cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DNA origami tiles: Nanoscale mazes

The programmable disorder often seen in biological networks has now been demonstrated with DNA origami tiles using a stochastic algorithm.
Safety of radioembolization in the setting of angiographically apparent arterioportal shunting

Abstract Purpose To retrospectively analyze adverse events (AE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with yttrium-90 radioembolization in the setting of angiographically apparent arterioportal shunts (APSs). Materials and Methods Thirty-two patients with HCC underwent radioembolization with APSs from January 2011 to September 2016, totaling 34 administrations using resin (6) and glass (28) microspheres. APSs were graded angiographically as segmental (9), ipsilobar (15), contralobar (7), or main portal (2), according to portal perfusion. Tumors were categorized as solitary (9), multifocal (7), or infiltrative (16). Both unilobar (25) and bilobar (7) disease was treated. Child Pugh Score was A (22), B (10), or C (2), with a median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)/Na-MELD of 8/8.5. Median procedure dose was 132.6 Gy. AEs were graded using Combined Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0. Tumor response was assessed using the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST). Results CTCAE grade ≥3 AEs were observed in 22% of patients. Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) C patients with nonsegmental shunts who received lobar administrations had a grade ≥3 AE rate of 38% compared with the remaining cohort, which was 12% (P = .076). No events were reported in patients with segmental shunts (P = .023). Imaging analysis revealed mRECIST complete response (17), partial response (13), stable disease (3), and progressive disease (1). Overall survival at 6 months and 12 months was 72% and 57%, respectively. Conclusions Radioembolization in the setting of APS may have a higher AE profile than reported literature when BCLC-C patients with nonsegmental shunts receive lobar administrations. Segmental shunts are generally well tolerated.
Primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus: Retropective analysis of the Veterans Affairs Cancer Registry.

32 Background: Small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus is a rare aggressive and rapidly fatal neoplasm, often diagnosed in late stages. Hence no prospective studies evaluating the most effectiv...
Design considerations for an active rectifier circuit for bidirectional wireless power transfer

The capability of bi-directional, underwater power transfer (both sending and receiving power) increases the functionality of underwater vehicles by allowing them to be charged and provide charge wirelessly to other systems without leaving the water. To minimize the footprint of the charging circuitry, a single transistor-based full-bridge circuit can be used to either send or receive power. This work focuses on the operation of the circuit in power receive mode, as an active rectifier. An algorithm common for active rectification is presented, and the effects of non-idealities on the timing control and efficiency is presented through experimental results.
Current Cord Blood Banking Concepts and Practices

Umbilical cord blood (CB) is firmly established as a donor source for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and is rapidly emerging as a stem cell source for cellular and regenerative therapies. Currently, over 160 public CB banks store a worldwide inventory of over 700,000 well-characterized CB units donated for public use. Family or private banks are also available for families who elect to pay to store CB for private use. In this chapter, we briefly review the history of CB banking and transplantation. We also discuss current approaches to donor recruitment, collection, processing, and cryopreservation of CB units. We review criteria for banking as well as assays used to assess CB unit potency and quality with the aim of providing an inventory of high-quality CB units. Challenges facing the banking community including increasing regulatory requirements, the financial status of public CB banks, and future strategies for CB banking are also reviewed.
Checkpoints to Progression: Qualitative Analysis of the Personal and Contextual Factors That Influence Selection of Upper Extremity Reconstruction Among Patients With Tetraplegia.

Purpose Patients with tetraplegia consistently rank better use of the upper extremity as their top functional priority. Multiple case series have demonstrated that upper extremity reconstruction (UER) is well-tolerated and can produce substantial functional improvements for appropriate candidates; however, UER remains critically underutilized. The mechanisms that drive differences in provider practice and referral patterns have been studied, but comprehensive examination of the patient factors that influence UER decisions has not been performed for American patients. Methods Nineteen patients with C4–8 cervical spinal injuries were selected using purposive sampling: 9 patients had undergone UER, 10 had not undergone UER. Semistructured interviews were conducted and transcripts evaluated using grounded theory methodology. Results Our study yielded a conceptual model that describes the characteristics common to all patients who undergo UER. Patients who selected reconstruction proceeded stepwise through a shared sequence of steps: (1) functional dissatisfaction, (2) awareness of UER, and (3) acceptance of surgery. Patients’ ability to meet these criteria was determined by 3 checkpoints: how well they coped, their access to information, and the acceptability of surgery. Extremely positive or negative coping prevented patients from moving from the Coping to the Information Checkpoint; thus, they remained unaware of UER and did not undergo surgery. A lack of knowledge regarding reconstruction was the strongest barrier to surgery among our participants. Conclusions We built a conceptual model that outlines how patients’ personal and contextual factors drive their progression to UER. Moving from functional dissatisfaction to understanding that they were candidates for UER was a substantial barrier for participants, particularly those with very high and very low coping skills. Clinical relevance To improve utilization for all patients, interventions are needed to increase UER awareness. Standardizing introduction to UER during the rehabilitation process or improving e-content may represent key awareness access points.
Diversion colitis: Pathologic findings in a resected sigmoid colon and rectum

