cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spike-Triggered Descent.

The characterization of neural responses to sensory stimuli is a central problem in neuroscience. Spike-triggered average (STA), an influential technique, has been used to extract optimal linear kernels in a variety of animal subjects. However, when the model assumptions are not met, it can lead to misleading and imprecise results. We introduce a technique, called spike-triggered descent (STD), which can be used alone or in conjunction with STA to increase precision and yield success in scenarios where STA fails. STD works by simulating a model neuron that learns to reproduce the observed spike train. Learning is achieved via parameter optimization that relies on a metric induced on the space of spike trains modeled as a novel inner product space. This technique can precisely learn higher order kernels using limited data. Kernels extracted from a Locusta migratoria tympanal nerve dataset demonstrate the strength of this approach.
Racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 disease burden & mortality among emergency department patients in a safety net health system.

Abstract Background We sought to examine racial and ethnic disparities in test positivity rate and mortality among emergency department (ED) patients tested for COVID-19 within an integrated public health system in Northern California. Methods In this retrospective study we analyzed data from patients seen at three EDs and tested for COVID-19 between April 6 through May 4, 2020. The primary outcome was the test positivity rate by race and ethnicity, and the secondary outcome was 30 day in-hospital mortality. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations with COVID-19 test positivity. Results There were 526 patients tested for COVID-19, of whom 95 (18.1%) tested positive. The mean age of patients tested was 54.2 years, 54.7% were male, and 76.1% had at least one medical comorbidity. Black patients accounted for 40.7% of those tested but 16.8% of the positive tests, and Latinx patients accounted for 26.4% of those tested but 58.9% of the positive tests. The test positivity rate among Latinx patients was 40.3% (56/139) compared with 10.1% (39/387) among non-Latinx patients (p Conclusion We report a significant disparity in COVID-19 adjusted test positivity rate and crude mortality rate among Latinx and Black patients, respectively. Results from ED-based testing can identify racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 testing, test positivity rates, and mortality associated with COVID-19 infection and can be used by health departments to inform policy.
Insights into the Geomicrobiology of Biovermiculations from Rock Billet Incubation Experiments.

Biovermiculations are uniquely patterned organic rich sediment formations found on the walls of caves and other subterranean environments. These distinctive worm-like features are the combined result of physical and biological processes. The diverse microbial communities that inhabit biovermiculations may corrode the host rock, form secondary minerals, and produce biofilms that stabilize the sediment matrix, thus altering cave surfaces and contributing to the formation of these wall deposits. In this study, we incubated basalt, limestone, and monzonite rock billets in biovermiculation mixed natural community enrichments for 468–604 days, and used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess surface textures and biofilms that developed over the course of the experiment. We observed alteration of rock billet surfaces associated with biofilms and microbial filaments, particularly etch pits and other corrosion features in olivine and other silicates, calcite dissolution textures, and the formation of secondary minerals including phosphates, clays, and iron oxides. We identified twelve distinct biofilm morphotypes that varied based on rock type and the drying method used in sample preparation. These corrosion features and microbial structures inform potential biological mechanisms for the alteration of cave walls, and provide insight into possible small-scale macroscopically visible biosignatures that could augment the utility of biovermiculations and similarly patterned deposits for astrobiology and life detection applications.
Single-Event Effects in Power MOSFETs with Mono-energetic Neutron Beams

Neutron-induced single event burnout was measured in power MOSFET devices using mono-energetic neutron beams at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory.
Human papillomavirus sequencing reveals its usefulness for the management of HIV-infected women at risk for developing cervical cancer.

AIM Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is able to describe the composition of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) as percent (%) reads rather than positive/negative results. Therefore, we used this unique approach to assess the prevalence of cervical HPVs of HIV infected (HIV+) in order to understand the determinants of being infected with higher % reads of high risk (HR)-HPVs and cervical abnormalities of atypical squamous cells of unknown significance or higher (ASCUS+). METHODS Study included 66 women characterized for relevant risk factors/cytology. Receiver-operating curve curve was used to derive the optimal % read cut point to identify ASCUS+ in relation to any HR-HPV genotype or other specific HPV genotypes. The determinants of ASCUS+ and HR-HPVs were tested using logistic regression. RESULTS Women with >20% reads of any HR-HPV or >12% any HR-HPV other than HPV 16/18 were 5.7 and 12.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with ASCUS+, respectively. Lower CD4 count was a significant determinant of >20% reads of HR-HPV (odds ratio [OR] = 4.1) or >12% any HR-HPV other than HPV 16/18 (OR = 4.5). CONCLUSION We envision that the NGS-based HPV detection will be more accurate for screening and management of HIV+ at risk for developing cervical cancer (CC). We raise concerns regarding the limitations of 16/18-based HPV testing for triage and the efficacy of current HPV vaccines for preventing CC in HIV+.
Understanding the Association of Personal Outlook in Free Speech Regulation and the Risk of being Mis/Disinformed

