cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rubidium Frequency Standard for the GPS IIF program and modifications for the RAFSMOD Program

PerkinElmer provides the rubidium frequency standards (RFS) for the Boeing Block IIF GPS navigation satellites. The PerkinElmer RFS-IIF is the latest generation of its high performance rubidium clocks which have performed very successfully on board the block IIR GPS space vehicles for more than 10 years.The RFS-IIF output is the traditional 10.23 MHz rather than the =13.4 MHz "natural frequency" utilized for block IIR. This necessitated the addition of a secondary phase lock loop (PLL) synthesizer to convert the Rb natural frequency to 10.23 MHz. One main design challenge was to add this new section with a minimum impact on size, weight, power, performance, radiation hardness, reliability and design heritage. The second major change in the RFS-IIF was to make a significant improvement in the medium to long term stability by using Xenon lamp buffer gas and a thin-film spectral filter in the physics package to reduce shot noise and improve the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). This has lowered the white FM noise level to below 1x10-12tau1/2. This paper describes the RFS-IIF design, the changes and improvements made, and the test results obtained. It also discusses the recent redesign activities to eliminate obsolete parts in the RFS-IIF as well as improvements and updates to the PerkinElmer test facility funded by the USAF GPS Wing (GPSW) under the Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard Modification (RAFSMOD) Program.
Single particle plasmon spectroscopy of silver nanowires

The excitation of surface plasmons on individual silver nanowires is studied by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope, and the results are compared to ensemble optical spectra. The transverse and longitudinal modes of these nanostructures were selectively resolved, confirming the plasmon peak shift versus nanowire length.
Using Magnetic Levitation to Separate Mixtures of Crystal Polymorphs

MagLev offers four advantages:1) it separates multiple populations in a single step, 2) itquantifies the density of each population, 3) it is applicable tosmall crystals (100 mm size), and 4) it provides seed crystalsfor large-scale crystallization. We used MagLev to separatemixtures of polymorphs of four compounds: 5-methyl-2-[(2-nitrophenyl)amino]-3-thiophenecarbonitrile (ROY) 1, sulfa-thiazole 2, carbamazepine 3, and trans-cinnamic acid 4(Scheme 1).A survey of the Cambridge Structural Database indicatesthat 3.1–3.5% of the compounds submitted crystallize indifferent polymorphic forms.
Stages of Development in Poverty Program Neighborhood Action Committees

As part of a larger study of a poverty intervention organization and social change, a team of participant observers attended, over a period of ig months, 174 meetings of 12poverty program neighborhood action committees. Seven stages of committee development are conceptualized: I. Orientation, II. Catharsis, III. Focus, IV. Action, V. Limbo, VI. Testing, and VII. Purposive; and modal individual and group behaviors bracketed by each stage are described. The stages are discussed, with the theorist in mind, as they relate to the relatively few previous studies and typologies of developmental sequence in small groups. It is suggested that "Action" or "Social Change" Groups be considered entities for intensive theoretical and empirical inquiry. The stages are discussed, with the practitioner in mind, as they relate to the dynamics of a poverty intervention organization and to the "maximum feasible participation" of the poor. Particular attention is given to those poverty intervention organization practices whic...
An efficient algorithm for Co-segmentation

This paper is focused on the Co-segmentation problem [1] - where the objective is to segment a similar object from a pair of images. The background in the two images may be arbitrary; therefore, simultaneous segmentation of both images must be performed with a requirement that the appearance of the two sets of foreground pixels in the respective images are consistent. Existing approaches [1, 2] cast this problem as a Markov Random Field (MRF) based segmentation of the image pair with a regularized difference of the two histograms - assuming a Gaussian prior on the foreground appearance [1] or by calculating the sum of squared differences [2]. Both are interesting formulations but lead to difficult optimization problems, due to the presence of the second (histogram difference) term. The model proposed here bypasses measurement of the histogram differences in a direct fashion; we show that this enables obtaining efficient solutions to the underlying optimization model. Our new algorithm is similar to the existing methods in spirit, but differs substantially in that it can be solved to optimality in polynomial time using a maximum flow procedure on an appropriately constructed graph. We discuss our ideas and present promising experimental results.
Greek financial crisis and child mental health