We present here the detailed pathologic findings in the resected colon and rectum from a paraplegic patient with severely symptomatic diversion colitis and lack of anorectal function. Previous reports of the pathology of this condition have been confined to biopsy findings. A diffuse nodularity caused by lymphoid hyperplasia and an inflammatory process confined to the colorectal mucosa with erosions, crypt abscesses, mucin granulomas, and aphthoid ulcers were the main features. There was minimal distortion of crypt architecture. The pathologic features of this entity are compared to those of other inflammatory disorders of the colon and rectum.
Die Struktur des Spiralenbogens

Wir betrachten einen elementaren Bogen mit dem Anfangselement A*a und dem Endelement B*b, der keine Singularitaten, also keine Wendestelle oder Dornspitze oder Schnabelspitze und auch keine mehrfachen Punkte oder mehrfachen Tangenten besitzt. Das Ziel der Untersuchung besteht in der Einsicht in die Struktur eines solchen singularitatenfreien Bogens, den wir Spiralenbogen nennen. Das Ergebnis der folgenden Betrachtungen wird diesen Namen rechtfertigen.
Jeremy Struck a Chord: A Public Health Approach to Professional Musicians.

An editorial is presented which addresses the authors' views about public health and unexpected deaths and health conditions involving professional musicians such as singers Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington, and it mentions the authors' experiences with a 52-year-old musician named Jeremy who was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. According to the article, popular music stars in America and Europe have higher mortality rates than nonmusicians.
Chronic neutropenia in LGL leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis

This section reviews the diagnostic criteria and pathogenesis of large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia. There is a particular focus on the overlap of LGL leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis (Felty's syndrome). Current understanding of the mechanisms of neutropenia in these disorders is discussed. Finally, treatment indications and therapeutic recommendations are outlined.
Use of Herring Embryos for In Situ and In Vitro Monitoring of Marine Pollution

Developing embryos are frequently very sensitive to the adverse effects of environmental contaminants (Rosenthal and Alderdice, 1976; McKim, 1985). Aquatic toxicologists have successfully employed sea urchin and oyster embryos in bioassays of pure chemicals and complex mixtures (Hose et al., 1983; Kobayashi, 1972; Roberts, 1980), and have used several species of fish embryos to study the carcinogenic and teratogenic potential of numerous compounds (Horning and Weber, 1985; Kocan and Landolt, 1984, 1987; Liguori and Landolt, 1985; Linden, 1978; Longwell and Hughes, 1980; Westernhagen et al., 1979). These systems have proven to be suitable laboratory models, but they have not been used for in situ monitoring. We will describe the utility of herring embryos for both in situ and in vitro testing of environmental contaminants.
Pressure Swing Adsorption in the Unit Operations Laboratory.

This paper describes a student laboratory in the Unit Operations Laboratory at the Colorado School of Mines: air separation by pressure swing adsorption. The flexibility of the system enables students to study the production of enriched nitrogen or oxygen streams. Automatic data acquisition permits the study of cycle steps and performance. Information from the experiment is readily used extract mass transfer and equilibrium information, providing a basis for system scale up, and in efficiency analysis.
CALCULATIONS OF MATERIALS PROPERTIES USING ab initio ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE METHODS

Modern electronic structure theory can be brought to bear on a number of materials-related properties, including elastic properties and stability, defect energetics, and lattice vibrations. The power of the first-principles methods is illustrated for intermetallic systems and the high T c ceramic oxides where it is shown that excellent agreement with experiment is obtained. It is also pointed out that major advances in this area of computational materials science will likely come from the use of highly parallel computers, an endeavor requiring the development of new approaches and algorithms.
Questions Asked in Art-museum Education Research

