cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Examination of Indicators of Engineering Students' Success and Persistence

Student success and persistence within the major and university were examined through hierarchical linear and logistic regression analyses for two cohorts of engineering students. Indicators of success and persistence were based on theoretical and empirical evidence and included both cognitive and noncognitive variables. Cognitive variables included high school rank, SAT scores, and university cumulative grade point average. Noncognitive factors included academic motivation and institutional integration. Outcome variables included grade point average, enrollment at the university, and status as an engineering major. Gender differences also were evaluated. Several significant relationships among the variables were found. For instance, increased levels of motivation were significantly related to continuing in the major. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
CSC: computer supported collaborative work, learning, and play

The authors combine their experiences in three independent studies of informal learning in the contexts of the workplace, school and leisure. They uncover aspects of collaborative work, learning and play involving the use of different learning and teaching techniques, and supported by appropriations of the regular use of the applications. The importance of play, both for application learning and innovative use in different settings, including the workplace, is examined. The implications of explicitly supporting ad hoc collaborative approaches to learning how to use a computer application are explored.
American Pediatric Society's 2012 John Howland Award Lecture: Pediatricians should be the model for the convergence of science and medicine.

American Pediatric Society’s 2012 John Howland Award Lecture: pediatricians should be the model for the convergence of science and medicine
BIASED PRESS OR BIASED PUBLIC? ATTITUDES TOWARD MEDIA COVERAGE OF SOCIAL GROUPS

Mass media credibility has been defined and studied largely as an attribute of message sources. This article argues that trust in media can be better understood as a relational variable-an audience response to media content. In addition, audience assessments of credibility are commonly explained as the result of each individual's skeptical disposition, either toward mass media in particular or as a general trait. The author dissents from this view as well, proposing that distrust is more likely to be a situational response, stemming from involvement with issues and groups. Using data from a national probability sample, the hypothesis was tested by analyzing the effect of numerous independent variables on respondent ratings of newspaper and television news coverage of social groups. As hypothesized, a respondent's own group identification proved to be the strongest predictor. The evidence was strengthened by replication across social groups, which provided built-in controls and demonstrated that an important part of the variance in trust of mass media news is within persons rather than between persons.
Distributed change detection in large scale sensor networks through the synchronization of pulse-coupled oscillators

This paper proposes the use of a distributed synchronization mechanism, which locks in phase the pulse-coupled oscillators, to rapidly alert the nodes in a sensor network of a change detected by a group of the sensors. By encoding into an abrupt variation of the phase their positive detection of a change, the nodes force all other nodes to reach a new synchronization equilibrium. Therefore, the information about the change is implicitly encoded in the phase transitions. While the local detection problem at each sensor can be addressed using the standard change detection algorithms, the interesting aspect of this work is the unconventional way through which the nodes broadcast their information to each other and fuse their decisions. The main advantages of the proposed method is the scalability and low complexity of the fusion algorithm.
Longitudinal Field Research Methods for Studying Processes of Organizational Change

Introduction - Andrew H Van de Ven and George P Huber Longitudinal Field Research Methods for Studying Processes of Organization Change Images of Imaging - Stephen R Barley Notes on Doing Longitudinal Field Work A Dual Methodology for Case Studies - Dorothy Leonard-Barton Synergistic Use of a Longitudinal Single Site with Replicated Multiple Sites Building Theories from Case Study Research - Kathleen M Eisenhardt Longitudinal Field Research on Change - Andrew M Pettigrew Theory and Practice Studying Changes in Organizational Design and Effectiveness - William H Glick et al Retrospective Event Histories and Periodic Assessments Methods for Studying Innovation Development in the Minnesota Innovation Research Program - Andrew H Van de Ven and Marshall Scott Poole Alternate Approaches to Integrating Longitudinal Case Studies - Robert D McPhee A Primer of Sequence Methods - Andrew Abbott An Empirical Taxonomy of Implementation Processes Based on Sequences of Events in Information System Development - Rajiv Sabherwal and Daniel Robey Theoretical and Analytical Issues in Studying Organizational Processes - Peter R Monge Organizations Reacting to Hyperturbulence - Alan D Meyer, James B Goes and Geoffrey R Brooks
Hybrid-cooling, combined cooling, heating, and power systems

AbstractCombined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems have the ability to optimize fuel consumption by recovering thermal energy from the prime mover of the power generation unit (PGU). Design of a CCHP system requires consideration, among other variables, of CCHP system components size and type. This study focuses on the analysis of hybrid-cooling, heating, and power (hybrid-cooling CCHP) systems that have an absorption chiller (CH) and a vapour compression system to handle the cooling load. The effect of the size of both cooling mechanisms is analysed in conjunction with the PGU size and efficiency. For better energy performance analysis simulations, results are presented based on the building-CCHP system primary energy consumption (PEC). Hybrid-cooling CCHP systems yield higher primary energy reduction than CCHP systems with an absorption CH alone. To account for the effect of climate conditions, hot and cold climates were considered by performing simulations for Tampa and Chicago weather conditi...
Caring is Activism: Black Southern Womanist Teachers Theorizing and the Careers of Kathleen Crosby and Bertha Maxwell-Roddey, 1946–1986

