cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Infants and Children

Gastroesophageal reflux is the most common esophageal disorder in children, and is responsible for heterogeneous presentations ranging from effortless regurgitation in “happy spitters” to complex esophageal and extra-esophageal GERD. The frequency and noxiousness of refluxate in proportion to the various esophageal defense mechanisms, and genetic, physiological and environmental influences ultimately determine the pathogenicity and complications of the disorder. While most children may be confidently diagnosed solely on the basis of a detailed history followed by appropriate response to therapy, diagnostic tools may be useful to clarify the role of reflux in extra-esophageal, and complicated GERD. Prompt identification and intervention for GERD in children is crucial to the prevention of strictures, Barrett’s esophagus and adenocarcinoma that are associated with long-standing reflux exposure. The first line of anti-reflux therapy in children is conservative therapy emphasizing thickened feeds, smaller volume meals, proper positioning, and elimination of smoke exposure. Proton pump inhibitor therapy has an established role in the management of those with GERD sequelae, and as empiric therapy in those with extra-esophageal GERD. Fundoplication, reserved for children who are refractory to pharmacotherapy, is being performed successfully; results of laparoscopic surgery in children are favorable with respect to shorter hospital stay, and lower complication rate than open fundoplication.
Biorepository Standards and Protocols for Collecting, Processing, and Storing Human Tissues

Recent advances in high-throughput assays for gene expression (genomics), proteins (proteomics), and metabolites (metabolomics) have engendered a parallel need for well-annotated human biological samples. Samples from both diseased and unaffected normal tissues are often required. Biorepositories consist of a specimen bank linked to a database of information. Assuring chain of custody and annotation of samples with relevant clinical information is required. The value of samples to end users is generally commensurate with the quality and extent of relevant clinical data included with the samples. Procurement of tissues is often done with parallel pre- and/or post-treatment venipuncture to obtain blood and tissue samples from the same subject. Biorepositories must also process, preserve, and distribute samples to end users. Like traditional libraries, biorepositories are meant to be used, and they are most useful when the needs of end users (researchers) are considered in the planning and development process. Ethics review and an awareness of regulatory requirements for storage, transport, and distribution are required. In the USA, Institutional Review Boards are the local regulatory entities that review protocols for banking of human biological tissues. Governmental and professional agencies and organizations provide some guidelines for standard operating procedures. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), and professional organizations such as the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), the American Association of Blood Banks, The International Red Cross, International Society for Biological Repositories (ISBER) and other organizations provide guidelines for biorepositories and banking of human tissues (see Table 1). To date, these guidelines are directed largely toward procurement, banking, and distribution of human tissues for therapeutic uses. In the international setting, the World Health Organization provides ethical guidelines for procurement and operating procedures. The most commonly available tissues are formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues (FFPET). While FFPET can be used for immunohistochemistry, certain DNA-based assays, and even RNA, frozen tissues are best suited for isolation and characterization of proteins and RNA. Freezers, back-up systems, monitors, and alarm systems and appropriate physical security are needed for long-term storage of frozen tissues. Other storage formats such as blotting onto filter paper for storage at room temperature are more commonly used for blood and can provide important "fingerprinting" for chain of custody, linking a given subject to a tissue sample.
Reduction of the Ground Reflection Effect on an L-Band Polarimetic Active Radar Calibrator for Airborne and Spaceborne Calibration

This paper presents a technique to reduce the specular reflection effect from the ground surface to an L-band dual-polarized Single Antenna Polarimetric Active Radar Calibrator (SAPARC) with high and stable RCS (55 dBsm) by the means of using a dihedral centered at the specular point. The SAPARC uses a single antenna and a precision Ortho-Mode Transducer (OMT) to isolate between transmit and receive paths. The system is designed to achieve a 30 dB signal-to-clutter ratio while operating in free space. Degradation of such high signal-to-clutter ratio happens due to the side lobe absorption of the specular reflection from the ground. To reduce the effect of such strong reflection, it is proposed to use a dihedral positioned at the specular point on the ground covering the Fresnel zone of the SAPARC antenna. The received field is reduced by an average of 25 dB over most of angular range of interest.
Coordinated Control of PEV and PV-based Storage System under Generation and Load Uncertainties