Research on art-museum education appears across a spectrum of publications including museum journals and art education journals, as well as in occasional articles on museum history and sometimes in journals of curriculum studies. In this chapter, I offer a snapshot of the kinds of research questions, and the perspectives they reflect, that are available to arts-education researchers, with the important caveat that the literature specifically on art-museum education research is untidily scattered across several disciplines and does not yet seem to constitute a separate discipline of its own. This chapter explores several perspectives that guide ‐ and might guide ‐ our inquiries as to how art learning occurs with artifacts in museums; it draws from work in the fields that most inform artmuseum education, specifically school-based art education and museum education generally, as well as an emerging field that encourages study of visual images that have not yet entered museums. This chapter synthesizes three major perspectives through which we can both ask research questions and interpret their findings. Two perspectives are long established in educational inquiry: John Dewey’s conception of aesthetic experience, and Joseph Schwab’s conceptual framework of the “commonplaces” of schooling, both here applied to the museum experience, Added to this standard mix is the newer perspective of contemporary visual culture studies, which can bracket our research on museum learning by helping researchers to understand the similarities and differences between visitors’ responses to everyday objects and to objects selected and arranged to facilitate an aesthetic response in a museum setting. We will explore how these three perspectives can intermix to reveal some important and promising research questions about how learning in art museums can best be understood and facilitated. The chapter concludes with a quick snapshot of topics actually covered in current museum education research in a sampling of relevant European, Canadian, and American research reports, assessed against the matrix that emerges from a synthesis of the three perspectives.
Perioperative Protocols to Facilitate Early Discharge and Rapid Recovery After Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery has been developed with the goals of improving accuracy of component position, reducing surgical exposure, optimizing functional outcomes, and improving implant durability. As robotic surgical technology matures, the ancillary technologies that support the procedures themselves evolve concurrently. Facilitating processes around robotic surgery requires attention to several perioperative elements in order to optimize success. Appropriate preoperative planning to help with execution of the surgery, to optimize the patient physically and medically, and to set patient expectations will ensure a smooth transition toward early discharge and full recovery. Self-directed home exercising, to support or supplant formal physical therapy, as well as multimodal pain management to limit narcotic consumption, both inhospital and at home, will help maximize clinical results and patient satisfaction. Web-based rehabilitation, augmented by burgeoning technologies, promises to offer improved results at a lower cost. Finally, it is important to prepare the clinic, hospital, and staff accordingly for the transition to rapid recovery and early discharge after robotic surgery.
DIY Assistive Technology for Others: Considering Social Impacts and Opportunities to Leverage HCI Techniques

One way to help address larger scale social and environmental challenges is to help individuals consider the social impacts of making alongside the technological aspects. We investigate the experiences of volunteers who 3D print prosthetic devices for children, focusing specifically on the way they discuss their relationship with the device recipients. We show that while the volunteers understand the social aspect of the experience, their focus is on the functionality. We suggest some techniques, methods, and principles from HCI that can enrich the experience for the volunteers and recipients by broadening the focus to include consideration of the complexities of the human and social experience.
Associations between fine particulate matter, extreme heat events, and congenital heart defects.

Previous research reports associations between air pollution measured during pregnancy and the occurrence of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in offspring. The objective of this research was to assess if exposure to extreme heat events (EHEs) during pregnancy may modify this association. Methods The study population consisted of 4,033 controls and 2,632 cases with dates of delivery between 1999 and 2007 who participated in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a multi-site case-control study in the United States. Daily data from the closest stationary fine particulate matter (PM2.5) monitor within 50 km from the maternal residence were averaged across weeks 3-8 post-conception. EHEs were defined as maximum ambient temperature in the upper 95th percentile for at least 2 consecutive days or the upper 90th percentile for 3 consecutive days. Logistic regression models were adjusted for maternal age, ethnicity, education, and average humidity. Relative excess risks due to interaction (RERI) were calculated. Results Compared with women with low PM2.5 exposure and no exposure to an EHE, the odds of a ventricular septal defect in offspring associated with high PM2.5 exposure was elevated only among women who experienced an EHE (odds ratio [OR] 2.14 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19, 3.38 vs. OR 0.97 95% CI 0.49, 1.95; RERI 0.82 95% CI -0.39, 2.17). The majority of observed associations and interactions for other heart defects were null and/or inconclusive due to lack of precision. Conclusions This study provides limited evidence that EHEs may modify the association between prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and CHD occurrence.
Gender Equity in Athletics

For years intercollegiate athletics has offered interested and able students opportunities to experience the lessons of competition, develop physical and leadership skills, be a part of a team, and perhaps most important, enjoy themselves. Good intercollegiate athletics programs require competitive parity, universal and consistently applied rules, and an opportunity to participate according to one’s interest and ability. The majority of NCAA members have sought to assure the foregoing conditions, but there is considerable evidence that they have not fully succeeded with regard to women.
Air: Umimachi diari/Our Little Sister, 2015

Adapted from Yoshida Akimi’s graphic novel Umimachi Diary, this film presents us with the Kōda sisters: Sachi (Ayase Haruka), Yoshino (Nagasawa Masami), and Chika (Kaho) who live in their grandmother’s house and are later joined by their 13-year-old half-sister Suzu (Hirose Suzu). The flowing narrative of Umimachi diari/Our Little Sister (2015) calls to mind the style of classical Japanese monogatari.
O estado atual e potencial da pesquisa musical na América Latina

