cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In Utero Closure of Myelomeningocele Does Not Improve Lower Urinary Tract Function

Purpose: Recent data comparing prenatal to postnatal closure of myelomeningocele showed a decreased need for ventriculoperitoneal shunting and improved lower extremity motor outcomes in patients who underwent closure prenatally. A total of 11 children whose spinal defect was closed in utero were followed at our spina bifida center. We hypothesized that in utero repair of myelomeningocele improves lower urinary tract function compared to postnatal repair.Materials and Methods: Eleven patients who underwent in utero repair were matched to 22 control patients who underwent postnatal repair according to age, gender and level of spinal defect. Urological outcomes were retrospectively reviewed including urodynamic study data, need for clean intermittent catheterization, use of anticholinergic agents and prophylactic antibiotics, and surgical history. The need for ventriculoperitoneal shunting or spinal cord untethering surgery was also reviewed.Results: Mean followup was 7.2 years for patients who underwent in ...
Parental presence and holding in the neonatal intensive care unit and associations with early neurobehavior.

Parental presence and holding in the neonatal intensive care unit and associations with early neurobehavior
Surgery of the carotid-vertebral system for cerebrovascular insufficiency.

Abstract 1. 1. Emphasis is placed upon adequate physical diagnosis to determine if “stroke” patients are suffering from extracranial carotidvertebral occlusive disease. 2. 2. The hazards of routine arteriography are recognized. Suspected arteries only are investigated with angiography with the patient under anesthesia immediately prior to surgery. 3. 3. Moderate hypothermia, prevention of hypotension and routine use of the internal shunt are measures taken to provide maximal safety for the patient. 4. 4. Clinical experience with thirty-five patients and twenty-nine arterial reconstructions is presented. 5. 5. Surgical technic and conduct of the operative procedure are outlined.
A value added model for GIS call center in emergency rescue service

This study was aimed to explore the GIS call center needs of various service providers and individual customers in order to establish business strategy appropriately. Six-page structured questionnaires were distributed to 400 potential customers. Semi-structure in-depth interview and focus group technique were employed to service provider and experienced business owner informants. The GIS call center service was interested by majority of end customer informants, especially in home patients with chronic illness and high-income group. Confidential and responsiveness to urgent needs were expected by potential organization and individual customers. The research revealed that the most value added of the GIS call center was to the health care sector in form of rescue system. Moreover, to enhance the collaboration among related service providers of the rescue system and to ensure information security, a government agency would be the host of the Geographic Names Information System, (GNIS) management. A suggested business strategy for implementation was to establish a one-stop service called "iRescue Hub" for GIS call center providing all emergency rescue service in order to be a centralized of information flow and dispatching the call to appropriated agencies. This research study was supported by National Research Council of Thailand.
First-principles study of native point defects in ZnO

The characterization of native point defects in ZnO is still a question of debate. For example, experimental evidence for ZnO with an excess of Zn is inconclusive as to whether the dominant defects are metal interstitials or oxygen vacancies. This information is essential to understand the behavior of the material and to tailor its numerous technological applications. We use the first-principles pseudopotential method to determine the electronic structure, atomic geometry, and formation energy of native point defects in ZnO. Interstitials, vacancies, and antisites in their relevant charge states are considered and the effects of dopants are also discussed. The results show that both the Zn and O vacancies are the relevant defects in ZnO. We also propose a possible transition mechanism and defect center responsible for the experimentally observed green luminescence.
Vortex Flow Hypothesis for Rotor Blades in Reverse Flow

Slowed rotors are used to increase the cruise efficiency and maneuverability of rotorcraft at high speeds. Operation at high rotor advance ratios implies that the blades encounter reverse flow on the retreating side of the rotor disc. The resulting increased pitch link loads and bending moments could shorten component life. Previous studies have shown significant rotor blade pressure perturbations in the reverse flow region, which are not fully accounted for using current prediction methodologies. The hypothesis explored here is that the blade trailing edge in reverse flow produces a vortex similar to the leading edge vortex on a sharp-edged delta wing. The Polhamus model for delta wing lift is modified for use on yawed rotor blades. Lift, drag and pitching moment data acquired on a static yawed blade in reverse flow supports analytical results. Surface tuft flow visualization confirms the existence of an attached, span-wise vortex.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Plant-derived alkaloids active against Trypanosoma cruzi

Six plant-derived simple beta-carboline alkaloids and eight other plant derivatives were tested for activity against the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, the organism responsible for Chagas' disease. The plant alkaloids in this study were screened using an in vitro test against epimastigotes. Four beta-carboline indoles, a complex indole and five other alkaloids significantly reduced population growth of T. cruzi (Costa Rica strain) epimastigote forms at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml or less.
Dissociation of decreases in renal cellular energetics and recovery of renal microsomal translation during chronic cyclosporine A administration.