This article, based on archival research and oral interviews, examines the personal and professional impact of desegregation on African American teachers in an urban southern setting by focusing on the life stories of two public school teachers, Kathleen Crosby and Bertha Maxwell-Roddey. Both taught in segregated schools, helped to desegregate Charlotte's public schools, and later forged successful career paths as administrators from 1946 to 1986. Focusing on the motivating factors and educational theories of these exemplary womanist teachers offers a window into the lives of educators who forged new avenues for advancement in the urban South. This article also analyzes how the professional careers of Crosby and Maxwell-Roddey are emblematic of Tamera Beabuboeuf-Lafontant's theoretical concepts of womanist teaching. Patricia Hill Collins also argues that womanists strive to ensure group survival while pushing for institutional social change. Desegregation-era teachers such as Crosby and Maxwell-Roddey exe...
Changes in cardiac metabolism: a critical step from stable angina to ischaemic cardiomyopathy

Cardiac work requires a high rate of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) breakdown. ATP is resynthesized in the mitochondria with energy from the combustion of fatty acids, glucose and lactate. Fatty acids are the main fuel for the heart, supplying 60–90% of the energy, with the balance (10–40%) from pyruvate oxidation (formed from glycolysis and lactate). Fatty acid oxidation inhibits pyruvate oxidation in the mitochondria. During myocardial ischaemia, oxygen consumption and ATP production is reduced, causing accelerated glycolysis and lactate production; the pH falls and cell function is impaired. Paradoxically, with a partial reduction in coronary flow, the myocardium continues to derive most of its energy from the oxidation of fatty acids despite a high rate of lactate production; this fatty acid oxidation during ischaemia inhibits pyruvate oxidation, and drives pyruvate conversion to lactate. Partial inhibition of fatty acid oxidation in ischaemic myocardium, such as with the long-chain 3-ketoacyl thiolase inhibitor trimetazidine, reduces lactate production and H+ accumulation during ischaemia, and results in clinical benefit in patients with angina pectoris.
Interplay between 7SK snRNA and oppositely charged regions in HEXIM1 direct the inhibition of P‐TEFb

Transcription elongation of eukaryotic genes by RNA polymerase II depends on the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb). When sequestered into the large complex, P-TEFb kinase activity is inhibited by the coordinate actions of 7SK small nuclear RNA (7SK snRNA) and hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA)-induced protein 1 (HEXIM1). We found that the basic region in HEXIM1 directs its nuclear import via two monopartite and two bipartite nuclear localization sequences. Moreover, the arginine-rich motif within it is essential for its binding to 7SK snRNA, P-TEFb, and inhibition of transcription. Notably, the basic region interacts with the adjacent acidic regions in the absence of RNA. The removal of the positive or negative charges from these regions in HEXIM1 leads to its sequestration into the large complex and inhibition of transcription independently of the arginine-rich motif. Finally, the removal of the negative charges from HEXIM1 results in its subnuclear localization into nuclear speckles. We propose a model where the interplay between 7SK snRNA and oppositely charged regions in HEXIM1 direct its binding to P-TEFb and subcellular localization that culminates in the inhibition of transcription.
Two-Stage Tridiagonal Reduction for Dense Symmetric Matrices Using Tile Algorithms on Multicore Architectures

While successful implementations have already been written for one-sided transformations (e.g., QR, LU and Cholesky factorizations) on multicore architecture, getting high performance for two-sided reductions (e.g., Hessenberg, tridiagonal and bidiagonal reductions) is still an open and difficult research problem due to expensive memory-bound operations occurring during the panel factorization. The processor-memory speed gap continues to widen, which has even further exacerbated the problem. This paper focuses on an efficient implementation of the tridiagonal reduction, which is the first algorithmic step toward computing the spectral decomposition of a dense symmetric matrix. The original matrix is translated into a \emph{tile} layout i.e., a high performance data representation, which substantially enhances data locality. Following a two-stage approach, the tile matrix is then transformed into band tridiagonal form using compute intensive kernels. The band form is further reduced to the required tridiagonal form using a \emph{left-looking} bulge chasing technique to reduce memory traffic and memory contention. A dependence translation layer associated with a dynamic runtime system allows for scheduling and overlapping tasks generated from both stages. The obtained tile tridiagonal reduction significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art numerical libraries (10X against multithreaded LAPACK with optimized MKL BLAS and 2.5X against the commercial numerical software Intel MKL) from medium to large matrix sizes.
Three arguments for lotteries

