cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examining how people reason about controversial scientific topics

Improving scientific literacy requires examining both what people believe about scientific issues and why they hold those beliefs. We examined how people justified their agreement with statements r...
Synthesis of Terpyridine-Terminated Amphiphilic Block Copolymers and Their Self-Assembly into Metallo-Polymer Nanovesicles

Polystyrene-b-polyethylene glycol (PS-b-PEG) amphiphilic block copolymers featuring a terminal tridentate N,N,N-ligand (terpyridine) were synthesized for the first time through an efficient route. In this approach, telechelic chain-end modified polystyrenes were produced via reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization by using terpyridine trithiocarbonate as the chain-transfer agent, after which the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) block was incorporated into the hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) block in high yields via a thiol-ene process. Following metal-coordination with Mn2+, Fe2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+, the resulting metallo-polymers were self-assembled into spherical, vesicular nanostructures, as characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging.
Disparities in HPV screening and prevention in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan regions of Michigan.

Among rural and underserved areas, existing disparities are very well studied, but current perceptions of HPV vaccination among parents are unknown. This study was designed using a survey administered to parents of children eligible for the HPV vaccine at community events throughout Central and Northern Michigan. These data suggest that the most important factor leading to successful vaccination is a conversation with a PCP. However, when the geographic location of these parents is considered, non-metropolitan parents were more concerned with the underlying safety and efficacy with the vaccine. This underscores the importance of tailoring a conversation with parents to meet their needs and concerns to lead to highest vaccination rates, and ultimately prevent HPV-related cervical cancers.
Back-table Modified Aortic Endograft Deployed via "Innominate Bounce" Technique for Management of a Zone 0 Ascending Aortic Pseudoaneurysm

Ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms pose a difficult therapeutic dilemma. Surgical repair carries high morbidity and mortality risk and may be challenging in patients with unfavorable anatomy or prior aortic surgery. Endovascular repair is difficult due to short landing zones, need for precise delivery, and the lack of adequately sized commercially available devices. This report describes a case of back-table modification of a thoracic aortic stent graft successfully deployed using an "innominate bounce" technique.
Impact of social anxiety and social context on college students’ emotion regulation strategy use: An experience sampling study

Socially anxious individuals typically select more avoidant emotion regulation (ER) strategies than non-anxious individuals, contributing to interpersonal difficulties. The present study utilized smartphone-delivered experience sampling over 14 days to assess how actual and desired social situations predicted reports of ER strategy use in 115 undergraduate students with varying levels of social anxiety symptoms. After controlling for multiple comparisons, results indicated that higher (vs. lower) baseline social anxiety symptoms predicted endorsing at least one of the available eight ER strategies relatively more often than reporting no strategy use, in the context of high negative affect. We did not find the hypothesized positive relationship between social anxiety symptoms and endorsements of avoidant- (e.g., expressive suppression) versus engagement-oriented (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) ER strategies in the context of high negative affect. However, state social desire interacted with trait social anxiety at high negative affect to predict the use of an ER strategy, although the simple effects analyses at high and low levels of social desire were not statistically reliable. Collectively, our results demonstrate the importance of considering both trait-level social anxiety symptoms and in-the-moment social context when studying ER strategy selection. The importance of assessing intrinsic motivational goals and beliefs in the context of ER strategy use is also discussed.
Effect of processing parameters on the electrospinning of cellulose acetate studied by response surface methodology

Abstract Cellulose acetate (CA) is the acetate ester of cellulose produced from cellulose via the process of acetylation. Currently, electrospinning has become a widely used technique to produce CA nanofibers for potential applications such as filtration, medical dressings, and food packaging. Being biodegradable and biocompatible, CA nanofibers bring additional advantages for these applications, e.g., high surface area, high porosity, and light weight. The quality of the CA nanofibers, which can be characterized by the prevalence of fiber defects, pore size, and fiber diameter, directly affects their performance. Fiber quality is, in turn, directly determined by the electrospinning process parameters. Therefore, in this project, we aimed to investigate the effect of electrospinning parameters, including CA concentration, voltage, and spinning distance, on the electrospinnability of CA nanofibers and fiber diameter, using process optimization principles and response surface methodology. Certain process parameters, including solvent (acetone), needle diameter (gauge 22, inner diameter 0.413 mm), temperature (20 °C), and feed rate (2 mL/h), were kept constant throughout the experiment. Preliminary experiments were conducted to determine the extreme conditions of each parameter and to define a working boundary. Then, trials of electrospinning CA nanofibers were conducted following a 3-factor, 3-level Box-Behnken design within the predetermined range. CA nanofibers morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and ImageJ software to obtain their mean diameter. The mean electrospun fiber diameters fell into the range from 404 to 1346 nm and increased with increasing CA concentration. The fiber diameter was impacted less significantly by the other two parameters, i.e., voltage and spinning distance.
Trifluoromethylated Phenanthroline Ligands Reduce Excited-State Distortion in Homoleptic Copper(I) Complexes

