cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SC3 - A wing concept for supersonic maneuvering

A theoretical and experimental program in which a wing concept for supersonic maneuvering was developed and then demonstrated experimentally in a series of wind tunnel tests is described. For the typical fighter wing, the problem of obtaining efficient lift at supersonic maneuvering C sub 's occurs due to development of a strong crossflow shock, and boundary layer separation. A natural means of achieving efficient supersonic maneuvering is based on controlling the non-linear inviscid crossflow on the wing in a manner analogous to the supercritical aerodynamic methods developed for transonic speeds. The application of supercritical aerodynamics to supersonic speeds is carried out using Supercritical Conical Camber (SC3). This report provides an aerodynamic analysis of the effort, with emphasis on wing design using non-linear aerodynamics. The substantial experimental data base is described in three separate wind tunnel reports, while two of the computer programs used in the work are also described in a separate report. Based on the development program it appears that a controlled supercritical crossflow can be obtained reliably on fighter-type wing planforms, with an associated drag due to lift reduction of about 20% projected using this concept.
Studies of cluttering: Disfluency and language measures in young possible clutterers and stutterers☆

Abstract Three matched groups of possible clutterers (selected according to fluency and articulation deviations—but not stuttering), stutterers, and controls were selected randomly from a large pool of data gathered nationwide in 1968–1969. Taped spontaneous speech samples were analyzed according to 11 disfluency variables and seven language measures. Overall, the results indicated that the three groups were heterogeneous with respect to disfluency and language. Specifically, possible clutterers, like stutterers, were characterized by abnormally high frequencies of word and phrase repetitions. By contrast, possible clutterers had far fewer sound/ syllable repetitions, prolongations, and instances of struggle than stutterers. On language measures, possible clutterers were lower than stutterers and controls, particularly on measures of utterance completeness and complexity. As a first step in deriving an empirically based definition and description of cluttering, this study was successful. Nonempirical reports of disfluency and language differences between clutterers and stutterers from the literature were essentially confirmed.
Denervation effects on newt limb regeneration: DNA polymerase activity in vitro.

Abstract DNA polymerase activity in extracts of newt ( Triturus viridescens ) tissues was assayed in an effort to characterize the effect of nerve resection on the regeneration of amputated limbs. Regenerating limbs display 5–20 times more polymerase activity than nonregenerating limbs. Denervation of partially regenerated limbs, which completely prevents further regeneration in vivo does not, however, affect DNA polymerase activity assayed in vitro . These results suggest that while DNA polymerase activity is responsive to the stimulus of regeneration, denervation effects are probably not directly exerted on this enzyme activity.
Testing radio bursts observed on the nightside of Venus for evidence of whistler mode propagation from lightning

Results are presented from a series of tests of radio bursts on the nightside of Venus (observed by an orbiting electric field detector on board the Pioneer Venus Orbiter), which were conducted as a search for the evidence of whistler mode propagation from lightning. Preliminary results suggest that there are at least two main categories of bursts: one that exhibits one or more properties consistent with whistler mode propagation from subionospheric lightning sources, and another that is not.
Recursive enhancement of noncausal images

A recursive procedure is implemented for the enhancement of noncausal Gauss Markov random fields. Experimental results for the enhancement of synthetic as well as real images corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise are provided. These are contrasted with equivalent results obtained by processing the images with recursive filters derived by imposing a causality constraint upon the fields. The results show that the noncausal recursors provide considerable reduction in the mean square error (MSE) of the noisy images without the introduction of undesirable visual effects, such as streaking, that are produced when causality constraints are imposed. >
The shape of things to come: Psychoneural reduction and the future of psychology

I contrast Bickle's new wave reductionismwith other relevant views about explanation across intertheoretic contexts. I then assess Bickle's empirical argument for psychoneural reduction. Bickle shows that psychology is not autonomous from neuroscience, and concludes that at least some versions of nonreductive physicalism are false. I argue this is not sufficient to establish his further claim that psychology reduces to neuroscience. Examination of Bickle's explanations reveals that they do not meet his own reductive standard. Furthermore, there are good empirical reasons to doubt that the cognitive approach to mind should be abandoned. I suggest that the near future will not see a reduction of psychology to neuroscience, so much as a replacement of both sciences by an improved form of neuropsychology.
Effect of Heparin on Serum Calcium Concentrations in Mice

A HYPOCALCAEMIA induced by heparin has been the subject of several recent publications. In 1961 Heidland et al.1 showed that a single intravenous injection of heparin elicited a significant lowering of serum calcium in dogs and they attributed this effect to the formation of a heparin–calcium complex in the serum. Goldsmith and Parry2 also demonstrated heparin-induced hypocalcaemia in rabbits, and to a lesser extent in rats. The following mechanism for the phenomenon was suggested: heparin activates lipoprotein lipase with a resulting release of free fatty acids and subsequent formation of their insoluble calcium salts.
Magnetization transfer MRI in pancreatic cancer xenograft models.

