cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modified Mixed Integer Linear Program for Airport Departure Scheduling

A modified mixed integer linear program is presented for scheduling departure and arrival aircraft at airport runways in the form of deterministic optimization problem. The previous formulation explicitly considers practical constraints introduced at the airport such as wake vortex separation requirement and miles-in-trail separation as well as an optional prioritization scheme using time windows; however, several problems are observed from using this method in practical use. First, a new term is introduced in the formulation in order to capture the actual delay of each flight by storing information from each iteration during simulation. Furthermore, a weight factor by saturation term is introduced in the objective function in order to impose heavier cost on certain aircraft with longer delay time. Weight factor by saturation term in every iteration during simulation only depends on the results from one previous iteration since the linearity of the objective function is desired to be kept for simplicity and low computational cost. Three different functions for the weight factor by saturation are presented along with the sensitivity analysis in order to find the most appropriate parameters for each method. Results from all three methods indicate the improvement from the previous formulation since the maximum total delay of departure is significantly reduced using the modified MILP formulation with the weight factor by saturation. This simple revision can be applied to other scheduling problems with more practical constraints and parameters for specified airport type and configuration.
A Systematic Review of Effects of Social Stories Interventions for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize 22 single-case research design (SCRD) studies on social stories intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) SCRD standards to analyze study rigor and evidence of a causal relation. We calculated four nonoverlap indices to evaluate intervention, maintenance, and generalization effects. Results suggested that all studies met the WWC design standards with or without reservations. Seven studies (32%) provided strong or moderate evidence of a causal relation. Nonoverlap indices calculations indicated social stories intervention was effective. Using the WWC 5-3-20 guidelines to determine evidence of social stories, social stories intervention would not be considered an evidence-based practice (EBP) for individuals with ASD based on visual analysis, but would be deemed an EBP based on nonoverlap indices. It is worth noting that WWC used visual analysis, not nonoveralap indices, to determine wh...
Slow rotation of a disc in a fluid-filled casing

Stokes flow due to a rotating disc enclosed by a casing is solved by eigenfunction expansion and collocation. The method is simpler than approximate methods using dual integral equations or full numerical integration. The torque is determined for various casing dimensions.
Purdue Pegboard Scores for Normal Grammar School Children

Costa, et al. (1963) have demonstrated the usefulness of the peg placement scores of the Purdue Pegboard as a screening test for cerebral damage in adults. Perceptual motor dysfunction produced by cerebral lesions usually results in performance decrement which is independent of educational background and which is frequently of latetalizing significance. In order to aid in the test's evaluation as a screening procedure for brain damage in children, preliminary norms were established on a sample of 183 normal children attending a Catholic parochial grammar school in New York City. The peg placement section of the test was administered as prescribed in the test manual (SRA, 1948) . One 30-sec. trial was given for each condition. There were no demonstrable differences in performance as a function of sex in 77 female and 8 3 male right-handed children. Norms for males and females combinecl are presented in the table. It seems reasonable to pool scores of all children over 10 as scores change little above this age.
Conversion factors for use with the shake-bucket technique for sampling alfalfa weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) larvae

We calculated conversion factors, based on instar complement or degree-day accumulation, for use with the shake-bucket technique for sampling alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), larvae. Proportions of larvae recovered in shake-bucket samples for each instar were consistent across years for second through fourth instars but differed between instars. Early instars (first and second), which feed within growing tips of alfalfa, were much less susceptible to shaking out than older instars (third and fourth). Therefore, recovery was reduced early in the sampling season when early instars were abundant. Conversion factors for instars two to four are presented to estimate total larvae per six-stem sample from shake-bucket counts. Estimates of total larval numbers from a regression of the proportion of recovered larvae on cumulative degree-days were inconsistent between years because of differences between degree-day estimates.
Mechanical signals regulate and activate SNAIL1 protein to control the fibrogenic response of cancer-associated fibroblasts

ABSTRACT Increased deposition of collagen in extracellular matrix (ECM) leads to increased tissue stiffness and occurs in breast tumors. When present, this increases tumor invasion and metastasis. Precisely how this deposition is regulated and maintained in tumors is unclear. Much has been learnt about mechanical signal transduction in cells, but transcriptional responses and the pathophysiological consequences are just becoming appreciated. Here, we show that the SNAIL1 (also known as SNAI1) protein level increases and accumulates in nuclei of breast tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) following exposure to stiff ECM in culture and in vivo . SNAIL1 is required for the fibrogenic response of CAFs when exposed to a stiff matrix. ECM stiffness induces ROCK activity, which stabilizes SNAIL1 protein indirectly by increasing intracellular tension, integrin clustering and integrin signaling to ERK2 (also known as MAPK1). Increased ERK2 activity leads to nuclear accumulation of SNAIL1, and, thus, avoidance of cytosolic proteasome degradation. SNAIL1 also influences the level and activity of YAP1 in CAFs exposed to a stiff matrix. This work describes a mechanism whereby increased tumor fibrosis can perpetuate activation of CAFs to sustain tumor fibrosis and promote tumor metastasis through regulation of SNAIL1 protein level and activity.
Optimally Discriminative Choice Sets in Discrete Choice Models: Application to Data-Driven Test Design

