cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A General Methodology for Decoupling Damped Linear Systems

Abstract It has long been recognized that coordinate coupling in damped linear systems is a considerable barrier to analysis and design. In the absence of viscous damping, a linear system possesses classical normal modes, which constitute a linear coordinate transformation that decouples the undamped system. This process of decoupling the equation of motion of a dynamical system is a time-honored procedure termed modal analysis. A viscously damped linear system cannot be decoupled by modal analysis unless it also possesses a full set of classical normal modes, in which case the system is said to be classically damped. Rayleigh showed that a system is classically damped if its damping matrix is a linear combination of its inertia and stiffness matrices. Classical damping is routinely assumed in design and computations. Practically speaking, classical damping means that energy dissipation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the system. In general, this condition is not satisfied and thus damped linear systems cannot be decoupled by modal analysis. The purpose of this presentation is to report on a recently developed methodology to extend classical modal analysis to decouple any damped linear system (no restrictions). This method is based upon a new theory of phase synchronization, which compensates for time drifts caused by viscous damping and external excitation. A fast algorithm for decoupling any damped linear system is also described.
Hyperglycemia Diverts Dividing Osteoblastic Precursor Cells to an Adipogenic Pathway and induces Synthesis of a Hyaluronan Matrix that is Adhesive for Monocytes

Isolated rat bone marrow stromal cells cultured in osteogenic medium in which the normal 5.6 mm glucose is changed to hyperglycemic 25.6 mm glucose greatly increase lipid formation between 21–31 days of culture that is associated with decreased biomineralization, up-regulate expression of cyclin D3 and two adipogenic markers (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) within 5 days of culture, increase neutral and polar lipid synthesis within 5 days of culture, and form a monocyte-adhesive hyaluronan matrix through an endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagic mechanism. Evidence is also provided that, by 4 weeks after diabetes onset in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model, there is a large loss of trabecular bone mineral density without apparent proportional changes in underlying collagen matrices, a large accumulation of a hyaluronan matrix within the trabecular bone marrow, and adipocytes and macrophages embedded in this hyaluronan matrix. These results support the hypothesis that hyperglycemia in bone marrow diverts dividing osteoblastic precursor cells (bone marrow stromal cells) to a metabolically stressed adipogenic pathway that induces synthesis of a hyaluronan matrix that recruits inflammatory cells and establishes a chronic inflammatory process that demineralizes trabecular cancellous bone.
Enzymatic properties of bacterial luciferase.

Abstract 1. 1. The present report is concerned with some of the enzymatic properties of highly purified bacterial luciferase, an enzyme which catalyzes a light-emitting reaction in the presence of reduced riboflavin phosphate (FMNH2), a long-chain fatty aldehyde, and oxygen. Reduced diphosphopyridin nucleotide (DPNH) or triphosphopyridine nucleotide (TPNH) will support luminescence if FMN is added to the reaction mixture. 2. 2. Various reduced dyes such as safranine T, indigotrisulfonate, and rosindulin 2G, as well as reduced riboflavin, will also reduce FMN and support luminescence provided aldehyde is added. 3. 3. In the absence of aldehyde and FMN, the bacterial luciferase catalyzes the reduction of methylene blue, various quinones, and ferricyanide by DPNH. If ferricyanide is added to a normal reaction mixture, no light is emitted until the ferricyanide is reduced. Because of the autoxidation of FMNH2 luciferase rapidly catalyzes the oxidation of DPNH in the presence of FMN. 4. 4. The kinetics of light emission starting with reduced FMN indicate that two FMNH2 molecules combine with luciferase. Two different equations have been derived which describe the results, and the various dissociation constants have been calculated. 5. 5. The relationship between light intensity and enzyme concentration using both DPNH and FMNH2 was determined. With FMNH2 the light intensity is proportional to enzyme concentration, while with DPNH a nonlinear response is observed. This latter result is due presumably to the greater autoxidation of FMNH2, which is formed from DPNH and FMN, at low enzyme concentration. 6. 6. With the purified enzyme, light emission is dependent upon a supply of aldehyde. Dodecyl aldehyde has been used in all of the present experiments. By using appropriate dilutions of the substrate, it is possible to show that the total light emitted depends upon the aldehyde concentration. The aldehyde is presumably oxidized to the acid; however, because of the small quantities used it is not possible to establish this point directly. 7. 7. Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase in the presence of DPNH catalyzes the reduction of the long-chain aldehydes to the corresponding alcohols. 8. 8. The possibility that the aldehyde combines with FMNH2 to form an intermediate which is peroxidized by a flavin radical is discussed as a mechanism for light emission.
Measurements of Squeeze Film Bearing Forces to Demonstrate the Effect of Fluid Inertia