During the past few years, the percentage of Greek children living in poverty or social exclusion has been on the rise as a result of the fi nancial crisis. Although several reports showed that depression and suicide rates have increased in adults in Greece, no relevant studies exist in child and adolescent populations. It is well known that poverty is a distal risk factor for children’s mental health and development. The psychological stress associated with poverty has proximal eff ects, such as harsh parenting, and distal ones, such as children’s antisocial behaviour and other mental health problems. In everyday clinical practice, we encounter an ever-increasing number of families with complicated psychosocial adversities, both in outpatient and inpatient treatment settings. A striking example is that the recorded number of abused or neglected children admitted for child protection to the largest Greek paediatric hospital has risen from 81 cases in 2011 to 170 cases in 2014. As the need for psychosocial interventions is substantially increasing, child and adolescent mental health services and supportive policies have started to undergo budget cuts. Public funding cuts (almost 50% in 2014 compared with public funding in 2007) led to some services not being fully operational, whereas others are on the verge of being suspended. At the same time, many non-profi t child and adolescent mental health community centres, psychosocial rehabilitation units, and highly specialised establishments have closed during the past 3 years. Moreover, many parents have cut back or discontinued their children’s treatment, even for debilitating disorders such as autism, because of their inability to cover the out-of-pocket expenses of the treatment. Although the eff ect of the fi nancial crisis on the mental health of young people is still unknown, the fi nancial crisis is expected to produce a child and adolescent mental health crisis. Evidence-based and targeted promotive and preventive interventions should be urgently implemented to strengthen parenting in the most vulnerable families (eg, impoverished families and parents struggling with mental health disorders). Investment in children and support to their families is one of the most important investments Greece could make in these diffi cult times because it will not only enhance children’s wellbeing and right to a life in dignity but also help our society prepare for an improved future.
Rigorous and versatile solutions for probe-fed microstrip patch antennas and arrays

A rigorous spectral domain Green's function/Galerkin approach has been proposed by the authors (1988). It accurately models the effect of connecting a vertical probe feed to the patch. This approach is quite versatile and has been applied to a number of probe-fed patch geometries. A general description of this technique is given, and its application to a variety of microstrip patch geometries is discussed. Data generated by the numerical models are compared to measured data for both radiation and scattering cases. In particular, the measured input reflection coefficient of a probe-fed rectangular patch is compared to calculations made using both the rigorous solution described and the idealized probe feed model. >
Effects of Gamma Interferon, Interleukin-10, and Transforming Growth Factor β on the Survival of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Monocyte-Derived Macrophages from Naturally Infected Cattle

Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) plays a significant role in the control of mycobacterial infections, including Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. However, the contribution of other immunoregulatory cytokines, such as interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), in Johne's disease has not been investigated as yet. In this study, we examined the effects of in vivo and in vitro infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis on the production of IFN-gamma, IL-10, and TGF-beta by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). We also examined the effects of exogenous IFN-gamma, IL-10, and TGF-beta on M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis survival in the cell cultures. PBMC obtained from naturally infected cows, regardless of their disease status, specifically upregulated IL-10 and TGF-beta in culture supernatants in response to stimulation with live M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Nonstimulated PBMC recovered from subclinically infected animals secreted the lowest levels of TGF-beta, but after stimulation with live M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, TGF-beta levels in the culture supernatants increased to levels similar to that produced by PBMC from healthy animals. The numbers of viable M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis recovered from cultures from naturally infected animals were higher than those from healthy cows after in vitro infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The addition of exogenous IL-10 and TGF-beta to PBMC isolated from healthy cows inhibited the bactericidal activity of these cells as evidenced by the increased number of viable M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis recovered from these cultures compared to cell cultures containing medium alone. These data suggest important immune regulatory roles for IL-10 and TGF-beta during infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis that may be directly related to their effects on macrophage activation and killing of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis.
Operational Semantics for DKAL: Application and Analysis

DKAL is a new expressive high-level authorization language. It has been successfully tried at Microsoft which led to further improvements of the language itself. One improvement is the separation of concerns between static core policies and dynamic workflow; important safety properties can be proved from the core policies alone, independently from the workflow. Another improvement is true decentralization; different principals live in different worlds exchanging information by means of communication and filtering assertions. We also present some complexity results.
Crystalline basement focusing of heat versus fluid flow/compaction effects; a case study of the I-1 well in the Danish North Sea

The temperature distribution in the Danish Central Graben contains many local thermal anomalies, with the thermal gradient varying throughout the area from around 20 degrees Ckm (super -1) to about 55 degrees Ckm (super -1) . The presence of sub-surface salt structures of various shapes and sizes is responsible for many of the anomalies. In the case of the 1-1 well, however, four components can contribute to the observed thermal anomaly. (1) crystalline basement focusing of heat; (2) convection of heat from the deeper basin; (3) a local thermal anomaly due to salt or structure effects; and (4) the possible spatial variation of basement heat flux with position relative to the graben flank. While components (1), (2) and (3) do contribute to the thermal anomaly at the 1-1 well, they are not large enough to account for the anomaly without the presence of a local increase in basement heat flux of around 0.5 HFU (c. 21mWm (super -2) ).
Modeling of velocity terms in 3D eddy current problems

