cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling consumers' likelihood to adopt autonomous vehicles based on their peer network

Abstract Adoption of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) is viewed as one of the vital factors by public and private agencies as benefits are slowly getting quantified with further advancement in technology. From a wide variety of CAV perception and demand estimation studies, the literature lacks the impact of adoption based on an individual's social network and values. In this paper, we utilize an integrated choice and latent variable model to capture individuals' likelihood to adopt level 4 CAVs based on their social values in their peer network using an institutional survey dataset. The model results suggest that households with high income and frequent car buyers are more likely to adopt CAVs. CAV adoption will have a positive influence on an individual's social values among his peers. The proposed framework can be used to provide useful insights for policymakers to quantify consumers' preferences about CAV adoption based on their social values.
Finite Rate Distributed Weight-Balancing and Average Consensus Over Digraphs

This article proposes the first distributed algorithm that solves the weight-balancing problem using only finite rate and simplex communications among nodes, compliant with the directed nature of the graph edges. It is proved that the algorithm converges to a weight-balanced solution at sublinear rate. The analysis builds upon a new metric inspired by positional system representations, which characterizes the dynamics of information exchange over the network, and on a novel step-size rule. Building on this result, a novel distributed algorithm is proposed that solves the average consensus problem over digraphs, using, at each timeslot, finite rate simplex communications between adjacent nodes—some bits for the weight-balancing problem and others for the average consensus. Convergence of the proposed quantized consensus algorithm to the average of the node's unquantized initial values is established, both almost surely and in the moment generating function of the error; and a sublinear convergence rate is proved for sufficiently large step-sizes. Numerical results validate our theoretical findings.
MicroPET/CT assessment of neurochemical effects in the brain after long-term methylphenidate treatment in nonhuman primates.

Abstract Methylphenidate (MPH) is a psychostimulant approved by the FDA to treatment Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). MPH is believed to exert its pharmacological effects via preferential blockade of the dopamine transporter (DAT) and the norepinephrine transporter (NET), resulting in increased monoamine levels in the synapse. We used a quantitative non-invasive PET imaging technique to study the effects of long-term methylphenidate use on the central nervous system (CNS). We conducted microPET/CT scans on young adult male rhesus monkeys to monitor changes in the dopaminergic system. We used [18F] AV-133, a ligand for the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), and [18F]FESP a ligand for the D2 and 5HT2 receptors. In this study we evaluated the effects if chronic MPH treatment in the nonhuman primates (NHP). Two-year-old, male rhesus monkeys were orally administered MPH diluted in the electrolyte replenisher, Prang, twice a day, five days per week (M-F) over an 8-year period. The dose of MPH was gradually escalated from 0.15 mg/kg initially to 2.5 mg/kg/dose for the low dose group, and 1.5 mg/kg to 12.5 mg/kg/dose for the high dose group (Rodriguez et al., 2010). Scans were performed on Mondays, about 60 h after their last treatment, to avoid the acute effects of MPH. Tracers were injected intravenously ten minutes before microPET/CT scanning. Sessions lasted about 120 min. The Logan reference tissue model was used to determine the Binding Potential (BP) of each tracer in the striatum with the cerebellar cortex time activity curve as an input function. Both MP treatment groups had a lower [18F] AV-133 BP, although this failed to reach statistical significance. MPH treatment did not have a significant effect on The BP of [18F] FESP in the striatum. Long-term administration of MPH did not significant change any of the marker of monoamine function used here. These data suggest that, despite lingering concerns, long-term use of methylphenidate does not negatively impact monoamine function. This study also demonstrates that microPET imaging can distinguish differences in binding potentials of a variety of radiotracers in the CNS of NHPs. This approach may provide minimally-invasive biomarkers of neurochemical processes associated with chronic exposure to CNS medications. (Supported by NCTR).
Mortality and ventilatory effects of central serotonin deficiency during postnatal development depend on age but not sex