This paper explores the relationship between a person's outlook on the issues of freedom of speech (IV1), fake news regulation (IV2), and the risk of him/her falling prey to Mis/Disinformation attacks (DV). Participants (n=162) were explicitly asked to choose a position among these issues and were subjected to the Fake News and deepfake test (15-item). The main data analysis tool employed for this study is factorial, two-way ANOVA. Important findings of the study include the revelation of the disparity in the performance of the subjects who are leaning to the government for information regulation against those who prefer the tech companies, among others. The intended target audience of this paper are policymakers and legal professionals possibly seeking for judicial references.
Teaching Global Communication During COVID-19: Challenges, Mitigation, and Lessons Learned

Higher education institutions in the United States resorted to remote instruction after the disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The disjointed nature of this transition of managing the academic crisis needs to be critically engaged. By examining the experiences of global communication faculty at a midsize Midwestern university, this study attempts to reflect on the circumstances, challenges, and some unexpected outcomes of the phenomenon. Based on testimonies generated from the authors? experiences and interviews conducted with instructors, the study outlines lessons learned from the adoption of media technology and offers insights on reimagining global communication pedagogy in the post-pandemic period.
Social presence in online writing instruction: Distinguishing between presence, comfort, attitudes, and learning

Abstract As a component of the Community of Inquiry Framework, social presence is typically defined as students “feeling real” enough to interact with and learn from peers online. This article complicates social presence for an online writing instruction (OWI) context, differentiating between social presence, social comfort, attitudes about online learning, and social learning. The study was initially designed to examine graduate students’ perceptions of social presence as an element of online teaching and learning in two sections of an Online Composition Pedagogy course offered in Spring 2020 and Summer 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the project, since students were now learning about hybrid and online pedagogy against the backdrop of their own experiences as emergency remote students and teachers. Analysis of 21 students’ reflections written during the courses indicates that distinguishing between social presence per se and social comfort, attitudes, and learning helps to account for the individual and social contexts of course participants. Ultimately, this article argues that simply inviting students to “feel real” or positioning yourself as a “real” instructor is not sufficient for establishing the types of social interactions that composition studies values.
New Product Design and Development Process

The new product development cycle has been undergoing changes that are accelerating rapidly because of the increases in technology and competitive pressures that are rendering new products very critical to the financial future of companies and making older products obsolete much faster today. In this chapter, we will discuss the evolution of the new product development process and its implementation within the overall product life cycle.
Experimental implementation of optical clockwork without carrier-envelope phase control

We demonstrate optical clockwork without the need for carrier-envelope phase control by use of sum-frequency generation between a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator at 3.39 µm and a femtosecond mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser with two strong spectral peaks at 834 and 670 nm, a spectral difference matched by the 3.39‐µm radiation.
Detector response function of an energy-resolved CdTe single photon counting detector

BACKGROUND While spectral CT using single photon counting detector has shown a number of advantages in diagnostic imaging, knowledge of the detector response function of an energy-resolved detector is needed to correct the signal bias and reconstruct the image more accurately. OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper is to study the photo counting detector response function using laboratory sources, and investigate the signal bias correction method. METHODS Our approach is to model the detector response function over the entire diagnostic energy range (20 keV <E< 140 keV) using a semi-analytical method with 12 parameters. The model includes a primary photo peak, an exponential tail, and four escape peaks. Four radioactive isotopes including Cdmium-109, Barium-133, Americium-241 and Cobalt-57 are used to generate the detector response function at six photon energies. The 12 parameters are obtained by non-linear least-square fitting with the measured detector response functions at the six energies. The correlations of the 12 parameters with energy are also investigated with the measured data. RESULTS The analytical model generally describes the detector response function and is in good agreement with the measured data. The trend lines of the 12 parameters indicate higher energies tend to cause grater spectrum distortion. The spectrum distortion caused by the detector response function on spectral CT reconstruction is analyzed theoretically, and a solution to correct this spectrum distortion is also proposed. CONCLUSION In spectral and fluorescence CT, the spectrum distortion caused by detector response function poses a problem and cannot be ignored in any quantitative analysis. The detector response function of a CdTe detector can be obtained by a semi-analytical method.
Emerging methods in economic modeling of imaging costs and outcomes a short report on discrete event simulation.

