cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Voluntary exercise ameliorates anxiogenic effects of acute methamphetamine exposure in Swiss-Webster mice

The present experiment examined the ability of voluntary exercise (i.e., home-cage wheel running; HCWR) to ameliorate anxiety-like behavior associated with acute methamphetamine exposure in male, Swiss-Webster mice. Mice were permitted access to home-cage running wheels (Exercise), locked home-cage running wheels or no home-cage running wheels (Sedentary) for 6 weeks and then exposed to different methamphetamine doses (vehicle, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 mg/kg) once weekly during an 8 h open-field session for 4 weeks. Group differences in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity also were assessed by weighing adrenal glands. It was found that HCWR ameliorated anxiety-like behavior after an injection of either the 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg methamphetamine dose. Adrenal weights did not differ between Exercise and Sedentary mice. Taken together, these results suggest that voluntary exercise ameliorates the anxiogenic effects of methamphetamine depending on the dose, perhaps via a non-HPA mechanism.
Firm-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic factors of life insurers’ profitability: Evidence from Canada

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of firm-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic factors on the performance of life insurance firms. This study focuses on the Canadian life insurance sector, which is the second largest and oldest financial services sector in Canada. Using an empirical framework that incorporates both fixed and dynamic panel models that control for endogeneity issues, this research finds that size, liquidity, and risk exposure of life insurers are significant factors in their profitability. Secondly, industry concentration (e.g., HHI) fail to provide any meaningful evidence to support the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) theory in the static panel models, but in the dynamic models, industry concentration tends to have negative impacts on profitability. Macroeconomic factors such as real GDP growth and equity market returns are found to be significant determinants of insurers’ profitability. Finally, the persistence of profits for life insurers’ seems to lag that of their financial services counterparts (e.g., banks).
Development of bipolar disorder and other comorbidity among youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Objective To examine development of bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSD) and other disorders in prospectively followed children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method In the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) study, 531 of 685 children age 6-12 (most selected for scores > 12 on General Behavior Inventory 10-item Mania scale) had ADHD, 112 with BPSD, and 419 without. With annual assessments for 8 years, retention averaged 6.2 years. Chi-square analyses compared rate of new BPSD and other comorbidity between those with versus without baseline ADHD and between retained versus resolved ADHD diagnosis. Cox regression tested factors influencing speed of BPSD onset. Results Of 419 with baseline ADHD but not BPSD, 52 (12.4%) developed BPSD, compared with 16 of 110 (14.5%) without either baseline diagnosis. Those who developed BPSD had more nonmood comorbidity over the follow-up than those who did not develop BPSD (p = .0001). Of 170 who still had ADHD at eight-year follow-up (and not baseline BPSD), 26 (15.3%) had developed BPSD, compared with 16 of 186 (8.6%) who had ADHD without BPSD at baseline but lost the ADHD diagnosis (χ2 = 3.82, p = .051). There was no statistical difference in whether ADHD persisted or not across new BPSD subtypes (χ2 = 1.62, p = .446). Of those who developed BPSD, speed of onset was not significantly related to baseline ADHD (p = .566), baseline anxiety (p = .121), baseline depression (p = .185), baseline disruptive behavior disorder (p = .184), age (B = -.11 p = .092), maternal mania (p = .389), or paternal mania (B = .73, p = .056). Those who started with both diagnoses had more severe symptoms/impairment than those with later developed BPSD and reported having ADHD first. Conclusions In a cohort selected for symptoms of mania at age 6-12, baseline ADHD was not a significant prospective risk factor for developing BPSD. However, persistence of ADHD may marginally mediate risk of BPSD, and early comorbidity of both diagnoses increases severity/impairment.
Identification of gamma heavy chain disease using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Abstract We describe the use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in the analysis of a suspected case of gamma heavy chain disease. The patient had an abnormal serum immunofixation result where a monoclonal gamma heavy chain band was present without a corresponding light chain. Analysis by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry revealed large peaks in the spectrum following IgG-specific purification. The m/z values of the peaks were outside the expected range for normal heavy chains or light chains. Corresponding peaks were not present in mass spectra of the kappa- or lambda-specific purifications. MALDI-TOF MS confirmed the presence of a truncated heavy chain without associated light chains. This case report demonstrates the value of mass spectrometry in interpreting challenging cases such as the identification of heavy chain disease.
A Longitudinal Analysis of First Professional Year Pharmacy Student Well-being.