Difficult multiple-choice (MC) questions can be made easy by providing a set of answer options of which most are obviously wrong. In the education literature, a plethora of instructional guides exist for crafting a suitable set of wrong choices (distractors) that enable the assessment of the students' understanding. The art of MC question design thus hinges on the question-maker's experience and knowledge of the potential misconceptions. In contrast, we advocate a data-driven approach, where correct and incorrect options are assembled directly from the students' own past submissions. Large-scale online classroom settings, such as massively open online courses (MOOCs), provide an opportunity to design optimal and adaptive multiple-choice questions that are maximally informative about the students' level of understanding of the material. In this work, we (i) develop a multinomial-logit discrete choice model for the setting of MC testing, (ii) derive an optimization objective for selecting optimally discriminative option sets, (iii) propose an algorithm for finding a globally-optimal solution, and (iv) demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach via synthetic experiments and a user study. We finally showcase an application of our approach to crowd-sourcing tests from technical online forums.
Bone age assessment practices in infants and older children among Society for Pediatric Radiology members.

Background Numerous bone age estimation techniques exist, but little is known about what methods radiologists use in clinical practice.
Theoretical and Numerical Results on Scattering from Soft Cylinders with Implications in Diffraction Tomography

The exact solution of the scattering of a plane ultrasonic wave by an isotropic and homogeneous cylinder can be found via a closed-form series solution. Thus, weakly scattering cylinders provide building blocks of useful models for studying the properties of diffraction tomography methods. Over the past few years we have demonstrated the merits of diffraction tomography based on the Born and Rytov transformations using soft cylinders.
Efficacy of Promotional Offers in Poor Households: Insights from the Bottom of the Pyramid

Research in the area of sales promotion has shown that a combination of tactics that include but are not limited to cash discounts, coupons, product premiums, rebates etc. is effective in driving consumer action such as purchase, new product trial, stock up, encourage habitual purchase, and brand switching. In studying the efficacy of promotional offers, some research has attributed deal proneness to a number of sociodemographic and personality traits. Though traditional economic theory predicts deal proneness to be positively correlated with income, research in marketing has instead supported a negative relationship where low-income consumers tend to be more price sensitive, instead. Despite this consumer marketers continue to spend marketing funds in promotional offers in the fast moving consumer good (FMCG) category targeted toward low-income consumers. A growing stream of research under the labels of bottom of pyramid (BoP) and subsistence consumers has increasingly pointed out the market attractiveness of this low-income population to multinational companies especially in the FMCG sector. These poor consumers are individuals who earn approximately $2 per day. The largest BoP market in the world by size of population is in India where, according to a 2011 World Bank estimate, 69 % of the country’s total population (approximately 1.2 billion) earns $2 per day. Companies that compete in the FMCG market aggressively target the BoP consumer where, according to several industry sources, companies have seen a double digit growth in spending on advertising and promotional offers.
Discontinuing Mycophenolate With Respect to Pregnancy and the Interpretation of Voluntary Registry Results.

As the authors of the article entitled Pregnancy Outcomes Related to Mycophenolate Exposure in Female Kidney Transplant Recipients (1), we are responding to Moritz et al's Letter to the Editor (2) in this issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. We thank Moritz et al for identifying an error in our discussion, but would also like to address what we feel to be misrepresentations of our data. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Object manipulation and position control using a swarm with global inputs

Micro robots are suited for targeted drug delivery and micro scale manufacturing because they are small enough to navigate the passageways of the body. However, due to their small size, micro robots cannot contain onboard processing for autonomy nor onboard power. Instead they are controlled by an external signal such as a magnetic field. Because each robot can only provide a small amount of force or transport a small amount of material, large swarms of robots are required, all controlled by the same external field.
Tumor regression concomitant with steroid-refractory GvHD highlights the pitfalls of PD-1 blockade following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Tumor regression concomitant with steroid-refractory GvHD highlights the pitfalls of PD-1 blockade following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Regulation of the Financial Sector

This chapter reviews how financial sector regulation, including the sometimes neglected insurance sector, has evolved and then examines the reactions to regulation in the latter part of the twentieth century that led to the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. It concludes with a review of the Dodd-Frank Act and its key provisions and provides a critical assessment of its achievements and shortcomings.
Emergency Department Involvement in Accountable Care Organizations in Massachusetts: A Survey Study.

