cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reactions and needs of tristate-area pediatricians after the events of September 11th: implications for children's mental health services.

Objective. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, caused mass destruction in Lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, and rural Pennsylvania and resulted in the death of >3000 people. Children were prominent among those affected. Given the wide impact of the attacks, we hypothesized that primary care professionals would see the broad population of affected children but would feel ill-prepared to respond to children9s mental health needs. Methods. One year after the September 11th disaster, a hyperlink to a web-based 42-item survey was sent to all New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey American Academy of Pediatrics members with e-mail addresses (N = 4330), and a paper version of the survey was sent via postal mail to a random sample of those without e-mail (N = 1320). The survey requested demographic data, personal and practice experience of 9/11, perceived knowledge and skills regarding mental health, and perceived barriers to accessing mental health services for their patients. Both groups were contacted a total of 3 times at 2-week intervals, resulting in 1396 completed surveys from providers who were actively seeing patients. Results. Twenty-nine percent of respondents stated that they were seeing affected patients, and 32.6% reported seeing children who were exposed to at least 1 9/11 event. Sixty-four percent of the respondents identified behavioral problems in directly affected children: 41.6% identified acute stress disorder, and 26.3% identified posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, a majority of these professionals indicated that they either lacked or were uncertain (50.8% PTSD, 51.7% acute stress disorder) of their skills to identify children with mental health problems and that they were “not” or only “somewhat” knowledgeable (76.8% PTSD) in these areas. The majority agreed that child health professionals should be trained to screen for these 2 disorders. Generalists as compared with specialists were more likely to report seeing patients who were affected by 9/11. Gender, race/ethnicity, and geographic location were associated with reported effects of 9/11 on respondents9 practice and perceived skills and knowledge related to the psychological effects of community disasters. Conclusions. Pediatric practitioners in the tristate area reported that children/families sought care for an array of mental health–related concerns. Generalists in the areas affected and those who identified gaps in knowledge or skills in responding to the psychological effects of community disasters should be targeted for additional education.
A Note on Consumption and Savings under Knightian Uncertainty

This paper studies consumption/saving problem under Knightian uncertainty in a two period setting. The multiple-priors utility model is adopted. The effects of income uncertainty and capital uncertainty on optimal savings are analyzed by deriving closed form solutions.
Nano Spiral Inductors for Low-Power Digital Spintronic Circuits

We propose nano-scaled spiral inductors suitable for future low-power digital spintronic circuits. The proposed nano-spiral inductors can be effectively used to generate magnetic field in a class of spintronic logic/memory circuits such as magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and magnetic quantum cellular automata (MQCA). Measured results on 0.13 ?m test-chip demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed nano-spiral inductors and we estimate 3.36 × lower write-current in MRAMs and 85% lower clocking energy in MQCAs.
Synthesis of Heterogeneous Distributed Architectures for Memory-Intensive Applications

Memory-intensive applications present unique challenges to an ASIC designer in terms of the choice of memory organization, memory size requirements, bandwidth and access latencies, etc. The high potential of single-chip distributed logic-memory architectures in addressing many of these issues has been recognized in general-purpose computing, and more recently in ASIC design. However, such architectures will be adopted widely by designers only when general techniques and tools for efficient high-level synthesis (HLS) of multi-partitioned ASICs become available. The techniques presented in this paper are motivated by the fact that many memory-intensive applications exhibit irregular array data access patterns (due to conditionals in loop nests, etc.). Synthesis should, therefore, be capable of determining a partitioned architecture, wherein array data and computations may have to be heterogeneously distributed for achieving the best performance speedup. Furthermore, the synthesis methodology should not be restricted by the nature of array index functions (affine or otherwise) in a behavior. Therefore, our methodology employs simulation to provide information about the access patterns of array data references in a behavior, which is used by the rest of our analysis. We use a combination of clustering and min-cut style partitioning techniques to partition the behavior into sub-behaviors while considering various factors including data access locality, balanced workloads, inter-partition communication, etc. Finally, we also employ an iterative improvement strategy to determine the best way of distributing array data into physical memory in each partition. Our experiments with several benchmark applications show that the proposed techniques can yield partitioned architectures that can achieve up to 2.2X performance speed-up over conventional HLS solutions, while achieving up to 1.6A" performance speedup over the best homogeneous partitioning solution feasible.
Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide enhanced MR imaging for lymph node metastases

