cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Pore Structure Characteristic about the Sapropelic Coal

Mercury injection and low temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption experiments were carried out to examine pore structures of the sapropelic coal in this paper.The results of mercury injection demonstrated the pore structure of sapropelic coal with different maturity and revealed the pore change regulation with maturity.Micropore is dominant during the stage before anthracite,while macropore and mesopore are dominant during the peranthracite stage.Compared to the humic coal of the same maturity,the sapropel ic coal has relatively lower porosity and smaller pore size.Furthermore,it is found that micropore with diameter of 1.5nm and 3.6nm are the most dominant.Adsorption hysteresis loop demonstrates the morphological diversity of the micropore,which mainly dominated by airtight pore with one end closed,ink-bottle pore,parallel plate slit pore and inclined slit pore.These findings have great significance on the understanding of physical property of the shale reservoir that is also mainly composed of sapropelic organic matter.
The promising but challenging case of humility as a positive psychology virtue

AbstractIn maintaining that virtue is a legitimate concept worthy of empirical study, a strong situationist approach to the study of behavior is countered. An earlier analysis is then drawn upon to maintain that virtue has the capability of integrating several themes in positive psychology: ethics and health, embodied character, strength and resilience, communally embedded, meaningful purpose, and capacity for wisdom. The six themes are used to provide a framework for considering the unique case of moral and intellectual humility as a virtue.
Migraine classification using magnetic resonance imaging resting-state functional connectivity data

BackgroundThis study used machine-learning techniques to develop discriminative brain-connectivity biomarkers from resting-state functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging (rs-fMRI) data that distinguish between individual migraine patients and healthy controls.MethodsThis study included 58 migraine patients (mean age = 36.3 years; SD = 11.5) and 50 healthy controls (mean age = 35.9 years; SD = 11.0). The functional connections of 33 seeded pain-related regions were used as input for a brain classification algorithm that tested the accuracy of determining whether an individual brain MRI belongs to someone with migraine or to a healthy control.ResultsThe best classification accuracy using a 10-fold cross-validation method was 86.1%. Resting functional connectivity of the right middle temporal, posterior insula, middle cingulate, left ventromedial prefrontal and bilateral amygdala regions best discriminated the migraine brain from that of a healthy control. Migraineurs with longer disease durations were cla...
The Future Of Neuro-Oncology

Treatment options for patients with malignant primary and metastatic lesions to the brain are limited and offer little therapeutic benefit. Despite the use of conventional therapy survival of patients is measured in weeks and months. The use of gene therapy with ganciclovir administration and immunotherapy using targeted protein toxins are two experimental approaches to improving this poor prognosis through regional therapy.
The Proline-Rich Antibacterial Peptide Family Inhibits Chaperone-Assisted Protein Folding

It is now firmly established that in vivo proteins require the assistance of molecular chaperones for their folding [1]. The heat shock 70 family, Hsp70 (DnaK in bateria), bind to nascent polypeptide chains on ribosomes, preventing their premature folding, misfolding, or aggregation, as well as to newly synthesized proteins in the process of translocation from the cytosol into the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum. The protein folding activity of the 70 kDa heat shock protein family is driven by their ATPase activity that regulates cycles of polypeptide binding and release [2]. Inhibition of the DnaK-mediated protein folding process has dire consequences for the organism. Mutations in the heat shock genes, DnaK and DnaJ, cause severe defects of several cellular functions [3], as indicated by the significantly reduced s-galactosidase activity in AdnaKd mutants above 30°C [4]. Recently we documented that the short, proline-rich antimicrobial peptides pyrrhocoricin, drosocin and apidaecin interact with the bacterial heat shock protein DnaK and the binding can be correlated with the antimicrobial activity [5]. To continue this research, we studied the mechanism of action of these peptides and their binding site to Escherichia coli DnaK [6].
Party Transformation and Flash Parties

Up to this point, we have analyzed radical right parties that have been either doubly cursed or doubly blessed: Chapter 3 looked at parties that had neither the means nor the opportunity for party building, while Chapter 4 turned to parties that possessed both. This ordering brought differences in historical legacies and reactions to the radical right into sharp relief, but left open the question of whether both variables were truly determinative of success and failure. This chapter demonstrates that opportunity is not enough. None of the five radical right parties it covers – the Danish People's Party, the Norwegian Progress Party, the Swiss People's Party, New Democracy, and the List Pim Fortuyn – faced either cordons sanitaires or social sanctions. Yet while the first three successful cases emerged through a process of party transformation and thus possessed some indigenous resources, the latter two failures were constructed hastily and from scratch. Since the parties discussed in this chapter had no connection to previous far right organizations, they were not as plagued by extremist activists as were radical right parties elsewhere. And since the social environment was not repressive, they also succeeded in recruiting educated activists. The major problem each faced was how to create competent and coherent parties. Both New Democracy (ND) and the List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) failed to build any semblance of a party organization; the latter in particular demonstrates the problems that politically inexperienced and opportunistic activists bring.
The Eucharist in Medieval Canon Law