Study objective We assess Massachusetts emergency department (ED) involvement and internal ED constructs within accountable care organization contracts. Methods An online survey was distributed to 70 Massachusetts ED directors. Questions attempted to assess involvement of EDs in accountable care organizations and the structures in place in EDs—from departmental resources to physician incentives—to help achieve accountable care organization goals of decreasing spending and improving quality. Results Of responding ED directors, 79% reported alignment between the ED and an accountable care organization. Almost all ED groups (88%) reported bearing no financial risk as a result of the accountable care organization contracts in which their organizations participated. Major obstacles to meeting accountable care organization objectives included care coordination challenges (62%) and lack of familiarity with accountable care organization goals (58%). The most common cost-reduction strategies included ED case management (85%) and information technology (61%). Limitations of this study include that information was self-reported by ED directors, a focus limited to Massachusetts, and a survey response rate of 47%. Conclusion The ED directors perceived that the majority of physicians were not familiar with accountable care organization goals, many challenges remain in coordinating care for patients in the ED, and most EDs have no financial incentives tied to accountable care organizations. EDs in Massachusetts have begun to implement strategies aimed at reducing admissions, utilization, and overall cost, but these strategies are not widespread apart from case management, even in a state with heavy accountable care organization penetration. Our results suggest that Massachusetts EDs still lack clear directives and direct involvement in meeting accountable care organization goals.
A future on fire

Why do wildfires happen? Are large fires becoming more common? Is climate change making things worse? How will these fires shape our future? Writer and photographer Edward Struzik illuminates these and many other questions in Firestorm.
Synthetic Biology, Dual Use Research, and Possibilities for Control

The anthrax attack on the human population in the United States in 2001/2002 may be considered the naissance of modern bioterrorism. This attack, e.g. the planned killing by means of deadly microorganisms (Bacillus anthracis) caused enormous public concern, because, numerous other deadly agents, now known as “select agents”, occur in nature and are available for misuse. The anthrax attack coincided with the first report in 2002 of the de novo synthesis in the test tube of a pathogenic human virus, poliovirus, that was equally shocking because it indicated that dangerous infectious agents could be produced in laboratories outside of government control. These events were synchronous with the advent of a new discipline, Synthetic Biology, which was an emerging area of research that can broadly be described “as the design and construction of novel artificial biological pathways, organisms or devices, or the redesign of existing natural biological systems.” The synthesis of viruses, or more broadly expressed: each experiment in Synthetic Biology, fits the definition of “Dual Use Research” – the dual use dilemma in which the same technologies can be used for the good of humans and misused for bioterrorism. In view of these threats the US Government has formulated rules that can lower the chances of misuse of biological research. That includes all research with select agents or the modification of agents to acquire dangerous traits (“Gain of Function”). It also calls for the continuous education of all generations entering research: to be aware that results of research can be dangerous, if not immediately then possibly at later times.
Application of high-energy x-rays in additive manufacturing process optimizations (Conference Presentation)

High energy x-rays from a synchrotron source, such as the Advanced Photon Source at the Argonne National Laboratory, can be utilized to perform variety of in-situ and ex-situ material characterizations. This presentation will provide an overview of the various techniques and their applicability in the Additive Manufacturing (AM) for transportation applications. Specifically, the focus of the talk will be on the feed stock materials such as the powders used. Size, size distributions, and morphologies of metal powders used for additive manufacturing are some of the key parameters determining the quality of produced part. Virgin and recycled Ti6Al4V and Ni 718 alloys were investigated using high energy x-rays. High energy x-rays allow for rapid characterization of size and size distributions in a statistically meaningful manner. Further, x-ray tomography technique was used to perform 3D-characterization of powder particles to establish their 3D shapes and their internal porosity. Data from virgin and recycled powders were compared to understand the changes in the powder quality with the number of recycling runs and its potential impact on the part builds.
The misuse of prescription pain medication and borderline personality symptomatology.