Abstract The presence of a lymph node metastasis is one of the most important factors influencing therapeutic planning and prognosis in patients with malignancy. For example, a single nodal metastasis approximately halves the survival rate in patients with head and neck cancer, regardless of the location or size of the primary tumor. Currently used imaging techniques such as CT or conventional MRI are unreliable in detecting involved nodes accurately. There are few new techniques that have proven to be of value in nodal staging, and one such technique is ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) contrast agents for MRI. Administered intravenously, USPIO are phagocytosed by macrophages within lymph nodes. Homogeneous uptake of iron oxide particles in normal lymph node shortens the T2 and T2*, turning these nodes dark on post contrast images whereas malignant nodes, lacking the normal physiologic uptake, remain hyperintense on T2- and T2*-weighted images. These differences in signal intensity between normal and metastatic nodes are easily detected visually, leading to high sensitivity and specificity regardless of size or morphological features. This article will review the physiologic properties of USPIO, the technical considerations for imaging using USPIO agent, the results of various clinical trials, and other experimental agents, as well asthe future directions.
A switched capacitor filter synthesis system with built-in design for manufacturability

The paper presents a switched capacitor filter synthesis system with yield estimation and optimization as the integral components of the design environment. The design process is an iterative process involving filter synthesis and yield estimation. Different design choices such as filter order, approximation, circuit topology, etc., affect the yield and also other parameters such as filter area, noise and dynamic range. The integrated environment offers effective mechanisms for exploring the design decision space to achieve the optimum in terms of yield and other design considerations. The paper describes the filter synthesis, yield estimation and optimization aspects of the system. The capabilities offered in the areas of data and flow management are also discussed. The results for a low pass filter design are presented. >
The relationship between parent feeding styles and general parenting with loss of control eating in treatment-seeking overweight and obese children.

Author(s): Matheson, Brittany E; Camacho, Casandra; Peterson, Carol B; Rhee, Kyung E; Rydell, Sarah A; Zucker, Nancy L; Boutelle, Kerri N | Abstract: ObjectiveTo examine differences in parent feeding behaviors and general parenting of overweight children with and without loss of control (LOC) eating.MethodOne-hundred-and-eighteen overweight and obese children (10.40 ± 1.35 years; 53% female; 52% Caucasian; BMI-z: 2.06 ± 0.39) and their parents (42.42 ± 6.20 years; 91% female; 70% Caucasian; BMI: 31.74 ± 6.96 kg/m(2) ) were seen at a baseline assessment visit for a behavioral intervention that targeted overeating. The Eating Disorder Examination, adapted for children (ChEDE) was administered to assess for LOC eating. Parents completed the Parental Feeding Styles Questionnaire (PFSQ) and the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) to assess parent feeding styles and behaviors. Children also completed a self-report measure of general parenting (Child Report of Parent Behavior Inventory, CRPBI-30).ResultsForty-three children (36.40%) reported at least one LOC eating episode in the month prior to assessment. Parents who reported greater restriction and higher levels of pressure to eat were more likely to have children that reported LOC eating (ps l 0.05). Parents who utilized more instrumental feeding and prompting/encouragement to eat techniques were less likely to have children that reported LOC eating (ps l 0.05). Child-reported parenting behaviors were unrelated to child LOC eating (ps g 0.05).DiscussionParent feeding styles and behaviors appear to be differentially and uniquely related to LOC eating in treatment-seeking overweight and obese children. Future research is needed to determine if implementing interventions that target parent feeding behaviors may reduce LOC eating, prevent full-syndrome eating disorders, and reduce weight gain in youth.
Community pharmacist and technician communication with Spanish-speaking patients: Needs assessment

Objectives To estimate the prevalence of community pharmacists and technicians who are capable of communicating with patients in Spanish and to estimate the need for Spanish language education initiatives for student pharmacists and pharmacists. Design U.S. census data (2006) were used to stratify states and counties based on Hispanic population densities. Protocols were used for telephone interviews with pharmacists in randomly selected national community pharmacies. Results Of 2,109 pharmacies contacted, 923 participated (43.8%) and 165 (17.9%) reported having at least one full- or part-time Spanish-speaking pharmacist employed. Slightly more than one-third (n = 328; 35.6%) of pharmacies reported having one or more full-time Spanish-speaking technicians on staff. Of respondents, 70% indicated that they would be interested in attending a live (57.8%) or Web-based (62.9%) course to learn basic Spanish terms related to health care. When asked about the need for Spanish language education in pharmacy schools, 22.0% believed that a Spanish for health professionals course should be required, while 77.0% believed the course should be offered as an elective. Conclusion Currently, a low proportion of community Spanish-speaking pharmacists and technicians are available to meet the needs of the Spanish-speaking limited English proficiency population in the United States. Pharmacy schools should offer resources to support Spanish language education initiatives. Community pharmacy administrators should provide resources to promote effective communication between pharmacists and their clientele.
Use of chimeric recombinant polypeptides to analyse conformational, surface epitopes on trypanosome variant surface glycoproteins.