We report the synthesis and excited-state dynamics for a series of homoleptic copper(I) trifluoromethylated phenanthroline complexes with two, three, and four trifluoromethyl functional groups. Our analysis of the steady-state absorbance and emission, transient-absorption spectroscopy, and electronic-structure-theory calculations results enable in-depth analysis of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller distortion inhibition from increased steric hindrance of the trifluoromethyl functional group relative to the prototypical dimethyl phenanthroline complex. Surprisingly, our results demonstrate that the greatest degree of pseudo-Jahn-Teller distortion inhibition is achieved with trifluoromethylation of only the 2 and 9 positions by an unusual combination of steric hindrance and stabilization of a nondistorted 1MLCT manifold observed by transient kinetic lifetimes and optimized excited-state structures. The intersystem-crossing (ISC) lifetime for the 2,9-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,10-phenanthroline Cu(I) complex is 69 ps, while the triplet excited-state lifetime and emission quantum yield are 106 ns and 4 × 10-3, respectively. Further trifluoromethylation of the phenanthroline yields a greater σ bond inductive withdrawing force on the phenanthroline nitrogens, ultimately resulting in weaker coordination to the copper. Last, the surprising success of the 2,9-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,10-phenanthroline Cu(I) complex by adjusting both ligand sterics and electronic properties outlines a new strategy for developing long-lived Cu(I) charge-transfer complexes.
Should Anesthesiologists and Surgeons Take Breaks During Cases

Anesthesiologists regularly take breaks during operations, whereas surgeons do so more rarely. This article considers the origins of this difference in practice in relation to different characteristics of the work of these 2 specialties as well as differences in professional identity, both of which can contribute to varying break practices and perceptions of the value of breaks. The authors draw upon current literature about the influence of breaks on attention, focus, and stamina and then reflect on the influence of breaks on the relationships between anesthesiologists and surgeons.
Facility Design Standardization Decision-Making Model for Industrial Facilities and Capital Projects

AbstractMaking a decision regarding whether an owner should implement a facility design standardization strategy for their future facilities is not easy. It is a complex process because the replica...
Distraction "Hangover": Characterization of the Delayed Return to Baseline Driving Risk After Distracting Behaviors.

ObjectiveWe measured how long distraction by a smartphone affects simulated driving behaviors after the tasks are completed (i.e., the distraction hangover).BackgroundMost drivers know that smartph...
Intrinsically-Safe Modular Power Converters for Electric Transportation

By 2030, electric vehicles (EVs) are estimated to represent more than 30% of new passenger vehicle sales. Most EVs today feature powertrains built around 400V lithium battery packs, with SOOV powertrains planned for new designs. Though the chemical and thermodynamic stability of lithium batteries have been extensively studied, the high voltage safety of EV batteries remains a pressing risk especially following accidents where on-board safety systems are compromised. As market penetration of EVs increases worldwide, the brunt of the high-voltage safety risk will be borne by passengers, first responders, manufacturing workers, and maintenance workers. In this work, the authors present an intrinsically safe and modular 48 volt DC powertrain architecture that meets and surpasses current EV power and performance specifications while delivering the additional benefits of low-voltage touch safety and reduced isolation requirements, providing flexibility in the design of the battery pack and maintaining high motor drive efficiency.
Balance between mutually exclusive traits shifted by variants of a yeast transcription factor

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the decision to mate or invade relies on environmental cues that converge on a shared transcription factor, Ste12. Specificity toward invasion occurs via Ste12 binding cooperatively with the co-factor Tec1. Here, we characterize the in vitro binding preferences of Ste12 to identify a defined spacing and orientation of dimeric sites, one that is common in pheromone-regulated genes. We find that single amino acid changes in the DNA-binding domain of Ste12 can shift the preference of yeast toward either mating or invasion. These mutations define two distinct regions of this domain, suggesting alternative modes of DNA binding for each trait. Some exceptional Ste12 mutants promote hyperinvasion in a Tec1-independent manner; these fail to bind cooperative sites with Tec1 and bind to unusual dimeric Ste12 sites that contain one highly degenerate half site. We propose a model for how activation of invasion genes could have evolved with Ste12 alone.
Investigation of Active Life Balancing to Recondition Li-ion Battery Packs for 2 nd Life