Objective: Despite the known high rates of substance misuse among individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), little empirical data are available regarding the explicit nature of such misuse with prescribed pain medications–the focus of the present study. Setting: A primary care outpatient setting, with predominantly resident providers, in a midsized mid-western US city. Patients: Consecutive outpatients who currently or have previously been prescribed pain medication (ie, lifetime pain medication exposure) (n = 185). Main outcome measures: Relationships between BPD, according to two measures, and eight author-developed items reflecting prescription pain medication misuse. Results: With the exception of requesting a prescription for pain medication but not having pain (n.s.), all other measures of prescription pain medication misuse were statistically significantly associated with BPD symptoms. There were also some statistically significant interactions between male gender and BPD symptoms in the prediction of pain medication misuse (ie, mixing prescribed pain medications with drugs to get high, using prescribed pain medication for recreational purposes, and selling prescribed pain medications for money). Conclusions: Individuals with BPD are at risk for misusing prescribed pain medications, and this is especially evident regarding particular forms of misuse among men with BPD symptomatology.
Shape Optimization of Cantilevered Piezoelectric Devices

Energy harvesting using piezoelectric devices has received considerable attention in the past few years. The most commonly used devices have been cantilevered bimorphs with a large proof mass attached to it. The goal of this paper is to discuss the effects of varying geometry to enhance the average strain through a material via shape optimization into triangular type geometries from a quantitative point of view, while studying the internal strain energy and the stress distribution over the surface when a cantilevered device is loaded. When a triangular cantilever is compared to a rectangular counterpart with the same volume, the stress over its surface is linear, as it has a more constant radius of curvature, and its loading capacity effectively doubles. These concepts are explored numerically using ANSYS. The concept of internal strain energy per unit area over the length span of the beam is used to evaluate the amount of average energy stored in the material over the surface, and shows that regardless of geometry, the value is strictly a function of volume of the device. The linear stress distribution over the length of triangular beams, and their relations with the volume when compared to a rectangular cantilever is the standout property that would allow much more reliable operation of cantilevered brittle piezoelectric ceramic devices.
Nitric oxide: role in venular permeability recovery after histamine challenge

Histamine is an inflammatory mediator produced by mast cells that reside close to blood vessels. It causes a transient increase in venular permeability and stimulates endothelial production of nitr...
Chapter 7 – Optics

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a project related to optics. The project quantifies the fact that Fermat's principle implies Snell's Law. Snell's Law from optics says that light traveling from point P reflects off a mirror to point Q in such a way that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. While Fermat's Principle says that light travels along the path that requires the least time. Among all paths reflected off a flat mirror, one can see geometrically that light will reflect at the point where the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. In other words, Fermat's Principle implies Snell's law. The chapter presents the proof of Snell's law for a flat mirror.
An active and incremental learning framework for the online prediction of link quality in robot networks

Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive framework for the active and incremental learning of link quality (LQ) in robot networks. Mobile robots need foresight into the quality of their wireless links in order to proactively optimize routing, plan mobility routes, avoid disconnects, and make other network optimizations. However, the task of predicting LQ is nontrivial. Many environmental factors that influence the quality of radio wave propagation are dynamic, and thus, robots must continually learn and update their prediction models while they operate online. Prior work in the field uses online learning algorithms for predicting LQ, but this approach is costly in terms of energy and network capacity because of the need for a consistent stream of LQ labels to be transmitted from the receiver to the transmitter. Hence, this paper introduces a framework to reduce these overhead expenses by incorporating active learning to selectively label only a portion of the samples from the data stream. The framework also uses incremental training batches to conserve labeling resources, and updates the batches using change detection and forgetting mechanisms to mitigate concept drift. Experimental results reveal that the framework reduces label queries by up to 21.5% and prediction error by up to 9% after periods of concept drift.
Fitness for Service Assessments on Cracked Heavy Wall Reactors

A number of large heavy wall reactors showed severe stress corrosion cracking in the high strength low alloy steel shells. The stress corrosion was mainly caused by the fact that no PWHT was performed which resulted in very high hardness of the Heat Affected Zone; this made the HAZ extremely sensitive for stress corrosion cracking in the feed water environment. The extent of the cracking was such that replacement of all reactors was unavoidable. The redesign and fabrication of the new reactors would take over a year. Fitness for Service methodologies were used keep the reactors running safely until the replacements were installed with minimized down time. This resulted in large economic benefits over several years. The paper covers the FFS assessments performed, the special NDT methods required to get the necessary crack size information at operating conditions as well as failure mode and repair options. It demonstrates an application and the benefits of Fitness for Service assessments on key equipment.Copyright © 2018 by ASME
Ni-Concentration Dependence of Directed Energy Deposited NiTi Alloy Microstructures

Localized re-melting and re-heating in regions between overlapping passes and layers drive localized microstructure development during laser-based additive manufacturing processes. Ti-rich (Ti52.1Ni47.9 at.%) and Ni-rich (Ni53Ti47 at.%) alloy builds were fabricated using a laser-based directed energy deposition (LDED) process and sectioned in three orthogonal cross-sections to provide a 3-dimensional view of the grain and precipitate morphologies in the interpass and interlayer regions. Fine equiaxed grains, which were an order of magnitude smaller than the columnar grains in the bulk regions, were observed in the interfacial regions. While these columnar grains showed preferential orientation in the highest heat flow direction corresponding to the build height, the fine equiaxed grain structures in the interfacial regions showed no orientation preferences. In addition to these changes in grain structures, precipitation of second phases is also impacted in these regions. The re-melting and re-heating characteristic of the interfacial regions produces precipitates in the Ni-rich alloys with fine oriented morphologies different from those observed in the bulk regions.
Direct Femoral Vein Leadless Pacemaker Implantation.