Serotonin (5-HT) influences brain development and has predominantly excitatory neuromodulatory effects on the neural respiratory control circuitry. Infants that succumb to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have reduced brainstem 5-HT levels and Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2). Furthermore, there are age- and sex-dependent risk factors associated with SIDS. Here we utilized our established Dark Agouti transgenic rat lacking central serotonin KO to test the hypotheses that CNS 5-HT deficiency leads to: (1) high mortality in a sex-independent manner, (2) age-dependent alterations in other CNS aminergic systems, and (3) age-dependent impairment of chemoreflexes during post-natal development. KO rat pups showed high neonatal mortality but not in a sex-dependent manner and did not show altered hypoxic or hypercapnic ventilatory chemoreflexes. However, KO rat pups had increased apnea-related metrics during a specific developmental age (P12-16), which were preceded by transient increases in dopaminergic system activity (P7-8). These results support and extend the concept that 5-HT per se is a critical factor in supporting respiratory control during post-natal development.
Automated Plan Checking Software Demonstrates Continuous and Sustained Improvements in Safety and Quality: A 3-year Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to perform a longitudinal analysis of the performance of our automated plan checking software by retrospectively evaluating the number of errors identified in plans delivered to patients in 3, month-long, data collection periods between 2017 and 2020. Methods and Materials Eleven automated checks were retrospectively run on 1169 external beam radiation therapy treatment plans identified as meeting the following criteria: planning target volume–based multifield photon plans receiving a status of treatment approved in March 2017, March 2018, or March 2020. The number of passes (true positives) and flags were recorded. Flags were subcategorized into false negatives, false negatives due to naming conventions, and true negatives. In addition, 2 × 2 contingency tables using a 2-tailed Fisher's exact test were used to determine whether there were nonrandom associations between the output of the automated plan checking software and whether the check was manual or automated at the original time of treatment approval. Results A statistically significant decrease in flags between the pre- and postautomation data sets was observed for 4 contour-based checks, namely adjacent structures overlap, empty structures and missing slices, overlap between body and couch, and laterality, as well as a check that determined whether the plan's global maximum dose was within the planning target volume. A review of the origins of false negatives was fed back into the design of the checks to improve the reliability of the system and help avoid warning fatigue. Conclusions Periodic and longitudinal review of the performance of automated software was essential for monitoring and understanding its impact on error rates, as well as for optimization of the tool to adapt to regular changes of clinical practice. The automated plan checking software has demonstrated continuous contributions to the safe and effective delivery of external beam radiation therapy to our patient population, an impact that extends beyond its initial implementation and deployment.
Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy Genetics and Cardiac Sequelae

Myotonic dystrophy [DM] (Steinert’s disease) is the most common adult onset muscular dystrophy in humans. DM is a progressive, multi-system disorder which manifests as a highly variable pathological phenotype of the skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, heart, brain, glucose metabolism, lens and testicular function (1,2,3). The phenotypic variability in DM is compounded by clinical anticipation, a phenomenon in which the severity of the symptoms increase, while the age of disease onset decreases, with each successive generation within a disease pedigree (4). Thus the spectrum of DM symptoms can vary from mild, where cataracts develop late in adult life, to a severe congenital form associated with skeletal muscle hypotonia, often resulting in respiratory arrest and mortality. An intermediate adult-onset form of DM can manifest with one or more characteristic features of DM including myotonia, or abnormal muscle membrane depolarization which results in abnormally elongated muscle relaxation time, skeletal muscle weakness and wasting, cardiac conduction system disease, cataracts, endocrine dysfunction, frontal balding, epithiliomas and mental retardation (2,3).
Making computing attractive for non-majors: a course design

This paper presents an introductory computer science course "Introduction to Internet Programming and Applications" offered to non-computer science majors. The main objectives of this course are to introduce students to the field of computing, keep them engaged in the course and perhaps spark their interest in the field of computing. This paper also presents the results of a study of student perceptions of computer science and their reactions to this course.
Advanced high temperature thermoelectrics for space power

Preliminary results from a spacecraft system study show that an optimum hot junction temperature is in the range of 1500 K for advanced nuclear reactor technology combined with thermoelectric conversion. Advanced silicon germanium thermoelectric conversion is feasible if hot junction temperatures can be raised roughly 100 C or if gallium phosphide can be used to improve the figure of merit, but the performance is marginal. Two new classes of refractory materials, rare earth sulfides and boron-carbon alloys, are being investigated to improve the specific weight of the generator system. Preliminary data on the sulfides have shown very high figures of merit over short temperature ranges. Both n- and p-type doping have been obtained. Pure boron-carbide may extrapolate to high figure of merit at temperatures well above 1500 K but not lower temperature; n-type conduction has been reported by others, but not yet observed in the JPL program. Inadvertant impurity doping may explain the divergence of results reported.
Freedom of Association for College Fraternities after Christian Legal Society and Citizens United

The First Amendment and its associational rights and freedoms are not tested by popular groups or causes. Only controversy can help establish the limits of constitutional rights. Fraternities and sororities (“fraternities”) have certainly been controversial during their 236 years of existence.Colleges often regulate fraternities more strictly than any other organization. Fraternity members may be barred from wearing their letters or mentioning their affinity during certain times of the year. Recruitment of new members is generally permitted only at certain times and in certain ways. Fraternity members may be required to engage in philanthropy or maintain a specific grade point average, where unaffiliated students have no such requirement. And many colleges have banned entire fraternity systems, while encouraging substantially similar themed dormitory housing, or fraternity-like living arrangement controlled by the school. At some point these restrictions certainly must violate the associational freedoms in the First Amendment.Two recent Supreme Court cases suggest that there is a greater freedom of association for college fraternities than has been previously recognized by lower courts. This article discusses in great detail the history of fraternities and the freedom of association. The article discusses and critiques every relevant case and analyzes existing case law in light of Christian Legal Society and Citizens United. The article concludes by suggesting that these two Supreme Court cases may have opened a new path for fraternities to assert their associational freedoms under the First Amendment.
Programming Languages for Scientific Computing