Magnetization transfer magnetic resonance imaging measurements were performed in three pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma mouse xenograft models. For each of 28 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma xenografts, MT ratios (MTRs) were calculated and compared to histologic fibrosis levels from reference standard trichrome staining. MTR was found to be significantly higher in tumors grown using BxPC-3 cell line (39.4 ± 5.1, mean ± SD) compared to the MTR for the tumors grown from Panc-1 (32.4 ± 2.8) and Capan-1 (27.3 ± 2.9) cell lines (P < 0.05 for each comparison). Histologic measurements showed a similar trend with BxPC-3 tumors demonstrating significantly higher fibrosis levels (percentage of fibrotic tissue area, 6.48 ± 2.59) when compared to Panc-1 (3.54 ± 2.18) and Capan-1 (2.07 ± 1.60) tumors. MTR measurements were well correlated to quantitative fibrosis levels (r = 0.69, P = 0.01). Results indicated that MTR measurements offer the potential to serve as a valuable in vivo biomarker of desmoplasia in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Refractive index of the laser-window material ZnSe

Abstract The real part of the refractive index of the laser-window material ZnSe below the fundamental absorption edge is presented. The refractive index is obtained from the quantum mechanical calculation of the dielectric constant of a compound semiconductor. It is given in terms of basic material parameters only. Comparison of theory with experimental data is also discussed.
Advances In Far-Infrared Heterodyne Detectors

A review is presented of recent advances in heterodyne detector and receiver technology for the 100 to 1000 µm wavelength region. The discussion is confined to the following four detector types: (1) the Schottky diode, (2) the bulk InSb detector, (3) the Ge:Ga photoconductor and (4) the SIS (luasiparticle mixer.
Biological significance of elevated TNF levels: In vivo administration of monoclonal antibody against TNF following haemorrhage shock increases the capacity of macrophages to release TNF while restoring immuno-responsiveness

Haemorrhagic shock results in a severe depression of the cellular and humoral immunity, thus rendering the host increasingly susceptible to sepsis. To study the effect of elevated TNF release following haemorrhagic shock on depressed macrophage and splenocyte functions, C3H/HeN mice were pretreated intraperitoneally with either anti-murine TNF-Ab or saline. Twenty hrs later, mice were bled to and maintained at a mean BP of 35 mmHg for 60 min followed by adequate fluid resuscitation. Pretreatment with anti-TNF-Ab completely neutralized elevated TNF plasma levels following haemorrhage. This was associated with an increased (P < 0.05) capacity of pMo isolated 24 h after haemorrhagic shock to release TNF, while the ability to secrete IL-6 and PGE2 was reduced. Haemorrhagic shock-induced suppression of pMo antigen presentation capacity and MHC class II antigen expression, as well as depression of splenocyte proliferation and lymphokine production was also attenuated (P < 0.05) by anti-TNF-Ab pretreatment. These data indicate that elevated circulating TNF levels play a pivotal role in the depression of essential macrophage and splenocyte functions following haemorrhagic shock.
Semantic Filtering in Social Media for Trend Modeling

Applications that utilize publically available content from the web have been successful in tracking major events across a number of areas. We have developed a method of filtering to characterize trends of consumer behavior in relationship to specific products using the Twitter messaging system. Our process considers semantics at three successive levels to determine a demand signal. This begins with the establishment of ground truth keywords followed by word-level and category-level empirical keywords. Next, semantic categories of humor, emotion and negation are considered. Following, a classifier is applied for additional filtering to further support the characterization of consumer behavior. We apply this procedure to the goal of modeling vehicle purchase behavior with data acquired from Twitter. Results present strong correlation to sales data, allowing for contributions to forecasting efforts as well as Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
Towards an effective calculus for object query languages

We define a standard of effectiveness for a database calculus relative to a query language. Effectiveness judges suitability to serve as a processing framework for the query language, and comprises aspects of coverage, manipulability and efficient evaluation. We present the monoid calculus, and argue its effectiveness for object-oriented query languages, exemplified by OQL of ODMG-93. The monoid calculus readily captures such features as multiple collection types, aggregations, arbitrary composition of type constructors and nested query expressions. We also show how to extend the monoid calculus to deal with vectors and arrays in more expressive ways than current query languages do, and illustrate how it can handle identity and updates.
American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food: By Andrew F. Smith

(2013). American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food: By Andrew F. Smith. Food, Culture & Society: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 691-693.
The Human Nervous System: A Framework for Teaching and the Teaching Brain