Energy storage is an attractive choice for deployment in residential and commercial applications aiming to ensure proper utilization of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation. Energy storage can be controlled and coordinated with PV generation to satisfy electricity demand and minimize electricity purchases from the grid. However, PV generation and load profile depend on the real-time weather condition and the usage by the owners. Thus, PV generation and demand uncertainties need to be considered when designing a control scheme for the PV-based storage system. Another resource at the residential level is theplug-in electric vehicle (PEV) which has a bi-directional capability and can reduce the electric power draw from the grid during peak hours. Therefore, the charging and discharging routines of the PEV can be controlled to achieve optimal economic benefits. In this paper, a method of coordinated optimal control between PV-based storage and PEV storage is proposed considering the stochastic nature of solar PV generation and load demand. The stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) algorithm is employed to optimize the charge/discharge profiles of PV-based energy storage and PEV storage to minimize the overall cost of the daily household electricity purchase from the grid. Simulation analysis is performed in order to show the advantage of coordinated control compared to the other control strategies.
Impact of Accuracy of Survival Predictions on Quality of End-of-Life Care Among Patients With Metastatic Cancer Who Receive Radiation Therapy.

PURPOSE:For patients treated with palliative radiation, we examined the association between life expectancy predictions by radiation oncologists and aggressive end-of-life care.MATERIALS AND METHOD...
Abstract WP261: Role of Transcranial Doppler in a New Era of Patent Foramen Ovale Closure

Introduction: Recent patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure trials have demonstrated efficacy in secondary stroke prevention. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) can reliably detect the presence of PFO, with se...
Multi-user detection in optical wireless communication

Optical wireless communication (OWC) has emerged as an attractive and promising solution for supporting high-capacity and high-density networks required by the fifth-generation (5G) communication standard and the Internet of Thing (IoT) system. As a wireless technology, OWC must ensure that multiple users can communicate through the network. To facilitate this, the ability of diverse optical multiple access control (O-MAC) techniques are analyzed in this paper. Combinations of different O-MAC methods that were individually tested in previous work are studied and experimentally validated. Results from testing four methods— Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA); ICA and signal subtraction; NOMA on one received mixed signal; and NOMA on two received mixed signals—proved successful for free space optical communication (FSOC) in a setup comprised of three users and a dual-path fiber bundle receiver. Users with same data rate and with various data rate were tested. Obtained results showed that received signals were demodulated with high accuracy.
Alert Types and Frequencies During Bar Code-Assisted Medication Administration: A Systematic Review.

Background Existing literature explores the effectiveness of bar code-assisted medication administration (BCMA) on the reduction of medication administration error as well as on nurse workarounds during BCMA. However, there is no review that comprehensively explores types and frequencies of alerts generated by nurses during BCMA. Purpose The purpose was to describe alert generation type and frequency during BCMA. Methods A systematic review of the literature using PRISMA guidelines was conducted using CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE, and Ovid Medline databases. Results After screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 8 articles were identified and included in the review. Alert types included patient mismatch, wrong medication, and wrong dose, though other alert types were also reported. The frequency of alert generation varied across studies, from 0.18% to 42%, and not all alerts were clinically meaningful. Conclusions This systematic review synthesized literature related to alert type and frequency during BCMA. However, further studies are needed to better describe alert generation patterns as well as factors that influence alert generation.
"People said we were nuts … I understand what they were saying now": An Exploration of the Transition to Parenthood in Sibling Group Adoption

Despite U.S. federal laws that require placing siblings together in foster care whenever possible, a majority of children are still separated from at least one of their siblings when in foster care or when adopted, due to various barriers including difficulty finding adoptive parents that match the needs of sibling groups. Few studies have focused on the experiences of parents who adopt sibling groups, resulting in little understanding of (a) their motivations for doing so, and (b) the challenges and strengths that accompany sibling group adoption. The current exploratory longitudinal qualitative study aims to address this gap. Twelve parents in six same-sex couples who adopted a sibling group from foster care were interviewed before, immediately after, and two years after they adopted. Findings indicate that sibling group adoption introduces several obstacles during the transition to parenthood including difficulty responding to children's varied needs during the transition and difficulty developing a close bond with each child. Further, parents described challenges integrating their own expectations with the family practices of the sibling group. Parents also indicated ways that adopting siblings together deepened their understanding of their children's behaviors and provided opportunities to establish family norms even when one child was struggling to adapt to the transition. After several years, parents reported reorganizing their family roles to meet the needs of their children. They also identified areas of perceived competence (e.g., behavior management) and areas where challenges persisted (e.g., navigating birth family contact). Implications for policy and practice around supporting sibling group adoptions are discussed.
School-Based Asthma Management Programs.

Comprehensive public school–based programs providing supervised administration of asthma medication and/or education for staff, children, and parents markedly decrease asthma-related ED visits for school-aged children.
Minority Entrepreneurship: Does it Pay to Discriminate?

