cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Developing a new digital forensics curriculum

We are developing a new undergraduate certificate program in digital forensics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To create a curriculum consistent with the fundamentally multidisciplinary nature of the field of digital forensics, we assembled a curriculum development team that includes domain experts from the fields of computer science, law, social science, psychology, and accounting. To lower the entry barrier preventing institutions from adopting digital forensics programs, we are designing the curriculum with the express intent of distributing it as a self-contained curriculum package with everything needed to teach the course. When complete, our program will consist of an introductory and an advanced course in digital forensics, with accompanying hands-on labs. At the time of writing, we have developed the curriculum for our introductory course and taught a pilot class, and we are in the process of revising the curriculum for distribution to other institutions. This paper describes our program's goals, methodology, and rationale; our experience developing and teaching our new curriculum; and the revisions we are making based on this experience and feedback from our students.
Comparison of carbon-11 and fluorine-18 labeled (N-methyl)benperidol (NMB) in rodents using micropet imaging

MicroPET imaging studies with [11C]NMB or [18F]NMB in rats and mice were used to evaluate the methodology as a tool for radiopharmaceutical tracer development. Brain imaging studies show that the technique is useful with both nuclides and both species of rodent. MicroPET hold great promise for future application in neuroimaging research.
Des Hommes Engagés

​InIn the 1950s, my wife-to-be, Barbara, and I, like many other college students, read and were excited by the works of the French writers Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Over the years, we read as many books as we could by and about these two existentialists, their lives and their eventually acrimonious intellectual battles [1]. Early on, we came to consider ourselves existentialists. Just last year we re-read Camus' The Plague [2] in French to each other and, on a trip to Aix-en-Provence, went to an exhibit featuring passages of Camus' work that exemplified his striking, consistent, almost painterly use of words to describe colors. Camus, who was engaged with the world around him essentially for his whole life was often described as an homme engage (committed man), a term the French use to describe such intellectuals.
Development of an Analog Controller for Tuning an Adaptive-Passive Control Device

Adaptive-passive devices such as adaptive Helmholtz Resonators (HR) and tunable vibration absorbers have been shown to be suitable for controlling both narrowband disturbances and lightly damped structural/acoustic modes driven by broadband disturbances. In order to track changes in the disturbance or changes in the modes, the natural frequency of the absorber, ωn , is tuned to match the observed signals. This is achieved by altering some physical parameter of the control device such as the stiffness of a vibration absorber or the neck cross-sectional area of a Helmholtz resonator. In order to automatically adjust these devices, control systems and tuning algorithms have been developed, most of which involve a digital controller. However, this paper looks specifically at the development of a simple analog controller used to drive a DC motor in order to tune a mechanical device. A two sensor dot product method is employed where one sensor is placed inside of the control device, such as a Helmholtz Resonator, and the other on/in the system under control, such as in a room. The outputs from the two sensors are multiplied together and subsequently low passed in order to extract a low frequency “DC” voltage which acts as an error signal. The error signal is related to the relative phase of the two sensor signals and determines the direction in which the device should be tuned. When the two signals are 90° apart, the system is tuned (i.e. the inner product produces zero DC level). If the drive frequency ω is different than the tuned frequency, then the system is mis-tuned. The relationship between the mis-tuning, ωn -ω, and the error is not linear, but for small perturbations a linear approximation can be used to investigate the stability and performance of the system. The gradient of the function is shown to be largest when the mis-tuning error is zero and is inversely proportional to the damping level in the control device. Once stability of the system has been ensured the ability of the system to track changes in drive frequency is investigated experimentally. The control system is demonstrated using an adaptive Helmholtz resonator which has a variable cross-sectional neck via an iris diaphragm. The iris is controlled using a small DC motor; two microphones (one mounted internally and one externally) are used to supply the driving signal to the circuit.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Carotid body growth during chronic postnatal hyperoxia

Abstract Rats reared in hyperoxia have smaller carotid bodies as adults. To study the time course and mechanisms underlying these changes, rats were reared in 60% O 2 from birth and their carotid bodies were harvested at various postnatal ages (P0–P7, P14). The carotid bodies of hyperoxia-reared rats were smaller than those of age-matched controls beginning at P4. In contrast, 7 d of 60% O 2 had no effect on carotid body size in rats exposed to hyperoxia as adults. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) were used to assess cell proliferation and DNA fragmentation at P2, P4, and P6. Hyperoxia reduced the proportion of glomus cells undergoing cell division at P4; although a similar trend was evident at P2, hyperoxia no longer affected cell proliferation by P6. The proportion of TUNEL-positive glomus cells was modestly increased by hyperoxia. We did not detect changes in mRNA expression for proapoptotic (Bax) or antiapoptotic (Bcl-X L ) genes or transcription factors that regulate cell cycle checkpoints (p53 or p21), although mRNA levels for cyclin B1 and cyclin B2 were reduced. Collectively, these data indicate that hyperoxia primarily attenuates postnatal growth of the carotid body by inhibiting glomus cell proliferation during the first few days of exposure.
Salmonella Typhimurium Abscess Formation in a Calcified Ventricular Aneurysm