Scientific computation is a discipline that combines numerical analysis, physical understanding, algorithm development, and structured programming. Several yottacycles per year on the world's largest computers are spent simulating problems as diverse as weather prediction, the properties of material composites, the behavior of biomolecules in solution, and the quantum nature of chemical compounds. This article is intended to review specfic languages features and their use in computational science. We will review the strengths and weaknesses of different programming styles, with examples taken from widely used scientific codes.
WORK PRESSURE SIMILARITY FOR HOMEMAKERS, MANAGERS & PROFESSIONALS

For most Americans, their work roles constitute an important part of the self-image and an important basis of self-esteem. Typically, for men, their labor force occupation provides not only the financial resources which shape their material life style, but gauge their degree of success as human beings. For women, work in the labor force and as a homemaker, or exclusively as a homemaker is central in defining how successful and who they are as women, and as human beings. We judge others, and are judged in terms of value of work performed. This results in self-judgment highly colored by performance in work roles. In the last decade, some social scientists have belatedly begun to pay attention to household tasks as work, and to compare this type of work with paid labor roles~ We will compare practices of full time homemakers and those of certain white collar workers which, on the surface may seem quite different. In the United States, about 40 hours per week constitute the minimum time investment required to convince oneself and others that one is fulfilling a work role adequately, and that visible, socially desirable products or services issue from the endeavor. In closely supervised work roles, including most manual and white collar jobs, real work will tend to fill the full work week. After all, the purpose of close supervision is to ensure that workers continue to work, and their tasks usually are well-defined and unending. However, in many work roles in managerial, administrative, and professional positions, and in homemaking, direct supervision is absent. Task definition and accomplishment are left largely to the worker. Norms concerning the amount of work to be accomplished. amd even the level of the accomplishment are often ambiguous. In· such cases, developing and maintaining self-esteem require that the worker fill at least the socially defined minimal hours with activities than can be legitimated as real work, and that there be acknowledged products, such as clean clothes, meals, reports, and records of clients served or treated. These must be credible both to others and to the worker as worth the time investment. Thus, the unsupervised worker must find enough real work to fill at least 40 hours per week, or create enough activities which can be justified as real work to fill the hours. It is not simply a matter of convincing others that one is doing a week's work. After all, without supervision, how is anyone to know if one is faking? The real issue is that in such a situation, one's self-esteem requires convincing oneself that one is really working. One may do that best, not merely by filling in the minimum hours defined as a work week, but by expanding the work week to 60 hours or more. The legitimizing techniques of full time homemakers and those of unsupervised labor force participants are very similar.
The AAML’s Revised Standards for Representing Children in Custody and Visitation Proceedings: The Reporter’s Perspective

This article describes the Standards for the Representation of Children in Custody and Visitation proceedings recently promulgated by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. It also seeks to bring to life the remarkable politics of children’s representation, which came to a boil in recent years. In addition to describing the AAML Standards, the article also describes two other recent efforts to define the role of a child's lawyer, one by the Uniform Law Commission and the other by the American Bar Association and then tells the story of why both of those efforts ultimately failed to garner significant support in the field. The article tells the fascinating story of how the Uniform Law Commission came to be defeated by children’s rights advocates and how the ABA effort came to be defeated by very differnt forces. The article concludes by attempting to identify common ground among all three efforts and to reconcile the competing visions of children’s advocacy shared by these three organizations. The article offers a vision of how best to use court-appointed aides to serve children and their families when the parents are enmeshed in contentious disputes over custody and visitation.
Parameterizable benchmarking framework for designing a MapReduce performance model