Abstract Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given oral cyclosporine A or control vehicle, and renal protein synthesis and renal ATP levels were examined. Acute oral cyclosporine A at 5, 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg/day for 6 days reduced [ 3 H] L -leucine incorporation by isolated renal microsomes to 76.2, 56.8, 44.3 and 29.5% of control incorporations, respectively. No significant changes in renal ATP levels were detected by NMR spectroscopy after acute oral cyclosporine A administration at the doses indicated. However, during chronic exposure to cyclosporine A at doses of 5 and 25 mg/kg day for 30, 60 and 90 days, there was a recovery of renal microsomal protein synthesis by day 30 at 5 mg/kg/day, and by day 45 at 25 mg/kg/day. NMR spectroscopy of the kidneys of these rats demonstrated decreases in renal ATP level by day 60 in animals given cyclosporine A at 25 mg/kg/day. Cyclosporine A administration produced a renal acidosis and up to a 40% decrease in renal ATP level by day 90 in rats fed cyclosporine A at 25 mg/kg. No apparent histologic abnormalities were observed in the ATP deficient renal tissue by NMR imaging. Reductions in renal ATP level suggest that the recovery of renal microsomal protein synthesis is aberrant in the continued presence of cyclosporine A, or that mitochondria are direct sites of cyclosporine A toxicity.
Morphology and structure of nylon-6 crystallized in epoxy resin matrix

Nylon-6/epoxy resin composite with multiphase morphology has been successfully prepared via polymerization of caprolactam in N-methylpyrrolidone using N-acetyl caprolactam as the initiator. This was followed by reactive blending of appropriate amount of the plastic with epoxy resin. The structure of nylon-6 prepared by solution polymerization is predominantly α [200, 020]α crystalline form with γ [002]γ crystalline form as the minor phase. Subsequently, nylon-6/epoxy composite was prepared at 150°C in a Teflon mold. A remarkable heterogeneous morphology of the fractured surface of the film was observed, consisting of multilayered fiber-like crystals encapsulated in the epoxy resin matrix. Close inspection of the morphology of the composite revealed a preference of nylon-6 to crystallize in the crevices and cracks created in glassy epoxy matrix during processing. The crystals seem to nucleate spontaneously and grow radially into spherulites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:858–866, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Zero cost indexing for improved processor cache performance

The increasing use of microprocessor cores in embedded systems as well as mobile and portable devices creates an opportunity for customizing the cache subsystem for improved performance. In traditional cache design, the index portion of the memory address bus consists of the K least significant bits, where K = log2D and D is the depth of the cache. However, in devices where the application set is known and characterized (e.g., systems that execute a fixed application set) there is an opportunity to improve cache performance by choosing a near-optimal set of bits used as index into the cache. This technique does not add any overhead in terms of area or delay. In this article, we present an efficient heuristic algorithm for selecting K index bits for improved cache performance. We show the feasibility of our algorithm by applying it to a large number of embedded system applications as well as the integer SPEC CPU 2000 benchmarks. Specifically, for data traces, we show up to 45p reduction in cache misses. Likewise, for instruction traces, we show up to 31p reduction in cache misses. When a unified data/instruction cache architecture is considered, our results show an average improvement of 14.5p for the Powerstone benchmarks and an average improvement of 15.2p for the SPEC'00 benchmarks.
Evapotranspiration models compared on a Sierra Nevada forest ecosystem

Evapotranspiration, a major component in terrestrial water balance and net primary productivity models, is difficult to measure and predict. This study compared five models of potential evapotranspiration (PET) applied to a ponderosa pine forest ecosystem at. an AmeriFlux site in Northern California. The AmeriFlux sites are research forests across the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Costa Rica with instruments on towers that measure carbon, water, and energy fluxes into and out of the ecosystems. The evapotranspiration models ranged from simple temperature and solar radiation-driven equations to physically-based combination approaches and included reference surface and surface cover-dependent algorithms. For each evapotranspiration model, results were compared against mean daily latent heat from half-hourly measurements recorded on a tower above the forest canopy. All models calculate potential evapotranspiration (assuming well-watered soils at field capacity), rather than actual evapotranspiration (based on soil moisture limitations), and thus overpredicted values from the dry summer seasons of 1997 and 1998. A soil moisture function was integrated to estimate actual evapotranspiration, resulting in improved accuracy in model simulations. A modified Priestley-Taylor model performed well given its relative simplicity. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Coexistence of Vortices and Antivortices in an Abelian Gauge Theory

We present an Abelian field theory model that allows the coexistence of vortices and antivortices. Some of the interesting properties are that the magnetic flux is proportional to the difference of the numbers of vortices and antivortices but the energy is proportional to the sum of these numbers. In the context of cosmology, these vortices represent cosmic strings and antistrings with opposite magnetic charges. In addition to the above properties, we show that the total quantized curvature is proportional to the sum of the numbers of strings and antistrings which also determines the completeness of the gravitational metric.
Bookbuidling, Auctions, and the Future of the IPO Process

