cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application Rate and Treatment Interval Influence the Efficacy of Heritage Fungicide for the Control of Alternaria Leaf Spot on Marigold

Abstract Efficacy of Heritage 50WG (azoxystrobin) over a range of application rates and treatment intervals was compared with Daconil Weather Stik 6F (chlorothalonil) and Eagle 40W (myclobutanil) for the control of Alternaria leaf spot (Alternaria tagetica) in a simulated landscape planting of marigold in southwest Alabama. When applied at 2-week intervals, all rates of Heritage 50WG gave better disease control in all four years than Daconil Weather Stik 6F or Eagle 40W, applied on the same schedule. In two of three years, weekly applications of Daconil Weather Stik 6F decreased Alternaria leaf spot severity compared with the non-fungicide treated control, but when applied at 2-week intervals, disease levels were similar to the non-fungicide treated control in two of four years. Typically, Alternaria leaf spot intensified when Heritage 50WG application rates declined from 0.16 to 0.04 g ai·liter−1 and treatment intervals increased from 2-to 4-weeks. At the 0.04 g ai·liter−1 rate of Heritage 50WG, disease ...
Technology to Support Immigrant Access to Social Capital and Adaptation to a New Country

The key to successful adaptation for immigrants in a new country is their social capital, or those resources embedded in their social networks. Research suggests that information and communication technologies (ICTs) foster immigrants' social capital and facilitate their adaptation. However, it is unclear how recent immigrants use ICTs to develop social capital and how this supports their adaptation needs. We performed semi-structured interviews with thirteen recent immigrants and five long-term immigrants. We found that ICTs and technology-mediated connections: (1) easily addressed immigrants' settlement needs, (2) minimally addressed their financial and cultural needs, and (3) were not used to address their emotional needs. To support recent immigrants' adaptation, we suggest ways for ICTs to (1) reduce uncertainty about meeting local-born populations, (2) foster reciprocity among immigrant communities, and (3) facilitate safe resource exchanges.
‘Do You Really Want to Live Forever?’: Animism, Death, and the Trouble of Digital Images

This essay examines two works of video art to think through the apparent ‘immortality’ of recorded data and digital images, along with the use of ‘animism’ as a framework to describe the ‘liveliness’ of objects in recent cultural theory. In discussing Cecile B. Evans’ Hyperlinks or it Didn’t Happen (2014) and Korakrit Arunanondchai’s Painting with history in a room filled with people with funny names 3 (2016), we highlight how framings of death and digital images are not uniform, and are often articulated to other cultural beliefs. Yet these beliefs cannot be temporally or spatially opposed in any rigid fashion (as ‘modern’ or ‘premodern’, ‘Western’ or ‘Eastern’), in spite of attempts to suggest a ‘return’ to animism to theorise the agency of objects is an embrace of premodern, non-Western epistemologies and ontologies. The ‘troubled images’ we discuss here should be thought through a sense of ‘trouble’ derived from Donna Haraway: as stirring up, or making cloudy. We aim to further complicate and ‘trouble’ the ethical imperatives of animism (in the work of those like Haraway) given the role of digital media in sustaining or putting into practice the animisms of our present. In doing this, we also advance an ontological argument about data and its relationality, suggesting that data be theorised through tropes of metonymy and synecdoche.
Transcatheter Valve-in-Valve Vs Surgical Replacement of Failing Stented Aortic Biological Valves

Background This study directly compared outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve insertion (TAVI-in-valve) with repeat surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for failing stented aortic biological prostheses. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 350 consecutive patients who underwent repeat aortic valve replacement of failing stented aortic biological valve prostheses at our institution between November 2008 and May 2018. Operations included TAVI-in-valve in 90 patients (26%) and repeat SAVR in 260 patients (74%). Results Patient age was 74 years (interquartile range [IQR], 65-79 years), 100 patients (29%) were women, aortic valve internal diameter was 21 mm (IQR, 19-22), Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted operative mortality risk was 4.1% (IQR, 2.3%-6.8%), and the interval to repeat operation was 7 years (IQR, 5-11 years). A 23-mm or smaller valve was inserted in 57 patients (63%) in the TAVI-in-valve group and in 170 (65%) in the SAVR group (P = .725). Aortic root enlargement was done in 45 patients (17%) in the SAVR group. Procedure-related complications were less in the TAVI-in-valve group (23% vs SAVR 59%, P Conclusions TAVI-in-valve and repeat SAVR can be done with similar operative and intermediate-term mortality. SAVR results in better hemodynamic function and thus appears the preferred option.
Enabling Scalable Disintegrated Computing Systems With AWGR-Based 2.5D Interconnection Networks