Objective. 1) To longitudinally characterize first professional year (P1) students’ weekly, self-reported domain-specific and overall wellbeing across the P1 year; 2) to determine the extent to which domain-specific wellbeing predicted overall wellbeing evaluations across the P1year.; and 3) to examine associations between wellbeing scores and the number of exams in a week and student grade point average (GPA). Methods. P1 students (N=76) enrolled at one college of pharmacy self-reported their career, community, financial, physical, social, and overall wellbeing weekly during the fall and spring semesters of the first professional year. Parametric statistical tests were used to examine the extent to which wellbeing scores varied throughout the academic year, the extent to which domain specific wellbeing scores predicted overall wellbeing scores, and the association between wellbeing scores and the number of exams in a week and student GPA. Results. Overall and domain specific wellbeing scores significantly decreased from fall semester beginning to end. Career wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and social wellbeing predicted overall wellbeing most frequently across the academic year. Career, community, physical, and overall wellbeing scores were statistically significantly negatively associated with the number of exams in the week. Self-reported overall wellbeing during the fall semester was positively associated with fall semester GPA. Conclusion. Students reported significant variation in domain-specific and overall wellbeing across the P1 year. These findings can guide both development and timing of wellbeing promoting interventions in schools and colleges.
INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE (EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA’S MANUFACTURING SECTOR)

The study aims to examine the direct relationship between intellectual capital and competitive advantage. The contribution of this paper is that there is a proxy competitive advantage the study was conducted on 444 manufacturing companies in Indonesia from 2013-2017. The novelty in this study is a research model that makes competitive advantage a dependent variable for intellectual capital and competitive advantage variables using market share proxy. The result of this study is intellectual capital has a positive effect on competitive advantage.
Fulminant non-infectious peri-electrode edema after deep brain stimulation system implantation in a pediatric patient

Non-infectious peri-electrode edema is a rare complication after implantation of a deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode. DBS is frequently used in the management of movement disorders with increasing interest surrounding its value in more rare disorders associated with movement abnormalities. This is the report of a 10-year-old male with Cockayne syndrome who acutely developed symptomatic non-infectious, non-hemorrhagic peri-electrode edema 18 days postoperatively from implantation of a DBS system targeting the bilateral globus pallidus internus. CT head confirmed extensive vasogenic edema along the entire length of the left electrode, and infectious workup was negative. The patient required admission to the pediatric intensive care unit for management utilizing steroid, hypertonic, and hyperosmolar therapy due to the amount of mass effect. Symptoms reduced over a 7-day hospital stay and were completely resolved at 1 month without removal of the DBS system. Management of this rare entity remains controversial and often involves the use of steroids and anti-epileptic prophylaxis. This represents the first case of non-infectious peri-electrode edema reported in a pediatric patient and is especially notable for its fulminant nature.
Dual oxidase 1 promotes antiviral innate immunity.

Dual oxidase 1 (DUOX1) is an NADPH oxidase that is highly expre-ssed in respiratory epithelial cells and produces H2O2 in the airway lumen. While a line of prior in vitro observations suggested that DUOX1 works in partnership with an airway peroxidase, lactoperoxidase (LPO), to produce antimicrobial hypothiocyanite (OSCN−) in the airways, the in vivo role of DUOX1 in mammalian organisms has remained unproven to date. Here, we show that Duox1 promotes antiviral innate immunity in vivo. Upon influenza airway challenge, Duox1−/− mice have enhanced mortality, morbidity, and impaired lung viral clearance. Duox1 increases the airway levels of several cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, CCL1, CCL3, CCL11, CCL19, CCL20, CCL27, CXCL5, and CXCL11), contributes to innate immune cell recruitment, and affects epithelial apoptosis in the airways. In primary human tracheobronchial epithelial cells, OSCN− is generated by LPO using DUOX1-derived H2O2 and inactivates several influenza strains in vitro. We also show that OSCN− diminishes influenza replication and viral RNA synthesis in infected host cells that is inhibited by the H2O2 scavenger catalase. Binding of the influenza virus to host cells and viral entry are both reduced by OSCN− in an H2O2-dependent manner in vitro. OSCN− does not affect the neuraminidase activity or morphology of the influenza virus. Overall, this antiviral function of Duox1 identifies an in vivo role of this gene, defines the steps in the infection cycle targeted by OSCN−, and proposes that boosting this mechanism in vivo can have therapeutic potential in treating viral infections.
An improved visual analytics framework for high-dimensional pareto-optimal front: a case for multi-objective portfolio optimization

Visual representation of a many-objective Pareto-optimal front in a high-dimensional (four or more) objective space requires a large number of data points. Choosing a single point from a large number of data points even with preference information is problematic, as it causes a large cognitive burden on the part of the decision-makers. Therefore, many-objective optimization and analytics practitioners have been interested in practical visualization methods that enable them to filter down a large set of data points to a few critical points for further analysis. Most existing visualization methods are borrowed from other data analytics domain and they are too generic to be effective for many-criteria decision making. In this paper, we propose a visualization method, following an earlier concept, using star-coordinate plots for effectively visualizing many-objective trade-off solutions (data points). We demonstrate the use of the proposed method to a couple of high-dimensional test problems and a 4-objective portfolio optimization problem. We also show a case of interactive exploratory data analytics where we use the ‘Pareto Race’ technique from the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) literature to demonstrate the ease and advantage of the proposed visualization method.
Intranasal dexmedetomidine: the ideal drug for sedation in the pediatric echo lab?