A 3D eddy current formulation based on constrained eddy currents and direct inclusion of the velocity terms is presented. Velocity terms in all three dimensions can be accommodated, although only two velocity components are normally needed and often one velocity term is sufficient. The inclusion of all three terms allows modeling of velocity terms that are not parallel to element sides. The eddy currents as well as induced currents through velocity are constrained by enforcing the continuity equation. Results for a moving coil over a conductor are presented as an example for the use of this method. >
The effect of different high-heel types on muscle activation of the paraspinal muscles during standing

Methods To measure the muscle activations of the C6, T7 and L5 paraspinal muscles and lumbar multifidus during standing, EMG (Keypoint, Medrtonic, USA) was used. After breathing was calmed down, muscle activation during standing on the ground with bare foot was measured. Subsequently, muscle activation during standing wearing shoes with 8cm Wedge heel, Setback heel and French heel were measured. The average values of three measurements were used for analysis.
Malfeasance of Method: A Response to Goldenberg.

The methodology and conclusions reported by Claude Goldenberg in his article “Low-Income Hispanic Parents' Contributions to Their First-Grade Children's Word-Recognition Skills” (Anthropology & Education Quarterly 18(3): 149–179) are critiqued on three points: the methodology is not ethnographic, home-school cultural compatibilities are not demonstrated, and the model of literacy acquisition is not supported by current theory and research.
Activities of daily living among heart transplant candidates: neuropsychological and cardiac function predictors

Abstract Background The ability of patients to perform day-to-day tasks (e.g., medication management, dietary regulation) is an important concern of transplant teams. Methods We studied a clinical series of 75 heart transplant candidates and 38 controls to examine the predictive validity of demographic, neuropsychologic, and cardiac function variables to a performance-based measure of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) capacity (i.e., Everyday Problems Test, EPT). Results Multiple regression analyses, controlling for education and race, indicated that neuropsychologic tests accounted for between 34% and 67% of the variance across IADL domains (e.g., cooking, household chores, medication management). The IADL capacity was most consistently predicted by long-standing verbal ability (Shipley Institute of Living Scale—Vocabulary, SILS-VOC) and psychomotor speed and mental flexibility (Trail Making Test—Part B, TMT-B). Similarly, SILS-VOC and TMT-B also tended to show the best operating characteristics (i.e., sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, negative predictive power) for detection of dependence across IADL domains. In contrast, cardiac function measures (e.g., cardiac output, mean atrial pressure) were largely unrelated to the patient’s performance on the paper-and-pencil EPT task. Conclusions Long-standing intellectual ability, and a measure of speeded information processing and mental flexibility are the best predictors of IADL capacity.
The intracavitary administration of cytarabine to patients with nonhematopoietic malignancies: An update

T HE RATIONALE supporting the intraperitoneal administration of cytarabine to patients with tumors confined to the peritoneal cavity was initially presented by Dedrick et al at the National Cancer Institute in 1978.’ Since that time, several clinical trials have been reported that confirmed the pharmacokinetic advantage predicted by the modeling studies and demonstrated both safety and possible efficacy for this innovative use of cytarabine,2-4 an agent with a long established record as an antineoplastic drug in the treatment of acute leukemia.‘The rationale for such studies and early results of clinical trials employing this agent administered by the intracavitary route have previously been presented in some detail.2-4x6-8 This review will briefly discuss the justification for using this approach for the use of cytarabine and will update results of earlier reported clinical trials. In addition, possible future directions using the intracavitary route for the administration of cytarabine will be discussed. Cytarabine is a cell-cycle phase-specific agent with a plasma half-life of only ten to 15 minutes following intravenous (IV) administration.‘,” The short half-life is due to the rapid deamination of the parent compound in the liver to an inactive metabolite, uracil arabinoside. The rapid metabolism of this agent in the liver is the principal reason why a major pharmacokinetic advantage exists for exposure of the peritoneal cavity to the agent following intraperitoneal administration, as the majority of drug delivered into the cavity will exit the cavity by way of the portal circulation before entering the systemic circulation.“-‘3 Thus, before the bone marrow
Research Article: Using achalcone synthasegene to infer phylogenies in the genus Saintpaulia

Abstract The plant genus Saintpaulia (African violet) is endemic to a small area in northeastern Tanzania and has undergone a recent radiation producing species which are difficult to distinguish morphologically. Previous molecular work identified a group of eleven species of the ionantha complex that are indistinguishable using sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA gene. Exon 2 of the chalcone synthase (CHS) gene was PCR amplified producing 21 sequences from Sa. ionantha and 11 sequences from four other Saintpaulia species. The genus Saintpaulia contains two CHS genes (SaCHSA and SaCHSD). SaCHSD was used to construct a gene tree of six species. The sequence analysis clearly distinguishes four of the five closely related species of the ionantha complex.
On-Soil Movement and Plant Colonization by Walking Wingless Morphs of Three Aphid Species (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Greenhouse Arenas

Potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas); green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer); and buckthorn aphid, Aphis nasturtii Kaltenbach are polyphagous herbivores that commonly colonize potato plants, Solanum tuberosum L., in the northeastern United States and Canada. Their movement influences spatial and temporal patterns of viral spread within potato fields. We investigated aphid movement between potato plants early in the season, with a particular focus on their ability to walk over bare soil. On average, aphids survived 1.16 ± 0.04 d (mean ± SE) on the surface of bare soil; all of them dying within 3 d. Wingless aphids did not leave potato plants that were adequate as a food supply. When forcibly removed from the host plant and released on the soil surface, all three species colonized the nearest plant within 1 h. However, when given no other choice, a significant proportion of aphids was fully capable of colonizing potato plants as far as 180 cm away from the point of release. Potato aphid, which is the largest, was the most mobile of the three species. The green peach aphid was intermediately mobile, and the buckthorn aphid was the least mobile species.
Visualizing multiphysics, fluid-structure interaction phenomena in intracranial aneurysms

Developed parallel algorithms for visualizing fluid-structure interaction phenomena.Enabled high-order accurate computations through a parallel spectral/hp element library.Visualized detailed flow patterns and stress fields inside intracranial aneurysms.Designed an interactive interface for coupling ParaView with multi-physics solvers. This work presents recent advances in visualizing multi-physics, fluid-structure interaction (FSI) phenomena in cerebral aneurysms. Realistic FSI simulations produce very large and complex data sets, yielding the need for parallel data processing and visualization. Here we present our efforts to develop an interactive visualization tool which enables the visualization of such FSI simulation data. Specifically, we present a ParaView-NekTar interface that couples the ParaView visualization engine with NekTar's parallel libraries, which are employed for the calculation of derived fields in both the fluid and solid domains with spectral accuracy. This interface allows the flexibility of independently choosing the resolution for visualizing both the volume data and the surface data from each of the solid and fluid domains, which significantly facilitates the visualization of complex structures under large deformations. The animation of the fluid and structure data is synchronized in time, while the ParaView-NekTar interface enables the visualization of different fields to be superimposed, e.g. fluid jet and structural stress, to better understand the interactions in this multi-physics environment. Such visualizations are key towards elucidating important biophysical interactions in health and disease, as well as disseminating the insight gained from our simulations and further engaging the medical community in this effort of bringing computational science to the bedside.
Boundary Disturbances Revisited: An Application With an Apperception Test

A Rorschach study of boundary disturbance and thought disorder by Blatt and Ritzler ( 1974 ) was replicated using the newly developed Picture Projection Test (PPT), a modern alternative to the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Twenty-five individuals with pathological Rorschach records were compared to 25 individuals with nonpathological Rorschachs. A coding system for the PPT was devised using concepts from the Blatt and Ritzler study and Rorschach thought disorder variables from the Comprehensive System (Exner, 2003 ). The pathological group showed significantly more boundary disturbance on the PPT. Only one Contamination (the most severe manifestation of boundary disturbance and thought disorder) appeared in the pathological group. The nonpathological group had no Contamination responses. It is recommended that future researchers repeat the study with a psychotic group compared to a nonpsychotic group.
Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Non-Darcy Flow

It is widely recognized that Darcy's law is not applicable for cases in which the Reynolds number(Re) becomes large. However, many open questions regarding non-Darcy flow exist, including the effect of pore morphology and topology on the onset of non-Darcy behavior. We use a multiple relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method to simulate single-phase flow through a variety of ideal systems generated from stable, non-overlapping sphere packs generated from a truncated log-normal distribution and constrained to yield a range of realistic porosities. We examine these simulations at the microscale to determine changes in the flow field as a function of the Re. We interpret these results using the Forchheimer equation, comment on the suitability of this expression, and develop expressions to estimate an appropriate model form based upon porosity, grain size characteristics, and Re.
Protecting Oneself Online The Effects of Negative Privacy Experiences on Privacy Protective Behaviors

With a general basis in protection motivation theory, this study builds a three-stage model from online negative privacy experiences to online privacy protection motivation to online privacy protection behaviors. With 2013 survey data (N = 528), a well-fitting structural equation model was tested, indicating general support for the model’s progression. There was support in only one instance, however, for the mediation role of online privacy protection motivation. In that case, awareness of online information disclosure mediated the effects of information stolen on contact management. The other protection motivation—online privacy concerns—had stronger effects on the four online privacy protection behaviors.
A microsomal based method to detect aromatase activity in different brain regions of the rat using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Abstract Aromatase (ARO) is a cytochrome P450 enzyme that accounts for local estrogen production in the brain. The goal of this study was to develop a microsomal based assay to sensitively and reliably detect the low levels of ARO activity in different brain regions. Enzyme activity was detected based on the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Quantity of estradiol was measured using ultra performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Detection was linear over a range of 2.5–200 pg/ml estradiol, and was reproducible with intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) V max and K m : 0.57 pmol estradiol/h per mg microsome and 48.58 nM; amygdala: V max and K m : 1.69 pmol estradiol/h per mg microsome and 48.4 nM; preoptic area: V max and K m : 0.96 pmol estradiol/h per mg microsome and 44.31 nM) with testosterone used at a saturating concentration of 400 nM. Anastrozole treatment blocked ARO activity in hippocampal and ovarian microsomes, indicating that the assay is specific for ARO. Also, we showed that the distribution of the long form ARO mRNA (CYP19A1) in different regions of the brain is correlated with ARO activity, with highest levels in the amygdala, followed by preoptic area and hippocampus. In the frontal cortex, very little long form ARO mRNA, and little to no ARO activity, were detected. These findings demonstrate that the microsomal incubation (MIB) assay is a sensitive and reliable method for quantifying ARO activity in discrete brain regions.
Research on Transient Stability of UHV Half-wavelength AC Transmission in the Plan of Sending out Electric Power From Xinjiang Region