Rationale and Objectives This short report provides a non-technical overview of one emerging modeling technique, discrete event simulation (DES). Methods A selective review of the literature that has applied DES methods to evaluate imaging technologies. Results Mathematical models to evaluate the likely costs and outcomes of health technologies have become increasingly accepted. Increasing experience has also brought a mounting awareness of the limitations of conventional modeling techniques such as decision trees and Markov processes. Patient-level simulation, including DES, may provide a more flexible approach to modeling for economic evaluation of health technologies. Conclusions The strengths of DES suggest that it may have an increasingly important role in the future modeling of annual screening programs, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic recurrent disease and modeling the utilization of imaging equipment.
Finance and Politics: Special Interest Group Influence during the Nationalization and Privatization of Conrail

Conrail, nationalized in 1976 and privatized in 1987, was the most significant nationalization and privatization by the US government in recent years. It provides a specific example to examine the financial impacts of politics. We show that at key points in the nationalized and privatized time periods, interest groups appear to be exerting pressures to benefit their interests. The major customers of the six bankrupt northeast railroads suffered losses in market value of $1,204 million at the time of the announcement of each of the six bankruptcies. Once the U.S. government undertook the reorganization effort and nationalization of Conrail, the benefit to customers of these rails is estimated to be at least $2,774 million. In addition, changes in regulation which came about from the Conrail privatization process resulted in a positive externality to the rail industry of at least $571 million. These changes in regulation are also estimated to have benefited customers in the amount of $7,392 million.
Glass MICA Composite Seals for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

A novel glass-mica composite seal was developed based on a previous concept of "infiltrated" mica seals for solid oxide fuel cells. A Ba-Al-Ca silicate sealing glass was mixed with mica flakes to form the glass-mica composite seals. The glass-mica composite seals were tested for thermal cycle stability in terms of the high temperature leakage under applied compressive stresses. Post mortem analyses were used to characterize the fracture and leak path of the glass-mica composite seals.
On Fresnel coefficients for transmission into a lossy medium

The Fresnel Coefficients are considered for transmission into a lossy medium. It is shown that the complex angle that occurs in the standard derivation is due to an error in enforcing the boundary condition. The standard and a corrected result for the Fresnel Equations are compared, and differ in one term. These two terms appear to represent the same physical quantity, and thus appear to be equal. A careful comparison shows otherwise.
Crystal and molecular structure of(η5-C5H5)W[C3(CME3)2Me](PME3)Cl2, a species with a tetrahedral WC3, core formed from a tungstenacyclobutadiene complex via attack on tungsten by a phosphorus-donor ligand

The complex (η5-C5H5)W[C3(CMe3)2Me](PMe3)Cl2, prepared previously by the reaction of the tungstenacyclobutadiene complex (η5-C5H5)W[C(Ph)C(CMe3)C(Ph)]Cl2 with PMe3, has been subjected to a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. This complex crystallizes in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group P21/c (C2h5; No. 14) with a 10.302(3) A, b 15.314(3) A, c 14.130(2) A, β 98.036(16)°, V 2207.4(8) A3 and Z = 4. Diffraction data (Mo-Kα, 2θ 4.5–50.0°) were collected with a Syntex P21 automated four-circle diffractometer and the structure was refined to R 4.7% for all 3919 independent reflections (R 3.4% for those 3290 data with |F0| > 3σ(|F0|)). The molecular geometry approximates that of a “four-legged piano stool” with the tungsten atom surrounded by an η5-cyclopentadienyl ligand, two chloride ligands (WCl(1) 2.538(2) A, WCl(2) 2.504(2) A) a trimethylphosphine ligand (WP 2.600(2) A) and an η3-[C3(CMe3)2Me] ligand. The three carbon atoms of the C3 ring are tightly bound to tungsten (WC(1) 2.139(5) A, WC(2) 2.150(6) A WC(3) 2.200(6) A) and the WC3 core of the molecule is closer to a “tungstenatetrahedrane” moiety than to the more familiar η3-cyclopropeniumtungsten (i.e., C3H3+) representation; the C3 ring is perhaps best termed an η3-cyclopropenyl system.
Identification of Novel SHPS-1-associated Proteins and Their Roles in Regulation of Insulin-like Growth Factor-dependent Responses in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type substrate-1 (SHPS-1), a transmembrane protein, plays a vital role in cell migration and proliferation. Our previous studies have shown that insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) stimulates SHPS-1 phosphorylation, leading to recruitment of SHP-2, c-Src, Shc, and Grb2·p85 to phosphorylated SHPS-1. Assembly of this signaling complex is required for optimal stimulation of both mitogen-activated protein and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways. The main aim of the present study was to identify novel proteins that interacted with the cytoplasmic domain of SHPS-1 (SHPS-1/CD) in response to IGF-I stimulation and define the role of these interactions in mediating specific biological functions. We performed a functional proteomic screening to identify SHPS-1 binding partners using combination of mRNA display and the tandem affinity purification-tag methods. Screening identified a number of proteins not previously known to interact with phosphorylated SHPS-1/CD. These novel SHPS-1 binding partners represent several functional categories including heat shock proteins, protein kinases and phosphatases, and proteins that regulate transcription or translation. In Vivo and in vitro studies suggested that most of the proteins bound to SHPS-1 via binding to one of the four SH2 domain containing proteins, SHP-2, CTK, SUPT6H, and STAT1, that directly bound to SHPS-1. Although the binding of most of these proteins to SHPS-1 was positively regulated by IGF-I, a few were negatively regulated, suggesting differential regulation of protein complexes assembled on SHPS-1/CD in response to IGF-I. Further studies showed that truncation of SHPS-1/CD significantly impaired IGF-I-dependent AKT signal transduction and subsequent biological functions including cell survival, protein synthesis, protein aggregation, and prevention of apoptosis. The results emphasize the importance of formation of SHPS-1 signaling complex induced by IGF-I and provide novel insights into our knowledge of the role of this molecular scaffold in regulation of IGF-I-stimulated signal transduction and biological actions.
Converging confidence of expert opinions

