cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lyapunov exponent calculations as independent indices of complexity of cardiovascular regulation during hemorrhage with autonomic blockade

Abstract : Objectives: The largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE) is a standard method used to characterize the level of chaos in complex physiologic systems such as the cardiovascular system. Previously, we showed that LLE calculated in beat domain remains positive during lethal hemorrhagic shock (HS). We sought to evaluate the utility of LLE and the asymptote of the divergence curve (AS) for monitoring of subjects in time domain using data from a swine model of severe pump-controlled HS. The AS denotes the average Euclidean divergence distance between adjacent orbits of the attractor. Methods: Ten midazolam-sedated, spontaneously breathing, sexually mature swine underwent a controlled HS protocol with removal of 60% of blood volume in 1 hour. Controls (n = 4) received HS alone. Vagal blockade group (n = 3) received atropine 0.005 mg/kg then 0.5 mg/min continuous rate infusion and HS. Sympathetic blockade (n = 3) group received propranolol 0.5 mg/kg then 1 mg/min and HS. EKG was recorded at 500 Hz and the R-R intervals (RRI) were calculated. The LLE and AS were calculated using Rosenstein's method with an embedding factor of 2 and a delay of 4 over a set of 1024 consecutive RRI samples taken at baseline and HS. The RRI time series was then resampled at 20 Hz to move the LLE calculations from the beat domain to the time domain. Data are medians. Statistics were performed by 1-way analysis of variance and post hoc analysis. Conclusions: The LLE remained positive in every condition, signifying presence of deterministic chaotic trends during HS and HS with branch-specific autonomic blockade. The AS was the lowest after vagal blockade, distinguishing it from sympathetic blockade and baseline. The simplest attractors are associated with vagal blockade and HS and feature low AS, which denotes the degree of constraint of the system in phase space. The AS provides useful additional information to LLE in assessment of complexity of cardiovascular regulation during HS.
Transformational design and implementation of a new efficient solution to the ready simulation problem

A transformational methodology is described for simultaneously designing algorithms and developing programs. The methodology makes use of three transformational tools — dominated convergence, finite differencing, and real-time simulation of a set machine on a RAM. We ilustrate the methodology to design a new O(mn + n2)-time algorithm for deciding when n-state, m-transition processes are ready similar, which is a substantial improvement on the ⊖(mn6) algorithm presented in Bloom (1989). The methodology is also used to derive a program whose performance, we believe, is competitive with the most efficient hand-crafted implementation of our algorithm. Ready simulation is the finest fully abstract notion of process equivalence in the CCS setting.
Acoustic vibrations in free-standing double layer membranes

We report on a Brillouin light scattering study of acoustic excitations in free-standing polymethyl methacrylate $(\mathrm{PMMA})∕{\mathrm{Si}}_{3}{\mathrm{N}}_{4}$ double layer membranes. For vanishing-wave vector transfer along the membrane, the observed excitations are a series of longitudinal standing wave harmonics whose frequencies depend on PMMA and ${\mathrm{Si}}_{3}{\mathrm{N}}_{4}$ layer thickness. The associated displacement profiles below $30\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GHz}$ are largely confined to the softer PMMA layer with mode amplitudes significantly higher at the PMMA surface than at the free surface of the high elastic modulus ${\mathrm{Si}}_{3}{\mathrm{N}}_{4}$ layer. At higher frequencies, in the vicinity and beyond the resonance associated with the ${\mathrm{Si}}_{3}{\mathrm{N}}_{4}$ layer, the mode amplitudes become comparable at both free surfaces. Excitations with transverse polarization as well as waves whose amplitudes within the ${\mathrm{Si}}_{3}{\mathrm{N}}_{4}$ are consistent with flexural and dilatational modes for a single layer are also observed. For certain ranges of wave vector the latter interact and hybridize with the harmonics arising from the PMMA layer.
Pharmacologically relevant proteins

Abstract The emergence of structure-based drug design as a tool for drug discovery and development has focused increased attention on pharmacologically relevant proteins and the use of their three-dimensional structures to design novel pharmaceutical agents. This review describes recent structural studies of selected macromolecules that have been identified as targets for drug development. Several examples of the successful application of structure-based drug design techniques are also described.
Different roles and different results: how activity orientations correspond to relationship quality and student outcomes in school-based mentoring.