Summary Identification of surface-exposed epitopes on the variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) of African trypanosomes has been complicated by the observation that most such epitopes are highly conformational. As a result, whenever the molecule is broken down for analysis, the epitope is generally lost. We have exploited the existence of closely related gene families to create chimeric molecules in which particular segments of one VSG are placed in the analogous position of a related but antigenically distinct VSG. The process is used in both a positive and negative manner, so that the epitope can be specifically added or destroyed in a given chimera. As an example, we have used this approach to identify the regions involved in reactivity to a monoclonal antibody specific for VSG117 on the surface of live trypanosomes. We show that while deletion of almost any region of VSG117 results in loss of reactivity to this monoclonal antibody, substituting particular regions with the corresponding segment of the structurally related but antigenically distinct VSG FM8.5 restores reactivity in most but not all cases, thereby delimiting the antigenically key regions. Likewise, substituting key regions from VSG117 into FM8.5 confers reactivity on the resulting chimeras. This approach circumvents some of the problems that result from the highly conformational nature of VSG and should allow further elucidation of the biologically relevant antigenic topology of VSGs.
Variation in memory and the hippocampus across populations from different climates: a common garden approach

Selection for enhanced cognitive traits is hypothesized to produce enhancements to brain structures that support those traits. Although numerous studies suggest that this pattern is robust, there are several mechanisms that may produce this association. First, cognitive traits and their neural underpinnings may be fixed as a result of differential selection on cognitive function within specific environments. Second, these relationships may be the product of the selection for plasticity, where differences are produced owing to an individual's experiences in the environment. Alternatively, the relationship may be a complex function of experience, genetics and/or epigenetic effects. Using a well-studied model species (black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus), we have for the first time, to our knowledge, addressed these hypotheses. We found that differences in hippocampal (Hp) neuron number, neurogenesis and spatial memory previously observed in wild chickadees persisted in hand-raised birds from the same populations, even when birds were raised in an identical environment. These findings reject the hypothesis that variation in these traits is owing solely to differences in memory-based experiences in different environments. Moreover, neuron number and neurogenesis were strikingly similar between captive-raised and wild birds from the same populations, further supporting the genetic hypothesis. Hp volume, however, did not differ between the captive-raised populations, yet was very different in their wild counterparts, supporting the experience hypothesis. Our results indicate that the production of some Hp factors may be inherited and largely independent of environmental experiences in adult life, regardless of their magnitude, in animals under high selection pressure for memory, while traits such as volume may be more plastic and modified by the environment.
Instinct in the '50s: the British reception of Konrad Lorenz's theory of instinctive behavior*

At the beginning of the 1950s most students of animal behavior in Britain saw the instinct concept developed by Konrad Lorenz in the 1930s as the central theoretical construct of the new ethology. In the mid 1950s J.B.S. Haldane made substantial efforts to undermine Lorenz's status as the founder of the new discipline, challenging his priority on key ethological concepts. Haldane was also critical of Lorenz's sharp distinction between instinctive and learnt behavior. This was inconsistent with Haldane's account of the evolution of language, and, according to Haldane, inconsistent with elementary genetics. British attitudes to the instinct concept changed dramatically in the wake of Daniel S. Lehraman's 1953 critique of Lorenz, and by the 1960s Lorenz drew a clear distinction between his own views and those of the ‘English-speaking ethologists’. The inconsistencies between Lorenz's ideas and the trends in contemporary evolutionary genetics that are reflected in Haldane's critiques may help to explain why the Lorenzian instinct concept was unable to maintain itself in Britian.
The implications of a distributed computing paradigm on multicast routing

Significant interest exists within the military in moving towards an integrated service environment in which various real-time services can co-exist on the same network. An integrated service network can provide a distributed computing environment. To realize this, a number of advances are required principally in intelligent use of the network environment including the reservation of resources, management of the traffic access to the network resources, and effective utilization of the network resources. Multicast routing is an important means of providing effective utilization of the network resources. In developing multicast routing protocols, operational paradigms based on specific application classes are utilized. In the past, two paradigms have been used, the lecture model and the conference model. Both make specific assumptions about the role of participants, how the groups are initiated, the system dynamics, and scalability of the protocol. This has lead to specific routing protocol solutions being biased toward a lecture or conference applications at the expense of distributed computing applications such as distributed interactive simulation. This paper defines the distributed computing paradigm for multicast routing and contrasts it with other multicast paradigms. This paradigm is then used to compare center-based trees and shortest-path trees on the basis of delay, cost, traffic concentration, scalability, protocol overhead, and state. Conclusions are then drawn from this analysis as to which multicast routing protocol is best suited for distributed computing applications such as distributed interactive simulation.
Clinical characteristics in black and white men with prostate cancer in an equal access medical center.