This paper proposes a model that, although among the first to explain minority entrepreneurship in a general equilibrium framework, is simple enough to yield closed-form solutions. Minorities may face higher entry costs and their distribution of management skills may be less advantageous. A novel result is that not only the absolute but also the relative entry costs and the relative distribution of skills, between minorities and non-minorities, matter for firm-entry decisions. As an application, the proposed model is used to explain the recent increment in entrepreneurship among African Americans in high-entry-barrier sectors.
Joint Interface Contact Area Predictions Using Surface Strain Measurements

Bolted joints are vital constituents of almost every small- to large-scale built-up structure. An especially important aspect of bolted joint modeling is the prediction of the contact area inside the interface of the joint based on the torque applied to the joint and surface characteristics. This is because the joint interface contact area effectively determines the stiffness of the joint as well as the dissipative qualities resulting from slip-stick friction interactions. This research introduces a novel method of estimating actual contact areas inside the interfaces of bolted joints by measuring the strains on the external surfaces induced by the tightening of a bolt. This method can determine contact areas without directly interfering with or altering the interface like existing methods. The experimental specimen used to demonstrate the technique consists of two flat plates with a carriage bolt on the top plate. A carriage bolt instead of a conventional bolt has been used to facilitate surface strain measurements, measured using the digital image correlation measurement technique. Contact areas inside the interface are measured using pressure-sensitive films, and the torque is measured using a digital torque wrench.
Articulatory feature-based pronunciation modeling

HighlightsWe review our research developing articulatory feature-based pronunciation models.We argue for sub-phonetic features inspired by articulatory phonology.We review evaluations via frame-level perplexity and lexical access performance.Our models typically outperform phone-based models.Context-dependent surface feature models outperform context-independent models. Spoken language, especially conversational speech, is characterized by great variability in word pronunciation, including many variants that differ grossly from dictionary prototypes. This is one factor in the poor performance of automatic speech recognizers on conversational speech, and it has been very difficult to mitigate in traditional phone-based approaches to speech recognition. An alternative approach, which has been studied by ourselves and others, is one based on sub-phonetic features rather than phones. In such an approach, a word's pronunciation is represented as multiple streams of phonological features rather than a single stream of phones. Features may correspond to the positions of the speech articulators, such as the lips and tongue, or may be more abstract categories such as manner and place.This article reviews our work on a particular type of articulatory feature-based pronunciation model. The model allows for asynchrony between features, as well as per-feature substitutions, making it more natural to account for many pronunciation changes that are difficult to handle with phone-based models. Such models can be efficiently represented as dynamic Bayesian networks. The feature-based models improve significantly over phone-based counterparts in terms of frame perplexity and lexical access accuracy. The remainder of the article discusses related work and future directions.
Molecular Regulation of Calcium Metabolism

In the other chapters in this book, it is apparent that bone is the tissue that is affected during periods of inadequate dietary calcium intake, as a result of changes in physiology or defects in calcium homeostasis. Based on this, one might reasonablybut incorrectly—believe that calcium homeostasis is regulated to maintain bone integrity. As Fig. 1 illustrates, and as Chapter 10 developed in some detail, bone, intestine, and kidney make up a three-tissue axis whose activities are coordinated to maintain serum calcium within a narrow range (8.9–10.2 mg/dL). In this model, calcium absorption from the intestine is a disturbing signal that elevates serum calcium after a meal while turnover (i.e., the balance between bone formation and resorption) and renal calcium excretion are controlling signals that respond to fluxes in serum calcium. The import of this coordinated regulation can be seen in the table accompanying Fig. 1. This table is based on research by Bronner and Aubert who studied the influence of dietary calcium on calcium homeostasis in growing rats (1). Using calcium kinetics, their studies showed that when calcium intake is inadequate (a lack of Ca input into serum Ca), the body compensates by increasing calcium mobilization from the bone (resorption) as well as the efficiency of both calcium reabsorption from the renal filtrate and calcium absorption from the diet. Similar types of compensatory adaptation would also occur if renal calcium output was too high (e.g., as a result of high dietary salt intake), leading to a drain on serum Ca that promotes compensation at the intestine and bone, or if bone resorption were elevated (e.g., owing to the loss of estrogen), leading to elevated serum Ca that would suppress the activities of the intestine and bone.
The Cognitive-Initiative Account of Depression-Related Impairments in Memory

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the lines of research that grew out of this accidental discovery called the cognitive-initiative framework. After reviewing some studies, both old and new, that illustrate the framework, the chapter discusses the broader interpretation and related approaches. The contribution of the initiative framework is to emphasize the importance of attentional control during unstructured conditions. It is important to know whether such control is disruptive, irrelevant, or beneficial to performance on the memory task. When it is beneficial, external mean can be used to focus attention appropriately. Whether guidance remediates depression-related impairments, however, depends on a careful analysis of the cognitive procedures that are instrumental to successful performance. Investigators of depression-related impairments must move beyond the mere assertion that attention is diverted by personal concerns to an understanding of the specific procedures involved in producing and remediating the impairments. A proper understanding of a phenomenon can be shown by its experimental reduction or elimination.
Statistical Methods for Inference of Genetic Networks and Regulatory Modules

