cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase-space topography characterization of nonlinear ultrasound waveforms.

Fundamental understanding of ultrasound interaction with material discontinuities having closed interfaces has many engineering applications such as nondestructive evaluation of defects like kissing bonds and cracks in critical structural and mechanical components. In this paper, to analyze the acoustic field nonlinearities due to defects with closed interfaces, the use of a common technique in nonlinear physics, based on a phase-space topography construction of ultrasound waveform, is proposed. The central idea is to complement the "time" and "frequency" domain analyses with the "phase-space" domain analysis of nonlinear ultrasound waveforms. A nonlinear time series method known as pseudo phase-space topography construction is used to construct equivalent phase-space portrait of measured ultrasound waveforms. Several nonlinear models are considered to numerically simulate nonlinear ultrasound waveforms. The phase-space response of the simulated waveforms is shown to provide different topographic information, while the frequency domain shows similar spectral behavior. Thus, model classification can be substantially enhanced in the phase-space domain. Experimental results on high strength aluminum samples show that the phase-space transformation provides a unique detection and classification capabilities. The Poincare map of the phase-space domain is also used to better understand the nonlinear behavior of ultrasound waveforms. It is shown that the analysis of ultrasound nonlinearities is more convenient and informative in the phase-space domain than in the frequency domain.
Axigluons in the Upsilon system.

We consider the virtual effects of axigluons, octet gauge bosons present in chiral-color models, in the $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}$ system. Specifically, we examine the decay $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{A}^{*}g\ensuremath{\rightarrow}q\overline{q}g$, where ${A}^{*}$ is a virtual axigluon, and the resulting contribution to the $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}$ hadronic width, and set the limit ${M}_{A}g25$ GeV.
Mössbauer Diffractometry on Chemical Sites of 57Fe in Fe3Al

A Mossbauer powder diffractometer was used to measure diffraction patterns from polycrystalline 57Fe3Al. The intensities of Bragg diffractions were measured when the incident γ-rays were tuned to different resonances of the Mossbauer spectrum. The bcc fundamental diffractions were strong, and superlattice diffractions of (1/2 1/2 1/2) and (1 0 0) families were measurable. The 57Fe local environments with 0 Al and 4 Al first-nearest-neighbors had the periodicities expected from their sites in the perfect D03 unit cell, but the long-range periodicity of the 3 Al environment was also measured. This disordered site had a surprisingly high degree of B2 long-range order.
The Hahn–Banach Theorems. Introduction to the Theory of Conjugate Convex Functions

Let E be a vector space over \(\mathbb{R}.\) We recall that a functional is a function defined on E, or on some subspace of E, with values in\(\mathbb{R}.\) The main result of this section concerns the extension of a linear functional defined on a linear subspace of E by a linear functional defined on all of E.
Random Quantities and Random Vectors

By definition, values of random signals at a given sampling time are random quantities which can be distributed over a certain range of values. The tools for the precise, quantitative description of those distributions are provided by classical probability theory. However natural, its development has to be handled with care since the overly heuristic approach can easily lead to apparent paradoxes.1 But the basic intuitive idea – that for independently repeated experiments, probabilities of their particular outcomes correspond to their relative frequencies of appearance – is correct. Although the concept of probability is more elementary than the concept of cumulative probability distribution function, we assume that the reader is familiar with the former at the high school level, and we start our exposition with the latter, which not only applies universally to all types of data, both discrete and continuous, but also gives us a tool to immediately introduce the probability calculus ideas, including the physically appealing probability density function.
The Lepidoptera in White Sands National Monument, Otero County, New Mexico, USA 13. The Description of another White Species (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini: Eucosma Hübner)

In 2006, the U.S. National Park Service invited the first author to conduct a 10-year study of the moths at White Sands National Monument, in the Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico. Eucosma gypsumana (Tortricidae, Olethreutinae, Eucosmini) Metzler and Porter, new species, discovered during the study is described. Adult moths and male and female genitalia are illustrated. A graph illustrating an unexplained temporal population irregularity of E. gypsumana is presented. A list of species of Eucosma from the Monument is provided.
Evaluating Mixed-Methods Models for the Estimation of Ancestry from Skeletal Remains

Many methods of ancestry estimation in forensic anthropology consider only a single type of data, e.g., metric or morphoscopic. These data are typically limited in scope, being derived from only a few skeletal regions—that is, cranium, dentition, or postcranial skeleton—and are not independent variables. Methods of ancestry estimation should incorporate this potential covariation into their estimates.Cranial morphoscopic and dental morphological traits were observed on a sample of 683 individuals of European American, African American, and Hispanic ancestry. These data were used to train and test models generated with random forest modeling and naive Bayesian analysis. Three models were generated with each method: one using only cranial data, one using only dental data, and one using a combination of those data sets. These models were compared to evaluate differences in performance from the combination of the cranial and dental data.Model performance was evaluated using the positive predictive value, sensitivity, and the Matthews correlation coefficient, or where appropriate the RK statistic, and differences were examined both overall and by specific ancestry group. The general trend is for models based on the combination of cranial and dental data to exhibit higher performance, across metrics, than single-variable models. There is some variation in the performance of specific data sets on particular ancestry groups. For example, dental-based models have high sensitivity scores when classifying European American individuals. However, even when applied to specific groups, combined data models are better classifiers.
Feasibility of China’s Financial Reforms