Palestra proferida por Luiz Heitor Correa de Azevedo (1905-1992) em Nova York em 1968, entao professor visitante da Universidade de Tulane, EUA. Este ensaio oferece um panorama da pesquisa musical, com enfase na musicologia historica, os estudos de folclore e a etnomusicologia, nos diversos paises da America Latina ate a decada de 1960. A America Latina foi excluida ou mal representada nas enciclopedias, dicionarios e historias da musica europeias ate a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Paralelamente, a pesquisa musical na America Latina tem-se desenvolvido, sobretudo a partir da decada de 1930. O arrolamento dos principais assuntos abordados, autores e publicacoes por pesquisadores latino-americanos e latino-americanistas e discutido no contexto institucional do inter-americanismo musical.
Evidence bounds in singular models: probabilistic and variational perspectives

The marginal likelihood or evidence in Bayesian statistics contains an intrinsic penalty for larger model sizes and is a fundamental quantity in Bayesian model comparison. Over the past two decades, there has been steadily increasing activity to understand the nature of this penalty in singular statistical models, building on pioneering work by Sumio Watanabe. Unlike regular models where the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) encapsulates a first-order expansion of the logarithm of the marginal likelihood, parameter counting gets trickier in singular models where a quantity called the real log canonical threshold (RLCT) summarizes the effective model dimensionality. In this article, we offer a probabilistic treatment to recover non-asymptotic versions of established evidence bounds as well as prove a new result based on the Gibbs variational inequality. In particular, we show that mean-field variational inference correctly recovers the RLCT for any singular model in its canonical or normal form. We additionally exhibit sharpness of our bound by analyzing the dynamics of a general purpose coordinate ascent algorithm (CAVI) popularly employed in variational inference.
Riparian vegetation model to predict seedling recruitment and restoration alternatives.

Abstract Native riparian vegetation communities have declined downstream of large water infrastructure like dams and diversions, owing to water management operations that prevent successful seedling colonization and recruitment. Altered timing and magnitude of reservoir releases to fulfill competing water demands often lead to reduced peak discharges and flow recession rates that do not support native riparian reproduction processes. To achieve short-term ecosystem function in highly regulated rivers an alternative method might be restoration planting, whereby success depends on identifying appropriate planting location and spatial extents. This study aims to provide a methodology to inform resource managers about the extent of possible natural seedling recruitment under average and wet hydrologic conditions, as well as constrain restoration planting operational uncertainties. Results from field surveys and simulations showed limited favorable areas for successful riparian seedling recruitment under regulated flows, regardless of hydrologic conditions in the basin. However, wet (11.4 ha) hydrologic conditions were more (approximately 11 times) favorable than average (1 ha) conditions for seedling recruitment. Furthermore, model results identified the location and spatial extent (25.6 ha) of favorable restoration planting areas during average flow. This extent is approximately 25 times larger than natural recruitment during an average (hydrological) year and even twice that for natural recruitment for a wet year. This suggests that ground operational activities guided by numerical modeling may effectively constrain planting uncertainties.
The Librarian and the Collaborative Design of Effective Library Assignments: Recommendations for Faculty on Question Design for Student Success in Research Assignments

The success of library research assignments depends to some extent on the quality of the research question posed to students. Librarians can help teaching faculty craft more effective research assignments through intentional partnerships where librarians discuss with faculty how to pose well-structured research questions, what library resources are available to support the research and what a faculty member expects a student to learn from the exercise.
Chapter 12 Design and synthesis of cooperative “pinwheel” fluorescent sensors

Publisher Summary The pinwheel sensor system has proven to be an effective way of generating selective, high affinity fluorescent sensors for a variety of analytes. The main challenge with these systems is their synthesis. This chapter discusses the development of a general sensor framework that gives strong, selective, and cooperative recognition that is coupled to a fluorescent read-out. A divergent synthesis of this class of compounds has been developed in which a number of different sensors with different recognition elements and fluorophores can be generated from common intermediates. The method is suitable for fully non-symmetrical sensors for complex analytes. This technique is particularly valuable because it is non-destructive and the probes can be observed in real time over the course of cellular events. Fluorescent probes fall into two main classes: chemosensors and biosensors. Chemical sensors are typically based on synthetic compounds and have been used in cells mainly to quantify the concentration of certain inorganic ions (Na + , K + , Ca +2 , Mg +2 , Zn +2 , and CI − ). Despite significant advances in molecular recognition and chemical sensing, chemical sensors have enjoyed limited success in practical intracellular applications for sensing analytes beyond these ions and cellular conditions such, as pH and pO 2 .
Collective error detection for MPI collective operations

