cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Goal Programming for Supply Chain Optimization with Insufficient Capacity

This article presents three different approaches to modeling and solving the classic transportation-location problem including the traditional cost-minimization mixed integer linear program. It is shown that modeling these problems as a profit maximization mixed integer program instead allows for the relaxation of a set of constraints. An alternative multi-objective optimization model using goal programming is also presented. A representative model of the fluid milk supply chain in the U.S. is developed to demonstrate the scenarios and solutions achieved by the three different models to conclude that the multi-objective model is a robust approach to solve these optimization problems even when there is only a single explicit objective.
Deep Vadose Zone Contaminant Flux Evaluation at the Hanford BY-Cribs Site Using Forward and Imposed Concentration Modeling Approaches

For sites with vadose zone contamination, the nature and extent of groundwater contaminant plumes are related to the flux into groundwater. In thick vadose zones at arid sites, transport is likely relative slow, complicating direct measurement of contaminant flux. A predictive numerical analysis was applied to estimate contaminant flux to groundwater at the Hanford BY Cribs site. The site received large amounts of waste water in the 1950’s, containing contaminants such as technetium-99 and nitrate. Recently, large increases in groundwater concentrations have been observed in site groundwater wells and, for potential remediation purposes, vadose zone fluxes into groundwater needed to be evaluated. The analysis approach uses forward simulations, tracking contaminants during and after disposal, and imposed concentration (IC) simulations, where concentrations, derived from electrical conductivity data obtained in 2007, are imposed on the flow field. A total of three IC methods, relating electrical conductivity to nitrate concentrations, are developed and tested. The numerical analysis predicts high fluxes during and directly after disposal, with decreasing trends beginning in 1970. The IC simulations also show declining nitrate fluxes over time. The predicted fluxes of the forward and IC simulations after 2007 are in reasonable agreement. The observed concentration increases in the groundwater below the BY Cribs site cannot be explained by an increase in contaminant flux from the vadose zone. An alternative explanation, based on the observed decrease in aquifer thickness below the site, is presented.
Applications of refractory metals

A summary of the Technical Conference on Applied Aspects of Refractory Metals, which was sponsored by the Refractory Metals Committee of the Institute of Metals Division of The Metallurgical Society, and was held in Los Angeles on Dec. 9–10, 1963.
Assessing the impact of the emerging discipline of information technology on computing curricula: some experiences

Information technology (IT) has recently emerged as a separate academic discipline. This new discipline is related to, although distinct from, existing computing programs such as computer science and information systems. Given this relationship, it is not surprising that the driving factors that have energized the IT discipline have had an impact on these existing computing programs as well. In [1] we reported some experiences at three institutions that illustrated some ways the new IT discipline has in fact influenced computing curricular choices. These curricular choices include modifications to a traditional computer science program, introduction of a new major in IT within a computer science department, and the creation of a new School of IT. In this paper, we provide some preliminary assessment of the impacts of several of these choices, looking both at how the implemented changes have been received and investigating new developments arising from them.
Unprecedented rates of land-use transformation in modelled climate change mitigation pathways

Integrated assessment models generate climate change mitigation scenarios consistent with global temperature targets. To limit warming to 2 °C, cost-effective mitigation pathways rely on extensive deployments of CO2 removal (CDR) technologies, including multi-gigatonne yearly CDR from the atmosphere through bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and afforestation/reforestation. While these assumed CDR deployments keep ambitious temperature targets in reach, the associated rates of land-use transformation have not been evaluated. Here, we view implied integrated-assessment-model land-use conversion rates within a historical context. In scenarios with a likely chance of limiting warming to 2 °C in 2100, the rate of energy cropland expansion supporting BECCS proceeds at a median rate of 8.8 Mha yr −1 and 8.4% yr −1 . This rate exceeds—by more than threefold—the observed expansion of soybean, the most rapidly expanding commodity crop. In some cases, mitigation scenarios include abrupt reversal of deforestation, paired with massive afforestation/reforestation. Historical land-use transformation rates do not represent an upper bound for future transformation rates. However, their stark contrast with modelled BECCS deployment rates implies challenges to explore in harnessing—or presuming the ready availability of—large-scale biomass-based CDR in the decades ahead. Reducing BECCS deployment to remain within these historical expansion rates would mean either the 2 °C target is missed or additional mitigation would need to occur elsewhere. Models for preventing climate from warming by more than 2 °C assume implementing land-use change, such as reforestation, to store carbon. This study finds these models assume 8.8 Mha yr−1 more cropland and, in some cases, massive reforestation and even afforestation.
A Case Report of an Isolated Dislocation of the Scaphoid in a Lesser Arc Injury and a Review of the Literature

Isolated dislocations of the scaphoid are extremely uncommon injuries and are often associated with significant ligamentous failures. Since scaphoid dislocations typically present with associated carpal fractures, few cases of isolated dislocations of the scaphoid exist in the literature. The proposed treatment options in the literature range from closed reduction and casting to open reduction and internal fixation. We present the case of a 41-year-old male with an isolated scaphoid dislocation in whom open reduction and internal fixation was performed with K-wires. At five months follow-up, the patient had returned to work and all desired activities.
Characteristics of an attenuated Anaplasma marginale of deer origin as an anaplasmosis vaccine.