A 65-year-old man with a calcified left ventricular aneurysm was hospitalized due to dehydration and hypotension secondary to severe diarrhea. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from the blood and urine. During a three week hospital course he was persistently febrile and the aneurysm expanded despite the administration of parenteral ampicillin and chloramphenicol. The patient died following ventricular aneurysmectomy. S typhimurium was cultured from the resected aneurysm and microscopic examination of this tissue revealed abscess formation. Presence of a ventricular aneurysm in a patient with salmonellosis not responding to therapy should suggest a focal complication such as that seen in this patient.
BORA: Routing and Aggregation for Distributed Processing of Spatio-Temporal Range Queries

This work tackles the problem of answer-aggregation for continuous spatio-temporal range queries in distributed settings. We assume a grid-like coverage of the spatial universe of discourse, in which each cell is governed by a Base Station (BS) that communicates with the mobile users in its zone, and is also equipped with a server that has Moving Objects Database (MOD) capabilities. The MOD server stores the data for the moving objects in a given cell, processes the continuous queries pertaining to that cell, and is connected to the MOD servers in the neighboring cells. We demonstrate that, when a range query that spans over more than one cell needs to have its answer computed for a user located in a particular cell, by intelligently combining the transmission and the aggregation of the partial results, substantial improvements can be achieved at the global level. Towards this end, we present the BORA (Bresenham-based Overlay for Routing and Aggregation) tree, which is used to combine the transmission and local data aggregation along the routes to the destination of the query's answer.
Bacteriorhodopsin as an optical limiter

An optical limiter based on a large birefringence which is optically induced in bacteriorhodopsin is presented. The induced birefringence is observed to be a function of incident intensity, but saturates at a value of about 0.454 W/cm2. A measured value of (Delta) n of 6.6 multiplied by 10-4 at wavelength of 514 nm is reported. The observed birefringence is found to be in good agreement with a proposed model based on vector-tensor approach.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The asymptotic standard errors of some estimates of uncertainty in the two-way contingency table

Estimates of conditional uncertainty, contingent uncertainty, and normed modifications of contingent uncertainty have been proposed for the two-way contingency table. The asymptotic standard errors of the estimates are derived.
Approach to Smoking Cessation in the Patient With Vascular Disease

In the patient with vascular disease, cigarette smoking is particularly perilous; the benefits of smoking cessation greatly exceed any risks associated with pharmacologic treatment. The patient with claudication is often uniquely motivated to quit smoking because 1) there is a chance that the leg pain will improve and 2) smoking cessation may prevent disease progression and thus invasive procedures. The first step toward success is a systematic approach with focus on the 5 A’s (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange). Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of pharmacologic therapy for smoking cessation. The most effective medications available are bupropion and varenicline. If the patient is ready to quit, varenicline is typically first-line unless contraindicated. If the patient has concomitant signs or symptoms of depression, bupropion in combination with nicotine replacement therapy is preferred. In parallel with aggressive counseling and pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation, cardiovascular risk reduction is critical. Established atherosclerotic vascular disease (including peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, or carotid artery disease) plus poorly controlled risk factors, including current smoking, place the patient in the “very high-risk” category, which favors reducing the low-density lipoprotein level to less than 70 mg/dL. The increased cardiovascular risk associated with smoking is tremendous, particularly in the vascular patient. Smoking cessation is critical, and no other health intervention offers such a large potential benefit.
Water Vapor Transmission Rates and Sorption Behavior of Chitosan Films

: This study measured the water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) and moisture sorption of chitosan films over a range of water vapor pressures at 25 °C. Films of a constant thickness were made using chitosan with 3 levels of deacetylation. Films were tested at test relative humidity (RH) difference between RH values of 84%, 75%, 69%, 53%, 43%, 33%, 23%, 11%, and 0 at 25 °C using ASTM F1249-90 or ASTM E 96-80. The equilibrium moisture content in the films ranged from 3.7% to 31.8% (dry basis) corresponding to 11% to 84% RH. WVTRs of films increased with increase in water vapor pressure. The mean WVTR ranged from 6.7 to 1146 (g/m2/d) over the range of water vapor pressure from 2.68 (11% RH) to 19.9 mmHg (84% RH). The percentage of deacetylation of chitosan films and the viscosity of the cast solution did not have an effect on the WVTR properties of chitosan films.
The effects of a high-carbohydrate low-fat cholesterol-restricted diet on plasma lipid, lipoprotein, and apoprotein concentrations in insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus☆

