cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Charge Collection in N-Type GaAs Schottky-Barrier Diodes Struck by Heavy Energetic Ions

Charge collection was measured as a function of reverse-bias voltage on GaAs Schottky-barrier diodes bombarded with heavy, energetic ions. Ion species included in the study were copper (57 MeV), chlorine (62 MeV), oxygen (18 MeV), and, to establish a baseline for comparisons, 241Am-decay alpha particles (5.4 MeV). Measurements of the drift component of collected charge are compared to funneling predictions based on the McLean-Oldham model. Results show that significant funneling occurs, in reasonable agreement with predictions for the lighter ions, but to a lesser extent than predicted for the heavier ions. Measurements at the higher biases show evidence of charge multiplication.
Graphical user interface energy characterization for handheld computers

A significant fraction of the software and resource usage of a modern handheld computer is devoted to its graphical user interface (GUI). Moreover, GUIs are direct users of the display and also determine how users interact with software. Given that displays consume a significant fraction of system energy, it is very important to optimize GUIs for energy consumption. This work presents the first GUI energy characterization methodology. Energy consumption is characterized for three popular GUI platforms (Windows, X Window system, and Qt) from the hardware, software, and application perspectives. Based on this characterization, insights are offered for improving GUI platforms, and designing GUIs in an energy-efficient and aware fashion. Such a characterization also provides a firm basis for further research on GUI energy optimization.
Complex Patchworks: U.S. Alliances as Part of Asia's Regional Architecture

and Government and the Director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University. He is also Senior Adviser and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., and a Research Associate of the National Asia Research Program. Dr. Cha previously served as a Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council from 2004 to 2007. He can be reached at .
Algorithm 783: Pcp2Nurb—smooth free-form surfacing with linearly trimmed bicubic B-splines

Unrestricted control polyhedra facilitate modeling free-form surfaces of arbitrary topology and local patch-layout by allowing n-sided, possibly nonplanar, facets and m-valent vertices. By cutting off edges and corners, the smoothing of an unrestricted control polyhedron can be reduced to the smoothing of a planar-cut polyhedron. A planar-cut polyhedron is a generalization of the well-known tensor-product control structure. The routine Pcp2Nurb in turn translates planar-cut polyhedra to a collection of four-sided linearly trimmed bicubic B-splines and untrimmed biquadratic B-splines. The routine can thus serve as central building block for overcoming topological constraints in the mathematical modeling of smooth surfaces that are stored, transmitted, and rendered using only the standard representation in industry. Specifically, on input of a nine-point subnet of a planar-cut polyhedron, the routine outputs a trimmed bicubic NURBS patch. If the subnet does not have geometrically redundant edges, this patch joins smoothly with patches from adjacent subnets as a four-sided piece of a regular C1 surface. The patch integrates smoothly with untrimmed biquadratic tensor-product surfaces derived from subnets with tensor-product structure. Sharp features can be retained in this representation by using geometrically redundant edges in the planar-cut polyhedron. The resulting surface follows the outlines of the planar-cut polyhedron in the manner traditional tensor-product splines follow the outline of their rectilinear control polyhedron. In particular, it stays in the local convex hull of the planar-cut polyhedron.
Renewal theorem for a class of stationary sequences

A renewal theorem is obtained for stationary sequences of the form ξn=ξ(...,Xn-1,Xn,Xn+1...), whereXn,\(n \in \mathbb{Z}\), are i.i.d. r.v.s. valued in a Polish space. This class of processes is sufficiently broad to encompass functionals of recurrent Markov chains, functionals of stationary Gaussian processes, and functionals of one-dimensional Gibbs states. The theorem is proved by a new coupling construction.
Ash deposition at coal-fired gas turbine conditions; Surface and combustion temperature effects

In this paper a study of ash deposition from a cleaned bituminous and conventional bituminous coal is presented. An electrically heated drop tube furnace is used to burn the coal and provide deposition conditions representative of proposed coal-fired gas turbines. Variations in the combustion temperature and deposit surface temperature demonstrate that surface cooling may significantly reduce ash deposition, or may provide little benefit, depending on the combustion conditions. Lower temperature combustion produced larger ash particles, with a greater fraction of ash adhering to the deposition test surface. Although the sticking coefficient was higher at the lower combustion temperature, the deposits were readily removed. A modest numerical simulation suggests that the smallest ash particles can experience significant boundary layer cooling and may account for the reduction in sticking observed at some conditions.
Thermal forming of glass microsheets for x-ray telescope mirror segments