A fully virulent fieldAnaplasma marginale isolate, passaged to a splenectomised white tailed deer, lost virulence for cattle after 18 months in the non-bovine host. This attenuatedA. marginale produced a mild response in four 18-month-old Holstein steers characterised by an average 2.4% parasitaemia, a 13% drop in PCV and a positive serological response. All vaccinated steers were immune to challenge with a fully virulent, heterologousA. marginale when compared with non-vaccinated controls.
Applying McIntyre v. Ohio ElectionsCommission to Anonymous Speechon the Internet and the Discoveryof John Doe's Identity

I. Introduction Statements posted on a Yahoo! financial board1 speak negatively of Corporation X.2 For example, a recommendation that employees of Corporation X leave the company appears on the board. Another posted comment speaks of altered financial reports and the company's lack of future prospects, then concludes that the stock of Corporation X is not a competitive buy. An additional commentator claims that Corporation X advertises and markets products that do not exist. Corporation X believes that it has just been "cybersmeared."3 Corporation X observes a decline in its stock value that coincides with the dates of the alleged cybersmears described above and wants compensation for this harm. Based on the text of the posted statements, the company could sue for defamation or possible breach of employment contract.4 If Corporation X decides to initiate legal proceedings, it will encounter an initial obstacle before it can pursue litigation: similar to much Internet speech, the comments at issue are pseudonymous;5 thus, the identities of the sements' authors are unknown. This complication makes it difficult if not impossible, for the company to proceed in court and obtain relief.6 Without knowledge of the Internet posters' identities, Corporation X's options are limited. As an alternative to legal proceedings, Corporation X could post a reply to the negative statements on the financial board, although doubts of authenticity may compromise the statement's reliability.7 Corporation X instead may hold a press conference in order to explain that the false and negative comments are untrue.8 Corporation X could also request that the financial board operator remove the negative statements.9 This, however, does not prevent the offending author from posting additional negative comments on the same financial board or on another message board.10 Faced with these limited options, CorporationXmay opt to proceed in court against "John Doe." Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes John Doe's Internet service provider (ISP)11 and the financial board's host website from liability for information posted on their websites.12 As a result, Corporation Xcan only hope to obtain a damages award from the thus far unidentified parties.13 After filing a lawsuit, a cybersmear victim such as Corporation X might seek an expedited discovery order to facilitate its efforts at uncovering John Doe's identity.14 Expedited discovery orders allow for limited discovery prior to the formal discovery period; these orders demand production of documents that could uncover the identity of an Internet poster from a message board host or an ISP.15 Courts issue such orders as an attempt to aid efforts to serve complaints on John Doe defendants.16 Some courts have granted expedited discovery requests in the cybersmear context.17 However, opponents fervently dispute the propriety of these orders. The primary challenge to expedited discovery is based on the First Amendment. …
A reply to Thomas Stossel on the AMA-CEJA draft report.

In his commentary on the recently released Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, American Medical Association (AMA-CEJA) draft report on industry support for professional education, Dr. Stossel raises several issues worthy of comment[1]: The risk-benefit ratio of commerce in medicine The definition of “professionalism” and its relation to commerce The nature and management of conflict of interest in medicine Risk-Benefit Ratio In the present commentary as well as in previous work,[2,3] Dr. Stossel has generally expressed surprise and dismay that anyone could imagine that commercial influence in medicine has had any negative consequences. From his vantage point, commerce is an unalloyed good. No physician today can manufacture drugs the way our forebears could go off into the woods and collect baskets of herbs. Without commerce, the treatments that prolong lives and improve health today would be impossible. Dr. Stossel has suggested that those of us unable to perceive this obvious truth must be blinded by the envy of our colleagues who have invented useful new treatments, collected royalties and other due rewards, and therefore are richer than we are.[3] Dr. Stossel accuses his interlocutors of selective review of the evidence and of citing only those sources that agree with their biases. Dr. Stossel notes that his opponents often cite books, and that is because it usually requires a book-length analysis to discuss all the evidence in any detail.[4–8] My own impression is that on balance, those arguing against the dangers of commercial influence in medicine are more nuanced and balanced in the evidence that they address. None of them are luddites wishing to sever all ties between medicine and industry, and none deny that industry today produces many useful drugs and devices. By contrast, Dr. Stossel seldom cites evidence such as that provided by Turner and colleagues,[9] showing a systematic bias in the way that trials of newer antidepressants have been reported in the published literature, to such a serious extent that any recommendation to use these drugs routinely in the management of depression must be called into question. If one were only to read Dr. Stossel's papers, incidents like the concealment of the cardiovascular risks of rofecoxib (Vioxx) never occurred, or else they are the work of a small number of bad apples rather than the routine way today's pharmaceutical industry appears to do business.[7]
Use of computational fluid dynamics to develop improved one-dimensional thermodynamic analyses of refrigerant screw compressors