Auction theorists predict that bookbuilding, long the standard process for selling equity IPOs in the U.S., is about to give way to an Internet-based IPO auction process that is both more efficient and more fair. The promise of auctions is that, by using an electronic platform that gives all investors the opportunity to bid on IPOs, the underpricing of IPOs and commissions to underwriters will be reduced, leading to an increase in net proceeds to issuers. Largely missing from such arguments, however, is an appreciation of why bookbuilding has dominated U.S. practice (and continues to supplant auctions in IPOs in most countries outside the U.S) and the role of undepricing in the IPO process. Rather than canvassing all investors, bookbuilding involves eliciting expressions of interest from institutional investors, and then allocating shares mainly according to the strength of their professed interest. In contrast to auctions, which allocate shares according to a set of explicit rules, bookbuilding involves a set of implicit “rules” that provide considerable room for judgment by the underwriter. This does not mean that the rules are arbitrary or not well understood by participants, particularly after thousands of IPOs conducted over the better part of two centuries. But to manage the exchange of information between issuers and investors, and the potential conflicts of interest in representing both groups, such rules must be administered by an intermediary with a considerable stake in protecting its reputation for fair dealing. Investment banks that deal with both issuers and the investment community on a regular basis are well positioned to perform this function. The underpricing of IPOs is best viewed not as a transfer of wealth from issuers to favored investors but rather as compensation to the large influential investors that play a major role in the price discovery process. By opening the process to all comers, auctions will discourage these large investors from bidding aggressively because less sophisticated investors will be able to “free ride” on their research and due diligence. To the extent this happens, auctions may suc ceed in reducing underpricing (in fact, they may even lead to over pricing), but they will also reduce the net proceeds for issuers. Nevertheless, recent advances in communications technology and auction theory will undoubtedly reshape current securities underwriting practices. In particular, Internet auctions are likely to replace bookbuilding in debt IPOs and less risky equity issues (say, IPOs of LBOs). But the argument that Bookbuilding will be completely cast aside in favor of largely untested alternatives fails to appreciate a successful institutional response to major market imperfections, some of which can never be wholly eliminated. Especially in the case of risky (first-time) equity IPOs, there will continue to be an important role for managing the information exchange between issuers and investors that is critical to the IPO process.
Decision-making and conflict resolutions skills enhanced by virtual facilitation: A qualitative study

Facilitation among engineers continues to focus on the enhancement of technical knowledge. Very little effort addresses non-technical skills. This research explores the phenomenon behind the use of the facilitation framework of Chris Argyrols and Marshall Rosenberg in a virtual facilitation simulation tool. Currently, the military uses simulation technology to practice various exercises such as flight maneuvering. The engineering arenas use of technology whether internally or externally can be an innovative educational tool. The focus of such a tool would enhance the quality of decision-making and conflict resolution. This study investigates whether the use of virtual facilitation during a simulation leads to enhanced decision-making and conflict resolution skills. This research focuses on the use of the “Ugly Orange”, a commonly used negotiation simulation, with interventions based on the framework of Argyris and/or Rosenberg interjected into the communication process. This research extends existing knowledge on the effects of virtual facilitator to enhance decision-making and conflict resolution skills, as well as conditions to enhance participants' openness and interdependence.
Lives of the Psychics: The Shared Worlds of Science and Mysticism

The daughter of a man about to leave on a trip wakes up crying during the night. She has just had a nightmare that his plane will crash. The father flies without incident to Spain, but the next day, the plane he has taken to Spain crashes and burns outside Malaga on its return trip to New York. Was the dream a premonition? Many people experience similar phenomena, ranging from extrasensory perceptions all the way to near-death experiences on operating tables. Are these events evidence of the paranormal, or are they mere coincidences or hallucinations? How should we regard such claims of supernatural experiences? "Lives of the Psychics", a journey through the terrain of psychic phenomena, tries to answer these questions through interviews with practising psychics, a survey of the heroic attempts of researchers to test psychic abilities in controlled experiments, and an exploration of out-of-body, near-death and mystical experiences. Fred M. Frohock brings together a wide variety of psychic claims and examines them with a rich set of materials - interviews, critical anecdotes, history, multiple theories of the paranormal - that allows him to use whatever tools are necessary to illuminate beliefs in the supernatural. He relates real-life events to scientific studies, so the reader is a party not only to fantastic experiences and first-hand stories of the paranormal but also to the rationales for these experiences proposed by scientists. There is no more rewarding guide to the limits and powers of science in explaining psychic phenomena. To a field filled with uncertainty and suspicion, Frohock brings a discerning eye, a critical sensibility and a fundamental sense of curiosity about the role of mysticism in science. Even skeptics will be intrigued.
Serotonin (5-HT) precursor loading with 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP) reduces locomotor activation produced by (+)-amphetamine in the rat.