This prospective, mixed-methods study investigated how the nature of joint activities between volunteer mentors and student mentees corresponded to relationship quality and youth outcomes. Focusing on relationships in school-based mentoring programs in low-income urban elementary schools, data were obtained through pre–post assessments, naturalistic observations, and in-depth interviews with mentors and mentees. Adopting an exploratory approach, the study employed qualitative case study methods to inductively identify distinctive patterns reflecting the focus of mentoring activities. The activity orientations of relationships were categorized according to the primary functional role embodied by the mentor and the general theme of interactions: teaching assistant/tutoring, friend/engaging, sage/counseling, acquaintance/floundering. Next, these categories were corroborated by comparing the groups on quantitative assessments of relationship quality and change in child outcomes over time. Relationships characterized by sage mentoring, which balanced amicable engagement with adult guidance, were rated most favorably by mentees on multiple measures of relationship quality. Furthermore, students involved in sage mentoring relationships showed declines in depressive symptoms and aggressive behaviors. For disconnected pairs (acquaintances), students reported more negative relationship experiences. Findings suggest effective mentoring relationships represent a hybrid between the friendly mutuality of horizontal relationships and the differential influence of vertical relationships.
From the ground up: translating geography into community through neighbor networks

From the ground up: translating geography into community through neighbor networks, by Rick Grannis, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2009, 242 pp., US$37.50 (hardback), ISBN 978069114025...
Mental health consultation in infant day care: A new frontier of prevention

This paper deals with the mental health aspects of infant day care emphasizing that mental health input into the design, implementation and ongoing supervision/evaluation of the majority of day care programs is minimal at the present time. The author proposes the following three criteria by which the adequacy of mental health input in a day care program could be judged: 1) ongoing mental health consultation to the caregiver staff on a weekly basis and by the same clinician(s), 2) assignment of primary caregivers to the infants, 3) periodic naturalistic observations of the infants to be recorded and discussed by the caregivers. The author postulates that consultation to the caregiver staff of infant day care programs represents the opportunity to establish a new frontier of prevention. Therefore, the mental health profession should consider it a goal that every infant day care setting would have a mental health clinician as a consultant. The methods, preventive functions and manpower aspects of such consultation work is discussed.
Against the Odds: Does Geography make a difference?

In this article, the author examines her experiences in one geography department, as a black scholar and mother from a working class background, to ponder whether geography has helped or hurt her odds of success in academia. The odds against the author are briefly reviewed through a consideration of work relevant to the success of mothers and women of color graduate students and faculty members. The retelling of the author's experiences reveals a general lack of sensitivity to and acceptance of difference on the part of some geographers attributable to issues of visibility and cultural goodness of fit. Though geography has not made a difference in assisting her in beating the odds of success in academia, the author concludes that doing so is achievable and begins with a sense of respect for difference, making the discipline relevant to a broader cross-section of the population, and improving relationships within and between disaffected groups, such as women of color scholars, inside and outside the discip...
The Ethical Implications of Health Spending: Death and Other Expensive Conditions

The cost of health care in the United States has important generational considerations whether analyzed at a point in time, or over many years. The budgets of governments contain important information about the funding of public services, including health care, and the intra- and inter-generational implications of both the inherent tradeoffs, and the particular means of funding the services. End-of-life expenditures, while a significant component of the cost of health care, are not the primary consideration in the ethical or moral questions raised.
Reading as a Function of Visual and Auditory Process Training

The effects of visual and auditory process training on reading achievement are explored. Twenty-four subjects identified as learning disabled were assigned to three treatment groups: (a) Auditory Training and Reading group, (b) Visual Training and Reading group, and (c) Reading Only group. The subjects received at least forty hours of process training in the assigned groups. All three groups received equal amounts of academic training; reading was taught on an individual diagnostic-prescriptive basis. Metropolitan Achievement Test scores for Word Knowledge, Reading, and Arithmetic were dependent variables for academic achievement. Several tests from the Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Auditory Skills Test Battery were used as dependent variables measuring improved process skills. The results of ANOVA indicate that there were no significant differences between the three treatment groups for improvement in process skills. ANOVA achieve-achievement scores indicated significant differences for the Word Knowledge and...
Effects of saline on terahertz absorption of aqueous glucose at physiological concentrations probed by THz spectroscopy

Terahertz time domain spectroscopy in the range 0.3-1.5 THz has been conducted for D-glucose at physiological concentrations from 25-200 mg/dL in pure water and in 0.9% saline by mass. The results show that the ions do not uniformly affect absorption of aqueous glucose, so NaCl ions should not be modeled simply as transparent holes in the water framework.
Thermal and material transport in nonisothermal packed beds

The turbulent transport of mass, energy, and momentum was studied in a 4 in. diameter cylindrical column packed with 0.3 in. diameter stoneware spheres. Helium was used as a tracer material, with air as the mainstream fluid. The concentration of tracer present, the temperature, and the velocity of the gas were measured at several axial and radial increments. These data were analyzed numerically to obtain the radial component of the effective thermal conductivity and the radial component of the mass-dispersion coefficient as functions of radial position. Experimental conditions covered isothermal determinations at room temperature and nonisothermal determinations in which a temperature gradient was established in the radial direction. Significant differences were found between the isothermal and strongly nonisothermal results, primarily for the velocity profiles and thermal conductivities. Correlations were developed for the local values of the parameters.
Health Among Men in Rural Bengal: Exploring Meanings Through a Culture-Centered Approach:

Researchers in health communication usually adopt a linear approach to the study of health. Under this linear model, the emphasis is on the transmission of beliefs, information, and knowledge from key points at the core (the traditional senders) to the peripheral receivers of messages. A growing body of scholarship foregrounds the importance of understanding health communication from a culture-centered perspective that privileges the dialogue with community members. Drawing on a culture-centered approach, the authors examine the meanings of health among men in rural Bengal. Their dialogue with these men suggests that communication in the realm of health exists in the context of responsibility as care providers, work life, structural barriers, and solutions through participatory processes. The findings elucidate the connection between structure and the communication practices of marginalization. The authors' discursive engagement with the participants points toward spaces of entry for theorizing health communication and developing culture-centered praxis.
Long ion chamber systems for the SLC

A Panofsky Long Ion Chamber (PLIC) is essentially a gas-filled coaxial cable, and has been used to protect the Stanford Linear Accelerator from damage caused by its electron beam, and also as a sensitive diagnostic tool. This old technology has been updated and has found renewed use in the SLC. PLIC systems have been installed as beam-steering aids in most parts of the SLC, and are part of the system that protects the SLC in several places from damage by errant beams. Pulses produced by radiation incident to the PLIC cable propagate along the cable, thus providing a time-resolved indication of the location of beam losses; they are particularly helpful in establishing and tuning beams. The PLIC is a relatively simple system that provides a real-time, easy to interpret display of beam losses induced by missteering and misfocusing. The overall SLC layout is presented, showing PLIC installations. >
Genetic aspects of fertility differentials in ponderosa pine

There is a strong genetic component to fertility differentials among individuals of ponderosa pine. Prolific cone-producers as a group were markedly different from low cone-producers at the three protein loci which were monitored. The two groups did not differ significantly in age, but trees with high cone production had slower growth rates and smaller diameters than trees with low cone production. To our knowledge, these results provide the first demonstration of fertility differentials associated with specific genes in a woody plant.
Who Rises to the Top? Early Indicators

Youth identified before age 13 (N = 320) as having profound mathematical or verbal reasoning abilities (top 1 in 10,000) were tracked for nearly three decades. Their awards and creative accomplishments by age 38, in combination with specific details about their occupational responsibilities, illuminate the magnitude of their contribution and professional stature. Many have been entrusted with obligations and resources for making critical decisions about individual and organizational well-being. Their leadership positions in business, health care, law, the professoriate, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) suggest that many are outstanding creators of modern culture, constituting a precious human-capital resource. Identifying truly profound human potential, and forecasting differential development within such populations, requires assessing multiple cognitive abilities and using atypical measurement procedures. This study illustrates how ultimate criteria may be aggregated and longitudinally sequenced to validate such measures.
Risking Regulation, Regulating Risk: Lessons from the Transatlantic Biotech Dispute

Debates over the future of new technologies frequently implicate governmental policies and regulation, the purpose of which has traditionally been to mitigate the dangers of new technologies through promotion of conditions of safe use. It is increasingly recognized, however, that regulation is predicated on a particular conception of the nature of risk which may or may not correspond to the views and beliefs held by society. Here I explore three broadly related questions in the context of the debates around agricultural biotechnology. First, what are the implications of varying conceptions of risk for regulatory policy in the United States and in the European Union? Second, what are the implications of differing conceptions of risk and resulting regulatory policy for agricultural trade relations between the two giants of international trade? And finally, what lessons might we draw from contemporary disputes over agricultural biotechnology?
Rh-based Biphasic Isomerization of Carbon–Carbon Double Bonds in Natural Oils

The biphasic conjugation of soybean and other natural oils, as well as the isomerization of various alkenes, was examined using a rhodium catalyst. A maximum yield, of conjugated soybean oil, of 96% was obtained when the reaction was run at 80 °C under argon with ethanol as the polar solvent, using triphenylphosphine monosulfonate sodium salt (tppms) as the ligand, and the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The optimized conditions were tested with other substrates, and the products were analyzed by 1H NMR, GC/MS, and ICP-MS.
Use of Temperature for Standardizing the Progression of Francisella tularensis in Mice