This paper illustrates the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze selected features of a refrigeration screw compressor. Specifically, we consider leakage flows between the housing and the tips of the male rotor and through the blowhole, a leak path formed by the two rotors and the housings together. In addition to revealing the nature of the flows in these leak paths, this study provided data for the development of simplified leakage models that can be used in an existing one-dimensional thermodynamic simulation.
Affinity of Hyperammonia-Producing Bacteria To Produce Bioammonium/Ammonia Utilizing Five Organic Nitrogen Substrates for Potential Use as an Organic Liquid Fertilizer.

This research was conducted to create a plant-available nitrogen nutrient solution utilizing ruminant bacteria for ultimate use as a liquid nitrogen fertilizer for precision fertigation of vegetable crops. Three hyperammonia-producing ruminant bacteria, Clostridium aminophilum, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, and Clostridium sticklandii, were cultured anaerobically using five different organic nitrogen substrates to determine their efficiency in producing bioammonium/ammonia (BAA), a term defined here as a biologically produced solution containing both ammonium and ammonia. These bacteria were chosen because of their ability to produce ammonium at rates not experienced by any other bacteria. The five substrates were soy protein isolate (SPI), blood meal, feather meal, dried fish, and yeast extract (Y) used alone and in combination with Y. C. aminophilum and SPI were selected for further experimentation in an attempt to maximize BAA production. These substrates were chosen because they are commonly fed to c...
MEDIA FOR ENUMERATING STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS TREATED WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN MILK1

Summary Several media were compared with plate count agar (PCA) for determining numbers of Staphylococcus aureus 196E (ATCC 13565) surviving hydrogen peroxide-catalase treatment in milk at 54.4 C. Time intervals required for 90, 99, 99.9, and. 99.99% destruction of S. aureus were determined from survivor curves obtained with each medium. Statistical analyses were made of the intervals for 90 and 99.9% destruction. The time required for 99.9% destruction was significantly longer when survivors were enumerated on PCA than when enumeration was made on Staphylococcus medium 110 (SM110), Staphylococcus medium 110-Egg Yolk agar (SM110-Ey), tryptic soy agar, or trypticase soy agar (TSA). SM110-Ey was the only medium which inhibited growth of survivors sufficiently to give significantly shorter time for 90% destruction than PCA. Heart infusion agar (HIA) did not differ significantly from PCA in ability to support growth of survivors.
A Futurist Art of the Past: Anton Giulio Bragaglia’s Photodynamism

The article examines "Un gesto del capo" (A gesture of the head), a 1911 “Photodynamic” picture by Anton Giulio Bragaglia (1890-1960), and discusses its Bergsonian motifs.
Annual survey of organometallic metal cluster chemistry for the year 1999

Abstract The synthetic, mechanistic, and structural chemistry of organometallic metal cluster compounds is reviewed for the year 1999.
Making Judgments About Treatment Effectiveness Based on Health Outcomes: Theoretical and Practical Issues

Article-at-a-Glance Issues This article considers the problem of deciding which health care outcomes are important and relevant for (1) developing management recommendations for clinical practice guidelines and (2) evaluating patients’ responses to treatment. Decisions The Heart Failure Guideline Panel sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) decided that for both purposes the relevant outcomes are those experienced directly by patients: mortality and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Changes in intermediate outcomes, such as test results of various kinds, were deemed insufficient evidence of effectiveness. Conclusions In the context of heart failure, mortality risk (prognosis) can be measured using a variety of biochemical and physiological variables, but changes in these variables do not appear to correspond to changes in prognosis. For this reason, the Heart Failure Guideline Panel recommended that patients’ responses to treatment be guided by signs and symptoms, rather than test results (for example, echocardiographic measurement of left-ventricular function or exercise-tolerance testing). HRQOL is best assessed by direct patient self-reports. Although patients may be influenced by a host of other variables (for example, mood, adaptation to chronic disease, placebo effect), self-reports will probably always represent the “gold standard” in assessing HRQOL. The reliability and validity of these reports can be enhanced by using standardized instruments or by incorporating questions from such instruments into the history-taking aspect of patient evaluation and monitoring. Finally, physical examination and submaximal exereise testing can provide additional information that can supplement patient reports. Information from these sources must be evaluated carefully in light of patients’ self-reported HRQOL.
Factors contributing to racial disparities in influenza vaccinations.