Thomas Izbicki presents a new examination of the relationship between the adoration of the sacrament and canon law from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries. The medieval Church believed Christ's glorified body was present in the Eucharist, the most central of the seven sacraments, and the Real Presence became explained as transubstantiation by university-trained theologians. Expressions of this belief included the drama of the elevated host and chalice, as well as processions with a host in an elaborate monstrance on the Feast of Corpus Christi. These affirmations of doctrine were governed by canon law, promulgated by popes and councils; and liturgical regulations were enforced by popes, bishops, archdeacons and inquisitors. Drawing on canon law collections and commentaries, synodal enactments, legal manuals and books about ecclesiastical offices, Izbicki presents the first systematic analysis of the Church's teaching about the regulation of the practice of the Eucharist.
‘Life in Illegality Cost an Extortionate Amount of Money.’ Ordinary Germans and German Jews Hiding from Deportation

The woman who hid Marie Jalowicz Simon, a young Jewess from Berlin, for over a year in her apartment did not like Jews. Luise Blase, as she was called, had been an enthusiastic supporter of the Nazi Party, and on the first day of each month she expected the rent to be paid for the insect-ridden chamber that Jalowicz Simon shared with a foreign worker. Once the landlady had received the rent in cash, she would often gleefully remark how she had squeezed some money out of the rich Jewess. Nevertheless, Marie Jalowicz Simon owed her life to Luise Blase – a woman who had been motivated largely by greed. In German academic literature, assistance to Jews attempting to escape deportation has widely been treated as a form of resistance, as Rettungswiderstand (rescue as resistance). This term, coined by the Holocaust survivor and historian Arno Lustiger, has become well established in the field. By comparison, cases like the one described above have undergone little academic scrutiny. This article seeks to redress this imbalance by situating the multifaceted social interactions between ordinary Germans and Jews who had gone into hiding within the wider history of German popular responses to the Holocaust.
Astrology and Reformation, by Robin B. Barnes, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016, xii + 389 pp., US$74.00 (hardback), ISBN 978 0 1997 3605 8

‘No kind of book under the sun sells so many copies, each and every year, as the calendars and prognostications of a celebrated astrologer’ (12). So wrote in 1610 no less a figure than Kepler, hims...
Two-year outcomes of bioresorbable vascular scaffold versus drug-eluting stents in coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis.

Background Data regarding long-term clinical outcomes with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) versus second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) are scarce. Methods We searched online databases until October 2016 for studies comparing BVS versus DES reporting outcomes at 2 years of follow-up. We performed a meta-analysis comparing BVS with DES across the spectrum of coronary artery disease (CAD). Random effects model OR was calculated for outcomes of interest including device-oriented composite events (DOCE; defined as composite of cardiac mortality, target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI), and ischaemia-driven target lesion revascularisation (TLR)), all-cause mortality, definite stent thrombosis, TV-MI and TLR. Results A total of 2360 patients enrolled in five studies met criteria for inclusion in this analysis. At 2 years, BVS was associated with higher rates of DOCE (6.9% vs 4.5%, OR=1.53; 95% CI 1.06 to 2.23; p=0.02), absolute risk increase (ARI) 2.4%, relative risk increase (RRI) 53%, TV-MI (4% vs 1.8%, OR=1.94; 95% CI 1.02 to 3.67; p=0.04), ARI 2.2%, RRI 122% and definite stent thrombosis (2.1% vs 0.6%, OR=3.39; 95% CI 1.46 to 7.88; p=0.005), ARI 1.5%, RRI 250% compared with DES. No differences in all-cause mortality (OR=0.86; 95% CI 0.26 to 2.81; p=0.80) and TLR (OR=1.44; 95% CI 0.81 to 2.54; p=0.21) were observed between both groups. Conclusions BVS may be associated with worse long-term clinical outcomes compared with DES. Randomised clinical trials are encouraged to expeditiously report long-term safety and efficacy outcomes and identify predictors of adverse events with BVS compared with DES.
The best bang for the byte

DNS amplification has been instrumental in over 34% of high-volume network DDoS attacks, with some floods exceeding 300Gbps. Todays best practices require Internet-wide cooperation and have been unable to prevent these attacks. In this work, we investigate whether these best practices can eliminate DNS amplification attacks and characterize what threats remain. In particular, we study roughly 130 million DNS domains and their associated servers to determine the DNS amplification potential associated with each. We find attackers can easily use these servers to create crippling floods and that few servers employ any protection measures to deter attackers.
Swapper: a framework for automatic generation of formula simplifiers based on conditional rewrite rules