An MPI profiling library is a standard mechanism for intercepting MPI calls by applications. Profiling libraries are so named because they are commonly used to gather performance data on MPI programs. Here we present a profiling library whose purpose is to detect user errors in the use of MPI’s collective operations. While some errors can be detected locally (by a single process), other errors involving the consistency of arguments passed to MPI collective functions must be tested for in a collective fashion. While the idea of using such a profiling library does not originate here, we take the idea further than it has been taken before (we detect more errors) and offer an open-source library that can be used with any MPI implementation. We describe the tests carried out, provide some details of the implementation, illustrate the usage of the library, and present performance tests.
Abiotic and biotic constraints across reptile and amphibian ranges

A long-standing macroecological hypothesis posits that species range limits are primarily determined by abiotic factors (e.g. climate) at poleward boundaries and biotic factors (e.g. competition) at equatorward boundaries. Using correlative environmental niche models we test this hypothesis for 214 amphibian and reptile species endemic to the United States (U.S.). As predicted, we fi nd a closer association between climate and northern (poleward) range limits than at southern (equatorward) boundaries. However when we separately analyze amphibians and reptiles, only reptiles show the predicted pattern; amphibians show the opposite pattern. We also fi nd more unoccupied, but climatically habitable, area beyond species ’ southern range limits for reptiles but not amphibians. Th is suggests that factors other than climate limit distributions at southern boundaries for reptiles and at northern boundaries for amphibians. Th ese contrasting results suggest that even in the same biogeographic regions, this macroecological hypothesis does not hold. Further studies should investigate, preferably via experimental approaches, the proximate and ultimate mechanisms responsible for range limits.
Simultaneous Design of Linear Time-Invariant Systems using Generalized Sampled-Data Hold Functions

This paper studies the use of generalized sampled-data hold functions (GSHF) in the problem of simultaneous design of linear time-invariant control systems. The simultaneous design problem can be stated as follows. Given plants P 1 , P 2 , ..., P N , find one single controller C that achieves simultaneous stability, or simultaneous optimal quadratic performance in the N given systems. The idea of GSHF is to periodically sample the output of a system, and generate the feedback control law by means of periodically time-varying hold functions which are applied to the sample sequence. GSHF control considers the hold functions as design parameters which are chosen based on the dynamics of the systems to be controlled. Applying GSHF to the simultaneous design problem, we give solutions in three aspects: simultaneous stabilization, simultaneous optimal quadratic performance, and simultaneous pole assignment in combination with simultaneous inter-sampling performance.
Commentary on Neumeyer’s MTO 0.1 article

suppose it is no secret that [music theorists’] language or methods are not designed to facilitate judgments of value, but only to support them after they have been made. Perhaps the most far–reaching implication [of the essay] is that the link between the tools of technical musical criticism and the ideology of masterwork culture is not at all secure.” If the first sentence is true, the second is also no secret at all. Surely it is axiomatic that one’s direction at point of departure determines where one goes? Value judgements would seem to fall under the subject of aesthetics, and I wonder why DN didn’t talk more about issues of aesthetics in the essay. (Or, for that matter, issues of cognition: how one sound is perceived to “mean” or be apt for some given dramatic event.)
Thoughts on the Idea of a World Humanities

The humanities create communities of meaning and the means to unify knowledge. Poets and novelists offer new insights into our shared mind. History provides our continuity. Philosophy struggles to unite our scientific knowledge with our understanding of values. Each discipline creates its own perspective and they often turn inward, creating new divisions. Yet a global view of the humanities is our hope of finding the means to live together in peace. But the argument in this article suggests that a philosophical understanding of the basic concepts with which we order our claims about the world can provide a successful response.
An IEEE 1149.1 based test access architecture for ICs with embedded cores

This paper describes work at Texas Instruments regarding development of an IC architecture supporting hierarchical test access of embedded cores.
Calculation of turbulent wake past a flat plate by wake function method

A numerical investigation of the turbulent flow over a thin flat plate and wake region is reported. The finite analytic method is used to solve the partially parabolized Navier-Stokes equations using the k - e turbulence model. The main focus of the present study is to develop a calculation method for an accurate prediction of the turbulent inner wake region when the wall function method is employed in the calculation of boundary layer on the plate at the upstream of wake. A wake function is introduced to accurately account for the large streamwise velocity gradient in the laminar wake region just downstream of the trailing edge of flat plate. It is similar to the wall function is used in the calculation of turbulent boundary layer near the wall. The computed results based on the combined wall and wake function were compared with the experimental data. The results showed good agreement with measured data.
Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation on precipitation-type frequency and distribution in the eastern United States