Despite the diversity of China’s financial system and the reforms that have already occurred, the system is heavily bank-dominated, and the Big Four extend almost half of all loans in China. These ...
SUN-284 DICER1 Mutations in Adolescent Girls: Clinicopathological Findings and Genetic Correlation

Background: The DICER1 syndrome is a rare tumor predisposition disorder associated with multinodular goiter (MNG), differentiated thyroid cancer, ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor, pleuropulmonary blastoma and pituitary blastoma (1,2). The DICER1 gene encodes the endoribonuclease protein of the ribonuclease III family which acts post-transcriptionally to downregulate messenger RNAs. Both germline and somatic mutations have been reported (3). We describe 2 previously healthy unrelated females referred for evaluation of thyroid nodules. Cases:Case 1: A 16yo female presented with spontaneous passage of polyps at her menstrual period. Histologic analysis revealed embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Her primary malignancy, confined to the cervix, was treated with surgical resection followed by chemotherapy. Staging evaluation revealed a left thyroid nodule. FNA of the nodule showed follicular patterned lesion with cytologic atypia; molecular testing was positive for DICER1 somatic mutation (c.5429A;p.D1810V). Peripheral blood genetic testing was positive for a heterozygous DICER1 germline mutation (1510-1G>A). She underwent left lobectomy; histology showed encapsulated papillary carcinoma. Case 2: A 13yo female developed a sudden non-tender neck mass. Ultrasound-guided FNA of the solid lesion in the left thyroid lobe revealed atypia of undetermined significance. Molecular studies identified a DICER1 gene mutation (c.5126A>G; p.D1709G). A peripheral blood sample showed heterozygous DICER1 mutation (c.1870C>T;pArg624*). Three 1st degree family members were also positive for the germline mutation. She underwent total thyroidectomy; pathology revealed MNG with a predominant hyperplastic nodule. Conclusion: Two adolescents with thyroid lesions were positive for DICER1 mutations (4). The prevalence of DICER1 mutations, natural history, and extent of phenotypic heterogeneity are unknown. Two mutations, one germline and one somatic, were identified in our patients. Enhanced molecular testing (ThyroSeqv3) is now available to identify mutations. Testing thyroid nodules for DICER1 mutations (5-7), followed by screening for germline mutations in positive cases is essential to identify patients at risk of other manifestations and to ensure surveillance. Scrutiny of cases will help elucidate the natural history of DICER1 syndrome and establish guidelines regarding the extent and frequency of screening. References 1. Wasserman J, et al. JCEM 2018; 103: 2009. 2. Van Engelen K, et al. PBC 2018; 65:e26720. 3. Robertson JC, et al. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10: pii: E143. 4. Nikiforova MN, et al., Cancer. 2018;124:1682. 5. Rutter M, et al. JCEM 2016; 101: 1. 6. Cai S, et al. JPHO 2017; 39: 355. 7. van der Tuin K, et al. JCEM 2018 Sep 26 [Epub ahead of print].
Integration of radiotherapy and immunotherapy for treatment of oligometastases

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality and remains one of the prevailing challenges in cancer treatment. Most patients with metastatic disease are treated with systemic agents, which prolong survival and improve symptoms but are typically not curative. The oligometastatic hypothesis challenges the perspective that metastasis is an invariably disseminated process, and proposes a biological spectrum of metastatic virulence. Mounting evidence supports the idea that patients with numerically and spatially restricted sites of metastases, termed oligometastases, can achieve prolonged survival following metastasis-directed therapies, such as surgery or radiotherapy. Improvements in clinical and molecular staging of metastatic disease, as well as integration of effective systemic therapies with localised interventions, might achieve better outcomes for patients with diverse metastatic states. In this Series paper, we propose a rationale for the integration of immune checkpoint inhibitors with radiotherapy to advance the potential for effective treatment along the spectrum of disease, with emphasis on how immunotherapy can potentiate radiotherapy treatment in the oligometastatic setting.
Targeted therapy for ovarian cancer: the rapidly evolving landscape of PARP inhibitor use.