Large-scale microarray gene expression data, motif data derived from promotor sequences, genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip) data, DNA polymorphism data and epigenomic data provide the possibility of constructing genetic networks or biological pathways, especially regulatory networks. In this paper, we review some new statistical methods for inference of genetic networks and regulatory modules, including a threshold gradient descent procedure for inference of Gaussian graphical models, a sparse regression mixture modeling approach for inference of regulatory modules, and the varying coefficient model for identifying regulatory subnetworks by integrating microarray time-course gene expression data and motif or ChIP-chip data. We present the statistical formulations of the problems, statistical methods, and results from analysis of real data sets. Areas of future research are also discussed. Statistical Methods for Inference of Genetic Networks and Regulatory Modules A Chapter in “Analysis of Microarray Data” edited by Dehmer and Emmert-Streib, to be published by Wiley-VCH. Hongzhe Li Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, U.S.A. ∗email: hongzhe@mail.med.upenn.edu Abstract Large-scale microarray gene expression data, motif data derived from promotor sequences, genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip) data, DNA polymorphism data and epigenomic data provide the possibility of constructing genetic networks or biological pathways, especially regulatory networks. In this paper, we review some new statistical methods for inference of genetic networks and regulatory modules, including a threshold gradient descent procedure for inference of Gaussian graphical models, a sparse regression mixture modeling approach for inference of regulatory modules, and the varying coefficient model for identifying regulatory subnetworks by integrating microarray time-course gene expression data and motif or ChIP-chip data. We present the statistical formulations of the problems, statistical methods, and results from analysis of real data sets. Areas of future research are also discussed.
Payout Composition and Investors' Reaction to Dividend and Stock Repurchase Announcements

This study investigates the relative magnitude of the market reactions to dividend and stock repurchase announcements. Prior studies motivate conflicting predictions as to how investors perceive dividend distributions versus stock repurchase announcements as signals about future cash flows. Lucas and McDonald (1998) predict that firms with more favorable private information will pay less dividends and repurchase more shares. Other studies (Brickley [1983], Jagannathan et al. [1999]) argue that an increase in the regular dividend, because it entails an implicit commitment to maintain the higher payout level in future periods, represents a more positive signal about future cash flows. These studies predict that firms anticipating a more "permanent" increase in cash flows are more likely to distribute dividends than stock repurchases. I test these competing hypotheses by investigating how the market reaction to an announced distribution is affected by the composition of the firm's total (year-to-date) announced cash payout during the fiscal year. Lucas and McDonald (1998) argue that firms employ a combination of dividends and stock repurchases to minimize their total signaling costs and the market reaction to an announced cash distribution depends on the composition of the total payout (the proportion of the announced stock repurchase program to the sum of the announced value of the stock repurchase program and the dividend increase). I find that after controlling for the magnitude of the distribution and the information environment, the market reaction is more favorable when regular (but not one-time) dividends comprise a larger proportion of the total payout. My findings suggest that regular dividends are a more positive signal about future cash flows and elicit a more favorable market reaction than stock repurchases. Key Words: Corporate signaling; Dividends; Stock repurchases
Refining Policy with the Poor : Local Consultations on the Draft Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy in Vietnam

In March 2001, the Government of Vietnam produced an Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP), and announced its intention to develop a Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (CPRGS) by the end of April 2002. In the I-PRSP, the Government outlined its commitment to involve a broad range of stakeholders - including poor communities, local government authorities, and the enterprise sector - in drafting the CPRGS. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, who was assigned by the Government of Vietnam to lead the CPRGS drafting process, asked the World Bank, and a group of international nongovernmental organizations to support them in carrying out the local consultations. The consultations took place in six rural, and urban locations across Vietnam, selected to represent a range of poverty situations. About 1,800 people participated in the research. This report, which is the first of three volumes documenting the local consultations, provides an account and reflection on the approach, and methodology used in the consultations. It is intended this may give useful practical experience for future monitoring of the CPRGS, as well as for people who are planning to carry out similar exercises in other countries. The report outlines the process that was followed from the point of developing a research outline from the I-PRSP, through the fieldwork exercises, data compilation, and analysis, leading on to identification of the main policy messages made by the participants. It also describes how the findings were used to influence the final version of the CPRGS.
Strategic quality assurance