This paper addresses the problem of creating simplifiers for logic formulas based on conditional term rewriting. In particular, the paper focuses on a program synthesis application where formula simplifications have been shown to have a significant impact. We show that by combining machine learning techniques with constraint-based synthesis, it is possible to synthesize a formula simplifier fully automatically from a corpus of representative problems, making it possible to create formula simplifiers tailored to specific problem domains. We demonstrate the benefits of our approach for synthesis benchmarks from the SyGuS competition and automated grading.
Does Wealth Influence Women's Labor Participation Decision?: Evidence from Egypt 1

This study examines the behavior of labor supply of women at different levels of household wealth status. It is widely demonstrated in the literature that variables such as age and level of education, as well as the demographic, social, and financial characteristics of the household influence deciding to join the labor market. However, this study argues that these determinants work differently according to the level or the well-being of the household, adding another to the literature on women’s labor supply in MENA.
Driving Forces of Military Innovation

Whereas scientific research was and is a significant driver of innovation in the development of the Australian Army uniform, other equally important factors have also contributed to its innovation. These include: the influences and characteristics of the locations where Australians fought in battle; changes in combat methods (this chapter focuses on chemical warfare); and comments and complaints from the soldiers themselves. War locations are directly linked to climatological influences and this had led to significant uniform changes. The need for dry and clean clothing and socks was the driving force for the construction of bath and laundry buildings on the Western Front. The introduction of gas during the First World War brought about the supply and further development of gas masks and other protective equipment and clothing. Chemical warfare had made its entrance on the battlefields and today is one of the important factors in the development of protective military clothing. The Army has always had an ear out for the comments or complaints by soldiers and deliberately programmed structured trials of new clothing designs, of which many examples have come to light in the search through archives.
Work-site health and fitness programs: Impact on the employee and employer

Physical fitness and health lifestyle habits have been reported to lower the risk of death from disease, foster healthy muscles, joints and bones, and enhance personal function and mental health. Given these benefits, many employers are implementing health and fitness programs into their workplace with the goals of improving and maintaining the health of their employees and increasing worker productivity. However, research is still being conducted to determine if these programs are an effective means of achieving these goals. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of these programs on employee physical and mental health, employee work performance, and the employer. This paper also investigates the effectiveness of the specific program structures and intervention procedures that were used in the employee health and fitness programs that have been implemented. STUDY DESIGN: This paper analyzed 15 previously conducted studies to investigate the impact and design of employee health and fitness programs. RESULTS: The reviewed literature suggests that the incorporation of an employee health and fitness program can have positive effects for both the employee and the employer. Programs that are structured using a variety of physical fitness programs, health education classes, outreach and one on one counseling with follow up contact have proven to be most beneficial in terms of employee and employer satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The implementation of an employee health and fitness program can have positive lasting effects on both the employee and employer. In addition to implementing programs that offer a variety of choices and one on one counseling, employers would benefit from targeting the at-risk population to ensure that the programs benefit the greatest number of employees possible.
People Counter: Counting of Mostly Static People in Indoor Conditions

The ability to count people from video is a challenging problem. The scientific challenge arises from the fact that although the task is relatively well-defined, the imaging scenario is not well constrained. The background scene can be uncontrolled along with the illumination being complex and varying. Additionally, the spatial and temporal image resolution is usually poor. The context of most works in people counting is in counting pedestrians from single frames in outdoor settings or moving subjects in indoor settings from standard frame rate video. There is little work done on counting of persons in varying poses, who are mostly static (sitting, lying down), in very low frame rate video (4 frames per minute), and under harsh illumination variations. In this chapter, we explore a design that handles illumination issues at the pixel level using photometry-based normalization, and pose and low-movement issues at feature level by exploiting the spatio-temporal coherence that is present among small body part movements. The motion of each body part, such as the hands or the head, will be present even in mostly static poses. These short duration motions will occur spatially close together over the image location occupied by the subject. We accumulate these using a spatio-temporal autoregressive (AR) model to arrive at blob representations that are further grouped into people counts. We show quantitative performance on real datasets.
Biological Tissue Graft: Present Status

Reconstruction of abdominal wall defects is a challenging problem that many surgeons face, not only in the elective setting but also during emergency surgery. Deficiencies of the abdominal wall can be acute or chronic in nature and can result from trauma, cancer, infection, or hernia disease. Incisional hernias are the most common cause of a chronic abdominal wall defect. Despite advances in medical technology, treatment of these defects remains controversial. In fact, the repair of abdominal wall defects continues to be imperfect and costly, resulting in serious, chronic healthcare problems. Current practice guidelines and medical evidence support the use of a permanent prosthetic mesh for the repair of hernias as a means to reduce the risk of recurrent hernia. Patients who are not repaired with mesh, either owing to clinical complications or by surgeon choice, have a much higher incidence of recurrent hernia compared with patients who are repaired with mesh [1, 2, 3].
Providing Tax Equity for Mutual Fund Investors: Changing the Taxation of Capital Gain Distributions