Squeeze film dampers are commonly applied to high speed rotating machinery, such as aircraft engines, to reduce vibration problems. The theory of hydrodynamic lubrication has been used for the design and modeling of dampers in rotor dynamic systems despite typical modified Reynolds numbers in applications between ten and fifty. Lubrication theory is strictly valid for Reynolds numbers much less than one, which means that fluid viscous forces are much greater than inertia forces. Theoretical papers which account for fluid inertia in squeeze films have predicted large discrepancies from lubrication theory, but these results have not found wide acceptance by workers in the gas turbine industry. Recently, experimental results on the behavior of rotor dynamic systems have been reported which strongly support the existence of large fluid inertia forces. In the present paper direct measurements of damper forces are presented for the first time. Reynolds numbers up to ten are obtained at eccentricity ratios 0.2 and 0.5. Lubrication theory underpredicts the measured forces by up to a factor of two (100% error). Qualitative agreement is found with predictions of earlier improved theories which include fluid inertia forces.Copyright © 1984 by ASME
Molecular dynamics study of size, temperature and strain rate effects on mechanical properties of gold nanofilms

Temperature and extremely-high strain rate effects on mechanical properties of different-size gold nanofilms are investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. The numerical results clearly show a temperature softening effect on the material strength and Young’s modulus and demonstrate a critical film thickness that characterizes a transition from “smaller is softer” to “smaller is stronger”. It is also found that a higher strain rate yields a higher strength, whereas the modulus is much less sensitive to the loading rate. In addition, the Young’s modulus and strength of nanofilms studied are approximately 50%–60% smaller and 50–90 times higher than those of bulk gold, respectively. This suggests that the use of the mechanical properties of a bulk material in a continuum-based approach might be inadequate for the accurate prediction of the thermomechanical response for gold nanofilms caused by ultrashort-pulsed laser heating.
Laser speckle interferometry for plate bending problems.

A method is proposed whereby the spatial speckles created in front of a plate with an optically rough surface when illuminated by a coherent laser beam is used to generate slope contour fringes. This is done by photographing the speckles contained in a parallel plane in front of the plate before and after deformation via double exposure. The resulting speckle interferogram is then optically Fourier transformed to yield the fringe pattern of slope contours. It is shown that the method is analogous to the Ligtenberg reflection moire method with a grating of continuously variable pitch and orientation. The method can be applied to plates made of almost any material.
Optical Nanoelectronics with Metamaterials

We give an overview of the fundamental properties of optical “lumped” circuit elements and components, utilizing optical metamaterials. We will discuss how these elements can be the building blocks for more complex optical nanoelectronics.
Chromosomes of the horse, the donkey, and the mule.

1. The diploid chromosome number forEquus caballus is 64, that forEquus asinus is 62, and that for the mule, 63. 2. The chromosome complements ofE. caballus andE. asinus are completely different morphologically.E. caballus has 19 pairs of metacentric autosomes and 18 pairs of acrocentrics, whileE. asinus has 19 pairs of metacentric autosomes and 11 pairs of acrocentrics. The morphology of the sex chromosomes is also dissimilar between the species. 3. While the disparity between parental chromosomes satisfactorily accounts for sterility in male hybrids, it does not explain the occasional fertile female able to produce several offspring with noE. asinus traits. Apparently morphological disparity between parental chromosomes is only a small part of the relatively complex matter of female gametogenesis.
Money, income, and sunspots: Measuring economic relationships and the effects of differencing

Abstract This paper discusses the question of whether economic time series regression models should be estimated between the levels or the changes of the variables of interest. We argue that many economic models should be estimated between the changes of the variables, rather than the levels of the variables. In addition, comparisons of the levels and changes regressions can be used as a crude test of model specification. These issues are illustrated with examples from Friedman and Meiselman's (1963) study of annual income and consumption and with data on sunspot activity from 1897–1958.
Anxiety, independent of depressive symptoms, is associated with in-hospital cardiac complications after acute myocardial infarction

Abstract Objective Post-myocardial infarction (MI) anxiety, independent of demographic and medical variables, has been linked to in-hospital cardiac complications in prior studies, but such studies have not included a concomitant assessment of depressive symptoms. The aim of this exploratory study was to determine whether post-MI anxiety was associated with in-hospital cardiac complications, independent of depressive symptoms. Methods Subjects within 72 hours of acute MI ( n =110) were prospectively assessed for anxiety [using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)] and depressive symptoms (using the Beck Depression Inventory-II and structured interview diagnoses of major depressive disorder). Individual in-hospital complications and pooled serious cardiac complications (defined as recurrent ischemia, reinfarction, congestive heart failure, and ventricular arrhythmia requiring intervention) were recorded via chart review. Results On hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis that accounted for demographic variables, cardiac illness, and depressive symptoms, post-MI anxiety was significantly associated with pooled serious in-hospital cardiac complications ( P =.003). In addition, when the anxiety measure was limited to only the psychological symptoms of anxiety (“BAI-P”), post-MI anxiety remained an independent predictor of cardiac complications ( P =.015). Conclusions These findings suggest that the association of post-MI anxiety with in-hospital cardiac complications exists above and beyond the effects of depression. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings, and treatment studies are needed to determine the impact of anxiety treatment on in-hospital cardiac outcomes.
Making agreements with oneself: Prelude to social behavior