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to provide a strategic (game) approach to Quality Assurance. Unlike previous approaches that presume non‐motivated sources of risk, we assume in this paper that risk may arise strategically due to other motivations. For example, problems associated to supply risks received by a producer‐buyer. As a result, strategic quality assurance problems are formulated in terms of random payoff game which we solve while using the traditional approach to risk specification imbedded in quantile risks (Type I and Type II errors in statistics or producers and consumers risks). Technically, the approach devised consists in solving risk constrained (random payoff) games which involve strategic partners, potentially in conflict. The approach devised is then applied to a number of problems spanning essentially mutual sampling (quality assurance) between a buyer and supplier and strategic quality control in supply chains where potential conflict and information and power asymmetry is an i...
Bacteriophage T7 Deoxyribonucleic Acid Replication in Vitro: REQUIREMENTS FOR DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PRODUCT

Abstract A cell-free system for the study of bacteriophage T7 DNA replication has been developed. DNA synthesis in vitro requires the four deoxynucleoside triphosphates and an exogenous T7 DNA template. The rate of synthesis is increased 5- to 6-fold by the four ribonucleoside triphosphates. The products of the phage gene 4 and gene 5 (DNA polymerase), but not those of genes 2, 3, and 6, are required for DNA synthesis in vitro. The kinetics of synthesis is linear for 20 to 30 min, and 30 min after the start of the reaction the amount of DNA synthesized is 2 to 3 times the amount of template DNA added to the reaction. The product is not covalently attached to the template. Analysis by zone sedimentation through alkaline sucrose gradients indicates that the products of synthesis are short (11 S) DNA chains, suggesting that the sealing of "Okazaki pieces" into DNA of high molecular weight is inefficient in this in vitro reaction. Examination of the product in the electron microscope reveals many large, forked molecules, indicating that in some cases large portions of the T7 genome are replicated in vitro.
Surface states of pristine silica surfaces: II. UHV studies of the CO2 adsorption-desorption phenomena

Abstract UHV and MS have been used in connection with ESR to study the interaction of CO 2 with “fresh” surfaces of silica and other glasses. The fracture (and abrasion) provides an original means to measure isotherms, sticking probabilities and to follow the adsorption kinetics. Emphasis was put also on thermal desorption kinetics in relation with the Eyring's transition state theory. The main results are the following: the adsorption of CO 2 is found to be non-dissociative and non-activated; the adsorption sites are associated with Si atoms; CO 2 has a constant binding energy whatever the coverage, but the isotherm, however, is not of Henry's type: self-reconstruction of the fresh surface is taking place; the activation energy for thermal desorption found by a linear heating program is of the order of 25 kcal/mole and, by a step-function heating program, is 8.55 kcal/mole associated with a pre-exponential factor τ 0 in the Frenkel's formalism of, respectively, 10 −9 sec and 2 × 10 −2 sec.
Incivility in political advertisements: a look at the 2012 US presidential election

The 2012 presidential election reached new heights in dollars spent and the rancorous nature of advertisements emanating from candidates and other interested parties. While ‘going negative’ has become a well-known tactic in political campaigns, several observers believe that the level of acrimony crossed the line between civil discourse essential to democratic societies and uncivil haranguing that has little to do with election issues. To explore the nuances of this topic, we open with a discussion of limited cross-disciplinary research on incivility in political discourse so that its essential nature is exposed, differentiating it from more common uses of negativity. Our empirical work examined about 350 television advertisements that were shown between the presidential debates of 2012 and the November elections. Levels of civility and incivility are noted and implications for the future of political advertising are provided.
A Review of: “Time-Resolved Inverse Gas Chromatography and Its Applications”

Time-resolved chemistry allows the study of chemical kinetics and the identification of important but easily overlooked transient structural intermediates. The practical applications of time-resolv...
Management of Incidental Findings in Clinical Genomic Sequencing

Genomic sequencing is becoming accurate, fast, and increasingly inexpensive, and is rapidly being incorporated into clinical practice. Incidental or secondary findings, which can occur in large numbers from genomic sequencing, are a potential barrier to the utility of this new technology due to their relatively high prevalence and the lack of evidence or guidelines available to guide their clinical interpretation. This unit reviews the definition, classification, and management of incidental findings from genomic sequencing. The unit focuses on the clinical aspects of handling incidental findings, with an emphasis on the key role of clinical context in defining incidental findings and determining their clinical relevance and utility.
Listening to life's lessons: Using music lyrics and poetry to face issues of aging in the classroom

The use of poetry and music in college courses on aging is discussed. The format can help instructors reach their students in new ways. Poetry and music can be used to engage students in material that may be emotionally charged. In addition, poetry and music can be used to help students confront stereotypes about the elderly.
Outcome ≥10 Years After Successful Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