Background Racial/ethnic disparities in rates of influenza vaccinations in the US remain an issue even among those with access, no out-of-pocket costs, and after adjusting for confounders. We used an approach called the Oaxaca-Blinder (OB) decomposition method to ascertain the contribution of covariates individually and in aggregate to the racial disparity in influenza vaccination. Methods We included members > = 18 years of age as of 05/01/2014 with continuous enrollment through 04/30/2015. Influenza vaccination was defined by diagnosis, procedure, or medication codes, or documentation in the immunization table. Characteristics were reported by race. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of vaccination associated with: (1) race; and (2) covariates stratified by race. The Oaxaca-Blinder (OB) method calculated the contribution of covariates to the difference or disparity in vaccination between Blacks and Whites. Results We found that among adults, 44% were vaccinated; 55% were Black; and 45% were White. Black members have 42% lower odds of vaccination than White members. The contribution of the differences in the average value of the study covariates between Black and White members (the OB covariate effect) accounted for 29% of the racial disparity. The contributions to the total White-Black disparity in vaccination included: age (16%), neighborhood median income (11%), and registration on the online patient portal (13%). The contribution of the differences in how the covariates impact vaccination (OB coefficient effect) accounted for 71% of the disparity in vaccination between Blacks and Whites. Conclusion In conclusion, equalizing average covariate values in Blacks and Whites could reduce the racial disparity in influenza vaccination by 29%. For health system vaccine campaigns, improving registration on the patient portal may be a target component of an effective system-level strategy to reduce racial disparities in vaccination. Additional information on patient-centered factors could further improve the value of the OB approach.
The number of equilibrium points of perturbed nonlinear positive dynamical systems

The number of equilibrium points of a dynamical system dictates important qualitative properties, such as the ability of the system to store different memory states, and may be significantly affected by state-dependent perturbations. In this paper, we develop a methodology based on tools from degree theory to determine whether the number of equilibrium points in a positive dynamical system changes due to structured state-dependent perturbations. Positive dynamical systems are particularly well suited to describe biological systems where the states are always positive. We prove two main theorems that utilize the determinant of the system’s Jacobian to find algebraic conditions on the parameters determining whether the number of equilibrium points is guaranteed either to change or to remain the same when a nominal system is compared to its perturbed counterpart. We demonstrate the application of the theoretical results to genetic networks where state-dependent perturbations arise due to disturbances in cellular resources. These disturbances constitute a major problem for predicting the behavior of genetic networks. Our results determine whether such perturbations change a genetic network’s number of steady states. The framework and results presented can be applied to a broad class of nonlinear dynamical systems beyond genetic networks.
Exposure to Secondhand Aerosol From Electronic Cigarettes Among US Youth From 2015 to 2018.

This cross-sectional study examines the associations between secondhand aerosol exposure from electronic cigarettes, susceptibility to tobacco use, and exposure to e-cigarette marketing among never tobacco users.
Are travelers substituting between transportation network companies (TNC) and public buses? A case study in Pittsburgh

Transportation network companies (TNC) provide mobility services that are influencing travel behavior in unknown ways due to limited TNC trip-level data. How they interact with other modes of transportation can have direct societal impacts, prompting appropriate policy intervention. This paper outlines a method to inform such policies through a data-driven approach that specifically analyzes the interaction between TNCs and bus services in Pittsburgh, PA. Uber surge multiplier data is used over a 6-month time period to approximate TNC usage (i.e., demand over supply ratio) for ten predefined points of interest throughout the city. Bus boarding data near each point of interest is used to relate TNC usage. Data from multiple sources (weather, traffic speed data, bus levels of service) are used to control for conditions that influence bus ridership. We find significant changes in bus boardings during periods of unusually high TNC usage at four locations during the evening hours. The remaining six locations observe no significant change in bus boardings. We find that the presence of a dedicated bus way transit station or a nearby university (or dense commercial zones in general) both influence ad-hoc substitutional behavior between TNCs and public transit. We also find that this behavior varies by location and time of day. This finding is significant and important for targeted policies that improve transportation network efficiency.
The Association Between Resident Physician Work-Hour Regulations and Physician Safety and Health.