Mutual funds are an important vehicle for low- and middle-income households to invest in the stock market and save for the future. The number of families investing in mutual funds has increased more than 1,000 percent, from 4.6 million households investing in mutual funds in 1980, to a high of 56.3 million in 2001. For 2003, 53.3 million households owned mutual funds. Recently, the mutual fund industry has received much attention relating to corporate structures, trading fees and expenses, and potential abuses in the industry. All of these issues are important and result in additional costs to mutual fund investors and should be fully addressed. Nonetheless, it is extremely important that attention not be diverted from the largest costs affecting mutual fund shareholders - taxes. Even if shareholders do nothing more than buy and hold mutual fund shares, they could still be hit with potentially large tax liabilities due to capital gain distributions. Shareholders are then either forced to sell assets to pay the tax liability, or must divert capital from other more productive uses in order to pay the tax. The current tax on mutual fund capital gain distributions is economically inefficient, creates an opportunity cost to shareholders, and can further result in considerable economic losses due to the effects of compounding. A bill (H.R. 496) introduced by Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) addresses the problems taxable mutual fund investors face relating to the unfair and highly punitive tax levied on capital gain distributions. The bill would allow a deferral of capital gain distributions up to $6,000 for married couples filing jointly and $3,000 for all other tax filers. The deferral provision in Rep. Saxton's bill would provide substantial benefits to low- and middle-income taxpayers investing in mutual funds and significantly aid American families saving for their future.
A brief note about iterates of derivatives in C [0, 1] and other spaces

We use elementary iterated function techniques to show there is a function in C[0, 1] whose iterated derivatives are dense in C[0, 1] and provide several related results.
Market Definition and the Measurement of Multimarket Contact

The focus of this note is the appropriate definition of markets in which two (or more) firms compete for the purpose of measuring multimarket contact (MMC). Through several examples, it is shown th...
Self-Report QRIS: Challenges with Validation

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: The current study looks at the validity of a voluntary self-report Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and the characteristics of participating childcare centers...
Changing the differentiation program of hematopoietic cells : retinoic acid-induced shift of eosinophil-committed cells to neutrophils

The mechanisms by which hematopoietic progenitor cells become lineage-committed remain poorly understood. A cloned subline of the AML14 cell line (AML14.3D10) that spontaneously differentiates to eosinophilic myelocytes in the absence of cytokine stimulation was obtained by limiting dilution. This subline exhibits augmented expression of interleukin-5 (IL-5) receptor alpha subunit mRNA and synthesizes all major eosinophil granule proteins. Exposure of this cell line to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) causes loss of eosinophilic granules and fast green staining within 48 hours, without cell death. In addition, mRNA for the IL-5 receptor alpha subunit becomes undetectable by 48 hours and the cells lose responsiveness to IL-5. Major basic protein, measured as a marker of eosinophilic granule content, decreases from more than 16 pg/cell to undetectable levels by 5 days after ATRA. Concomitant with the loss of major basic protein and fast green staining, surface expression of CD16 becomes detectable and is maximum by 10 days after ATRA. mRNA for the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptor becomes detectable by day 5, and the cells become responsive to G-CSF. At this time, the cells appear morphologically as mature neutrophils and can reduce nitroblue tetrazolium. With continued culture, the neutrophilic cells die and the culture becomes repopulated with eosinophilic myelocytes. These findings show that it is possible to change the differentiation program of hematopoietic cells even after they show evidence of advanced lineage commitment. The AML14.3D10 subclone of AML14 will be a valuable model for study of the transcriptional regulation of the eosinophil and neutrophil differentiation programs and lineage-specific gene expression.
Smartwatch Based Atrial Fibrillation Detection from Photoplethysmography Signals

Atrial fibrillation (AF) detection from wristwatch is important as it can lead to non-invasive, long-term and continuous monitoring of AF from photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal. In this paper, we propose a novel method not only to detect AF from wristwatch PPG, but also to automatically distinguish between clean and corrupted PPG segments. We use accelerometer data as well as variable frequency complex demodulation based time-frequency analysis of the PPG signal to detect motion and noise artifacts in the PPG signal waveform. Next, root mean square of successive differences and sample entropy are extracted from the beat-to-beat intervals of the clean detected PPG signals, which we use to separate AF from normal sinus rhythm. UMass dataset consisting of 20 subjects has been used in this study to test the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. Our method achieves sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 96.15%, 97.37% and 97.11%, respectively, which shows the potential of a practical and reliable AF monitoring scheme.
Sequential Monte Carlo

Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) is used when the distribution of interest is one-dimensional or multi-dimensional and factorizable. If f(x) denotes the true probability distribution function controlling a process and π(x) denotes a target probability distribution based on a model, then the goal is to find a model to make the target density function π(x) converge to f(x). In order to find this model, a known, trial probability density g(x) may be used. In this chapter several concepts related to the selection of g(x) for SMC are covered including sample weighting and importance sampling. Applications covered include self-avoiding walks, Parzen windows, ray tracing, particle filtering, and glossy highlights. The chapter ends with a discussion of Monte Carlo Tree Search.
Spillover Presidential Ads and Campaign Contributions in a Polarized System

Estimating how campaign advertising affects contributions is a challenging problem. Urban and Niebler (2014) address this question by focusing on “spillover” zipcodes — zipcodes in non-competitive states which receive Presidential campaign ads because they share a media market with a competitive state. We revisit their results and find the relationship they find between contributions and ads is driven by mistakes in propensity score matching. With corrected matching, combined with regression, their result becomes insignificant. However, if we model contributions as a two-stage process — a decision to contribute followed by a decision on amount — we find evidence that spillover ads predict higher contribution amounts, but not the decision to contribute. We also study the separate effects of Democratic and Republican ads, and find evidence for both positive and negative partisan responses. We also find, consistent with asymmetric polarization, that Republicans respond more strongly to Democratic ads than reverse.
Too Many Fairness Metrics: Is There a Solution?

With the growing literature on new definitions and metrics to measure fairness, the central question decision-makers face in many applications is which metric to select. When there is no consensus on a universal definition of fairness, we propose finding solutions that are approximately-optimal using tools from multi-objective optimization. To demonstrate our framework, we consider the placement of emergency rooms in two neighboring California counties. We consider "fairness" with respect to different groups of people (e.g. grouped by race, income etc.). The distance traveled an emergency room for groups of people is the basis of the fairness metrics, and there are at least 24 group metrics of fairness in the literature. In this, one must ensure equity across multiple groupings of the population. For example, it is important to simultaneously consider equity across both racial groups as well as across economic groups. In this paper we discuss: (i) a problem formulation with composite objectives that capture interplay of equity and efficiency, (ii) problem instances when two or more equity metrics can be simultaneously minimized, (iii) solutions that are approximately-optimal for multiple definitions of fairness simultaneously. We find that in practice, rather than deciding on a single equity metric, one can compute approximately-optimal solutions that may not be perfect with respect to any single metric, yet can be near-perfect with respect to multiple metrics. We hope that these tools can be useful for policymakers to find operational solutions amidst the myriad of fairness definitions.
Measurements of the neutron and gamma-ray fluences in the TFTR test cell due to a point source simulating D-T fusion plasma neutron production

Spectral distributions of high-energy neutrons (0.9 less than or equal to E/sub n/ less than or equal to 14.5 MeV) and of high-energy gamma rays (0.4 less than or equal to E/sub ..gamma../ less than or equal to 9.4 MeV) due to a deuterium-tritium (D-T) neutron point source simulating the extended fusion plasma neutron source in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory are reported. A D-T neutron generator was positioned inside the vacuum vessel at ten different locations around the torus. Neutrons and gamma rays were detected by a liquid-scintillator-based detector (4.65-cm diam X 4.22 cm high) with electronic pulse-shape discrimination to differentiate between events in the detector due to incident neutrons and those due to incident gamma rays. The detector was placed on the median plane of the reactor at 8.85 m from the geometric center of the TFTR. Two spectral distributions, one for neutrons and the other for gamma rays, were obtained for each of 18 measurements. The neutron data exhibit a high-energy peak dominated by uncollided primary-energy neutrons and a low-energy contribution from the scattered neutrons. The gamma-ray data exhibit a high-energy contribution due to neutron capture gamma rays and amore » low-energy contribution due to gamma rays following neutron inelastic scattering reactions.« less
Experimental Validation of Models Applicable to the Ultrasonic Inspection of Nuclear Components

Achieving reliable inspection of nuclear reactor components requires the development and proper field implementation, of a variety of ultrasonic techniques. Because of advances in ultrasonic technology and concerns with ever changing potential failure modes of aging reactors, new inspection techniques are constantly undergoing development and validation. The cost of a purely experimental approach to this process can be excessive due to sample fabrication, measurement and data interpretation, and destructive analysis. Consequently, research efforts have been aimed at the development and application of models which will help reduce those costs by providing theoretical guidance [1,2]. Reported here are the results of an experimental program which was undertaken with the goal of determining the accuracy of the models in predicting inspection results. Two models were considered. The first predicts the evolution of ultrasonic field patterns as a beam propagates from a transducer and into a component. The second predicts the ultrasonic inspection response of a branched crack, which is an idealization of an intergranular stress corrosion crack (IGSCC).
Originalism: Standard and Procedure