Abstract Background Evidence suggests that increases in synaptic serotonin (5-HT) can reduce the stimulant properties of amphetamine-type drugs. Here we tested the hypothesis that administration of the 5-HT precursor 5-hydroxy- l -tryptophan (5-HTP), along with the peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor benserazide, would decrease locomotor effects of (+)-amphetamine. Methods Drug treatments were administered to conscious male rats undergoing in vivo microdialysis in nucleus accumbens. During dialysis sampling, rats were housed in chambers equipped with photobeams to detect forward locomotion (i.e., ambulation) and repetitive movements (i.e., stereotypy). Extracellular concentrations of dopamine (DA) and 5-HT were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Results 5-HTP (10 & 30 mg/kg, i.p.) plus benserazide (30 mg/kg, i.p.) caused dose-related increases in 5-HT but failed to alter other parameters. (+)-Amphetamine (0.3 & 1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) produced dose-related increases in DA, ambulation and stereotypy. Combined administration of 5-HTP and (+)-amphetamine evoked large elevations in extracellular DA and 5-HT, but caused significantly less ambulation than (+)-amphetamine alone (∼50% reduction). Conclusions Our results confirm that 5-HTP can decrease hyperactivity produced by (+)-amphetamine, even in the presence of elevations in dialysate DA. The data suggest that 5-HTP and (+)-amphetamine may be useful to broadly enhance monoamine function in the clinical setting, while reducing undesirable effects of (+)-amphetamine.
Altered Fire Regimes Affect Landscape Patterns of Plant Succession in the Foothills and Mountains of Southern California

In the southern California foothills and mountains, pronounced and complex topographic gradients support fire regimes that vary over short distances. We used LANDIS, a spatially explicit landscape model of disturbance and plant succession, to examine the resilience of dominant plant species, representing different disturbance response strategies, to the effect of varying fire rotation intervals (FRI). The simulated fire regimes represented natural, current and very long FRIs for the foothill shrublands less than 1,400 m (90, 30 and 150 years) and montane forest greater than 1400 m (30, 150, 500 years). The 30-year FRI allowed obligate resprouting shrubs to dominate over obligate seeders, whereas the 90-year FRI resulted in a stable spatial distribution of both of these shrub functional types. This is consistent with the literature that suggests that shifts in shrubland composition are most likely to result from human-caused increases in fire frequency at the low-elevation urban-wildland interface. An ecotone conifer, Pinus coulteri, showed dramatic shifts in distribution under different FRIs, and retreated to the portion of the landscape representing its temporal regeneration niche. Both low and high frequency fire maintained the fire tolerant dominant pine (P. jeffreyi) in the montane zone. This contradicts the literature that suggests that a high frequency ground fire regime is required for the persistence of a pine-dominated forest, but is consistent with studies showing that conifer forests in the western U.S. have experienced, and are resilient to, a broad range of natural FRIs that include low frequency, high intensity crown fires.
Cerebrovascular permeability coefficients to sodium, potassium, and chloride.

CSF and regional brain concentrations of 42K, 22Na, 36Cl, and [14C]mannitol were determined 3-45 min after intravenous injection of the tracers in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. Rapid influx of 36Cl and 22Na into ventricular CSF immediately established concentration gradients from CSF to brain extracellular fluid. The CSF contribution to brain uptake of tracers was greatest in periventricular brain regions, where brain 36Cl concentrations were up to ninefold higher than concentrations in regions distant from ventricular CSF. Acetazolamide (20 mg kg-1 i.p.), an inhibitor of CSF formation, decreased 36Cl uptake into CSF and into periventricular brain regions but not into frontal cortex. 36Cl uptake into brain was unidirectional for 10 min after intravenous injection, and, during that period, diffusion from ventricular CSF did not contribute to uptake in the frontal cortex. Therefore, cerebrovascular permeability coefficients could be calculated from tracer concentrations in frontal cortex at 10 min and equaled, in cm s-1, 13.5 X 10(-7) for 42K, 1.4 X 10(-7) for 22Na, 0.9 X 10(-7) for 36Cl, and 1.5 X 10(-7) for [14C]mannitol. The low cerebrovascular permeabilities to K, Na, and Cl, comparable to those of some cell membranes, and the permselectivity (K much greater than Na greater than Cl) suggest that a significant fraction of ion transport across cerebral capillaries is transcellular, i.e., across the endothelial cell membrane.
Outcome following decompressive surgery for different histological types of metastatic tumors causing epidural spinal cord compression: Clinical article

Object Metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) is a relatively common and debilitating complication of metastatic disease that often results in neurological deficits. Recent studies have supported decompressive surgery over radiation therapy for patients who present with MESCC. These studies, however, have grouped all patients with different histological types of metastatic disease into the same study population. The differential outcomes for patients with different histological types of metastatic disease therefore remain unknown. Methods An institutional database of patients undergoing decompressive surgery for MESCC at an academic tertiary-care institution between 1996 and 2006 was retrospectively reviewed. Patients with primary lung, breast, prostate, kidney, or gastrointestinal (GI) cancer or melanoma were identified. Fisher exact and log-rank analyses were used to compare pre-, peri-, and postoperative variables and survival for patients with these different types of primary cancers. Res...
A Multiattribute Utility Theory-Based Method for Product Line Selection