Abstract Patients (n = 611) after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were prospectively followed over 10 to 16 years for major adverse events. The effect of gender, extent of coronary artery disease, left ventricular dysfunction, and age on occurrence of adverse events were analyzed in detail. The incidence of death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, and coronary bypass surgery was 23.1%, 3.9%, and 32.7%, respectively. Men and women had similar mortality (p = 0.13) and Q-wave myocardial infarction (p = 0.57), but men had more coronary bypass surgery (p = 0.06). Patients with multivessel disease had higher mortality (p Patients after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were followed over 10 to 16 years for adverse events. By multivariable analysis, the extent of coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, male gender, and prior myocardial infarction independently influenced the incidence of a composite end point of death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, or coronary bypass surgery.
Comparison of aircraft models and integration schemes for interval management in the tracon

Reusable models of common elements for communication, computation, decision and control in air traffic management are necessary in order to enable simulation, analysis and assurance of emergent properties, such as safety and stability, for a given operational concept. Uncertainties due to faults, such as dropped messages, along with non-linearities and sensor noise are an integral part of these models, and impact emergent system behavior. Flight control algorithms designed using a linearized version of the flight mechanics will exhibit error due to model uncertainty, and may not be stable outside a neighborhood of the given point of linearization. Moreover, the communication mechanism by which the sensed state of an aircraft is fed back to a flight control system (such as an ADS-B message) impacts the overall system behavior; both due to sensor noise as well as dropped messages (vacant samples). Additionally simulation of the flight controller system can exhibit further numerical instability, due to selection of the integration scheme and approximations made in the flight dynamics. We examine the theoretical and numerical stability of a speed controller under the Euler and Runge-Kutta schemes of integration, for the ‘Maintain’ phase for a “Mid-Term (2035–2045) Interval Management (IM) Operational Concept” for descent and landing operations. We model uncertainties in communication due to missed ADS-B messages by vacant samples in the integration schemes, and compare the emergent behavior of the system, in terms of stability, via the boundedness of the final system state. Any bound on the errors incurred by these uncertainties will play an essential part in a composable assurance argument required for real-time, flight-deck guidance and control systems,. Thus, we believe that the creation of reusable models, which possess property guarantees, such as safety and stability, is an innovative and essential requirement to assessing the emergent properties of novel airspace concepts of operation.
Transient Response Of Nonlinear Ring Resonators Using Gaas With Photon Energy Below Band Gap

Abstract Non-linear ring-resonators are shown to exhibit optical bistability with nanosecond switch times, when using GaAs as a non-linear material and photon energies below band gap. A computer program developed specifically to model the transient response of these devices is used to extract values for the non-linearity and its response time from the observed characteristics . *IntroductionThe possibility of fabricating a passive bistable optical device (BOD) was first sug­ gested in 1969, and the first demonstration was performed in 1976. Since then, several different implementations have been reported in the literature. The potential applications of these devices include memory elements, optical limiting, switching, logic gates, and optical triodas. When fabricated in an integrated-optics format, it can be expected that the devices can operate at very high speeds, and perform with low power con^u?w'cion.One of the most extensively studied optical logic devices is the non-linear Fabry-Perot (NLFP) ; that is, a Fabry-Perot interferometer filled with a nonlinear material.1 5 A closely related device is the non-linear ring-resonator (NLRR) . A schematic of plane-wave NLRR is shown in Figure 1. The resonator has two totally reflecting mirrors (m) and two partial reflectors (R) . To analyse the HLRR, we consider the case in which the resonator is filled with a non-linear material. Hellwarth6 has shown that if all optical frequencies are well below any electronic resonances and well above any nuclear resonances of the material, then the optical limit of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation is valid and the non-linear contribution to the polarization density may be written as:Pn (r,t)=a: E(r,t) g*(r,t) E(r,t) + f°°~ ds d(s) I Effr,t) E"(r,t-s) E(r,t-s) (DI'Je assume that the electric field is very nearly a plane wave of frequency "GO"E(r,t) = E(r)e-i(*z~"V+ E (F) * e1 (kz-ui) (2)where
The strontium content of fossil teeth and bones

Abstract X-ray spectrometric analyses were made of the strontium contents of about two hundred Recent and fossil teeth and bones of different ages from many localities. The amount of strontium does not increase progressively with age but is related to locality. Where comparison has been possible it is invariably higher than that of the matrix rock. There is evidence that this trace element may be an original component of the fossil rather than the result of subsequent alteration.
Ordinal and percentile clustering