The study of infectious agents, their pathogenesis, the host response and the evaluation of newly developed countermeasures often requires the use of a living system. Murine models are frequently used to undertake such investigations with the caveat that non-biased measurements to assess the progression of infection are underutilized. Instead, murine models predominantly rely on symptomology exhibited by the animal to evaluate the state of the animal's health and to determine when euthanasia should be performed. In this study, we used subcutaneous temperature as a non-subjective measurement to follow and compare infection in mice inoculated with Francisella tularensis, a Gram-negative pathogen that produces an acute and fatal illness in mice. A reproducible temperature pattern defined by three temperature phases (normal, febrile and hypothermic) was identified in all mice infected with F. tularensis, regardless of the infecting strain. More importantly and for the first time a non-subjective, ethical, and easily determined surrogate endpoint for death based on a temperature, termed drop point, was identified and validated with statistical models. In comparative survival curve analyses for F. tularensis strains with differing virulence, the drop point temperature yielded the same results as those obtained using observed time to death. Incorporation of temperature measurements to evaluate F. tularensis was standardized based on statistical models to provide a new level of robustness for comparative analyses in mice. These findings should be generally applicable to other pathogens that produce acute febrile disease in animal models and offers an important tool for understanding and following the infection process.
Development of Quench Propagation Models for Coated Conductors

Due to their intrinsic thermal properties that lead to very slow heat diffusion, coated conductors are very difficult to protect against thermal instabilities and quench. This is particularly critical as the device increases in size and stored energy. Many experiments showing low quench propagation speeds and surface voltage distributions have identified the problem but, as of today, no models are available to perform high fidelity simulation of the quench process in a single tape, or in a full device. YBCO tapes are very promising conductors that would allow the development of high power density power devices such as generators and motors operating at liquid nitrogen temperature. The Department of Defense through the Air Force Research Laboratory launched a new project aiming at simulating quench propagation in YBCO tapes. The first step of the project deals with the understanding of the current diffusion in the different layers forming the tape. Experimental data on normal propagation zone (NZP) velocities and fault current limiters using this material show that the quench is most likely a 3D phenomenon involving many non trivial physical phenomena. Experimental data will help to understand the physics of the quench and develop a local electromagnetic/thermal model of YBCO tapes. This paper presents the preliminary results of this work including a discussion of the physics of current sharing between layers. We will evaluate different commercial codes and present a simplified 3D homogenized model applicable to a racetrack coil.
Measuring asthma quality in primary care: Can we develop better measures?

Summary Objective Asthma is common and commonly under-treated. Currently quality indicators often do not provide specific directions for areas of improvement. This work lays the foundation for a quality improvement initiative that provides practice-specific feedback related directly to clinical activities completed for individual patients with asthma. Methods Medical record review using a group of quality assessment elements developed from previous medical record review studies of asthma care and the NAEPP asthma care guidelines. Results For 500 school children ages 5–18 yr who made one or more asthma visits in the year of interest, the frequency of daytime asthma symptoms were recorded in 54% of patients’ medical records at any time during a one-year period, while nighttime symptom frequency was recorded in 33%. Only 12% of medical records recorded any information on missed work, school or activity days. Nine percent recorded information or acknowledged any asthma “triggers”. Asthma severity level was documented in only an additional 4% of the children's records. Most medical records documented prescribed asthma medications and dosages (85%) but few recorded the medications or dosages the patients were actually taking. Conclusions Many medical records do not include the basic clinical information required to assess asthma severity, adherence to asthma therapy or the response to therapy. This lack of information makes implementation of asthma care guidelines impossible. Therefore, these measures may be useful baseline quality indicators to begin the process of improving asthma care.
ANALYTICAL EVALUATION OF ECONOMIC RISK CAPITAL FOR PORTFOLIOS OF GAMMA RISKS

Based on the notions of value-at-risk and expected shortfall, we consider two functionals, abbreviated VaR and RaC, which represent the economic risk capital of a risky business over some time period required to cover losses with a high probability. These functionals are consistent with the risk preferences of profit-seeking (and risk averse) decision makers and preserve the stochastic dominance order (and the stop-loss order). Quantitatively, RaC is equal to VaR plus an additional stop-loss dependent term, which takes into account the average amount at loss. Furthermore, RaC is additive for comonotonic risks, which is an important extremal situation encountered in the modeling of dependencies in multivariate risk portfolios. Numerical illustrations for portfolios of gamma distributed risks follow. As a result of independent interest, new analytical expressions for the exact probability density of sums of independent gamma random variables are included, which are similar but different to previous expressions by Provost (1989) and Sim (1992).
Absolute concentration measurements of atomic hydrogen in subatmospheric premixed H(2)/O(2)/N(2) flat flames with photoionization controlled-loss spectroscopy.