This paper presents a method based on multiattribute utility theory (MAUT) that facilitates the selection of a product line. The method helps select the subset of products to manufacture based on criteria at the: (1) product level (e.g., manufacturing cost, profit); and (2) product family level (e.g., commonality, component reuse, variety, market coverage). An example involving a family of staplers is used to demonstrate the method and to provide a well-documented engineering application of MAUT in product family design.
An infrared and Raman spectroscopic study of gypsum at high pressures

We present Raman and infrared spectra of gypsum to 21 GPa at 300 K. Our measurements encompass the internal modes of the (SO4)−4 group that lie between 400 and 1150 cm−1, hydroxyl-stretching vibrations between 3200 and 3600 cm−1, and a libration and bending vibrations of the molecular H2O group. All vibrations of the sulfate group have positive pressure shifts, while the hydroxyl-stretching and -bending vibrations have a mixture of positive and negative pressure shifts: the effect of pressure on the hydrogen bonding of the water molecule thus appears to be complex. Near 5 GPa, the two infrared-active bending vibrations of the water molecule coalesce, and the morphology of the hydroxyl-stretching region of the spectrum shifts dramatically. This behavior is consistent with a pressure-induced phase transition in gypsum in the vicinity of 5–6 GPa, which is observed to be reversible on decompression to zero pressure. The spectral observations are consistent with the onset of increased disorder in the position of the water molecule in gypsum: the sulfate vibrations are largely unaffected by this transition. The Raman-active symmetric stretch of the sulfate group undergoes an apparent splitting near 4 GPa, which is interpreted to be produced by Fermi resonance with an overtone of the symmetric bending vibration. The average mode Gruneisen parameter of the 20 vibrational modes we sample is less than 0.05, in contrast to the bulk thermal Gruneisen parameter of 1.20. Accordingly, the vibrations of both water and sulfate units within gypsum are highly insensitive to volumetric compaction. Therefore, in spite of the changes in the bonding of the water unit near 5 GPa, metastably compressed gypsum maintains strongly bound molecular-like units to over 20 GPa at 300 K.
Associations between insecure attachment and sexual experiences

Associations between insecure attachment and sexual experiences were tested in a sample of 328 college students. Variations in adult attachment previously have been shown to relate to sexual behaviors, with the current study extending earlier work by examining different sexual outcomes and by testing factors that may account for these relations. Avoidant attachment was expected to relate to engagement in casual sex (i.e., a greater number of sexual partners and lower percentage of partners within committed relationships), with less restrictive sexual beliefs mediating the relations. In contrast, anxious attachment was expected to relate to more unwanted but consensual sexual experiences, and to more negative affect about sexual experiences, with low self-esteem mediating the relations. Results showed some support for the hypotheses. Avoidant attachment was related to the type (but not number) of sexual partners, with sexual beliefs mediating the relations. A greater number of unwanted but consensual sexual experiences related to anxious and avoidant attachment for women and to avoidant attachment for men. Anxiety related to negative affect for women and men, and self-esteem served as a partial mediator of these relations.
Automated High Resolution Determination of the Trace Elements Iron and Aluminium in the Surface Ocean Using a Towed Fish Coupled to Flow Injection Analysis

A towed surface sampling device coupled to two automated flow injection analysis (FIA) systems is described. The towed system permits uncontaminated sampling of seawater from research vessels while underway at full speed. Coupling the sampler to the FIA systems permits automatic determination of Al and Fe in surface waters at natural levels at 5 min intervals, equivalent to similar to 1.5 km spacing at a ship speed of 10 knots (5 m s(-1)). Results from the tropical Atlantic indicate significant (50%) variation in concentrations of both Al and Fe on space scales of less than 90 km. The combined system facilitates surface mapping of large regions of the ocean for dissolved Al and Fe, thus identifying the sites and magnitude of eolian deposition to the surface ocean. In combination with the determination of nutrients and other biological parameters this permits the investigation of the role that eolian deposition plays in modifying surface water biogeochemical cycles. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vortex flow of dilute polymer solutions

It has been observed that very d longchain polymers which are effective in turbulent drag reduction inhibit the formation of a vortex or air core as water drains from a tank. This paper considers the fluid mechanical velocity profile measurements have been performed. There appear to be at least two distinct mechanisms for the vortex inhibition—one involving the viscosity enhancement caused by polymer addition, and the other related to the viscoelastic properties of the polymer solutions. This second mechanism is shown to arise due to the generation of high normal stresses as the air core begins to form. The very close correlation between vortex inhibition and turbulent drag reduction suggests that normal stresses may also play an important role in this latter phenomenon.
Preserving privacy in gps traces via uncertainty-aware path cloaking