An investigation is presented into the application of active life balancing battery management systems to recondition inhomogeneous Li-ion battery packs and achieve homogeneity in capacity for second life. This paper proposes a life balancing objective map, which controls the state of charge references for each cell in a battery pack based on its capacity relative to other cells. The impacts of life balancing objective maps on the reconditioning time and overall pack capacity fade are considered. Moreover, the proposed approach accounts for various load and environmental effects, including depth-of-discharge, battery pack temperature, number of cycles per day, and cells’ resting time at various states of charge. The study results in a battery pack with convergent capacities achieved in minimal time, while curtailing overall capacity fade. Simulation results for a battery pack with sixteen series connected 75 Ah Kokam NMC cells with 3.6% initial capacity imbalance are presented, indicating a reconditioning time of 1.34 months with a final capacity imbalance of 0.1% and an overall capacity fade of 0.005%.
Microstructural properties within the amygdala and affiliated white matter tracts across adolescence.

Abstract The amygdala is a heterogenous set of nuclei with widespread cortical connections that continues to develop postnatally with vital implications for emotional regulation. Using high-resolution anatomical and multi-shell diffusion MRI in conjunction with novel amygdala segmentation, cutting-edge tractography, and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density (NODDI) methods, the goal of the current study was to characterize age associations with microstructural properties of amygdala subnuclei and amygdala-related white matter connections across adolescence (N = 61, 26 males; ages of 8–22 years). We found age-related increases in the Neurite Density Index (NDI) in the lateral nucleus (LA), dorsal and intermediate divisions of the basolateral nucleus (BLDI), and ventral division of the basolateral nucleus and paralaminar nucleus (BLVPL). Additionally, there were age-related increases in the NDI of the anterior commissure, ventral amygdalofugal pathway, cingulum, and uncinate fasciculus, with the strongest age associations in the frontal and temporal regions of these white matter tracts. This is the first study to utilize NODDI to show neurite density of basolateral amygdala subnuclei to relate to age across adolescence. Moreover, age-related differences were also notable in white matter microstructural properties along the anterior commissure and ventral amydalofugal tracts, suggesting increased bilateral amygdalae to diencephalon structural connectivity. As these basolateral regions and the ventral amygdalofugal pathways have been involved in associative emotional conditioning, future research is needed to determine if age-related and/or individual differences in the development of these microstructural properties link to socio-emotional functioning and/or risk for psychopathology.
Development of choroidal neovascularization in rats with advanced intense cyclic light-induced retinal degeneration.

Objective To study the progressive changes of intense cyclic light-induced retinal degeneration and determine whether it results in choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
Hypoxia and differentiation in squamous cell carcinomas of the uterine cervix: pimonidazole and involucrin.

Purpose: Pimonidazole binding (hypoxia) and involucrin expression (differentiation) overlap extensively in squamous cell carcinomas. This study asks whether involucrin might serve as an endogenous marker for tumor hypoxia. A second question is whether differentiation affects hypoxia-inducible metallothionein (MT) expression in normal human epithelia and squamous cell carcinomas as it does in rodent epithelia. Experimental Design: Thirty-four patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix were infused with pimonidazole hydrochloride solution. The next day, multiple biopsies were formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and sectioned at 4 μm. Qualitative and quantitative analyses for involucrin expression, pimonidazole binding, and human MT-IIa mRNA expression were performed. Results: No overall correlation between the extent of involucrin expression and pimonidazole binding was observed. The lack of correlation was because of heterogeneous patterns of immunostaining for involucrin generally related to tumor grade. Colocalized immunostaining for involucrin and pimonidazole binding was observed in intermediate grade tumors but not in well-differentiated or poorly differentiated tumors. Human MT-IIa mRNA and MT protein were expressed in basal lamina of normal human epithelia and in the proliferative rims of tumor nests. Conclusions: Colocalization of immunostaining for involucrin and pimonidazole binding is consistent with oxygen regulation, but the lack of involucrin expression in hypoxic regions of poorly differentiated tumors indicates that its transcriptional status with respect to hypoxia induction is altered by cell differentiation. The localization of MT message and protein in the outer rims of most tumor nests indicates that the transcriptional status of metallothionein is also altered by differentiation.
Pratt, S.P., Reilly, R.F., and Schweihs, R.P. Valuing a Business: The Analysis and Appraisal of Closely Held Companies, Third Edition