An experimental protocol, using photoionization controlled-loss spectroscopy (PICLS), has been developed for obtaining absolute number densities of atomic hydrogen from laser-induced fluorescence measurements in flames. Two laser beams are employed, the first to excite hydrogen atoms from the ground state to the second excited state via two-photon absorption and the second to strongly photoionize the excited atoms. The resulting fluorescence measurements are independent of quenching. A model is presented that assures the viability of PICLS as long as the photoionization rate is greater than or equal to the quenching rate. The model is verified in fuel-lean, stoichiometric, and fuel-rich flat premixed H2/O2/N2 flames at pressures of 20 and 72 Torr. Over this range in pressure, the ratio of number densities obtained from PICLS to those calculated from partial equilibrium is constant to within 20%. Most of the error arises from the sensitivity of the partial equilibrium calculations to small uncertainties in both the fuel-oxidizer ratio and the measured OH concentration. Because of the quenching-independent nature of PICLS, quantitative fluorescence measurements can be made by calibrating at a single favorable flame condition.
The role of knowledge in the architecture of a robust robot control

We would like robots to recognize and handle situations that do not conform with normal operating conditions. We want to be able to do this without having to consider explicitly errors caused by missing or defective parts, or by malfunctioning. To this end we present the detailed design of a system in which the controller of the robot takes advantage of large knowledge bases to ensure proper execution of the robot task. Real time considerations played a large role in our design.
Theory of Special Relativity

Special Relativity is taught to physics sophomores at Johns Hopkins University in a series of eight lectures. Lecture 1 covers the principle of relativity and the derivation of the Lorentz transform. Lecture 2 covers length contraction and time dilation. Lecture 3 covers Minkowski diagrams, simultaneous events and causally connected events, as well as velocity transforms. Lecture 4 covers energy and momentum of particles and introduces 4-vectors. Lecture 5 covers energy and momentum of photons and collision problems. Lecture 6 covers Doppler effect and aberration. Lecture 7 covers relativistic dynamics. Optional Lecture 8 covers field transforms. The main purpose of these notes is to introduce 4-vectors and the matrix notation and to demonstrate their use in solving standard problems in Special Relativity. The pre-requisites for the class are calculus-based Classical Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, and Linear Algebra is highly recommended.
Analysis of dose–response effects on gene expression data with comparison of two microarray platforms

Motivation: The problems of analyzing dose effects on gene expression are gaining attention in biomedical research. A specific challenge is to detect genes with expression levels that change according to dose levels in a non-random manner, but nonetheless may be considered as potential biomarkers. Method: We are among the first to formally apply a tool that uses an isotonic (monotonic) regression approach to this area of study. We introduce a test statistic to select genes with significant dose--response expression in a monotonic fashion based on a permutation procedure. We then compare the results with those achieved from the application of a likelihood ratio-based test. Results: We apply the isotonic regression approach to a study of gene expression in the RKO colon carcinoma cell line in response to varying dosage levels of the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil. A feature of both Affymetrix and printed 75mer oligomer cDNA arrays produced from the same samples provides an opportunity to compare the two microarray platforms. Availability: Statistical software S-plus Code to implement the method is available from the authors. Contact: kcoombes@mdanderson.org
Cutting Edge: B Cells Are Essential for Protective Immunity against Salmonella Independent of Antibody Secretion

Typhoid fever and nontyphoidal bacteremia caused by Salmonella remain critical human health problems. B cells are required for protective immunity to Salmonella, but the mechanism of protection remains unclear. In this study, we immunized wild-type, B cell–deficient, Ab-deficient, and class-switched Ab-deficient mice with attenuated Salmonella and examined protection against secondary infection. As expected, wild-type mice were protected and B cell–deficient mice succumbed to secondary infection. Interestingly, mice with B cells but lacking secreted Ab or class-switched Ab had little deficiency in resistance to Salmonella infection. The susceptibility of B cell–deficient mice correlated with marked reductions in CD4 T cell IFN-γ production after secondary infection. Taken together, these data suggest that the primary role of B cells in acquired immunity to Salmonella is via the development of protective T cell immunity.
Protocols for media access control and power control in wireless networks

We present two protocols for ad hoc wireless networks, one for media access control, the other for power control. For the media access control problem we present a protocol called SEEDEX, which does not explicitly make reservations for packets yet allows scheduling to minimize conflicts. The idea is to use known finite state machines at nodes which are driven by pseudo-random number generators. The seeds of these pseudo-random number generators are exchanged between nodes in a two hop neighborhood. For the power control problem we first provide a framework for conceptualizing the problem. This leads us to propose a network layer approach to power control which consists of finding the least common network wide power level at which all nodes are connected. This can be shown to maximize the throughput traffic carrying capacity of the network. We then propose a feedback algorithm COMPOW which tunes to this minimum power level adaptively. We also propose a software architecture for integrating this into the OSI protocol stack.
Model Matching and SFMD Computation