Originalism is often promoted as a better way of getting constitutional answers. That claim leads to disappointment when the answers prove hard to find. To borrow a distinction from philosophy, originalism is better understood as a *standard*, not a *decision procedure*. It offers an account of what makes right constitutional answers right. What it doesn’t offer, and shouldn’t be blamed for failing to offer, is a step-by-step procedure for finding them. Distinguishing standards from decision procedures explains how originalists can tolerate substantial uncertainty about history or its application; justifies the creation of certain kinds of judicial doctrines (though not others); clarifies longstanding battles over interpretation and construction; identifies both limits and strengths for the theory’s normative defenders; and gives us a better picture of originalism’s use in practice. It would be very nice if the correct constitutional theory gave us easy answers in contested cases. But you can’t have everything. Knowing the right standard might not lead us to those answers, but it still might be worth knowing all the same.
Design and analysis of an induction motor for an enhanced constant power region with electronic pole changing

Pole changing motors can be very useful for traction applications, which require high torque at low speeds and an extended speed range of operation. The dual pole operation can be used to extract high torque during starting with a high pole configuration and an increased constant power region with a lower pole operation. Although pole changing motors have been studied in the past, there is essentially no research related to how a motor can be optimized for improved performance in terms of the overall torque-speed characteristics of operation. In this paper, we discuss the design and analysis of a 4-pole/2-pole induction motor using the Finite Element Analysis and analytical computation tools in Motor-CAD software. An induction motor is designed and optimized for improved performance for the entire range of operation. Torque and power characteristics of the pole changing motor are shown to have enhanced performance in the constant power region in comparison to the baseline motor.
Robotically aligned optical coherence tomography with 5 degree of freedom eye tracking for subject motion and gaze compensation

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has revolutionized diagnostics in ophthalmology. However, OCT requires a trained operator and patient cooperation to carefully align a scanner with the subject’s eye and orient it in such a way that it images a desired region of interest at the retina. With the goal of automating this process of orienting and aligning the scanner, we developed a robot-mounted OCT scanner that automatically aligned with the pupil while matching its optical axis with the target region of interest at the retina. The system used two 3D cameras for face tracking and three high-resolution 2D cameras for pupil and gaze tracking. The tracking software identified 5 degrees of freedom for robot alignment and ray aiming through the ocular pupil: 3 degrees of translation (x, y, z) and 2 degrees of orientation (yaw, pitch). We evaluated the accuracy, precision, and range of our tracking system and demonstrated imaging performance on free-standing human subjects. Our results demonstrate that the system stabilized images and that the addition of gaze tracking and aiming allowed for region-of-interest specific alignment at any gaze orientation within a 28° range.
Fast Sorting by Reversal

Analysis of genomes evolving by inversions leads to a combinatorial problem of sorting by reversals studied in detail recently. Following a series of work recently, Hannenhalli and Pevzner developed the first polynomial algorithm for the problem of sorting signed permutations by reversals and proposed an O(n4) implementation of the algorithm. In this paper we exploit a few combinatorial properties of the cycle graph of a permutation and propose an O(n2α(n)) implementation of the algorithm where α is the inverse Ackerman function. Besides making this algorithm practical, our technique improves implementations of the other rearrangement distance problems.
A sensitive, specific and reproducible real-time polymerase chain reaction method for detection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infection in field-collected anophelines

We describe a simple method for detection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infection in anophelines using a triplex TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay (18S rRNA). We tested the assay on Anopheles darlingi and Anopheles stephensi colony mosquitoes fed with Plasmodium-infected blood meals and in duplicate on field collected An. darlingi. We compared the real-time PCR results of colony-infected and field collected An. darlingi, separately, to a conventional PCR method. We determined that a cytochrome b-PCR method was only 3.33% as sensitive and 93.38% as specific as our real-time PCR assay with field-collected samples. We demonstrate that this assay is sensitive, specific and reproducible.
A generalization of SAT and #SAT for robust policy evaluation

Both SAT and #SAT can represent difficult problems in seemingly dissimilar areas such as planning, verification, and probabilistic inference. Here, we examine an expressive new language, #∃SAT, that generalizes both of these languages. #∃SAT problems require counting the number of satisfiable formulas in a concisely-describable set of existentially-quantified, propositional formulas. We characterize the expressiveness and worst-case difficulty of #∃SAT by proving it is complete for the complexity class #PNP[1], and relating this class to more familiar complexity classes. We also experiment with three new general-purpose #∃SAT solvers on a battery of problem distributions including a simple logistics domain. Our experiments show that, despite the formidable worst-case complexity of #PNP[1], many of the instances can be solved efficiently by noticing and exploiting a particular type of frequent structure.
Selective MT2 melatonin receptor antagonists block melatonin-mediated phase advances of circadian rhythms