BOOK REVIEWS 101Contemporary Real Estate Finance: Selected Readings is representative of the scholarly work that has been produced over the last decade, on the theory and application of real estate finance methods and instruments, as well as on real estate investment analysis. This text will be useful to both faculty and students. And, while there are other articles that could have been included in this work, particularly in Part 2, Mortgages, this selection of articles is quite comprehensive. It is certainly expedient to have such a high caliber of real estate finance-related articles under one cover.Marion Rogers SillahFlorida A&M UniversityPratt, S.P., Reilly, R.F., and Schweihs, R.P., Valuing a Business: The Analysis and Appraisal of Closely Held Companies, Third Edition, Irwin Professional Publishing-Chicago. 1996.850 pages.While there are a number of good books available for use in a course on business valuation, this is the only one clearly written in a textbook style. This makes this book especially useful for teachers but perhaps less interesting to valuation professionals. It is a good textbook.The first 375 pages (44 percent) covers the basic theory and how-to of business valuation while the balance (56 percent) focuses on special topics along with report writing and reviewing chapters. This 40/60 split may, at first glance, seem inappropriate but, on reflection, probably makes sense. The theory and practice of business appraisal are relatively simple, while the application to various companies and industries can be quite challenging. A heavy focus on special topics (debt securities, preferred stock, pass-through entities, intangibles, taxation issues, buy-sell agreements, ad valorem issues, ESOPs, litigation support, and testimony) provides students and practicing appraisers alike with, in most cases, some very specific guidance regarding these particular areas.Part 1 (three chapters) serves as introductory material to both the business of business valuation and to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), which is so critical to success today. The second part (five chapters) focuses on data acquisition and analysis, while Part 3 of the book, in eight chapters, covers the actual formation of value conclusions on the part of the appraiser. This is the meat of the text since it covers, in right much detail, the various appraisal methodologies that may be applied to the business valuation problem. These three parts are especially well organized and written. The balance (Parts 4 through 7) contain the above-mentioned practice elements of the book.The authors very properly point out to the reader of their third edition that they should not throw away your second edition because they dropped older bibliographical references and case citations. …
Treating Addictions With EMDR Therapy and the Stages of Change, by Nancy J. Abel and John M. O’Brien

Developing effective intervention approaches for resolving substance-related addiction problems requires adoption of a biopsychosocial approach. This is an important facet and contribution of profe...
Neonatal stroke: Clinical characteristics and cerebral blood flow velocity measurements

Abstract The clinical courses of 8 term infants with focal cerebral infarction or neonatal stroke were studied to determine whether such infants can be identified by current markers of perinatal distress, and whether changes in cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) occur during the acute phase of the disease. CBFV was measured from the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and anterior cerebral artery (ACA) utilizing duplex Doppler. Seven of the 8 patients required no resuscitation in the delivery room; 1 infant required brief bag and mask ventilation. No infant had evidence of severe fetal acidemia (i.e., cord pH
THE VAGINAL SMEAR METHOD OF ASSAY OF THE OVARIAN HORMONE

In a recent paper, Coward and Burn (1927) have expressed some doubt about the accuracy of the vaginal smear method (Allen and Poisy, 1923) of assay of the ovarian hormone. Their conclusion that the rat unit may vary as much as 1,000 per cent is so surprising that we have spent some time in developing more exactly some of the conditions which must be fulfilled to secure accurate assays. Prior to the appearance of the paper by Coward and Burn (1927) we had compared our assays witli Laqueur and with a pharmaceutical house. In the first case we found 2.2, whereas Laqueur found 2.0 R. U. per 1 cc. In the second case, the commercial preparation was labeled 4 R. U. per 1 cc, but our result was 5 R. U. The remarkably good agreement with these samples and our other experiences with the routine assays of our preparations, had led us to believe that the vaginal smear method of assay is as reliable as other good procedures of assaying biological products. The data submitted in this paper seem to indicate that our fai...
Leiomyosarcoma of prostate gland

A case of leiomyosarcoma of the prostate is presented. The patient was successfully treated with transperineal radon seed implantation and external irradiation. The five-year, disease-free survival suggests that such patients can benefit from this therapeutic approach.
Significance of the Ro antigen system.

Knowledge about antibodies to the Ro/SSA and La/SSB antigens has expanded greatly. Recognition of these antibodies was probably achieved 25 years ago but their macromolecular structure, clinical associations, and genetic relationships have come to light only in the past 7 years. It seems clear that these antibodies have a special place in the nosology of SLE and SS and that in certain instances (e.g., neonatal LE) the antibodies play a direct pathogenic role, while in other circumstances (e.g., vasculitis, nephritis, SS) tissue damage might result from immune complex deposition on vascular structures. Certainly, the latter problems will be active areas of investigation in the coming years. If the pace of recent progress continues, many of the questions raised in this review should soon have clear answers.
Abstract #4: Global vs. Regional Spinal Cord Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis

Objective To assess whole and regional spinal cord atrophy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using 3T MRI. Background Spinal cord damage is common in MS and provides a unique and clinically relevant means to monitor disease progression and therapeutic effects. Whereas regional spinal cord atrophy has been studied extensively in MS, whole spinal cord atrophy has not been previously assessed. Design/Methods Whole spinal cord 3 mm thick T2-weighted axial fast spin-echo MRI images were obtained at 3T on 34 patients with MS [26 women and 8 men; 26 relapsing–remitting, 2 clinically isolated syndrome, 4 secondary progressive, 2 primary progressive; Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) (mean ± SD) 1.95 ± 1.72, range 0–6.5] and 15 age-matched normal controls [11 women and 4 men]. The global and regional (cervical, C2–3, and thoracic) cord volumes were determined using a semi-automated tool and were normalized by the segment length and intracranial volume. Spinal cord lesions were also determined using a semi-automated edge finding tool. Results Whole cord, C2–3, cervical, and thoracic volumes were lower in progressive vs. relapsing patients or normal controls (all p Conclusions The established method of estimating spinal cord atrophy, C2–3 cross-sectional volume, provides a useful surrogate of overall global or regional spinal cord atrophy. Spinal cord atrophy is most common in progressive forms of MS and is related to neurologic disability. Support This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health ( 1R01NS055083-01 ) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society ( RG3705A1 ; RG3798A2 ).
In vivo relaxation times of gray matter and white matter in spinal cord.

Abstract In vivo relaxation times and relative spin densities of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) of rat spinal cord were measured. Inductively coupled implanted RF coil was used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio required for making these measurements. The estimated relaxation times (in milliseconds) are: T 1 (GM) = 1021 ± 93, T 2 (GM) = 64 ± 3.4, T 1 (WM) = 1089 ± 126, and T 2 (WM) = 79 ± 6.9. The estimated relative spin densities are: ρ (GM) = (60 ± 2.3)% and ρ (WM) = (40 ± 2.1)%. The T 1 values of GM and white matter are not statistically different. However, the differences in T 2 values and spin densities of GM and WM are statistically significant. These in vivo measurements indicate that the observed contrast between GM and WM in spinal cord MR images mainly arises from the differences in the spin density.
Three-dimensional two-photon memory materials and systems

We have been developing a two-photon 3-D memory expected to provide a Tbit storage capacity and a 1 ms access time for secondary storage. Even with this new technology, there still exists a four order of magnitude gap in access times between electronic RAMS and secondary storage. In addition to the existing permanent storage approach, we have begun working on systems, key components, and materials for a dynamic parallel-access 3-D two photon memories that will bridge the gap in primary memory technologies. Over the past three years our team has been developing a write-once mass-storage memory based on two-photon bond dissociation of spirobenzopyran molecules for long lifetime storage. A cache memory must have fast write-erase capability. To achieve this we are beginning to investigate highly sensitive two-photon materials which spontaneous decay (self-erase) to the off state. These materials will be incorporated into dynamic memory systems which continually refresh the memory contents, as in an electronic DRAM. The resulting memory is expected to provide a data capacity of 1 Gbit/cm3 with a 10 ns to 1 microsecond(s) access time and a 10 Tbit/s data rate. In this presentation the latest results of the parallel-access 3-D volume memory using two-photon storage is discussed. We cover material and system considerations for both types of parallel-access memories: fast-access primary storage and large-capacity secondary storage.
Heuristics for Scheduling Data Requests Using Collective Communications in a Distributed Communication Network

The collective communication process studied here involves the ability of users to request information from diverse sources (both in terms of locality and data type) and receive this information before the users' deadlines expire. A model has been developed and examined for the case when the network is oversubscribed and not all requests in the system can be satisfied. This model is based upon systems that are in use or are planned for development. The heuristics presented for scheduling data traffic do not have explicit control of the network; the heuristics work with a network manager to configure and set up single-source, multiple-destination information channels that allow users to receive information. The goal is to create a near-optimal set of collective communication information channels that will satisfy the users' requests. Four components are employed to create value functions that are used to order the importance of the information channels for presentation to the network manager. In addition, two different weightings for the relative importance of different priority levels are considered. Simulation studies have been performed that evaluate the performance of the heuristics developed. It is shown that the heuristics perform well compared to the upper and lower bounds developed. These results can be used to develop techniques that can be deployed in actual military systems. Furthermore, the model and heuristics studied here can be applied to other domains, such as business applications that utilize the internet to obtain critical information.
Phenomenological Aspects of Type IIB Flux Compactifications