We describe a technology to mass-produce ultrathin mirror substrates for x-ray telescopes of near Wolter-I geometry. Thermal glass forming is a low-cost method to produce high-throughput, spaceborne x-ray mirrors for the 0.1–200-keV energy band. These substrates can provide the collecting area envisioned for future x-ray observatories. The glass microsheets are shaped into mirror segments at high temperature by use of a guiding mandrel, without polishing. We determine the physical properties and mechanisms that elucidate the formation process and that are crucial to improve surface quality. We develop a viscodynamic model for the glass strain as the forming proceeds to find the conditions for repeatability. Thermal forming preserves the x-ray reflectance and scattering properties of the raw glass. The imaging resolution is driven by a large wavelength figure. We discuss the sources of figure errors, and we calculate the relaxation time of surface ripples.
DNA content parameters of paraffin-embedded soft tissue sarcomas : optimization of retrieval technique and comparison to fresh tissue

DNA content analysis of formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue permits determination of the influence of DNA content on the prognosis in cohorts of patients for whom the clinical outcome is known. Of key importance in such an analysis is the accuracy of DNA content determination. Variations in the quality of DNA histograms from FFPE tissues of different types prompted a comparative evaluation of the preparative methodology of FFPE soft tissue sarcomas for DNA flow cytometry. Following deparafflnation and rehydration of fixed tissue, and prior to fluorochrome staining, tissue blocks of 15 DNA aneuploid soft tissue sarcomas were subjected to repeated experimental (time × concentration) enzyme exposures. The goal of these studies was to define the optimal tissue specific retrieval technique with the coefficient of variation, maintenance of DNA aneuploidy, and DNA index as endpoints. After optimizing the technique, the DNA content of 50 soft tissue neoplasms derived from FFPE specimens was compared to the corresponding fresh surgical tissue. The observed 14 percent error rate in the determination of DNA ploidy status suggest limited utility for FFPE tissue in prospective therapeutic trials of Soft tissue sarcoma. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, INc.
Demiurgic lines: line-making and the architectural imagination

Line-making is the fundamental act of architectural drawing. Examination of the practices of architectural drawing from its early modern origins in the Renaissance into the twentieth century reveals that it is an embodied activity that engages and informs the architect's imagination. Three aspects of the architect's imagination organise a discussion of important aspects of embodied line-making. First, the constructive imagination considers outlines (specifically dashed lines as hidden lines) and texture lines (glass and insulation material symbol lines) to show how drawing is an iconic index of building construction. Secondly, the inhabitative imagination considers flow lines to discuss how architects project themselves into their drawings with the character of the line quality to consider experiences of future inhabitants. Thirdly, the material imagination shows how the way drawing media (lead pencils) are used relates to imagining the possibilities of how construction materials are used. Finally, the ne...
Determinants of cure by endoscopic suspension of the bladder neck in the incontinent female patient

This paper reviews preoperative clinical observations that may predict the postoperative success of patients treated surgically for urinary incontinence. The impact of a surgical procedure on the bladder and urethra is evaluated using data obtained prospectively. All patients reviewed have been operated upon using endoscopic bladder neck suspension only. Parameters considered included the demonstration of urethral incontinence, history of urgency incontinence, prior urogenital surgery, and detrusor stability. The result of endoscopic suspension is evaluated in terms of cure rate or improvement one year after surgery. The postoperative outcome of bladder neck suspension is related to the preoperative considerations of detrusor stability, preoperative urgency and prior surgery. The results show that among the 161 patients complaining of incontinence only about half have demonstrable urethral incontinence. Of these, 23% have detrusor instability in addition to their urethral incontinence. The incidence of detrusor instability among the patients without demonstrable urethral incontinence was 48%. Patients with a stable detrusor preoperatively show the highest surgical cure rate (62% compared to 38% among patients with detrusor instability). Furthermore, patients without previous urogenital surgery that are stable report an even higher cure rate (90%). Presence of preoperative urgency compromises the possibility of complete surgical cure of incontinence. Urgency incontinence is present in approximately 48% of the patients whether stable or unstable. Endoscopic suspension will cure more than half of the patients with urgency incontinence if they have a stable detrusor function by urodynamic criteria preoperatively. However, patients with detrusor instability and urgency incontinence preoperatively are unlikely to report any improvement of their urgency incontinence following surgery. It is concluded that the determinants of successful bladder neck suspension are in order of priority: detrusor stability, preoperative urgency, and prior urogenital surgery.
Antigenic relatedness between ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV) and HIV-1

The antigenic relatedness between ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV), a lentivirus that infects sheep, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) was examined by immunoblot analysis. Fourteen of 20 sheep sera, that were positive for OPPV antibodies on an immunodiffusion test, reacted with HIV-1 p24 on a commercial blot of HIV-1 and cell lysate proteins (Virostat, Portland, Maine). Sheep OPPV antisera did not bind to cellular antigens on a negative control blot of cellular proteins. There was no correlation between the ability to bind to HIV-1 p24 and the status of disease in the sheep. Twenty human anti-HIV-1 sera and two human HIV-1 negative sera were tested on OPPV and cell lysate (OPPV-CON) and cell lysate (CON) protein blots. None of the human serum samples tested reacted to OPPV specific proteins.
An Eulerian-Lagrangian moving immersed interface method for simulating burning solids