Six women with well-defined insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied for 4 weeks during a control diet containing 45% of the calories as carbohydrate, 40% fat (P/S ratio 0.14), 15% protein, and 580 mg of cholesterol, and for 6 weeks during a high-carbohydrate low-fat cholesterol-restricted diet with 65% carbohydrate, 20% fat (P/S ratio 1.40), 15% protein, and 62 mg cholesterol. All subjects completed both dietary periods in a crossover experimental design. Individual menus were subject-selected from a calculated exchange list containing conventional food items consistent with current American dietary patterns. The diets were well-tolerated by all subjects. Total plasma cholesterol decreased from 201 to 156 mg/100mL (P < 0.05) during the cholesterol-restricted diet, while total plasma triglyceride (TG) increased from 96 to 115 mg/100 mL (P < 0.01). During this same period, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and VLDL-TG increased from 17 to 21 mg/100 mL (P < 0.05) and from 59 to 76 mg/100 mL (P < 0.001), respectively, while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased from 126 to 90 mg/100 mL (P < 0.05) and from 50 to 39 mg/100 mL (P < 0.05), respectively. LDL-C/HDL-C and total-C/HDL-C ratios were lower but not significantly different, and LDL-TG and HDL-TG were unchanged. Apoprotein A-I (apo A-I) (126 v 105 mg/100 mL, P < 0.001), apo B (90 v 67 mg100 mL, P < 0.01), and apo C-III (10 v 8 mg100 mL, P < 0.05) were all significantly reduced during the low-fat cholesterol-restricted diet, while apo A-II (59 v 59 mg100 mL) and apo E (9 v 8 mg100 mL) remained unchanged. Regression analysis showed no significant association between serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, or insulin dose and either lipoprotein or apoprotein concentrations during either dietary period. There was no effect of the experimental diet on insulin dose or glycemic control. In summary, subject-selected low-fat cholesterol-restricted diets demonstrated a potentially beneficial lowering of total plasma and LDL cholesterol, as well as apo B concentrations. In addition, needed data on apoprotein concentrations under defined dietary conditions in individuals with IDDM are provided.
SU‐E‐T‐334: Track Structure Simulations of Charged Particles at Low and Intermediate Energies: Cross Sections Needs for Light and Heavy Ions

Purpose/Methods: Monte Carlo (MC) track structure simulations follow the primary as well as all produced secondary particles in an event-by-event manner, from starting or ejection energy down to total stopping. They provide useful information on physics and chemistry of the biological response to radiation. They depend on reliable interaction cross sections and transport models of the considered radiation quality with biologically relevant materials. Most transport models focus on sufficiently fast and bare (i.e., fully ionized) ions and cross sections calculated within the (relativistic) first Born or Bethe approximations. These theories consider the projectile as a point particle and rely on proton cross sections and simple charge-scaling methods; they neglect the atomic nature of the ion and break down at low and intermediate ion energies. Heavier ions are used in particle therapy and slow to intermediate and low energies in the biologically interesting Bragg peak. Lighter and slower fragment ions, including alpha particles, protons, and neutrons are also produced in nuclear and break up reactions of charged particles. Secondary neutrons also produce recoil protons and ions, mainly in the intermediate energy range. Results/Conclusion: This work reviews existing models for track structure simulations and cross section calculations for light and heavy ionsmore » focusing on the low and intermediate energy range. It also presents new and updated aspects on cross section calculations and simulation techniques for ions and discusses the need for new models, calculations, and experimental data.« less
Effects of price advertisements on perceived quality and purchase intentions

Abstract Within a communication framework, Adaptation Level Theory could help explain the cognitive process that consumers use to develop perceived-quality. The theory provided the framework for an advertising experiment that examined the effects of established brand prices in a rival advertisement, new brand prices and source credibility on perceived-quality of the new brand. The participants in the experiment were 120 college juniors and seniors. Results suggest that when the credibility of the source communicating the new brand price was high, established brand prices have an effect on perceived quality of the new brand. Conversely, when the source communicating the new brand price is low, established brand prices have little impact on perceived-quality of the new brand. These results occured even when the price of the new brand had no effect on perceived-quality. Results also suggest an interaction from the new brand price, the established brand price, and source credibility on purchase intentions toward the new brand.
Spawning Site Selection and Potential Implications of Modified Flow Regimes on Viability of Gulf Sturgeon Populations

Abstract Rapid human population growth and an associated increase in consumptive water demands within the ecologically diverse Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint (ACF) River basin of the southeastern United States have led to a series of highly publicized water wars, exacerbated by recent drought conditions, between the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. A key issue is how managing riverine flows to meet human water needs will affect the viability of species that are federally listed as threatened or endangered, including the Gulf of Mexico sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi. Our present understanding of Gulf sturgeon ecology within the Apalachicola River basin indicates that altered riverine flow regimes may affect spawning success and possibly the recruitment patterns of the population. Through intensive field work, we documented Gulf sturgeon spawning site selection in the Apalachicola River and then evaluated the relationship between river stage and the available spawning habitat at these sites...
The case for a multi-methodological, cross-disciplinary approach to the analysis of ICT investment and projects in the developing world

