (P=0.01) on predicted exam score difference. Neither delivery method enhanced resident knowledge retention. Further research on implementation of mobile technology in residency education is required.
A Terrain based Simulation System to Predict the Interference Caused by Networks of Spread Spectrum Systems

The Army Terrain Integrated Interference Prediction System (ATIIPS), a CAD terrain based simulation tool for determining the degradation effects on a network of non-spread spectrum radios caused by a network of spread spectrum radios is presented. A brief overview of the program is given, with typical graphics displays shown. Typical results for both a link simulation of interference and for a network simulation, using a slow hopped FM/FSK spread spectrum interfering radio network on a narrow band FM/FSK fixed frequency digital radio are presented.
Green Computing: New Challenges and Opportunities

As individuals and researchers approach the challenge of green computing it is natural to consider the energy consumption of computational devices and their supporting systems during their use phase (i.e., after they are deployed into service). This includes reducing energy consumption in processors, memory systems, peripheral devices, cooling systems and a host of other components that are used in deployed systems. However, for computing to be truly green, all phases of the system life-cycle, from manufacturing to disposal, must be considered. In particular there is limited awareness to the considerable fraction of the total life-cycle environmental impacts of computing systems that result from the fabrication of the integrated circuits (ICs) that are used in those devices. Studies have shown that the energy and environmental costs of IC fabrication can actually significantly outpace use-phase sustainability metrics and environmental impacts. With trends towards more exotic, thus, more environmentally unfriendly, fabrication approaches at deeply scaled nodes, life-cycle thinking for next generation computing systems that includes traditional optimization of operational energy-efficiency as well as minimizing impacts from IC fabrication is critical. In this talk I will present a new cadre of tools and methodologies to holistically evaluate energy consumption and other environmental impacts from computing. Based on these tools, I will discuss new interdisciplinary research directions and educational opportunities that emerge towards achieving more sustainable computing.
The Mystique of Genetic Correctness

I depart from IR concerns to deal with the realm of genetic research where researchers wed to a set of methods imagine that what those methods yield are the only true scientific products. Masks of reason are all too evident in the fast and loose way that sophisticated neoeugenic methods and techniques are used to serve underlying social agendas and prejudices.
Comparison of soil biosolarization with mesophilic and thermophilic solid digestates on soil microbial quantity and diversity

Soil biosolarization (SBS) is a pest control technique that combines passive solar heating and fermentation of amended organic matter. The extreme soil conditions generated during SBS could decrease microbial biomass and restructure the soil microbiome, which could impact soil quality. Digestates from anaerobic digesters may harbor microbial communities tolerant of the oxygen, moisture, and temperature stresses encountered during SBS as these conditions may also occur in digesters. Digestate microbial communities may contribute to soil fermentation during SBS and affect organic matter turnover in soils treated with SBS. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of SBS on soil microbial diversity and quantity when solid digestates from thermophilic (TD) and mesophilic (MD) anaerobic digesters were used as soil amendments. In the soils amended with TD, communities showed the greatest divergence from the initial soil state whereas MD amendment resulted in a microbiome more similar to the non-amended soil. The microbial biomass of the biosolarized soils was significantly greater than the non-amended, solar-heated soil. The microbial biomass in the biosolarized soils was dominated by K-strategic or “native” species. Solar heating of the non-amended soil mainly affected “native” species, leading to conditions where other opportunistic species become more dominant. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether the persistent microbes in the soil are benign or pathogenic and to understand their roles in pest inactivation and nutrient cycling during and following SBS.
Murphy's Law and Probability or How to Compute Your Misfortune

(1987). Murphy's Law and Probability or How to Compute Your Misfortune. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 60, No. 3, pp. 159-165.
Traditional vs. Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Clerkships: A Closer Look

This year-long study compared training experiences and outcome of consultation-liaison (CL) and traditional psychiatry clerkships. CL students reported greater improvement in their ability to employ psychiatry skills with general medical patients, and more favorable changes in their attitude towards psychiatry as a potential specialty. Analyses of actual training experiences showed that these more positive CL outcomes were associated with greater experience in primary care settings and more positive senior staff relationships. The remainder of results agree with past findings showing no significant differences in knowledge, skill and attitude outcomes, and extend past findings by showing a parallel similarity in the content and methods of training across services. Directions for future research are suggested.
Does "July effect" exist in colonoscopies performed at teaching hospitals?