Abstract Background In 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) instituted a 16-h limit on consecutive hours for first-year resident physicians. We sought to examine the effect of these work-hour regulations on physician safety. Methods All medical students matched to a US residency program from 2002 to 2007 and 2014 to 2017 were invited to participate in prospective cohort studies. Each month participants reported hours of work, extended duration shifts, and adverse safety outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes, percutaneous injuries, and attentional failures. The incidence of each outcome was compared before and after the 2011 ACGME work-hour limit. Hypotheses were tested using generalized linear models adjusted for potential confounders. Results Of all first-year resident physicians nationwide, 13% participated in the study, with 80,266 monthly reports completed by 15,276 first-year resident physicians. Following implementation of the 16-h 2011 ACGME work-hour limit, the mean number of extended duration (≥24-h) shifts per month decreased from 3.9 to 0.2. The risk of motor vehicle crash decreased 24% (relative risk [RR] 0.76; 0.67-0.85), percutaneous injury risk decreased more than 40% (relative risk 0.54; 0.48-0.61), and the rate of attentional failures was reduced 18% (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.82; 0.78-0.86). Extended duration shifts and prolonged weekly work hours were associated with an increased risk of adverse safety outcomes independent of cohort. Conclusions The 2011 ACGME work-hour limit was associated with meaningful improvements in physician safety and health. Surveillance is needed to monitor the ongoing impact of work hours on physician safety, health, and well-being.
Late Paleozoic detrital history of eastern Gondwanaland: petrofacies and detrital geochronology of Permo-Carboniferous intracratonic sequences of the northwest Bengal Basin

Abstract Permo-Carboniferous Gondwanan sequences have been reported from several isolated basins of Peninsular India. These siliciclastic sequences were preserved in several intracratonic basins in northwest Bangladesh. Sandstone petrography, heavy-mineral assemblages, mineral chemistry, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of sediment cores were used in this study to decipher the provenance history of Gondwanan sediments at two localities (Khalashpir and Barapukuria). Petrographic studies suggest that these sequences are mostly immature and poorly sorted arkosic sandstones (Khalashpir-Qt60F27L13, Barapukuria-Qt52F31L17), with compositions ranging from quartzarenite to litharenite. Among lithic fragments, sedimentary types are abundant. Heavy minerals are volumetrically rare and of low diversity in sediments of northwest Bangladesh. Garnet geochemistry indicates that metamorphic grades in the source terranes were of the amphibolite to granulite facies. Laser 40Ar/39Ar ages for single crystals of detrital muscovite from the deepest drilled Gondwanan sequences yielded the broadest age range, with a dominant mode at circa 515 Ma and lesser clusters of ages at circa 550, 570, and 600 Ma. The other two shallower samples are dominated by ages with similar single modes at circa 495–500 Ma. The oldest muscovite crystals may have been derived from the adjacent Indian craton and/or the Meghalayan craton. Younger muscovite crystals may have been contributed from the Pinjarra Orogen, formed during episodes of Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic collision among India, Antarctica, and Australia.
A Divide-and-Conquer Algorithm for Computing Voronoi Diagrams

Identifying the closest of a set of locations typically requires computing the distance to each of these locations, given a current position. However, Voronoi Diagrams precompute the geometric areas that each of these locations is closest to in order to ameliorate the cost of computing distances later on. Problematically, the initial computations required to generate a Voronoi Diagram can be computationally expensive. Naive approaches to generating discretized Voronoi Diagrams require every discretized position to be analyzed with the set of locations. This paper introduces a new algorithm to compute discretized Voronoi Diagrams using a divide-and-conquer approach. Rather than calculate every position, our approach calculates the positions at the four corners of a quadrant. If the corners belong to the same region, there is no need to subdivide this quadrant anymore; but if they are different than the original quadrant is subdivided into smaller quadrants. The process is repeated recursively until the entire diagram has been calculated appropriately.
Towards a Unified Trust Framework for Detecting IoT Device Attacks in Smart Homes

Trust in Smart Home (SH) Internet of Things (IoT) technologies is a primary concern for consumers, which is preventing the widespread adoption of smart home services. Additionally, the variety of IoT devices and cyber attacks make it hard to build a generic attack detection framework for smart home IoT devices. In this paper, we present a roadmap towards building a unified approach towards establishing trust scores as an indicator of the security status of an IoT device in a smart home that works across multiple attacks and device types/protocols. Specifically, we first introduce artificial reasoning inspired evidence collection approach by introducing a small set of factors that are affected significantly if a smart home IoT device is under attack. Thereafter, we propose an explainable trust scoring model that maps the device level evidence into trust scores in a way that produces lower trust scores when devices are under attack. Specifically, the trust model involves an Augmented Bayesian Belief based Model embedded with novel non-linear weighing functions; explicitly designed to account for the severity of the attack, probabilistic discounting of parts of the evidence caused by benign changes, thus explaining our success. For evaluation of the framework, we use two real datasets that contain a variety of actual cyber-attacks and benign traffic from seven different smart home IoT devices. Our evaluation seeks to investigate the generality of our framework across multiple datasets, with various classes of IoT devices and cyber attacks.
Hydrodynamic description of the baryon-charged quark-gluon plasma