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the primary mode of atmospheric variability over the Atlantic Ocean and plays an important role in climate variability over eastern North America. The frequency of extreme climate events and the associated social and economic impacts is also tied to the strength and phase of the NAO. In this study, seasonal phases of the NAO are compared to changes in the frequency and distribution of winter season (December–March) precipitation-type observations for the years 1961–2001 in the eastern U.S. Statistically significant increases in the frequency of rain observations across the study region are associated with positive NAO phases. Additionally, significant increases in the occurrence of snow are confined to the northern portion of the eastern U.S. during positive NAO phases. Connections between the phase of the NAO and the prevailing synoptic-scale circulation, at least partially, explain the inter-seasonal distribution of precipitation types across the eastern U.S. Using an intra-seasonal or intra-monthly NAO index may reveal a more robust relationship between snowfall observations across the eastern U.S. and surface pressure variability over the North Atlantic.
Colorado School of Mines behavioral approach to the 1995 UGR competition

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) entry placed fourth in the 1995 International Unmanned Ground Robotics Competition sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles (AUVS). Clementine 2, a battery powered children's jeep outfitted with a 100 MHz Pentium field computer, a camcorder, and a panning ultrasonic range finder served as the platform. The objectives of the CSM team were to gain familiarity with the CSM architecture by applying it to a well defined problem, evaluate existing computer vision based road following techniques, and gain practical experience in using multiple sensing modalities. The entry used the behavioral portion of the CSM hybrid deliberative/reactive architecture, which divided robot activities into four strategic and tactical behaviors: vision based follow-path, ultrasonic based avoid-obstacle, pan-camera, and speed-control using inclinometers. This paper details the motivation behind the CSM entry, the approach taken, and lessons learned.
Soy-Based Polyurethane Foam Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes

The objective of this research is to develop soy-based polyurethane (PU) foam product reinforced with carbon nanotubes. The shortage of petroleum and the increasing concern on environmental issues have resulted in an interest in using renewable substances as building blocks for polymer applications. Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) was used in this study to reinforce the soy-based polyurethane foam. The compressive and mechanical properties of the composites were enhanced with adding carbon nanotubes. Neat polyurethane was used as a control. Soy-based polyurethane / carbon nanotubes composites with loadings of 0.5 and 1.0 wt% were fabricated. The compressive, flexural, and tensile properties of MWNTs-PU foams were improved by 24, 30 and 30 %, respectively, as compared with the neat PU foam. The greatest enhancements on compressive and flexural properties were shown at the 0.5 wt% MWNT loading, while the highest tensile stress enhancement of PU foam was shown at 1 wt% MWNT loading.
Competing Discourses of Forgiveness: A Dialogic Perspective

The present study analyzed online narratives of forgiveness/transgression to explore how the interplay of competing discourses struggled to construct meanings of forgiveness. Grounded in the theoretical framework of relational dialectics theory (RDT; Baxter, 2011; Baxter & Montgomery, 1996), a contrapuntal analysis found that discourses of forgiveness struggled in three main ways: (a) outward practice versus inward process, (b) liberation for self versus liberation for others, and (c) long process versus epiphany. Struggling in direct and indirect ways, competing discourses constructed meanings of forgiveness. Connections to previous research and implications for studying the practice of forgiveness are discussed.
NEW ACRYLIC RESIN COMPOSITE WITH IMPROVED THERMAL DIFFUSIVITY

Abstract Statement of problem. Studies have shown that physical characteristics of denture base materials may affect patient acceptance of denture prostheses by altering sensory experience of food during mastication. Thermal diffusivity is one material property that has been cited as being important in determining gustatory response, with denture base acrylic resins having low thermal diffusivity compared with denture base metal alloys. Purpose. This study prepared and characterized experimental acrylic resin composite material with increased thermal diffusivity. Material and methods. Sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ) whiskers were added to conventional denture base acrylic resin during processing to achieve loadings of 9.35% and 15% by volume. Cylindrical test specimens containing an embedded thermocouple were used to determine thermal diffusivity over a physiologic temperature range (0° to 70° C). Results. Thermal diffusivities of the sapphire-containing composites were found to be significantly higher than the unmodified acrylic resin. Thermal diffusivity was found to increase in proportion to the volume percentage of sapphire filler, which suggested that the high aspect ratio ceramic particles formed a pathway for heat conduction through the insulating polymer matrix. Conclusion. The thermal diffusivity of denture base acrylic resin was increased by the addition of thermally conducting sapphire whiskers. (J Prosthet Dent 1998;79:278-84.)
Photosynthetic strategies and productivity in aquatic systems