The purpose of this work is to investigate how phenomenologically successful constructions in the field of high energy physics can be embedded into a fundamental theory, and what we can learn from this procedure. In fact, the synergy of an effective and a fundamental approach might be very fruitful. On the one hand, it poses several theoretical challenges to potential candidates for a fundamental theory, which might be ruled out or restricted in their generality. On the other hand, this mutual interplay can inspire new experiments and observations or suggest correlations which are invisible from an effective point of view. Our starting point is that string theory is entitled to be a valid candidate for a fundamental theory by a series of properties such as the fact that it is a consistent, UV-finite, anomaly- free quantum theory and it describes, in appropriate limits, quantum field theory and general relativity, hence providing a unified description of the four known forces. Within string theory, we choose to work in the framework of type IIB flux compactifications where the issue of moduli stabilization can be successfully addressed. On the phenomenological side, we focus on particle physics and cosmology, and in particular on the MSSM and the mechanism of inflation, respectively. We construct and study two different models of inflation in string theory. These are models of brane inflation, i.e. models where the primordial exponential expansion of the universe is driven by a scalar field representing the position of a D3-brane (a 3 + 1-dimensional dynamical object) in a compact space. We show explicitly that, allowing for fine tuning, a prolonged stage of slow-roll inflation can be achieved during which perturbations are generated in good agreement with the CMB data. In addition, we give an example of the fruitful synergy we mentioned above. One of our two models, namely inflation at the tip, might induce also DBI inflation which produces peculiar features in the spectrum of density perturbations that might be looked for using CMB data. On the particle physics side, we consider a model, the large volume scenario (LVS), which, among other things, provides a rationale for a low scale susy-breaking. We perform some checks on the consistency of LVS as a string theory model. To this end, we formulate an educated guess for the form of string loop corrections. We then show that physical predictions such as the soft susy-breaking terms are actually surprisingly robust against the inclusion of these corrections.
A new indirect adaptive algorithm for feedforward control with application to active noise cancellation

This paper considers the deterministic adaptive feedforward control problem for disturbance rejection. A new indirect adaptive control algorithm is presented as an alternative to the well-known ‘filtered-X LMS’ algorithm when the disturbance is periodic with unknown frequency and the plant, possibly non-minumum phase, is unknown. This new algorithm requires the solution of a Diophantine equation and a simple scheme to recursively solve this type of equation is suggested. the new algorithm is shown to converge without the use of a dither signal for plant modelling. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has a substantially better transient response and convergence speed than the filtered-X LMS algorithm. the applicability of the algorithm to the adaptive active-noise-cancelling problem is demonstrated using an identified acoustic model.
Numerical study of turbulent internal shear layer flow in an axisymmetric U-duct

This paper presents a simple algebraic turbulence model developed for internal flows which is based on the vorticity length and magnitude. The length scale is defined using the distance between the maximum and the minimum points of the absolute vorticity. This model is numerically tested in a turbulent internal layer flow through an axisymmetric U-duct with very sharp curvature; the ratio of the boundary layer thickness to the radius of curvature of the duct is of order 1. In this U-duct flow, strong adverse and favorable pressure gradients coexist and interact with each other. Satisfactoy agreement with experimental results is obtained.
Instrumental modification of elicited autonomic responses.

Discrete trials methodology was used to study the instrumental modification of elicited palmar SPRs in humans. Simple auditory stimuli defined the trials for a number of different reinforcement conditions. The data indicate that autonomic responses elicited by discrete stimuli can be facilitated by operant reinforcement, but there is no evidence for an inhibitory or suppressive effect. The specific contingency of reinforcement and response appears necessary to show the effect.
Proton Transfer and Proton Concentrations in Protonated Nafion Fuel Cell Membranes

Proton transfer in protonated Nafion fuel cell membranes is studied using several pyrene derivative photoacids. Proton transfer in the center of the Nafion nanoscopic water channels is probed with the highly charged photoacid 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (HPTS). At high hydration levels, both the time-integrated fluorescence spectrum and the fluorescence kinetics of HPTS permit the determination of hydronium concentration of the interior of the water pools in Nafion. The proton transfer kinetics of HPTS in protonated Nafion at maximum hydration are identical to the kinetics displayed by HPTS in a 0.5 M HCl solution. The hydronium concentration near the water interface in Nafion is estimated with rhodamine-6G to be 1.4 M. Excited state proton transfer (ESPT) is followed in the nonpolar side chain regions of Nafion with the photoacid 8-hydroxy-N,N,N′,N′,N′′,N′′-hexamethylpyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonamide (HPTA). Excited state proton transfer of HPTA is possible in protonated Nafion only at the highest hydra...
Geochemical and cosmochemical cycles involving sulfur, sulfide, sulfite and sulfate

Abstract Raman spectra of aqueous systems containing sulfur dioxide, elemental sulfur and sulfate indicate that the equilibrium between these species is catalyzed by elemental sulfur. Therefore, dynamic equilibrium can be expected under conditions prevalent on Venus, on Io and in epigenic sulfur deposits.
Structural Interpretation of Immiscibility in Oxide Systems: I, Analysis and Calculation of Immiscibility