Self-promises, implicitly-articulated self-agreements, and self-bargains seem to be widespread and important sociopsychological phenomena that have been little studied. As aspects of a problem-solving orientation, possibly inherent in social conduct, they may be significant as a way in which social control operates internally. The purposes, commitments, disclosures and rewards of self-agreements are viewed as mechanisms used to deal with the problematical. Individuals' testimony indicates that awareness of processes involved in articulating self-agreements vary from little to highly active internal negotiating. Findings from an open-ended questionnaire given to 313 respondents are discussed.
Geometric control of human stem cell morphology and differentiation

During tissue morphogenesis, stem cells and progenitor cells migrate, proliferate, and differentiate, with striking changes in cell shape, size, and acting mechanical stresses. The local cellular function depends on the spatial distribution of cytokines as well as local mechanical microenvironments in which the cells reside. In this study, we controlled the organization of human adipose derived stem cells using micro-patterning technologies, to investigate the influence of multi-cellular form on spatial distribution of cellular function at an early stage of cell differentiation. The underlying role of cytoskeletal tension was probed through drug treatment. Our results show that the cultivation of stem cells on geometric patterns resulted in pattern- and position-specific cell morphology, proliferation and differentiation. The highest cell proliferation occurred in the regions with large, spreading cells (such as the outer edge of a ring and the short edges of rectangles). In contrast, stem cell differentiation co-localized with the regions containing small, elongated cells (such as the inner edge of a ring and the regions next to the short edges of rectangles). The application of drugs that inhibit the formation of actomyosin resulted in the lack of geometrically specific differentiation patterns. This study confirms the role of substrate geometry on stem cell differentiation, through associated physical forces, and provides a simple and controllable system for studying biophysical regulation of cell function.
Precursors of 5 S ribosomal RNA in Bacillus subtilis.

Abstract Bacillus subtilis 168 accumulates subnormal quantities of mature 5 S ribo-somal RNA in the presence of inhibitors of protein synthesis, such as chloramphenicol, or during pulse-labeling experiments. However, two RNA species, evidently precursors of m5 rRNA and therefore designated as p5 A and p5 B , do accumulate under these conditions. These RNA species are substantially longer than B. subtilis m5 rRNA: p5 A is about 179 nucleotides in length and p5 B is composed of approximately 152 nucleotides. The sum of p5 A , p5 B and m5 rRNA accumulating in the absence of protein synthesis, less excess chain length associated with p5 A and p5 B , equals the expected quantities of m5 rRNA in growing cells. p5 A and p5P B both contain all t 1 RNase-generated oligonucleotides characteristic of m5 rRNA plus additional sequences. At least the 5′ termini of p5 A and p5 B differ from that of m5. If chloramphenicol is removed from a culture in which p5 A and p5 B have accumulated and further RNA synthesis is inhibited, then a quantitative reciprocal loss of p5 A and p5 B occurs as m5 rRNA accumulates. No evidence suggests any p5 A to p5 B transition under these conditions.
Multisensor integration and fusion in intelligent systems

The issues involved in integrating multiple sensors into the operation of a system are presented in the context of the type of information these sensors can uniquely provide. A survey is provided of the variety of approaches to the problem of multisensor integration and fusion that have appeared in the literature in recent years ranging from general paradigms, frameworks, and methods for integrating and fusing multisensory information to existing multisensor systems used in different areas of application. General multisensor fusion methods, sensor selection strategies, and world models are examined, along with approaches to the integration and fusion of information from combinations of different types of sensors. Short descriptions of the role of multisensor integration and fusion in the operation of a number of existing mobile robots are provided, together with proposed high-level multisensory representations suitable for mobile robot navigation and control. Existing multisensor systems for industrial and other applications are considered. >
Design challenges of virtual networks: fast, general-purpose communication

Virtual networks provide applications with the illusion of having their own dedicated, high-performance networks, although network interfaces posses limited, shared resources. We present the design of a large-scale virtual network system and examine the integration of communication programming interface, system resource management, and network interface operation. Our implementation on a cluster of 100 workstations quantifies the impact of virtualization on small message latencies and throughputs, shows full hardware performance is delivered to dedicated applications and time-shared workloads, and shows robust performance under demanding workloads that overcommit interface resources.
STUDIES ON TREPONEMA PALLIDUM AND SYPHILIS : V. FURTHER STUDIES ON THE RELATION OF CULTURE PALLIDA TO VIRULENT PALLIDA AND ON REINFECTION PHENOMENA.