Objectives. To determine whether black men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer in an equal access health care center are more likely to present with metastatic disease, more poorly differentiated tumors, higher serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and/or at younger ages compared with white men. Methods. A retrospective survey was conducted that identified black and white men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer at the Los Angeles Regional Veterans Affairs Clinics between 1991 and 1997. Patient data were analyzed for racial differences in age at diagnosis, clinical stage, PSA level, and Gleason score of the prostate biopsy specimens. Results. A total of 477 evaluable patients (230 black, 247 white) with newly diagnosed prostate cancer were identified. No significant differences in the average age (66.9 ± 7.3 versus 67.9 ± 7.5) or clinical stage at diagnosis were found between black and white men. Among black men, 87% presented with clinically localized disease (T1-2, Nx, M0) compared with 88% of white men. Only 6% of black men presented with distant disease (Tx, Nx, M1) compared with 4% of white men. Black men had higher median PSA levels than white men (14.2 versus 9.4 ng/mL, P = 0.0001). Black men also had slightly higher average Gleason scores (6.2 versus 5.9, P = 0.025). Conclusions. This is the first study to show a low and equal percentage of black and white men presenting with metastatic prostate cancer. In this equal access center, no differences were found in patient age or clinical stage of prostate cancer between black and white men at the time of diagnosis. However, black men presented with higher serum PSA values and slightly higher Gleason scores.
Eventual Right Disfocality on Time Scales

Eventual right disfocality of a dynamic equation y j j ( t )+ p 1 ( t ) y j ( t )+ p 2 ( t ) y ( t )=0, t ] T is established where T is a time scale. The results are obtained by imposing integrability conditions on p 1 and p 2 .
The effectiveness of combining hormone therapy and radiotherapy in the treatment of prostate cancer

Hormone therapy is commonly used for many patients with prostate cancer. Radiotherapy occupies a prominent role in the treatment of locally-advanced, localised, and postsurgical prostate cancer. Hormone therapy and radiotherapy are often used in combination. In this article, the major features of the hormone/radiotherapy interactions are reviewed, with emphasis on the role of combination treatment for locoregional disease. The reported results suggest a biochemical survival advantage to the use of hormone therapy with radiotherapy, in virtually all settings of non-metastatic disease, with the weakest database being in the setting of low-risk, early-stage disease. Further data are needed in order to identify the optimum target population, combination of agents, and hormone duration, as a function of patient and disease factors.
Magnetic targeting of nanoparticles across the intact blood-brain barrier.

Delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic agents across an intact blood–brain barrier (BBB) remains a major challenge. Here we demonstrate in a mouse model that magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) can cross the normal BBB when subjected to an external magnetic field. Following a systemic administration, an applied external magnetic field mediates the ability of MNPs to permeate the BBB and accumulate in a perivascular zone of the brain parenchyma. Direct tracking and localization inside endothelial cells and in the perivascular extracellular matrix in vivo was established using fluorescent MNPs. These MNPs were inert and associated with low toxicity, using a non-invasive reporter for astrogliosis, biochemical and histological studies. Atomic force microscopy demonstrated that MNPs were internalized by endothelial cells, suggesting that trans-cellular trafficking may be a mechanism for the MNP crossing of the BBB observed. The silica-coated magnetic nanocapsules (SiMNCs) allow on-demand drug release via remote radio frequency (RF) magnetic field. Together, these results establish an effective strategy for regulating the biodistribution of MNPs in the brain through the application of an external magnetic field.
X-band monolithic variable gain series feedback LNA

A description is given of an X-band monolithic four-stage low-noise amplifier (LNA) using series feedback that has demonstrated a 1.8-dB noise figure with 33.8-dB gain and greater than 40-dB gain control capability. This design features single-gate and dual-gate FETs (DGFETs) on the same chip. Gain control is achieved without degradation of input or output VSWR (voltage standing-wave ratio). The two input stages use single-gate FETs to achieve minimum noise figure, while the output stages use DGFETs for gain control capability. >
Policy-based access control for weakly consistent replication