Background Intranasal dexmedetomidine is an attractive option for procedural sedation in pediatrics due to ease of administration and its relatively short half-life. This study sought to compare the safety and efficacy of intranasal dexmedetomidine to a historical cohort of pediatric patients sedated using chloral hydrate in a pediatric echo lab. Methods Chart review was performed to compare patients sedated between September, 2017 and October, 2019 using chloral hydrate and intranasal dexmedetomidine. Vital signs, time to sedation, duration of sedation, need for second dose of medication, rate of failed sedation, and impact on vital signs were compared between groups. Subgroup analysis was performed for those with complex and cyanotic heart disease. Results Chloral hydrate was used in 356 patients and intranasal dexmedetomidine in 376. Patient age, complexity of heart disease, and duration of sedation were similar. Rates of failed sedation were very low and similar. Average heart rate and minimum heart rate were lower for those receiving intranasal dexmedetomidine than chloral hydrate. Impact on vital signs was similar for those with complex and cyanotic heart disease. No adverse events occurred in either group. Conclusions Sedation with intranasal dexmedetomidine is comparable to chloral hydrate in regards to safety and efficacy for children requiring echocardiography. Consistent with the mechanism of action, patients receiving intranasal dexmedetomidine have a lower heart rate without morbidity.
Deploytech: Mars Sample Return Concept Study Delta Results

Agenda for this presentation is Exhaust options to reduce the launch numbers from 3 to 2: (1) Mass Reduction of Max-C Rover, ACO Orbiter, and or ACO ERS (2) Eliminate Max-C Rover (3) Launch vehicle options (4) Solar Sail for all interplanetary propulsion, chemical for maneuvering Goal would be to: (1) Brainstorm any other alternatives we have not considered (2) Eliminate any of the options listed above (3) Go forward with a possible viable option that is identified.
Mining Social and Urban Big Data

In recent years, with the rapid development of positioning technologies, online social networks, sensors and smart devices, large scale human behavioral data are now readily available. The growing availability of such behavioral data provides us unprecedented opportunities to gain more in depth understanding of users in both the physical world and cyber world, especially in online social networks. In this talk, I will introduce our recent research efforts in social and urban mining based on large-scale human behavioral datasets showcased by two projects: 1) LifeSpec: Modeling the spectrum of urban lifestyles based on heterogeneous online social network data. 2) L2P: Inferring demographic attributes from location check-ins.
The Role of the Chief Executive in Domestic Administration

Written for an international working paper conference on administrative law, this paper sets the Supreme Court's decision in Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in the context of general American concerns about the place of the President in domestic administration, a recurring theme in my writings.
Adsorption of Freon 113: I. Comparison of the adsorption of krypton and 1,1,2 trichloro-1,2,2 trifluoroethane on graphitized carbon black

Comparative adsorption data for Freon 113 (1,1,2 trichloro-1,2,2 trifluoroethane) and krypton on Graphon, presented in the preceding paper, showed that the adsorption behavior for krypton, measured at 104–120 K, and Freon 113, measured at 250–370 K, were very similar over the entire pressure range studied. The Freon 113 molecule was shown to adsorb with approximately 2.5 times the molecular area of krypton and to orient with its dipole axis perpendicular to the Graphon surface. Additional adsorption data gathered here indicate that the similar inert behavior of krypton and Freon 113 is also shown on heterogeneous energetic surfaces — anatase, silicon and water covered silica. Surface pressures (π) calculated for Freon 113 on surfaces exhibiting low heats of adsorption are approximately equal to the liquid surface tension, while for surfaces with high heats of adsorption, π can be twice as large.
Spectroscopic ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy studies of RF sputtered Cd/sub 1-x/Mn/sub x/Te films

Automatic spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) with a 0.75 - 6.5 eV photon energy range was used together with atomic force microscopy to investigate surface optical and structural characteristics of as-deposited, annealed, and chloride treated Cd/sub 1-x/Mn/sub x/Te thin films. The E/sub 1/, E/sub 1/ + /spl Delta//sub 1/, and E/sub 2/ critical-point structures were clearly observed in the SE data for as-deposited samples. The variation of the pseudodielectric function for as-deposited samples was observed under different surface preparation and measurement conditions by in situ SE. The AFM images of the corresponding as-deposited samples revealed variations in surface morphology that were consistent with the SE results. For chloride treated samples, the pseudodielectric function was much different from that of as-deposited samples. This difference was due not only to oxidation of the surface, but also to a disruptive change of the bulk film under such annealing conditions.
Christianity and Islam: Conversion in India