Abstract Aquatic plants have physiological, morphological and growth-form adaptations that collectively determine a species' success in a given habitat. The primary productivity in various aquatic habitats is largely dependent on the constraints on both species composition and photosynthetic rates, thus, the characteristics of the assembled species should reflect such constraints. For the macrophytes, major adaptations for life in water are associated with constraints on photosynthesis: adaptations to increase carbon fixation, for example, include; (1) mechanisms to concentrate inorganic carbon for photosynthesis, such as C 4 -like and CAM carbon fixation, and the ability to remove HCO 3 − from the water; (2) the use of alternate sources of carbon, such as sediment CO 2 ; (3) adaptation for net photosynthesis at low-light intensities; (4) morphological adaptation to increase inorganic carbon or mineral acquisition. We evaluate such characteristics at the species or community level, to provide insight into the ways in which adaptations for photosynthesis are integrated into a plant's strategy or suite of adaptations to constraints on growth or production. In nutrient-poor, softwater habitats, for example, the common rooted plants have adaptations that allow tolerance of low rates of nutrient delivery to the plant and the conservation of captured resources (e.g. small evergreen plants with inherently slow growth that use sediment CO 2 and CAM). These adaptations are compatible with the low rates of nutrient availability, although the slow growth results in low annual primary production. In habitats with generally higher levels of inorganic carbon and other nutrients, where competition among plants limits the availability of these resources, species have adaptations that allow rapid growth and biomass accumulation. Here, species are more likely to be able to remove HCO 3 − from the water for photosynthesis efficiently, and may have other carbon-concentrating mechanisms that allow rapid photosynthesis. These considerations serve as one possible framework for relating adaptations for photosynthesis to plant growth characteristics and the primary productivity of aquatic systems.
Software maintenance characteristics and effective management

This statistical study examines management effectiveness and its relation to software maintenance. The findings include that low-level managers in software maintenance who see their organizations as well managed also see their organizations as having a constellation of software maintenance characteristics. Compared to equivalent managers in other organizations, that perception includes doing less corrective maintenance and less new development, but doing more enhancement work on systems. It includes doing software maintenance with staff having a lower average experience level, on programs which commonly are bigger. It includes a lower maintenance backlog per maintenance person. The general picture is that effective management in the organization is more associated with relatively trouble-free systems, more often being, by choice, enhanced, rather than it is associated with meeting new and changed organizational needs by developing new systems.
The excess enthalpies of the 15 binary mixtures formed from cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, 1,4-dimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene at 298.15 K

Abstract The excess enthalpies of the 15 binary mixtures formed from cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, 1,4-dimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene were measured at 298.15 K with a flow microcalorimeter with a reproducib ility of better than 1 per cent.
Growth, production, food consumption, and mortality of juvenile spot and croaker: A comparison of tidal and nontidal nursery areas

As the dominant juvenile finfish in southeast and Gulf of Mexico nursery areas, spot and croaker growth, food consumption, production, and mortality are compared in tidal salt marshes and nontidal brackish systems. Growth rates of spot and croaker from 5 studies ranged from 0.021–0.04 g per g per d. Differences in the annual production and food consumption estimates were primarily due to differences in average biomass. Although mean biomass varied widely, the daily production to mean biomass ratios ranged from 0.021–0.037, suggesting that these systems probably could support more juvenile fish than are present. Spot mortality ranged from 0.023–0.041% per d. Despite large hydrographic differences between tidal and nontidal systems and large differences in the amount of detrital input, the secondary production values and many of the fish population parameters are remarkably similar. This is interpreted as confirmation of the basic trophic similarity of the different systems and the highly adaptable and general nature of juvenile fish. The primary consumers are supported by 50–100% of the algal production. But because the dominant fishes consume only 10–35% of that secondary production, at least in some systems, food does not appear to limit juvenile fish production. Predation on the juveniles is implicated as a limiting factor.
Ellen Thomas Receives 2012 Maurice Ewing Medal: Response

I feel deeply honored to receive the Maurice Ewing Medal, especially because that means seeing my name on a list of medalists including some of my heroes in science. They not only influenced my scientific thinking, especially as to the complexities of the Earth's carbon cycle, but also helped me in my serendipitous career.
Evidence for an orientationally ordered two dimensional fluid phase from molecular dynamics calculations

Results of molecular-dynamics calculations on melting in a two-dimensional (2D) Lennard-Jones system are presented. We find that this system loses its resistance to shear at a temperature T1 (≈0.36). However, long-range "orientational" order persists up to a higher temperature T2 (≈0.57). These observations are compatible with the existence of a liquid-crystal-like phase with sixfold anisotropy separated from both the solid and the isotropic-fluid phase by second-order phase transitions. Such two-stage melting behavior in 2D has been predicted by Halperin and Nelson.
Metabolism of the insulin secretagogue methyl succinate by pancreatic islets