Combining access control with weakly consistent replication presents a challenge if the resulting system is to support eventual consistency. If authorization policy can be temporarily inconsistent, any given operation may be permitted at one node and yet denied at another. This is especially troublesome when the operation in question involves a change in policy. Without a careful design, permanently divergent state can result.We describe and evaluate the design and implementation of an access control system for weakly consistent replication where peers are not uniformly trusted. Our system allows for the specification of fine-grained access control policy over a collection of replicated items. Policies are expressed using a logical assertion framework and access control decisions are logical proofs. Policy can grow to encompass new nodes through fine-grain delegation of authority. Eventual consistency of the replicated data is preserved despite the fact that access control policy can be temporarily inconsistent.
Deciphering antibody properties that lead to potent botulinum neurotoxin neutralization.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been developed that bind to the toxin binding domain (H C ) of botulinum toxin type A. These mAbs recognize with high affinity nonoverlapping epitopes on native toxin. The potency of a combination of three of the mAbs is almost 100 times greater than that reported for human polyclonal botulinum immune globulin. Potency appears to result largely from a marked increase in binding affinity for toxin that results when antibodies are combined. Precise epitope, or even domain recognized, seems to be of much less importance. The very high affinity required for toxin neutralization suggests why single mAbs that potently neutralize toxin have not been reported. Such affinities are not typically generated by the immune response.
XYZ: a motion-enabled, power aware sensor node platform for distributed sensor network applications

This paper describes the XYZ, a new open-source sensing platform specifically designed to support our experimental research in mobile sensor networks. The XYZ node is designed around the OKI ML67Q500x ARM THUMB Microprocessor and the IEEE 802.15.4 compliant CC2420 radio from Chipcon. Its new features include support for two different CPU sleep modes and a long-term ultra low power sleep mode for the entire node. This allows the XYZ and its peripheral boards to transition into deep sleep for extended time intervals. To support mobility hardware control and computations, XYZ supports a wide dynamic range and power options. In low power configuration the node resembles existing small low power nodes. When needed, the node can scale up its resources to perform more powerful computations. Mobility is enabled with an additional accessory board that allows the node to move along a horizontal string. In this paper we provide an overview of the XYZ architecture and provide an insightful power characterization of the different operational modes to allow the users to optimize their platforms for power.
Bayesian methods for predicting interacting protein pairs using domain information.

Summary. Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) play important roles in most fundamental cellular processes including cell cycle, metabolism, and cell proliferation. Therefore, the development of effective statistical approaches to predicting protein interactions based on recently available large-scale experimental data is very important. Because protein domains are the functional units of proteins and PPIs are mostly achieved through domain–domain interactions (DDIs), the modeling and analysis of protein interactions at the domain level may be more informative and insightful. However, due to the large number of domains, the number of parameters to be estimated is very large, yet the amount of information for statistical inference is quite limited. In this article we propose a full Bayesian method and a semi-Bayesian method for simultaneously estimating DDI probabilities, the false positive rate, and the false negative rate of high-throughput data through integrating data from several organisms. We also propose a model to associate protein interaction probabilities with domain interaction probabilities that reflects the number of domains in each protein. Our Bayesian methods are compared with the likelihood-based approach (Deng et al., 2002, Genome Research 12, 1504–1508; Liu, Liu, and Zhao, 2005, Bioinformatics 21, 3279–3285) developed using the expectation maximization algorithm. We show that the full Bayesian method has the smallest mean square error through both simulations and theoretical justification under a special scenario. The large-scale PPI data obtained from high-throughput yeast two-hybrid experiments are used to demonstrate the advantages of the Bayesian approaches.
Japan’s Economic Relations with China, Russia, and India

(2012). Japan’s Economic Relations with China, Russia, and India. Eurasian Geography and Economics: Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 419-421.
Respondable Risk and Incentives: Evidence from Executive Compensation

Traditional agency theory treats risk as pure measurement error, yielding the standard prediction of risk-incentive tradeoff. This paper proposes a model in which the agent can respond to risk: he can exert effort to collect information about the underlying state in order to make correct decisions. Such effort is thus more valuable in a riskier environment, and the implication is that incentives can increase with the risk that the agent can respond to. Moreover, since the agent makes investment decisions based on the collected information about the state, the variability of investments increases with respondable risk. I test the model using data on CEOs. Market-wide risk is used to capture more risk for which CEOs' effort is not particularly valuable, and industry- and firm-specific risk are used to represent more respondable risk. I find that incentives for CEOs decrease with the former and increase with the latter. As the definition of the industry is broadened, the positive relation between incentives and industry-specific risk diminishes. I also find empirical support for the prediction that the variability of firms' investments increases with respondable risk.
Proton and hydrogen transport through two-dimensional monolayers