2.5D integrated systems exploiting electronic interposers to tightly integrate multiple processor dies into the same package suffer from significant performance degradation caused by the large latency overheads of their die-to-die multihop electrical interconnection networks. Silicon-photonic interposers with wavelength-routed interconnects can overcome this issue by enabling directly connected, scalable topologies while exhibiting low-energy optical communication even at large distances. This paper studies the use of an arrayed waveguide grating router (AWGR) as a scalable, low-latency silicon-photonic interconnection fabric for computing systems with up to 256 cores. Our results indicate that AWGRs could be a key enabler for large-scale interposer systems, offering an average performance speed-up of at least 1.25× with 1.32× lower power for 256 cores compared to state-of-the-art electrical networks, while offering a more compact solution compared to alternative photonic interconnects.
Identifying important parameters in the inflammatory process with a mathematical model of immune cell influx and macrophage polarization

In an inflammatory setting, macrophages can be polarized to an inflammatory M1 phenotype or to an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, as well as existing on a spectrum between these two extremes. Dysfunction of this phenotypic switch can result in a population imbalance that leads to chronic wounds or disease due to unresolved inflammation. Therapeutic interventions that target macrophages have therefore been proposed and implemented in diseases that feature chronic inflammation such as diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. We have developed a model for the sequential influx of immune cells in the peritoneal cavity in response to a bacterial stimulus that includes macrophage polarization, with the simplifying assumption that macrophages can be classified as M1 or M2. With this model, we were able to reproduce the expected timing of sequential influx of immune cells and mediators in a general inflammatory setting. We then fit this model to in vivo experimental data obtained from a mouse peritonitis model of inflammation, which is widely used to evaluate endogenous processes in response to an inflammatory stimulus. Model robustness is explored with local structural and practical identifiability of the proposed model a posteriori. Additionally, we perform sensitivity analysis that identifies the population of apoptotic neutrophils as a key driver of the inflammatory process. Finally, we simulate a selection of proposed therapies including points of intervention in the case of delayed neutrophil apoptosis, which our model predicts will result in a sustained inflammatory response. Our model can therefore provide hypothesis testing for therapeutic interventions that target macrophage phenotype and predict outcomes to be validated by subsequent experimentation.
Particle number fluctuations, Rényi entropy, and symmetry-resolved entanglement entropy in a two-dimensional Fermi gas from multidimensional bosonization

We revisit the computation of particle number fluctuations and the R\'enyi entanglement entropy of a two-dimensional Fermi gas using multidimensional bosonization. In particular, we compute these quantities for a circular Fermi surface and a circular entangling surface. Both quantities display a logarithmic violation of the area law, and the R\'enyi entropy agrees with the Widom conjecture. Lastly, we compute the symmetry-resolved entanglement entropy for the two-dimensional circular Fermi surface and find that, while the total entanglement entropy scales as $RlnR$, the symmetry-resolved entanglement scales as $\sqrt{RlnR}$, where $R$ is the radius of the subregion of our interest.
Clear air turbulence detection

Although it is difficult to describe the nature of clear air turbulence (or CAT), we know its effect?the sudden vibration experienced by an aircraft in flight in a stormfree, cloudfree sky. It is evident that this turbulence is an eddy motion of the air that disrupts its uniform flow, a motion such as that associated with jet streams; however, we do not know exactly how it is generated. Because the effects of CAT can range from mere passenger discomfort to actual loss of an aircraft, it is important to devise some method of warning the pilot of turbulent areas to be avoided. Various indirect and direct detection systems, employing both active and passive techniques, are currently being investigated, but thus far all have exhibited serious limitations on effective performance. One reason for this is the lack of data concerning the phenomenon they are designed to detect.
Quantum Dynamics with the Quantum Trajectory-Guided Adaptable Gaussian Bases

The computational cost of describing a general quantum system fully coupled by anharmonic interactions scales exponentially with the system size. Thus, an efficient basis representation of wave functions is essential, and when it comes to the large-amplitude motion of high-dimensional systems, the dynamic bases of Gaussian functions are often employed. The time dependence of such bases is determined from the variational principle or from classical dynamics; the former is challenging in implementation due to singular matrices, while the latter may not cover the configuration space relevant to quantum dynamics. Here we describe a method using Quantum Trajectory-guided Adaptable Gaussian (QTAG) bases "tuned"-including the basis position, phase, and width-to the wave function evolution, thanks to the continuity of the probability density in the course of the quantum trajectory dynamics. Thus, an efficient basis in configuration space is generated, bypassing the variational equations on the parameters of the Gaussians. We also propose a time propagator with basis transformation by projections which lends efficiency and stability to the QTAG dynamics, as demonstrated on standard tests and the ammonia inversion model.
Hyaluronan goes to great length