This study concerns the development of a numerical methodology to conduct conjugate heat and mass transfer simulations of burning and moving solids. The flow is described using an Eulerian representation and the solid described using a Lagrangian finite element (FE) method. The fluid-solid interface is defined using a level set function that is initialized by a surface mesh representation that balances accuracy with the computational cost of re-initializing moving interfaces. A ghost-fluid methodology is implemented that results in low errors in mass and energy conservation. Mass transfer from solid ablation is computed explicitly using surface integration over the solid surface mesh to guarantee enforcement of conservation principles. The introduced methodologies are applied to the study of the burning of carbon-epoxy composites.
Conductors of wildly ramified covers, I

Abstract Consider a wildly ramified G -Galois cover of curves φ:Y→ P 1 k branched at only one point over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic p . In this note, I prove using formal patching that all sufficiently large conductors occur for such covers φ when the Sylow p -subgroups of G have order p . To cite this article: R.J. Pries, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 335 (2002) 485–487.
Sustainable energy engineering internships for community college and high school students

As a result of a partnership between the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and a Hispanic-serving Institution, Hartnell College, a micro-grid and test bed facility are being constructed at Hartnell's Alisal campus. The facility will provide a real-world student training center on renewable energy technologies where students can participate in research to develop new, experimental renewable energy generation systems. Over the next several years, Hartnell's Sustainable Engineering laboratory courses will be transitioned to focus on the microgrid and test-bed. Related courses and lab modules developed at UCSC will also be integrated into the program. An early outcome of this collaborative partnership was the internship support of teams of high school and community college students working with UCSC graduate students on several different sustainable energy projects over the summer of 2012. Program mentors and interns all reported a high degree of satisfaction with their internship experience.
Exchange rate puzzles and distorted beliefs

Abstract We propose a new explanation for the foreign exchange forward-premium and delayed-overshooting puzzles. We show that both puzzles arise from a systematic distortion in investors' beliefs about the interest rate process. Accordingly, the forward premium is always a biased predictor of future depreciation; the bias can be so severe as to lead to negative coefficients in the ‘Fama’ regression. Delayed overshooting may or may not occur depending upon the persistence of interest rate innovations and the degree of misperception. We document empirically the extent of this distortion using survey data for G-7 countries against the U.S. and find that it is strong enough to account for these irregularities.
Fetal Death Due to Accidental Maternal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

AbstractA case of fatal fetal CO poisoning resulting from accidental non-lethal maternal CO intoxication is reported. The mechanisms of placental CO diffusion and equilibrium are briefly reviewed.
Cultivar and Growing Location Effects on Fatty Acids and Minerals in White Lupin Sprouts

Composition of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) sprouts was significantly affected by growing location whereas cultivar effects were not significant. In general, sprouts made from seed produced at Petersburg, a location with cooler climate and heavier soils, were superior to those produced from seed produced at Suffolk, a location with warmer climate and sandier soils. White lupin sprouts, on average, contained 41 percent protein and 8 percent oil. Contents of fatty acids, expressed as percentage of oil, were 10, 2, 1, 4, 1, 1, 43, 20, 10, 5, 2, 18, 82, 51, and 31, respectively, for C16:0, C18:0, C20:0, C22:0, C24:0, C16:1, C18:1, C18:2, C18:3, C20:1, and C22:1, total saturated, total unsaturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ratio between linoleic (C18:2) and linolenic (C18:3) fatty acids in white lupin sprouts was 0.5. White lupin sprouts, on average, contained 0.4, 0.8, 0.3, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.04 percent P, K, S, Ca, Mg, and Na, respectively. White lupin sprouts, on average, contained 51, 15, 139, 10, 51, and 14 mg·kg−1 Fe, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, and B, respectively. Based on this study, it was concluded that white lupin sprouts are a potential human food.
Antibody variable region interactions with Protein A: Implications for the development of generic purification processes

In this paper, a wide range of antibodies from various subclasses and subfamilies are employed to evaluate the creation of generic separation processes using Protein A chromatography. The reasons for elution pH differences amongst several IgG1s, IgG2s, antibody fragments, and Fc-fusion proteins during Protein A chromatography are investigated using several complimentary techniques. The results indicate that variable region interactions play a major role in determining elution pH for VH3 subfamily antibodies while using traditional protein A chromatographic materials. On the other hand, experiments with a resin which employs a ligand consisting solely of B domain of Protein A indicate that variable region interactions can be mitigated, enabling the use of a single elution pH for a range of antibodies. Finally, the moderation of elution conditions associated with this engineered ligand are shown to minimize problems associated with low pH induced aggregation. It is expected that the findings reported in this paper will facilitate faster process development cycle times for this important class of human therapeutics.
Cost reductions of fuel cells for transport applications: fuel processing options