Diffusion of protons and hydrogen atoms in representative two-dimensional materials is investigated. Specifically, density functional calculations were performed on graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), phosphorene, silicene, and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) monolayers to study the surface interaction and penetration barriers for protons and hydrogen atoms employing finite cluster models. The calculated barrier heights correlate approximately with the size of the opening formed by the three-fold open sites in the monolayers considered. They range from 1.56 eV (proton) and 4.61 eV (H) for graphene to 0.12 eV (proton) and 0.20 eV (H) for silicene. The results indicate that only graphene and h-BN monolayers have the potential for membranes with high selective permeability. The MoS2 monolayer behaves differently: protons and H atoms become trapped between the outer S layers in the Mo plane in a well with a depth of 1.56 eV (proton) and 1.5 eV (H atom), possibly explaining why no proton transport was detected, suggesting MoS2 as a hydrogen storage material instead. For graphene and h-BN, off-center proton penetration reduces the barrier to 1.38 eV for graphene and 0.11 eV for h-BN. Furthermore, Pt acting as a substrate was found to have a negligible effect on the barrier height. In defective graphene, the smallest barrier for proton diffusion (1.05 eV) is found for an oxygen-terminated defect. Therefore, it seems more likely that thermal protons can penetrate a monolayer of h-BN but not graphene and defects are necessary to facilitate the proton transport in graphene.
DSMC Study of Carbon Fiber Oxidation in Ablative Thermal Protection Systems

Carbon fiber preforms, used as thermal protection materials for planetary entry systems, decompose via oxidation under hypersonic aerothermal conditions. The oxidation process is driven by two competing time-scales: the diffusion of reactants within the porous medium and the reaction speed at the surface of the fibers. A model to simulate this microscale process is proposed to be developed, tailored to the carbon preforms used to build lightweight carbon/phenolic ablators. The use of Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methods enables computation in the rarefied regime using advanced chemistry models for the gas/surface interactions at the fibers’ surface. To enable high fidelity simulations of the fibers decomposition, digitized computational grids are obtained from X-ray microtomography of real material. The recession due to oxidation is tracked using a marchingcube algorithm for surface discretization. Gas-phase and gas-surface chemistry near the surface are coupled and handled by the DSMC. Test cases of oxidation of a cylindrical carbon fiber embedded in a carbon matrix in ∗Postdoctoral Research Associate, Advanced Supercomputing Division, Mail Stop 258-5, NASA Ames Research Center, AIAA Member. †Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 261 Ralph G. Anderson Building. Visiting Scientist, Thermal Protection Materials Branch, Mail Stop 234-1, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, AIAA Senior Member. ‡Fundamental Modeling and Simulation Branch Chief, Advanced Supercomputing Division, Mail Stop 258-5, AIAA Associate Fellow.
Multi-parameter bifurcation and applications

where λ, e > 0, f is a nonlinear function, and Ω is a smooth bounded domain in Rn. The global bifurcation diagrams and exact multiplicity of equation (1) have been studied in many recent work. In particular, a systematic approach for the positive radially symmetric solutions of (1) when Ω is a ball was presented in Ouyang and Shi [OS1], [OS2] based on previous results by Korman, Li and Ouyang [KLO1], [KLO2]. The techniques we developed in this article are extensions of the approach in these work, but emphasizing on different aspects of the bifurcation problems. First in many bifurcation problems in application, “imperfect bifurcations” occur due to the small perturbations or noises in the physical system. For example, in a pitch-fork bifurcation, an imperfect bifurcation diagram as in Fig. 1b appears often in the literature of bifurcation theory:
Interpretation of reflectance slope measured in the semi-diffuse transport regime in tissue phantoms

Reflectance measured at the source location shows a spectral response that shifts along a continuum from being dependent on the bulk anisotropy in highly scattering media, to the backscatter coefficient in weakly scattering media.
A novel low-cost online state of charge estimation method for reconfigurable battery pack

High precision state of charge (SOC) estimation in battery packs is an integral and important part of battery management and maintenance in various applications ranging from smart grid battery energy storage systems to Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (EV/HEV). In practice, measuring voltage of battery cells in a noisy environment will lead to erroneous SOC estimation, thus compromising the management and performance of the entire battery system, especially when sensors with large drifting rates are used to lower the costs of the battery management system. Therefore, in this study, based on our previous work on adaptive reconfigurable battery networks which can carry out online Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) measurements in microseconds by using a low cost voltage sensor, we propose a low cost online SOC estimation method by exploring the one-to-one mapping relationship between OCV and SOC. Experimental data collected from the real testbed indicate the correctness and robustness of the proposed method. Furthermore, the proposed method is applicable to different types of battery cells in terms of capacity and electrochemistry.
Pattern of skin cancer among Saudi patients attending a tertiary care center in Dhahran, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A 20‐year retrospective study