Hyaluronan is a major non-protein component of extracellular matrix that affects biomechanical properties of tissues and interacts with cell receptors. Hyaluronan is a linear glycosaminoglycan composed of repeating disaccharides of (β, 1-4)-glucuronic acid (GlcUA) and (β, 1-3)-N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc). The length of hyaluronan can range from an oligomer to an extremely long form up to millions of daltons. The concept that emerged in the field is that high (HMW-HA) and low (LMW-HA) molecular weight hyaluronans have different biological properties and trigger different signaling cascades within the cells. LMW-HA is associated with inflammation, tissue injury and metastasis, while HMW-HA improves tissue homeostasis and has anti-inflammatory and antimetastatic properties. HMW-HA is used in the clinic to treat arthritis, and as a filler in surgery and in the form of rinses to treat local inflammation. However, HMW-HA products used in the clinic come in a range of sizes between 0.5-6 mDa that are used interchangeably. Remarkably, the tissues of a long-lived and cancer-resistant rodent, the naked mole rat, contain abundant HA of very high molecular weight. While human fibroblasts secrete HA up to 2 MDa, naked mole rat fibroblasts produce HA of 6-12 MDa. Does this very high HMW-HA (vHMW-HA) differ functionally from HMW-HA? We found that vHMW-HA has superior cytoprotective properties compared to HMW-HA, and interacts differently with the CD44 receptor leading to distinct transcriptional changes (Takasugi et al. (2020), Nat Commun). These results indicate that vHMW-HA has greater therapeutic benefits than the standard HMW-HA.
Effective and Versatile Synthesis of Ginkgotoxin and Its 4′-O-Derivatives through Regioselective 4′-O-Alkylation and 4′-O-Chlorination of 3,5′-O-Dibenzylpyridoxine

A regioselective synthesis of ginkgotoxin and its derivatives is described. A blocking–deblocking strategy was employed in this new methodology, which relied on selective ketal protection of the 3- and 4′-hydroxy groups of pyridoxine. The key intermediate, O-dibenzylpyridoxine, was prepared in four steps with a reasonable yield. The present synthetic route enables convenient and versatile preparation of diversified 4′-substituted pyridoxine derivatives.
Deployment and Operation of Outdoor Treatment Tents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the globe, with an alarming amount of new cases daily. In order to prepare for the inevitable patient surge, one hospital set up outdoor triage tents to assist with increased volume. Using the paradigm of space, staff, and stuff, an outdoor treatment area was designed and placed into operation. The patient volume in the treatment tents quickly grew with a one-day max volume of 88 patients. Through the end of May 2020, 2,473 patients were seen and evaluated. As COVID-19 continues to spread and new areas of the United States and the world see spikes, it is imperative for the hospitals that previously dealt with a surge to disseminate the best practices they have learned during the pandemic.
Quantifying environmental and social vulnerability: Role of urban Heat Island and air quality, a case study of Camden, NJ

Abstract Urban heat island (UHI) effects depend on several factors, including air quality, temperature changes, and land cover. We used a holistic approach to quantify the UHI factors affecting air quality by developing three index-models (i.e., an environmental risk impact index (ERII), a social vulnerability index (SVI), and a health impact index (HII)) via multiple linear regression analysis for the city of Camden, NJ. Landsat 8 images were used to create surface-temperature and proportional vegetation (Pv) gradient, which were sampled along with environmental, social, and health variables in the study area. The results conclude that Pv is a better regressor than normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The highest contributors in the models were Pv, water fraction, % imperviousness and digital elevation model (DEM) with the relative importance of 20.5%, 33.5%, 32.5%, 9% in ERII, 19.6%, 32.4%, 32%, 8% in SVI, and 20.1%, 32.6%, 31.8%, 8.9% in HII model, respectively. The neighborhoods at risk identified by the models are Lanning Square, Bergen Square, Central waterfront, Cooper grant, Gateway, Liberty Park, Whitman park and Parkside, which fall within the index range of 7.3–10 and mostly associate with >32 °C. The indices will provide guidance in identifying neighborhood-risks of UHI-air-pollution.
Substrate–Support Interactions Mediate Hydrogenation of Phenolic Compounds by Pd/CeO2 Nanorods

Ceria-supported palladium (Pd/CeO2) has spawned significant attention in recent years due to its ability to catalyze selective hydrogenation of phenolic compounds to cyclohexanones and cyclohexanol...
Drugged driving among US adults: Results from the 2016–2018 national survey on drug use and health

Abstract Introduction: Drugged driving, the act of driving while under the influence of one or more illicit substances, remains a critical problem needing to be addressed. The present study sought to analyze risk factors associated with past-year driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana among a national sample of U.S. adults. Method: Pooled data from the 2016–2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were analyzed among 124,466 adults ages 18 years or older. Results: Weighted logistic regression analyses revealed that 8.52% of adults drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year and 4.49% of adults drove under the influence of marijuana in the past year. Of concern, compared to heterosexuals, greater than 1 in 10 sexual minorities drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year. Moreover, a sizeable percentage of adults used other drugs while under the influence of alcohol including inhalants (70.3%), cocaine (68.9%), and hallucinogens (63.7%). Moreover, a great percentage of adults (53.4%) reported using methamphetamine while also under the influence of marijuana. Practical Applications: We believe our findings can inform harm reduction efforts and prevention messaging surrounding the dangers of drugged driving.
SCID newborn screening: What we’ve learned

Newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency, the most profound form of primary immune system defects, has long been recognized as a measure that would decrease morbidity and improve outcomes by helping patients avoid devastating infections and receive prompt immune-restoring therapy. The T-cell receptor excision circle test, developed in 2005, proved to be successful in pilot studies starting in the period 2008 to 2010, and by 2019 all states in the United States had adopted versions of it in their public health programs. Introduction of newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency, the first immune disorder accepted for population-based screening, has drastically changed the presentation of this disorder while providing important lessons for public health programs, immunologists, and transplanters.
Constraining Mach's principle with high precision astrometry

The analyses of high precision astrometric surveys, such as Gaia, implicitly assume a modern version of Mach's Principle: the local inertial frame of our Solar System should be non-rotating in the frame of distant quasars. On the contrary, Einstein's General Relativity allows a rotating universe. Thus, relaxing the assumption of Mach's Principle will allow placing a constraint on a class of rotating cosmologies by comparing high precision astrometry of quasars with well-measured solar system orbits. Constraining global rotation will test General Relativity, inflation, and the isotropy of cosmological initial conditions.
Persistent proteomic changes in glutamatergic and GABAergic signaling in the amygdala of adolescent rats exposed to chlorpyrifos as juveniles.

Abstract Chlorpyrifos (CPF) remains one of the most widely used organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) despite the concerns about its developmental neurotoxicity. Developmental exposure to CPF has long-lasting negative impacts, including abnormal emotional behaviors. These negative impacts are observed at exposure levels do not cause inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, the canonical target of OPs. Exposure to CPF at these levels inhibits the endocannabinoid metabolizing enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) but it is not clear what the persistent effects of this inhibition are. To investigate this, male rat pups were exposed orally to either corn oil, 0.75 mg/kg CPF, or 0.02 mg/kg PF-04457845 (PF; a specific inhibitor of FAAH) daily from postnatal day 10 (PND10) - PND16. This dosage of CPF does not inhibit brain cholinesterase activity but inhibits FAAH activity. On PND38 (adolescence), the protein expression in the amygdala was determined using a label-free shotgun proteomic approach. The analysis of control vs CPF and control vs PF led to the identification of 44 and 142 differentially regulated proteins, respectively. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that most of the proteins with altered expression in both CPF and PF treatment groups were localized in the synapse-related regions, such as presynaptic membrane, postsynaptic density, and synaptic vesicle. The different biological processes affected by both treatment groups included persistent synaptic potentiation, glutamate receptor signaling, protein phosphorylation, and chemical synaptic transmission. These results also indicated disturbances in the balance between glutamatergic (↓ Glutamate AMPA receptor 2, ↓ Excitatory amino acid transporter 2, and ↑ vesicular glutamate transporter 2) and GABAergic signaling (↑ GABA transporter 3 and ↑ glutamate decarboxylase 2). This imbalance could play a role in the abnormal emotional behavior that we have previously reported. These results suggest that there is a similar pattern of expression between CPF and PF, and both these chemicals can persistently alter emotional behavior as a consequence of inhibition of FAAH.
The Greedy Algorithm Is not Optimal for On-Line Edge Coloring

Nearly three decades ago, Bar-Noy, Motwani and Naor showed that no online edge-coloring algorithm can edge color a graph optimally. Indeed, their work, titled "the greedy algorithm is optimal for on-line edge coloring", shows that the competitive ratio of 2 of the naive greedy algorithm is best possible online. However, their lower bound required bounded-degree graphs, of maximum degree Δ = O(log n), which prompted them to conjecture that better bounds are possible for higher-degree graphs. While progress has been made towards resolving this conjecture for restricted inputs and arrivals or for random arrival orders, an answer for fully general adversarial arrivals remained elusive. We resolve this thirty-year-old conjecture in the affirmative, presenting a (1.9+o(1))-competitive online edge coloring algorithm for general graphs of degree Δ = ω(log n) under vertex arrivals. At the core of our results, and of possible independent interest, is a new online algorithm which rounds a fractional bipartite matching x online under vertex arrivals, guaranteeing that each edge e is matched with probability (1/2+c)⋅ x_e, for a constant c > 0.027.
Attitudes and Beliefs on Aging Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults With Serious Mental Illness.

Abstract Older adults with serious mental illness (SMI) experience increased medical comorbidities, disability, and early mortality, but little is known about how they perceive the process of aging. This study explored attitudes and beliefs about aging among n = 20 middle aged and older adults (M = 59.8 years; range 47–66) with SMI in a state psychiatric hospital. We conducted semistructured interviews using the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) and analyzed narrative accounts using a grounded theory approach. The mean scores of overall attitudes toward aging and of the subscale of perception of psychological growth were both positive compared to a neutral rating (p = 0.026 and p = 0.004, respectively). Study participants rated their experience on the subscales of psychosocial loss and physical health change as neutral. Despite substantial psychiatric, medical, and functional disabilities, older adults with SMI in this study of psychiatric inpatients perceived the process of aging as generally positive, suggesting resilience and potential positive emotional growth in older age.
PulsePoint dispatch associated patient characteristics and prehospital outcomes in a mid-sized metropolitan area.