The study of India is a very rich field, not least because of the religious diversity present in India. India has not only exported Buddhism to the rest of Asia but has also received religious traditions from the West (of India), notably Christianity – in the first century AD – and Islam – in the eighth century AD. How do scholars explain this importation of foreign religion? Some argue that ‘religion’ is an anachronistic term to use in the study of India, as Indian languages generally lack a word for ‘religion’, with the closest term, dharma, meaning ‘way of life’ rather than ‘religion’. If this is so, then how can we understand Indians who converted to monotheistic faiths that claim universal truth when we cannot even say for sure from what they ‘converted’? Not all of these questions have answers, but this article will explore the historiography of conversion to Christianity and Islam in India to try to get a sense of what the scholarly community has to say about conversion in India and also to see what this same group conspicuously chooses to ignore. It will focus on Christianity and will explore Islam to the extent that the comparison can further elucidate an understanding of Christianity in India.
Multimillionaire Matchmaker: An Inside Look at CEO Succession Planning

This case takes an inside look at CEO succession planning at Energy Corp. The case provides an overview of various models of succession planning, including external search, COO appointment, a horse race, and the inside-outside model. The case then outlines the process by which Energy Corp chooses to identify a successor. Readers of the case are expected to evaluate Energy Corp’s effectiveness, and discuss the various risks of succession planning and how they can be mitigated. Learning objective: To evaluate CEO succession planning and identify transition risks from the standpoint of the board of directors.
Visualization techniques in collaborative domain-specific modeling environment

Contemporary engineering information system designs are generally interdisciplinary and exceedingly complex. As a result, managing and understanding these systems collaboratively poses unnecessary challenges to end users. In this research, we studied and developed visualization and collaboration techniques to facilitate comprehension and management of engineering information systems with great complexity. Existing commercial and research visualization developments only address applications in specific domains. This paper introduces two techniques applicable to large-scale models across various domains and integrated within a web-based modeling platform, WebGME. The techniques presented are 1) domain-specific visualization that allows representation of components in each domain with conventional or meaningful icons, and 2) model connectivity abstraction that allows domain independent, context-aware abstraction of model connections.
Dynamic file organizations for partial match retrieval based on linear hashing

Two new file organizations based on Linear Hashing are proposed for partial match retrieval. The first organization introduces a load-balancing scheme whereby overflow records are stored temporarily in other primary buckets so that the allocation of overflow buckets are deferred. The second organization defers the physical splitting of underflow buckets, so that the records belonging to underflow buckets can be retrieved together. These two techniques are then combined together to form a new variation of Linear Hashing. Compared with the original scheme, the performance of these organizations for partial match retrieval are improved, both in terms of storage utilization and retrieval time.
Perturbation Theory for Classical Hamiltonian Systems

the relation between the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser theory of the non resonant motions in nearly integrable Hamiltonian systems and the renormalization group methods is pointed out. It is followed by a very detailed proof of a version of the KAM theorem based on dimensional estimates (in which no attention is paid to obtaining best constants).
Abstract 5: Role of Contralesional Hemisphere during Paretic Hand Movement Differs Based on Level of Motor Impairment

Introduction: Paretic hand movements after stroke often correspond to activation in both the ipsilesional and contralesional hemispheres. Changes in intra- and interhemispheric connectivity have been reported but most studies have focused on individuals with limited motor impairment. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine connectivity between motor regions during paretic hand movement in a population with a range of motor impairment after stroke. Methods: Seventeen right-hand dominant individuals with hemispheric stroke (age 58.7±13.9; UE FM 34.3±12.3; days post-stroke 154.6±101.8) underwent functional MRI during paretic hand grasp/release. Data were extracted from 4 regions of interest (ROI) bilaterally: M1, dorsal premotor (PMd), supplementary motor (SMA), and visual association cortices. No participant had lesions in these cortical areas. These ROIs were included in a DCM analysis that focused on intrinsic connectivity during hand movement. Bayesian model selection was used to determine the optimal model from a set of bilateral (B), ipsilesional (IL), and contralesional (CL) models; Bayesian model averaging was used to extract coupling parameters across models. Results: Overall, individuals activated a bilateral network of motor regions during movement that included M1, PMd, SMA, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. There was variability between subjects as to the model that best fit the data: B for 3 subjects, IL for 6 subjects, and CL for 8 subjects. These three groups differed significantly in median UEFM scores ( p =0.021; B=50, IL=34, CL=22) and number of blocks moved with the paretic hand in the Box & Blocks ( p =0.03; B=35, IL=8, CL=0). Additionally, the direction and magnitude of M1-M1 coupling differed between the groups ( p <0.016): CL M1 had a facilitatory influence on IL M1 in the B group (median=0.112) and CL group (0.469) but an inhibitory influence in the IL group (-0.524). Conclusions: Connectivity analysis revealed that the CL hemisphere plays a facilitatory role in some individuals and an inhibitory role in others that is related to level of motor impairment. Such variability in the role of the CL may have an impact on response to interventions aimed at altering communication between hemispheres during movement.
Learning from caries-free children in a high-caries American Indian population.