In this age of high technology, the expert consultant usually must state an opinion based on limited information. This is especially true in construction defect or delay claim cases, or when the damage to a structure is due to the occurrence of a natural phenomenon such as rainstorms, strong winds, or earthquakes. The ever expanding availability of tools for computer analysis of structures enable increasing insight and improved accuracy in helping to understand the cause of damage, but many of these analyses are very expensive. Often the client and the expert face the dilemma of balancing the expenditure of limited funds with the goal of achieving a desired level of confidence in the expert's opinion. This paper addresses how one can scientifically assess the confidence in an experts' opinion. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cross‐gender mentorship in clinical psychology doctoral programs: an exploratory survey study

The mentorship experiences of recent clinical psychology doctorates reporting a primary mentor in graduate school were assessed by means of a survey. Among 518 responding psychologists, male graduates were significantly more likely to have a same‐gender mentor, and female graduates were more likely to report receiving support from mentors of both genders. Both male and female respondents who had cross‐gender mentors were significantly more likely to report attraction to the mentor, negative experiences related to the mentor's seductiveness, and difficulty terminating the mentorship than respondents with same‐gender mentors. These results call into question some common assumptions about mentorship gender pairing in graduate school and subsequent differences in both positive and negative relationship outcomes.
Mixed dimer double resonance substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is performed on mixed dimers, consisting of pairs of gold nanoparticles with different shapes and plasmon frequencies. These are termed double resonance substrates. The results are compared to double dimer geometry.
An Improved Radiochemical Neutron Activation Analysis Procedure for Trace Mercury

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis has proven to be a powerful tool for measuring trace mercury in a variety of materials. In a modification of an established NIST method, selenium interfering with the 203Hg indicator is removed by precipitating mercury as periodate, and the chemical yield is measured gravimetrically. The current method is better suited to multiple samples, less subject to explosion during the combustion step, provides a measurement of the yield for each sample, and involves less radiation exposure to personnel. The procedure has been applied to the certification of mercury in SRMs 1575a Pine Needles, 1632c Bituminous Coal, and 2702 Marine Sediment.
Preparation of homopolymers and block copolymers in miniemulsion by ATRP using activators generated by electron transfer (AGET).

A new initiating/catalytic system for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is reported. This system starts with alkyl halides as initiators and transition metal complexes in their oxidatively stable state (e.g., CuIIBr2/ligand) as catalysts. The activators are generated by electron transfer (AGET) without involvement of initiating organic radicals. AGET ATRP has a significant advantage over simultaneous reverse and normal initiation (SR&NI) ATRP, because it provides a simple route for synthesizing pure polymers with complex architectures such as star copolymers, block copolymers, etc. Furthermore, AGET ATRP can be also successfully carried out in miniemulsion. Homopolymers and pure block copolymers were successfully synthesized via ATRP in miniemulsion using AGET ATRP. The final products were analyzed via two-dimensional chromatography, which combines high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The resulting chromatograms showed that pure linear block copo...
The effects of accretion, erosion and radiogenic heat on the metamorphic evolution of collisional orogens

Petrological and thermochronological data provide our best record of the thermal structure of deeply eroded orogens, and, in principle, might be used to relate the metamorphic structure of an orogen to its deformational history. In this paper, we present a two-dimensional thermal model of collisional orogens that includes the processes of accretion and erosion to examine the P–T evolution of rocks advected through the orogen. Calculated metamorphic patterns are similar to those observed in the field; metamorphic temperatures, depths and ages generally increase with distance from the toe of the orogen; P–T paths are anti-clockwise, with rocks heating during burial and early stages of unroofing, followed by cooling during late-stage unroofing. The results indicate that peak metamorphic temperatures within the core of a collisional orogen and the distance from the toe of an orogen to the metamorphic core can be related to the relative rates of accretion, erosion and plate convergence. Model orogens displaying high metamorphic temperatures (>600 °C) are associated with low ratios of accretion rate to plate convergence velocity and with high heat flow through the foreland. Model orogens with metamorphic cores far from the toe of the orogen are associated with high ratios of accretion rate to erosion rate. Calculated metamorphic gradients mimic steady-state geotherms, and inverted thermal gradients can be preserved in the metamorphic record, suggesting reconsideration of the concept that the metamorphic record does not closely reflect geothermal gradients within an orogen.
Letter by Kasprowicz et al Regarding Article, “Reducing Sodium Intake to Prevent Stroke: Time for Action, Not Hesitation”