In systems that process sensory data there is frequently a model matching stage where class hypotheses are combined to recognize a complex entity. We introduce a new model of parallelism, the Single Function Multiple Data (SFMD) model, appropriate to this stage. SFMD functionality can be added with small hardware expense to certain existing SIMD architectures, and as an incremental addition to the programming model. Adding SFMD to an SIMD machine will not only allow faster model matching, but also increase its flexibility as a general purpose machine and its scope in performing the initial stages of sensory processing.
SLAVE TO THE TIDES: SPATIOTEMPORAL FORAGING DYNAMICS OF SPRING STAGING BLACK BRANT

Abstract Arctic-nesting geese depend on nutrients acquired during spring migration for reproduction, and thus should attempt to maximize nutrient intake while on staging areas. We investigated site use of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) at an important staging location—Humboldt Bay, California—to determine whether birds selected the most profitable feeding areas available. Migrating Brant feed almost exclusively on eelgrass (Zostera marina), which is restricted in availability due to daily and seasonal tidal cycles. We mapped foraging Brant locations during low tides and collected eelgrass samples to describe food resources in 31 areas in the bay. We used negative binomial regression to evaluate goose densities during different tidal levels and times of season as a function of food biomass and nutrient content, distance from grit sites, and substrate elevation. Results varied by time of season and tidal depth, but Brant densities were positively correlated with eelgrass protein, calcium, and bioma...
Learning of Chunking Sequences in Cognition and Behavior

We often learn and recall long sequences in smaller segments, such as a phone number 858 534 22 30 memorized as four segments. Behavioral experiments suggest that humans and some animals employ this strategy of breaking down cognitive or behavioral sequences into chunks in a wide variety of tasks, but the dynamical principles of how this is achieved remains unknown. Here, we study the temporal dynamics of chunking for learning cognitive sequences in a chunking representation using a dynamical model of competing modes arranged to evoke hierarchical Winnerless Competition (WLC) dynamics. Sequential memory is represented as trajectories along a chain of metastable fixed points at each level of the hierarchy, and bistable Hebbian dynamics enables the learning of such trajectories in an unsupervised fashion. Using computer simulations, we demonstrate the learning of a chunking representation of sequences and their robust recall. During learning, the dynamics associates a set of modes to each information-carrying item in the sequence and encodes their relative order. During recall, hierarchical WLC guarantees the robustness of the sequence order when the sequence is not too long. The resulting patterns of activities share several features observed in behavioral experiments, such as the pauses between boundaries of chunks, their size and their duration. Failures in learning chunking sequences provide new insights into the dynamical causes of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Schizophrenia.
Atmospheric Circulation Effects on Wind Speed Variability at Turbine Height

Abstract Mean monthly wind speed at 70 m above ground level is investigated for 11 sites in Minnesota for the period 1995–2003. Wind speeds at these sites show significant spatial and temporal coherence, with prolonged periods of above- and below-normal values that can persist for as long as 12 months. Monthly variation in wind speed primarily is determined by the north–south pressure gradient, which captures between 22% and 47% of the variability (depending on the site). Regression on wind speed residuals (pressure gradient effects removed) shows that an additional 6%–15% of the variation can be related to the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Nino-3.4 sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. Wind speeds showed little correspondence with variation in the Pacific–North American (PNA) circulation index. The effect of the strong El Nino of 1997/98 on the wind speed time series was investigated by recomputing the regression equations with this period excluded. The north–south pressure gradient remains the primary ...
Improving calculus I in community colleges: It takes a [multidisciplinary] village

AbstractIn 2010, the Mathematical Association of America began a 5-year study of Calculus I, a critical gatekeeper for students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. The study, titled Characteristics of Successful Programs in College Calculus, included case studies of successful Calculus I programs conducted by multidisciplinary research teams. The purpose of this article is to present the community college case study findings and to highlight the benefit of the multidisciplinary research teams. Using multiple lenses and analytical frameworks, the study identified factors that jointly contributed to Calculus I program success, including high-quality instruction, academic and social support for students, loose course coordination, a culture of faculty autonomy and trust, and attention to course placement and transfer policies. The findings suggest areas of focus for faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders working collectively to improve Calculus I in community col...
A Phenomenological Predictive Model for Thermo-Mechanical Fatigue of Notched Type 304 Stainless Steel

The behavior of parts subjected to simultaneous thermal and mechanical fatigue loads is an area of research that carries great significance in the power generation, petrochemical, and aerospace industries. Machinery with expensive components undergo varying applications of force while exposed to variable temperature working fluids. An example case is found in steam turbines, which subject stainless steel blades to cyclic loads from rotation as well as the passing of heated gases. Accurate service life prediction is especially challenging due to the thermo-mechanical loading being present on the complex geometric profile of the blades. This research puts forth a method for determining crack initiation lifetimes in variably-notched type 304 austenitic stainless steel specimens subjected to differing fatigue and thermo-mechanical fatigue conditions. A base analytical model and genetic algorithm were used to develop phenomenology-informed predictions that fall within a factor of two of the actual crack initiation times.
Dispersion Engineering of Photonic Crystal Devices

