cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural Fault Detection and Isolation in Hybrid Systems

This paper develops a structural diagnosis approach for fault detection and isolation in hybrid systems. Hybrid systems are characterized by continuous behaviors that are interspersed with discrete mode changes in the system, making the analysis of behaviors quite complex. In this paper, we address the mode detection problem in hybrid systems as the first step in diagnoser design. The proposed method uses analytic redundancy methods to detect the operating mode of the system even in the presence of system faults. We define hybrid minimal structurally overdetermined (HMSO) sets for hybrid systems. For residual generation, we develop the HMSO selection problem, formulated as a binary integer linear programming optimization problem to minimize the number of selected HMSOs and reduce online computational costs of the diagnosis algorithm. The proposed structural approach does not require preenumeration of all possible modes in the diagnoser design step. Therefore, our approach is feasible for hybrid systems with a large number of switching elements, implying that the system can have a large number of operating modes. The case study demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach. We discuss the results of our case study, and present directions for future work. Note to Practitioners —Developing feasible approaches for online monitoring, fault detection, and fault isolation of complex hybrid and embedded systems, such as automobiles, aircraft, power plants, and manufacturing processes, is essential in securing their safe, reliable, and efficient operation. Frequent changes in the operational modes of these systems because of operator actions, such as changing gears in an automobile, or environmental changes, such as driving on a wet or icy road make the fault detection and isolation task in these systems challenging. It is important to detect and isolate faults in all the operating modes, and at the same time, not mistake a mode change as a fault in the system. In this paper, we propose an approach that exploits the equation structure of hybrid systems behavior to combine mode detection and diagnosis in nonlinear hybrid systems. The proposed algorithm is scalable and efficient. We demonstrate its effectiveness using a case study of a reverse osmosis subsystem in an advances life support system for long duration manned space missions. Important challenges that can affect the success of our approach include the need for sufficiently detailed hybrid models that capture nominal and faulty behavior, and a sufficient number of sensors to make simultaneous mode detection and fault isolation possible.
Both patients and maternity care providers can benefit from payment reform: four steps to prepare

Many Medicaid programs and private health plans are implementing new models of maternity care reimbursement, and clinicians face mounting pressure to demonstrate high-quality care at a lower cost. Clinicians will be better prepared to meet these challenges with a fuller understanding of new payment models and the opportunities they present. We describe the structure of maternity care episode payments and recommend 4 ways that clinicians can prepare for success as value-based payment models are implemented: identify opportunities to improve outcomes and experience, measure quality, reduce waste, and work in teams across settings.
Child Well-Being and Child Suffering

“How are the kids?” is a well-being question. Reversing the spectrum of this question, it becomes “Are the kids suffering?” Adults might be able to answer these questions for their own children or those in their immediate surroundings, and many children could provide information about their own well-being and suffering (or those of other children). However, applied to large populations of children at the national and cross-national levels, well-being and suffering questions are more challenging. This conundrum has stimulated the rapid development of child well-being indicators. This chapter reviews the objective and subjective approaches to measuring well-being, describing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and how it has been used in cross-national studies of child well-being. We then report some descriptive international comparisons of country-specific indicators of child suffering in relation to corresponding values of the Human Development Index and what these tell us against one another. We conclude with future directions for necessary developments to advance the global monitoring of child suffering.
Macrophage polarization and activation at the interface of multi-walled carbon nanotube-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis.

Pulmonary exposure to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) induces fibrosing lesions in the lungs that manifest rapid-onset inflammatory and fibrotic responses, leading to chronic fibrosis in animals and health...
Ethnobotany of Brazil’s African Diaspora: The Role of Floristic Homogenization

Nearly five million enslaved Africans were transported to the shores of Brazil over the course of the Atlantic slave trade. During the latter stages, from the 1780s to 1851, the majority hailed from the Bight of Benin, representing especially the Yoruba, Ewe, and Fon peoples. The belief systems introduced by these sub-Saharan peoples were reassembled in Brazil under the generic name of Candomble. Among the noteworthy features of this religion is a profound spiritual association between a pantheon of deities (the orixas) and a host of edible and medicinal plant species. This chapter demonstrates that Brazil’s African diaspora capitalized on a cornucopia of esculent and medicinal plants that had diffused back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Columbian Exchange. Centuries before the kidnapping and transport of most African slaves, the anthropogenic habitats of South America and West Africa—the second-growth forests, swiddens, plantations, trails, and kitchen gardens—exhibited significant floristic similarity. This early transatlantic botanical homogenization greatly enhanced the ability of newly arrived Africans and their descendants to reassemble their ethnobotanical traditions in what was otherwise an alien floristic landscape.
Learning and Assessment: Twenty-First Century Skills and Cognitive Readiness