In MapReduce environments, many applications have to achieve different performance goals for producing time relevant results. One of typical user questions is how to estimate the completion time of a MapReduce program as a function of varying input dataset sizes and given cluster resources. In this work, we offer a novel performance evaluation framework for answering this question. We analyze the MapReduce processing pipeline and utilize the fact that the execution of map reduce tasks consists of specific, well-defined data processing phases. Only map and reduce functions are custom, and their executions are user-defined for different MapReduce jobs. The executions of the remaining phases are generic i.e., defined by the MapReduce framework code and depend on the amount of data processed by the phase and the performance of the underlying Hadoop cluster. First, we design a set of parameterizable microbenchmarks to profile the execution of generic phases and to derive a platform performance model of a given Hadoop cluster. Then, using the job past executions, we summarize job's properties and performance of its custom map/reduce functions in a compact job profile. Finally, by combining the knowledge of the job profile and the derived platform performance model, we introduce a MapReduce performance model that estimates the program completion time for processing a new dataset. The proposed benchmarking approach derives an accurate performance model of Hadoop's generic execution phases once, and then, this model is reused for predicting the performance of different applications. The evaluation study justifies our approach and the proposed framework: We use a diverse suite of 12 MapReduce applications to validate the proposed model. The predicted completion times for most experiments are within 10% of the measured ones with a worst case resulting in 17% of error on our 66-node Hadoop cluster. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Characterization of microorganism identification in the United States in 1996.

Abstract Context.—The National Inventory of Clinical Laboratory Testing Services (NICLTS) was designed to give an unbiased estimate of all patient testing performed by laboratories registered under...
Designing non-linear single OP-AMP circuits: A cook-book approach

The inherent saturation non-linearity of the op amp is used to design circuits having a wide variety of useful non-linear v-i characteristics. These circuits are made of one op amp and 3 or 4 linear resistors which are passive under a rather mild assumption derived from the 3-port paramountcy condition. Explicit design formulae are given for each prototype circuit and numerous examples are given and validated by actual measurements.
Simulated Moving Bed Equipment Designs

Abstract Simulated Moving Bed or SMB chromatography is a continuous adsorption technique that increases throughput, purity and yield relative to batch chromatography. SMB utilizes a series of columns with periodically moving inlet and outlet ports. This technique has been applied for the production of petrochemicals and sugars, and to a limited extent, pharmaceuticals. The recent surge in SMB research has led to various novel SMB schemes or configurations. This review presents a survey and comparison of SMB schemes and equipment, specifically SMB valve designs, which are needed to implement the various schemes. Illustrated examples include SMBs with three, four, five, eight, nine, or twelve zones, Varicol scheme, Japan Organo process, fast startup and shutdown, and online decoupled regeneration. The SMB valve designs reviewed are classified into central and distributed valves designs, which include two‐way‐valve designs and rotary‐valve designs. We also present a novel SMB design, the Versatile SMB or V‐S...
Radiative X-Ray Transitions Within the L Shell

Whereas $N\ensuremath{-}N$ and $M\ensuremath{-}M$ lines have been observed in the x-ray spectra of several elements, $L\ensuremath{-}L$ lines have not been identified. However, isolated lines of sodium (375A), magnesium (317A) and aluminum (290A) reported by Skinner are here designated as ${L}_{I}\ensuremath{-}{L}_{II,III}$. Thus the ${L}_{I}$ term in these elements may now be evaluated, and reliable predictions of ${L}_{I}$ may be made for the elements silicon to chromium.
Theoretical analysis of p+4He reactions at 46.7 MeV

Abstract Using the plane wave Born approximation (PWBA), angular distributions and energy spectra of p+4He reactions are analysed taking into account the final state interaction (FSI) between the final state nucleon pair in their relative S-state, Reasonable agreement with angular distributions can be obtained by introducing a lower cutoff in the radial overlap integrals. Effects of the cutoff in the energy spectra are discussed and found to be important. Results of a calculation with the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) of the 4He(p, d)3He reaction are also presented.
Derivation of a Ritz series modeling technique for acoustic cavity-structural systems based on a constrained Hamilton's principle.

Hamilton’s principle for dynamic systems is adapted to describe the coupled response of a confined acoustic domain and an elastic structure that forms part or all of the boundary. A key part of the modified principle is the treatment of the surface traction as a Lagrange multiplier function that enforces continuity conditions at the fluid-solid interface. The structural displacement, fluid velocity potential, and traction are represented by Ritz series, where the usage of the velocity potential as the state variable for the fluid assures that the flow is irrotational. Designation of the coefficients of the potential function series as generalized velocities leads to corresponding series representations of the particle velocity, displacement, and pressure in the fluid, which in turn leads to descriptions of the mechanical energies and virtual work. Application of the calculus of variations to Hamilton’s principle yields linear differential-algebraic equations whose form is identical to those governing mech...
Conformational Transitions and Convergence of Absolute Binding Free Energy Calculations.