The highly favorable efficiency/environmental characteristics of fuel cell technologies have now been verified by virtue of recent and ongoing field experience. The key issue regarding the timing and extent of fuel cell commercialization is the ability to reduce costs to acceptable levels in both stationary and transport applications. It is increasingly recognized that the fuel processing subsystem can have a major impact on overall system costs, particularly as ongoing R&D efforts result in reduction of the basic cost structure of stacks which currently dominate system costs. The fuel processing subsystem for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, which is the focus of transport applications, includes the reformer, shift reactors, and means for CO reduction. In addition to low cost, transport applications require a fuel processor that is compact and can start rapidly. This paper describes the impact of factors such as fuel choice, operating temperature, material selection, catalyst requirements, and controls on the cost of fuel processing systems. There are fuel processor technology paths which manufacturing cost analyses indicate are consistent with fuel processor subsystem costs of under $150/kW in stationary applications and $30/kW in transport applications. As such, the costs of mature fuel processing subsystem technologies should be consistent with their use in commercially viable fuel cell systems in both application categories.
Normal Reproductive Performance of Mature Cockerels Fed Aroclor 1248

Abstract Aroclor 1248 fed at the 10 and 20 p.p.m. levels in the diet of caged Leghorn cockerels for an 8-week period exerted no effects on body weight gains, feed intake, semen characteristics (volume, packed sperm volume, sperm metabolism), fertility and hatchability of fertile eggs laid by control and Aroclor 1248-fed females. At the termination of the study, liver weights were significantly increased by 10 and 20 p.p.m. Aroclor 1248, while the heart weights were significantly decreased by 20 p.p.m. of Aroclor 1248.
Necessary but Not Sufficient The Impact of Community Input on Grantee Selection

Despite normative claims that elite foundation boards select elite nonprofits, foundations increasingly use community volunteers to allocate grants. There is an assumption that community involvement in grant making leads to better grant decisions. However, no one has tested this assumption and explored whether community members are even making different grant decisions than traditional boards. Drawing on a sample of six funders who use a community and traditional board, their 616 grantees, and 955 nongrantees, this paper empirically tests anecdotes replete in literature, identifying the organizational and financial determinants that influence community boards grant decisions versus those that influence traditional board decisions.
Examination of the potential long-lasting protective effect of ICRF-187 against anthracycline-induced chronic cardiomyopathy

Dose-related chronic cardiotoxicity represents a major limitation to the optimal use of anthracyclines such as daunorubicin and doxorubicin (8, 11). A number of attempts have been made to reduce the cardiotoxicity without interfering with the antitumor activity. There is evidence that certain substances alter the extent of anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity. One of these, ICRF-187 [( +)-1,2-bis(3,5-d’ ioxopiperazinyl1 -yl) propane] has been examined in a number of different animal models of anthracycline cardiac toxicity. Pretreatment with this agent has led to a significant attenuation of chronic anthracyclineinduced cardiomyopathy in rabbits (5), dogs (4) and miniature swine (6). The protective activity demonstrated experimentally is relevant to the clinical situation, as shown by the fact that ICRF-187 has recently been found to exert cardioprotection in patients receiving doxorubicin for treatment of metastatic breast cancer (9). Recent observations have suggested that serious anthracycline-induced myocardial alterations might appear in patients a number of years after cessation of anthracycline therapy (10). Previous studies of ICRF-187 cardioprotection in animals were terminated within 3 weeks after the last anthracycline dosing. Therefore, these studies did not ascertain whether the protective effects ofICRF-187 are long-lasting. The present studies, performed in rabbits treated with daunorubicin, were an initial attempt to address this question. In this investigation, the morphology of the myocardium was compared at 3 weeks and at 3 months after final anthracycline dosing.
Tonic glutamate in CA1 of aging rats correlates with phasic glutamate dysregulation during seizure

Summary Objective Characterize glutamate neurotransmission in the hippocampus of awake-behaving rodents during focal seizures in a model of aging. Methods We used enzyme-based ceramic microelectrode array technology to measure in vivo extracellular tonic glutamate levels and real-time phasic glutamate release and clearance events in the hippocampus of awake Fischer 344 rats. Local application of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) into the CA1 region was used to induce focal motor seizures in different animal age groups representing young, late-middle aged and elderly humans. Results Rats with the highest preseizure tonic glutamate levels (all in late-middle aged or elderly groups) experienced the most persistent 4-AP-induced focal seizure motor activity (wet dog shakes) and greatest degree of acute seizure-associated disruption of glutamate neurotransmission measured as rapid transient changes in extracellular glutamate levels. Significance Increased seizure susceptibility was demonstrated in the rats with the highest baseline hippocampal extracellular glutamate levels, all of which were late-middle aged or aged animals. The manifestation of seizures behaviorally was associated with dynamic changes in glutamate neurotransmission. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a relationship between seizure susceptibility and alterations in both baseline tonic and phasic glutamate neurotransmission.
The medical malpractice 'crisis': recent trends and the impact of state tort reforms.