Abstract Background Mobile phone-based dispatch of volunteers to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) has been shown to increase the likelihood of early CPR and AED application. In the United States, limited characterization of patients encountered as a result of such systems exists. Aims Examine prehospital case characteristics and outcomes from a multi-year deployment of PulsePoint Respond in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Methods PulsePoint event timing, location, and associated prehospital electronic health records (ePCRs) were obtained for EMS-encountered OHCA cases that did and did not generate PulsePoint alerts within the service area of Pittsburgh EMS from July 2016 to October 2020. ePCRs were reviewed and OHCA case characteristics were extracted according to the Utstein template. PulsePoint-associated OHCA and non-PulsePoint-associated OHCA were compared. Results Of 840 total PulsePoint dispatches, 64(7.6%) were for OHCA for which resuscitation was attempted. Forty-one (64.1%) were witnessed, 38(59.4%) received bystander CPR, and 13(20.0%) of these patients had an AED applied prior to EMS arrival. Twenty-seven (39.7%) had an initial shockable rhythm, and 31(48.4%) patients achieved ROSC in the field. In the city of Pittsburgh, there were 1229 total OHCA during the study period, with an estimated 29.6% occurring in public. When PulsePoint-associated and publicly occurring non-PulsePoint-associated OHCA were compared, baseline characteristics (age, sex, witnessed status) were similar, but PulsePoint-associated OHCA received more bystander CPR(p=0.008). Conclusions A minority of PulsePoint dispatches in Pittsburgh were triggered by true OHCA. The majority of OHCA during the study period occurred within private residences where PulsePoint responders are not currently dispatched. PulsePoint dispatches were associated with prognostically favorable OHCA characteristics and increased bystander CPR performance.
A method of determining CO2 percentages using a paramagnetic oxygen analyzer.

(1973). A Method of Determining Co2 Percentages Using a Paramagnetic Oxygen Analyzer. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 237-241.
Financial Frictions and Occupational Mobility

We study the eects of nancial market incompleteness on occupational mobility. Incomplete insurance reduces occupational mobility and, as a result, the correlation of labor supply with occupational productivity is lower than under complete markets. Low-asset workers remain in low-productivity occupations even when the expected value of switching is positive. Negative occupational productivity shocks therefore have larger eects on such workers’ future earnings than they would for better insured workers. In a model calibrated to match observations from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we nd welfare costs of market incompleteness averaging 2.4 percent of lifetime consumption. We examine policies to increase
An Analysis of State–Local Government Capital Expenditure During the 2000s

Capital expenditure by subnational governments in the United States represents about two percent of GDP and 12 percent of state–local spending. Persistent differences among states exist in the amount and composition of this capital expenditure. This regression-based research examines for the decade of the 2000s: (1) the factors affecting capital spending and interstate differences; (2) the effect of recessions; (3) the response to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds; (4) state and year fixed effects; and (5) investment for highways and K-12 education. Aggregate capital expenditure is relatively stable, although it increased around recessions, with ARRA grants especially important and substantial state-specific influences.
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR FAILING NATIONS

This study addresses the need for an early warning system of financial distress of nations, amply demonstrated by failures in Mexico and South East Asia. We find that financial ratios of failing nations, and those of failing corporations, display similar patterns. A neural network was trained on financial ratio-observations from defaulting and non-defaulting debtor nations 1989-1993. The model's output is a 1994-1996 index, separating 220 developing nations into high and low risk default categories with 77% accuracy, as measured by Paris Club incidents among developing nations in subsequent years. Ratios relative to liquidity, ability to pay, and economic activity were confirmed to have predictive qualities; ratios relative to credit worthiness were not confirmed to have predictive qualities. IMF/World Bank policies for the past three decades, plus future research ideas, are presented.
Petri-net modeling of bio-signal networks

The meridian system conceived by the ancient Chinese has been described and referenced for more than a thousand years. The meridian meaning paths are the main trunks that run longitudinal and interiorly-exteriorly within the body. It consists of about 400 acupuncture points and 20 meridians connecting most of the points. Meridian system deals with the route and distribution and physiological functions. It integrates meridian, tissues and organs into an organic whole. In this paper we model the meridian system using Petri nets. To the author's knowledge, this is the first work that adopt the PN's methods to define and model the meridian system. Finally we analyze a real case on the treatment of tennis elbow.
Aerosol effects on stratocumulus water paths in a PDF-based parameterization