Previous work demonstrated that methyl esters of succinate are potent insulin secretagogues in pancreatic islets, while unesterified succinate is not. This can be explained by studies reported here, which show that 14C-labeled dimethyl succinate is metabolized to 14CO2 by pancreatic islets, but that 14C-labeled succinic acid is not metabolized. Islets maintained at 1 mM glucose in tissue culture medium for 1 day lose the ability to release insulin in response to glucose and glucose metabolism is decreased 50-80%. The metabolism of dimethyl [1,4-14C]succinate and dimethyl [2,3-14C]succinate is decreased 50-60% in these incapacitated islets relative to islets maintained at 20 mM glucose. From the ratio of 14CO2 formed from dimethyl [1,4-14C]succinate, relative to that from dimethyl [2,3-14C]succinate, "acetate" ratios of 4.9-6.2 were calculated and from the ratio of 14CO2 formed from [2-14C]glucose, relative to that from [6-14C]glucose, "pyruvate ratios" of 1.6-1.7 were calculated. According to the 14CO2 ratios method, these ratios indicate that 53-66% of pyruvate derived from glucose enters the citric acid cycle via carboxylation and 34-47% enters via decarboxylation. Malic enzyme, which carboxylates pyruvate in the cytosol, was normal in islets maintained at 1 mM glucose. Previous work indicated that inhibition of glucose metabolism in islets maintained at low glucose is due to decreased net synthesis of the mitochondrial enzymes pyruvate dehydrogenase and pyruvate carboxylase [J. Biol. Chem. (1991) 266, 22392-22397], which decarboxylate and carboxylate pyruvate, respectively. Acetate (1 mM) but not pyruvate, when added to islets maintained at low glucose, increased dimethyl succinate metabolism to almost that of islets maintained at high glucose. This is consistent with a low amount of pyruvate dehydrogenase being unable to supply acetyl-CoA for condensation with oxalacetate (derived from succinate) and that the rate of the citric acid cycle could be enhanced by adding acetate which can bypass the reaction catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase.
Normal modes and structure factor for a canted spin system: The generalized Villain model.

The generalized Villain model has a rich variety of possible structures, ranging from a pure ferromagnet to a pure antiferromagnet. In between these extremes, the system is canted. Using a Heisenberg exchange Hamiltonian and linearized spin-wave theory, we have studied the normal modes and structure factors for this model. The exchange ratio J'/J and the external field have both been varied. The effect of canted spin structures on the modes and structure factors is readily seen. We believe that it is now a practical matter to study the normal modes and structure factors for more complicated systems described by this type of model.
Problems in the classification of thymoma

Abstract The histologic classification of thymoma has posed difficulties for pathologists for many years and continues to be a focus of controversy in the speciality today. In recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has assembled a panel of experts with the purpose of devising a histologic classification system of thymoma that will be widely adopted for common use by pathologists and clinicians throughout the world. This objective has been largely accomplished with the introduction of the WHO histologic classification of tumours of the thymus. Despite the widespread acceptance of this classification, however, several controversial issues have remained unaddressed that still require attention. Herein we review briefly some of the issues that pose a challenge and require improvement in our current classification of thymomas, including issues related to ease of applicability of this classification and interobserver reproducibility in daily practice, the lack of a unifying, underlying biologic principle, the limitations for the stratification of patients for clinical management and the accuracy of some of the assumptions behind the definitions for some of the different proposed histologic types.
Interaction of profilin with the barbed end of actin filaments.

Profilin binds not only to actin monomers but also to the barbed end of the actin filament, where it inhibits association of subunits. To address open questions about the interactions of profilin with barbed ends, we measured the effects of a wide range of concentrations of Homo sapiens profilin 1 on the rate of elongation of individual skeletal muscle actin filaments by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Much higher concentrations of profilin were required to stop elongation by AMP-PNP-actin monomers than ADP-actin monomers. High concentrations of profilin depolymerized barbed ends at a rate much faster than the spontaneous dissociation rates of Mg-ATP-, Mg-AMP-PNP-, Mg-ADP-Pi-, and Mg-ADP-actin subunits. Fitting a thermodynamic model to these data allowed us to determine the affinities of profilin and profilin-actin for barbed ends and the influence of the nucleotide bound to actin on these interactions. Profilin has a much higher affinity for ADP-actin filament barbed ends (Kd = 1 μM) t...
A comparison of machine learning techniques with a qualitative response model for auditor’s going concern reporting

Abstract Audit reports can take the form of a non-going concern (clean) report or Going concern (financial distress) report. If a firm is facing going concern uncertainty problems the auditor has a further choice of issuing two types of audit reports, namely the modified report or the disclaimer report. The issuance of the wrong type of report can have consequences for the auditor. Prior studies have developed models in an attempt to predict the type of audit report that should be issued to clients. However, all these studies, without exception, focused on the decision whether to issue a non-going concern report or a going concern report. The present study extends this area of research by comparing three predictive models that can help facilitate the decision on the type of going concern report that should be issued. Two of the predictive models are on based machine learning techniques (Artificial Neural Networks and Expert Systems) while the third is a qualitative model (Multiple Discriminant Analysis). The validity of the models are tested by comparing their predictive ability of the type of audit report which should be issued to the client. The results of the study indicate that the artificial neural network model has a superior predictive ability in determining the type of going concern audit report that should be issued to the client.