Abstract The central purpose of this paper is to put together the basic ideas of two separate theories - the theory of ordinal clustering, as developed by Janowitz et al., and the theory of probabilistic metric spaces, as developed by Schweizer et al. The principal result is a new theory of clustering, called percentile clustering, in which the clustering is based, not on some average or other typical value of the data, but directly on the distributed data itself. A secondary outgrowth is a generalized theory of ordinal clustering. The paper begins with a brief but essentially self-contained exposition of the main ideas of the two theories mentioned above. It then combines them to lay the foundations of the theory of percentile clustering. It goes on to develop a number of specific algorithms with a small, artificial data set. The paper concludes by applying the new cluster methods to two concrete examples. The first of these is a data set concerning combat deaths in the Vietnam War; the second is a data set supplied by N. Creel and dealing with the classification of species of gibbons. In both instances results obtained with various standard clustering techniques are also presented.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Older Patients: Special Problems and Possible Solutions

Abstract The median age of patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the United States is approaching 70 years. It affects 2.7 per 100,000 individuals in the United States each year and from 0.3 to 5.3 per 100,000 persons around the world. Acute myeloid leukemia in older patients presents special problems because of patient characteristics and the unique biologic behavior of the leukemic cells in this patient population. Older patients tend to have comorbid conditions that compromise cardiac, pulmonary, renal, hepatic, and other organ functions, thereby reducing their ability to tolerate optimal doses of chemotherapy. Many of these patients never make it to a specialist or enter into clinical trials. The leukemic cells in older patients with AML tend to be more resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic agents because of a variety of factors, eg, higher incidence of poor prognostic chromosomal abnormalities, increased expression of multi-drug resistance compared with younger patients. Many of these patients have pre-existing myelodysplastic syndrome which also reduces the ability to achieve and maintain remission following anti-leukemic therapy. Most elderly patients are candidates for investigational therapies because outcome with standard therapies is unsatisfactory.
LOGICO-GRAMMATICAL SENTENCE COMPREHENSION BY ADOLESCENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

The comprehension of 50 logico-grammatical sentences was assessed for 30 learning disabled adolescents ranging in age from 12 to 16 yr. Performances were compared with existing data for normative age peers. A significant proportion of the learning disabled children exhibited quantitative reductions. Performances correlated positively and significantly with age scores for Psycholinguistic Age, Auditory Association, Reception, Sequential Memory, and Manual Expression (ITPA). The findings suggest that the experimental test may be used to identify deficits in processing linguistic concepts by adolescents with learning disabilities.
Intelligent agents on the Internet: Fact, fiction, and forecast

In the future, intelligent software agents will help us navigate the information superhighway by serving as backseat drivers or taxi drivers. Better yet, they have the potential to act as sophisticated concierges who make it unnecessary for us to approach the highway at all. We describe a selective sample of software agents currently under development, to give an idea of the agents that will emerge in the next few years. We organize our discussion by the agents' sophistication and the degree to which they make the information superhighway disappear. Following the information superhighway metaphor, an intelligent agent may be a backseat driver who makes suggestions at every rum, a taxi driver who takes you to your destination, or even a concierge whose knowledge and skills make it unnecessary for you to approach the superhighway at all. The Internet Softbot is discussed as a case study. >
Immune interactions at the maternal-fetal interface

Models of murine allogeneic pregnancy have established that maternal T cells recognize fetal alloantigens and are normally suppressed or deleted. While the precise cellular interactions and mechanisms involved in maternal lymphocyte tolerance are not yet clear, the identity of some of the critical factors are beginning to be uncovered. Signals that have been shown in mice to have an obligatory role in immunological survival of the semiallogeneic fetus include, but are probably not limited to, indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase and the newly discovered B7 family protein, B7-H1. Whether these proteins have intersecting functions is unknown, but it is possible that both are involved in the control of maternal T regulatory cells, which are also strictly required for successful allogeneic pregnancy in mice. Additional factors that are involved include trophoblast and/or maternally derived FasL, and in humans, class Ib HLA molecules. The potency of these mechanisms in protecting the fetal allograft is underscored by the scarcity of knockout and transgenic models in which pregnancy is immunologically compromised. Here, the current understanding of mechanisms of specific suppression of maternal lymphocytes is reviewed.
Relations among media influence, body image, eating concerns, and sexual orientation in men: A preliminary investigation