Philosophers and social scientists have offered a variety of arguments for making certain types of decisions by lot. This paper examines three such arguments. These arguments identify indeterminacy, fairness and incentive effects as the major reasons for using lotteries to make decisions. These arguments are central to Jon Elster’s study of lottery use, Solomonic judgments (1989), and so the paper focuses upon their treatment in this work. Upon closer examination, all three arguments have the same basic structure, in that they appeal to a single effect lotteries can have — a sanitizing effect. Lotteries have this effect because they make possible decision-making that makes no use of reasons, whether good or bad. All arguments for or against decision-making by lot must ultimately appeal to this effect.
Upscaling geochemical reaction rates using pore-scale network modeling

Geochemical reaction rate laws are often measured using crushed minerals in well-mixed laboratory systems that are designed to eliminate mass transport limitations. Such rate laws are often used directly in reactive transport models to predict the reaction and transport of chemical species in consolidated porous media found in subsurface environments. Due to the inherent heterogeneities of porous media, such use of lab-measured rate laws may introduce errors, leading to a need to develop methods for upscaling reaction rates. In this work, we present a methodology for using pore-scale network modeling to investigate scaling effects in geochemical reaction rates. The reactive transport processes are simulated at the pore scale, accounting for heterogeneities of both physical and mineral properties. Mass balance principles are then used to calculate reaction rates at the continuum scale. To examine the scaling behavior of reaction kinetics, these continuum-scale rates from the network model are compared to the rates calculated by directly using laboratory-measured reaction rate laws and ignoring pore-scale heterogeneities. In this work, this methodology is demonstrated by upscaling anorthite and kaolinite reaction rates under simulation conditions relevant to geological CO2 sequestration. Simulation results show that under conditions with CO2 present at high concentrations, pore-scale concentrations of reactive species and reaction rates vary spatially by orders of magnitude, and the scaling effect is significant. With a much smaller CO2 concentration, the scaling effect is relatively small. These results indicate that the increased acidity associated with geological sequestration can generate conditions for which proper scaling tools are yet to be developed. This work demonstrates the use of pore-scale network modeling as a valuable research tool for examining upscaling of geochemical kinetics. The pore-scale model allows the effects of pore-scale heterogeneities to be integrated into system behavior at multiple scales, thereby identifying important factors that contribute to the scaling effect. � 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
FPGA Implementation of Izhikevich Spiking Neural Networks for Character Recognition

There has been a strong push recently to examine biological scale simulations of neuromorphic algorithms to achieve stronger inference capabilities than current computing algorithms. The recent Izhikevich spiking neuron model is ideally suited for such large scale cortical simulations due to its efficiency and biological accuracy. In this paper we explore the feasibility of using FPGAs for large scale simulations of the Izhikevich model. We developed a modularized processing element to evaluate a large number of Izhikevich spiking neurons in a pipelined manner. This approach allows for easy scalability of the model to larger FPGAs. We utilized a character recognition algorithm based on the Izhikevich model for this study and scaled up the algorithm to use over 9000 neurons. The FPGA implementation of the algorithm on a Xilinx Virtex 4 provided a speedup of approximately 8.5 times an equivalent software implementation on a 2.2 GHz AMD Opteron core. Our results indicate that FPGAs are suitable for large scale cortical simulations utilizing the Izhikevich spiking neuron model.
Dynamics of Multi-Parameter Systems with Interacting Oscillations

The dynamics of systems may be analyzed in terms of individual oscillations interacting to result in the global behavior of the system. By dissecting these oscillatory elements from the system the overall dynamics can be explicable in terms of such generic elements. This approach would be suitable for modelling complex systems in terms of such modular dynamics by reconstructing the complexity thus without loosing the integrity of the global dynamics. In this presentation definitions of Horatian objects, pathways to such solutions are given followed by a discussion on the hierarchical order in such solutions and the definition of hierarchical stability. It is also indicated that homoclinic solutions will also be an integral part of the future analysis of such dynamical systems.
Watchful Citizens: Immigration Control, Surveillance and Societal Participation

To refine wholesale accounts of transnationalism, scholars have cited the amplification of border enforcement and immigration control. Whilst received analysis emphasizes multiple processes whether...
Comparing linear and nonlinear mixed model approaches to cosinor analysis.