This article makes the case for greater collaboration and communication between scholars and practitioners of information communications technology (ICT) for development projects and for the use of multi-methodological, cross-disciplinary approaches to understand what will make for more successful endeavors in this important arena, the necessity of which is reflected in the widespread use of public-private partnerships. To this end, we utilize both macro- and micro-level analyses to examine ICT investment in the developing world. The first research question—can ICT investment be shown to contribute to economic growthq—is addressed through econometric analysis. Though our model finds evidence to the affirmative, macro-level models often do not account for how ICT funds are employed, differentiate growth effects, or discern the characteristics of specific initiatives that make them more or less likely to succeed. This is where the case-study level of analysis becomes essential. This approach is used to address our second research question: whether successful strategies found among case studies can better inform policy prescription. To this end, we present a case study of a project based in rural Vietnam, followed by a summary of findings that unifies the lessons learned. In this way we intend to shed light on policy prescription, improve the outcomes of ICT initiatives, and present a first step in the mixed-methodological, cross-disciplinary direction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sajda Qureshi was the accepting Editor for this article.
Calcium Preconditioning Elicits Strong Protection Against Ischemic Injury via Protein Kinase C Signaling Pathway

We tested the hypothesis that elevation of [Ca2+]i during Ca2+ preconditioning (CPC) is a strong activator of protein kinase C (PKC) and confers unique protection against ischemic injury. CPC consisted of three cycles of Ca2+ depletion (1 minute each) and Ca2+ repletion (5 minutes each). Langendorff-perfused rat hearts were subjected to 40 minutes of global ischemia followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. Significant functional recovery and decreased lactate dehydrogenase release were observed in CPC hearts compared with ischemic control hearts. In addition, ATP contents were significantly higher and cell structure was better preserved in CPC hearts than in ischemic control hearts. Administration of chelerythrine, a specific PKC inhibitor, completely abolished the CPC-induced cardioprotection. In other groups, in which Ca2+ influx during CPC was inhibited with verapamil, amiloride, and low Na+ perfusion, cardioprotection was significantly reduced. The prominent increase in the membrane PKC activity after CPC was in agreement with immunolocalization of PKC-α and PKC-δ in the cell membrane of CPC hearts. These results demonstrate that (1) a transient increase in [Ca2+]i is a prominent feature of CPC and is a strong stimulus for the activation of PKC, (2) the elevation of [Ca2+]i likely occurs via an L-type Ca2+ channel and Na+-Ca2+ exchanger, and (3) PKC plays a crucial role in the subcellular mechanisms of protection by CPC.
Dispersal, philopatry, and the role of fission‐fusion dynamics in bottlenose dolphins

In this quantitative study of locational and social dispersal at the individual level, we show that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) continued to use their natal home ranges well into adulthood. Despite substantial home range overlap, mother–offspring associations decreased after weaning, particularly for sons. These data provide strong evidence for bisexual locational philopatry and mother–son avoidance in bottlenose dolphins. While bisexual locational philopatry offers the benefits of familiar social networks and foraging habitats, the costs of philopatry may be mitigated by reduced mother–offspring association, in which the risk of mother–daughter resource competition and mother–son mating is reduced. Our study highlights the advantages of high fission–fusion dynamics and longitudinal studies, and emphasizes the need for clarity when describing dispersal in this and other species.
Stable estimation of the probability density function of intensity from photon frequency counts

A numerical solution to the problem of estimating the probability density of integrated intensity, P(W), given a measured histogram of photon counts is described. The solution has a minimum norm in a Hilbert space that is weighted according to a prior estimate of P(W) and is stable by virtue of a simple but powerful method of regularization. Additional stabilization is achieved by restricting the number of input photon-count frequencies.
Hardiness protects against war-related stress in Army Reserve forces.

As active-duty forces continue to shrink in the post-Cold War military, reserve and National Guard units play an increasingly important role in deployments of all types. When mobilized for deployment, reservists may experience a range of major life stressors in addition to the stressors encountered in the area of military operations. Although previous studies show ill effects of stress on some of these personnel, few studies have sought to explain the continued good health and stress resiliency displayed by the majority of veterans. This study examined personality hardiness as a potential protective variable among Army reserve personnel mobilized for the Persian Gulf War. Regression results showed hardiness interacted with both combat-related stress and stressful life events to predict psychiatric symptoms on several measures. The pattern of results suggested hardiness protects against the ill effects of stress, particularly under highand multiple-stress conditions. These results have implications for preventing the ill effects of stress across a variety of occupations that can expose workers to multiple stressors, including job disruption and family separation.
Newer Therapeutic Approaches for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