We present and experimentally validate self-collimation in planar photonic crystals as a new means of achieving structureless confinement of light in optical devices. We demonstrate the ability to arbitrarily guide and route light by exploiting the dispersive characteristics of the photonic crystal. Propagation loss as low as 2.17 dB/mm is measured, and the experimental validation of routing structures are presented.
Ion Irradiation Effects on Pt Contacts To Si with and without Interfacial Chemical Oxide

The electrical properties of ion irradiated metal-semiconductor contacts are investigated. Silicide contacts are fabricated by depositing Pt on chemically clean or slightly oxidized (∼14 A SiO2) n+-and n-type Si, followed by a Si ion irradiation (1014 − 6×1015 Si/cm2) through the metal-Si interface at various substrate temperatures, and a final thermal annealing in vacuum to form the silicide. Forward I-V measurements are employed for electrical characterization. Metal-Si interaction and substrate damage are measured by MeV ion backscattering and channeling, and interfacial oxygen monitored by nuclear 16O(d,α)14N reaction. Platinum contacts prepared on clean n-type substrates are Schottky diodes with a barrier height oBn = 0.83 eV. After Si irradiation, the forward I(V) is a power law whose form is largely independent of the dose. Subsequent thermal annealing induces silicide formation, but at a reduced rate compared to irradiated samples. The do characteristics is roughly exponential again, but departures from the original Schottky characteristics remain and are largest for the highest Si doses. The effect is attributed to radiation damage in the Si that is not consumed by the silicide reaction. Platinum contacts prepared on chemically oxidized samples behave differently for different substrate materials, although the total amount of interfacial oxygen is always the same. On n+-type samples, the silicide formation at 400°C is laterally uniform for Si doses ≥ 2 × 1014m−2, but is nonuniform for all doses (≤ 2 × 1015 Si/cm2) on n-type samples. For n+-type samples at 250°C, a dose of 2 × 1015 Si/cm2 is required to induce (uniform) silicide formation; the kinetics displays a time delay compared with that of clean n+ substrates. On oxidized n-type substrates, the I(V) characteristics of Pt contacts before irradiation is not Schottky-like, but power-law-type. After irradiation, the characteristic is the same as for the clean irradiated samples. Thermal annealing induces only incomplete recovery toward an exponential behavior. These results demonstrate that radiation damage in the unreacted Si remains significant for the electrical behavior of all. These results demonstrate that radiation damage determines the I(V) characteristics of as-irradiated Pt contacts to n-type Si regardless of the presence of an interfacial oxide layer. After annealing at 400°C for 30 min, radiation damage is still significant, but the oxidized samples recover less than the clean ones. The results are attributed to radiation damage in the unreacted Si substrate.
Tephritid Fruit Fly Trapping: Liquid Food Baits in High and Low Rainfall Climates

Proteinaceous food baits in water traps were 20X more efficient in trapping oriental fruit flies, Dacus dorsalis Hendel, in a dry climate (less than 25 cm avg annual rainfall) than in a wet climate (400 cm). Greater efficiency also was observed in a dry climate with the melon fly, D. cucurbitae Coquillett, and the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Blurring Boundaries or Why Do We Refer to Sexual Misconduct With Patients as “Boundary Violation”

I argue for the notion that we reserve the term boundary for the psychic realm because the psychic boundaries of psychoanalysis are so fundamentally complex, dense, and intrinsically confusing that bringing in the realm of behavioral ethical violations is actually unnecessarily vague and mystifying. The notion of a psychological boundary as a term in psychoanalytic work is a fragile, metaphoric construction that allows us to explore fantasy, affect, symbols, and elements of shared and unique realities. Psychoanalysis hinges on a social compact by patients and analysts to open up otherwise forbidden territory offered through this metaphoric construction. Rather than conflate forensic vocabulary (“violation”) with a central psychic concept for conducting psychoanalytic work (“boundary”), I suggest that we refer to ethical misconduct in more straightforward conventional terms such as misconduct (behavioral referents) or with specific psychological understandings of the many determinants of this behavior that...
Estimate of fuel consumption and GHG emission impact from an automated mobility district