[1] Successful simulation of aerosol indirect effects in climate models requires parameterizations that capture the full range of cloud-aerosol interactions, including positive and negative liquid water path (LWP) responses to increasing aerosol concentrations, as suggested by large eddy simulations (LESs). A parameterization based on multi-variate probability density functions with dynamics (MVD PDFs) has been incorporated into the single-column version of GFDL AM3, extended to treat aerosol activation, and coupled with a two-moment microphysics scheme. We use it to explore cloud-aerosol interactions. In agreement with LESs, our single-column simulations produce both positive and negative LWP responses to increasing aerosol concentrations, depending on precipitation and free atmosphere relative humidity. We have conducted sensitivity tests to vertical resolution and droplet sedimentation parameterization. The dependence of sedimentation on cloud droplet size is essential to capture the full LWP responses to aerosols. Further analyses reveal that the MVD PDFs are able to represent changes in buoyancy profiles induced by sedimentation as well as enhanced entrainment efficiency with aerosols comparable to LESs.
Vector contour representation for object recognition in neural networks

The authors introduce a new method of describing object features for neural network based classification. The angle information between boundary pixels of the binary image of an object is extracted and preprocessed to form the vector contour representation (VCR). The VCRs of different objects are then used for pattern classification. The Euclidean distance between two VCRs is used as the similarity measure during classification. Scaling- and translation-invariant object recognition can be achieved. Partial or complete rotation invariance can also be obtained if desired. The usefulness of the vector contour representation for object recognition is demonstrated through the test results. >
Outline of a cybernetic theory of brain function based on neural timing nets

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline an integrative, high-level, neurocomputational theory of brain function based on temporal codes, neural timing nets, and active regeneration of temporal patterns of spikes within recurrent neural circuits that provides a time-domain alternative to connectionist approaches. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual-theoretical paper draws from cybernetics, theoretical biology, neurophysiology, integrative and computational neuroscience, psychology, and consciousness studies. Findings – The high-level functional organization of the brain involves adaptive cybernetic, goal-seeking, switching, and steering mechanisms embedded in percept-action-environment loops. The cerebral cortex is conceived as a network of reciprocally connected, re-entrant loops within which circulate neuronal signals that build up, decay, and/or actively regenerate. The basic signals themselves are temporal patterns of spikes (temporal codes), held in the spike correlation mass-stati...
Shallow Seismicity in the North Fiji Basin

This paper presents a new compilation of shallow seismicity and focal mechanism data that help constrain the model of extension in the North Fiji Basin. Earthquakes are broadly distributed throughout the basin, in marked contrast to the narrow earthquake zones observed near mid-ocean ridge spreading centers. Areas of relatively high activity include the Fiji Fracture Zone, the Hazel Holme Ridge, the western Hunter Fracture Zone, and the proposed spreading center immediately west of Fiji. Areas of deep water in the northern and western North Fiji Basin are notably aseismic and may represent older, presently undeforming portions of the basin. Twenty-three focal mechanism solutions for the basin indicate that the region is dominated by strike-slip deformation. We observe no simple basin-wide system of stress distribution, but consistent stress orientations for groups of mechanisms provide evidence for (1) transcurrent faulting along the Fiji Fracture Zone; (2) hinge faulting of the Indo-Australian Plate near the Hunter Fracture Zone; (3) strike-slip faulting near the Hazel Holme Ridge; (4) strike-slip faulting within the central North Fiji Basin; and (5) normal faulting in the western North Fiji Basin. The orientations of the normal faulting events’ tension axe, and the strike-slip events’ fault planes are at odds with the configuration of the major spreading centers proposed by previous investigators. A model of “diffuse extension” in the North Fiji Basin provides an explanation for the broadly distributed shallow seismicity, the paucity of normal faulting mechanisms, the obliquity of earthquake fault planes to the strike of proposed spreading centers, and the lack of a uniform basin-wide pattern of stress orientation.
A metric parametrization for trifocal tensors with non-colinear pinholes

The trifocal tensor, which describes the relation between projections of points and lines in three views, is a fundamental entity of geometric computer vision. In this work, we investigate a new parametrization of the trifocal tensor for calibrated cameras with non-colinear pinholes obtained from a quotient Riemannian manifold. We incorporate this formulation into state-of-the art methods for optimization on manifolds, and show, through experiments in pose averaging, that it produces a meaningful way to measure distances between trifocal tensors.
Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Human Ascending Aorta and Aortic Sinuses

Background Computational finite element models of the aortic root have previously used material properties of the ascending aorta to describe both aortic sinuses and ascending aorta. We have previously demonstrated significant material property differences between ascending aorta and sinuses in pigs. However, it is unknown whether these regional material property differences exist in humans. The main objective of this study was to investigate biomechanics of fresh human ascending aorta and aortic sinuses and compare nonlinear material properties of these regions. Methods Fresh human aortic root specimens obtained from the California Transplant Donor Network (Oakland, CA) were subjected to displacement-controlled equibiaxial stretch testing within 24 hours of harvest. Stress-strain data recorded were used to derive strain energy functions for each region. Tissue behavior was quantified by tissue stiffness and a direct comparison was made between different regions of aortic root at physiologic stress levels. Results All regions demonstrated a nonlinear response to strain during stretch testing in both circumferential and longitudinal directions. No significant difference in tissue stiffness was found between anterior and posterior regions of the ascending aorta or among the three sinuses in both directions. However, our results demonstrated that human ascending aorta is significantly more compliant than aortic sinuses in both circumferential and longitudinal directions within the physiologic stress range. Conclusions Significant material and structural differences were observed between human ascending aorta and aortic sinuses. Regionally specific material properties should be employed in computational models used to assess treatments of structural aortic root disease.
Coordination geometries of bis(4-amino-3-alkyl-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione) complexes of first-row transition metals: crystal structures of complexes with propyl and hydrogen in the 3-position. Relationship to the 3-methyl and 3-ethyl analogs