In recent years, advances in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) refractory to conventional therapy have been suggested in anecdotal series and some clinical trials. A number of promising agents have been studied only in murine models of SLE, and clinical trials are awaited. Rigorously conducted clinical trials must be completed to advance these studies to the point that new therapies for SLE will be approved.
Oxygen affinities of maternal and fetal hemoglobins of the viviparous seaperch,Embiotoca lateralis

The striped seaperch,Embiotoca lateralis, is a viviparous teleost. The hemoglobins of adult and fetal seaperch are both tetrameric proteins which in their native state appear to be indistinguishable from one another by electrophoresis. However, differences in the subunit structure of maternal versus fetal seaperch hemoglobins can be detected by electrophoresis in urea with a reducing agent, amino acid analyses and peptide maps of the respective proteins. Furthermore, stripped adult and fetal hemoglobins have different oxygen binding affinities at all pH's tested between pH 6.8 and 8.0. Mid-gestation fetal hemoglobin has a higher oxygen affinity than late-gestation fetal hemoglobin which in turn has a higher affinity than that of the adult hemoglobin. All three stripped hemoglobins show a similar Bohr effect (ϕ=−0.9). These data suggest that a difference in oxygen affinities exists in vivo between the adult and fetal blood of the seaperchEmbiotoca lateralis and that it can be explained in part by the presence of a structurally unique fetal hemoglobin. This report is the first to provide evidence for a mechanism of maternal-fetal oxygen transfer in a teleost fish.
Exact dynamical correlation functions of Calogero-Sutherland model and one-dimensional fractional statistics.

One-dimensional model of nonrelativistic particles with inverse-square interaction potential known as the Calogero-Sutherland model is shown to possess fractional statistics. Using the theory of Jack polynomials the exact dynamical density-density correlation function and the hole propagator part of one-particle Green's function at any rational interaction coupling constant are obtained and used to show clear evidences of the fractional exclusion statistics in the sense of Haldane's "generalized Pauli exclusion principle." This model is also endowed with the corresponding natural exchange statistics.
Thermal Performance of High-Flow Single-Phase Liquid-Cooled Heat Sinks

Experimental measurements are reported for high-flow liquid-cooled heat sinks designed for cooling electronics components such as a CPU. The flow rate is up to 2 GPM with internal flow passage length scales on the order of 0.1 to 1.0 mm in the primary heat transfer region. Of the designs tested, three achieved maximum flow rates with pressure drops of less than 1.5 psi. Two have lower maximum flow rates because of higher internal flow resistance. In the experiments, particular attention is given to sources of experimental uncertainty and the propagation of uncertainty through the calculations to reported thermal resistance, R (°C/W). Analysis includes bias and precision errors for direct measurement of temperature, flow rate, and pressure drop. Additionally, a separate thermocouple calibration test is reported to establish measurement uncertainties for the system. Main emphasis is made to the error propagation in thermal resistance calculations of each heat sink and measurement of heat removal rate from the CPU. Data is used to determine the standard error for R which ranges up to about 0.05 °C/W with the maximum for one heat sink up to 0.07 °C/W. Averaging of repeated measurements at the same flow rate without accounting for the range of the original data will result in lower uncertainties in the reported results.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Acute Tubular Necrosis

Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is a pathologic process that manifests clinically as acute renal failure. Although the term implies cellular death (necrosis), it should be appreciated that frank necrosis is not a constant finding; evidence of sublethal cellular injury is common. Thus, a more descriptive term “acute tubular injury” is in common use in many centers. Furthermore, there is often a lack of clinical-pathologic correlation, with severe acute kidney injury sometimes associated with trivial morphologic findings [1, 2]
Constitution of the Lead-Tin-Strontium System up to 36 Atomic Percent Sr

The constitution of the Pb-Sn-Sr system from the Pb-Sn binary up to 36 at. pct Sr was determined by differential thermal analysis, metallography, microprobe analysis, and X-ray diffraction. Pb3Sr forms a continuous series of solid solutions with Sn3Sr, and is referred to here as the8 phase. Sn4Sr was the only other intermetallic phase found and is designated here as γ. A eutectic-like trough is formed between (Pb) and δ. It originates at 1.0 at. pct Sr and 324.5 °C (the (Pb)/Pb3Sr eutectic) and falls monotonically to ~75 at. pct Pb, 24.5 at. pct Sn, and 0.45 at. pct Sr at 283 °C. At 283 °C, a Class II, four-phase reaction occurs: L + δ→ (Pb) + γ. A eutectic-like trough between (Pb) and γ falls from the four-phase plane at 283 °C to the ternary eutectic at ~26 at. pct Pb, ~74 at. pct Sn and <0.3 at. pct Sr at 182 °C. The ternary eutectic reaction is L → (Pb) + (Sn) + γ.
Sparse X-Ray CT Image Reconstruction Using ECME Hard Thresholding Methods