The cosinor model, used for variables governed by circadian and other biological rhythms, is a nonlinear model in the amplitude and acrophase parameters that has a linear representation upon transformation. With linear cosinor analysis, amplitude and acrophase for each harmonic can be computed as nonlinear functions of the estimated linear regression coefficients. Here a flexible mixed model approach to cosinor analysis is considered, where the fixed effect parameters may enter nonlinearly as acrophase and amplitude for each harmonic or linearly after transformation to regression coefficients. In addition, the random effects may enter nonlinearly as subject-specific deviations from the acrophases and amplitudes or linearly as subject-specific deviations from the regression coefficients. It is also possible for the fixed effects to enter nonlinearly while the random effects enter linearly. Additionally, we evaluate whether including higher order linear harmonic terms as random effects, that is, Rao-Khatri 'covariance adjustment', improves precision. Applying the delta method to nonlinear functions of the parameters from linear mixed cosinor models to obtain approximate variances produces results that are often identical to results from nonlinear mixed models. Consequently, traditional linear cosinor analysis can often be used to estimate and compare the nonlinear parameters of interest, that is, amplitudes and acrophases, via the delta method. This is advantageous since the nonlinear mixed model may have convergence difficulties for more complex models. However, for some multiple-group analyses, the linear cosinor transformation should not be used and we clarify when the two methods are equivalent and when they differ.
Facilitating Inclusion by Reducing Problem Behaviors for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Recent legislation has increased the emphasis on including students with disabilities in the general education classroom. However, students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit a wide range of behaviors that make inclusion difficult. To date, there has been little research to identify best practices in reducing problem behavior and promoting inclusion for students with ASD. The authors conducted a systematic literature review of three major psychological and educational electronic research databases to identify empirical research articles in the past 10 years that included (a) students in kindergarten through 12th grade, (b) facilitated inclusion, and (c) reduced problem behavior. Results indicated a lack of evidence-based practices that use inclusion as an independent variable. This article highlights four themes demonstrated to be effective: functional behavior assessments, tiered models of service delivery, behavioral approaches, and social skills training. Implications for educators are discussed.
PlyPH, a Bacteriolytic Enzyme with a Broad pH Range of Activity and Lytic Action against Bacillus anthracis

We have cloned a lytic enzyme, PlyPH, with a specific lytic effect on Bacillus anthracis strains. PlyPH remains active between pH 4 and 10.5, and a single dose rescued a significant percentage of mice infected intraperitoneally with an attenuated B. anthracis strain. We propose PlyPH as a novel therapeutic agent.
In silico free energy predictions for ionic liquid-assisted exfoliation of a graphene bilayer into individual graphene nanosheets

Free energies for graphene exfoliation from bilayer graphene using ionic liquids based on various cations paired with the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion were determined from adaptive bias force–molecular dynamics (ABF–MD) simulation and fall in excellent qualitative agreement with experiment. This method has notable potential as an a priori screening tool for performance based rank order prediction of novel ionic liquids for the dispersion and exfoliation of various nanocarbons and inorganic graphene analogues.
CD63 interacts with the carboxy terminus of the colonic H+-K+-ATPase to increase plasma membrane localization and 86Rb+ uptake

The carboxy terminus (CT) of the colonic H+-K+-ATPase is required for stable assembly with the β-subunit, translocation to the plasma membrane, and efficient function of the transporter. To identif...
Future transversity measurements: experimental aspects

Abstract Recent experimental results from the HERMES collaboration at DESY and the SMC collaboration at CERN suggest that it may be possible to access nucleon transversity distributions through the measurement of transverse single spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive hard scattering processes. In this paper we review current and future experimental activities to measure transversity. We include a discussion of the measurement of the relevant fragmentation functions in e+e− annihilation.
Information-Driven Distributed Maximum Likelihood Estimation Based on Gauss-Newton Method in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we develop an energy-efficient distributed estimation method that can be used in applications such as the estimation of a diffusive source and the localization and tracking of an acoustic target in wireless sensor networks. We first propose a statistical measurement model in which we separate the linear and nonlinear parameters. This modeling strategy reduce the processing complexity. We then study the distributed implementation of the Gauss-Newton method in the maximum likelihood estimation. After that we propose a fully distributed estimation approach based on an incremental realization of the Gauss-Newton method. We derive three modifications of the basic algorithm to improve the distributed processing performance while still considering the energy restriction. We implement the idea of information-driven collaborative signal processing and provide a sensor-node scheduling scheme in which the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) is used as the performance and information utility measure to select the next sensor node. Numerical examples are used to study the performance of the distributed estimation, and we show that of the methods considered here, the proposed multiple iteration Kalman filtering method has the most advantages for wireless sensor networks.
A tale with a Twist: a developmental gene with potential relevance for metabolic dysfunction and inflammation in adipose tissue

The Twist proteins (Twist-1 and -2) are highly conserved developmental proteins with key roles for the transcriptional regulation in mesenchymal cell lineages. They belong to the super-family of bHLH proteins and exhibit bi-functional roles as both activators and repressors of gene transcription. The Twist proteins are expressed at low levels in adult tissues but may become abundantly re-expressed in cells undergoing malignant transformation. This observation prompted extensive research on the roles of Twist proteins in cancer progression and metastasis. Very recent studies indicate a novel role for Twist-1 as a potential regulator of adipose tissue (AT) remodeling and inflammation. Several studies suggested that developmental genes are important determinants of obesity, fat distribution and remodeling capacity of different adipose depots. Twist-1 is abundantly and selectively expressed in the adult AT and its constitutive expression is significantly higher in subcutaneous (SAT) vs. visceral (VAT) fat in both mice and humans. Moreover, Twist1 expression is strongly correlated with BMI and insulin resistance in humans. However, the functional roles and transcriptional downstream targets of Twist1 in AT are largely unexplored. The purpose of this review is to highlight the major findings related to Twist1 expression in different fat depots and cellular components of AT and to discuss the potential mechanisms suggesting a role for Twist1 in AT metabolism, inflammation and remodeling.
Comparison of numerical and experimental simulations of clipping induced distortion for NTSC CATV systems