Skin cancer is the ninth most common malignancy in Saudi Arabia. It represented 3.2% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases in the year 2010. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of skin cancer in relation to age, sex, and anatomic location among Saudi patients attending the Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare center in Dhahran, Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. We retrospectively reviewed the surgical pathology records of Saudi nationals from 1995 to 2014 at the Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare center, which directly provides for the healthcare needs of Saudi Aramco company employees and dependents in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Tumor metastases to skin, skin involvement by primary breast carcinoma, and B-cell leukemia/lymphoma with secondary involvement by skin were excluded. The total number of primary skin tumors was 204. The commonest cutaneous malignancies were basal cell carcinoma (36%) followed by squamous cell carcinoma (23%), with the head and neck being the commonest location for both tumors. Mycosis fungoides (MF) was the third most common malignancy (11%). Malignant melanoma was the fourth commonest skin malignancy (7%) with the lower extremities being the commonest location. The four most common skin cancers in our tertiary center in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia were squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, MF, and malignant melanoma. Other regions of Saudi Arabia report a similar pattern of skin cancers as our center, with MF having a higher frequency at our center.
Effects of sustained low-flow perfusion on the response to vasoconstrictor agents in postnatal intestine.

This laboratory has previously reported that sustained reduction of blood flow in newborn intestine causes a triphasic increase in vascular resistance that occurs over 3–4 h and that these changes ...
Community Radiative Transfer Model for Air Quality Studies

This chapter presented the latest Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM), which is applicable for passive microwave, infrared and visible sensors. The CRTM has been used in operational radiance assimilations in support of weather forecasting and in the generation of satellite products. In the paper we discussed the CRTM applications to assimilate aerosol optical depths derived from satellite measurements. The assimilation improved the analysis of aerosol mass concentrations, and enhanced the forecast skill for aerosol mass concentrations. We also introduced a retrieval algorithm and a retrieval product of carbon monoxide by using satellite measurements.
A home-based physical activity intervention using activity trackers in survivors of childhood cancer: A pilot study

Background Over 70% of childhood cancer survivors develop late complications from therapy, many of which can be mitigated by physical activity. Survivors engage in exercise at similar or lower rates than their sedentary healthy peers. We piloted a novel home-based exercise intervention with a motivational activity tracker. We evaluated (i) feasibility, (ii) impact on activity levels and physical fitness, and (iii) barriers, preferences, and beliefs regarding physical activity. Methods Childhood cancer survivors currently 15 years or older and not meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physical activity guidelines were enrolled and instructed to wear the Fitbit One, a 4.8 cm × 1.8 cm motivational activity tracker, daily for 6 months. Baseline and follow-up evaluations included self-report surveys, an Actigraph accelerometer for 7 days, and a VO2 maximum test by cardiac stress test. Results Nineteen participants were enrolled (13.4% participation rate) with a mean age of 24.3 ± 5.8 years (range 15–35). Four participants withdrew with a 79% retention rate. Participants wore the Fitbit an average of 19.0 ± 4.7 days per month during months 1–3 and 15.0 ± 7.9 days per month during months 4–6. Total weekly moderate to vigorous physical activity increased from 265.6 ± 117.0 to 301.4 ± 135.4 min and VO2 maximum increased from 25.7 ± 7.7 to 27.2 ± 7.4 ml/kg/min. These changes were not statistically significant (P = 0.47 and 0.30, respectively). Survey responses indicated no change in barriers, preferences, and beliefs regarding physical activity. Conclusions This pilot study of a motivational activity tracker demonstrated feasibility as measured by participant retention, receptivity, and belief of utility. Future studies with a large sample size are needed to demonstrate the efficacy and sustainability of this intervention.
Nonlocality and Quantum Cakes, Revisited

Entanglement is a nonintuitive feature of quantum mechanics, leading to various nonlocal phenomena. For example, entangled states can display nonlocal correlations stronger than allowed by any local realistic theory, violating a Bell inequality, assuming various experimental loopholes are addressed. The Hardy paradox allows us to find a more familiar example of the difference between nonlocality and classical expectations. Here, we review the Hardy paradox and the “quantum cakes” example, and present a source of high-quality entangled photons with the best-to-date violation of this paradox.
Bismuth-Based Nanoparticles for CT Imaging

Bismuth (Z = 83) is the heaviest stable nonradioactive element with a strong X-ray attenuation power. On the other hand, bismuth compounds are considered to be nontoxic compared to those of its heavy metal neighbors such as Hg, Tl, and Pb. Despite the venerable history of its applications in treating cephalitis and stomach ulcers, bismuth and its small-molecule compounds have not afforded clinically useful CT contrast agents due largely to the low solubility of such compounds in aqueous solutions. In the last few years, bismuth-containing nanoparticles have emerged as a promising platform for the development of
Towards the low-dose characterization of beam sensitive nanostructures via implementation of sparse image acquisition in scanning transmission electron microscopy