This study demonstrates the involvement of the MT2 (Mel1b) melatonin receptor in mediating phase advances of circadian activity rhythms by melatonin. In situ hybridization histochemistry with digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotide probes revealed for the first time the expression of mt1 and MT2 melatonin receptor mRNA within the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the C3H/HeN mouse. Melatonin (0.9 to 30 μg/mouse, s.c.) administration during 3 days at the end of the subjective day (CT 10) to C3H/HeN mice kept in constant dark phase advanced circadian rhythms of wheel running activity in a dose-dependent manner [EC50=0.72 μg/mouse; 0.98±0.08 h (n=15) maximal advance at 9 μg/mouse]. Neither the selective MT2 melatonin receptor antagonists 4P-ADOT and 4P-PDOT (90 μ/mouse, s.c.) nor luzindole (300 μg/mouse, s.c.), which shows 25-fold higher affinity for the MT2 than the mt1 subtype, affected the phase of circadian activity rhythms when given alone at CT 10. All three antagonists, however, shifted to the right the dose-res...
Exploring ancestral variation of the hyoid.

: This study utilizes metric analysis to examine size and shape variation between hyoids of Africans and Europeans in the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection. A total of 200 fused and unfused hyoids were measured and three statistical methods were employed to explore variation between ancestries. First, independent sample t-tests showed that some significant size differences do occur between ancestries. Second, to examine shape variation, skeletal measurements were regressed on the geometric mean using least squares linear regression with the residuals used to evaluate size-corrected shape differences. Finally, discriminant function analysis was used to develop two functions for ancestry prediction with overall accuracies of 73% and 77%. Results of the analyses suggest hyoid size and shape differences do occur between ancestries, notably that European hyoids are broader than African hyoids, while the African hyoid is longer than Europeans.
Arf6 plays an early role in platelet activation by collagen and convulxin

Small GTPases play critical roles in hemostasis, though the roster of such molecules in platelets is not complete. In this study, we report the presence of Ras-related GTPases of the ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf) family. Platelets contain Arf1 or 3 and Arf6, with the latter being predominantly membrane associated. Using effector domain pull-down assays, we show, counter to other GTPases, that Arf6-GTP is present in resting platelets and decreases rapidly upon activation with collagen or convulxin. This decrease does not completely rely on secondary agonists (ADP and thromboxane A2) or require integrin signaling. The decrease in free Arf6-GTP temporally precedes activation of Rho family GTPases (RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac1). Using a membrane-permeant, myristoylated peptide, which mimics the N-terminus of Arf6, we show that the Arf6-GTP decrease is essential for collagen- and convulxin-induced aggregation, platelet adherence, and spreading on collagen-coated glass. Treatment with this peptide also affects the activation of Rho family GTPases, but has little effect on RalA and Rap1 or on agonist-induced calcium mobilization. These data show that Arf6 is a key element in activation through GPVI, and is required for activation of the Rho family GTPases and the subsequent cytoskeletal rearrangements needed for full platelet function.
Year One of the Systems Engineering Experience Accelerator

Abstract Systems engineering educators are struggling to meet the workforce development demand for senior systems engineers. Systems engineers are critical for addressing a broad set of increasingly complex systems problems faced by industry and government. However, the discipline is experiencing an outflux of senior systems engineers reaching retirement age with no ready source of systems engineers available to replace them, at a time when the demand for systems engineers is increasing (NDIA, 2010). The workforce challenge is to shorten the time it takes for a systems engineer to reach the senior level. The Systems Engineering Experience Accelerator (SEEA) research project was conceived as a critical response to these needs and challenges. The SEEA focuses on a solution that leverages technology to create an experience intended to accelerate the learning of systems engineering related competencies. This paper summarizes the operation of the preliminary version of a prototype SEEA simulator after the first year of the SEEA project. A review of the plans for future research is also included.
Hindbrain Stroke in Children Caused by Extracranial Vertebral Artery Trauma

Hindbrain transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) culminating in posterior circulation stroke are described in five children. Atlanto-axial subluxation and angiographical documentation of C1 to C2 level arterial pathology are documented in one patient. Four additional patients with nearly identical clinical presentations, posterior fossa TIAs, stroke and basilar angiographical pathology are reviewed. A mechanical traumatic etiology is suggested. Unexplained transient repeated brain stem and/or cerebellar symptomatology may be due to extracranial vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion by atlanto-axial instability. After appropriate documentation, stabilization may prevent further TIAs or strokes.
A phenomenological model of particle physics based on supersymmetry

A supersymmetric model of particle physics is developed whose phenomenology closely resembles that of supersymmetric technicolor models.
Outcome of survivors of acute stroke who require prolonged ventilatory assistance and tracheostomy.