By many accounts, the United States is in the midst of its third medical mal- practice "crisis." Physicians in several states are facing high and rising premiums. The larg- est national medical malpractice carrier and some large multistate physician-backed liabil- ity firms have recently left the market. Rising premiums are traced largely to increases in claims severity. Capping malpractice payments has been advanced as one approach to slowing the growth in premiums. This analysis finds that premiums in states that cap awards are 17.1 percent lower than in states that don't cap. At issue, however, is whether these stopgap solutions promote the goals of the U.S. liability system.
Creating interactive animated instructional programs on a Unix-based workstation

The authors describe the development of a series of interactive, animated instructional programs for DEC stations at North Carolina University. The goal of the project is to develop three instructional units and test them in a controlled experiment in an undergraduate engineering course versus traditional instruction. The project team selected the cT program as the computing package to program the units. The three instructional units were developed for an undergraduate course in traffic engineering. Each unit deals with a different type of problem. The design unit concentrates on vertical highway alignment design and is very open-ended. The analysis unit guides the student through trip generation and is relatively closed-ended. The background unit presents the basic principles of surveying and should serve as a review of prerequisite material for most students. >
Simplified process for the production of anti–CD19-CAR–engineered T cells

Abstract Background aims Adoptive immunotherapy with the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells specific for CD19 has shown promising results for the treatment of B-cell lymphomas and leukemia. This therapy involves the transduction of autologous T cells with a viral vector and the subsequent cell expansion. We describe a new, simplified method to produce anti-CD19-CAR T cells. Methods T cells were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 paramagnetic beads. After 2 days, the T cells were added to culture bags pre-treated with RetroNectin and loaded with the retroviral anti-CD19 CAR vector. The cells, beads and vector were incubated for 24 h, and a second transduction was then performed. No spinoculation was used. Cells were then expanded for an additional 9 days. Results The method was validated through the use of two PBMC products from a patient with B-cell chronic lymphoblastic leukemia and one PBMC product from a healthy subject. The two PBMC products from the patient with B-cell chronic lymphoblastic leukemia contained 11.4% and 12.9% T cells. The manufacturing process led to final products highly enriched in T cells with a mean CD3+ cell content of 98%, a mean expansion of 10.6-fold and a mean transduction efficiency of 68%. Similar results were obtained from the PBMCs of the first four patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated at our institution. Conclusions We developed a simplified, semi-closed system for the initial selection, activation, transduction and expansion of T cells with the use of anti-CD3/anti-CD28 beads and bags to produce autologous anti-CD19 CAR–transduced T cells to support an ongoing clinical trial.
Urography into the 21st century: new contrast media, renal handling, imaging characteristics, and nephrotoxicity.

All currently used x-ray contrast media are based on the triiodinated benzene ring (Fig 1), acetrizoate being the parent triiodinated contrast medium first in clinical use (3-6). Contrast media are characterized as ionic or nonionic and as monomers or dimers (6-14). Ionic media dissociate in water; the iodinated benzene ring contains the ionizing carboxyl group (valence, -1) with a cation (valence, +1), usually sodium or meglumine. Nonionic contrast agents have the desirable property of being soluble in water (hydrophilic) and yet do not dissociate in solution. The ratio of iodine atoms to dissolved particles is an important characteristic of contrast media and is a commonly used term in the literature. This describes the important relationship between the imaging effect (attenuation of x rays) and the osmotoxic effect of the media. Since the ratio represents the number of iodine atoms divided by the numbers of particles of the contrast medium in solution, a higher ratio is more desirable, since more iodine means better opacification and fewer particles of contrast medium means a lower osmotoxic effect (6). Agents with a ratio of 1.5 (ratio 1.5 agents) have been termed high-osmolar contrast media (HOCM), agents with a ratio of 3 have been termed low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM), and agents with a ratio of 6 have been termed isotonic contrast media (10CM).
The Efficient Preparation and Diels-Alder Reactions of 1,2-Bis[methylthio]-1, 3-Butadiene

Abstract The base catalyzed rearrangements of 1,4 bis-heteroatom substituted 3-butynes have been extensively studied by Brandsma, et al. 2,3 Frequently, complex mixtures of products have been obtained. We wish to report an efficient, selective preparation of 1,2-bis(methylthio)-1, 3-butadiene 1 and its use in two Diels-Alder reactions.
Time scale discrete Fourier transforms