Objective: We aimed to identify salutogenic patterns of parental knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that may support resistance to early childhood caries (ECC) among a high caries population of preschool American Indian (AI) children. Method: Participants were 981 child–parent dyads living on a Southwestern reservation who completed baseline assessments for an ongoing randomized clinical trial. T-tests were used to assess differences between reported knowledge, behaviors, and beliefs of parents whose children were caries-free (10.7 percent) and those whose children had caries (89.3 percent). Chi-square analyses were used for categorical variables. Results: Although there were no socio-demographic differences, parents of cariesfree children viewed oral health as more important and reported more oral health knowledge and adherence to caries-preventing behaviors for their children. Parents of caries-free children were more likely to have higher internal locus of control, to perceive their children as less susceptible to caries, and to perceive fewer barriers to prevention. These parents also had higher sense of coherence scores and reported lower levels of personal distress and community-related stress. Conclusions: Effective interventions for ECC prevention in high-caries AI populations may benefit from approaches that support and model naturally salutogenic behaviors.
Abstract 8: Modulation of Cytochrome c Oxidase Activity with Specific Infrared Light Wave Lengths: Noninvasive Therapy for Reperfusion Injury

Reperfusion injury plays a major role in multiple pathologies by inducing generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at high mitochondrial membrane potentials (ΔΨ m ). Traditional attempts to scavenge ROS have failed, due to inherent difficulties in sub-cellular delivery within the early minutes of reflow. Accordingly, we developed a non-pharmacologic therapy that targets cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) using infrared light (IRL), and discovered 4 specific IRL wavelengths that reversibly reduce the activity of CcO. We propose that these wavelengths will stabilize ΔΨ m during reperfusion and, thus, provide a non-invasive strategy to attenuate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Methods and Results: In Protocol 1 , we tested this hypothesis in cell culture. All 4 IRL wavelengths that reduce CcO activity: i) decreased mitochondrial respiratory rate (n=5; p m in a switch-like manner (n=3; p in situ (n=5; p Protocol 2 , we evaluated the neuroprotective effect of the 4 candidate wavelengths in the in vivo rat model of global brain ischemia. All possible wavelength combinations were evaluated using a randomized and blinded study design (15 treatments; n = 8-12/group; total n=153,). At 14 days post-reperfusion, untreated controls demonstrated an 88% loss of neurons in the CA1 hippocampus. Strikingly, all 15 IRL combinations were protective, with neuronal loss ranging from only 11% (best treatment) to 58%: all p-values vs control. The neurologic protection in IRL treated rats was accompanied by preservation of neurologic function, as demonstrated by a 40% improvement in spatial learning deficits (n = 10/group, p Protocol 3 ) we developed a prototype capable of delivering the 4 candidate IRL wavelengths to deep structures of the pig brain with no detectable increase in scalp or brain temperature (ΔT Conclusion: Non-invasive reduction of CcO activity with specific IRL wavelengths is profoundly neuroprotective.
WE-G-303-02: Gold Nanoparticles as Radiosensitizers - What Does It Take To Go From the Bench to the Bedside?

Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in applying nanotechnology to cancer detection, treatment, and treatment monitoring. Advances in nanotechnology have enabled the fabrication of nanoparticles from various materials with different shapes and sizes. Nanoparticles can be accumulated preferentially within tumors by either “passive targeting” through a phenomenon typically known as “enhanced permeability and retention” or “active targeting” in which nanoparticles are conjugated with antibodies or peptides directed against tumor and/or stromal markers. The tumor specificity of nanoparticles in conjunction with their unique physicochemical properties offers many novel strategies for cancer treatment and detection. For example, notable approaches in the radiation oncology setting include the use of gold nanoparticles for radiation response modulation of tumor or normal tissue and thermal ablation or hyperthermia treatment of tumors. Some of these approaches are currently being tested either on humans or on animals and, very likely, will become the clinical reality in the near future. Various computational and experimental techniques have also been applied to address unique research issues associated with nanoparticles and may become the standard tools for future investigations and clinical translations. Therefore, both clinicians and researchers may need to be properly educated about the basic principles as well as the promise of nanoparticle-based applications with regard to the future of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. This symposium will familiarize the audience with the potential applications of nanoparticles in oncologic imaging and therapy using specific illustrative examples. The audience will be properly oriented by these illustrative examples to the multiple avenues for collaborative research amongst interdisciplinary teams of physicists, clinicians, engineers, chemists, and biologists in industry and academia. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the physical bases of gold nanoparticle applications for radiosensitization and x-ray fluorescence imaging 2. Understand the parameters that define gold nanoparticle-mediated radiosensitization in biological systems 3. Understand the potential of magnetic nanoparticle characterization of the microenvironment 4. Understand the various strategies for radiolabeling of nanoparticles and their applications S.C. and S.K. acknowledge support from MD Anderson Cancer Center, NIH (R01CA155446 and P30CA16672) and DoD (W81XWH-12-1-0198); J.W. acknowledges support from NIH (U54CA151662-01); W.C. acknowledges support from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, NIH (R01CA169365, P30CA014520, and T32CA009206), DoD (W81XWH-11-1-0644 and W81XWH-11-1-0648), and ACS (125246-RSG-13-099-01-CCE).
SCATTERING BY FINITE OBJECTS IN COMPRESSIBLE PLASMA.