1. Immune sera produced in rabbits by treatment with our Culture Strain A of Treponema pallidum agglutinated not only the homologous strain, but also the Noguchi strains, and indicate a close group relationship of other non-pathogenic treponemata. Absorption experiments confirmed this, indicating a close relationship between the pallidum and the calligyrum. 2. Culture treponemata are not agglutinated to a much greater extent by the sera of syphilitic rabbits than they are by those of normal rabbits. 3. Culture treponemata are not agglutinated to any considerable extent by the sera of rabbits immunized with virulent treponemata. 4. The sera of syphilitic patients, especially those in the tertiary stages, agglutinate culture pallidum to a slightly greater extent than do those of normal individuals, but the culture pallidum is agglutinated to an almost equal degree by the sera of many individuals with diseases other than syphilis. We do not think that we could definitely distinguish the syphilitic from the non-syphilitic serum by the agglutination of the culture pallida, and therefore we do not believe that the reaction has any diagnostic value at present. 5. Immunization with culture pallidum, either general or local, does not seem to confer upon rabbits any considerable degree of resistance to inoculation with virulent treponemata. 6. Rabbits that have once exhibited lesions in the testis are not easily reinfected at the same site if reinoculation is practiced more than a month or so after apparent healing of the lesion. We believe that the experiments above recorded strongly suggest that resistance to syphilis in rabbits is a localized cell phenomenon not dependent upon a generalized reaction on the part of tissues remote from the site directly involved in reaction with the invading treponemata. Antibodies analogous to those formed in most bacterial infections appear in the general circulation in slight amount, if at all. The finding of many motionless treponemata in a few of the small lesions following reinoculation suggests the possibility of a purely localized formation of antibodies. This was expressed by Landsteiner some years ago when he spoke of the localized formation of agglutinins when they were absent in the general circulation. We hesitate to apply these results too generally to the conditions prevailing in human syphilis, but they contain the possibility of an explanation for the apparent skin immunity of the secondary period, and the later successive involvement of some organs and tissues when others remain normal and when external superinfection is successfully resisted.
Die praktische Verwendung der Röntgenstrahlen für nichtmedizinische Zwecke

Bei den fieberhaften Bemuhungen um die Untersuchung der neuentdeckten Strahlen ist es unausbleiblich, das vielerlei technische Anwendungsmoglichkeiten der neuen Entdeckung, die spater von groser Wichtigkeit werden sollten, schon 1896 ausgearbeitet wurden.
Relationship Between the Metabolism of Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Lung Tumor Promotion in Mice

The widely used antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol) produces acute pulmonary toxicity in mice, and also enhances the multiplicity of lung tumors in mice when chronically administered following a single dose of a carcinogen such as urethane. Evidence strongly indicates that the pulmonary effects of BHT are caused by one or more of its reactive metabolites, particularly the hydroperoxide or quinone methide products. The former, BHT—OOH (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroperoxy-4-methylcyclohexa-2,5-dienone), is later converted to free radicals by cyto-chrome P-450, and evidence implicating this pathway in BHT—OOH-induced cytotoxicity has been obtained using isolated rat hepatocytes. Pulmonary microsomes from mice effectively hydroxylate BHT to BHT—BuOH [6-tert-butyl-2-(hydroxy-tert-butyl)-4-methylphenol]; this metabolite was several-fold more effective than BHT as a lung tumor promoter, substantially more pneumotoxic than BHT in vivo, and more toxic to isolated rat hepatocyte...
Palaeozoic palaeogeography from palaeomagnetism of the Atlantic-bordering continents

Abstract Revised palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Atlantic-bordering continents and intervening terranes are presented for the Siluro-Devonian boundary, Early Devonian, and Late Devonian, based on incorporation of new palaeomagnetic results that have become available from Laurentia and Gondwana. The key features of the palaeogeographic model are the transpressive collision between the eastern margin of Laurentia and the northwest South American margin of Gondwana in the Siluro-Devonian, and the subsequent Devonian retreat of the north African margin and the development of a wide ocean between Africa and Europe by the Late Devonian. Although rather complex and involving rapid motions especially of Gondwana, the revised Devonian plate tectonic evolution as indicated by palaeomagnetism is not inconsistent with biogeographic and palaeoclimatological evidence.
Mycophenolate Mofetil in Autoimmune Hepatitis Patients Not Responsive or Intolerant to Standard Immunosuppressive Therapy