Introduction Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are a targeted therapy option for ovarian cancer. The goal of this review was to organize and summarize the clinical trials evaluating PARP inhibitor therapy in ovarian cancer as monotherapy, maintenance therapy after partial or complete remission to therapy or as a part of a combination regimen. Evidence acquisition PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, data from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and proceedings from scientific conferences were searched for published and unpublished data pertaining to clinical trials and approvals of PARP inhibitor use in ovarian cancer. Evidence synthesis There have been 36 published phase 1, 2 and 3 studies evaluating the use of olaparib, niraparib, veliparib and rucaparib in ovarian cancer. Olaparib and rucaparib have been approved by the US FDA as monotherapy for advanced recurrent ovarian cancer. Niraparib and olaparib have been approved by the US FDA for maintenance therapy after partial or complete remission in recurrent ovarian cancer. There are currently ten phase 3 trials evaluating PARP inhibitors at various timepoints in ovarian cancer therapy including at the time of primary adjuvant therapy, as maintenance therapy after primary chemotherapy, as monotherapy for recurrent cancer and as maintenance therapy after chemotherapy for recurrence. Conclusions The landscape of PARP inhibitor use for ovarian cancer is rapidly evolving and PARP inhibitors have become more available as a targeted therapy option for ovarian cancer treatment.
Patterns and magnitudes of craniofacial covariation in extant cercopithecids

The cranium contains almost all of the vertebrate sensory organs and plays an essential role in vertebrate evolution. Research on the primate cranium has revealed that it is both highly integrated and modular, but studies have historically focused on covariance between the neurocranium and facial skeleton rather than on bones specific to special senses such as vision. The goal of this work is to investigate patterns and magnitudes of craniofacial covariation in extant cercopithecids with particular attention to the orbits. This study takes a quantitative approach using data collected from 38 homologous cranial landmarks across 11 genera of cercopithecid monkeys (Cercopithecidae, N = 291). These data demonstrate that both patterns and magnitudes of craniofacial covariation differ across Cercopithecidae at subfamily, tribe, and genus levels, with the strongest integration in the papionins (and specifically Papio) and significantly weaker covariation in the colobines, particularly Presbytis. Orbital height does not covary with other measurements of the cranium to the same degree as other cranial traits in Cercopithecidae and is highly constrained across the family. This study has important implications for our understanding of the evolution and development of morphological diversity in the cercopithecid cranium and evolution of the primate eye. This study also highlights the potential error of broad assumptions about generalizing patterns and magnitudes of modularity and integration across primates. Additionally, these findings reiterate the importance of trait selection for interpreting fossil taxonomy, as craniofacial covariation may impact phenotypes commonly used to differentiate fossil primate species.
How does IT identity affect individuals’ use behaviors associated with personal health devices (PHDs)? An empirical study

Abstract This study investigates the effects of information technology (IT) identity on the use of personal health devices (PHDs). We conducted an online survey of individuals who used a PHD to achieve a health-related goal. The results confirm that IT identity is a multidimensional construct with three reflective dimensions. The results exhibit that the identity verification process (IT characterizes through IT experience) fosters IT identity, which, in turn, encourages individuals to engage in beneficial post-adoption behaviors such as feature use and enhanced use. The findings also reveal that perceived health status moderates the relationship between IT identity and positive use behaviors.
Stretchable electrochemical energy storage devices

The increasingly intimate contact between electronics and the human body necessitates the development of stretchable energy storage devices that can conform and adapt to the skin. As such, the development of stretchable batteries and supercapacitors has received significant attention in recent years. This review provides an overview of the general operating principles of batteries and supercapacitors and the requirements to make these devices stretchable. The following sections provide an in-depth analysis of different strategies to convert the conventionally rigid electrochemical energy storage materials into stretchable form factors. Namely, the strategies of strain engineering, rigid island geometry, fiber-like geometry, and intrinsic stretchability are discussed. A wide range of materials are covered for each strategy, including polymers, metals, and ceramics. By comparing the achieved electrochemical performance and strain capability of these different materials strategies, we allow for a side-by-side comparison of the most promising strategies for enabling stretchable electrochemical energy storage. The final section consists of an outlook for future developments and challenges for stretchable supercapacitors and batteries.
Navigated Ultrasonic Osteotomy to Aid in En Bloc Chordoma Resection via Spondylectomy.