The teaching brain is a new concept that mirrors the complex, dynamic, and context-dependent nature of the learning brain. In this article, I use the structure of the human nervous system and its sensing, processing, and responding components as a framework for a re-conceptualized teaching system. This teaching system is capable of responses on an instinctual level (e.g., spinal cord teaching) as well as higher order student-centered teaching and even more complex teaching brain teaching. At the most complex level the teacher and student engage in a synchronistic teaching flow that achieves the optimal teaching and learning experience.
1-Octen-3-ol – the attractant that repels

Since the discovery in the early 1980s that 1-octen-3-ol, isolated from oxen breath, attracts tsetse fly, there has been growing interest in exploring the use of this semiochemical as a possible generic lure for trapping host-seeking mosquitoes. Intriguingly, traps baited with 1-octen-3-ol captured significantly more females of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, than control traps, but failed to attract the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that this attractant is detected with enantioselective odorant receptors (ORs) expressed only in maxillary palps. On the basis of indoor behavioral assays it has even been suggested that 1-octen-3-ol might be a repellent to the southern house mosquito. Our approach was two-prong, i.e., to isolate 1-octen-3-ol-sensitive ORs expressed in maxillary palps and antennae of southern house female mosquito, and test the hypothesis that this semiochemical is a repellent. An OR with high transcript levels in maxillary palps, CquiOR118b, showed remarkable selectivity towards ( R)-1-octen-3-ol, whereas an OR expressed in antennae, CquiOR114b, showed higher preference for ( S)-1-octen-3-ol than its antipode. Repellency by a surface landing and feeding assay showed that not only racemic, but enantiopure ( R)- and ( S)-1-octen-3-ol are repellents at 1% dose thus suggesting the occurrence of other ( S)-1-octen-3-ol-sensitive OR(s). Female mosquitoes with ablated maxillary palps were repelled by 1-octen-3-ol, which implies that in addition to OR(s) in the maxillary palps, antennal OR(s) are essential for repellency activity.
Religion and U.S. Secondary School Students Current Patterns, Recent Trends, and Sociodemographic Correlates

This study used large nationally representative samples of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students to examine current patterns, recent trends, and sociodemographic correlates of religiosity among American adolescents. The results indicate that approximately 60% of American youngpeople feel that religion is an important part of their life, 50% regularly attend religious services, and the vast majority report an affiliation with a specific religion. Trend data suggest that key indicators of religiosity have been relatively stable for nearly a decade among8th and 10th g raders and for more than a quarter century amonghigh school seniors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses of the relationships between selected sociodemographic factors and the religion mea sures indicate that younger students, girls, Black and Latino youth, more affluent youth, rural youth, and Southern youth are generally more religious than their older, male, White, less affluent, urban, and non-Southern counterparts.
Assessment of interannual ozone variation in urban areas from a climatological perspective

Abstract The frequency distribution of ambient ozone measured in many urban areas of the U.S. varies considerably from year to year, which makes assessment of underlying ozone trends difficult and imprecise. Moreover, these variations can lead to instability in statistical measures used to assess the status of ozone air quality and can create difficulties in designing robust model-based strategies to attain the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Much of the interannual variation in ozone can be attributed to variations in meteorological conditions that control ozone accumulation. A statistical model that relates daily ozone levels to variations in daily meteorological variables has been proved to be an effective tool for reducing bias and imprecision in ozone trend assessments. By combining the statistical model with climatological data, a method has been developed for calculating the ozone formation potential for those years when ozone measurements were not available. Calculated distributions of annual ozone potential are useful for contrasting the relative severity of recent ozone seasons with ozone potential over the past four decades. The results have implications for the return frequency of the more severe ozone seasons observed in the past decade and for placing recent trends in ozone in historical perspective.
Timing analysis for preemptive multi-tasking real-time systems with caches

In this paper, we propose an approach to estimate the worst case response time (WCRT) of tasks in a preemptive multi-tasking single-processor real-time system with a set associative cache. The approach focuses on analyzing the cache reload overhead caused by preemptions. We combine inter-task cache eviction behavior analysis and path analysis of the preempted task to reduce, in our analysis, the estimate of the number of cache lines that can possibly be evicted by the preempting task (thus requiring a reload by the preempted task). A mobile robot application which contains three tasks is used to test our approach. The experimental results show that our approach can tighten the WCRT estimate by up to 73% over prior state-of-the-art.
Exploring the Early Anthropocene Burning Hypothesis and Climate-Fire Anomalies for the Eastern U.S.