The discrete and continuous Fourier transforms are applicable to discrete and continuous time signals respectively. Time scales allows generalization to to any closed set of points on the real line. Discrete and continuous time are special cases. Using the Hilger exponential from time scale calculus, the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is extended to signals on a set of points with arbitrary spacing. A time scale D N consisting of N points in time is shown to impose a time scale (more appropriately dubbed a frequency scale), D N , in the Fourier domain The time scale DFT's (TS-DFT's) are shown to share familiar properties of the DFT, including the derivative theorem and the power theorem. Shifting on a time scale is accomplished through a boxminus and boxplus operators. The shifting allows formulation of time scale convolution and correlation which, as is the case with the DFT, correspond to multiplication in the frequency domain.
An optimum tapered Burg algorithm for linear prediction and spectral analysis

Several problems associated with the Burg algorithm are for the most part alleviated by the use of an appropriate energy taper used in the derivation of the algorithm. The "tapered" Burg technique uses a weighted forward-backward least-squares fit to the parameters of the all-pole model, subject to Levinson's recursion constraint. Based on a minimum average variance of the estimated frequency of a real sinusoid, an optimum taper is derived. Finally the performance of the optimally tapered Burg technique is compared with the least-squares, Yule-Walker, and the usual Burg techniques.
Jamming resistance reinforcement of message-driven frequency hopping

This paper considers spectrally efficient anti-jamming system design based on message-driven frequency hopping (MDFH). As a highly efficient frequency hopping scheme, MDFH is particularly robust under strong jamming. However, disguised jamming from sources of similar power strength can cause performance losses. To overcome this drawback, in this paper, we propose an anti-jamming MDFH (AJ-MDFH) system. The main idea is to transmit an ID sequence along with the information stream. The ID sequence is generated through a cryptographic algorithm using the shared secret between the transmitter and the receiver. It is then exploited by the receiver for effective signal detection and extraction. It is shown that AJ-MDFH can effectively reduce the performance degradation caused by disguised jamming. Moreover, AJ-MDFH can be extended to a multi-carrier scheme for higher spectral efficiency and/or more robust jamming resistance. Simulation examples are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approaches.
Emergence patterns of Plecoptera in a stream in Oregon, USA

Summary Forty-three species of Plecoptera were collected from emergence traps in an Oregon woodland stream. Adults occurred during every month of the year, but the largest numbers and most species emerged from April to June. Temporal separation of con-generic species occurred within the suborder of Filipalpia, but not in Setipalpia. Some species of Nemoura had split emergence periods. The onset of emergence for a species from year to year generally varied by less than 2 weeks. Peak emergence occurred at least 1-2 weeks after the start ofthe emergence period.
Moving towards a Topic-Based DDC

Although oft regarded as a class-based system, many potential uses of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system are better supported by a topic-based view. This paper explores automated strategies for identifying equivalence and hierarchical relationships between Relative Index headings, one of the steps required to fully implement a topic-based data model for the DDC. Data used in detecting relationships beyond the small number of relationships already explicitly coded include qualifiers in headings, variant name notes, hyphenated words, acronyms, the structure of Relative Index headings, adjectival modification, equivalence and hierarchical relationships between Library of Congress Subject Headings, and synonymy and hypernymy relationships in WordNet.
Fourth in a series: The National Bureau of Standards comes of age under Samuel Stratton

This article highlights the increased expansion and complexity of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) from 1904-1922. Samuel Stratton led a carefully chosen group of excellent scientists to produce the principal source of science-based measurement standards in the U.S. The list of services to the public, academia and to Federal agencies broadened. They instituted the Standard Reference Materials Service for industry, became part of the Department of Commerce, supported the physical development, production, and testing of materials needed during World War I, studied problems found in the new field of high altitude aeronautics, radio, and the dental industry, and worked in many more areas. After the war, Stratton successfully proposed that industry send their own scientists to work at NBS as guest researchers. These researchers helped to replace the many NBS staff members lost to higher industrial pay scales, thus maintaining the Bureau's progress on industry related projects. He was a man with enormous abilities that were the driving force that created that institution.
Putting Pretext into Context: Employment Discrimination, the Same-Actor Inference, and the Proper Roles of Judges and Juries

The course of federal employment discrimination litigation is replete with instances of lower federal courts attempting to define and apply broad rules that, usually though not always, have the effect of defeating plaintiffs' claims of discrimination. The same-actor inference, first applied by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals 1991, aptly exemplifies this trend. The essence of the same-actor inference is that an individual who harbors discriminatory animus toward a protected class of persons would not knowingly hire a member of that class and then fire that same individual on account of his or her protected status. Since 1991, a circuit split has emerged on the question of who should evaluate the import of same-actor facts in a given case. Several circuits have followed the Fourth Circuit and employ the inference to justify summary judgment, directed verdicts, and judgments notwithstanding the verdict, all in favor of defendant-employers. Other circuits, in contrast, expressly reserve to the jury the decision of how to weigh same-actor facts. The Supreme Court has yet to resolve this split. This Note argues that the history of employment discrimination litigation, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and public policy considerations require that it be juries, not courts, who determine the import of same-actor facts in a given employment discrimination case.
Vibrational energy relaxation of liquid aryl-halides X-C6H5 (X = F, Cl, Br, I)

Anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy was used to probe vibrational energy dynamics in liquid ambient-temperature aryl-halides, X-Ph (X = F, Cl, Br, I; -Ph = C(6)H(5)), following IR excitation of a 3068 cm(-1) CH-stretching transition. Five ring vibrations and two substituent-dependent vibrations were monitored in each aryl-halide. Overall, the vibrational relaxation (VR) lifetimes in aryl-halides were shorter than those in normal benzene (H-Ph). The aryl-halide CH-stretch lifetimes increased in the order F, Cl, Br, I, ranging from 2.5 to 3.4 ps, compared with 6.2 ps in H-Ph. The aryl-halide energy transfer processes were similar overall with four exceptions. Three of the four exceptions could be explained as a result of faster VR of midrange vibrations (1000-1600 cm(-1)) in the heavier aryl-halides. The fourth appeared to result from a coincidental resonance in chlorobenzene that does not occur in the other aryl-halides. Among the aryl-halides, the decay of CH-stretching excitations (∼3070 cm(-1)) was slower in the heavier species, but the decay of midrange vibrations was faster in the heavier species. This seeming contradiction could be explained if VR depended primarily on the density of states (DOS) of the lower tiers of vibrational excitations. The DOS for the first few (1-4) tiers is similar for all aryl-halides in the CH-stretch region, but DOS increases with increasing halide mass in the midrange region.
Effects of live music therapy sessions on quality of life indicators, medications administered and hospital length of stay for patients undergoing elective surgical procedures for brain

The physiological and psychological stress that brain tumor patients undergo during the entire surgical experience can considerably affect several aspects of their hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of live music therapy on quality of life indicators, amount of medications administered and length of stay for persons receiving elective surgical procedures of the brain. Subjects (N = 27) were patients admitted for some type of surgical procedure of the brain. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the control group receiving no music intervention (n = 13) or the experimental group receiving pre and postoperative live music therapy sessions (n = 14). Anxiety, mood, pain, perception of hospitalization or procedure, relaxation, and stress were measured using a self-report Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for each of the variables. The documented administration of postoperative pain medications; the frequency, dosage, type, and how it was given was also compared between groups. Experimental subjects live and interactive music therapy sessions, including a pre-operative session and continuing with daily sessions until the patient was discharged home. Control subjects received routine hospital care without any music therapy intervention. Differences in experimental pretest and posttest scores were analyzed using a Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Rank test. Results indicated statistically significant differences for 4 of the 6 quality of life measures: anxiety (p = .03), perception of hospitalization (p = .03), relaxation (p = .001), and stress (p = .001). No statistically significant differences were found for mood (p > .05) or pain (p > .05) levels. Administration amounts of nausea and pain medications were compared with a Two-Way ANOVA with One Repeated Measure resulting in no significant differences between groups and medications, F(1, 51) = 0.03; p > .05. Results indicate no significant differences between groups for length of stay (t = .97, df = 25, p > .05). This research study indicates that live music therapy using patient-preferred music can be beneficial in improving quality of life indicators such as anxiety, perception of the hospitalization or procedure, relaxation, and stress in patients undergoing surgical procedures of the brain.
Analysis on the Operation of Surveillance System for Routine Immunization Rate in Tongliao in 2007

[Objective]To analyze and evaluate the operation of surveillance system for routine immunization rate of the immunization programme in Tongliao Cit so as to improve the surveillance work.[Methods]According to the methods regulated by National Surveillance Project for Routine Immunization Rate,evaluation was carried out for the timeliness,immunization rate,estimated immunization rate,differences(D),and ratio(R) of reports.[Results] The basic immunization rates reported in the whole city were all above 99 %.The estimated basic immunization rates were between 71.33%~101.16%.The evaluation of D,the reported immunization rates of the whole city in the basic immunization including BCG,OPV,DPT,MV and HBV were believable except BCG and HBV.The majority of 8 counties were believable.R1(0.84),R2(0.84),R3(1.19) and R6(1.37) in the whole city were not believable;R4(0.96) and R5(0.97) were believable.[Conclusion]The reported basic immunization rate of the whole city kept in a high level,but the number of people supposed to be subject to immunization was not definitely known.
Comparison of robot‐assisted and open partial nephrectomy for completely endophytic renal tumours: a single centre experience