This effort considers briefly the interpretations and elements of twenty-first century skills, the components of cognitive readiness, and how they may generate overlapping conceptual models for learning and assessment. The chapter then addresses different functions, benefits, and flaws of the different conceptualizations as they apply to various purposes, including the design of learning and assessment. Next, content is treated through the use of a method to develop an ontology that reflects the domain relevant to measurement or learning. Ontologies have at least two major uses. First they provide a graphical representation of verbal goals or domain boundaries where they engender greater transparency, opportunity for agreement, discussion, and support, and sampling plans for critical or highly important content topics and methods. Their more complete use, however, is to set rules and content for the design of databases intended to monitor, revise, and manage performance generated by twenty-first century skill tasks, content, and items given to target respondents. Only a relatively brief treatment is provided here of the development of such smart databases. Finally, the chapter closes with a brief treatment of validity, including assessment design adequacy, criteria of quality, and validity of interpretations, in the context of the emerging research agenda in the field.
Estimation of Time-Varying Sparse Signals in Sensor Networks

In this chapter, we consider the problem of reconstructing time-varying sparse signals in a sensor network with limited communication resources. In each time interval, the fusion center transmits the predicted signal estimate and its corresponding error covariance to a selected subset of sensors. The selected sensors compute quantized innovations and transmit them to the fusion center. We consider the situation where the signal is sparse, i.e., a large fraction of its components is zero-valued. We discuss algorithms for signal estimation in the described scenario, analyze their complexity, and demonstrate their near-optimal performance even in the case where sensors transmit a single bit (i.e., the sign of innovation) to the fusion center.
National fire management policy

A Fire Management Policy Review Team was established in 1988, with representatives from the US Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, with the purpose of reviewing current policies governing national park and wilderness fire management. The author outlines the goals of the review team and discusses the seven final issues that summarized the team's findings.
The 3×1 Program for migrants and vigilante groups in contemporary Mexico

What explains the emergence of armed vigilante groups in Mexico over the past decade? This article links the recent emergence of armed vigilante organisations to United States-Mexico migration. Dra...
A Survivability-Aware Cyber-Physical Systems Design Methodology

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are the key components of many critical infrastructures, and survivability is one of the major concerns for their reliable operation. Survivability may be defined as the ability of the system to maintain its normal operation in the presence of adversaries. Therefore, analyzing the survivability of CPS during the design phase is very important. In this paper, we introduce an approach for using Key Performance Indicator (KPI) blocks while designing the simulation models for CPS to determine their survivability at run time. We have developed a KPI library containing temporal and spatial KPI blocks. With different use case scenarios of an attacked system, we show that the combination of these two kinds of KPI blocks may help the designers to analyze the system’s survivability at design time. Through experimental evaluation on the simulation models, we also show the credibility of using our proposed KPI blocks in the design of CPS.
A Case Report of a Buried Needle in an Oculofacial Trauma

We report a case of a 40-year-old East Asian male who presented with multiple facial lacerations and was referred to oculoplastics for periorbital assessment and wound repair. On wound closure, the...
Thin liquid films formation and evaporation mechanisms around elongated bubbles in rectangular cross-section microchannels