This study estimates the range of fuel and emissions impacts of an automated-vehicle (AV)-based transit system that services campus-based developments, termed an automated mobility district (AMD). The study develops a framework to quantify the fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts of a transit system comprised of AVs, taking into consideration average vehicle fleet composition, fuel consumption/GHG emission of vehicles within specific speed bins, and the average occupancy of passenger vehicles and transit vehicles. The framework is exercised using a previous mobility analysis of a personal rapid transit (PRT) system, a system that shares many attributes with envisioned AV-based transit systems. Total fuel consumption and GHG emissions with and without an AMD are estimated, providing a range of potential system impacts on sustainability. The results of a previous case study based on a proposed implementation of PRT on the Kansas State University (KSU) campus in Manhattan, Kansas, serve as the basis for estimating personal miles traveled supplanted by an AMD at varying levels of service. The results show that an AMD has the potential to reduce total system fuel consumption and GHG emissions, but the amount is largely dependent on operating and ridership assumptions. The study points to the need to better understand ride-sharing scenarios and calls for future research on sustainability benefits of an AMD system at both vehicle and system levels.
A viscoelastic model for describing the response of biological fibers

In this paper, we extend the modeling effort of our earlier work concerning the development of an implicit elastic model for describing the response of biological fibers. We put into place a fractional-order viscoelastic (FOV) solid model that can quantify the properties of biological fibers comprised of collagen fibrils and elastic filaments. The compliance version of the FOV memory function is regularized, thereby removing the singularity from the viscoelastic kernel. The ensuing model is used to describe stress relaxation in mitral-valve chordae tendineae. Numerical solutions for the convolution integral are acquired via a midpoint quadrature rule with a Laplace endpoint correction.
Quantum Scattering Calculations of Transport Properties for the H–N2 and H–CH4 Collision Pairs

Transport properties for collisions of hydrogen atoms with molecular nitrogen and methane were calculated through close-coupling quantum scattering calculations. For these calculations, potential energy surfaces for the interaction of H atoms with these molecules, with their geometries fixed at the respective equilibrium structures, were obtained with a coupled cluster method that included single, double, and (perturbatively) triple excitations [RCCSD(T)]. The computed transport properties for H–N2 were found to be similar in magnitude to those computed in a previous study but significantly different from those obtained through the conventional approach that employs isotropic Lennard-Jones (LJ) (12–6) potentials. The differences in the transport properties for H–CH4 computed in this work and those estimated with isotropic LJ potentials are somewhat smaller.
Big Data on Clouds (BDOC)

Big data is the term for a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications. This chapter articulates some of the success enablers for deploying big data on clouds (BDOC), in the context of some historical perspectives and emerging global services. The chapter considers cloud and mobile applications, complex heterogeneous enterprises, and discusses big data availability for several commercial providers. In addition, the chapter offers some legal insights for successful deployment of BDOC. The chapter, in particular, highlights the emergence of emerging hybrid BDOC management roles, the development and operations (DevOps), and site reliability engineering (SRE). Finally, it highlights science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent cultivation and engagement, as an enabler to technical succession and future success for global enterprises of BDOC.
Information Technology Products and the Environment

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become critical components of global infrastructure over the past few decades, and computers are now fundamental to most business processes. The global adoption of the Internet has only accelerated the transition from physical to digital infrastructure. More generally, the use of information and communication technologies has resulted in far-reaching changes in production processes and product characteristics.
An intimate ethnography: A review of ‘My Father’s Wars: Migration, Memory, and the Violence of a Century’

Alisse Waterston’s My Father’s Wars: Migration, Memory, and the Violence of a Century is a beautifully written story of one man and his family within the context of twentieth-century social history...
Temporal and demographic blood parasite dynamics in two free-ranging neotropical primates.

Parasite-host relationships are influenced by several factors intrinsic to hosts, such as social standing, group membership, sex, and age. However, in wild populations, temporal variation in parasite distributions and concomitant infections can alter these patterns. We used microscropy and molecular methods to screen for naturally occurring haemoparasitic infections in two Neotropical primate host populations, the saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarin, in the lowland tropical rainforests of southeastern Peru. Repeat sampling was conducted from known individuals over a three-year period to test for parasite-host and parasite-parasite associations. Three parasites were detected in L. weddelli including Trypanosoma minasense, Mansonella mariae, and Dipetalonema spp., while S. imperator only hosted the latter two. Temporal variation in prevalence was observed in T. minasense and Dipetalonema spp., confirming the necessity of a multi-year study to evaluate parasite-host relationships in this system. Although callitrichids display a distinct reproductive dominance hierarchy, characterized by single breeding females that typically mate polyandrously and can suppress the reproduction of subdominant females, logistic models did not identify sex or breeding status as determining factors in the presence of these parasites. However, age class had a positive effect on infection with M. mariae and T. minasense, and adults demonstrated higher parasite species richness than juveniles or sub-adults across both species. Body weight had a positive effect on the presence of Dipetalonema spp. The inclusion of co-infection variables in statistical models of parasite presence/absence data improved model fit for two of three parasites. This study verifies the importance and need for broad spectrum and long-term screening of parasite assemblages of natural host populations.