Objective To compare outcomes between robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and open PN (OPN) for completely endophytic renal tumours. Patients and Methods We retrospectively reviewed 1 230 consecutive cases, consisting of 823 RAPNs and 407 OPNs, performed for renal mass at a single academic tertiary centre between 2011 and 2016. Of these, data on 87 RAPN and 56 OPN cases for completely endophytic renal tumours were analysed. Patient and tumour characteristics, operative, postoperative, functional, and oncological outcomes were compared between groups. Results Apart from a higher prevalence of solitary kidney among OPN cases (RAPN, 5.7% vs OPN, 21.4%; P = 0.005), demographic characteristics were similar between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences in tumour size (P = 0.07), tumour stage (P = 0.3), margin status (P = 0.48), malignant tumour subtypes (P = 0.51), and grades (P = 0.61) between the groups. Also, there were no statistically significant differences among the groups for warm ischaemia time (P = 0.15), cold ischaemia time (P = 0.28), and intraoperative (P = 0.75) or postoperative (Clavien–Dindo Grade I–V, P = 0.08; Clavien–Dindo Grade III–V, P = 0.85) complication rates. The patients in the RAPN group had a shorter length of stay (P < 0.001), less estimated blood loss (P < 0.001), and lower intraoperative transfusion rates (0% vs 7.1%, P = 0.02). No local recurrences occurred during a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 15.2 (7–27.2) and 18.1 (8.2–30.9) months in the RAPN and OPN groups, respectively. There was no difference in estimated glomerular filtration rate preservation rates between groups for the early (P = 0.26) and latest (P = 0.22) functional follow-up. Conclusion For completely endophytic renal tumours, both OPN and RAPN have excellent outcomes when performed by experienced surgeons at a high-volume centre. For skilled robotic surgeons, RAPN is a safe and effective alternative to OPN with the advantages of shorter length of stay and less blood loss.
Circulating Breast Carcinoma Cells Mimicking Therapy-Related Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Potential Cytogenetic and Flow Cytometry Pitfall

Circulating tumor cells are rare in peripheral blood smears. We report the case of a patient with circulating breast carcinoma cells resembling circulating myeloid blasts and provide a brief review...
Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Programming of Accelerated HPC Servers: Highlights of PRACE Studies

During the last few years the convergence in architecture for High-Performance Computing systems that took place for over a decade has been replaced by a divergence. The divergence is driven by the quest for performance, cost-performance and in the last few years also energy consumption that during the life-time of a system have come to exceed the HPC system cost in many cases. Mass market, specialized processors, such as the Cell Broadband Engine (CBE) and Graphics Processors, have received particular attention, the latter especially after hardware support for double-precision floating-point arithmetic was introduced about three years ago. The recent support of Error Correcting Code (ECC) for memory and significantly enhanced performance for double-precision arithmetic in the current generation of Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) have further solidified the interest in GPUs for HPC. In order to assess the issues involved in potentially deploying clusters with nodes consisting of commodity microprocessors with some type of specialized processor for enhanced performance or enhanced energy efficiency or both for science and engineering workloads, PRACE, the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe, undertook a study that included three types of accelerators, the CBE, GPUs and ClearSpeed, and tools for their programming. The study focused on assessing performance, efficiency, power efficiency for double-precision arithmetic and programmer productivity. Four kernels, matrix multiplication, sparse matrix-vector multiplication, FFT, random number generation were used for the assessment together with High-Performance Linpack (HPL) and a few application codes. We report here on the results from the kernels and HPL for GPU and ClearSpeed accelerated systems. The GPU performed surprisingly significantly better than the CPU on the sparse matrix-vector multiplication on which the ClearSpeed performed surprisingly poorly. For matrix-multiplication, HPL and FFT the ClearSpeed accelerator was by far the most energy efficient device.
Diagnosing Periprosthetic Joint Infection: And the Winner Is?

Abstract Background Diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a challenge despite a wide variety of available diagnostic tests. The question that arises is which of these tests has a better performance for diagnosing PJI. Diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) has been described as the best indicator for test performance. Methods To compare the performance of the standard diagnostic tests, the DOR of serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), synovial fluid (SF) white blood cell (WBC) count, SF polymorphonuclear (PMN%), and leukocyte esterase (LE) were calculated. Results We obtained 4662 ESRs, 4392 CRPs, 836 SF WBC, 804 SF PMN%, and 659 LE results. LE had the highest DOR for diagnosing PJI: 30.06 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.8-50.7). The rest of the DORs in the descending order were SF WBC: 29.4 (95% CI: 20.2-42.8), CRP: 25.6 (95% CI: 19.5-33.7), SF PMN%: 25.5 (95% CI: 17.5-37.0), and ESR: 14.6 (95% CI: 11.5-18.6). Conclusion Based on our findings, it appears that among the minor diagnostic criteria, LE has the best performance.