A 75-year-old man with chronic atrial fibrillation and a bioprosthetic aortic valve prosthesis presented for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement due to severe prosthetic valve stenosis. A 29-mm SAPIEN 3 valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) was implanted via right common femoral
Segmental tracheal resection (nine rings) and reconstruction for carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation (CASTLE) of the thyroid.

Background Tumors invading the trachea are rare, and although literature often suggests five tracheal rings as the maximum limit of tracheal resection with primary closure, longer tracheal resections and primary closure are possible in many patients. One such locally invasive tumor with propensity for tracheal invasion is carcinoma showing thymic-like differentiation (CASTLE) of the thyroid. Methods A 53-year-old woman presents with a 2-year history of hoarseness, newly diagnosed right vocal cord paralysis, and a thyroid mass with significant tracheal and esophageal muscularis invasion. Pathology suggests CASTLE. Segmental nine-ring tracheal resection with primary closure is illustrated, demonstrating important tracheal reconstructive techniques. Results At the completion of total thyroidectomy and central compartment dissection (not illustrated), the area of tracheoesophageal tumor involvement is isolated. First, the disease is sharply dissected from the tracheal wall and esophagus, excising 4 cm of esophageal muscularis. Next, a plane is established between the membranous trachea and esophagus. The intact left recurrent laryngeal nerve is released from the left tracheoesophageal groove. Substernal thoracic tracheal attachments are released, and a suprahyoid muscle release is performed. Tracheal rings 1 through 9 are resected en bloc, and circumferential tracheal closure is illustrated, with careful attention to technique of tracheal closure and management of the endotracheal tube. Finally, given the degree of tracheoesophageal resection and indication for postoperative radiation therapy, a pectoralis muscle flap is rotated over the trachea and esophagus. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first video demonstration of a segmental resection and reconstruction of a CASTLE of the thyroid in the peer-reviewed literature. Unique to this case is the significant length of tracheal resection with primary closure, as well as demonstration of concurrent esophageal muscularis resection. Resection and reconstruction of longer segments of cervical trachea require stepwise surgical technique to safely preserve recurrent laryngeal nerve (s), while releasing the larynx and thoracic trachea to minimize tension on the tracheal closure.
A time series based monitoring methodology to optimize purchase timing decisions

Businesses as well as consumers utilize price comparison portals prior to purchasing. Usually such systems provide price time series, but the transformation of the embedded information to select an appropriate purchase time is unknown. We present a methodology to forecast the probability of user customizable sufficient price change events. Four main methodological contributions are presented: (i) an economically meaningful definition of user specified price decreases, (ii) the modification of a bootstrap based ARIMA-GARCH volatility forecasting method to predict the probability of the defined events, (iii) the dynamic statistical evaluation of the forecasting accuracy and (iv) the measurement of the economic utility of the buying recommendation procedure using gain functions. Beyond this, the technique is applied to two distinct forecasting situations, which clearly show the dominance of the proposed decision theoretic framework in comparison to naive purchase strategies like always delaying or always buying immediately.
Women with Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome.

Background Fragile X-associated tremor and ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder linked to the FMR1 premutation. Objectives FXTAS in women is far less common than in men, and this study represents the largest sample reported to date. Methods A total of 53 female premutation carriers with FXTAS (meanage, 66.83 years; FXTAS stages 2-5) and 55 age-matched and demographic background-matched control participants (meanage, 61.94 years) underwent a comprehensive molecular, physiological, neuropsychological, and psychiatric assessment. Results The large sample of female premutation carriers showed a wide range of variability of clinical signs and symptom progression. The imaging results showed a middle cerebellar peduncles sign in only 6 patients; another symptom included high-signal intensity in the splenium of the corpus callosum, and diffuse cerebral deep white matter changes (e.g., in the pons) are more common. The rate of psychiatric disorders, especially depression, is higher than in the general population. There is a clear impairment in executive functioning and fine motor skills in connection with a higher FXTAS stage. Conclusions The manifestation of FXTAS symptoms in female carriers can be diverse with a milder phenotype and a lower penetrance than those observed in male premutation carriers. The middle cerebellar peduncles sign is present in only a small percentage of the sample, and we propose that the imaging criteria for FXTAS in women need to be expanded.
Not Your Common Athletic Heart Problem: Using Coronary CTA to Visualize Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