In the lightwave CATV systems, subcarrier multiplexing has emerged as the most popular transmission technique. The driving current waveform is clipped at the threshold of a linear transfer function of the laser diode if the overall modulation exceeds 100%. The nonlinear distortion noise due to a little clipping is tolerable because overmodulation maximizes the RMS OMI and the CNR. We have compared the numerical and experimental results of the probability of the overmodulation versus the carrier to nonlinear distortion ratio (CNLD). We found reasonable results under the same computation conditions for the RMS modulation index in the optimum range (/spl mu/=[0.65-0.3]) and both graphs are similar to each other with no discrepancies.
Development of glucocorticoid receptor regulation in the rat forebrain: implications for adverse effects of glucocorticoids in preterm infants.

Abstract Glucocorticoids are the consensus treatment to avoid respiratory distress in preterm infants but there is accumulating evidence that these agents evoke long-term neurobehavioral deficits. Earlier, we showed that the developing rat forebrain is far more sensitive to glucocorticoid-induced disruption in the fetus than in the neonate. Feedback regulation of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) is an essential homeostatic mechanism and we therefore examined the development of GR downregulation in the perinatal period. Pregnant rats or newborn pups were given dexamethasone daily (gestational days 17–19, postnatal days 1–3, or postnatal days 7–9), ranging from doses below that recommended for use in preterm infants (0.05 mg/kg) to therapeutic doses (0.2 or 0.8 mg/kg). Twenty-four hours after the last injection, we determined forebrain GR protein by Western blotting. Although postnatal dexamethasone treatment downregulated GRs at all doses, the fetal forebrain failed to show any decrement and instead exhibited slight GR upregulation. In controls, forebrain GR levels also showed a large increment over the course from late gestation through the second postnatal week, despite the fact that circulating glucocorticoid levels increase substantially during this period. Our results suggest that GR homeostasis develops primarily postnatally and that fetal inability to downregulate GRs in the face of exogenous glucocorticoid administration plays a role in the vulnerability of key neural circuits to developmental disruption. Since this developmental phase in the rat corresponds to the critical period in which glucocorticoids are used in preterm infants, adverse effects on brain development may be inescapable.
Utilization of Turkey Feather Fibers in Nonwoven Erosion Control Fabrics

Currently, between two and four billion pounds of feathers are produced annually by the poultry processing industry (1). These feathers present a disposal problem, and are usually converted to animal feed. A method of effectively stripping the feather fibers from the quill without damaging the fibers has been patented, and as a result research is being conducted to determine uses for these fibers (4). Current research has focused on creating latex bonded fabrics containing turkey feather fibers for utilization as erosion control fabrics. These fabrics have been compared with currently available erosion control fabrics to determine their suitability for this particular purpose. The turkey fiber fabrics performed similarly to the commercially available erosion control fabrics tested in terms of light and water transmittance. None of the fabrics significantly affected the pH, nitrogen or phosphorus content of the soil even though the turkey fabrics had fully decomposed by the conclusion of the experiment. The turkey fabrics increased soil moisture content and decreased soil compaction, which are critical properties for successful ecological restoration of habitats. One significant drawback of the turkey fabrics was difficulty in handling and installation on the site compared to the two commercial erosion control fabrics tested.
Polynomial Sieves as Universal Predictors

This paper shows that polynomial sieve estimators can predict arbitrary continuous functions on closed and bounded subsets of the reals. These predictions can be arbitrarily close irrespective of whether the sieve is estimated on the full domain or a strict and non-dense subset of the domain. This result substantially generalizes the applicability of polynomial sieve estimators. The paper also provides a method to determine the accuracy of the prediction given the limits of the data used.
4D Acquisition and Processing of streamer and OBC data in West Africa: A case history to demonstrate how survey planning and advanced processing techniques improve repeatability for reservoir monitoring