Motivated by a probe-vehicle based automotive traffic monitoring system, this paper considers the problem of guaranteed anonymity in a dataset of location traces while maintaining high data accuracy. We find through analysis of a set of GPS traces from 233 vehicles that known privacy algorithms cannot meet accuracy requirements or fail to provide privacy guarantees for drivers in low-density areas. To overcome these challenges, we develop a novel time-to-confusion criterion to characterize privacy in a location dataset and propose an uncertainty-aware path cloaking algorithm that hides location samples in a dataset to provide a time-to-confusion guarantee for all vehicles. We show that this approach effectively guarantees worst case tracking bounds, while achieving significant data accuracy improvements.
Fibers and Fiber Coatings for IMCs

This paper presents a review of the current status of fibers and fiber coatings for intermetallic matrix composites (IMCs). The properties of commercial and developmental fibers are reviewed and their potential as reinforcements for various intermetallics discussed. The potential fibers for near-term IMC applications are SiC (both monofilament and tow), single crystal Al2O3 and YAG/Al2O3 eutectic monofilaments, and sol-gel derived Al2O3- mullite nanocomposite tow fiber. The chemical compatibility of these fibers with various intermetallic matrices is reviewed. The issues related to the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between the fiber and the matrix, attaining optimum interfacial bond strength, and fiber damage during composite processing are addressed. The effectiveness and limitations of fiber coatings in accommodating various fiber-matrix incompabilities, both chemical and mechanical, are discussed.
Detection of neural cell activity using plasmonic gold nanoparticles

Metal nanoparticles have been studied intensively for their applications using localized surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonance. We have demonstrated for the first time that using gold nanoparticles, one can detect electrical activities from the neurons.
Fundamental studies of the influence of boron on the graphite-oxygen reaction using in situ electron microscopy techniques

Controlled atmosphere electron microscopy coupled with in situ electron diffraction has been used to follow the manner by which the addition of boron oxide influences the graphite-oxygen reaction. Continuous observations of the process show that at about 450 °C the boron oxide undergoes a strong interaction with both the graphite edge and the basal plane regions, and this results in a spreading of the oxide to form a uniform thin adherent film over the entire substrate. The coated graphite specimens appear to be impervious to attack by oxygen at temperatures below 815 °C. Above this temperature, however, there is a weakening of the additive-graphite interaction with the “armchair” {11$\overline 1$0} faces, and these regions then become vulnerable to attack by oxygen. At the same time very shallow pits are observed to develop in the basal plane, and this action coincides with the appearance of boron carbide species in the electron diffraction pattern. In a complementary series of experiments, it is found that boron carbide is an extremely active catalyst for the graphite-oxygen reaction even at temperatures as low as 100 °C. The impact of these low pressure studies on the behavior of carbon structures used in aerospace applications is discussed.
Chandra and XMM monitoring of the black hole X-ray binary IC 10 X-1

The massive black hole + Wolf-Rayet binary IC10 X-1 was observed in a series of 10 Chandra and 2 XMM-Newton observations spanning 2003-2012, showing consistent variability around 7 x10^37 erg/s, with a spectral hardening event in 2009. We phase-connected the entire light-curve by folding the photon arrival times on a series of trial periods spanning the known orbital period and its uncertainty, refining the X-ray period to P = 1.45175(1)d. The duration of minimum-flux in the X-ray eclipse is 5 hr which together with the optical radial velocity curve for the companion yields a radius for the eclipsing body of 8-10 Rsun for the allowed range of masses. The orbital separation of 18.5-22 Rsun then provides a limiting inclination i>63 degrees for total eclipses to occur. The eclipses are asymmetric (egress duration 0.9 hr) and show energy dependence, suggestive of an accretion-disk hotspot and corona. The eclipse is much (5X) wider than the 1.5-2 Rsun WR star, pointing to absorption/scattering in the dense wind of the WR star. The same is true of the close analog NGC 300 X-1. RV measurements of the He II [4686] line from the literature show a phase-shift with respect to the X-ray ephemeris such that the velocity does not pass through zero at mid-eclipse. The X-ray eclipse leads inferior conjunction of the RV curve by 90 degrees, so either the BH is being eclipsed by a trailing shock/plume, or the He II line does not directly trace the motion of the WR star and instead originates in a shadowed partially-ionized region of the stellar wind.
Speaker independent audio-visual continuous speech recognition

The increase in the number of multimedia applications that require robust speech recognition systems determined a large interest in the study of audio-visual speech recognition (AVSR) systems. The use of visual features in AVSR is justified by both the audio and visual modality of the speech generation and the need for features that are invariant to acoustic noise perturbation. The speaker independent audio-visual continuous speech recognition system presented relies on a robust set of visual features obtained from the accurate detection and tracking of the mouth region. Further, the visual and acoustic observation sequences are integrated using a coupled hidden Markov (CHMM) model. The statistical properties of the CHMM can model the audio and visual state asynchrony while preserving their natural correlation over time. The experimental results show that the current system tested on the XM2VTS database reduces by over 55% the error rate of the audio only speech recognition system at SNR of 0 dB.
Expression of a Smaller Lecithin:Retinol Acyl Transferase Transcript and Reduced Retinol Esterification in MCF-7 Cells