Taking the UHV half-wavelength AC transmission(UHV HWACT) line,which has the length about 3 000 km and sends electric power to East China power grid,for example,the electro-mechanical transient stability of UHV HWACT is researched.Under various types of faults,UHV HWACT line possesses better angle stability.The results from the analysis on the location where severe fault occurs and the analysis on available transmission capacity(ATC) of UHV HWACT show that the ATC of UHV HWACT line can meet the demand of sending out electric power and the transmission scheme of sending electric power from grid to grid is favorable to improve the transmission reliability.
PP-009 Identifying and localising molecular polarities as a basic process to predict compatible aqueous drug mixtures

Background So far compatibilities between two proprietary medicines have been tested in the lab. A plethora of publications exists and contradictory results are inevitable. Uncertainties remain if a specific compound has not yet been tested. Purpose To present a model imaging the mechanism (s) to achieve stable mixtures of two proprietary medicines in NaCl 0.9%, administered by y-site. Including all ingredients. To assess a physicochemical background defined by a minimum of criteria. To guarantee traceability of the results using publicly accessible data. To enable predictions Material and methods Physicochemical data were retrieved from databases: Drugbank, ChemSpider, oddb.org and swissmedicinfo.ch Trissel and KingGuide were used as authorities of compatibility samples. A pilot study creating a decision tree (DTREG software) revealed the factors influencing compatibilities: pH ranges of drug solutions (pHr), polar surface areas (PSA), solvent accessible surface areas (SASA), log P, pKa values, molecular polarisability (mPOL) and inorganic ions. Results Supervising these results prompted us to look at any characteristics of polarities: ionic bonds, (induced) dipoles, H bonds determining water structures. Standing out were the pH ranges of the drug solutions and the potential polarisation of the apolar area of the active substance (pPol): Compatible mixtures exhibit pH and mPol ranges consistent with the water structure indicated by inorganic ions and supplemental ingredients. So far we analysed around 200 mixtures of two proprietary medicines. All results are in agreement with the literature. Conclusion The proposed model allows us to discriminate compatible iv admixtures for small drug molecules. The process is straightforward and most of the data required are publicly accessible. An internet platform will be published in the near future containing pPol values of the commonly used active ingredients. The validity of the present model is restricted by the calculus used to estimate the values of the molecular surfaces and their polarisabilities. Molecular weights are limited to about 3000 Da. References and/or Acknowledgements For references see materials section Many thanks to the colleagues who provided critical arguments and/or ambiguous compatibility results. No conflict of interest.
Global health and social media: using Instagram and Twitter in an open online class for global service-learning projects

Course description: An undergraduate open online course used Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to explore global health issues and designed social media campaigns for nonprofit clients. Social media platforms were used as teaching as well as learning platforms to allow students to explore their real life applications in global health contexts.
Specialization in the yucca–yucca moth obligate pollination mutualism: A role for antagonism?

Premise of the study Specialized brood pollination systems involve both mutualism and antagonism in the overall interaction and have led to diversification in both plants and insects. Although largely known for mutualism, the role of the antagonistic side of the interaction in these systems has been overlooked. Specialization may be driven by plant defenses to feeding by the insect larvae that consume and kill developing plant ovules. The interaction among yuccas and yucca moths is cited as a classic example of the importance of mutualism in specialization and diversification. Pollinators moths are very host specific, but whether this specificity is due to adult pollination ability or larval feeding ability is unclear. Here, I test the potential role of antagonism in driving specialization among yuccas and yucca moths. Methods I examined the ability of the most-polyphagous yucca moth pollinator, Tegeticula yuccasella, to pollinate and develop on five Yucca species used across its range. Yucca species endemic to the Great Plains and Texas were transplanted to a common garden in Syracuse, New York and exposed to the local pollinator moth population over 3 years. Key results Local moths visited all but one of the Yucca species, but had drastically lower rates of successful larval development on non-natal Yucca species in comparison to the local host species. Conclusion Specialization in many brood pollination systems may be strongly influenced by the antagonistic rather than the mutualistic side of the overall interaction, suggesting that antagonistic coevolution is a possible source of diversification.
Low energy gamma ray imaging with a detector array