The Binding energy distribution analysis method (BEDAM) is employed to compute the standard binding free energies of a series of ligands to a FK506 binding protein (FKBP12) with implicit solvation. Binding free energy estimates are in reasonably good agreement with experimental affinities. The conformations of the complexes identified by the simulations are in good agreement with crystallographic data, which were not used to restrain ligand orientations. The BEDAM method is based on λ-hopping Hamiltonian parallel replica exchange (HREM) molecular dynamics conformational sampling, the OPLS-AA/AGBNP2 effective potential, and multistate free energy estimators (MBAR). Achieving converged and accurate results depends on all of these elements of the calculation. Convergence of the binding free energy is tied to the level of convergence of binding energy distributions at critical intermediate states where bound and unbound states are at equilibrium, and where the rate of binding/unbinding conformational transiti...
The effect of scale modifications on the factorial dimensions and reliability of super's work values inventory

Abstract On the basis of previous research findings, 32 new items were added to Super's Work Values Inventory (WVI) and the resulting 77 item instrument was administered to 611 high school sophmores. Guttman's rank-reduction procedure and separate image analyses were employed to examine empirically the effects of additional items on hypothesized item groupings, scale intercorrelations, factorial dimensions, and scale internal consistency reliabilities. Analyses supported the addition of items to the WVI. It was found that the item groupings on the modified instrument were reasonable; the scale intercorrelations and factorial dimensions of both versions were highly comparable; the addition of items had increased the scale internal consistency reliabilities. Comments were made regarding counselors' use of the WVI.
“Full length, midi, or mini”: a fashion statement for transplants in myeloma

High-dose therapy (HDT) with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is the standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.[1][1] This results in an event-free survival and overall survival (OS) of approximately 30 and 60 months, respectively. Unfortunately,
Water use by monocropped and intercropped cowpea and sorghum grown after rice.

(...) Water used by monocropped and intercropped cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] treatments grown on a fine, mixed, nonacid isohyperthermic Andaqueptic Haplaquoll after harvesting flooded rice was compared to water lost from a fallow treatment. Determinations were to 1.1 m. Water used before cowpea harvest was similar within a treatment among years, but among treatments monocropped cowpea used 172 mm, monocropped sorghum 135 mm, the intercrop 162 mm, and fallow 121 mm.(...)
Cytomegalovirus: Epidemiology and infection control☆

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) causes asymptomatic infection in most individuals but can produce devastating illness in immunocompromised hosts and in a small proportion of congenitally infected babies. New techniques in molecular biology have provided insights into the epidemiology and transmission of CMV. Children in day care, their parents, and sexually active individuals, especially homosexual men, are now known to be at particular risk for acquiring CMV. Recent studies show that the risk of CMV acquisition by health care workers is similar to the risk to the general public. Health care workers should be aware of the wide range of clinical manifestations, methods of laboratory diagnosis, and current limitations of treatment of CMV. Careful handwashing and avoidance of excretions and secretions are recommended to decrease the transmission of CMV in the hospital.
Surface reconstruction of BeO{0001} during Be oxidation

Abstract At temperatures above ~ 470 K, BeO grows epitaxially on the Be{0001} surface, as evidenced by the appearance of the p(1× 1) LEED pattern of BeO{0001}. When the oxide grows to thicknesses of the order of 6 or 7 monolayers, the LEED pattern changes to p(2 × 2)-BeO, which implies the occurrence of a surface reconstruction. This reconstruction is believed to be due to the ordering of a surface ionic charge with total charge equal to 1 4 of the net charge per (0001) atomic plane in BeO. The presence of this surface charge may be explained by considering the electrostatic stability of a wurtzite crystal, such as BeO, growing in the 〈0001〉 direction.
Migratory response of mesenchymal stem cells to macrophage migration inhibitory factor and its antagonist as a function of colony-forming efficiency

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of repairing pulmonary disorders, but their efficacy is limited by poor engraftment. A strategy is proposed to augment MSC migration to lung tissue by antagonizing macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Recombinant MIF (85 ng/ml) inhibited in vitro chemokinesis of multipotent MSCs by nearly 50 and 20% for donor preparations with colony-forming efficiencies of 22 ± 4% and 66 ± 3%, respectively (P < 0.05). The small-molecule MIF antagonist, (S,R)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydro-5-isoxazole acetic acid methyl ester (ISO-1, 85 μg/ml), restored MSC migration for all donors to levels found in the absence of MIF. At this concentration, ISO-1 increased migration to conditioned medium from bronchial epithelial cell cultures by ⩾3-fold for all donor MSC preparations (P < 0.05). Transcript levels for the MIF receptor, CD74, in MSCs were independent of colony-forming efficiency. These data suggest that MIF and its antagonists may be relevant to the control of MSC homing and efficacy of stem cell therapies in a variety of clinical scenarios.
A Comparison of Personality Characteristics for Entering Freshmen, Persistors, and Norm Groups in Engineering