Abstract A series of bis bidentate complexes of 4-amino-3-propyl-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione, SN4C5H10 (apt, 1) of the divalent ions Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn has been crystallized by direct combination of the ligand and metal nitrate or perchlorate hydrate salt in ethanol. The structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. In all the complexes, the triazole bonds to the metal ion through the amine and thione substituents on the five-membered ring. [Fe(apt)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2 (2) has the like-ligands trans to each other. The FeN distances (2.259(5) A) are elongated relative to the FeO bond lengths (2.092(5) A). The compounds [Co(apt)2(H2O)2](NO3)2·2H2O (3), [Ni(apt)2(H2O)2](NO3)2·2H2O (4), and [Zn(apt)2(H2O)2](NO3)2·2H2O (5) are isostructural, with the water molecules cis to each other and the triazole ligands positioned with the amine groups cis and S atoms trans. A series of complexes of 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione (aht, 6) of divalent Mn, Co, and Zn has also been crystallized by similar means and structurally characterized. [Mn(aht)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2 (7) has the ligands arranged as in 3, though with a non-centrosymmetric packing (space group C2). The cis MnN distances are significantly longer (2.377(2) A) than the MnO distances (2.160(2) A). [Co(aht)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2 (8) possesses the trans geometry found in 2, though with comparable CoN and CoO bond lengths (2.175(3) and 2.082(3) A). [Zn(aht)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2 (9) is isostructural with 7. These structures are compared with those of two recently reported series of 4-amino-3-alkyl-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione complexes (alkyl=methyl and ethyl) in order to gauge the effect of the alkyl group on the coordination behavior of the triazole ligand towards the divalent first-row transition metals.
Thermal Modeling of Robotic Arm and Hand Moving in a Nonhomogeneous Temperature Field

Abstract Thermal modeling of a robotic arm equipped with a multifingered robotic hand (end effector) is considered in this paper. The robotic arm is assumed to move its multifingered hand into and out of a high-temperature medium while gripping an object for a pick and place assembly and heat treatment process. If the rate of heat transfer from robotic hand to robotic arm is small, a lumped-capacitance model can be used to find the transient temperature response of the robotic hand. Different models to approximate the effect of thermal coupling between the robotic hand and robotic arm are discussed. To analyze the effect of heat transfer from robotic hand to robotic arm, transient temperature distribution in one dimension of a rod periodically moving into a hot medium is found numerically. The rod is divided into two parts; the first part simulates the robotic hand and second part simulates the robotic arm. Using different thermal parameters and environmental conditions, transient and quasi-steady state t...
Management of Groundwater in the Hadano Basin

Today we are in an age where there is no safe tap water available in most countries worldwide. With a high average of annual precipitation, Japan is said to be a country blessed with rich rainfall and groundwater. We Japanese make the full of using of hydrological circulation and groundwater for drinking with care. In this report the direction of groundwater management is proposed, giving a successful example of groundwater management in the Hadano basin, which needs more effort for better management of the groundwater. We can make effective use of groundwater if we closely examine the local hydrological system and the environment.
Spermatozoan vesicle loss during penetration of the female gonangium in the hydroid. Campanularia flexuosa.

Fertilization in the hydrozoan Campanularia flexuosa is internal and may be considered to include events in the female reproductive organ (the gonangium) prior to zygote formation. Prior to fertilization the spermatozoan must move through the female gonangium to the site of sperm-egg fusion. The female gonangium contains sheets of epithelial cells which distally line the entrance and proximally form passageways that lead to and surround the eggs. After chemotactic attraction to the gonangium aperture, the spermatozoa adhere to the epithelial cells by their outer surfaces, but they continue to move downward along the distal gonangium epithelia and through the passageways to the germinal vesicle area of the egg. As the spermatozoa move deeper into the gonangium the 640–700 A membrane-bounded (“pro-acrosomal”) vesicles of the sperm progressively decrease in number. By the time the spermatozoa reach the egg, 88% of the vesicles have been lost. It is possible that the contents of the vesicles play a role in the control of spermatozoan-epithelial cell adhesion or that they serve, in some way, to permit sperm penetration to the egg surface. Alternatively, their loss may be a morphological indication of the capacitation-like interaction between the sperm and normal female gonangium epithelial cells which is required for fertilization in Campanularia flexuosa.
Structural changes in the N and N' states of the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle.