Summary The feasibility analysis, survey planning, seismic acquisition and time-lapsed processing of a West Africa 4D seismic dataset over the producing Elon Field Area of the Okume Complex, Equatorial Guinea is presented. The survey planning and execution occurred in 2011-2012. Prior to the expenditure of significant funds required for the execution of an ocean bottom cable (OBC) acquisition, several steps were taken to determine the magnitude of the detectable 4D change for this reservoir and to define the optimal design parameters to match the planned OBC Monitor survey the existing Marine Streamer Baseline dataset. In areas where field production infrastructure exists, seismic operations pose significant challenges from the standpoint of safety, as well as for obtaining adequate coverage (in fold, azimuthal coverage and offsets) in key areas near field infrastructure. Differences in source/receiver types, noise levels, and geometry require processing to utilize advanced techniques including deghosting, model-based multiple removal, adaptive noise attenuation and 4D co-binning. The streamer (baseline) and the OBC (monitor) are compared after PSDM and gather conditioning for repeatability using NRMS and time-shift analysis presented. The OBC dataset was also processed independently utilizing the split-spread and wide azimuth component that was removed during the 4D binning process in order to gauge the level of improvement due to the increase in fold and subsequent trace density.
High L/D Mars aerocapture for 2001, 2003 and 2005 mission opportunities

The scope of the present investigation includes realistic trajectory simulations for a biconic aerocapture vehicle Copyright© 1998 by North Carolina State University. Published by the AIAA, Inc. with permission. Graduate Research Assistant, Student AIAA. ^ Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Director, Mars Mission Research Center. Fellow AIAA. with an L/D of 0.78, determination of its entry corridor, design of its nominal entry trajectory, evaluation of it's tolerance to atmospheric density variation, which can be possibly encountered during aerocapture, and the change in propellant usage resulting from these dispersions. To make the simulation more realistic, minimum €3 mission opportunities for the years 2001, 2003 and 2005 are chosen for consideration and their results are compared. Arrival dates, entry velocities and geographical entry locations for these mission opportunities' are used as entry conditions. In addition, comparative trajectory analysis between a biconic vehicle( Z/£>=0.78 ) and a Viking type vehicle (L/D=0.18) are carried out for the 2005 mission. The 2005 opportunity is a likely candidate for a Mars Sample Return Mission which could benefit significantly from aerocapture.
Chimeric Wnt proteins define the amino-terminus of Wnt-1 as a transformation-specific determinant.

Wnt-1 induces morphological transformation of C57MG mammary epithelial cells and accumulation of cytosolic β-catenin whereas Wnt-5a has no effect. To identify regions within the 370 amino acid Wnt-1 protein required for these functions we tested eleven chimeric genes that contained variable amounts of Wnt-1 and Wnt-5a sequence. Transformation and β-catenin regulation in C57MG cells is controlled by amino acids that lie within 186 residues of the amino terminus of Wnt-1. Small substitutions between residues 186 and 292 reduced Wnt-1 activity. Replacement of the carboxy terminal 79 amino acids of Wnt-1 by Wnt-5a did not affect function. These results were supported by transient expression asssays in 293 cells wherein β-catenin accumulated in the cytoplasm in response to ectopic Wnt-1 expression. In 293 cells, a larger region of the amino-terminus of Wnt-1 was found to be required for β-catenin regulation. Nonfunctional chimeras that contained at least 99 amino terminal Wnt-1 residues inhibited Wnt-1 stimulation of 293 cells. One of these chimeras inhibited both Wnt-1 and Wnt-3 activity suggesting that Wnt-1 and Wnt-3 interact with a common signaling component.
Sodium/Calcium Exchange: Its Physiological Implications

The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, an ion transport protein, is expressed in the plasma membrane (PM) of virtually all animal cells. It extrudes Ca2+ in parallel with the PM ATP-driven Ca2+ pump. As a reversible transporter, it also mediates Ca2+ entry in parallel with various ion channels. The energy for net Ca2+ transport by the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger and its direction depend on the Na+, Ca2+, and K+ gradients across the PM, the membrane potential, and the transport stoichiometry. In most cells, three Na+ are exchanged for one Ca2+. In vertebrate photoreceptors, some neurons, and certain other cells, K+ is transported in the same direction as Ca2+, with a coupling ratio of four Na+ to one Ca2+ plus one K+. The exchanger kinetics are affected by nontransported Ca2+, Na+, protons, ATP, and diverse other modulators. Five genes that code for the exchangers have been identified in mammals: three in the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger family (NCX1, NCX2, and NCX3) and two in the Na+/Ca2+ plus K+ family (NCKX1 and NCKX2). Genes homologous to NCX1 have been identified in frog, squid, lobster, and Drosophila. In mammals, alternatively spliced variants of NCX1 have been identified; dominant expression of these variants is cell type specific, which suggests that the variations are involved in targeting and/or functional differences. In cardiac myocytes, and probably other cell types, the exchanger serves a housekeeping role by maintaining a low intracellular Ca2+ concentration; its possible role in cardiac excitation-contraction coupling is controversial. Cellular increases in Na+ concentration lead to increases in Ca2+ concentration mediated by the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger; this is important in the therapeutic action of cardiotonic steroids like digitalis. Similarly, alterations of Na+ and Ca2+ apparently modulate basolateral K+ conductance in some epithelia, signaling in some special sense organs (e.g., photoreceptors and olfactory receptors) and Ca2+-dependent secretion in neurons and in many secretory cells. The juxtaposition of PM and sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum membranes may permit the PM Na+/Ca2+ exchanger to regulate sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores and influence cellular Ca2+ signaling.
Abstract B114: Comparative effectiveness research on colorectal cancer screening