The article by Appel1 entitled “Reducing Sodium Intake to Prevent Stroke: Time for Action, Not Hesitation” provides a call to action that diet modification is a cost effective and clinically relevant component of our prevention and management of chronic disease and stroke. The author notes a potential profound impact of widespread nutrition intervention and that a 4% annual reduction in sodium intake for 10 years could prevent 30 000 to 83 000 stroke-related deaths. We agree with Appel’s conclusion and offer 1 concrete step to move the American medical community from hesitation to action. There is a larger problem limiting the ability of providers to offer effective nutrition counseling that patients can easily integrate into their …
Surface reconstruction and the Debye-Waller factor

Abstract A recently developed soft-mode theory of surface reconstruction 1 is used to calculate the surface Debye-Waller factor (SDWF) as a function of temperature near a supposed transition temperature ( T 0 ) between two reconstruction patterns. The soft surface mode gives rise to a sharp decrease in the SDWF as T 0 is approached, suggesting that an examination the LEED Bragg intensities may help verify the soft mode theory.
TH‐D‐AUD‐05: Assessment of CyberKnife's Heterogeneity Dose Calculation Algorithm and Respiratory Tracking System Using An Anthropomorphic Thorax Phantom

Purpose: To assess two CyberKnife components: MultiPlan's heterogeneity dose calculation and the accuracy of Synchrony, the respiratory tracking system.Method and Materials: The Radiological Physics Centers' anthropomorphic thorax phantom contains TLD in the tumor,heart, and spinal cord to measure absolute dose and EBT radiochromic film in coronal, sagittal, and axial planes through the tumor. A treatment plan was developed using Accuray's MultiPlan planning system. The prescription was 500 cGy to the 77% isodose line, and the constraints followed the specifications of the RTOG 0236 protocol. The phantom was irradiated while stationary, with a 2 cm cosine motion, and with an irregular breathing pattern three times each. The calculated doses were compared with the measuredTLD results, and the stationary TLDdoses were compared with both moving scenarios. Dose profiles were measured in the AP, RtLt, and Sup/Inf directions with EBT film and the stationary and moving conditions were compared. Results: The average measuredTLDtumordose was 13.5% lower than the calculated dose; the measured cord and heartdoses were 40.9% and 32.8% lower than the calculated doses, respectively. All tumorTLDdoses for the moving cases were within 1.3% of the non‐moving TLDs, with the largest %SD being equal to 1.2%. In addition, 99.7% of the measured cosine motion dose profile and 92.3% of the measured irregular motion dose profile fell within ±3%/1.5mm of the measured stationary dose profile. Conclusion: Multiplan overestimated the dose to the PTV and critical structures. This may be due to the simplistic pencil beam heterogeneity calculation. According to the dose profiles of this study, the Synchrony system precisely tracks lungtumors throughout the course of treatment. Conflict of Interest: This research was supported in part by PHS grant CA10953, NCI and by Accuray honoraria for educational lectures. One co‐author's spouse employed by Accuray.
A case of needle embolism.

FE A T U R E A R T IC L Awith right-sided chest pain and malaise. His last use of heroin was 3 days before presentation, and he reported injecting into the left side of his groin. The computed tomographic scan seen in Fig 1 was obtained and clearly demonstrates a right middle lobe consolidation with central thin linear hyperdensity measuring approximately 1 11 mm. The hyperdensity is evident in the course of the distal pulmonary artery. On further questioning, the patient remembered recently having a needle fragment break. He wished to have this removed and thus was taken to the operating room where a right video-assisted thoracic operation was
Comparison of screened hybrid density functional theory to diffusion Monte Carlo in calculations of total energies of silicon phases and defects

Nearly quantitative agreement between density functional theory DFT and diffusion Monte Carlo DMC calculations is shown for the prediction of defect properties using the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof HSE screened-exchange hybrid functional. The HSE functional enables accurate computations on complex systems, such as defects, where traditional DFT may be inadequate and DMC calculation computationally unfeasible. The screened-exchange hybrid functional retains the benefits of earlier hybrid functionals in terms of treating strongly correlated insulators but unlike them it can be applied to metallic phases. This study concentrates on the DFT energetic predictions of point defects in silicon and on phase energy differences between the diamond and metallic -tin phases.
Prediction of photonic crystal emitter efficiency using an optimized fuzzy learning approach