The bacteriorhodopsin transport cycle includes protonation of the retinal Schiff base by Asp96 (M→N reaction) and reprotonation of Asp96 from the cytoplasmic surface (N→N′ reaction). We measured distance changes between pairs of spin-labeled structural elements of interest, and in general observed larger overall structural changes in the N state compared with the N′ state. The distance between the C-D loop and E-F interhelical loops in A103R1/M163R1 increased ∼6 A in the N state and ∼3 A in the N′ state. The opposite trend of distance changes in V101R1/A168R1 and L100R1/T170R1 supports counterclockwise rotation of helix F in the N but not the N′ state. Small distance increases were observed in S169R1/S226R1, but little change was seen in G106R1/G155R1. Taking earlier published EPR data into account, we suggest that structural changes of the E-F loop occur first, and then helices F and G begin to move together in the late M state. These motions then reach their maximum amplitude in the N state, evidently to facilitate the release of a proton from Asp96 and the formation of a proton-conduction pathway from Asp96 to the Schiff base. The structural changes reverse their directions and decay in the N′ state.
Two methods for quantifying the development of dominance hierarchies in large groups with applications to Harris' sparrows

Abstract Two new methods for quantitatively describing behavioural processes of hierarchy formation in large groups are introduced. These methods supplement those already available with the jigsaw puzzle approach to hierarchy formation (Chase 1980, 1982, 1985) and they examine behavioural sequences in component triads, subgroups of three individuals, making up the larger group. The first method gives a new procedure for counting various kinds of attack sequences in component triads, and the second traces how relationships evolve in triads. Used together, the procedures can help explain the development of dominance structures, and in particular, what kinds of interactions produce those that are linear or near-linear. The methods are illustrated by applying them to large flocks of Harris' sparrows, Zonotrichia quereula , having 12–17 members, during hierarchy formation. This application indicates that different behavioural mechanisms may be involved in hierarchy formation for large and small groups and that some configurations of interactions in triads are much more stable than others, namely, transitive ones are much more resistant to reversals than intransitive ones. These findings suggest that earlier and later interactions may not be independent and raise a number of interesting questions about individual-level mechanisms operating during hierarchy formation.
Transient Radiative Cooling of an Absorbing and Scattering Cylinder—A Separable Solution

A cylindrical region filled with absorbing-emitting material is cooled by radiation to surroundings at a much lower temperature. A solution is found showing that, for each set of parameters, the transient radial temperature distribution reaches a fixed shape, although the temperatures are decreasing with time. This 'fully developed' transient region is characterized by having a constant emittance based on instantaneous values of the cylinder heat loss and mean temperature. This emittance depends only on the optical radius of the cylinder and the scattering albedo. The emittance is lower than that for a cylinder at uniform temperature. This arises from the larger local cooling and, hence, reduced temperatures of the outer layers of the cylinder. An examination of this transient emittance provides the ranges of parameters within which the simplification can be made that the cylinder has uniform radial temperature distribution throughout the cooling process.
The role of post-radiation therapy FDG PET in prediction of necessity for post-radiation therapy neck dissection in locally advanced head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Purpose The role of neck dissection after radiation therapy ([RT] with or without chemotherapy) for regionally advanced head and neck cancer is controversial. As much as 50% of residual lymphadenopathy after radiation has no viable tumor cells present on histopathologic analysis. [ 18 F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) imaging can detect metabolically active cancer. This study examines the ability of post–RT FDG PET imaging to predict the tumor status of residual lymphadenopathy after nonsurgical management of regionally advanced neck disease. Methods and material From February 2000 to October 2002, 41 patients were treated definitively by radiation (with or without chemotherapy) and underwent FDG PET and computed tomography (CT) imaging after treatment to assess response. Patients with negative CT and FDG PET scans were observed and did not undergo neck dissection. Patients with radiographically persistent lymphadenopathy underwent either neck dissection or fine-needle aspiration of the lymph nodes using ultrasound guidance. The results of the FDG PET scans were correlated with the pathologic findings. Results Twelve patients with persistent lymphadenopathy underwent either neck dissection or fine-needle aspiration. Four of the 12 were found to have viable residual tumor in the cervical lymph nodes. The pathology did not correlate with the size of the lymph nodes in the pre–RT or post–RT CT studies. However, the pathology correlated strongly with the post–RT FDG PET studies. All patients with a negative post–RT FDG PET or those with a maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) of less than 3.0 in the post–RT FDG PET were found to be free of residual viable tumor. Using an SUV max of less than 3.0 as the criterion for a negative FDG PET study, the negative predictive value was 100% and the positive predictive value was 80%. Conclusions A negative post–RT FDG PET scan is very predictive of negative pathology in neck dissection or fine-needle aspiration even with large residual lymphadenopathy. Therefore, if the post–RT FDG PET scan is negative, neck dissection might not be required for regional control. A prospective study with longer follow-up and greater patient numbers is needed to determine whether a policy of deferring neck dissection based on a negative FDG PET is supported.