Background & Aims: The immunosuppressive treatment for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients is prednisone and azathioprine. Ten percent to 20% of patients do not respond or are intolerant of standard treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the biochemical, histologic, and hematologic parameters during mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) treatment in AIH patients who did not respond to or were intolerant of prednisone and/or azathioprine. Methods: A retrospective study was performed of 15 AIH patients who received MMF either as monotherapy or in combination with prednisone after failure or intolerance of the initial regimen. Records were reviewed as to initial therapy, reasons why MMF was initiated, liver enzyme levels, histology on MMF, and complications. Results: The mean age was 60 ± 15 years. All patients were started on MMF at 1 gram twice a day, 3 on MMF monotherapy, and 12 on prednisone and MMF. The average MMF treatment duration was 41 months. Alanine aminotransferase levels decreased significantly from 91.73 ± 88.69 to 60.87 ± 71.2 (P = .03) on MMF treatment. Inflammatory scores (2.59 ± 0.97 to 1.14 ± 1.21, P = .02) and Ishak fibrosis scores (4.10 ± 1.37 to 2.5 ± 1.51, P = .02) also decreased. No significant hematologic complications were noted during MMF treatment. Conclusions: Administration of MMF, either as monotherapy or in combination with prednisone, results in biochemical and histologic improvement in AIH patients who are prednisone and/or azathioprine intolerant or resistant without the development of significant complications. MMF should be studied prospectively as an alternative agent in the treatment of autoimmune liver disease.
Modelling capture processes in individual traps: entry, escapement and soak time

Stationary fishing gear is employed in a diverse array of fisheries including those for many high unit-value species. The mode of operation of these gear types (traps, long-lines, gillnets, etc.) requires special consideration in the development of abundance indices because of gear saturation effects. Specifically, factors affecting the probability of capture and of escapement or other sources of loss must be addressed. Here, we describe two models of capture processes in traps that include existing models as special cases. Deterministic models are first developed to illustrate the basic principles. Stochastic analogues of two well-known models are then described using the theory of birth-death stochastic processes. It is shown that the mean of the stochastic models is identical to the deterministic case for models where closed form solutions are possible. The stochastic models provide additional diagnostic information in terms of the variance and the probability distribution of catch levels. Illustrations of this approach are provided for experimental observations on ingress and catch for the American lobster (Homarus americanus).
A Comparison of Three Teaching Techniques in Anatomy and Physiology

Abstract The relative impact on student learning of three active learning strategies was studied. Sixty-three students in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology class used study guides for the respiration section, study guides combined with group quizzes for the phonation section, and study guides combined with student response systems (clickers) for the articulation and resonance section. Learning was measured by administering weekly quizzes, and student satisfaction was evaluated by a survey at the end of the third section of the course. Quiz scores were significantly higher under the clicker condition; students preferred clickers, but found the study guides to be most educationally beneficial. Study guides helped students organize information prior to class; clickers reassured them about what they had learned.
Improving emission-computed-tomography quantification by Compton-scatter rejection through offset windows

Historically in nuclear medicine the acceptance window for total-energy pulse-height has been set to maximize contrast and resolution in the image. Recently, there has been increased emphasis on quantification of digital images to calculate, for example, left ventricular volume or tumor radiation absorbed dose. In this paper, we consider specifically what improvements can be made in emission computed tomography simply by employing a window which is offset to the high-energy side of the photopeak in order to reduce the contribution of Compton scattered gamma-rays. The window is offset so as to reduce the count rate for a source in air by 20%. Two lucite phantoms were measured. One was a short cylinder filled with a uniformly-distributed solution of 99mTc in water. The other was a head phantom with a 0.6 cm 3 "tumor" containing 99mTc. Water surrounding the tumor could be nonradioactive or contain a dilute background activity. Absolute calibration was accomplished by imaging the simulated tumor in the air-filled phantom. With the offset window, calculated tumor activity is only 3% and 7% high without and with background respectively compared to 20% and 26% high with the symmetric window. However, total activity of the entire slice is still 37% high even without background. For the cylinder containing uniform activity, the error in specific activity drops from 30% to 18% with the offset window. Therefore, an asymmetric window significantly improves quantification, and for certain cases such as an isolated tumor, may be sufficiently accurate without further correction.
A review of the nomenclatural difficulties associated with misplaced rank-denoting terms