We apply expectation‐conditional maximization either (ECME) hard thresholding algorithms to X‐ray computed tomography (CT) reconstruction, where we implement the sampling operator using the nonuniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT). The measurements follow an underdetermined linear model, where the regression‐coefficient vector is a sum of an unknown deterministic sparse signal component and a zero‐mean white Gaussian component with an unknown variance. Our ECME schemes aim at maximizing this model’s likelihood function with respect to the sparse signal and variance of the random signal component. These schemes exploit signal sparsity in the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) domain and yield better reconstructions than the traditional filtered backprojection (FBP) approach, which is demonstrated via numerical examples. In contrast with FBP, our methods achieve artifact‐free reconstructions in undersampled and limited‐angle projection examples. We also compare the ECME schemes with a state‐of‐the‐art convex sparse signal reconstruction approach in terms of the reconstruction speed.
High‐temperature steam‐treatment of PBI, PEKK, and a PEKK‐PBI Blend: A solid‐state NMR and IR spectroscopic study

Blends of polyaryletherketones (PAEK) with polybenzimidazole (PBI) are of commercial interest due to their improved upper service temperatures and wear properties when compared with the PAEK analogs examined to date. The retention of properties of the PBI component generally thought to be disadvantageous in more thermally or chemically aggressive environments is not well understood, nor are the specifics of interactions between the PBI and PAEK components in a melt or dry blend systems. In this initial investigation, focus is placed on the behavior and mechanism of polyetherketoneketone (PEKK)/PBI systems in contact with steam or condensed phase water. The goal is to understand the chemistry of the reaction, if any, upon exposure to steam as well as to examine the reversibility of moisture uptake of this material when exposed to liquid water or saturated steam. In this contribution, the pure polymer components and the PEKK-PBI (60 : 40 wt %) blend are steam-treated at 149 � C (300 � F) and 316 � C (600 � F). IR and solid- state NMR spectroscopy are used to study chemical or morphological transformations of the polymers. All changes detectable by 13 C cross-polarization with magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) upon steam-treatment are reversible, and not of a chemical nature, indicating that under the conditions of exposure used here no detectable chemical degradation occurs during steam exposure and with moisture uptake. The temporary water uptake of the samples, as studied by 1 H wideline NMR and 13 C T1 time measurements, leads to a change in the ratio of rigid versus mobile domains of the materials. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 128: 4395-4404, 2013
Widespread Distribution of Extensive Chromosomal Fragmentation in Ciliates

Ciliates are a diverse group of eukaryotes characterized by their division of nuclear function into a "germ line" micronucleus and a "somatic" macronucleus. After conjugation, chromosomes in the transcriptionally active macronucleus develop by fragmentation, elimination, and amplification of germ line chromosomes. Extensive chromosomal processing that generates a macronucleus with gene-sized fragments has thus far been well documented in members of only one class of ciliates, the Spirotrichea. Here we establish the broad distribution of extensive fragmentation among members of the class Phyllopharyngea and the genera Metopus (order Armophorida) and Nyctotherus (order Clevelandellida). Moreover, analyses of small-subunit rDNA genealogies indicate that gene-sized chromosomes occur in members of the three separate clades: (1) the class Spirotrichea, (2) the class Phyllopharyngea, and (3) the two orders Clevelandellida and Armophorida. Together, these data indicate that the generation of gene-sized chromosomes is widespread and demonstrate multiple origins of extensive fragmentation within ciliates.
Strong Suppression of Electrical Noise in Bilayer Graphene Nanodevices

Low-frequency 1/f noise is ubiquitous and dominates the signal-to-noise performance in nanodevices. Here we investigate the noise characteristics of single-layer and bilayer graphene nanodevices and uncover an unexpected 1/f noise behavior for bilayer devices. Graphene is a single layer of graphite, where carbon atoms form a two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice. Despite the similar composition, bilayer graphene (two graphene monolayers stacked in the natural graphite order) is a distinct 2D system with a different band structure and electrical properties. 1,2 In graphene monolayers, the 1/f noise is found to follow Hooge’s empirical relation with a noise parameter comparable to that of bulk semiconductors. However, this 1/f noise is strongly suppressed in bilayer graphene devices and exhibits an unusual dependence on the carrier density, different from most other materials. The unexpected noise behavior in graphene bilayers is associated with its unique band structure that varies with the charge distribution among the two layers, resulting in an effective screening of potential fluctuations due to external impurity charges. The findings here point to exciting opportunities for graphene bilayers in low-noise applications.
Association of Procedure Volume With Radical Cystectomy Outcomes in a Nationwide Database

Purpose: Studies of national databases yield important information about expected outcomes after radical cystectomy and factors that influence patient morbidity and mortality. We examined the hospital characteristics associated with outcomes after radical cystectomy in a cohort study using results from a single, high volume academic institution as well as a nationwide data set of academic institutions.Materials and Methods: We obtained data from the University HealthSystem Consortium Clinical Database on 6,728 patients nationwide who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between 2002 and 2005 as well as on 421 who underwent cystectomy at our institution during this period. Outcomes were compared by hospital characteristics (geographic location, total hospital discharges and procedure volume). The outcome measures analyzed were length of hospital stay, the complication rate and in hospital mortality.Results: The overall complication rate at our institution was 32.07% with an in hospital mortality...
The Lysine Requirements of Poults and Chicks