Background: To compare the outcomes of the colonoscopies between the early (July–September) and the later (April–June) academic year at the urban-teaching hospitals. Methods: Our study cluster was derived from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for the years 2010–2014. International Classification of Diseases, 9 th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9 CM) procedure codes were used to identify the adult patients who underwent inpatient colonoscopy at urban-teaching hospitals. Post-colonoscopy outcomes and the complications were recognized using ICD-9 CM codes among any of the secondary diagnoses. Categorical and continuous variables were assessed using Pearson’s Chi-square and Student’s t -test respectively. Odds of complications during the early vs. later academic year was also evaluated by the two-way hierarchical logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 124,155 (weighted n=617,907) colonoscopy procedures were performed at the urban teaching hospitals in the US from 2010 to 2014. Out of these, 61,272 (weighted n=304,946) and 62,883 (weighted n=312,961) procedures were performed during early (July to September) and later (April to June) academic months, respectively. There was no significant difference in the all-cause mortality (1.4% vs. 1.4%, P=0.208), and the complications such as colonic perforations (3.1% vs. 3.2%, P=0.229) and postoperative infections (0.6% vs. 0.6%, P=0.733) between the two groups. Similarly, the splenic rupture (0.0% vs. 0.0%, P=0.180) was equally infrequent in both the groups. Bleeding/hematoma following colonoscopy (0.9% vs. 0.8%, P=0.004) was marginally higher during the later academic months. There were no statistically distinctions in terms of length of stay (LOS) (days) (7.3±9.1 vs. 7.3±9.1, P=0.918), total hospitalization charges ($60,549.41 vs. $59,918.56, P=0.311) and discharge of patients to other facilities between the early and the later academic months. Colonoscopy performed during the early academic months was not found to be a significant independent predictor for post-colonoscopy complications such as colon perforation (OR =0.99, 95% CI: 0.93–1.06, P=0.760), postoperative bleeding/hematoma (OR =0.92, 95% CI: 0.81–1.04, P=0.196) and postoperative infection (OR =0.99, 95% CI: 0.84–1.15, P=0.850). Conclusions: There was no “July effect” on the outcomes of colonoscopies between the early vs. the later academic months.
Rapid Determination of Acetic Acid, Furfural, and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in Biomass Hydrolysates Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a rapid detection technique that has been used to characterize biomass. The objective of this study was to develop suitable NIRS models to predict the acetic acid, furfural, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) contents in biomass hydrolysates. Using a uniform distribution of pretreatment conditions, 60 representative biomass hydrolysates were prepared. Partial least-squares regression was used to develop models capable of predicting acetic acid, furfural, and HMF contents. Optimal models were built using the wavenumber range of 9000–8000 and 7000–5000 cm–1 with high R2 for calibration and validation models, small root-mean-square error of calibration ( 2.7. The NIRS method largely reduced the analytical time from ∼55 to <1 min and has no cost for reagents.
A sense of agency: Accounting for a change-in-progress in Australian Kriol pronoun distribution

Roper Kriol exhibits variation in the shape of the first-person singular pronoun in subject position. This paper provides an account of the numerous syntactic, semantic and pragmatic factors that appear to influence the selection of either ai or mi based predominantly on a study of a corpus of the written language. It is claimed that the synchronic distribution of ai and mi is an innovation primarily motivated by speaker reanalysis of the semantic entailments frequently associated with English subject and object arguments – effectively evidence of the partial grammaticalisation of agentivity in these varieties. This work has implications for our understanding of ‘agentivity’ as a cross-linguistic, cognitive category and for the dynamic relationship between semantic roles and the morphosyntactic encoding of grammatical relations.