Crystal chemistry principles are applied to the quantitative interpretation of immiscibility in nineteen binary and eight ternary glass systems. Using ionic radii and one of two coordination types, two methods are given for the calculation of immiscibility in binary systems. The additive density method gives agreement with experimental results in both the borate and silicate systems to within about 5 mole %. The oxygen-volume method agrees, in general, to within 2 mole %. The maximum extent of immiscibility in ternary borosilicate systems can also be calculated. The importance of the electrostatic bond strength, defined as the valence divided by the coordination number, is discussed in relation to shape of liquidus curve, cation coordination type, and charge distribution on the network-former tetrahedra. Implications of the analysis to the structure of glass are presented.
Jobs and liberal arts graduates: Some critical relationships

Policy deliberations within the university frequently require information useful in shaping discussion and pointing up priorities. Research work among faculty and graduate students often includes data about alumni, students, or staff gathered to answer theoretical questions. This study reports one effort to translate such data into forms useful to the College of Liberal Arts in creating academic policy to meet the altered job market. Organized around the concepts of jobentry, decisions, andchanges in goals, jobs, and majors, the analysis revealed the urgency of the issue, the importance of a satisfaction on the first job, a changing relationship between jobs and majors, the impact of the liberal arts' study on educational aspirations, and the rationale for choices.
Pineal N-Acetyltransferase Activity: Effect of Sympathetic Stimulation

Stimulation of preganglionic sympathetic fibers to the superior cervical ganglia elevates the activity of pineal N-acetyltransferase. After the stimulation-induced rise in enzyme activity, a return toward baseline levels occurs whether or not nerve stimulation is continued. The ability of pineal N-acetyltransferase activity to fall in the presence of stimulation may account for the persistence of its rhythm in blinded animals.
Adaptive parallax control for multi-view stereo panoramas

We describe techniques for stereo panoramic image capture and rendering that are part of a personal panoramic virtual environment system. We examine the use of stereo shutter-glasses and several recently developed autostereoscopic (AS) displays to improve the sense of immersion. The stereo panorama pair is created by stitching strips that are sampled from images captured with swing camera panoramic imaging system. We apply Peleg's disparity adjustment algorithm to the generated stereo panorama to achieve large disparity (horizontal parallax) of far away scenes and smaller disparity of closer scenes for stereo perception. Unfortunately, vertical parallax effects in the stereo panorama still occur, causing display artifacts and problems in human stereo fusion. To overcome these problems, we first present a general image capture model, specify geometrical parameters, and describe the panorama generating process. We then describe an efficient stitching algorithm that corrects dynamic exposure variation and removes moving objects without manual selection of ground-truth images. We present expressions for the horizontal and vertical parallax, describe parallax measurement techniques, and develop an adaptive vertical and horizontal parallax control algorithm for rendering in different viewing directions. We present a simple subjective test of stereo panoramas rendered on AS and other stereo displays, and discuss the relative quality of each.
The role of cortical connectivity in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis: A review and model system

Here we review current evidence in support of the cortical disconnection/cortical connectivity model of Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis, a model which predicts that one of the first events in AD is damage to the entorhinal cortex and/or subiculum resulting in the disconnection of the hippocampal formation and neocortex, and the subsequent progression of the disease in a stepwise fashion along cortico-cortical connections. Much of the evidence for this model has been obtained from studies involving the limbic system where investigators have demonstrated a precise correspondence between established patterns of connectivity and the degenerative changes associated with AD. In addition, some studies of the distribution of neuritic plaques (NP) and neuro-fibrillary tangles (NFT) in the neocortex and subcortical structures have yielded corroborative data. The validity of the cortical disconnection/connectivity model in the neocortex remains to be established or refuted. We propose that testing of this model can be accomplished with systematic studies of the laminar and regional distribution of NP and NFT in a series of sequentially interconnected cytoarchitectural regions that also form part of two functional hierarchies--the paralimbic and occipitotemporal visual systems. To adequately control for variation between brains affected by AD, it is imperative that such studies be conducted in a large but varied population of AD cases exhibiting differences in several variables, including clinical and/or neuropathological severity of the disease, temporal duration of the disease, and clinical/neuropsychological profile. We believe that further understanding of the relationship between characteristic AD pathology and intrinsic anatomico-functional circuits will contribute not only to our comprehension of AD pathogenesis but also to our general knowledge of the human brain.
Switching control of linear systems subject to asymmetric actuator saturation