Background Chordomas are rare, locally malignant tumors derived from remnants of the notochord that can manifest anywhere in the spine or base of the skull. Surgical treatment for chordomas of the lumbar spine often fails to achieve successful en bloc resection, which is critical to minimizing recurrence risk. Case Description In this case report, the authors describe total en bloc resection of a lumbar vertebral body chordoma via the first documented approach of navigated ultrasonic osteotomy for spondylectomy. The patient is a 43-year-old man with end-stage renal disease, requiring dialysis, secondary to diabetes mellitus. The lesion in question was incidentally discovered in the L5 vertebral body during full body scanning for evaluation for a renal transplant. The lesion was diagnosed as a chordoma via percutaneous coaxial needle biopsy. Allogeneic renal transplant was canceled pending treatment of this newly discovered lesion. A combined, staged approach of L3-pelvis posterior instrumented fusion, L5 laminectomy and spondylectomy, and anterior L5 cage reconstruction with L4-S1 fusion was planned. Intraoperative computed tomography scan was performed and stereotactic osteotomies were planned. Ultrasonic osteotome (SONOPET Ultrasonic Aspirator) was registered as a navigation tool and employed, after verification, to complete the posterior stereotactic osteotomies, with postoperative computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and pathology demonstrating successful en bloc resection. The navigated osteotome provided a critical combination of surgical precision and efficiency intraoperatively. Conclusions This approach offers a promising technological adjunct for the treatment of complex spine tumors requiring precise resection and reconstruction.
Resistance, solidarity, and sisterhood in the age of Trump: images from the Women’s March in Washington, D.C

On Saturday, January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, there was an impressive Women’s March in Washington, D.C., the nation’s cap...
El holismo cosmoteándrico de Raimon Panikkar y el holismo sustancial de Fernando Inciarte: ¿dos metafísicas de sistema?

espanolEste articulo se dirige a contrastar las metafisicas de Raimon Panikkar y Fernando Inciarte. Al examinar, en las dos primeras partes, sus formas de contestar a la pregunta metafisica fundamental por lo que es, encontramos las respuestas aparentemente contrapuestas de una metafisica de la sustancia (Inciarte) y una metafisica del sistema basada en la intuicion cosmoteandrica que tiene como categoria clave la relacion (Panikkar). En la tercera parte se relacionan ambos planteamientos para indagar que papel juega la nocion de sistema en ellos y determinar finalmente que el pensamiento de la sustancia no esta tan lejos del pensamiento de sistema como puede parecer. English“Ramon Panikkar’s Cosmotheandric Holism and Fernando Inciarte’s Substantial Holism: Two Metaphysics of System?”. The aim of this article is to compare the metaphysics of Raimon Panikkar and Fernando Inciarte. When examining, in the first two parts, the way in which both answer to the main metaphysical question of what it is, we find the apparently opposed approaches of a metaphysics of substance (Inciarte) and a metaphysics of the system based on the cosmotheandric intuition, which has relations as the fundamental category (Panikkar). In the third part, we compare both approaches in order to assess the role that the notion of system plays in them so as to determine, in the end, that the metaphysics of substance is more related to the metaphysics of the system than it may appear at first.
Population viability in a host-parasitoid system is mediated by interactions between population stage structure and life stage differential susceptibility to toxicants.

The effects of toxicants, such as pesticides, may be more severe for some life stages of an organism than others. However, in most toxicity studies, data is developed for only one life stage, which may lead to misleading interpretations. Furthermore, population stage-structure may interact with differential susceptibility, especially when populations consist of higher proportions of individuals in more susceptible stages at the time of toxicant exposure. We explore the interaction of differential stage susceptibility and stage distribution using a stage-structured Lefkovitch matrix model. We incorporate lab-derived toxicity data for a common parasitoid, the braconid Diaeretiella rapae (M’Intosh), a common natural enemy of the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae L.), exposed to the pesticide imidacloprid. We compare population outcomes of simulations in which we vary both the population stage structure along with the susceptibility of each stage to toxicants. Our results illustrate an interaction between differential susceptibility and initial stage distribution, highlighting the fact that both of these demographic features should be considered in interpreting toxicity data and the development of ecological risk assessments.
Constitutive sensitivity to the gradient of plastic deformation in the mechanics of crystalline solids

Working in the setting of Noll’s theory of materially uniform bodies, we develop a constitutive framework for plasticity that incorporates the gradient of plastic deformation.
Effect of Surface State on DC Breakdown Characteristics of Thermally Aged Double-Layered Polyester Films

The surface state of polymer films has a significant influence on direct current (DC) breakdown characteristics, but its mechanism needs further investigation. In this paper, DC breakdown strength of thermally aged two-layer polyester films is studied. The charge trap and their space distribution characteristics are analyzed by an isothermal relaxation current and the pulsed electro-acoustic method. Furthermore, a bipolar charge transport model suitable for two-layer dielectrics is established, and the correlation between surface state and DC breakdown performance is dynamically simulated. The experimental results show that as the aging time increases, DC breakdown strength first increases and then decreases. The trap depth and its density first increase and then decrease, and the change mainly comes from dielectric surface area. The simulation results show that through modulating the injection and accumulation behaviors of space charges, the change of trap depth, density and extended depth of surface state have an important effect on the space charge and electric field distribution at the pre-breakdown time.
Interactive and Participatory Audit and Feedback (IPAF): theory-based development and multi-site implementation outcomes with specialty clinic staff.