Abstract Photonic crystals (PC) have attracted much attention over the last decade for their unique ability to control light propagation. Researchers suggested the use of metallic photonic crystal with network topology as high efficiency thermal emitters. A necessary precursor to the deployment of such crystals in practical systems is fast accurate prediction of the emission characteristics and efficiency from a photonic lattice. Conventional models that simulate the photonic response of PC are computationally expensive and can take up to a few hours on several parallel processors to realize the emitter efficiency for a given PC structure. Therefore, a practical design process with trial and error cannot be done in a reasonable amount of time. In this article we suggest the use of a fuzzy learning approach to establish a model that can be used to predict emitter efficiency from such systems. The widely studied metallic PC Lincoln log structure is used as a case study. We show that the proposed method can estimate the efficiency of any PC Lincoln log structure much faster than any existing method and is by no means bound to this specific geometry. The case study presented here was chosen only because of recent high interest in it and the abundance of literature data on the example structure. The learning process using Fuzzy set Theory is explained. A multi-objective optimization method to enhance the fuzzy learning process is also outlined. An exemplar case showing the ability of the proposed model to predict the emitter efficiency of a tungsten PC with a bandgap at (10–11.5 μm) is illustrated. We show that once the fuzzy learning is performed, the proposed method can predict the emitter efficiency with 95% accuracy without the need for any expensive computations.
New development of self-interaction corrected DFT for extended systems applied to the calculation of native defects in 3C SiC

We recently developed a framework for implementing a scaled self-interaction corrected density functional theory (DFT-SIC) into pseudo-potential plane-wave DFT. The technique implements the original method of Perdew and Zunger by direct minimization of the DFT-SIC total energy functional. By using maximally localized Wannier functions, DFT-SIC calculation can be carried out efficiently even for extended systems. Using this new development, the formation energies of defects in 3C–SiC (silicon carbide) were calculated and compared to more standard DFT calculations. Differences of up to 1 eV were seen between DFT and DFT-SIC calculations of the formation energies. When compared to DFT, DFT-SIC produced less-stable vacancies and silicon interstitials, and more stable antisites and carbon interstitials. The most favourable interstitials were found to be C interstitials in a C+–C100 dumbbell configuration, with the formation energy of 5.91 eV with DFT and 5.65 eV with DFT-SIC. Si interstitials were not as stable as C interstitials. The most favourable Si interstitial was found to be Si tetrahedral surrounded by four C atoms, with a formation energy of 7.65 eV with DFT and 8.71 eV with DFT-SIC.
Controlled ALOHA with geometric capture probabilities

An infinite user, slotted ALOHA system operating over a capture channel is studied. In a capture channel, differences in the levels of received power and the times of arrival allow the receiver to successfully receive a packet even when two or more have been transmitted simultaneously. The slotted ALOHA system operating over a capture channel is known to be unstable unless a control policy is used. The authors stabilize the system by using a retransmission control algorithm and derive the throughput as a function of the capture parameter. >
How should one analyse and interpret clinical trials in which patients don't take the treatments assigned to them?

‘Obviously it is not practically possible to preselect two large strictly random groups of children who are representative of the general population and to insure that every child in one group receives the vaccine while every child in the other group receives no vaccine during the observation period. Children in the general population have the prerogative to refuse vaccine offered and the liberty to obtain other vaccine when desired. In these premises there is no known way of changing the two groups so that one would include only children actually vaccinated, and the other include only children not vaccinated, without destroying the randomness of the selection and to that extent possibly invalidating the answer to the question asked. After it has been established that the vaccine confers protection, then questions concerning the amount and duration of such protection might in part demand direct comparison of the experience of the children actually vaccinated with those not vaccinated, providing adequate data are at hand to equalize the two groups with respect to attributes which apparently influence the occurrence of the disease. For this report, the approach to the primary problem involved the preselection of two large strictly random groups of children and the subsequent injection of a large proportion of only one group with the vaccine. All analyses herein presented are a comparison of the experience of such preselected groups regardless of their actual status with respect to receiving the vaccine. The difficulties encountered in this approach are chronologically described in detail so that the reader may evaluate any possible errors involved.’
Introducing molecular electronics

Abstract Molecular electronics and optoelectronics depend for their existence on the molecular organization of space. The fundamental mechanisms underlying the rich phenomena that have been discovered in these areas arise from mixing of electronic energies in the molecule with external, macroscopic structures. Mechanisms of charge injection and transport, and their manifestations in the physical properties of molecular electronic junctions, are discussed. Major questions that remain unresolved are placed in the contexts of fundamental understanding and device considerations. In the natural world, molecules are used for many purposes. Using molecule-based materials for electronics, sensing, and optoelectronics is a new endeavor, called molecular electronics, and the subject both of riveting new research and substantial popular press interest.
Vertex operators, symmetric functions, and the spin group Γn