The current study explored the relation between sexual orientation, media persuasion, and eating and body image concerns among 78 college men (39 gay; 39 straight). Participants completed measures of sexual orientation, eating disorder symptoms, appearance-related anxiety, perceived importance of physical attractiveness, perceptions of media influence, and media exposure. Gay men scored significantly higher on drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, and body image-related anxiety than their straight counterparts. Additionally, perceptions of media influence were higher for gay men, and significantly mediated the relation between sexual orientation and eating and body image concerns. Sexual orientation also moderated the relation between perceived media influence and beliefs regarding the importance of physical attractiveness, as this relation was significant for gay men, but not straight men. The current findings suggest that gay men's increased vulnerability to media influence partially accounts for the relatively high rate of eating pathology observed in this population.
Controlled Functionalization and Multistep Chemical Manipulation of Covalently Modified Si(111) Surfaces1

A hydrogen-terminated Si(111) surface has been covalently modified by UV irradiation in the presence of ethyl undecylenate leading to a Si(111)-C10H20CO2Et surface. It is possible to carry out a diverse range of chemical manipulations of the ester group on the surface. For example, reduction with sodium borohydride provides a surface terminated with a primary alcohol. Reaction with an alkyl Grignard reagent gives a tertiary alcohol that can be acylated with acetyl chloride. Finally, hydrolysis of the ester leads to a carboxylic acid terminated surface that can be coupled to an amino acid using a standard solid phase amide coupling protocol. The surface density of the ester function can be controlled by dilution of the reacting ester with a long-chain alkene. This has the beneficial effects of minimizing the disruption of the alkyl chain packing in the monolayers and avoiding steric blocking of the ester group. It is expected that the ability to precisely control the average distance between large biomolec...
Engineering liposomes as detection reagents for CD4+ T-cells

Liposomes are often used for targeted and controlled delivery of sensitive pharmaceutical compounds. They may be synthesized encapsulating drugs within their aqueous cores and their surfaces may be functionalized with antibodies and polyethylene glycol (PEG) for site-specific delivery and increased circulation time, respectively. Here we investigated the use of liposomes for cell detection in clinical diagnostics, relying on a specific biorecognition event rather than non-specific fusion with cell membranes. Streptavidin-conjugated sulforhodamine B-encapsulating liposomes were used to provide fluorescence signal amplification in a microtiter plate-based immunoassay, relying on sandwich complex formation of CD4+ T-cells between anti-CD3 or anti-CD45 antibodies and biotinylated anti-CD4+ detection antibodies. Liposomes were engineered to avoid fusion with T-cells, non-specific binding and self-aggregation, as well as promoting specific binding, encapsulation efficiency and stability. Increasing the mol% coverage of the carboxylated lipid N-glutaryl-DPPE increased the streptavidin coupling and dye encapsulation efficiency. However, increasing amounts of this lipid also increased non-specific binding to T-cells and monocytes. Thus, PEG–lipid conjugates were included in the formulation with varied coverage (0.5–3.0 mol% of total lipid) and PEG chain length (MW 350–5000). Increases in both parameters increased the liposomes' zeta potential and decreased non-specific binding, presumably due to a shielding effect on the negative charge. The optimal formulation was able to detect as few as 30 cells per μL from negatively isolated cell preparations from human blood samples. The assay responded with excellent reproducibility and discrimination between at risk and normal CD4+ cell counts over the CD4+ cell concentration range expected, which makes this method amenable to monitoring cell concentrations in those with other immunosuppressive diseases or currently receiving anti-retroviral therapy. The successful engineering of liposomes as diagnostic tools for immune cell detection expands their use to whole cell-based studies for cancer research and clinical diagnostics.
Mutant allele frequencies in the domestic cats of eastern Massachusetts

The results of a gene frequency survey conducted in Salem, Massachusetts reveal a genetic profile that closely resembles that of Boston, Xew York and Philadelphia. Problems relating to the interpretation of phenotypic associations are discussed. Genetic distance relationships are commented upon and historical factors contributing to the homogeneity of the gene pool in the northeastern United States are noted.
Reply to Comment on “First principles determination of the bonding mechanism and adsorption energy for CO/MgO(001)”

Abstract Using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method, the bonding mode and adsorption energy of CO molecules on the MgO(001) clean surface are determined with both the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation effects. The calculated adsorption energies of a p(1×1) CO monolayer on MgO(001) are 0.28 eV/molecule (LDA) and 0.12 eV/molecule (GGA).
Prediction of officer retention prior to commissioning.

Improved selection techniques may help the all-volunteer Army to diminish a problem of retaining qualified personnel after their initial tour of duty. This report describes and validates the Military Career Commitment Gradient (MCCOG), an instrument designed to predict, prior to actual commissioning, whether an individual will remain on active duty after his initial tour. Shortly before commissioning, two consecutive classes of seniors at the US Military Academy were given the MCCOG. Their scores had adjusted correlations of 0.54 and 0.39 with the criterion—on active duty versus not on active duty—seven years later. Potential uses of the MCCOG are discussed.