Theory-based implementation strategies, such as audit and feedback (A&F), can improve the adoption of evidence-based practices. However, few strategies have been developed and tested to meet the needs of specialty clinics. In particular, frontline staff can execute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction protocols, but A&F strategies to support them are not well examined. Our objective was to develop and evaluate a theory-based approach to A&F, Interactive and Participatory A&F (IPAF). We developed IPAF informed by two complementary theories, self-regulation theory (SRT) and self-determination theory (SDT). IPAF applies concepts from these theories to inform (1) what to address with staff to improve rates of best practices (SRT) and (2) how to interact with staff to improve behaviors aligned with best practices (SDT). We promoted IPAF fidelity by developing a semi-structured guide to facilitate staff discussion of target behaviors, perceived barriers, goals, and action plans. We evaluated IPAF in the context of eight quasi-experimental implementations in specialty clinics across two health systems. Following a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation design, we reported intervention outcomes for CVD risk reduction elsewhere. This paper reports implementation outcomes associated with IPAF, focusing on feasibility, appropriateness, acceptability, fidelity, and adoption. We evaluated implementation outcomes using mixed-methods data including electronic health record (EHR) data, team records, and staff questionnaire responses. Eighteen staff participated in 99 monthly, individual, synchronous (face-to-face or phone) IPAF sessions during the first 6 months of implementation. Subsequently, we provided over 375 monthly feedback emails. Feasibility data revealed high staff attendance (90–93%) and engagement in IPAF sessions. Staff highly rated questionnaire items about IPAF acceptability. Team records and staff responses demonstrated fidelity of IPAF delivery and receipt. Adoption of target behaviors increased significantly (all P values < 0.05), and adoption or behaviors were maintained for over 24 months. We developed and evaluated a theory-based approach to A&F with frontline staff in specialty clinics to improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions. The findings support feasibility, appropriateness, acceptability, and fidelity of IPAF, and staff adoption and maintenance of target behaviors. By evaluating multi-site implementation outcomes, we extended prior research on clinic protocols and A&F beyond primary care settings and providers.
Notes on a Peripheral Economy

This chapter provides some brief, informal notes about Portugal’s modern economic history since the 1974 Revolution, as it looks to an outsider observer. Not to be too coy about it, Portugal has done better than many feared but not quite as well as many hoped. There is, however, an asymmetry between the good news and the bad news. Portugal can claim much of the credit for the gratifying resilience of its late commitment to democracy, avoiding economic catastrophe and generally responsible policies. The disappointments, on the other hand, have had a lot to do with outside forces, such as the euro’s structural flaws and, since the 1980s, the underlying forces causing trouble for peripheral regions in all advanced economies. Indeed, Portugal achieved only limited convergence on wealthier European nations and is still vulnerable to macroeconomic crisis. Relative to the grim prospects in 1975, however, Portugal has to be considered a major success story.
Progressive Generation of Long Text with Pretrained Language Models

Large-scale language models (LMs) pretrained on massive corpora of text, such as GPT-2, are powerful open-domain text generators. However, as our systematic examination reveals, it is still challenging for such models to generate coherent long passages of text (e.g., 1000 tokens), especially when the models are fine-tuned to the target domain on a small corpus. Previous planning-then-generation methods also fall short of producing such long text in various domains. To overcome the limitations, we propose a simple but effective method of generating text in a progressive manner, inspired by generating images from low to high resolution. Our method first produces domain-specific content keywords and then progressively refines them into complete passages in multiple stages. The simple design allows our approach to take advantage of pretrained LMs at each stage and effectively adapt to any target domain given only a small set of examples. We conduct a comprehensive empirical study with a broad set of evaluation metrics, and show that our approach significantly improves upon the fine-tuned large LMs and various planning-then-generation methods in terms of quality and sample efficiency. Human evaluation also validates that our model generations are more coherent.
Spatio-Temporal Multi-graph Networks for Demand Forecasting in Online Marketplaces

Demand forecasting is fundamental to successful inventory planning and optimisation of logistics costs for online marketplaces such as Amazon. Millions of products and thousands of sellers are competing against each other in an online marketplace. In this paper, we propose a framework to forecast demand for a product from a particular seller (referred as offer/seller-product demand in the paper). Inventory planning and placements based on these forecasts help sellers in lowering fulfilment costs, improving instock availability and increasing shorter delivery promises to the customers. Most of the recent forecasting approaches in the literature are one-dimensional, i.e., during prediction, the future forecast mainly depends on the offer i.e. its historical sales and features. These approaches don’t consider the effect of other offers and hence, fail to capture the correlations across different sellers and products seen in situations like, (i) competition between sellers offering similar products, (ii) effect of a seller going out of stock for the product on competing seller, (iii) launch of new competing products/offers and (iv) cold start offers or offers with very limited historical sales data. In this paper, we propose a general demand forecasting framework for multivariate correlated time series. The proposed technique models the homogeneous and heterogeneous correlations between sellers and products across different time series using graph neural networks (GNN) and uses state-of-the-art forecasting models based upon LSTMs and TCNs for modelling individual time series. We have experimented with various GNN architectures such as GCNs, GraphSAGE and GATs for modelling the correlations. We applied the framework to forecast the future demand of products, sold on Amazon, for each seller and we show that it performs \(\sim \)16% better than state-of-the-art forecasting approaches.
Late-time small body disruptions for planetary defense