One of the primary goals of nuclear physics is studying the phase diagram of Quantum Chromodynamics, where a hypothetical critical point serves as a landmark. A systematic model-data comparison of heavy-ion collisions at center-of-mass energies between 1 and 100 GeV per nucleon is essential for locating the critical point and the phase boundary between the deconfined quark-gluon plasma and the confined hadron resonance gas. At these energies the net baryon density of the system can be high and critical fluctuations can become essential in the presence of the critical point. Simulating their dynamical evolution thus becomes an indispensable part of theoretical modeling. In this thesis we first present the (3+1)-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic code BEShydro, which solves the equations of motion of second-order Denicol-Niemi-Molnar-Rischke theory, including bulk and shear viscous components as well as baryon diffusion current. We then study the effects caused by the baryon diffusion on the longitudinal dynamics and on the phase diagram trajectories of fluid cells at different space-time rapidities of the system, and how they are affected by critical dynamics near the critical point. We finally explore the evolution of non-hydrodynamic slow processes describing long wavelength critical fluctuations near the critical point, by extending the conventional hydrodynamic description by coupling it to additional explicitly evolving slow modes, and their back-reaction to the bulk matter properties.
Toward Optimal Sampling in the Space of Paths

While spatial sampling of points has already received much attention, the motion planning problem can also be viewed as a process which samples the function space of paths. We define a search space to be a set of candidate paths and consider the problem of designing a search space which is most likely to produce a solution given a probabilistic representation of all possible environments. We introduce the concept of relative completeness which is the prior probability, before the environment is specified, of producing a solution path in a bounded amount of computation. We show how this probability is related to the mutual separation of the set of paths searched. The problem of producing an optimal set can be related to the maximum k-facility dispersion problem which is known to be NP-hard. We propose a greedy algorithm for producing a good set of paths and demonstrate that it produces results with both low dispersion and high prior probability of success.
RGSep action inference

We present an automatic verification procedure based on RGSep that is suitable for reasoning about fine-grained concurrent heap-manipulating programs. The procedure computes a set of RGSep actions overapproximating the interference that each thread causes to its concurrent environment. These inferred actions allow us to verify safety, liveness, and functional correctness properties of a collection of practical concurrent algorithms from the literature.
The assessment of adeno-associated vectors as potential intrinsic treatments for brainstem axon regeneration

Background Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated transgene expression is a promising therapeutic to change the intrinsic state of neurons and promote repair after central nervous system injury. Given that numerous transgenes have been identified as potential candidates, the present study demonstrates how to determine whether their expression by AAV has a direct intrinsic effect on axon regeneration. Methods Serotype 2 AAV-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was stereotaxically injected into the brainstem of adult rats, followed by a complete transection of the thoracic spinal cord and Schwann cell (SC) bridge implantation. Results The expression of EGFP in brainstem neurons labeled numerous axons in the thoracic spinal cord and that regenerated into the SC bridge. The number of EGFP-labeled axons rostral to the bridge directly correlated with the number of EGFP-labeled axons that regenerated into the bridge. Animals with a greater number of EGFP-labeled axons rostral to the bridge exhibited an increased percentage of those axons found near the distal end of the bridge compared to animals with a lesser number. This suggested that EGFP may accumulate distally in the axon with time, enabling easier visualization. By labeling brainstem axons with EGFP before injury, numerous axon remnants undergoing Wallerian degeneration may be identified distal to the complete transection up to 6 weeks after injury. Conclusions Serotype 2 AAV-EGFP enabled easy visualization of brainstem axon regeneration. Rigorous models of axonal injury (i.e. complete transection and cell implantation) should be used in combination with AAV-EGFP to directly assess AAV-mediated expression of therapeutic transgenes as intrinsic treatments to improve axonal regeneration. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Myosin isoenzyme transitions in muscle development, maturation, and disease.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an overview of myosin isoenzyme transitions in muscle development, maturation, and disease. Myosin is the major contractile protein found in all muscle cells and is present in most nonmuscle cells as well. Like other ubiquitous proteins, myosin is represented by a multigene family. The diversity of myosins from muscle and nonmuscle cells is quite large. This chapter describes the characterization and regulation of myosin in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles with particular emphasis on the transitions of myosin isoforms that occur during normal development and maturation. Many diseases of muscle can affect myosin composition or interfere with the transitions of myosin isoforms. The molecular structure of most myosins is quite similar, consisting of two globular heads attached to a-helical rodlike tail. The subunit structure of myosin consists of two heavy chains (MHC) of molecular weight 200,000 and 4 mol of light chains of molecular weight 18,000–26,000.
Labor-force Participation Rates of the Population Ages 55 and Older, 2013