Summary Moore, G.: A review of the nomenclatural difficulties associated with misplaced rankdenoting terms. - Taxon 50: 495-505. 2001. - ISSN 0040-0262. The nomenclatural difficulties associated with classifications that have misplaced rankdenoting terms are reviewed. Several examples (both real and hypothetical) of classifications with misplaced rank-denoting terms are discussed. A distinction is made between misplaced rank-denoting terms and colloquially (mis)used rank-denoting terms, and a discussion is provided on whether or not it may be useful to have such a distinction presented in the Code. In providing guidelines on how one should deal with the nomenclature of classifications that include misplaced rank-denoting terms, a "minimal invalidity" concept is introduced. A review is made on how Art. 33.7 might be reworded so as to provide clearer guidance when dealing with classifications that involve misplaced rankdenoting terms.
Exenatide: a GLP-1 receptor agonist as novel therapy for Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Exenatide is a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, which has recently received FDA approval in the US for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Exenatide is an incretin mimetic that improves glycaemic control in patients with diabetes through acute mechanisms, such as glucose-dependent stimulation of insulin secretion, suppression of inappropriate glucagon secretion and slowing of gastric emptying, as well as chronic mechanisms that include enhancement of beta-cell mass in rodent studies and weight loss and inhibition of food intake in humans. This article reviews the mechanisms of exenatide action, as well as its efficacy in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.
Finding our way on the web: exploring the role of waypoints in search interaction

Information needs are rarely satisfied directly on search engine result pages. Searchers usually need to click through to search results (landing pages) and follow search trails beyond those pages to fulfill information needs. We use the term waypoints to describe pages visited by searchers between the trail origin (the landing page) and the trail destination. The role that waypoints play in search interaction is poorly understood yet can be vital in determining search success. In this poster we analyze log data to determine the arrangement and function of waypoints, and study how these are affected by variations in information goals. Our findings have implications for understanding search behavior and for the design of interactive search support based on waypoints.
Implicit adaptive multi-robot coordination in dynamic environments

Multi-robot teams offer key advantages over single robots in exploration missions by increasing efficiency (explore larger areas), reducing risk (partial mission failure with robot failures), and enabling new data collection modes (multi-modal observations). However, coordinating multiple robots to achieve a system-level task is difficult, particularly if the task may change during the mission. In this work, we demonstrate how multiagent cooperative coevolutionary algorithms can develop successful control policies for dynamic and stochastic multi-robot exploration missions. We find that agents using difference evaluation functions (a technique that quantifies each individual agent's contribution to the team) provides superior system performance (up to 15%) compared to global evaluation functions and a hand-coded algorithm.
Examining Patterns and Functions of Reminiscence in a Sample of Black Adults: Implications for Psychiatric Nurses

The patterns and functions of reminiscence have been shown to be associated with mental health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine age and gender differences in the patterns and functions of reminiscence among a sample of Black adults. Multivariate analysis of variance findings revealed age and gender differences on specific reminiscence functions. Age groups >70 scored highest on the Teach/ Inform function. Men reminisce more for Bitterness Revival while women reminisce more frequently to Teach/Inform and for Intimacy Maintenance. Results indicate there are age and gender differences in the reasons why and how often the participants in this study reminisce for a specific purpose. These findings are informative for psychiatric nurses in order to facilitate therapeutic reminiscence to improve the mental health and well-being of this underserved population.
Salinity Intrusion Effects in Estuary Shoaling

In the salinity intrusion region of an estuary the internal velocity distribution in the longitudinal direction is modified by the density effects. If the velocities are averaged over a tidal cycle the result is an increase in the surface velocities in the downstream (ebb) direction and a reversal of the near-bottom velocities so that the net velocity is in the upstream (flood) direction. The region of heavy shoaling in an estuary is shown to be related to the location of the null point at which the near-bottom velocity reverses from a net landward to a net seaward direction. The location of the null point is shown to be related to the longitudinal salinity distribution through a correlation based on the local densimetric Froude number. A method is developed for predicting the longitudinal change in the region of heavy shoaling due to changes in channel depth or fresh water discharge. The method is developed from laboratory data obtained at M.I.T. and W.E.S. (Vicksburg) and is applied to the Savannah and Delaware estuaries.
Human nasal cells in continuous culture. II. Virus susceptibilities.

Summary(1) Two strains of epithelial-like cells derived from nasal mucosa have been found to be susceptible to a number of viruses. The fibroblasts which predominated in the early passages of these cell lines were susceptible, although degeneration occurred at a slower rate, to type 4 adenovirus. (2) Cyto-pathogenic effects were produced by 7 adeno-viruses, 3 polioviruses, 2 ECHO viruses, a Group B Coxsackie virus, herpes simplex, measles, “CA”, and “chimp rhinitis” viruses. Titers obtained in the nasal epithelial-like cells are similar to those measured with HeLa cells. Multiplication of certain of these agents was confirmed by titration of passage material. (3) Influenza and mumps viruses and nasal secretions from individuals with common colds were not cytopathogenic.The technical assistance of Miss Virginia Colville and Mrs. Juanita Ruffier is gratefully acknowledged.
Pre-diagnosis blood glucose and prognosis in women with breast cancer.