Abstract Thin film evaporation is the dominant mechanism of heat transfer in the microchannel flow boiling process. Hence, its understanding is paramount to development of predictive models and more efficient microchannel heat exchangers. Although microchannels mostly have a rectangular cross-section, the existing models are developed for circular cross-section microchannels. The non-uniformity of the liquid film thickness in microchannels with a rectangular cross-section has made prediction of the onset of dryout and heat transfer coefficient greatly challenging. Here, a test device capable of measuring the wall heat flux is utilized to fully characterize the thin film formation and evaporation process. The effects of flow capillary number (Ca) and channel aspect ratio on the liquid film thickness are determined in microchannels with 300 μm width and 300, 150, and 75 μm heights, representing aspect ratios of 1, 2, and 4, respectively. It is shown that the only existing mechanistic model for the elongated bubble regime in microchannels fails to predict the experimental heat transfer coefficient (HTC) both quantitively, by a 50–120% margin, and qualitatively, due to a fundamental difference in evaporation and dryout of a variable versus a uniform film assumed in the model. The results presented here pave the way for development of a more accurate mechanistic model for the thin film evaporation heat transfer mechanism in microchannels with a rectangular cross-section.
The Danger of Seeing Too Much: Fin-de-siècle Ethics and Aesthetics in Oscar Wilde’s Salome

The ethical dimensions of Decadence, of navigating the world and generating meaning from reality by cataloging its surfaces, face a challenge when opposing perspectives are introduced. In Wilde’s play, Salome embodies a Decadent style while Iokanaan articulates the Symbolist worldview. In the cosmopolitan and multicultural setting of ancient Judea, Symbolism presents the unseen and intangible as a frightful and unsettling force. The play’s long and ornate speeches juxtapose these alternative aesthetic systems and inscribe an ethical component onto the characters’ precious words and ornate images. The play’s complex representation of identity, in the context of modernist rhetoric and epistemology, draws out the moral implications of Symbolism and Decadence. The numerous moments of miscommunication and unreciprocated gazes throughout Salome affirm the deepest anxieties of modernity. The failures of both Symbolism and Decadence to compensate for this loss perpetuate a cycle of meaningless superficiality and depth.
Introduction to Ostrom's Tensions: Examining the Political Economy and Public Policy of Elinor C. Ostrom (book)

Elinor Ostrom (1933–2012) influenced fields ranging from institutional analysis to metropolitan service delivery, from federalism and theories of polycentric orders to common-pool resource management and sustainable development. Her seminal book, Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action (1990), put forward new approaches to institutional economics that would shape scholarship across multiple fields. In 2009, Ostrom was named co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics, along with Oliver E. Williamson, with particular recognition for her path-breaking work on institutions organized to address common-pool resource settings. This new collection of essays illuminates important aspects of Ostrom's contributions and how they shape our understanding of institutions, constitutions, and the prospects for self-governance and also identify critical tensions that remain to be studied. The theoretical tensions considered range from issues of the cohesiveness of the research program to its comparison with well-accepted theoretical approaches to the evaluation of those specific, unresolved theoretical puzzles posed by the underlying assumptions in the Ostroms’ scholarship. Together, they offer a sample of today’s wide range of interpretive and critical engagement with the Ostroms’ intellectual legacy. This chapter provides an introduction to the volume and an overview of Ostrom's important work.
Teaching in a Busy Clinical Setting

Teaching in a clinical setting poses many unique challenges, including balancing the learning objectives of the student with clinical care of the patient. Overcoming these challenges can be difficult; however, this chapter aims to provide some techniques to construct a successful educational environment that is productive for the student, the patient, and the teacher.
Acylation as a successful derivatization strategy for the analysis of pinacolyl alcohol in a glycerol-rich matrix by GC-MS: application during an OPCW Proficiency Test.

A derivatization protocol based on the acylation of pinacolyl alcohol (PA), an important marker for the nerve agent soman, is presented. The procedure provides a convenient means of detecting, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), PA when present at a low concentration in a complex glycerol/alcohol-rich matrix. While there are only two reports describing the specific analysis of PA in matrices at low concentrations, the protocol described herein represents the first of its kind in the analysis of PA in a highly reactive matrix. Two alternative paths for the protocol’s execution are presented. The first involves the direct derivatization of the PA with either acetyl or benzoyl chloride; both reactions yield ester products with significantly different retention times than those of the interferences of the reactive glycerol-rich matrix and in areas of the GC-chromatogram featuring lower levels of matrix interferences. A second procedure involved an initial diethyl ether/aqueous extraction of the matrix; while the extraction was found to substantially remove many of the hydrophilic matrix components and improve the overall derivatization, it also led to some loss of PA available for the derivatization. Both protocols were applied to the successful derivatization and analysis of PA by GC-MS when present at a 5 μg.mL−1 concentration in a glycerol-rich matrix sample administered during the 48th Proficiency Test administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Status motives and agent-to-agent information sharing