A total of 129 entering freshmen in engineering and 85 persistors in engineering were administered the Adjective Checklist (ACL). Five scales on the ACL showed significant differences between freshmen and persistors and there were no significant differences between gender and black subgroups. The personality profiles of engineering freshmen and persistors in the study showed descriptions that were different from existing norm group descriptions of engineers and engineering students.
Multiple-Phonon-Resonance Raman Effect in CdS

Data are presented that tie the multiple-phonon-resonance Raman effect in CdS to the fluorescent-emission spectrum. The one-phonon selection rules differ from those of the ordinary Raman effect. A possible theoretical approach to this effect is suggested.
Thackeray's VANITY FAIR

Vanity Fair tells the story of two women who appropriately embody the Victorian notion of the female gender. As Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar point out in their distinguished study The Madwoman...
Influence of the noise sources motion on the estimated Green's functions from ambient noise cross-correlations

It has been demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that an estimate of the Green’s function between two receivers can be obtained by cross-correlating acoustic (or elastic) ambient noise recorded at these two receivers. Coherent wavefronts emerge from the noise cross-correlation time function due to the accumulated contributions over time from noise sources whose propagation path pass through both receivers. Previous theoretical studies of the performance of this passive imaging technique have assumed that no relative motion between noise sources and receivers occurs. In this article, the influence of noise sources motion (e.g., aircraft or ship) on this passive imaging technique was investigated theoretically in free space, using a stationary phase approximation, for stationary receivers. The theoretical results were extended to more complex environments, in the high-frequency regime, using first-order expansions of the Green’s function. Although sources motion typically degrades the performance o...
AVANET Services, Autonomous Vehicles and the Mobile Cloud

As vehicles will soon become network connected, new vehicle applications are emerging, from navigation safety to location aware content distribution, urban surveillance and intelligent transport. Autonomous vehicles stand out as important players, with plenty of sensors, memory and processing power. The richness of on-board resources and the diversity of applications set the Vehicular ad Hoc Network(VANET) apart from conventional MANETs and introduce new challenges in the services they provide. First, it becomes apparent that safe navigation in a future with autonomous car platoons, say, will demand efficient, low latency V2V. Moreover, other applications (eg, surveillance, traffic management, etc) will require a degree of coordination not possible with the conventional Internet Cloud. To this end, low latency cooperation can be best supported by a Mobile Computing Cloud (MCC), where vehicles use V2V to propagate computation results, share resources and provide mobile services. This talk will revisit VANET applications and will propose a Vehicular Cloud platform along with representative mobile service examples.
Dynamic Properties of Human Tympanic Membrane Based on Frequency-Temperature Superposition

The human tympanic membrane (TM) transfers sound in the ear canal into the mechanical vibration of the ossicles in the middle ear. The dynamic properties of TM directly affect the middle ear transfer function. The static or quasi-static mechanical properties of TM were reported in the literature, but the dynamic properties of TM over the auditory frequency range are very limited. In this paper, a new method was developed to measure the dynamic properties of human TM using the Dynamic-Mechanical Analyzer (DMA). The test was conducted at the frequency range of 1–40 Hz at three different temperatures: 5, 25, and 37 °C. The frequency-temperature superposition was applied to extend the testing frequency range to a much higher level (at least 3800 Hz). The generalized linear solid model was employed to describe the constitutive relation of the TM. The storage modulus E′ and the loss modulus E″ were obtained from 11 specimens. The mean storage modulus was 15.1 MPa at 1 Hz and 27.6 MPa at 3800 Hz. The mean loss modulus was 0.28 MPa at 1 Hz and 4.1 MPa at 3800 Hz. The results show that the frequency-temperature superposition is a feasible approach to study the dynamic properties of the ear soft tissues. The dynamic properties of human TM obtained in this study provide a better description of the damping behavior of ear tissues. The properties can be transferred into the finite element model of the human ear to replace the Rayleigh type damping. The data reported here contribute to the biomechanics of the middle ear and improve the accuracy of the FE model for the human ear.
Reinstatement of 2-year-olds' event memory using photographs

This experiment examined 24- and 30-month-olds' understanding of photographs as reminders using a deferred imitation paradigm. The 24- and 30-month-olds visited a laboratory playroom and observed an experimenter demonstrating novel activities. Upon returning after a retention interval, half of the children viewed photographs depicting the activities they had viewed during their first visits as reminders of the event, as well as photographs of activities they had never seen. Children in both the reminder and the no-reminder groups were then asked to complete the originally modelled activities as a test of recall. Results indicate that although 30-month-olds recalled more activities than did 24-month-olds, children in the reminder condition at both ages recalled more activities than children in the no-reminder control condition. Results are discussed in terms of the development of representational understanding and long-term recall in young children.
Understanding the Behavior of Pthread Applications on Non-Uniform Cache Architectures