The effect of moderately elevated blood glucose levels among non-diabetic subjects on cancer prognosis is not well described. The goal of this study was to examine the association of elevated random blood glucose (RBG) levels in non-diabetic breast cancer patients with overall survival (OS) and time to tumor recurrence (TTR). Forty-nine deaths and 32 recurrences occurred among 148 eligible study subjects during 855.44 person-years of follow-up, with median follow-up of 5.97 years. We observed that patients with elevated RBG levels experienced significantly shorter OS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.01; 95 % confidence interval [CI] (1.70–5.33); P < 0.001) and shorter TTR (HR, 2.08; CI (1.04–4.16); P = 0.04) as compared to patients with non-elevated RBG levels. After controlling for tumor grade, tumor stage, race, and BMI, elevated RBG continued to display high and statistically significant association with shorter OS (HR, 3.50; CI (1.87–6.54); P < 0.001). Adjustment for age, race, and BMI strengthened HR of RBG for TTR. The association of RGB with TTR lost its borderline statistical significance upon controlling for both tumor grade and stage. The data suggest that elevated blood glucose is associated with poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Given the potential clinical implication, these findings warrant further investigation.
Quasinormal-mode spectrum of Kerr black holes and its geometric interpretation

There is a well-known, intuitive geometric correspondence between high-frequency quasinormal modes of Schwarzschild black holes and null geodesics that reside on the light ring (often called spherical photon orbits): the real part of the mode’s frequency relates to the geodesic’s orbital frequency, and the imaginary part of the frequency corresponds to the Lyapunov exponent of the orbit. For slowly rotating black holes, the quasinormal mode’s real frequency is a linear combination of the orbit’s precessional and orbital frequencies, but the correspondence is otherwise unchanged. In this paper, we find a relationship between the quasinormal-mode frequencies of Kerr black holes of arbitrary (astrophysical) spins and general spherical photon orbits, which is analogous to the relationship for slowly rotating holes. To derive this result, we first use the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation to compute accurate algebraic expressions for large-l quasinormal-mode frequencies. Comparing our Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin calculation to the leading-order, geometric-optics approximation to scalar-wave propagation in the Kerr spacetime, we then draw a correspondence between the real parts of the parameters of a quasinormal mode and the conserved quantities of spherical photon orbits. At next-to-leading order in this comparison, we relate the imaginary parts of the quasinormal-mode parameters to coefficients that modify the amplitude of the scalar wave. With this correspondence, we find a geometric interpretation of two features of the quasinormal-mode spectrum of Kerr black holes: First, for Kerr holes rotating near the maximal rate, a large number of modes have nearly zero damping; we connect this characteristic to the fact that a large number of spherical photon orbits approach the horizon in this limit. Second, for black holes of any spins, the frequencies of specific sets of modes are degenerate; we find that this feature arises when the spherical photon orbits corresponding to these modes form closed (as opposed to ergodically winding) curves.
Probing the Structural Mechanism of Cardiac Calcium Pump Regulation by Phospholamban with Site-Directed Spin Labeling

Proper calcium transport is critical to muscle function, and the calcium pump sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA) plays a key role in facilitating muscle relaxation by sequestering calcium ions in muscle cells. Reduced SERCA activity is associated with heart failure, making SERCA an important subject of study for seeking heart failure treatment. The small membrane protein phospholamban (PLB) inhibits cardiac SERCA activity, and phosphorylation of PLB substantially restores SERCA activity, but the structural mechanism behind this process is not well understood. Previous spectroscopic studies on the SERCA-PLB complex have focused on the cytoplasmic domain of PLB, showing a structural shift of the cytoplasmic domain relative to SERCA that accompanies phosphorylation of PLB at Ser-16. Since it has been shown that only expression of PLB's transmembrane domain is necessary for observing SERCA inhibition, in this work, we performed site-directed spin labeling and EPR accessibility measurements on the transmembrane domain. We show that SERCA binding reduces access of the transmembrane domain to the lipid environment, and phosphorylation of PLB alters its topology without dissociation from SERCA.
Dexy’s Midnight Spinal

This case discusses a possible pharmacokinetic interaction between bupivacaine and dexmedetomidine. Bupivacaine is a cytochrome P450 2D6 and cytochrome 3A4 substrate. Dexmedetomidine has been shown, in vitro, to inhibit both enzymes.
Approach on economy-based decision-making method for controlling water quality in waterflooding oilfield

A novel technique for water quality regulation based on economic decision-making was proposed.It evolves with the need for improving the development benefit of water-flooding reservoirs being suffered a continuous growth of water cut during the medium and later periods of oil field development.This new method takes comprehensive consideration of water quality compatibility,water treatment,water injection,stimulation measures,planned volume of water being injected and cost balance in order to lower water injection cost in oilfields.The relationship between formation damage and main water quality specification was set up based upon lots of orthonormal flowing tests.The models of cost evaluation and objective function for optimizing decision-making were established.The oilfield test shows that this method is feasible and reasonable.
Corrosion Protection of Aluminum Alloy by Sol-Gel Derived Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Pretreatments Based on Epoxy Resin Modified Silane Precursor