Abstract Diets in which zein and edestin furnished the protein were used by Almquist and Mecchi (1942) to determine the chick’s requirements for lysine, which they found to be approximately 0.9% of the diet. More recently, sesame meal protein has been found to be deficient only in lysine (Almquist and Grau, 1944; Grau and Almquist, 1944). Because sesame meal is, for chicks, a complete source of amino acids other than lysine, it was used in these tests to determine the comparative lysine requirements of poults and chicks. METHODS In this study, sesame meal (44.4% crude protein) was the sole source of amino acids except for the lysine supplements. The basal diets, which were identical for poults and chicks consisted of: calcium gluconate 8, tricalcium phosphate 2, dipotassium phosphate 0.5, potassium chloride 0.3, sodium chloride 1.0, choline chloride 0.2, inositol 0.1, cholic acid 0.1, crude soybean oil 5, mixed tocopherols 0.05, and . . .
Swimmer recall on a Recreational Waterborne Illness outbreak questionnaire

Abstract Swimming pool outbreak investigators often rely on swimmers to recall pool-use activities and behaviors by questionnaire, as Recreational Waterborne Illness (RWI) does not occur immediately after exposure. Recall bias is common when questionnaires are used in retrospective data collection, and can alter the validity of associations found during statistical analysis. The purpose of this study was to assess swimmer activity recall on a self-administered questionnaire developed for RWI outbreak investigators in order to identify questions that need improvement. Questions associated with recall bias were identified by issuing the questionnaire once immediately and once one week after study participants swam in pool water. Participants experienced the most difficulty recalling reported water ingestion volumes (28% difference), skill level (25% difference), swimming in the deep end (23% difference), getting water up the nose (22% difference), and diving (22% difference). Activities and behaviors statistically associated with RWI incidence are often used to identify risk factors of disease, and where research and mitigation strategies should focus. Results from this research suggest pool outbreak investigators should consider and/or disclose response recall uncertainties when reporting statistical associations between RWI and swimmer activities, and that questions with high response rate differences should be adjusted in future exposure assessments.
Everyday ethics and Ebola: planning for the unlikely.

The 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa has again highlighted the inadequacies of health systems in both developed and developing countries, and the difficulties facing public health systems around ...
Bounds on dissipation in stress-driven flow

We calculate the optimal upper and lower bounds, subject to the assumption of streamwise invariance, on the long-time-averaged mechanical energy dissipation rate $\varepsilon$ within the flow of an incompressible viscous fluid of constant kinematic viscosity $\nu$ and depth $h$ driven by a constant surface stress $\tau=\rho u^2_\star$ , where $u_\star$ is the friction velocity. We show that $\varepsilon \leq \varepsilon_{\max}=\tau^2/(\rho^2\nu)$ , i.e. the dissipation is bounded above by the dissipation associated with the laminar solution $\bu=\tau(z+h)/(\rho\nu) \xvec$ , where $\xvec$ is the unit vector in the streamwise $x$ -direction. By using the variational ‘background method’ (due to Constantin, Doering and Hopf) and numerical continuation, we also generate a rigorous lower bound on the dissipation for arbitrary Grashof numbers $G$ , where $G=\tau h^2/(\rho \nu^2)$ . Under the assumption of streamwise invariance as $G \rightarrow \infty$ , for flows where horizontal mean momentum balance and total power balance are imposed as constraints, we show numerically that the best possible lower bound for the dissipation is $\varepsilon \geq \varepsilon_{\min}=7.531 u_\star^3/h$ , a bound that is independent of the flow viscosity. This scaling (though not the best possible numerical coefficient) can also be obtained directly by applying the same imposed constraints and restricting attention to a particular, analytically tractable, class of mean flows.
Derivation and consistency of the partial functions of a ternary system involving interaction coefficients

The logarithm of activity coefficients of the components of the ternary system is derived based on the Maclaurin infinite series, which is expressed in terms of the integral property of the system and subjected to appropriate boundary conditions. The derivation of the functions involves extensive summation of various infinite series pertaining to the first-order interaction coefficients that have been shown completely to remove any truncational error. Since the conventional equations involving interaction coefficients are internally inconsistent, a consistent form of the partial functions is developed in the article using the technique just described. The thermodynamic consistency of the functions based on the Maxwell and the Gibbs-Duhem relations has been established. The derived values of the logarithmic activity coefficients of the components have been found to be in agreement with the thermodynamic data of the Fe-Cr-Ni system at 1873 K and have been found to be independent of the compositional paths.
Resistive dissipation and magnetic field topology in the stellar corona