Future scalable multi-core chips are expected to implement a shared last-level cache (LLC) with banks distributed on chip, forcing a core to incur non-uniform access latencies to each bank. Consequently, high performance and energy efficiency depend on whether a thread's data is placed in local or nearby banks. Using compiler and programmer support, we aim to find an alternative solution to existing high-overhead designs. In this paper, we take existing parallel programs written in Pthreads, and show the performance gap between current static mapping schemes, costly migration schemes and idealized static and dynamic best-case scenarios.
Worms Clear the Smoke Surrounding Nicotine Addiction

In this issue of Cell, Feng et al. (2006) report a worm model of nicotine dependence that shows behavioral adaptations surprisingly similar to those in humans. These authors show a critical link between nicotinic receptors and TRP channels, which may represent a new therapeutic target for treating nicotine addiction.
Hydroxyl radical's role in the remediation of a common herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)

The massive use of herbicides in the agricultural industry has led to measurable levels in natural bodies of water, many of which supply the human population with fresh drinking water. Advanced oxidation processes such as photocatalysis, sonolysis, and radiolysis show promise in eliminating the dangers of exposure to herbicides and the products of their natural breakdown. A basic understanding of the mechanistic details involved in the oxidative transformations remains the key for improving the effectiveness of the advanced oxidation processes. The role of the hydroxyl radical in the breakdown of the common herbicide 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), its breakdown product 2,4-DCP (2,4-dichlorophenol), and related compounds is elucidated through the determination of degradation rates, analyses of the transformation intermediates, and studies using computational chemistry methods.
Partial trisomy 20p derived from a t(18;20) translocation

Two sibs show a strikingly concordant syndrome of congenital anomalies and G-banding reveals that each has partial trisomy 20p resulting from a t(18;20) translocation. They resemble other cases of partial trisomy 20p in some respects but also differ in some ways. Their normal sib, mother, and half-aunt are balanced heterozygotes for the t(18;20) translocation. The segregation of the balanced translocation in this family is associated with an extremely poor reproductive record. The segregation pattern closely parallels that of a t(13;20) translocation in a family described by Carrel et al. (1971) and Francke (1972). The similarity of segregation patterns is predictable on the basis of probable pachytene configurations, but the dissimilarity of phenotypes between families is not readily explained.
Compressor Surge: A Limit Detection and Avoidance Problem

Compressor surge control is an important part of intelligent engines. A new perspective on this problem is presented. The problem is cast as a limit avoidance control. A single pressure sensor is used to monitor the uncertain surge limit, via an innovative method using the so called correlation measure. The stochastic nature of this measure has been analyzed and a model for the same has been developed. The model is incorporated into a digital simulation of a turbo-shaft engine. A Monte-Carlo simulation has been carried out to investigate the impact of parameters associated with the stochastic model. The limit avoidance formulation is demonstrated on a laboratory axial compressor facility.
The balance of power in lesbian relationships

A questionnaire study investigated the balance of power in lesbian relationships and factors that affect it. Seventy-seven lesbian women currently in a romantic/sexual relationship participated. Although lesbians strongly endorsed an egalitarian ideal of equal power in love relationships, nearly 40% reported an unequal balance of power in their relationship. As social exchange theory predicts, the partner who was relatively less dependent on the relationship and who had greater personal resources tended to have greater power. Compared to women in equal power relationships, women in unequal power relationships reported less satisfaction and anticipated more problems in their relationships. No evidence of butch-femme role playing was found. It is suggested that the determinants of the balance of power go beyond attitudes and reflect processes of social exchange that can occur regardless of ideology or sexual orientation.
Selective fluorescence derivatization and capillary electrophoretic separation of amidated amino acids

Abstract Selectively derivatized amide-terminated amino acids were separated by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC). The amides were selectively derivatized by deactivating all primary amines in the sample mixture by acetylation, converting the amides to primary amines by Hofmann rearrangement, and tagging the resultant amines with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The fluorescent amide derivatives were detected by confocal laser-induced fluorescence. The use of the MECC mode was mandated by very similar charge and size characteristics of the derivatized amides. Separation of 11 amino acid amides was carried out in bare fused silica capillaries in 10 m M borate and 90 m M sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer in under 15 min. Analysis of dispersion and mobility behavior suggests that hydrophobicity is the primary determinant of micelle/buffer partitioning, and, therefore, mobility; relative hydrophobicity based on values for amino acids is an adequate predictor of elution order for derivatives without charged side-chains. Selectivity of the reaction was estimated to be as great as 100, perhaps greater; the estimation was limited by ability of FITC to derivatize at low concentrations. Rearrangement reaction yields and kinetics were found by NMR spectroscopy to depend on side-chain identity. Yields were 80–100% for the rearrangement, and half-lives were 10–30 min for 100 m M solutions of several representative amino acid amides. Reaction products were not purified, for the sake of simplicity, and a number of impurity peaks appeared in the electropherograms. Because of the high efficiency of the separation (optimal plate heights below 2 μm), resolution was usually adequate to mitigate this potential problem.
Impact of coalition interoperability on PKI