Screening is an established strategy for reducing death from colorectal cancer. The availability of multiple guidelines-recommended for colorectal cancer increases the complexity of screening decision-making for patients, clinicians and policy makers. This is compounded by differences in the strength of the evidence supporting the use of currently available tests in actual clinical practice. Therefore, colorectal cancer screening represents an important focus for comparative effectiveness research: the available tests also vary in cost, complexity and risk of complications. Another unique situation with colorectal cancer screening is the increasing use of colonoscopy for screening, the effectiveness of which has been recently called into question, while tests with proven efficacy such as sigmoidoscopy and fecal-based tests are now less frequently used. This presentation will discuss colorectal cancer comparative effectiveness research from the context of an NCI-funded project. The specific aim of that project is to estimate the effectiveness of screening colonoscopy in reducing death from colorectal cancer among average risk adults when compared to no screening. Of particular interest is to determine if colonoscopy is effective in reducing death from right-sided colon cancers and to examine the impact of quality of colonoscopy on its effectiveness. The presentation will discuss the following concerning colorectal cancer screening comparative effectiveness research: 1) the disconnect between health care policies, clinical practice and scientific evidence; 2) the methodological challenges of studying the comparative effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening tests; and 3) review the design of the funded observational study. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B114.
Erythropoietin Cell Biology

Erythropoietin (EPO) mediates its biologic actions in responsive cells through the 78 kDa cell surface form of the EPO receptor. The biosynthesis, activations, and destruction of EPO receptors are described. The binding of EPO to its receptor leads to the activation of a tyrosine protein kinase(s) that results in the phosphorylation of the receptor and other proteins.
Histoplasma in AIDS Patients

It is clear that histoplasmosis is a significant infectious complication in AIDS patients and has been recognized as one of the defining opportunistic infections for this syndrome. An increasing body of data has accumulated and been published regarding histoplasmosis in AIDS victims. One particularly fascinating aspect of this mycosis in AIDS patients concerns its epidemiology.
Herbert Hoover: Father of the New Deal

Politicians and pundits portray Herbert Hoover as a defender of laissez faire governance whose dogmatic commitment to small government led him to stand by and do nothing while the economy collapsed in the wake of the stock market crash in 1929. In fact, Hoover had long been a critic of laissez faire. As president, he doubled federal spending in real terms in four years. He also used government to prop up wages, restricted immigration, signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff, raised taxes, and created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation — all interventionist measures and not laissez faire. Unlike many Democrats today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's advisers knew that Hoover had started the New Deal. One of them wrote, "When we all burst into Washington...we found every essential idea [of the New Deal] enacted in the 100-day Congress in the Hoover administration itself."Hoover's big-spending, interventionist policies prolonged the Great Depression, and similar policies today could do similar damage. Dismantling the mythical presentation of Hoover as a "do-nothing" president is crucial if we wish to have a proper understanding of what did and did not work in the Great Depression so that we do not repeat Hoover's mistakes today.
Toward Precision Control of Nanofiber Orientation in Conjugated Polymer Thin Films: Impact on Charge Transport

The deposition of conjugated polymers is typically subject to chain-entanglement effects, which can severely hinder chain unfolding, alignment, and π–π stacking during rapid solution-coating processes. Here, long-range ordering and highly aligned poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films were demonstrated by preprocessing the polymer solution with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation/solution aging and then depositing via the blade-coating method, which is compatible with roll-to-roll printing processes. The surface morphologies and optical anisotropy of deposited films revealed that the degree of chain alignment was greatly improved with increased levels of polymer assembly that can be precisely controlled by solution-aging time. The correlations between oriented nanofibrillar structures and their charge-transport anisotropy were further systematically investigated by blade coating pretreated solutions parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the source and drain electrodes. Interestingly, charge transport ...
Beamspace MIMO Channel Modeling and Measurement: Methodology and Results at 28GHz

Millimeter-wave (mmW) wireless is as a promising technology for meeting the Gigabit rate and millisecond latency requirements of emerging 5G applications. This promise fundamentally rests on the large (GHz) bandwidths and high-gain/high- dimensional beamforming possible at mmW frequencies. While multi-beam operation is necessary for achieving spatial multiplexing, existing channel measurements are limited to mechanically pointed horn antennas and single- beam phased arrays of moderate sizes. In this paper, we report a new measurement methodology and initial results based on the concept of beamspace MIMO channel modeling and communication. The measurement results use a novel multi-beam MIMO prototype system at 28GHz that uses a lens array for analog beamforming with a beamwidth of about four degrees. Furthermore, it is the first mmW MIMO prototype that enables simultaneous multi-beam channel measurements (and communication). The unique measurement capabilities of the multi- beam MIMO prototype are discussed and the new modeling methodology is illustrated with initial indoor measurements.
Tillage and Seeding Rate Effects on Wheat Cultivars: II. Yield Components