This review explores the long-term role of climate versus human activity on vegetation and fire dynamics in the eastern U.S. Early Holocene warming resulted in a conversion of Picea (boreal) to temperate Quercus and Pinus forests when indigenous populations were sparse but charcoal abundances were relatively high, underscoring the importance of climate. Pyrogenic trees also dominated during the middle Holocene Thermal Maximum period, associated with increasing indigenous populations and high charcoal abundance on most sites. During Neoglacial Cooling (3300 to 150 BP) charcoal levels and pyrogenic trees remained high in the central and southern regions apparently due to Native American and early European burning trumping colder climate. In northern regions, oak-pine and charcoal abundance were distributed on intermittent dry and/or Native American sites. High levels of charcoal and pyrogenic species during the early Holocene and Neoglacial Cooling represent important anomalies in the ecological history of ...
Design Considerations to Improve Transport in Porous Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The relationship between tortuosity and porosity and its influence on effective transport properties in lithium-ion cells was analyzed. The variation in cell performance with changes in component thicknesses, porosities and tortuosities was investigated. Optimal, novel electrode designs are developed to improve their rate capability even at higher active material loadings.
Femtosecond laser–assisted technique for performing bag-in-the-lens intraocular lens implantation

We describe a technique for femtosecond laser–assisted bag-in-the-lens (BIL) intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Anterior capsulotomy and lens division into small pieces are performed by the laser. A fluid-filled interface makes it possible to re-dock the laser to the eye for posterior capsulotomy after the eye has been opened for lens aspiration without complications. The integrated optical coherence tomography also visualizes the posterior capsule, allowing a centered central posterior capsulotomy for uncomplicated IOL positioning. In 31 patients, no complications were observed within a 1-month follow-up. Femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery facilitated the BIL technique. Financial Disclosure Drs. Dick and Culbertson are members of the medical advisory board of Optimedica Corp. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Electrical Properties of Polycrystalline-Silicon Thin Films for VLSI

The electrical properties of polycrystalline silicon differ from those of single-crystal silicon because of the effect of grain boundaries. At low and moderate dopant concentrations, dopant segregation to and carrier trapping at grain boundaries reduces the conductivity of polysilicon markedly compared to that of similarly doped single-crystal silicon. Because the properties of moderately doped polysilicon are limited by grain boundaries, modifying the carrier traps at the grain boundaries by introducing hydrogen to saturate dangling bonds improves the conductivity of polysilicon and allows fabrication of moderate-quality transistors with their active regions in the polycrystalline films. Removing the grain boundaries by melting and recrystallization allows fabrication of high-quality transistors. When polysilicon is used as an interconnecting layer in integrated circuits, its limited conductivity can degrade circuit performance. At high dopant concentrations, the active carrier concentration is limited by the solid solubility of the dopant species in crystalline silicon. The current through oxide grown on polysilicon can be markedly higher than that on oxide of similar thickness grown on single-crystal silicon because the rough surface of a polysilicon film enhances the local electric field in oxide thermally grown on it. Consequently, the structure must be controlled to obtain reproducible conduction through the oxide. The differences in the behavior of polysilicon and single-crystal silicon and the limited electrical conductivity in polysilicon are having a greater impact on integrated circuits as the feature size decreases and the number of devices on a chip increases in the VLSI era.
The Influence Of Acculturation On Advertising Effectiveness To The Hispanic Market

This investigation focuses on the relationship between the level of acculturation of Hispanics and their preferences in terms of language and models used in print advertisements. An on-site advertising experiment was conducted with 501 adult respondents in El Paso, Texas. The LAECA acculturation scale items were used in conjunctions with cluster analysis to identify three groups exhibiting varying degrees of acculturation. Results indicated significant differences in advertising preferences. Managerial implications are discussed.
Nuclear-fallout, a Drosophila protein that cycles from the cytoplasm to the centrosomes, regulates cortical microfilament organization

nuclear fallout (nuf) is a maternal effect mutation that specifically disrupts the cortical syncytial divisions during Drosophila embryogenesis. We show that the nuf gene encodes a highly phosphorylated novel protein of 502 amino acids with C-terminal regions predicted to form coiled-coils. During prophase of the late syncytial divisions, Nuf concentrates at the centrosomes and is generally cytoplasmic throughout the rest of the nuclear cycle. In nuf-derived embryos, the recruitment of actin from caps to furrows during prophase is disrupted. This results in incomplete metaphase furrows specifically in regions distant from the centrosomes. The nuf mutation does not disrupt anillin or peanut recruitment to the metaphase furrows indicating that Nuf is not involved in the signaling of metaphase furrow formation. These results also suggest that anillin and peanut localization are independent of actin localization to the metaphase furrows. nuf also disrupts the initial stages of cellularization and produces disruptions in cellularization furrows similar to those observed in the metaphase furrows. The localization of Nuf to centrosomal regions throughout cellularization suggests that it plays a similar role in the initial formation of both metaphase and cellularization furrows. A model is presented in which Nuf provides a functional link between centrosomes and microfilaments.
A Lyapunov exponents based stability theory for ODE initial value problem solvers