Abstract Diverting hazardous small bodies on impact trajectories with the Earth can in some circumstances be impossible without risking disrupting them. Disruption is a much more difficult planetary defense scenario to assess, being linked both to the response of the body to shock loading and the much more complicated gravitational dynamics of the fragments in the solar system relative to pure deflection scenarios. In this work we present a new simulation suite built on N -body gravitational methods that solves fragment orbits in the full gravitational system without recourse to more approximate methods. We assess the accuracy of our simulations and the simplifying assumptions we adopt to make the system tractable, and then discuss in more detail several specific, plausible planetary defense scenarios based on real close encounters. We find that disruption can be a very effective planetary defense strategy even for very late (sub-year) interventions, and should be considered an effective backup strategy should preferred methods, which require long warning times, fail.
Clinical Implications of Second and Third Trimester Surveillance Ultrasounds of Growth-Restricted Fetuses.

Objective We sought to investigate the positive predictive value of ultrasound-diagnosed fetal growth restriction (FGR) for estimating small for gestational age (SGA) at birth. Secondary objectives were to describe clinical interventions performed as a result of FGR diagnosis. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort of pregnancies diagnosed with FGR over 3 years at a single institution. Maternal demographics, antenatal and delivery data, and neonatal data were collected. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were conducted. Results We included 406 pregnancies with diagnosis of FGR in second or third trimester. Median birth weight percentile was 17 (interquartile range: 5-50) and only 35.0% of these fetuses were SGA at birth. The positive predictive value of a final growth ultrasound below the 10th percentile for SGA at birth was 56.9%. Patients averaged eight additional growth ultrasounds following FGR diagnosis. One hundred and fourteen (28.1%) received antenatal steroids prior to delivery, and 100% of those delivered after more than 7 days following administration. There were 6 fetal deaths and 14 neonatal deaths. Conclusion In the majority of cases, pregnancies diagnosed with FGR during screening ultrasounds resulted in normally grown neonates and term deliveries. These patients may be receiving unnecessary ultrasounds and premature courses of corticosteroids.
The unsteady motion of an infinite oscillating cylinder in an incompressible Newtonian fluid at rest

The motion of an incompressible, Newtonian fluid inside a hollow cylinder and also outside the cylinder is examined when the cylinder is impulsively started from rest and oscillated sinusoidally. The solutions are given in terms of an amplitude diminution and change of phase angle with distance from the cylinder wall.
Matching Watershed and Otolith Chemistry to Establish Natal Origin of an Endangered Desert Lake Sucker

AbstractStream habitat restoration and supplemental stocking of hatchery-reared fish have increasingly become key components of recovery plans for imperiled freshwater fish; however, determining when to discontinue stocking efforts, prioritizing restoration areas, and evaluating restoration success present a conservation challenge. In this study, we demonstrate that otolith microchemistry is an effective tool for establishing natal origin of the June Sucker Chasmistes liorus, an imperiled potamodromous fish. This approach allows us to determine whether a fish is of wild or hatchery origin in order to assess whether habitat restoration enhances recruitment and to further identify areas of critical habitat. Our specific objectives were to (1) quantify and characterize chemical variation among three main spawning tributaries; (2) understand the relationship between otolith microchemistry and tributary chemistry; and (3) develop and validate a classification model to identify stream origin using otolith micro...
The physics of partial discharges in solid dielectrics

The work described in this paper was carried out some years ago. It was published as part of a U.S. Air Force report [1] and presented as a Conference Paper [2] at this Conference. Since the latter appeared only as an extended abstract and the former did not receive wide distribution it seemed appropriate to present it here, and in a more detailed paper to be published shortly [3].
A learning algorithm for multi-layer perceptron networks with nondifferentiable nonlinearities

A learning algorithm is proposed for neural networks with hard limiting nonlinearities. The algorithm is gradient-based, where the gradient is related to the average network response rather than to its instantaneous value. This gradient is well defined and computable. The algorithm was demonstrated on a vowel discrimination problem, where good results were achieved. >
Veto Players Revisited: Internal and External Factors Influencing Policy Production