Methods such as Compton imaging can be used to image a radiation field, including localizing different radioactive isotopes. Depth of interaction detection enables Compton imaging using Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detector for gamma ray energies above ∼300 keV. We have developed an imaging technique for low energy gamma rays, using an array of CZT sensors, based on the non-uniform penetration of radiation into the interior of individual crystals, and radiation “shadows” cast by one detector crystal onto its neighbors. This mask-free imaging technique is ideal for a hand-held detector system because it avoids the need for the heavy collimator or masks typically used to image at low energies. A radiation source direction is reconstructed from the unique geometric shadow that develops when illuminating detector array. This shadow is based on the path length attenuation of the gamma as it passes through the detector material. This self-shielding technique can also be combined with high energy gamma ray Compton imaging to enhance radioisotope localization. We demonstrate this approach using simulations and measurement on a multi-crystal CZT detector.
Weighted polyharmonic equation with Navier boundary conditions in a half space

We study positive solutions of the following polyharmonic equation with Hardy weights associated to Navier boundary conditions on a half space: (0.1) $$\left\{ {\begin{array}{*{20}c} {( - \Delta )^m u(x) = \frac{{u^p (x)}} {{\left| x \right|^s }},} & {in \mathbb{R}_ + ^n ,} \\ {u(x) = - (\Delta )u(x) = \cdots = ( - \Delta )^{m - 1} u(x) = 0,} & {on \partial \mathbb{R}_ + ^n ,} \\ \end{array} } \right.$$ where m is any positive integer satisfying 0 < 2m < n. We first prove that the positive solutions of (0.1) are super polyharmonic, i.e., (0.2) $${\left( { - \Delta } \right)^i}u > 0,\;i = 0,1, \ldots ,m - 1.$$ For α = 2m, applying this important property, we establish the equivalence between (0.1) and the integral (0.3) $$u \left( x \right) = {c_n}\int_{\mathbb{R}_ + ^n} {\left( {\frac{1}{{{{\left| {x - y} \right|}^{n - \alpha }}}} - \frac{1}{{{{\left| {{x^*} - y} \right|}^{n - \alpha }}}}} \right)} \frac{{{u ^p}\left( y \right)}}{{{{\left| y \right|}^s}}}dy,$$ where x* = (x 1,..., x n−1, −x n ) is the reflection of the point x about the plane R n−1. Then, we use the method of moving planes in integral forms to derive rotational symmetry and monotonicity for the positive solution of (0.3), in which α can be any real number between 0 and n. By some Pohozaev type identities in integral forms, we prove a Liouville type theorem—the non-existence of positive solutions for (0.1).
Beating the Clock in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

CDK4/6 inhibition was synergistic with dexamethasone and everolimus but antagonistic with conventional chemotherapy in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) preclinical models. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition in combination with glucocorticoids and mTOR inhibition offers a unique therapeutic opportunity in T-ALL. Clin Cancer Res; 23(4); 873-5. ©2016 AACRSee related article by Pikman et al., p. 1012.
Factors Associated with Phobic and Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms in Epilepsy (P03.136)

OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence of phobic and obsessive compulsive symptoms among an epilepsy cohort and identify factors associated with these symptoms. BACKGROUND: Although generalized anxiety symptoms are a major determinant of quality of life in epilepsy, little is known about other anxiety types, including phobic and obsessive compulsive symptoms. DESIGN/METHODS: Adult patients who underwent neuropsychological evaluation at the Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center from 1999-2012 completed the Symptom Checklist 90-R (SCL-90-R), a validated self-report psychiatric symptom index with phobic and obsessive compulsive subscales. The cohort was divided into two obsessive compulsive symptom groups (n=382): high obsessive compulsive symptoms (SCL-90-R obsessive compulsive T score >=60), and lower obsessive compulsive symptoms (obsessive compulsive T score =60 and RESULTS: The prevalence of high obsessive compulsive symptoms was 69% (mean T score 64), whereas the prevalence of high phobic symptoms was 36% (mean T score 56). Phobic symptoms were associated with race (p=0.003, more nonwhites in high phobic group), education (mean 1.3 fewer years of education in high phobic group, p=0.000), and number of antiepileptic drugs (p=0.007, greater prevalence of high phobic symptoms with polytherapy). There was no association of phobic symptom group with gender, age, epilepsy onset age, seizure frequency, epilepsy causing lesion, generalized vs. focal epilepsy, lateralization or localization in focal epilepsy, or mesial vs. lateral focus in temporal lobe epilepsy. There were no significant associations between high obsessive compulsive symptoms and any epilepsy related or demographic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy patients who are nonwhite, have lower education, and receive AED polytherapy may be at increased risk for phobic symptoms. Disclosure: Dr. Munger Clary has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hamberger has nothing to disclose.
Tessellated multiporous two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks

In the past decade, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a new class of highly ordered crystalline organic porous polymers. They have attracted tremendous research interest because of their unique structures and potential applications in gas storage and separation, energy storage, catalysis and optoelectronic materials development. Although the skeletons and pore structures of COFs are customizable through judicious selection of chemical building blocks, COF materials have been mainly limited to uniform pore structures with homogeneous pore environments. Two-dimensional COFs with complex multipore structures are largely unexplored, perhaps owing to the challenges that are inherent in designing selective syntheses. Simple tessellation has been remarkably successful in the preparation of regular 2D COFs, but building multiporous systems requires the aid of mathematical design. In this Perspective, we discuss four different approaches to tessellated 2D COFS with a focus on the mathematical rules for their application. A comparison of these strategies should provide guidance to those designing new applications of COF materials. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have potential applications in, for example, gas storage and separation. The pore sizes in these materials are tunable by selection of the building blocks, and materials with multiple pore sizes are desirable. This Perspective considers synthetic approaches to 2D COFs that rely on tessellation to prepare such multiporous materials.
Morphological features of Persica species and varieties in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine

Purpose. To determine morphological and morphometric features of vegetative and generative organs of Persica species and varieties under the conditions of the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine for further use in breeding.Methods. Biological (morphological analysis) and statistical (processing of morphometric parameters) ones.Results. It was found that except ternate multiple buds, in peach hybrid ‘Suputnyk’collateral buds were prevalent which was not common to other tested varieties and species. Buds of each species and variety have a certain number of scales. The most scales were observed in ‘Suputnyk’. Pubescence of abaxial side of the leaf in P. davіdiana and ‘Suputnyk’ plants was not revealed. Species of P. vulgaris (‘Pecherskyi’, ‘Antotsianovyi’, ‘Poleskyi’) was characterized by increase in size of leaf blades, flowers and fruits. The distinctive features of P. davidiana and ‘Suputnyk’ are that stamens were accumulated in their flowers while in P. vulgaris they are branched. Raphe of a P. vulgaris stone protrudes above the edges of the bordering creases and consists of a number of narrow plates.Conclusions. For the breeding purposes, plants have an advantage for some basic criteria: the most flower buds that is common to interspecies hybrid ‘Suputnyk’; increase in photosynthetic productivity of the leaf apparatus to be typical for the variety ‘Pecherskyi’; large fruits that ‘Pecherskyi’ variety is noted for; intense red color of fruits that is inherent feature of ‘Antocianovyi’ variety.
Using Data to Make Decisions in Software Engineering: Providing a Method to our Madness

Abstract The challenges facing software engineering teams are complex and are evolving over time. Many teams aim to produce software more frequently without sacrificing quality. These teams may be considering changing their development processes to meet these new challenges. Teams creating products in such a changing and challenging environment can benefit from data to make decisions based on evidence rather than based on intuition. In many cases, software engineers have a tremendous amount of data, and sometimes, they are overloaded with it. However, the challenge is to determine what data is relevant, how it should be analyzed, and how the analysis should be interpreted to guide decision-making. Due to the great diversity of products made by means of software engineering, no single type of dataset, which can be interpreted through metrics, is applicable to all software engineering efforts. The guidance accentuates the need to establish clear goals, identifies the important components of a decision support program, identifies common pitfalls when choosing metrics, and discusses interpretation challenges.
Water quality measurements in San Francisco Bay by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1969-2015.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a place-based research program in San Francisco Bay (USA) that began in 1969 and continues, providing one of the longest records of water-quality measurements in a North American estuary. Constituents include salinity, temperature, light extinction coefficient, and concentrations of chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, suspended particulate matter, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, silicate, and phosphate. We describe the sampling program, analytical methods, structure of the data record, and how to access all measurements made from 1969 through 2015. We provide a summary of how these data have been used by USGS and other researchers to deepen understanding of how estuaries are structured and function differently from the river and ocean ecosystems they bridge. Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data (ISA-Tab format)
1. CARL SCHMITT BETWEEN HISTORY AND MYTH

Carl Schmitt's work defines the history and theory of political myth. But analyzing it represents a challenge to historians and theorists alike. For many historians, Schmitt should be analyzed in his own context, whereas theorists study his writings without enough consideration of the specific context in which he conceived his texts. In this essay, I argue that Schmitt not only contributed to the fascist glorification of the mythical and its novel enactment as the driving force of fascism, but he also represents one of the most intriguing and influential interpreters of the political theory of myth, challenging in turn theories of democracy and the role of reason and secularism in historiography.
New Paradigms in Signature Schemes