In this paper we consider the stability of variable step-size Runge-Kutta methods approximating bounded, stable, and time-dependent solutions of ordinary differential equation initial value problems. We use Lyapunov exponent theory to determine conditions on the maximum allowable step-size that guarantees the numerical solution of an asymptotically decaying time-dependent linear problem also decays. This result is used to justify using a one-dimensional asymptotically contracting real-valued nonautonomous linear test problem to characterize the stability of a Runge-Kutta method. The linear stability result is applied to show the stability of the numerical solution of stable nonlinear problems.
A framework for knowledge capture and a study of development metrics in collaborative engineering design

This dissertation presents a knowledge management framework, collaborative design methods, and software technologies that improve multidisciplinary, distributed engineering design. In this setting, team member coordination is non-trivial and a potential source of costly breakdowns. The difficulties arise during the capture, sharing and reuse of design knowledge, intents, decisions, and rationale. Four research phases are described. In the first two phases, we define a framework to support distributed teamwork. Collaborative methods for consensus building via private and public product models are formalized. Individual designers use generalized objects to capture knowledge and create domain-specific product interpretations while a history of their work is stored in a centralized database. We describe implementation of the framework as software prototype called VisionManager, which is evaluated on projects in mechatronic, aerospace, and facilities engineering. VisionManager's in-situ reuse mechanisms and context-dependent manipulation of the design database improve the design process by eliminating time-consuming activities related to communicating and understanding design issues. In the third research phase, we instrument VisionManager's design database to support studies of the product model evolution. Reuse, thrashing, backtracking, and redesign are quantified in experimental data collected from a facilities design course. This inspires the final phase of research---an investigation into metrics for software projects in the computer games industry. Using data from three 1-year projects, correlations are established between measurements of work and quality on a subsystem-basis. Time series analysis of daily progress reveals periodic patterns in the team's development efforts. Daily interactions among engineers, measured via concurrent work on game subsystems, correlate with each engineer's perceived value to the team. Overall, this research demonstrates that external observers can use design history to form an understanding of how a team performs. This dissertation makes three contributions to design knowledge management and its use in team-based engineering. (1) It proposes, prototypes and evaluates a modeling framework to support collaboration and distributed knowledge management for design teams. (2) It demonstrates the use of design history as a source of insight into team design processes. (3) It identifies multiple correlations between historic design data and team performance in the domain of software engineering.
Microstructural evolution of polycrystalline ice during confined creep testing

Abstract The mechanical properties of polycrystalline ice Ih have been observed to change under an applied hydrostatic pressure comparable to that present near the bottom of kilometer-thick ice sheets. To help determine the cause of these changes, we conducted confined creep testing of laboratory-prepared polycrystalline ice at pressures up to 20 MPa (equivalent to ∼2000 m of overburden) and subsequent microstructural analysis of specimens deformed by creep using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, including extensive electron backscatter diffraction mapping of crystal orientations. Microstructural observations of the creep-deformed specimens revealed smaller median grain sizes, less regular, and more interlocked grain shapes in specimens deformed at higher pressure compared with those deformed at atmospheric pressure. Variable pressure testing reveals little change in strain rate for pressures less than 15 MPa, leading to alternative hypotheses regarding the influence of confining pressure on the dislocation dynamics and associated creep behavior of polycrystalline ice. Our central hypothesis is that widely dissociated basal dislocations in ice begin to constrict after the confining pressure reaches a critical value. This critical pressure depends strongly on the (currently unknown) lattice dilatation induced in ice by the presence of stacking faults.
Quickly analysis of rare earth elements in drinking water and source water by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Objective:A method for the determination of 15 rare earth elements in drinking water and source water was established.Methods:Detecting with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique(ICP-MS),indium was used as internal standard.The quantization was performed by standard curve method and the quality was controlled by recovery test.Results:The recoveries of standard addition of 15 rare earth elements in drinking water and source water was 91%～108% and RSD5%(n=5),the linearity range of method was 0 μg/L～100 μg/L(r0.9999) and the detection limit was 0.01 μg/L.Conclusion:The established method was speedy,precise,simple and convenient.It could be applied to quantitative separation and determination of rare earth elements in drinking water and source water.
Closing the assessment loop on critical thinking: The challenges of multidimensional testing and low test-taking motivation

Abstract Unlike most previous studies that have only assessed critical thinking skills, our study took a comprehensive approach to critical thinking assessment. We examined the impact of explicit critical thinking instruction on skill acquisition as well as changes in critical thinking dispositions and metacognition. Students receiving explicit critical thinking instruction showed significantly greater gains on an argument analysis skills test than students in a control class. In addition, only the skills test scores of the critical thinking group were significantly correlated with metacognitive measures after instruction. However, the critical thinking group showed no greater gains on measures of critical thinking dispositions. To examine another neglected aspect of critical thinking research, we manipulated students’ test-taking motivation before assessment, but our manipulation produced no significant gains in test-taking motivation or critical thinking skills. Nevertheless, test-taking motivation was significantly correlated with scores on the critical thinking skills test both before and after instruction and declined significantly in the control group. Our results suggest that future studies should further examine the impact of explicit critical thinking instruction on critical thinking skills, dispositions, and metacognition and identify ways to raise low test-taking motivation.
Analysis of main technical problems for XS and JS ±800kV UHVDC projects system test