This paper examines methods for providing PKI interoperability among units of a coalition of armed forces drawn from different nations. The area in question is tactical identity management, for the purposes of confidentiality, integrity and non-repudiation in such a dynamic coalition. The interoperating applications under consideration range from email and other forms of store-and-forward messaging to TLS and IPSEC-protected real-time communications. Six interoperability architectures are examined with advantages and disadvantages of each described in the paper.© (2003) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Echocardiographic Predictors of Adverse Outcomes After Continuous Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Objectives The purpose of the study was to identify echocardiographic predictors of adverse outcome in patients implanted with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). Background Continuous flow LVAD have become part of the standard of care for the treatment of advanced heart failure. However, knowledge of echocardiographic predictors of outcome after LVAD are lacking. Methods Overall, 83 patients received continuous-flow LVAD (HeartMate II, Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, California) from February 2007 to June 2010. The LVAD database, containing various echocardiographic parameters, was examined to analyze their influence on in-hospital mortality, a compound cardiac event (in-hospital mortality or acute right ventricular [RV] dysfunction), and long-term mortality. Results Eight patients died before discharge (operative mortality 9.6%), and another 15 patients were considered to have acute RV dysfunction immediately after surgery. Patients with relatively small left ventricular end-diastolic diameters ( Conclusions The presence of either a relatively small left ventricle (
Lectins induce the redistribution and internalization of receptors on the surface of cultured neurons

Fluorescently labeled lectins (Con A, WGA, soybean agglutinin, phytohemagglutinin, Lens culinaris, Ricin Communis I) bind uniformly over the surface of fixed neurons. On living cells at 23 or 37°C RITC-WGA and FITC-Con A (but to a lesser extent RITC-S-Con A) induce the redistribution of lectin receptors at the filopodia of growth cones. At 4°C the redistribution does not occur. This redistribution is not dependent upon the insertion of new receptors into the surface at growth cones. A more massive and slower redistribution of lectin receptors results from the internalization of receptors at the cell body and along axons. Clusters of fluorescent molecules within the axon are transported to the cell body and accumulate around the nucleus.
The Division of Political Science Into American and Non-American Politics: The Case of Legislatures

When undergraduates want to study legislatures, more often than not their choice is limited to a course on Congress, although they may find a course on the legislative process which includes attention to state legislatures.' This is hardly a cause for student discontent. The first, and often the only, ambition of political science students is to learn about the American system of government. That is why the introductory course in the discipline is usually a course in American government, why courses on state and local politics are entirely concerned with the United States, why courses on political parties are really about the Democratic and Republican parties, and why there are hardly any courses on the executive at all since the only subject in that area which is taught is the American presidency. It was not always so. A century ago, as curricula in political science developed in American universities, a general, theoretical concept of politics, derived from continental and particularly German approaches to the subject predominated.2 The focus on American politics came a full generation later, inspired by a concern for citizenship training and by the prospect of large captive audiences in classrooms of students fulfilling teacher certification requirements.3 America First was consistent with the mood of the United States in the 1 920s, but less so in the 1 930s and 1940s. In those decades student interest in non-American politics revived in response to the nation's involvement in world affairs, and this interest was expressed in the curriculum by separate courses, often misnamed "comparative government." These were frequently courses in a series of major foreign governments, shaped by the writing and teaching of a new cohort of emigr6 faculty who revived the European influence on American political science. In this form the study of what was called "comparative government" gained a larger place in the curricula of departments of political science. But as a subfield of the discipline, comparative government remained too small, and the approach was too country-specific, to permit sub-specialization except by geographic areas. There was no place in it for courses on non-American legislatures, or executives, or political parties. For at least a decade, the name "comparative government" was not widely recognized as a misnomer for a field which consisted of the study of foreign governments seriatim. When comparison did begin to be taken seriously, the methodological problems it raised generated an interesting, if at first quite esoteric literature which
Two-frequency above-threshold ionization with smooth pulses

A model of atomic ionization by smooth pulses is solved with bound-continuum and energy-dependent continuum-continuum (C-C) dipole coupling. The rotating-wave approximation for the C-C transitions is avoided. In contrast with the flat continuum result, our ionization rate is independent of the C-C coupling. We also derive the photoelectron energy spectra and show that counterrotating terms make important contributions. Relation to above-threshold ionization experiments with two frequencies is discussed.