Abstract Retinyl ester concentration is regulated by retinoic acid (RA) through an autoregulatory loop, which acts on lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT). We tested whether retinol esterification activity is downregulated in human mammary carcinoma cells and whether LRAT expression is RAR-regulated. Normal human mammary epithelial (HMEC) cells expressed a retinoid-upregulated 5-kb LRAT transcript and synthesized retinyl esters from 3H-retinol. Human carcinoma MCF-7 cells failed to express the 5-kb LRAT transcript and to synthesize retinyl esters. Instead, they expressed a 2.7-kb LRAT transcript. Both transcripts were upregulated by RA. Stable expression of the dominant-negative RARα403 blunted the up-regulation of LRAT mRNA by RA. We conclude that retinol esterification is decreased in MCF-7 vs normal mammary cells; that these cancer cells express a shorter (2.7 kb) LRAT transcript, and that retinoid receptors are involved in the regulation of LRAT-mediated retinyl ester synthesis by RA.
Rheological behaviors and electrical conductivity of epoxy resin nanocomposites suspended with in-situ stabilized carbon nanofibers

Abstract Epoxy resin nanocomposites suspended with carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have been prepared. A bifunctional coupling agent, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, is used to treat the acid oxidized fibers. The dispersion quality of the CNFs with and without surface modification is monitored by an oscillatory rheological investigation. The addition of fibers is observed to influence the rheological behaviors of the suspensions drastically. Newtonian fluid behavior disappears as the fiber loading increases. A significant increase of the complex viscosity and storage modulus is observed, especially when the temperature increases to 50 °C and 75 °C. In-situ reaction between the amine-terminated functional groups on the silanized fibers and the resin, is justified by the FT-IR analysis and is responsible for the improved fiber dispersion and network formation. A decreased rheological percolation is observed after silanization due to the improved fiber dispersion quality. The electrical conductivity percolation is well correlated to the rheological percolation for the as-received fiber resin suspensions. However, with an insulating organic coating on the fiber surface, the conductivity increases slightly and lacks the correlation to the rheological percolation.
A Review of “Created Equal: How the Bible Broke With Ancient Political Thought”

Joshua Berman, an ordained rabbi, lecturer in Bible at Bar-Ilan University and Associate Fellow at the Shalem Center, is the author of two previous books on the Hebrew Bible. Although Dr. Berman is...
Adaptive algorithms for identifying recursive nonlinear systems

The authors present two fast least-squares lattice algorithms for adaptive nonlinear filters equipped with system models involving nonlinear feedback. Such models can approximate a large class of nonlinear systems adequately, and usually with considerable parsimony in the number of coefficients required. For simplicity of presentation, the authors consider the bilinear system model, even though the results are applicable to more general models. The computational complexity of the algorithms is an order of magnitude smaller than that of previously available methods. Results of several experiments that demonstrate the properties of the adaptive bilinear filters are presented. Their performance is compared with that of two other algorithms that are computationally more expensive. >
Large-Scale Modeling for Embedded Applications

As the demand for high-integrity and mission-critical embedded software intensifies, many organizations have adopted Model-Based Design to overcome the challenges associated with design complexity, reliability, quality, and time-to-market for embedded-systems development. The breadth and scope of projects applying ModelBased Design continues to increase rapidly, resulting in models that are exceptionally large and complex. Consequently, project teams have increased in size, thereby increasing the need for communication and collaboration. Model-Based Design facilitates parallel development in large-scale modeling projects by enabling multiple project teams to independently design models, integrate them with others, generate production code, and verify different model components within a larger collaborative infrastructure. To facilitate and increase the efficiency of large scale modeling throughout the entire development life-cycle, a thorough understanding of the various steps and techniques involved in successfully applying Model-Based Design is required. These include a logical architecture to divide the model into components, clear definition of the interfaces prior to component design, maintenance of those interfaces, the production code generation approach, and the development infrastructure. The resulting design should use the same model components for design, verification, automatic document generation, and production code generation. This paper recommends best practices for creating an infrastructure and deploying large-scale models for embedded applications using Model-Based Design. The intended audience is individuals who plan to deploy a design with greater than 100,000 Simulink blocks and have experience using MATLAB, Simulink, and Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder.
Interpersonal Continuity of Care and Patient Satisfaction: A Critical Review

PURPOSE We wanted to review the medical literature regarding the relationship between interpersonal continuity of care and patient satisfaction and suggest future strategies for research on this topic. METHODS A search of the MEDLINE database from 1966 through April 2002 was conducted to find articles focusing on interpersonal continuity of patient care. The resulting articles were screened to select those focusing on the relationship between interpersonal continuity in the doctor-patient relationship and patient satisfaction. These articles were systematically reviewed and analyzed for study method, measurement technique, and the quality of evidence. RESULTS Thirty articles were found that addressed the relationship between interpersonal continuity and patient satisfaction with medical care. Twenty-two of these articles were reports of original research. Nineteen of the 22, including 4 clinical trials, reported significantly higher satisfaction when interpersonal continuity was present. CONCLUSIONS Although the available literature reflects persistent methodologic problems, a consistent and significant positive relationship exists between interpersonal continuity of care and patient satisfaction. Future research in this area should address whether the same is true for all patients or only for those who seek ongoing relationships with physicians in primary care.
Ecological insights into the polyp stage of non-native hydrozoans in the San Francisco Estuary