Organic-Inorganic hybrid (OIH) derived by sol-gel process have emerged as promising pretreatments alternative to conventional chromate-based systems for aluminum alloys. In this study novel organo-silane precursor has been synthesized from epoxy resin and amino-silane compound and used as the primary component of OIH film. The effects of epoxy and silane functionality and organic inhibitor used in the composition have been studied on corrosion resistance performance of aluminum alloy (3003-H14). The study also investigates the performance of top coat (powder coating) adhesion onto the pretreatment under different cure conditions. The chemical structure of sol-gel precursor (epoxy silane) and the deposited films have been characterized by FTIR analysis. The corrosion protection performance has been studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), D.C. electrochemical polarization measurements, and the accelerated neutral salt spray test (ASTM B117). This study shows that by proper choice of precursor structure, functionality, processing conditions, and corrosion inhibitor amount, it is possible to derive OIH films with corrosion resistance performance comparable to conventional Cr (VI) based pretreatments.
Extramural III: Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant

The following proposal was submitted to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (DDRI) Grant Program (BCS 0000281). DDRI proposals are written in conjunction with your graduate advisor. Because NSF only awards grants to faculty, the advisor is the Principle Investigator (PI) and has responsibility for the grant. The student is the second PI and expected to contribute most of the work and intellectual input to the project. The DDRI can be submitted twice a year and can ask for up to $12,000.
Contributing to the GEO Model Web implementation

In the Earth system science domain, most current digital infrastructures are able to support data access rather than provide answers to complex questions - noticeably, supporting the ability to address the what-if questions posed by users. To this purpose, integrated modeling is an indispensable element. This work follows a recognizable gap characterized by high-level steps towards model integration: the Science-to-Information Technology barrier. This manuscript introduces an innovative approach to address such a gap in the "Model Web" framework initiative promoted by GEO (Group on Earth Observation) on its GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) program. The methodological approach consists of five technologically neutral steps to build executable workflows from abstract business processes. A high-level architecture, based on the brokering pattern, is introduced to implement the proposed approach. By extending the GEOSS brokering framework, a proof-of-concept implementation is presented, argued, and ultimately experimentations and conclusions are discussed. Innovative approach to build executable workflows from abstract business processes.Broker-based architecture for business process transformation.Proof-of-concept Business Process Broker implementation.Advance the GEO Model Web implementation.
Nasal Spreading as Defective Gestural Deactivation

Nasal spreading (also called nasal vowel-consonant harmony) is a process by which a nasal segment in a word triggers nasalization of its surrounding segments. This paper proposes a reanalysis of this phenomenon using gestures as the units of phonological representation in order to more accurately capture its crosslinguistic typological patterns. Nasal spreading proceeds unboundedly, potentially resulting in spreading of nasality throughout an entire word. However, it is also common for the spread of nasality to be arrested by glides, liquids, or obstruents, a property known as blocking. This is exemplified in Warao (isolate; Venezuela), in which nasality spreads progressively from a triggering nasal consonant or vowel, affecting following vowels, glides, and glottal consonants (1a-d) but is arrested by liquids and obstruents, as in (1e-h) (Osborn 1966):
Systems Approaches to Developmental Patterning

Publisher Summary This chapter appraises specification cues and the downstream context-dependent response that propels the development of multicellular organisms. Specific molecular networks and developmental systems have been discussed to provide illustrative examples. Specification cues instruct cells to commit to a particular cell fate, typically by stimulating a specific gene expression program within the target cell. Regardless of the precise downstream response, a crucial feature of specification cues is that they induce a spatial pattern of cell fate choices. The spatial range of patterning has been used classically to group specification cues into two broad categories—short–range specification and long–range specification. Both the specification cues and the regulatory networks that translate these cues into cell responses are being uncovered in numerous model systems. Mathematical models have proven to be essential tools for analyzing the network of mechanisms that govern the spatio-temporal dynamics of specification cues, the cross talk among cues and the gene expression program. A first step in responding to specification cues involves cell surface receptors, followed by the challenge of decoding receptor signals into an appropriate dose-dependent cell response. This decoding must account for and be influenced by two key factors: the cell's developmental history and concomitant additional cues in the cellular microenvironment. While molecular signals and networks orchestrate development, it is the cells instructed by these signals that ultimately form the remarkable multicellular patterns and structures associated with development. A major challenge is to elucidate the mechanistic relation between these molecular developmental markers and cell responses. This insight will foster future mechanistic models.