Abstract This work provides a vertex operator approach to the symmetric group Sn and its double covering group Γn. By generalizing a result of Frenkel and Sato for Sn we formulate a correspondence between the space V of certain twisted vertex operators, the ring Λ of symmetric functions over Q (√2), and the space of nontrivial irreducible characters of Γn. Under this identification we show that a distinguished orthogonal basis of V corresponds to the set of nontrivial irreducible characters of Γn, where both are parametrized by partitions with odd integer parts. The counterpart of this distinguished basis in the ring Λ over Q (√2) is the set of Schur's Q-functions, which are, loosely speaking, the square roots of the Schur functions. The nontrivial part of the character table of Γn is shown to be given by certain matrix coefficients in V.
Catheter ablation of coexistent bundle branch and interfascicular reentrant ventricular tachycardias.

Bundle Branch and Interfascicular Reentry. Introduction: Bundle branch reentry and interfascicular reentry are potential mechanisms of ventricular tachycardia in the setting of a dilated cardiomyopathy. We report a patient with myotonic dystrophy who presented with near syncope, in whom both of these mechanisms were present, leading to two different wide complex tachycardias. Methods and Results: Electrophysiologic study demonstrated Infra-Hisian conduction system disease and inducible bundle branch reentrant ventricular tachycardia. Catheter ablation of the right bundle eliminated bundle branch reentry. However, following this, the patient had inducible interfascicular reentry, which subsequently occurred spontaneously while still hospitalized. Catheter ablation of the left posterior fascicle successfully eliminated this second tachycardia, and the patient has had no further arrhythmias. Conclusions: This report is of an unusual patient with coexistent bundle branch reentry and interfascicular reentry producing two different forms of sustained ventricular tachycardia. This is the first report of catheter ablation of the left posterior fascicle for elimination of conduction system reentry.
Binding of bisubstrate analog promotes large structural changes in the unregulated catalytic trimer of aspartate transcarbamoylase: Implications for allosteric regulation

A central problem in understanding enzyme regulation is to define the conformational states that account for allosteric changes in catalytic activity. ForEscherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase; EC 2.1.3.2) the active, relaxed (R state) holoenzyme is generally assumed to be represented by the crystal structure of the complex of the holoenzyme with the bisubstrate analogN-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartate (PALA). It is unclear, however, which conformational differences between the unliganded, inactive, taut (T state) holoenzyme and the PALA complex are attributable to localized effects of inhibitor binding as contrasted to the allosteric transition. To define the conformational changes in the isolated, nonallosteric C trimer resulting from the binding of PALA, we determined the 1.95-A resolution crystal structure of the C trimer-PALA complex. In contrast to the free C trimer, the PALA-bound trimer exhibits approximate threefold symmetry. Conformational changes in the C trimer upon PALA binding include ordering of two active site loops and closure of the hinge relating the N- and C-terminal domains. The C trimer-PALA structure closely resembles the liganded C subunits in the PALA-bound holoenzyme. This similarity suggests that the pronounced hinge closure and other changes promoted by PALA binding to the holoenzyme are stabilized by ligand binding. Consequently, the conformational changes attributable to the allosteric transition of the holoenzyme remain to be defined.
Institutional Logics from the Aggregation of Organizational Networks: Operational Procedures for the Analysis of Counted Data

We address some problems of network aggregation that are central to organizational studies. We show that concepts of network equivalence (including generalizations and special cases of structural equivalence) are relevant to the modeling of the aggregation of social categories in cross-classification tables portraying relations within an organizational field (analogous to one-mode networks). We extend our results to model the dual aggregation of social identities and organizational practices (an example of a two-mode network). We present an algorithm to accomplish such dual aggregation. Within the formal and quantitative framework that we present, we emphasize a unified treatment of (a) aggregation on the basis of structural equivalence (invariance of actors within equivalence sets), (b) the study of variation in relations between structurally equivalent sets, and (c) the close connections between aggregation within organizational networks and multi-dimensional modeling of organizational fields.
Thermal relaxation in excited electronic states of d3 and d6 metal complexes

Abstract Photophysical kinetic results have played an important role in assessing excited state relaxation pathways in transition metal complexes. The applicability of a kinetic analysis is critically dependent on the quality of the individual decay rates, the temperature range examined, and the model used to extract the activation parameters. The extensive literature describing the temperature dependence of excited state depopulation in d 3 and d 6 complexes permits an evaluation of both the power and limitations of kinetic arguments in assessing the mechanism of excited state relaxation.
Plastic deformation of fine-grained Al2O3 in the presence of an electric field