Background and Purpose: Mechanical ventilation after stroke is associated with high mortality. However, little is known about survivors who require prolonged venti
Protein Extractability of Turkey Breast and Thigh Muscle with Varying Sodium Chloride Solutions as Affected by Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc Chloride

Ground turkey breast and thigh muscle were extracted with various NaCl solutions with or without added CaCl 2 , MgCl 2 , or ZnCl 2 (0.05%). Protein solubility was increased by CaCl 2 and decreased by ZnCl 2 in each muscle type. At 4% NaCl, MgCl 2 increased thigh myosin solubility by 30%, compared to the control, whereas CaCl 2 had no effect. At 2% and 4% NaCl, breast myosin was not affected by MgCl 2 or CaCl 2 . Myosin was not detected for either muscle type when ZnCl 2 was used. All three salts increased breast actin solubility but only MgCl 2 increased thigh actin solubility. The CaCl 2 resulted in the highest overall protein solubility and MgCl 2 resulted in the highest thigh myosin and actin solubility at 4% NaCl.
Analysis of the crystal structures of 1,3-di-tert-butyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,3,2-diazasilol-2-ylidene and 1,3-di-tert-butyl-2,2-dichloro-1,3-diaza-2-sila-4-cyclopentene

The crystal structures of the title compounds, 1,3-di-tert-butyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,3,2-diazasilol-2-ylidene, C10H20N2Si (1) and 1,3-di-tert-butyl-2,2-dichloro-1,3-diaza-2-sila-4-cyclopentene, C10H20N2SiCl2 (3) were solved and are reported. Compound (1) crystallized in space group P mmn and each molecule has a mirror plane, which bisects the C-C backbone of the N-C-C-N framework. Compound (1) was also found to have a 2-fold twin component. In compound (3) the space group P 21/m results with the mirror plane passing through the N-C-C-N backbone. We compare these structures with the gas phase determination previously reported for (1) and the incomplete single crystal data for (3). (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A new technique for analyzing periodic structures with arbitrary three-dimensional elements

We present a new numerically efficient and accurate technique for the analysis of three-dimensional arbitrarily shaped periodic structures for arbitrary incidence angles. The proposed method does not suffer from the stability issues encountered in the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD)/Periodic Boundary Condition (PBC) algorithm, which can become unstable and computationally intensive for wide angles of incidence.
A Brief Survey of Stochastic Properties of Real Interest Rates

Abstract Real interest rate is one of the most important economic variables. This variable plays a central role in decision-making process of households, firms and government, and main policy tool of many central banks. Stochastic properties of real interest rate is basic ingredient of several econometric models and has some important implications on basic assumptions of many important financial and macroeconomic models such as Consumption Based Asset Pricing Model, Fisher Hypothesis and some growth models. Because of its vital importance for the economy and economic-financial theories, time series properties of real interest rate have been investigated intensely. However, studies those investigate stochastic properties of real interest rates of developing countries is comparatively limited.
TLR9 signaling is required for generation of the adaptive immune protection in Cryptococcus neoformans-infected lungs.

To determine whether TLR9 signaling contributes to the development of the adaptive immune response to cryptococcal infection, wild-type (TLR9+/+) and TLR9 knockout (TLR9−/−) BALB/c mice were infected intratracheally with 104 C. neoformans 52D. We evaluated 1) organ microbial burdens, 2) pulmonary leukocyte recruitment, 3) pulmonary and systemic cytokine induction, and 4) macrophage activation profiles. TLR9 deletion did not affect pulmonary growth during the innate phase, but profoundly impaired pulmonary clearance during the adaptive phase of the immune response (a 1000-fold difference at week 6). The impaired clearance in TLR9−/− mice was associated with: 1) significantly reduced CD4+, CD8+ T cell, and CD19+ B cell recruitment into the lungs; 2) defects in Th polarization indicated by altered cytokine responses in the lungs, lymphonodes, and spleen; and 3) diminished macrophage accumulation and altered activation profile, including robust up-regulation of Arg1 and FIZZ1 (indicators of alternative activation) and diminished induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (an indicator of classical activation). Histological analysis revealed defects in granuloma formation and increased numbers of intracellular yeast residing within macrophages in the lungs of TLR9−/− mice. We conclude that TLR9 signaling plays an important role in the development of robust protective immunity, proper recruitment and function of effector cells (lymphocytes and macrophages), and, ultimately, effective cryptococcal clearance from the infected lungs.
Reconstitution of innate immunity in B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia: time to reconsider the possibilities.

Reconstitution of innate immunity in B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia: time to reconsider the possibilities