In this paper, we study the saturation control problem for linear time-invariant (LTI) systems subject to asymmetric actuator saturation under a switching control framework. The LTI plant with asymmetric saturation is first transformed to an equivalent switched linear model with each subsystem subject to symmetric actuator saturation, based on which a dwell-time switching controller augmented with a controller state reset is then developed by using multiple Lyapunov functions. The controller synthesis conditions are formulated as linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be solved efficiently. Simulation results are also included to illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed approach.
Fusion of Multi-Sensory Saliency Maps for Automated Perception and Control

In many real-world situations and applications that involve humans or machines (e.g., situation awareness, scene understanding, driver distraction, workload reduction, assembly, robotics, etc.) multiple sensory modalities (e.g., vision, auditory, touch, etc.) are used. The incoming sensory information can overwhelm processing capabilities of both humans and machines. An approach for estimating what is most important in our sensory environment (bottom-up or goal-driven) and using that as a basis for workload reduction or taking an action could be of great benefit in applications involving humans, machines or human-machine interactions. In this paper, we describe a novel approach for determining high saliency stimuli in multi-modal sensory environments, e.g., vision, sound, touch, etc. In such environments, the high saliency stimuli could be a visual object, a sound source, a touch event, etc. The high saliency stimuli are important and should be attended to from perception, cognition or/and action perspective. The system accomplishes this by the fusion of saliency maps from multiple sensory modalities (e.g., visual and auditory) into a single, fused multimodal saliency map that is represented in a common, higher-level coordinate system. This paper describes the computational model and method for generating multi-modal or fused saliency map. The fused saliency map can be used to determine primary and secondary foci of attention as well as for active control of a hardware/device. Such a computational model of fused saliency map would be immensely useful for a machine-based or robot-based application in a multi-sensory environment. We describe the approach, system and present preliminary results on a real-robotic platform.
SU-GG-T-83: A Scanning Photon Pencil Beam for Temporally Precise IMRT

Purpose: We present an early feasibility analysis of a scanning photon pencil beam (SPPB) system capable of producing temporally optimized IMRT fields for real‐time motion tracking. A high energy electron beam will be electromagnetically scanned with dwell times corresponding to beam weights, and impinge upon a target. A dual focused collimator (DFC) will transmit only pencil beams whose divergence matches the incoming electron beam angle. Method and Materials: The EGSnrc, BEAMnrc and DOSxyz Monte Carlo simulation codes were used to model relevant system characteristics including forward bremsstrahlung efficiency, focal spot size, and DFC transmission efficiency. Monte Carlo modeling of a potential DFC was used to assess whether the proposed system is capable of producing a sharply focused pencil beam, and both uniform and modulated treatment fields. We simulated an 18 MeV electron beam, 5 mm thick tungsten target and an 8 cm thick tungsten DFC containing 200 hexagonal channels, each with a 0.5 mm radius and wall thickness. The dose to water at 2 cm following a 20 cm air gap was simulated for a single pencil beam. A pencil beam summation script was used to assess the system's ability to produce uniform and modulated fields. Results: The efficiency of dose delivery to a very small forward‐directed cross section increases by an order of magnitude between energies of 6 MeV and 50 MeV. The focal spot size produced using a tungsten target is approximately 4 times smaller than that produced using a Be target. Our simulated system produced a pencil beam with FWHM of 6mm. The uniformly irradiated field possessed local uniformity to within +/−1%, verifying that septa‐induced dead spots are compensated by phantom scatter. Conclusion: These early results support the feasibility of producing a DFC‐based SPPB system. This work was supported by Varian Medical Systems.
Determination of free, esterified, and total serum cholesterol using a sensitive color reaction

Abstract A method is described for the enzymatic determination of free and total cholesterol sequentially in either whole serum or the HDL fraction. Measurement of low levels of free cholesterol is facilitated by the substitution of sodium 2-hydroxy-3,5-dichlorobenzene-sulfonate for phenol in the peroxidase-catalyzed indicator reaction. Both free and total cholesterol may be measured in the same tube or separately. These alternatives may appeal to investigators who for various reasons may prefer to perform these determinations either sequentially or separately. The sequential approach is a means of conserving the relatively expensive enzymatic reagents.
Serotonin regulation of corticoid secretion in infant rats

The plasma corticosterone response to various doses of serotonin and 5-hydroxytryptophan was studied in the 3-day-old rat. The maximum response to both drugs occurred 60 min after injection. Increased corticosterone concentration was observed at lower doses of serotonin than of 5-hydroxytryptophan. The effects of serotonin injection on Days 1-7 after birth on the plasma corticosterone response to 3 min of novelty stimulation at weaning was also studied. Serotonin treatment resulted in reduced adrenocortical reactivity which was reduced further when fluoxetine was given prior to the serotonin. Shocking rat pups on Days 1-7 also reduced adrenocortical reactivity and fluoxetine prior to shock further reduced adrenocortical reactivity when administered twice per day.