Although polycrystalline ceramics are generally considered to be brittle, they can exhibit significant ductility at high homologous temperatures for certain conditions, namely a fine grain size (usually {le} 5 {micro}m) and non-stoichiometry. Prior studies by the present authors have shown that the concurrent application of an electric field of {approximately} 1 kV/cm during the tensile deformation of polycrystalline NaCl and 3Y-TZP (yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals) gave a reduction in the flow stress and an increase in elongation. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the influence of an electric field on the plastic deformation of a fine-grained, polycrystalline Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, which is normally considered to be highly stoichiometric. The objectives of the study were to determine: (a) the influence of a continuous electric field on the tensile stress-strain curve, (b) the degree of reversibility of any effect of the field on the flow stress and (c) the dependence of the flow stress on the field strength.
Truncated component regression, multicollinearity and the MMPI's use in a police officer selection setting

The clinical scales of the MMPI are highly intercorrelated (multicollinear). Theoretical considerations suggest, therefore, that multiple correlations between these scales and criterion measures will be inflated; yet this possible inflation has not been examined empirically in MMPI research. A suggested method for use with multicollinear measures is truncated component regression (TCR). The technique involves use of principal components instead of original raw scales as predictors. Experiment I compared TCR and ordinary least squares regression (OLSR) of MMPI and field performance indices obtained from police officers during training, and in their early years of service. Multiple correlations derived from OSLR were often found to be arithmetically, but not statistically, much larger than TCR-derived multiple correlations. This suggests these OLSR measures are inflated. However, several MMPI-field performance correlations derived from TCR were significant, supporting the use of the MMPI in police selection...
Polarization of the deuteron in the reaction p + p → d+ π+

Abstract The polarization of the deuteron in the reaction pp → dπ+ is calculated with an isobar model and effects of varying the interactions are investigated. The prediction for the vector polarization is rather small, generally less than 10%, and sensitive to the interaction model used, whereas the tensor polarization is found to be large and very model independent.
Continuous muscle fiber activity in the Schwartz-Jampel syndrome.

Abstract The Schwartz-Jampel syndrome is an hereditary disease characterized by shortness of stature, muscular hypertrophy, and persistent muscular contraction at rest. The electromyographic (EMG) findings have been referred to by all authors as myotonia. In the two cases described in this article, the EMG findings were quite different from ordinary myotonia. There was continuous electrical activity at rest which did not wax and wane and accounted for the persistent muscular contraction observed clinically. This activity was not abolished by deep general anesthesia. The technique of regional neuromuscular block with curare was used to determine the origin of these discharges. In contrast to classical myotonia, the discharges were abolished by curare, and muscular relaxation was achieved. However, the likelihood that they do originate from the muscle component of the neuromuscular junction rather than the peripheral nerve was suggested by the observation that spontaneous electrical activity persisted long after inadvertent nerve injury during a surgical procedure. We suggest that the term myotonia is not appropriate for the high frequency discharges observed in this syndrome. Regional intravenous perfusion with curare is a relatively simple technique which can assist in localizing the site of origin of abnormal EMG discharges. The application of this anesthetic technique to physiological studies of the motor unit is described.
B lymphocyte recognition of cytochrome c: higher frequency of cells specific for self versus foreign antigen early in the immune response and V gene usage in the response to self antigen.

To study immunoglobulin gene usage in the antibody response of mice to the self antigen (Ag) mouse cytochrome c (cyt), B cell hybridomas were prepared from splenic B cells of immunized BALB/c mice prior to the onset of somatic mutation, i.e. 3 days after injecting ovalbumin (OVA)-primed mice with mouse cyt coupled to OVA. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) from all of the seven primary hybridomas we obtained were sensitive to a single amino acid substitution from aspartic acid to glutamic acid at position 62 in mouse cyt. This is the specificity of the vast majority of B cells responding to mouse cyt as determined from assays of B cells activated in splenic fragment cultures. Six of the mAb derive from the 19.1.2 J558 VH gene which is also used in the response to alpha (1-->6) dextran and three of these mAb derive from the R9 V kappa gene, a member of the V kappa Ox-1 family. The other mAb derive from distinct, although similar, V kappa genes. Attempts to obtain hybridomas secreting primary (unmutated) mAb specific for cyt foreign to mice have been hampered by the much lower frequency of B cells responding early to foreign cyt in comparison to the self Ag. This suggests that, contrary to expectation of tolerance mechanisms, in naive BALB/c mice B lymphocytes specific for a single epitope on self cyt are present in higher frequency than B lymphocytes specific for similar epitopes on foreign cyt. Possible explanations for this result include biased expression in the B cell repertoire of the particular combination of V genes encoding mouse cyt-specific mAb or to positive selection of developing B lymphocytes by endogenous Ag.