Tillage is declining in dryland wheat production systems. Our objectives were to determine if tillage X cultivar, seeding rate × cultivar, and tillage × seeding rate x cultivar interactions occurred for the yield components of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell.) in a wheat-fallow monoculture. The cultivars AC Minto, Amidon, Bergen, Grandin, and Norm were seeded at 123, 247, and 371 kernels m -2 in conventional-till (CONT), reduced-till (RT), and no-till (NT) systems in a randomized complete block in a split-split plot arrangement during 1995-1998. Tillage × cultivar and tillage x seeding rate X cultivar interactions did not occur for any yield component (P > 0.05). A seeding rate × cultivar interaction occurred for both plant stand and tiller production, but the interaction resulted from a change in the magnitude of response and not in the ranking of cultivars to seeding rate adjustments for either yield component. Plant stand and the number of tillers per plant were unaffected by tillage systems, but the number of spike-bearing tillers increased from 411 m -2 under CONT to 457 m -2 under NT. Tillage systems did not affect the number of kernels per spike or kernel weight. More spike-bearing tillers per square meter occurred as the seeding rate increased, but there were fewer tillers per plant and a negative quadratic response in the number of kernels per spike. Results of this study indicate that the ranking of contrasting hard red spring wheat cultivars for yield components is unchanged by reductions in tillage in a wheat-fallow monoculture.
Problems in Administering Overseas Projects

Management of an overseas project can be successful if potential problems are recognized and considered early in a proposed new venture. Such problems include organizational structure, foreign engineering requirements, world-wide procurement, personnel relocations, host country regulations, construction labor, cost control, and estimating techniques. The paper briefly covers the organizational of the author's company and mentions numerous questions and considerations for major project functions that need resolution early in venture strategy planning. Generally, planning for overseas projects are more complicated, require more up-front time, and need more management attention than comparable domestic projects.
Direct Marketing Promotion and Electronic Cigarette Use Among US Adults, National Adult Tobacco Survey, 2013-2014.

INTRODUCTION The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among US adults has increased since 2007. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of direct marketing promotion of e-cigarettes and its association with e-cigarette use among US adults. METHODS We used using data from the 2013-2014 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS) to estimate prevalence of e-cigarette promotions received by mail or email. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the associations between e-cigarette promotions and the prevalence and frequency of e-cigarette use among US adults. RESULTS In the 2013-2014 survey period, 7.1% of adults (about 16.0 million) reported receiving mail or email e-cigarette promotions in the previous 6 months; 3.2% received mail promotions, and 5.1% received email promotions. A higher prevalence of promotions was found among men versus women, adults aged under 65 years versus those older, current e-cigarette users, current smokers, and people with no smoking restriction rules in their homes or vehicles. In the multivariable analysis, receiving mail or email e-cigarette promotions was associated with higher odds of being current e-cigarette users (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.0; P < .001) than being noncurrent e-cigarette users. Receiving promotions was also associated with higher odds of using e-cigarettes some days (aOR = 1.6; P = .006) or every day (aOR = 1.7; P = .008) than using e-cigarettes rarely. CONCLUSION Receipt of e-cigarette direct marketing promotions was prevalent among US adults. Receiving e-cigarette promotions was associated with increased odds of both prevalence and frequency of e-cigarette use. Future longitudinal studies are needed to measure causal effects of e-cigarette promotions on e-cigarette use among adults.
Imaging correlations of tau, amyloid, metabolism, and atrophy in typical and atypical Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Introduction Neuroimaging modalities can measure different aspects of the disease process in Alzheimer's disease, although the relationship between these modalities is unclear. Methods We assessed subject-level regional correlations between tau on [ 18 F]AV-1451 positron emission tomography (PET), β amyloid on Pittsburgh compound B PET, hypometabolism on [ 18 F] fluorodeoxyglucose PET, and cortical thickness on magnetic resonance imaging in 96 participants with typical and atypical Alzheimer's disease presentations. We also assessed how correlations between modalities varied according to age, presenting syndrome, tau-PET severity, and asymmetry. Results [ 18 F]AV-1451 uptake showed the strongest regional correlation with hypometabolism. Correlations between [ 18 F]AV-1451 uptake and both hypometabolism and cortical thickness were stronger in participants with greater cortical tau severity. In addition, age, tau asymmetry, and clinical diagnosis influenced the strength of the correlation between [ 18 F]AV-1451 uptake and cortical thickness. Discussion These findings support a close relationship between tau and hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease but show that correlations between neuroimaging modalities vary across participants.