A 19-year-old healthy male collegiate athlete presented with typical anginal symptoms after running a 5K race. He had complained of similar symptoms off and on for the past month. On presentation, troponin was 0.12 ng/ml (reference value < 0.01 ng/ml), which peaked at 17.7 ng/ml and CK-MB was 28.71 IU/L (reference value < 25 IU/L). ECG showed diffuse biphasic T-waves. Coronary computed tomography angiogram (cCTA) demonstrated a 1.5 cm dissection in the left anterior descending artery and a 1.9 × 1.8 cm attenuation defect in the left ventricular apex consistent with thrombus. Subsequent coronary catheterization confirmed dissection of the left anterior descending artery. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare phenomenon. Diagnosis can be made through noninvasive measures but is usually done through left heart catheterization. In young patients who present with an NSTEMI, clinical suspicion for SCAD among other conditions should be raised. Additionally, recognizing that complications such as intracardiac thrombi can occur in SCAD is critical in ensuring appropriate therapy.
Legal support of the achievements of modern scientific and technological progress of transport in the agro-industrial complex

Problems of ensuring health safety and environmental protection both in separate regions of the country and in the whole Russian territory are directly connected with solving the issues of humanity’s use of the most environmentally “sparing” means of management if we speak about transport industry, which belongs to the category of the most demanded among civil population on one hand, and the most influential on the condition of atmospheric environment pollution on the other. It is believed that one of the most optimal solutions in this area (in terms of the reduction of gas emissions and economic efficiency) is the transition of modern automakers to unmanned vehicles and eco-cars, many of which can already allow the complete elimination of driver participation in the driving of the car. By 2030, the transition to such vehicles will become quite commonplace, at a time when a decade ago the current reality, born of an active leap in the development of scientific and technological progress, seemed fantastic. However, while pursuing well-intentioned goals, such as those related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of unmanned electric vehicles, there are a number of related problems that have not yet found their solution, mostly related to the quality of the legal torts.
Cross-Comb Spectroscopy using Sum-Frequency Sampling in the Mid-IR

We introduce the cross-comb spectroscopy scheme by sum-frequency sampling of a mid-infrared frequency comb using a near-IR comb with a slightly shifted repetition rate. We experimentally demonstrate comb-tooth-resolved measurement of atmospheric CO2 around 4.25 µm.
What Makes a Crime

The purpose of this research was to explore the perceived seriousness of crimes, such as abuse and neglect, committed against nonhuman animals. Drawing upon the methods of previous work on crime seriousness, it was hypothesized that perceptions of the harmfulness and wrongfulness of animal offenses would influence perceptions of seriousness, with wrongfulness being the most powerful predictor. A survey was administered to a sample of college students ( n = 245), and the hypotheses were supported. The results also indicated that crimes against animals were ranked as more serious than property offenses but less serious than crimes against persons. Furthermore, the two predictors—harmfulness and wrongfulness—explained a greater amount of variance in the perceived seriousness of offenses against animals than for property or person offenses. Results are contextualized within policy and philosophical perspectives pertaining to how offenses against animals are viewed by society and addressed by the legal system.
Origins of Behavioral Teratology

The purpose of this chapter is to describe some of the influences that led to the formation of the field of behavioral teratology. A reconstruction such as this can never be complete because there are many experiments, ideas, and conversations among investigators that influence the course of research and that never appear in print. Such intangibles can seldom be recaptured, but in a few cases, fragments of them remain and have been included where available. Before proceeding to the review, two caveats must be mentioned. First, this account is not intended to be a comprehensive history of the field. Rather, the intent has been to focus on those forces that have been of special importance in steering the field to its present place and posture. Second, this review is not unbiased. Although I have striven to be as objective as possible, as a participant in the field I am not a disinterested party. Nor do I possess the trained eye of a historian. Given these considerations, let us now turn to the central questions of this chapter: Where and when did behavioral teratology begin?
Possible significances of duplication in evolution.