The problem of scattering by finite objects in the compressible electron gas in the absence of the d.c. magnetic field is studied from the classical viewpoint. Using a set of linearized plasma equations, the vector field is decomposed into three components, each of which is represented by a scalar potential function. The general solution of the problem is constructed in a straightforward manner. As an illustration, particular attention is paid to the problem of scattering by a plasma column. The general condition for natural oscillations and various scattering formulas are derived. From the general expression, the following types of coupling are exhibited: i) the coupling between the transversetype oscillations and the longitudinal-type oscillations, and ii) the coupling between the translational invariant modes and the angularly symmetric modes. Various limiting cases are discussed, and the problem of scattering by conducting cylinders is studied by introducing a conductivity coefficientσ for the plasma column. It is shown that simplified results can be obtained by taking the limitσ → ∞.
Interstellar Magnetic Fields

Methods to observe magnetic fields are considered. Next, results for external galaxies are reviewed; I conclude that most results are questionable. Next, the Galactic field is reviewed. The large-scale field decreases slowly with Galactic radius and z, and has a strength ~ 4 µG near the Sun. It is a roughly circular field, which may reverse one or more times inside the Solar circle. The local value of the uniform component is ≳1.6 µG. The Galactic field is not uniform. A few ‘magnetic bubbles’ of diameter ~ 100 pc stand out quite prominently, and statistical analyses show that the nonuniform component of the field is at least as strong as the uniform component. Finally, observations of the field on small scales are reviewed. There is no evidence for an increase in field strength with volume density for densities ≲ 100 cm-3, except behind interstellar shocks and near some dark clouds and star-forming regions. For larger densities the data are consistent with the field increasing as a fairly weak power of the volume density. The field is often morphologically related to the interstellar gas — e.g. parallel or perpendicular to filaments, and systematically oriented in large shells. This can also be true on smaller scales; for example, bipolar flows tend to be aligned with the large-scale, ambient magnetic field.
QUASI-TWO-DIMENSIONAL NEARLY-INCOMPRESSIBLE SOLAR WIND FLUCTUATIONS

We explore the possibility that solar wind fluctuations (apart from large-scale compressive structures and shock waves) constitute a nearly-incompressible quasi-two-dimensional MHD fluid consisting of both classical transverse Alfvenic fluctuations with wave vectors predominantly parallel to the mean magnetic field and quasi-two-dimensional fluctuations with wave vectors primarily transverse to both the mean field and the fluctuations. For this second group, the direction of minimum variance lies along the mean magnetic field, density fluctuations are small and anticorrelated with | B |, and pitch-angle scattering of solar cosmic rays is suppressed.
On Balancing Acidic and Basic Reduction/Oxidation Reactions with a Calculator

Balancing chemical equations is a fundamental skill every chemist—from novice to professional—must have. In this report we present a calculator-based, linear algebraic method that balances even the most rigorous acidic and basic conditioned redox equations in an expeditious manner.
Implementing Cost-Effective Assistive Computer Technology by Jane Vincent

How-to-do-it manuals for librarians are simply the best way to get started on any project and this one is no exception. Launching a project to provide assistive computer technology to the special n...
Production of molten UO/sub 2/ pools by internal heating: apparatus and preliminary experimental heat transfer results

The capability for removal of heat from a pool of molten fuel under postaccident conditions is an important consideration in liquid-metal fast breeder reactor safety analysis. No experimental data for pool heat transfer from molten UO/sub 2/ under conditions simulating internal heat generation by fission product decay have been reported previously in the literature. An apparatus to provide such data was developed and used to investigate heat transfer from pools containing up to 7.5 kg of UO/sub 2/; the internal heat generation rates and pool depths attained cover most of the ranges of interest for postaccident heat removal analysis. It was also observed in these studies that the presence of simulated fission products corresponding to approximately 150,000 kW-day/kg burnup had no significant effect on the observed heat transfer.
The HIV vaccine saga

The development of a vaccine that can prevent infection by the Human immunodeficiency virus or prevent the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome has remained elusive despite 20 years of scientific effort. This "Commentary" analyzes the reasons that the development of a vaccine has been so difficult, and proposes a plan to work towards an immunological approach to investigate the best vaccine candidates in the first world in individuals who are already infected, before taking the most promising vaccines to the developing world to attempt to prevent infection and disease. SAGA: (Old Norse) "a long, continued heroic story that is action-packed, but not especially romantic, and that is historical or legendary or both".
Association between physicians’ beliefs and the option of comfort care for critically ill patients

Purpose For critically ill patients at high risk of death, reasonable treatment options include attempts at life prolongation and treatment focused on comfort. Little is known about whether and how physicians present the option of comfort care to surrogates. This study assessed how comfort care is presented to surrogates and whether physicians’ beliefs are associated with whether comfort care is presented as an option.
Microclimatic variation within sleeve cages used in ecological studies.