This paper examines the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data on labor-force participation among Americans ages 55 and older in 2013, including an analysis of the trends following the economic recession that started in late 2007-early 2008 and the slow recovery thereafter. The labor-force participation rate measures the fraction of individuals within a specific group (in this case those 55 or older) who are working or actively pursuing work. The first section uses annualized data on labor-force participation from the Current Population Survey (CPS), available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. However, these data provide only an overall picture, with few specific demographic details. In order to examine additional demographic trends of the U.S. population, the second section uses data from the March 2013 Supplement to the CPS. The labor-force participation rate for those ages 55 and older rose throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, when it began to level off but with a small increase following the 2007-2008 economic downturn. For those ages 55-64, the upward trend was driven almost exclusively by the increased labor-force participation of women, whereas the male participation rate was flat to declining. However, among those ages 65 or older, the rate increased for both males and females over that period. This upward trend in labor-force participation by older workers is likely related to workers’ current need for continued access to employment-based health insurance and for more years of earnings to accumulate savings in defined contribution (401(k)-type) plans and/or to pay down debt. Many Americans also want to work longer, especially those with more education for whom more meaningful jobs are available that can be performed into older ages. Younger workers’ labor-force participation rates increased when that of older workers declined or remained low during the late 1970s to the early 1990s. But as younger workers’ rates began to decline in the late 1990s, those for older workers continuously increased. Consequently, it appears either that older workers filled the void left by younger workers’ lower participation, or that higher older-worker participation limited the opportunities for younger workers or discouraged them from participating in the labor force. The PDF for the above title, published in the April 2014 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another April 2014 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “Characteristics of the Population With Consumer-Driven and High-Deductible Health Plans, 2005-2013.”
GLP Compliance: A Rededication to Effective Quality Assurance

Effective quality assurance serves not only to promote the timely delivery of a final product that conforms to predetermined quality standards but also to assure that the entire work process compor...
Behavioral Parent Training in Infancy: A Window of Opportunity for High-Risk Families.

To meet the mental health needs of infants from high-risk families, we examined the effect of a brief home-based adaptation of Parent–child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) on improvements in infant and parent behaviors and reductions in parenting stress. Participants included 60 infants (55 % male; average age of 13.5 ± 1.31 months) who were recruited at a large urban primary care clinic and were included if their scores exceeded the 75th percentile on a brief screener of early behavior problems. Most infants were from an ethnic or racial minority background (98 %) and lived below the poverty line (60 %). Families were randomly assigned to receive the home-based parenting intervention or standard pediatric primary care. Observational and parent-report measures of infant and parenting behaviors were examined at pre- and post-intervention and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Infants receiving the intervention were more compliant with maternal commands at the 6-month follow-up and displayed lower levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems across post and follow-up assessments compared to infants in standard care. Mothers receiving the intervention displayed a significantly higher proportion of positive and lower proportion of negative behaviors with their infant during play compared to mothers in the standard care group. There were no significant group differences for parenting stress. Results provide initial evidence for the efficacy of this brief and home-based adaptation of PCIT for infants. These findings highlight the benefit of identification and intervention as early as possible to promote mental health for infants from high-risk families.
Beyond the “Tilt”: US Initiatives to Dissipate Bangladesh Movement in 1971

During the South Asian crisis in 1971, the US administration, especially the White House, stood firmly behind the Pakistani President Yahya Khan and demonstrated a disdain for India and particularly its leader Indira Gandhi. Historians and analysts have pr eviously insisted that Pakistan’s r ole as a conduit of rappr ochement with China and Henry Kissinger’s focus on geopolitical concerns greatly influenced the American policy decision in 1971. These claims have now been confirmed by the recently declassified US foreign policy documents in Foreign Relations of the United States, XI and its companion electronic volume. These volumes also suggest that the US administration undertook at least three initiatives to dissipate the Bangladesh movement, an aspect largely ignored in the historical accounts of the South Asian crisis. Drawing on the documents in these volumes, other declassified documents available at the US National Archives, and the Bangladeshi sources this paper constructs a narrative of these three US initiatives. It also insists that US clandestine efforts, described as a “political settlement” contributed to the bloodshed instead of bringing it to an end.
The Vapor Pressures of Metals; a New Experimental Method