Although decision-making within firms improves when agents share information with one another, agents often have limited motivation to share because doing so takes effort and time. In four experiments, we examine how agents’ responses to information sharing controls depend on an important source of motivation: active status motives, that is, the desire to gain respect from others. In a rewards-based system that compensates agents for sharing, agents with active status motives demand relatively larger rewards. In a sacrifice-based system that does not compensate agents for sharing, agents with active status motives make larger sacrifices but only when sharing is visible to others. In brief, agents with active status motives show off in the manner the control system frames as easiest, that is, conspicuous value-signaling or conspicuous generosity-signaling. Broadly speaking, active status motives inhibit sharing when sharing involves rewards but decrease barriers when sharing involves sacrifice. Understanding the motivation for status is critical to motivating agent-to-agent sharing within firms.
Longitudinal impact on rat cardiac tissue transcriptomic profiles due to acute intratracheal inhalation exposures to isoflurane.

Isoflurane (ISO) is a widely used inhalation anesthetic in experiments with rodents and humans during surgery. Though ISO has not been reported to impart long-lasting side effects, it is unknown if ISO can influence gene regulation in certain tissues, including the heart. Such changes could have important implications for use of this anesthetic in patients susceptible to heart failure/other cardiac abnormalities. To test if ISO could alter gene regulation/expression in heart tissues, and if such changes were reversible, prolonged, or late onset with time, SHR (spontaneously hypertensive) rats were exposed by intratracheal inhalation to a 97.5% air/2.5% ISO mixture on two consecutive days (2 hr/d). Control rats breathed filtered air only. On Days 1, 30, 240, and 360 post-exposure, rat hearts were collected and total RNA was extracted from the left ventricle for global gene expression analysis. The data revealed differentially-expressed genes (DEG) in response to ISO (compared to naive control) at all post-exposure timepoints. The data showed acute ISO exposures led to DEG associated with wounding, local immune function, inflammation, and circadian rhythm regulation at Days 1 and 30; these effects dissipated by Day 240. There were other significantly-increased DEG induced by ISO at Day 360; these included changes in expression of genes associated with cell signaling, differentiation, and migration, extracellular matrix organization, cell-substrate adhesion, heart development, and blood pressure regulation. Examination of consistent DEG at Days 240 and 360 indicated late onset DEG reflecting potential long-lasting effects from ISO; these included DEG associated with oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome, angiogenesis, mitochondrial translation elongation, and focal adhesion. Together, the data show acute repeated ISO exposures could impart variable effects on gene expression/regulation in the heart. While some alterations self-resolved, others appeared to be long-lasting or late onset. Whether such changes occur in all rat models or in humans remains to be investigated.
Thiolase from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 and Its Role in the Synthesis of Acids and Solvents.

Thiolase (acetyl-coenzyme A [CoA] acetyltransferase, E.C. 2.3.1.19) from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 has been purified 70-fold to homogeneity. Unlike the thiolase in Clostridium pasteurianum, this thiolase has high relative activity throughout the physiological range of internal pH of 5.5 to 7.0, indicating that change in internal pH during acid production is not an important factor in the regulation of this thiolase. In the condensation direction, the thiolase is inhibited by micromolar levels of CoA, and this may be an important factor in modulating the net condensation of acetyl-CoA to acetoacetyl-CoA. Other cofactors and metabolites that were tested and shown to be inhibitors are ATP and butyryl-CoA. The native enzyme consists of four 44,000-molecular-weight subunits. The kinetic binding mechanism is ping-pong. The K(m) value for acetyl-CoA is 0.27 mM at 30 degrees C and pH 7.4. The K(m) values for sulfhydryl-CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA are, respectively, 0.0048 and 0.032 mM at 30 degrees C and pH 8.0. The active site apparently contains a sulfhydryl group, but unlike other thiolases, this thiolase is relatively stable in the presence of 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). Studies of thiolase specific activity under various types of continuous fermentations show that regulation of this enzyme at both the genetic and enzyme levels is important.
Generalized Haber's law for exponential concentration decline, with application to riparian-aquatic pesticide ecotoxicity.