The populations of several invasive jellyfish appear to be increasing around the globe. While data on non-native hydromedusae in the San Francisco Estuary have been accumulating in recent years, little is known regarding their polyp phase. The goal of this study was to gather the first field-derived ecological data for polyp stages of Blackfordia virginica, Moerisia sp., and Cordylophora caspia in the estuary. Monthly fouling plates were deployed at five sites during 2007 and 2008. Settlement data indicate a seasonal presence of B. virginica and Moerisia sp., with both distribution and abundance correlated with a combination of water quality and physical parameters. Cordylophora caspia appeared to be present beyond the time period sampled and may be active in the system year-round. The ability of polyps to persist month to month was low, likely due to predation by other non-native species and competition for space.
A Scalable Global Model for Summarization

We present an Integer Linear Program for exact inference under a maximum coverage model for automatic summarization. We compare our model, which operates at the sub-sentence or "concept-level, to a sentence-level model, previously solved with an ILP. Our model scales more efficiently to larger problems because it does not require a quadratic number of variables to address redundancy in pairs of selected sentences. We also show how to include sentence compression in the ILP formulation, which has the desirable property of performing compression and sentence selection simultaneously. The resulting system performs at least as well as the best systems participating in the recent Text Analysis Conference, as judged by a variety of automatic and manual content-based metrics.
Ab initio study of reaction of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with OH radical

Abstract Gas-phase reaction of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with OH radical is investigated using ab initio calculations. The CH3S(O)OH+CH3 product channel has an overall negative reaction activation energy, and it could proceed by formation of an addition complex (CH3)2S(O)·OH and subsequent dissociation into CH3S(O)OH+CH3 via an energy barrier at −29.8 kJ/mol below DMSO+OH. The other two product channels, CH3S(O)CH2+H2O and CH3SO+CH3OH, have energy barriers of 12.4 and 78.4 kJ/mol above DMSO+OH, respectively. The CH3S(O)OH+CH3 product channel is likely the dominant pathway in the DMSO+OH reaction.
Effect of sodium intake on insulin sensitivity

To examine the effects of sodium intake on insulin sensitivity, we performed euglycemic insulin clamp studies (40 mU.m-2.min-1) in eight healthy normotensive nondiabetic white males (age = 36 +/- 5 yr; wt = 66 +/- 3 kg) after 5 days on high (200 meq/day)- and low (10 meq/day)-sodium diets administered in random order. High sodium intake was associated with significantly greater urinary sodium excretion (160 +/- 7 vs. 8 +/- 2 meq/day; P < 0.0001), suppression of plasma aldosterone (7 +/- 3 vs. 38 +/- 6 ng/dl; P < 0.001) and renin (1.5 +/- 0.2 vs. 6.0 +/- 0.9 ng.ml-1.h-1; P < 0.005) levels, but no change in blood pressure (116 +/- 3/63 +/- 2 vs. 114 +/- 3/64 +/- 2 mmHg; P = not significant). The rate of glucose infusion during the clamp was significantly reduced during the high- vs. low-sodium diet (279 +/- 19 vs. 334 +/- 24 mg.m-2.min-1; P < 0.01). This impairment in insulin sensitivity was not related to changes in serum potassium, epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, or growth hormone but was highly correlated with an increment in circulating free fatty acid levels during high sodium intake (r = 0.82, P < 0.05). These data suggest that 1) high sodium intake may exacerbate insulin resistance by increasing circulating free fatty acids, and 2) differences in sodium intake may influence measures of insulin sensitivity in other disease states.
Reconstruction of a permeability field with the wavelet multiscale-homotopy method for a nonlinear convection-diffusion equation

This paper deals with the reconstruction of a piecewise constant permeability field for a nonlinear convection-diffusion equation, which arises as the saturation equation in the fractional flow formulation of the two-phase porous media flow equations. This permeability identification problem is solved through the minimization of a cost functional which depends on the discrepancy, in a least-square sense, between some measurements and associated predictions. In order to cope with the local convergence property of the optimizer, the presence of numerous local minima in the cost functional and the large computational cost, a wavelet multiscale-homotopy is developed, implemented, and validated. This method combines the wavelet multiscale inversion idea with the homotopy method. Numerical results illustrate the global convergence, computational efficiency, anti-noise ability of the proposed method.
Dorsal Premotor Cortex and Conditional Movement Selection: A PET Functional Mapping Study

Grafton, S. T., A. H. Fagg, and M. A. Arbib. Dorsal premotor cortex and conditional movement selection: a PET functional mapping study. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 1092–1097, 1998. Positron emission tomog...