Quasi-static method of measuring vapor pressures.---The vessel $A$ containing the liquid and surrounded by a furnace for maintaining a uniform temperature, is connected by one tube $C$ to a manometer $M$ and a reservoir containing a neutral gas such as nitrogen at a suitable pressure, and by another tube $B$ to an intermittent pump. Outside the furnace the two tubes are connected to opposite sides of a differential manometer $D$. Successive portions of the nitrogen are pumped off through $B$ until the manometer $D$ begins to show a permanent difference of pressure; then the reading of $M$ is the vapor pressure desired. The action depends on the fact that when the pressure in $M$ is less than the vapor pressure, nitrogen can get from $C$ to $B$ to equalize any difference of pressure caused by the pump, only by diffusion against the up-streaming vapor in $C$, and inter-diffusion in the case of a tube 3 to 4 mm in diameter is slow. A test of the method gave values for the vapor pressure of mercury 170\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 203\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C only.04 mm greater on the average than those of Smith and Menzies.Vapor pressure of lead, 1118\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 1235\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C was found to vary from 5.70 mm to 19.70 mm in good agreement with the equation ${log}_{10}p(\mathrm{mm})=\ensuremath{-}\frac{10372}{T}\ensuremath{-}{log}_{10}T\ensuremath{-}11.35$, which also fits the best results of Egerton at lower temperatures. The heat of vaporization of lead at its melting point is calculated to be 46,300 cal. The chemical constant comes out -1.40 which is close to the value -1.59 computed from the quantum theory of monatomic gases.
Effects of Dietary Arsanilic Acid on Chicks

Abstract THE growth response in chicks resulting from dietary supplementation with arsenicals has been found to be about equal to that obtained with antibiotics. Frost (1953) has reviewed the discovery and elucidation of this phenomenon. Published information concerning the toxicity of arsanilic acid for the chick is limited. Frost (1953) reported data showing that the deposition of arsenic in chicken tissue resulting from dietary arsanilic acid is a function of the level in the feed. Arsenic was found to be non-cumulative in tissue when a comparatively low level of arsanilic acid was fed. Elam et al. (1953) reported that arsanilic acid increased growth of chickens and decreased the number of Clostridia in the feces as did several antibiotics. This finding suggests that the mechanism of growth stimulation might be the same for antibiotics and arsenicals. Waibel et al. (1952) reported that dietary thiamine was spared by penicillin in a purified ration …
Mitotic index and size of symbiotic algae in Caribbean Reef corals

Size and frequency of division were determined for zooxanthellae from nine scleractinian coral species collected in February, 1983 at Discovery Bay, Jamaica, from four depths over a 51 m bathymetric range. Mean diameters of zooxanthellae ranged from 6.4 to 12.6 μm. Small zooxanthellae were found in Madracis mirabilis, Eusmilia fastigiata and Dendrogyra cylindrus whereas larger cells were seen in Agaricia agaricites, Porites astreoides, Montastrea cavernosa and Acropora cervicornis. Zooxanthellae division was not phased over a diel cycle. The percentage of zooxanthellae in a paired stage of cytokinesis (mitotic index or MI) was highly variable and ranged from 1.1% to 14.1%. Values measured in E. fastigiata and D. cylindrus were greater than in the other corals. MI was higher in branch tips of A. cervicornis than in branch bases. Daily average MI was negatively correlated with mean cell diameter and for a majority of the coral species increased with habitat depth. MI values were used to estimate specific growth rates and generation times for zooxanthellae in vivo for comparison with other dinoflagellates.
Glycosylation of erythropoietin affects receptor binding kinetics: role of electrostatic interactions.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a cytokine produced by the kidney whose function is to stimulate red blood cell production in the bone marrow. Previously, it was shown that the affinity of EPO for its receptor, EPOR, is inversely related to the sialylation of EPO carbohydrate. To better understand the properties of EPO that modulate its receptor affinity, various glycoforms were analyzed using surface plasmon resonance. The system used has been well characterized and is based on previous reports employing an EPOR-Fc chimera captured on a Protein A surface. Using three variants of EPO containing different levels of sialylation, we determined that sialic acid decreased the association rate constant (k(on)) about 3-fold. Furthermore, glycosylated EPO had a 20-fold slower k(on) than nonglycosylated EPO, indicating that the core carbohydrate also negatively impacted k(on). The effect of electrostatic forces on EPO binding was studied by measuring binding kinetics in varying NaCl concentrations. Increasing NaCl concentration resulted in a slower k(on) while having little impact on k(off), suggesting that long-range electrostatic interactions are primarily important in determining the rate of association between EPO and EPOR. Furthermore, the glycosylation content (i.e., nonglycosylated vs glycosylated, sialylated vs desialylated) affected the overall sensitivities of k(on) to [NaCl], indicating that sialic acid and the glycan itself each impact the overall effect of these electrostatic forces.