ABSTRACT. Sleeve cages for enclosing or excluding arthropods are essential components of field studies evaluating trophic interactions. Microclimatic variation in sleeve cages was evaluated to characterize its potential effects on subsequent long-term experiments. Two sleeve cage materials, polyester and nylon, and two cage sizes, 400 and 6000 cm2, were tested on eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere. Temperature and relative humidity inside and outside cages, and the cost and durability of the cage materials, were compared. Long-term effects of the sleeve cages were observed by measuring new growth on T. canadensis branches. The ultimate goal was to identify a material that minimizes bag-induced microclimatic variation. Bagged branches whose microclimates mimic those of surrounding unbagged branches should have minimal effects on plant growth and may prove ideal venues for assessing herbivore and predator behavior under natural conditions. No differences were found in temperature or humidity be...
Design and implementation of transducer for ARM-TMS communication

Communication between components, with different interface protocols, requires an extra component that must translate one protocol to another. This component is referred to as a transducer. In this paper we describe the design and implementation of a transducer between AMBA bus and TMS DSP bus. The transducer allows system designers to send data from AMBA compliant components to TMS compliant ones, and vice versa. The transducer was modeled in Verilog and implemented on Xilinx VirtexII FPGA board.
Synthesis and anti-HIV activity of poly(cysteic acid)

Abstract Poly(cysteic acid) was synthesized and found to inhibit the cytopathic effect of HIV-1 in CEM cell cultures at concentrations that were not cytotoxic to uninfected CEM cells.
Measurement of Atherosclerotic Carotid Plaque Size In Vivo Using High Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background—Current imaging modalities, such as contrast angiography, accurately determine the degree of luminal narrowing but provide no direct information on plaque size. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, has potential for noninvasively determining arterial wall area (WA). This study was conducted to determine the accuracy of in vivo MRI for measuring the cross-sectional maximum wall area (MaxWA) of atherosclerotic carotid arteries in a group of patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Methods and Results—Fourteen patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy underwent preoperative carotid MRI using a custom-made phased-array coil. The plaques were excised en bloc and scanned using similar imaging parameters. MaxWA measurements from the ex vivo MRI were used as the reference standard and compared with MaxWA measurements from the corresponding in vivo MR study. Agreement between the in vivo and ex vivo measurement was analyzed using the Bland-Altman method. The paired in vivo and ex vivo MaxWA...
Computer Aided Synthesis of Rational Motion Under Kinematic Constraints of Spatial SS Open Chains

In this paper, we study the problem of rational motion interpolation under kinematic constraints of spatial SS open chains. The objective is to synthesize a smooth rational motion that interpolates a given set of end effector positions and satisfies the kinematic constraints imposed by spatial SS open chains. The kinematic constraints under consideration define a constraint manifold representing all the positions available to the end effector. By choosing dual quaternion representation for the displacement of the end effector, the problem is reduced to designing a smooth curve in the space of dual quaternions that is constrained to lie inside the constraint manifold of the spatial SS open chain. An iterative numerical algorithm is presented that solves this problem effectively. The results presented in this paper are extension of our previous work on the synthesis of piecewise rational planar and spherical motions for open and closed chains under kinematic constraints.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Dynamic modeling of the sedimentation of concentrated bidispersed suspensions

Abstract A model based on the principle of continuity and the assumption that sedimentation results in a stratification of particles was proposed to describe the sedimentation of concentrated bidispersed suspensions. Using the slip velocity correlation of Fessas and Weiland (1984) the predicted movement of the settling interfaces was in good agreement with experiments. The model also predicted increases in concentrations of the monodispersed suspensions formed from the settling of suspensions consisting of heavy and buoyant particles when sedimentation was enhanced by the convective fingering effect.
Synthesising cluster operators

Abstract Let Γi ⊂ Rm denote pattern classes with means γi and covariances Ri, i = 1, …, l respectively. The set {ψi} ⊂ Rk denotes signatures for the pattern classes. A function f : Rm → Rk is said to be a cluster function provided (i) f (γi) = ψi, i = 1, …, l and (ii) f minimizes a dispersion functional. This paper develops a complete theory for realization of polynomic cluster functions, including the linear case.
Distributional Implications of Replacing the Federal Fuel Tax with Per Mile User Charges