Digital signatures provide authenticity and nonrepudiation. They are a standard cryptographic primitive with many applications in higher-level protocols. Groups featuring a computable bilinear map are particularly well suited for signature-related primitives. For some signature variants the only construction known uses bilinear maps. Where constructions based on, e.g., RSA are known, bilinear-map-based constructions are simpler, more efficient, and yield shorter signatures. We describe several constructions that support this claim. First, we present the Boneh-Lynn-Shacham (BLS) short signature scheme. BLS signatures with 1024-bit security are 160 bits long, the shortest of any scheme based on standard assumptions. Second, we present Boneh-Gentry-Lynn-Shacham (BGLS) aggregate signatures. In an aggregate signature scheme it is possible to combine n signatures on n distinct messages from n distinct users into a single aggregate that provides nonrepudiation for all of them. BGLS aggregates are 160 bits long, regardless of how many signatures are aggregated. No construction is known for aggregate signatures that does not employ bilinear maps. BGLS aggregates give rise to verifiably encrypted signatures, a signature variant with applications in contract signing. Third, we present Boneh-Boyen-Shacham (BBS) group signatures. Group signatures provide anonymity for signers. Any member of the group can sign messages, but the resulting signature keeps the signer's identity secret. Only the group manager can trace the signature, undoing its anonymity, using a special trapdoor. BBS group signatures are 1443 bits long, shorter than any previous scheme by an order of magnitude. The signing operation is also an order of magnitude more efficient than in previous schemes. Finally, we consider variants and extensions of the BBS group signature scheme, including a group signature with a novel revocation mechanism that we call verifier-local revocation (VLR). In a VLR group signature, messages announcing the revocation of some users need only be processed by the verifiers; the signers are stateless. We present the Boneh-Shacham VLR group signature scheme, which has signatures even shorter than in BBS.
Implementation of Student Presentation-Based Active Learning (SPAL) Approach in Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum

Active learning approaches require lots of time investment in student activities and engagement during the class period, which often leads to incomplete coverage of the course syllabus. Furthermore, it requires significant amount of time for the instructor to design and implement. To address these widely recognized inhibiting factors, we recently implemented a new student active learning approach, namely "student presentation-based active learning (SPAL)". Under this approach, students are given a reading assignment to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on well-defined conceptual topics, questions, or chapter modules. Reading assignments on a topic are administered 1-2 weeks before covering them in the class. This allows reasonable time for the self-comprehension of the suggested material for presentation preparation. Students were expected to rehearse the presentation and be prepared to complete it in the suggested time duration. During each lecture, one group of students would present the assigned topic to the class, and their presentations were graded according to the rubric focusing on the coverage of suggested topics, quality of presentation, and after presentation discussions. Peers and instructor provided feedback about the students' presentation and unclear concepts. To understand the efficacy of this approach, it was implemented in Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Project course in Fall 2016. Here the responses and insights garnered from this practice were presented, and discussion on the advantages and challenges associated with the adaptation of this approach in teaching engineering courses as compared to lecture based classroom education system.
Chemosensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer cell lines to cisplatin and gemcitabine

643 The basal-like subtype of breast cancer is characterized by a “triple negative” phenotype (i.e. negative for expression of the estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors), and shares a similar expression profile to breast cancers with BRCA1 mutations. These cancers are often associated with a poor outcome and are resistant to current treatment options. Previous work from our and other laboratories has shown sensitivity of BRCA1-deficient cells to cisplatin. Recently, we have also found that BRCA1-deficient cells were more sensitive to gemcitabine compared to wild-type BRCA1 cells. We thus hypothesized that the triple-negative phenotype would also render cellular sensitivity to cisplatin and gemcitabine. Therefore, we first identified a panel of breast cancer cell lines with triple negative status (HCC38, HCC1143, HCC1806, MDAMB468, and hs578t) and confirmed the lack of ER, PR, and HER2 expression by Western blot. We then compared these triple negative cell lines to other breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and BT474) for sensitivity to cisplatin and gemcitabine by methylene blue staining and MTT assay. We found that the triple negative cell lines were more sensitive to cisplatin and gemcitabine compared to the other cancer cell lines. Moreover, the triple negative cell lines were more sensitive to gemcitabine (IC 50 =2-8 nm) than cisplatin (IC 50 =50-100 μM). This effect was not observed for doxorubicin or paclitaxel. To determine the mechanism of cellular sensitivity to cisplatin and gemcitabine, we probed for similarities between the triple negative and BRCA1-deficient cell lines. First, we analyzed the triple negative cell lines for functional BRCA1 by examining expression of the protein in the nucleus by Western blot, and found that the triple negative cell lines expressed nuclear BRCA1. We then analyzed published microarray data for expression changes common to the triple negative and BRCA1-mutated cell lines, and identified p63 to be significantly overexpressed (p