Tangential discontinuities, or current sheets, in a magnetic field embedded in a fluid with vanishing resistivity are created by discontinuous fluid motion. Tangential discontinuities are also created when a magnetic field is allowed to relax to magnetostatic equilibrium after mixing by fluid motions (either continuous or discontinuous) into any but the simplest topologies. This paper shows by formal examples that the current sheets arising solely from discontinuous fluid motions do not contribute significantly to the dissipation of magnetic free energy when a small resistivity is introduced. Dissipation that is significant under coronal conditions occurs only by rapid reconnection, which arises when, and only when, the current sheets are required by the field topology. Hence it is topological dissipation that is primarily responsible for heating tenuous coronal gases in astronomical settings, whether the fluid displacements of the field are continuous or discontinuous.
Duration and regulation of the developmental cycle of Ixodes dammini (Acari : Ixodidae)

To determine how long the various developmental stages of the deer tick (Ixodes dammini Spielman, Clifford, Piesman & Corwin) survive in nature and to establish the interval between blood feeding and ecdysis or oviposition as well as subsequent larval eclosion, we observed ticks confined in the field. Unless adults feed during their first season (fall through spring) of activity, they die and do not survive the summer. Nonfed nymphs survive through two seasons (May through August) of feeding activity such that annual cohorts overlap. Nonfed larvae survive less than one year, and because they hatch toward the end of the summer, cohorts of this developmental stage do not overlap. Larvae that feed before September molt promptly and overwinter as nymphs; those that feed later overwinter engorged and ecdyse during the following spring. Fed nymphs fail to survive the winter, and thus must feed before late summer. They develop to the adult stage in the same year in which they feed. Regardless of time of feeding, females lay eggs in early summer, and the resulting larvae synchronously eclose late in that season. Although the cycle of this tick can be completed in nature in two years, it may extend to four years when hosts are relatively scarce. The seasonal inversion of larvae and nymphs appears to be regulated by physiological mechanisms and by host abundance.
Correlation between root-locus and transient response of sampled-data control systems

The introduction of the root-locus method in the z-plane simplifies the investigation of sampled-data control systems, by demonstrating the correlation between transient response and the location of the roots. It is shown that by establishing the correlation between frequency locus and the root locus, the correlation between frequency and transient response of sampled-data systems can be demonstrated.
An artificial life view of the collatz problem

This letter presents a new, artificial-life-based view of the Collatz problem, a well-known mathematical problem about the behavior of a series of positive integers generated by a simple arithmetical rule. The Collatz conjecture asserts that this series always falls into a 4 → 2 → 1 cycle regardless of its initial values. No formal proof has been given yet. In this letter, the behavior of the series is considered an ecological process of artificial organisms (Is in bit strings). The Collatz conjecture is then reinterpreted as the competition between population growth and extinction. This new interpretation has made it possible to analytically calculate the growth and extinction speeds of bit strings. The results indicate that the extinction is alway s faster than the growth, providing an ecological explanation for the conjecture. Future research directions are also suggested.
Associating microbiome composition with environmental covariates using generalized UniFrac distances

Motivation: The human microbiome plays an important role in human disease and health. Identification of factors that affect the microbiome composition can provide insights into disease mechanism as well as suggest ways to modulate the microbiome composition for therapeutical purposes. Distance-based statistical tests have been applied to test the association of microbiome composition with environmental or biological covariates. The unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances are the most widely used distance measures. However, these two measures assign too much weight either to rare lineages or to most abundant lineages, which can lead to loss of power when the important composition change occurs in moderately abundant lineages. Results: We develop generalized UniFrac distances that extend the weighted and unweighted UniFrac distances for detecting a much wider range of biologically relevant changes. We evaluate the use of generalized UniFrac distances in associating microbiome composition with environmental covariates using extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Our results show that tests using the unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances are less powerful in detecting abundance change in moderately abundant lineages. In contrast, the generalized UniFrac distance is most powerful in detecting such changes, yet it retains nearly all its power for detecting rare and highly abundant lineages. The generalized UniFrac distance also has an overall better power than the joint use of unweighted/weighted UniFrac distances. Application to two real microbiome datasets has demonstrated gains in power in testing the associations between human microbiome and diet intakes and habitual smoking. Availability: http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/GUniFrac Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
47.4: Invited Paper: 3D Displays using Scanning Laser Projection

Scanning laser projection technology is enabling advances in a number of areas of 3D display development. We discuss various scanned laser display technologies developed in our laboratory: 1) Our 1 mm × 9 mm projector uses a vibrating singlemode optical fiber to produce scanned images, and enables compact 3D head-mounted displays with the potential form factor of a pair of eyeglasses. 2) Arrays of scanning fiber projectors can enable massively-multi-view autostereoscopic displays with full head motion parallax and partial accommodation cues, and 3) Our 3D volumetric displays triaxially scan light beams to render a volume, placing different pixels at different optical viewing distances to enable accurate accommodation and vergence cues.