Publisher Summary The evolutionary process depends initially on a mechanism capable of providing a pool of heritable variations that constitutes the raw materials upon which the forces of selection can operate. This chapter discusses the criteria for distinguishing duplicate from nonhomologous loci and the possible cases of divergence in function of duplicate loci. If duplication are a source of new genetic functions one should expect to find cases of genes and their mutants at two or more loci that are neither strict duplicates nor clearly heterologous, but represents a transitional situation. The most likely place to look for the supposed transitional types would be in amphidiploid plant species, particularly those species that were well analyzed genetically and that had living diploid relatives. It is a reasonable assumption that in newly formed amphidiploids numerous loci must be duplicated, and that any subsequent disappearance of duplicate functions must be attributed to loss or inactivation of one of the loci and divergence in the function.
Selection for increased female sexual receptivity in raised stocks of Drosophila melanogaster.

Two third-chromosome mutations inraised (rsd) stocks, when homozygous, cause the wings ofDrosophila melanogaster adults to be held upright. Males expressing these mutations cannot vibrate their wings to produce the courtship song, which functions to increase female receptivity to copulation. As expected,rsd males are less successful when courting wild-type females. However, females from long-establishedrsd stocks are more receptive to courtship stimuli and mate more readily with bothrsd and wild-type males than do wild-type females. Genetic analysis reveals dominant factors on the X and third chromosomes that, in combination, are responsible for the increased receptivity ofrsd females. These observations suggest that the lack of courtship song inrsd stocks, which would be expected to reduce the vigor of the stock, may have functioned as a selective force, favoring mutations that increased female receptivity. Possible consequences of selection favoring the development of differential female receptivity on speciation are discussed.
Antidiabetic Drug Therapy of African-American and White Community-Dwelling Elderly Over a 10-Year Period

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and predictors of antidiabetic medication use over a 10-year period in a general population of African-American and white community-dwelling elderly. Design: Survey. Setting: Five adjacent counties (one urban and four rural) in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Participants: Those aged 65 and older present at the baseline (n=4,136), second (n=3,234), third (n=2,508), and fourth (n=1,633) in-person waves of the Duke Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly. Measurements: The use of six discrete categories of antidiabetic medications (insulin, first-generation oral sulfonylureas, second-generation oral sulfonylureas, metformin, oral combination therapy, and insulin combination therapy) was determined. Multivariate analyses, using weighted data adjusted for sampling design, were conducted to assess the association between antidiabetic medication use and race and other sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare factors at baseline and 10 years later. Results: Antidiabetic medications were taken by 21.4% of the population at baseline; this increased to 28.1% at the 10-year follow-up (P<.001). Insulin was the most commonly used drug at baseline (7.9%). The use of second-generation sulfonylureas increased, and use of first-generation sulfonylureas decreased over the 10-year time period. Combination antidiabetic therapy and metformin use was infrequent throughout the study. Multivariate analyses revealed that, at baseline, African Americans were nearly twice as likely (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.46–2.54) to receive any antidiabetic medication as their white counterparts. Other significant (P<.05) factors were hypertension (AOR=1.38, 95% CI=1.03–1.84), stroke (AOR=1.98, 95% CI=1.43–2.73), one or more mobility difficulties (AOR=1.29, 95% CI=1.01–1.66), continuity of care (AOR=1.74, 95% CI=1.20–2.54), and multiple doctor visits (1–4 visits, AOR=1.69, 95% CI=1.08–2.65; ≥5 visits, AOR=3.15, 95% CI=1.95–5.07). Being underweight (AOR=0.45, 95% CI=0.30–0.67) and being cognitively impaired (AOR=0.60, 95% CI=0.41–0.87) were factors significantly (P<.05) associated with a decreased risk of antidiabetic medication use. At the 10-year follow-up, similar trends were seen associating these sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare factors with antidiabetic medication use. Conclusion: Antidiabetic medication use is common and increases over time for community-dwelling elderly. Race is significantly associated with antidiabetic medication use, even after controlling for other sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare variables.
The synthesis, characterization and X-ray crystal structure of the rhenium organodiazenido, organodiazene complex [ReCl2(PPh3) (NNC5H4N) (HNNC5H4N)]