Veto player models generally rely on two assumptions: (1) collective actors like political parties behave as individual actors; and (2) all actors influencing policy production are domestic. Yet these are often violated by empirical reality. Under certain institutions, parties are less cohesive and may not behave as individuals, and international regimes can have considerable influence over legislation. Using data on labor-law production in Europe, we find that the effects of veto players are conditional on both party cohesion and international regimes. Future conceptualizations of veto players should be more sensitive to both internal and external institutional configurations.
Revisiting Bergmann's rule for saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britt. and Rose): stem diameter patterns over space

Aim The influence of winter temperatures and other climate variables are explored to determine which variables are associated with saguaro stem diameter and to determine if Bergmann's rule is applicable to saguaros. Location The northern Sonoran Desert in Arizona, USA. Methods Thirty saguaro populations were sampled (height, diameter, number of branches), and after adjustment for population height structure, mean relative thickness of saguaros was calculated for each plot (population). Fifty-seven climate variables were calculated for the thirty populations. Regression was run to determine which variables (cold winter, hot summer and precipitation) best predict relative thickness. Previous studies have demonstrated a significant positive relationship between winter precipitation and saguaro branching (Drezner, 2003, Ecography, in press). To determine if relative thickness may be an artefact of branching (branches), partial correlation analysis was employed. ResultsMean March precipitation best predicts relative thickness. When only winter temperature variables are considered, none are significantly related to relative thickness. Relative thickness is not an artefact of branches. Main conclusions (1) Rainfall, not temperature, best predicts saguaro stem thickness. In addition, despite the focus on summer rains in the literature, winter precipitation is the best predictor of thickness. (2) Bergmann's rule is not applicable to saguaro populations as has been previously suggested [e.g. Niering et al. (1963)Science142, 15], as thickness does not increase significantly with latitude. In addition, the suggested mechanism for Bergmann's rule, cold winter temperature, does not significantly predict saguaro stem diameters over the area studied. In some populations that experience high winter rainfall as well as cold temperatures, individuals likely derive thermal benefits from a larger stem diameter; however, the trend is not observed over the area studied and it does not appear to be adaptive.
Fractal multiband antennas based on polygons

A general procedure for the construction of new fractal multiband antennas has been presented along with results for the pentagonal design. An increasing frequency ratio is found with an increase in the number of sides of the polygon used to construct the fractal multiband antenna.
Head to head polymers

Blends of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) with either head-to-head or head-to-tail poly (vinyl chloride) were prepared by solvent casting in the form of films and their glass transition temperatures were determined by DSC analysis. The DSC scans of the blends of both poly(vinyl chloride) isomers were very similar. For blends containing 25% and 50% of poly(ɛ-caprolactone), a single transition step, a Tg, was observed, whereas for a blend containing 75% of poly (ɛ-caprolactone) three transition steps were observed, one glass transition and also a crystallization and a melting transition.
Separate Assembly and Transport Domains within the Gag Precursor of Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus

Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV), the prototypical type D retrovirus, assembles immature capsids within the cytoplasm of the cell prior to plasma membrane interaction. Several mutants of M-PMV Gag have been described which display altered transport, assembly, or both. In this report, we describe the use of an in vitro synthesis and assembly system to distinguish between defects in intracellular transport and the process of assembly itself for two previously described gag gene mutants. Matrix domain mutant R55W converts the type D morphogenesis of M-PMV particles into type C and has been hypothesized to alter the transport of Gag, redirecting it to the plasma membrane where assembly subsequently occurs. We show here that R55W can assemble in both the in vitro translation-assembly system and within inclusion bodies in bacteria and thus has retained the capacity to assemble in the cytoplasm. This supports the concept that R55 is located within a domain responsible for the transport of Gag to an intracellular site for assembly. In contrast, deletions within the p12 domain of M-PMV Gag had previously been shown to affect the efficiency of particle formation such that under low-level expression conditions, Gag would fail to assemble. We demonstrate here that the efficiency of assembly in the in vitro system mirrors that seen in cells under expression conditions similar to that of an infection. These results argue that the p12 domain of this D-type retrovirus plays a critical role in the membrane-independent assembly of immature capsids.
Fiscal Policy with Noncontingent Debt and the Optimal Maturity Structure

How should the tax rate and the level of public debt adjust to an adverse fiscal shock? What is the optimal maturity structure of public debt? If the maturity structure is carefully chosen, the ex post variation in the market value of public debt can cover the government against the need to raise taxes or debt if fiscal conditions should turn bad. In general, almost every Arrow-Debreu allocation can be implemented with noncontingent debt of different maturities. In a stylized example, the optimal policy is implemented by selling a perpetuity and investing in a short-term asset.
Smart integrated-optics displacement/force sensor based on speckle pattern detection using neural-net with 0.1-A resolution