The main technical problems of Xiangjiaba to Shanghai (abbr. XS) and Jinping to Sunan (abbr. JS) 800kV UHVDC transmission projects system test were analyzed in this paper. Based on the system stability calculation results, 46 kinds of main circuit connection modes and referring to 500kV HVDC system commissioning test experiences, the system test program and test plan were prepared, which was divided into four parts that were single converter system test instructions, monopole system test instructions, bipolar system test and de-icing mode system test instructions. Duo to rectifier side system was weak in the initial operation stage, AC bus voltage control and reactive power control had been solved. The main technical problems in XS and JS UHVDC project system test were analyzed in detail, which included VBE and control interface function verification, island mode test and de-icing connection mode test. These technical problems had been solved during system commissioning test, which guaranteed to complete XS and JS UHVDC project system commissioning test and put into operation in time.
Negative Exponential Model Parameters and Centralization in Large Urban Areas in the U.S., 1950-2010

The change in the negative exponential density gradient has often been used as a measure of urban decentralization, with the gradient itself also being taken as a measure of the degree of centralization for comparing urban areas. Changes and levels of estimated negative exponential model parameters for 43 areas from 1950 to 2010 are compared with a “pure” measure of centralization, the centralization ratio. The proportional change in the density gradient is indeed significantly related to the change in the centralization ratio, while the relationship of the change in central density to centralization is inconsistent. However, the level of the density gradient is not significantly related to the level of centralization, except that controlling for the size of the urban area produces a significant relationship. The central density is related to the level of centralization.
Isidore Okpewho (1941-2016)

When Ediru, the elder son of Professor Isidore Okpewho, called to tell me that his father had passed away, I could only sigh in sorrow. The watch was over. His health had taken a sudden turn for the worse a few weeks earlier and we had kept watch as he battled for his life in the ICU. By the time he finally took his last breath on Sunday 4th September 2016, his immediate family and those close to them had been steeling themselves for the moment.
Nuclear Medicine Imaging

At a time of exploding technological innovation in the field of non-invasive diagnosis, the applications of nuclear medicine continue to expand both as a substitute to less advantageous procedures and as a necessary adjunct to newly introduced techniques. The success of this field in the United States can be appreciated from the following statistical indicators: some 7 million studies are performed every year (representing an annual cash flow of approximately a billion dollars) and have engendered an 80 million dollar per year market for instrumentation. A large nuclear medicine clinic will inject over 1 Ci of activity during the average working day, with the annual sales of radiopharmaceuticals reaching the 50 million dollar level in 1978.
Effects of vehicle microdialysis solutions on cutaneous vascular responses to local heating.

This study examined the independent effects of common vehicle solutions on cutaneous vascular responses. A basic buffer (SCB-HCl) caused baseline vasodilation; 2% DMSO and 0.02% ethanol had no effe...
Cross sections for proton-induced reactions on natSb up to 68 MeV

Abstract Nuclear excitation functions for proton induced reactions on antimony targets have been measured up to 68 MeV using stacked foil activation techniques at the Crocker Laboratory of the University of California at Davis. Measurements made are expected to be useful in production of therapeutic radionuclides 119Sb (via production of its parents 119mTe and 119gTe) and 117mSn. This work extends the energy coverage of available data upwards by approximately 30 MeV into a range relevant to medium-energy radionuclide production facilities like the Isotope Production Facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico and the Brookhaven Linear Isotope Producer in Upton, New York.
Fixation du sens et force critique : rhétorique et stéréotypes dans la performance comique francophone

Cet article theorise les moyens donnes aux humoristes pour limiter le risque d’iterativite des stereotypes qu’ils utilisent sur scene a des fins comiques. La reussite ou l’echec de la performance d...
Staying Alive With Virtual Humans

Current at-home cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training systems are limited by the feedback they provide. Virtual trainers have the potential to enhance feedback in CPR training systems by providing real-time demonstrations. We developed CPRBuddy, a CPR training system that uses a virtual trainer to emulate a live trainer to automatically provide powerful feedback. CPRBuddy was evaluated via a user study consisting of 9 participants comparing CPR compressions both with and without feedback from CPRBuddy. We found that CPRBuddy's demonstrative feedback has potential to improve the immediate performance of CPR, e.g., compression depth, frequency, and recoil. This work contributes towards the design of avatars for training.
Immunorestoration in Secondary Immunodeficiency