Policy makers have begun to consider replacing state and federal fuel taxes with per mile user charges that would be more financially sustainable. The distributional implications of this change in tax policy are uncertain and raise equity concerns. This study uses data from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey to evaluate the distributional implications of replacing the per-gallon federal fuel tax with an equivalent flatrate vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee of 0.98 cent per mile. The analysis indicates that VMT fees will be less regressive than fuel taxes by shifting the burden of taxation from low-income households to high-income households. The results provide new insight on the transportation tax burdens of households at different stages of life and suggest that a VMT fee would shift the tax burden from retired households to younger households with children. Consistent with previous research, VMT fees are shown to shift the tax burden from rural households to urban households. These findings chall...
Semiclassical theory of optical rotation. Application of a closed form solution of the optical activity problem

Abstract A previously derived closed form solution to the problem of an atom interacting with an externally supplied classical circularly-polarized electromagnetic field is extended to the case of a freely rotating molecule. It is shown how the conventional Rosenfeld expression for the optical rotation parameter may be derived from the present formalism.
Bulk wind estimation and prediction for adaptive optics control systems

We present a wind-predictive controller for astronomical adaptive optics (AO) systems that is able to predict the motion of a single windblown layer in the presence of other, more slowly varying phase aberrations. This controller relies on fast, gradient-based optical flow estimation to identify the velocity of the translating layer and a recursive mean estimator to account for turbulence that varies on a time scale much slower than the operating speed of the AO loop. We derive the Cramer–Rao lower bound for the wind estimation problem and show that the proposed estimator is very close to achieving theoretical minimum-variance performance. We also present simulations using on-sky data that show significant Strehl increases from using this controller in realistic atmospheric conditions.
State reduction in quantum mechanics: A calculational example

Abstract The question is posed as to the role of the state reduction hypothesis in the passage of a molecular beam through a Stern-Gerlach apparatus of the ordinary sort, and of the sort proposed by Wigner, in which the beam is rejoined at the end of the apparatus. The effect of the magnetic field is calculated, as is the effect of a “detector” atom placed asymmetrically in the apparatus, and sensitive to the passage of the molecular beam nearby. It is shown that in the absence of the detector atom the rejoined beam is represented by a pure case density matrix. However, when the detector is present in one arm of our Stern-Gerlach apparatus, the beam is found to be in a statistical mixture approximating “reduction”, even if we never “look” at the detector atom. It is also seen that the beam density matrix is reduced to diagonal form even though it is not physically affected by the detector.
On the latitudinal extent of chorus emissions as observed by the Polar Plasma Wave Instrument

[1] The statistical distribution of chorus wave power in the off-equatorial region is evaluated using data from the Plasma Wave Instrument (PWI) Sweep Frequency Receiver (SFR) on board the Polar spacecraft. Maps of average wave power in the meridional plane divided into four local time sectors are presented. The geomagnetic dependence of wave power is examined, and substorm activity and enhanced solar wind speed result in distinctly different wave distributions. The maximum latitudinal extent of chorus as a function of latitude and L* is estimated within the orbit constraints of the spacecraft, and on the basis of this the corresponding minimum resonant energy for first-order relativistic cyclotron resonance is calculated using a realistic magnetic field model.
Functional analysis of attention-related unit activity in the reticular formation of the monkey

One hundred ninety-seven units were recorded in the brain stem reticular formation of the rhesus monkey during performance on a fixed foreperiod go-no go task. Phasic unit activity related to the cue stimuli (referred to as type II) was described previously in this region by Pragay et al. (25). Type II units can be differentiated into two subgroups based on the presence or absence of anticipatory activity in the prestimulus interval. We found that the responses of the type II units to the cue stimuli were smaller and more variable when the stimuli were presented passively in a nonperformance condition, which suggests that type II activity in the reticular formation is related to stimulus relevance. The anticipatory type II units also were studied in relation to a set to be ready to receive a relevant stimulus (preparatory attention). Preparatory sets developed easily in disjunctive fixed-interval tasks and are thought to be mediated by the reticular formation. Our results are consistent with the possibility that the anticipatory type II units play a role in directing attention to a stimulus in time.
Specification-based sketching with Sketch

We introduce a new tool employing the sketching synthesis technique in programs annotated with declarative contracts. While Sketch, the original sketching tool, reasons entirely on imperative code, Sketch# works on top of the full-fledged specification language Spec#. In such a language, high-level specifications in the form of pre- and postconditions annotate code, which can be formally verified using decision procedures. But once a given method's implementation is verified, there is no need to look inside its body again. An invocation of the method elsewhere simply implies its specified postcondition. The approach widens the scalability of the sketching technique, as reasoning can be done in a modular manner when specifications accompany implementations.This paper describes our implementation of Sketch# on top of Spec# and its program verifier Boogie. We also recount our experience applying the tool to aid optimistic parallel execution frameworks, where we used it to discover and verify operation inverses, commutativity conditions, and operational transformations for several data structures.