The reaction of the Re(III) complex [ReCl 3 (NNC 5 H 4 NH) (HNNC 5 H 4 N)] ( 1 ) with triphenylphosphine and a proton scavenger in methanol gives the neutral complex [ReCl 2 (PPh 3 ) (NNC 5 H 4 N) (HNNC 5 H 4 N)] ( 2 ). The neutral, six-coordinate complex contains a singly-bent pyridyldiazenido ligand and a bidentate, organodiazene ligand that is chelated through the pyridine nitrogen atom. The IR spectrum displays a series of strong absorptions in the 1600-1150 cm −1 region characteristic of the organohydrazide ligands. The FAB(+) mass spectrum displays the protonated parent ion of 733 m/z and the ion [ReCl(PPh 3 ) (NNHC 5 H 4 N) (HNNC 5 H 4 N)] + of 697 m/z . The X-ray crystal structure of this complex displays a cis arrangement of chloride ligands with the pyridine nitrogen atom of the organodiazene chelate located in the position trans to the pyridyldiazenido ligand. Crystal data for ReCl 2 PN 6 C 28 H 26 : monoclinic space group P 2 I / n , a = 10.263(2), b = 14.938(3), , β = 97.54(3)° with Z = 4 to give . The coordination geometry is distorted octahedral. The ReN bond length to the pyridine nitrogen atom of the organodiazene chelate is 2.147(15) A, while the ReN bond to the diazene-α-nitrogen atom is 1.915(21) A. The NN bond length of this ligand is 1.340(26) A, indicative of multiple bonding within the chelated ligand. The ReN bond length of the pyridyldiazenido ligand is 1.778(14) A, and the NN bond length is 1.212(22) A, again reflecting the multiple bonding throughout the singly-bent, organodiazenido unit. The bond angle of the ReNN linkage is 172.8(13)°.
Comparison of particle-tracking and lumped-parameter age-distribution models for evaluating vulnerability of production wells to contamination

Environmental age tracers have been used in various ways to help assess vulnerability of drinking-water production wells to contamination. The most appropriate approach will depend on the information that is available and that which is desired. To understand how the well will respond to changing nonpoint-source contaminant inputs at the water table, some representation of the distribution of groundwater ages in the well is needed. Such information for production wells is sparse and difficult to obtain, especially in areas lacking detailed field studies. In this study, age distributions derived from detailed groundwater-flow models with advective particle tracking were compared with those generated from lumped-parameter models to examine conditions in which estimates from simpler, less resource-intensive lumped-parameter models could be used in place of estimates from particle-tracking models. In each of four contrasting hydrogeologic settings in the USA, particle-tracking and lumped-parameter models yielded roughly similar age distributions and largely indistinguishable contaminant trends when based on similar conceptual models and calibrated to similar tracer data. Although model calibrations and predictions were variably affected by tracer limitations and conceptual ambiguities, results illustrated the importance of full age distributions, rather than apparent tracer ages or model mean ages, for trend analysis and forecasting.
Modified Gelatin Films from Croaker Skins: Effects of pH, and Addition of Glycerol and Chitosan

This work evaluated the effects of pH (3, 4 and 5) and addition of glycerol (10, 20 and 30%, w/w) in films of gelatin extracted from croaker skins, and afterward modified by chitosan. The gelatin films were produced by casting technique. The chitosan additions (10, 20 and 30% w/w) in relation to the gelatin films were analyzed. Films were characterized as tensile strength (TS), elongation, water vapor permeability (WVP) and optical properties (color, color variation and opacity). Gelatins were characterized for gel strength (221 g) and viscosity (3.7 cP), and chitosan was obtained from shells of shrimp and characterized (150 kDa and deacetylation degree of 85%). The gelatin film with 10% (w/w) glycerol and pH 4 showed the best TS value and suitable WVP value. The amount of chitosan of 10% (w/w) added to the gelatin film on the best conditions produced the modified films with the best properties of TS and WVP. Practical Applications Several types of biopolymeric films have been developed, combining proteins and polysaccharides, and among these, gelatin and chitosan take on homogeneous form because of miscibility between the two biopolymers. Improvements in the connection crossed in gelatin mixture with chitosan are attributed to the formation of polielectrolic compounds, among the groups of amino of the chitosan and of the groups of lateral chains charged negatively of the gelatin through electrostatic interaction. The study of the mechanical properties of the biodegradable films is a subject of great importance, because of its influence on the acting of the product and the consumer's acceptance. In this context, the intensification need is observed in the studies about the gelatin extraction starting from fish skins and its application in the production of pure and modified films with chitosan and plasticizer.
Superluminal phase and group velocities: A tutorial on Sommerfeld's phase, group, and front velocities for wave motion in a medium, with applications to the "instantaneous superluminality" of electrons

The concepts of phase, group, and front velocities introduced by Sommerfeld will be reviewed, and applied to superluminal phenomena, with a brief review of optical experiments that evince superluminal group velocities. We shall discuss the special case of "instantaneous superluminality" in the case of electrons. In particular, the charge transfer of electrons through a Fermi sea of electrons from the interior to the exterior of a normal metal will be discussed in connection with an ongoing experiment to measure the time it takes for this charge transfer process to take place in a long aluminum bar, in a generalization of Faraday's original "ice-pail" experiment. Also, the speed of the charge transfer of Cooper pairs through a bimetallic superconducting island, coupled via an input and an output Josephson junctions, will be discussed.