Twenty years ago, the study of immunodeficiency concentrated on congenital, primary immunodeficiency in which a cell population or molecule was genetically absent or dysfunctional. Secondary immunodeficiency was restricted to immunosuppressive treatment for organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases, to lymphoid malignancies such as Hodgkins disease, and to cytotoxic anticancer therapy. With the advent of appropriate immunodiagnostic tests to assess the number and function of the various components of the immune system and other bulwarks of natural bodily defenses, our understanding of secondary immunodeficiency began to grow, and now twenty years later we have a more comprehensive and explicit view of the extent of immunodeficiency.
Ruby Payne-Scott’s Education and Early Employment

Ruby Payne-Scott must have been a noticeably bright child, and her parents must have planned to give her every opportunity they could for a good education, even if they could not afford to pay for her schooling at an elite private school. This goal is clear based on the path her schooling took once she reached her pre-teens. Generally, a young person would attend school in Australia until the age of 14, at which point s/he would sit the examination for an Intermediate Certificate. One could not, however, enter university with an Intermediate Certificate. To do that, one would have to stay in school for another 2 years and pass the examination for a Leaving Certificate. Provided the requisite matriculation subjects had been taken, entry into university was then possible.
Pretreatment with ascorbic acid attenuates the neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine in rats

The toxic effects of methamphetamine on dopamine and serotonergic neurons have recently been linked to the endogenous formation of 6-hydroxydopamine and 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, respectively. It has been speculated that the ability of methamphetamine to both release dopamine and serotonin as well as to inhibit monoamine oxidase activity leads to the non-enzymatic oxidation of dopamine and serotonin to the neurotoxins. This hypothesis was evaluated by pretreating rats with high doses of an antioxidant (ascorbic acid) prior to the administration of methamphetamine. It was observed that the administration of 25.0 mg/kg of methamphetamine at 12 hour intervals for a four day period caused a long-lasting depletion of dopamine and serotonin. Pretreatment with 100.0 mg/kg of ascorbic acid 30 minutes before each methamphetamine injection significantly (but not completely) attenuated this neurotoxic action of methamphetamine. These observations are discussed in reference to animal models of Parkinson's disease.
Colorectal Carcinomas Containing Hypermethylated MLH1 Promoter and Wild-Type BRAF/KRAS Are Enriched for Targetable Kinase Fusions

Kinase fusions are rare and poorly characterized in colorectal carcinoma, yet they present unique opportunities for targeted therapy. In this study, we characterized kinase fusions from patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma who had MSK-IMPACT testing of their tumors between January 2014 and June 2018. Patients were analyzed for the presence of fusions, microsatellite instability (MSI), and RAS/BRAF mutations. Mismatch repair (MMR), IHC, and promoter hypermethylation status of MLH1 (MLH1ph) in microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) colorectal carcinoma with fusions were investigated. Fusion transcripts were confirmed using a targeted RNA-seq panel assay. Of 2,314 colorectal carcinomas with MSK-IMPACT testing, 21 harbored kinase fusions. Overall 57% (12/21) of colorectal carcinoma fusions were MSI-H/MMR-D. Loss of MLH1 and MLH1ph was confirmed in all 12 and all 10 cases with available material, respectively. Fusions were present in 5% of MSI-H/MMR-D colorectal carcinoma compared with 0.4% of MSS/MMR-P colorectal carcinoma (P < 0.001) and 15% of MSI-H/MMR-D colorectal carcinoma with wild-type RAS/BRAF. Of 24 total MLH1-deficient colorectal carcinomas with MLH1ph and wild-type RAS/BRAF, 10 (42%) harbored kinase fusions. Kinase fusions in MSI-H colorectal carcinoma were associated with sporadic MLH1ph rather than with Lynch syndrome, and these patients may be eligible for kinase inhibitors, particularly following resistance or toxicity in response to immunotherapy. These findings identify a molecular subset of colorectal carcinoma with kinase fusions that may be responsive to kinase inhibitors.Significance: A high frequency of targetable kinase fusions in BRAF/RAS wild-type, MSI-H colorectal carcinoma offers a rationale for routine screening to identify patients with colorectal carcinoma with kinase fusions that may be responsive to kinase inhibitors.See related commentary by Valeri, p. 1041.
Development and Implementation of a Multicultural Consultation Service Within an Academic Medical Center

Abstract A major challenge for our field is to ensure we meet the growing demand for culturally sensitive and responsive evidence-based practices to keep up with changing demographics in the U.S. as well as calls to action by our field. To address the mental health imperative to improve the multicultural competence of clinicians and to provide appropriate care, it is important to create opportunities for clinicians to receive training in this area. One route to meet these demands is to provide ongoing multicultural peer consultation to clinical providers. This model also facilitates direct application to clinical work. To that end, we present herein a model for developing and implementing a multicultural peer consultation team. In our implementation, our consultation team aimed to function as therapy for therapists in the context of provision of empirically supported, principle-driven cognitive and behavioral therapies, with a consultation focus on multicultural perspectives and multicultural competence. We demarcate consultation needs within an academic medical center, identify facilitators and barriers to implementation of the service, and provide recommendations for future directions. Moreover, herein we present a case study to demonstrate the process of multicultural peer consultation.
Mixed-integer formulations for optimal control of piecewise-affine systems