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has been successfully utilized to investigate atomic structure and chemistry of materials with atomic resolution. However, STEM's focused electron probe with a high current density causes the electron beam damages including radiolysis and knock-on damage when the focused probe is exposed onto the electron-beam sensitive materials. Therefore, it is highly desirable to decrease the electron dose used in STEM for the investigation of biological/organic molecules, soft materials and nanomaterials in general. With the recent emergence of novel sparse signal processing theories, such as compressive sensing and model-based iterative reconstruction, possibilities of operating STEM under a sparse acquisition scheme to reduce the electron dose have been opened up. In this paper, we report our recent approach to implement a sparse acquisition in STEM mode executed by a random sparse-scan and a signal processing algorithm called model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). In this method, a small portion, such as 5% of randomly chosen unit sampling areas (i.e. electron probe positions), which corresponds to pixels of a STEM image, within the region of interest (ROI) of the specimen are scanned with an electron probe to obtain a sparse image. Sparse images are then reconstructed using the MBIR inpainting algorithm to produce an image of the specimen at the original resolution that is consistent with an image obtained using conventional scanning methods. Experimental results for down to 5% sampling show consistency with the full STEM image acquired by the conventional scanning method. Although, practical limitations of the conventional STEM instruments, such as internal delays of the STEM control electronics and the continuous electron gun emission, currently hinder to achieve the full potential of the sparse acquisition STEM in realizing the low dose imaging condition required for the investigation of beam-sensitive materials, the results obtained in our experiments demonstrate the sparse acquisition STEM imaging is potentially capable of reducing the electron dose by at least 20 times expanding the frontiers of our characterization capabilities for investigation of biological/organic molecules, polymers, soft materials and nanostructures in general.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF PINES RESISTANT TO THE PINE REPRODUCTION WEEVIL, CYLINDROCOPTURUS EATONI BUCH

ABSTRACT Reviews briefly the history of research leading to large-scale production of the Jeffrey x (Jeffrey x Coulter) pine hybrid for planting in California. Reports results of recent studies of resistance to the weevil among soft and hard pines and hybrids.
Soft, stretchable, high power density electronic skin-based biofuel cells for scavenging energy from human sweat

This article describes the fabrication, characterization, and real-life application of a soft, stretchable electronic-skin-based biofuel cell (E-BFC) that exhibits an open circuit voltage of 0.5 V and a power density of nearly 1.2 mW cm−2 at 0.2 V, representing the highest power density recorded by a wearable biofuel cell to date. High power density is achieved via a unique combination of lithographically-patterned stretchable electronic framework together with screen-printed, densely-packed three-dimensional carbon-nanotube-based bioanode and cathode array arranged in a stretchable “island-bridge” configuration. The E-BFC maintains its performance even under repeated strains of 50%, and is stable for two days. When applied directly to the skin of human subjects, the E-BFC generates ∼1 mW during exercise. The E-BFC is able to power conventional electronic devices, such as a light emitting diode and a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio. This is the first example of powering a BLE radio by a wearable biofuel cell. Successful generation of high power density under practical conditions and powering of conventional energy-intense electronic devices represents a major step forward in the field of soft, stretchable, wearable energy harvesting devices.
Airline capacity discipline in the U.S. domestic market

Abstract Using data from 1995 to 2016, this study examines airline capacity growth in the U.S. domestic market, and its impact on revenue. The results show that, after controlling for the strength of the economy and the price of fuel: (1) decreases in total domestic airline capacity are strongly correlated with increases in average domestic revenue per available seat mile (RASM); and (2) decreases in total domestic airline capacity are strongly correlated with increases in total domestic revenue. The results also show that using the real GDP growth rate as the focal point for capacity growth may help airlines maintain or slightly increase RASM over time. The data show that the average year-over-year domestic capacity increase during 2011–2015 was lower than in the past. Also, while individual airlines continue to add capacity at different rates, the variation between airlines is less than before industry consolidation.
Evolving criteria for the diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection in renal allografts.

Purpose of reviewTo review changes in the Banff schema for antibody-mediated renal allograft rejection over the past decade, including key revisions agreed upon during and immediately subsequent to the 2017 Banff Conference on Allograft Pathology.Recent findingsThe original Banff schema for diagnosi
Autonomous Entry Guidance for Hypersonic Vehicles by Convex Optimization

Advanced entry guidance systems could potentially enable future vehicles to generate feasible/optimal flight trajectories onboard for the latest mission requirements and track the new trajectories ...