This paper describes the usage of neural networks in the application of speckle patterns, as seen at the output of an optical waveguide, for sensing displacement/force. The neural network trained for displacement values within a 1.5 micrometers range is found to generalize with less than +/- 0.02 micrometers error in the input range. It is found that a functional-link net with 11 functional links and 3 neurons can be trained for a convergence criterion of 1e-05 in less than 3000 iterations. The error in the individual targeted output during training was less than +/- 0.01 micrometers . Thus an integrated-optics sensor is now feasible.
Isovolemic hemodilution–red cell exchange for prevention of cerebrovascular accident in sickle cell anemia: The standard operating procedure

Red blood cell exchange is an accepted superior therapy to simple chronic transfusion, due to minimal risk of iron overload, for secondary prevention of cerebrovascular accidents in selected patients with sickle cell anemia. Recently, we described our experience of Isovolemic Hemodilution-Red Blood Cell Exchange (IHD-RBCx), a two-step modification of the conventional RBCx with several advantages, including cost reduction. We are describing our standard operating procedure for IHD-RBCx with COBE Spectra apheresis system to make it widely available to the apheresis centers interested in implementing this procedure.
Spatial Growth and Nitrogen Uptake Variability of Corn at Two Nitrogen Levels

Crop measurements that predict spatial yield variability and correlate with yields may facilitate development of variable N rate management. We evaluated growth, N concentration, and N uptake of two corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids at two N rates (130 vs. 185 kg ha - 1 at two sites and manure vs. manure + 55 kg N ha - 1 at another site) in 2000 (wet) and 2001 (dry) to help explain corn spatial yield variability that existed at five of six site-years. Biomass, N concentration, and N uptake mostly had no spatial variability at the sixth leaf stage (V6), silking (R1), and physiological maturity (R6). Plant height at V6, which had spatial variability at four site-years, correlated with yields at two sites (0.55 and 0.66) in 2000 and at one site (0.56) in 2001. Plant height at V10, which had spatial variability at all sites, correlated with yields at all sites (0.50-0.64) in 2000 but at only one site (0.69) in 2001. Nitrogen uptake at R6, which correlated with yields at all sites in 2000 (0.25-0.58) and 2001 (0.34-0.65), did little to explain the N response within sites. Stalk NO 3 -N concentrations showed no spatial variability, despite spatial variability for residual soil NO 3 -N concentrations at all site-years. Residual soil NO 3 -N, which had distinct zones of high concentrations in the upper 30 cm in 2001, may provide more useful information than crop measurements for development of variable N rate management.
Metabolism of desflurane and isoflurane to fluoride ion in surgical patients

The metabolism of isoflurane and the investigational volatile anaesthetic desflurane to fluoride ion was examined in 25 surgical patients. The patients were randomly assigned to four groups, to receive isoflurane or desflurane at either 0.65 MAC or 1.25 MAC. Anaesthesia was induced in all patients with thiopentone and midazolam and included nitrous oxide 60% in addition to the volatile agent. Blood was drawn before induction and at the end of the operation for determination of serum fluoride ion concentration. Plasma fluoride ion concentrations increased (+ 1.36 +/- 0.93 microM, P less than 0.01) in patients receiving isoflurane but were unchanged (-0.13 +/- 0.50 microM) in patients receiving desflurane. Metabolic release of fluoride ion is less with desflurane than with isoflurane during administration of the anaesthetics to surgical patients, and is unlikely to be of clinical significance.
What’s the Return? Assessing the Effect of “Pay-for-Performance” Initiatives on the Quality of Care Delivery

This article evaluates the impact of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services/Premier pay-for-performance demonstration project on performance improvement in three clinical areas in a multihospital health care system. The study compares a group of hospitals participating in this project against a control group of similar hospitals that did not participate. Although the incentives are extremely small, the findings show that participation in the pay-for-performance initiative had a significant impact on the rate and magnitude of performance improvement. The project led to marked improvement in the quality of clinical process delivery and accelerated the adoption of evidence-based practices.
Incomplete Reentry and Epicardial Breakthrough Patterns During Atrial Fibrillation in the Sheep Heart

Background The mechanisms underlying atrial fibrillation and its initiation are not fully understood. Our hypothesis is that atrial fibrillation results from complex activation involving the subendocardial muscle network. Methods and Results We have used video imaging to study the sequence of activation on the surface of the right atrium of the Langendorff-perfused sheep heart during pacing, atrial fibrillation, and its initiation. We recorded transmembrane potentials simultaneously from over 20 000 sites. We observed two types of patterns of wave propagation during the initiation of atrial fibrillation. The first type resulted from heterogeneities of refractoriness and transmural propagation near the stimulating electrode. The second type involved heterogeneity in conduction away from the pacing site. During atrial fibrillation, the average period of activation was 138±25 ms (n=6), and complete reentrant pathways were never observed. Propagation patterns were characterized by a combination of incomplete ...