In this paper we study how to formulate the optimal control problem for a piecewise-affine dynamical system as a mixed-integer program. Problems of this form arise typically in hybrid Model Predictive Control (MPC), where at every time step an open-loop optimal control sequence is computed via numerical optimization and applied to the system in a moving horizon fashion. Not surprisingly, the efficiency in the formulation of the underlying mathematical program has a crucial influence on computation times, and hence on the applicability of hybrid MPC to high-dimensional systems.We leverage on modern concepts and results from the fields of mixed-integer and disjunctive programming to conduct a comprehensive analysis of this formulation problem. Among the outcomes enabled by this novel perspective is the derivation of multiple highly-efficient formulations of the control problem, each of which represents a different tradeoff between the two most important features of a mixed-integer program: the size and the strength. First in theory, then through a numerical example, we show how all the proposed methods outperform the traditional approach employed in MPC, enabling the solution of larger-scale problems.
Visual cognition in non-amnestic Alzheimer's disease: Relations to tau, amyloid, and cortical atrophy.

Abstract Heterogeneity within the Alzheimer's disease (AD) syndromic spectrum is typically classified in a domain-specific manner (e.g., language vs. visual cognitive function). The central aim of this study was to investigate whether impairment in visual cognitive tasks thought to be subserved by posterior cortical dysfunction in non-amnestic AD presentations is associated with tau, amyloid, or neurodegeneration in those regions using 18F-AV-1451 and 11C-PiB positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sixteen amyloid-positive patients who met criteria for either Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA; n = 10) or logopenic variant Primary Progressive Aphasia (lvPPA; n = 6) were studied. All participants underwent a structured clinical assessment, neuropsychological battery, structural MRI, amyloid PET, and tau PET. The neuropsychological battery included two visual cognitive tests: VOSP Number Location and Benton Facial Recognition. Surface-based whole-cortical general linear models were used to first explore the similarities and differences between these biomarkers in the two patient groups, and then to assess their regional associations with visual cognitive test performance. The results show that these two variants of AD have both dissociable and overlapping areas of tau and atrophy, but amyloid is distributed with a stereotyped localization in both variants. Performance on both visual cognitive tests were associated with tau and atrophy in the right lateral and medial occipital association cortex, superior parietal cortex, and posterior ventral occipitotemporal cortex. No cortical associations were observed with amyloid PET. We further demonstrate that cortical atrophy has a partially mediating effect on the association between tau pathology and visual cognitive task performance. Our findings show that non-amnestic variants of AD have partially dissociable spatial patterns of tau and atrophy that localize as expected based on symptoms, but similar patterns of amyloid. Further, we demonstrate that impairments of visual cognitive dysfunction are strongly associated with tau in visual cortical regions and mediated in part by atrophy.
Differential regulation of nuclear receptors and aminoacyl-TRNA-synthetases by endocrine disrupting chemicals

1648 Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) include phenolic hormone mimics diethylstilbestrol, bisphenol A, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides like dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, that disrupt the physiologic function of hormones involving the reproductive system. EDCs have been shown to alter nuclear receptors and other transcription factors. To establish a clear link between EDC exposure and the regulation of NR and tRNA synthetase function, we examined a battery of microarray databases for the alteration of gene expressions as a function of EDC exposure. EndNote Connect Tools combined with customized scripts were used to collect literature and microarray data. Public domain databases used were NCBI Gene Expression Ominibus datasets, PubMed, PubChem and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). We established chemical interaction linkages between tRNA synthetase, nuclear receptors and their primary protein-protein interaction network. Overall, 503 protein-protein interactions and 4565 EDC-Protein interactions were analyzed to generate a comprehensive graphical interaction map. These maps showed that at least 7 tRNA synthetases and almost all nuclear receptors are regulated by EDCs. Endogenous estrogens, isoflavones and alkylphenols increase tyrosyl and tryptophanyl tRNA synthetase expression. However, this effect is not observed in other tRNA synthetases. Sequence analyses revealed a striking similarity in the C-terminal residues of estrogen receptor, tyr and trp-tRNA synthetases indicating the possibility of direct binding events. Our observations provide valuable insight into the hormonal control of protein expression/function and structural basis for drug discovery. Acknowledgement: NSF C-RUI Grant #0215924 (EM & RVR) and NHLBI-Jackson Heart Study (CJ).