A simple analytic solution to the dynamic version of Haber's law was derived, conditional on a specified toxic load exponent (n) and on exponential decline in environmental toxicant concentration. Such conditions are particularly relevant to assessing ecotoxicity risk posed (e.g., to juvenile salmonids) by agricultural organophosphate (OP) pesticides that are subject to degradation and/or dissipation. A dynamic Haber's law model was fit to previously published detailed data on lethality for two aquatic species induced by six agricultural OP pesticides, and more crude fits were obtained to less detailed data on five other OP and on two non-OP pesticides, indicating that for lethality, a range of 0.5 ≤ n ≤ 1.5 may be typical for OP pesticides. The AgDRIFT(®) stream deposition model was next used to establish that first-order or exponential loss, with dilution half-times on the order of ≤0.01 days, pertains approximately to pesticide residues in streams that arise after aerial application of agricultural pesticides 100 feet upwind. The analytic model was then applied to demonstrate that pesticide concentrations deposited in downwind streams following an aerial application are effectively diluted by about 50- to 300-fold from their initial concentration. Riparian ecotoxicity risk assessment models that ignore this effective dilution, and base pesticide-specific estimates of reduced survival on the initial concentrations, are therefore unrealistically conservative.
Papers in Philosophical Logic

Introduction 1. Adverbs of quantification 2. Index, context, and content 3. 'Whether' report 4. Probabilities of conditionals and conditional probabilities 5. Probabilities of conditionals and conditional probabilities II 6. Intensional logics without iterative axioms 7. Ordering semantics and premise semantics for Counterfactuals 8. Logic for equivocators 9. Relevant implication 10. Statements partly about observation 11. Ayer's first empiricist criterion of meaning: why does it fail? 12. Analog and digital 13. Lucas against mechanism 14. Lucas against mechanism II 15. Policing the Aufbau 16. Finitude and infinitude in the atomic calculus of individuals (with Wilfrid Hodges) 17. Nominalistic set theory 18. Mathematics is megethology Index.
Males' and Females' Script Debugging Strategies

Little research has addressed IT professionals' script debugging strategies, or considered whether there may be gender differences in these strategies. What strategies do male and female scripters use and what kinds of mechanisms do they employ to successfully fix bugs? Also, are scripters' debugging strategies similar to or different from those of spreadsheet debuggers? Without the answers to these questions, tool designers do not have a target to aim at for supporting how male and female scripters want to go about debugging. We conducted a think-aloud study to bridge this gap. Our results include (1) a generalized understanding of debugging strategies used by spreadsheet users and scripters, (2) identification of the multiple mechanisms scripters employed to carry out the strategies, and (3) detailed examples of how these debugging strategies were employed by males and females to successfully fix bugs.
Self and Identity

This chapter discusses several aspects of the self and identity including self-conceptualization, racial/ethnic identity, gender roles, hypermasculinity, and sexual identity. High racial/ethnic identity is linked to better academic performance and other indicators of well-being. The gender role beliefs of African American boys tend to be more androgynous than that of boys from other racial/ethnic groups. African American boys sometimes endorse hypermasculinity as a way to cope with stress that may occur when living in low-resource and disorganized communities. The development of sexual identity among gay, bisexual, and questioning African American male adolescents can sometimes be challenging.
Prenatal hydrops foetalis associated with infantile free sialic acid storage disease

Non-immune hydrops foetalis is a challenging condition presenting with excessive fluid accumulation in more than one compartment. Lysosomal storage diseases have been reported in up to 5–16% of non...
Dynamic topology optimization and transition schemes for assuring connectivity in multihop mobile optical wireless communications networks

Mobile Free Space Optical (FSO) links suffer from frequent link blockages due to opaque obstructions or link degradations that can result in degraded or failed networks. In this paper, a dynamic layer-1 based topology and routing control methodology is presented for assuring connectivity in networks with fragile links. Core components of this methodology are described with special emphasis on the dynamic topology optimization algorithm and topology transition schemes. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology depends on the fragility of links compared to the topology optimization duration. If the link fragility is comparable to the time taken to achieve the optimal topology, then this methodology will not lead to a stable network. A companion paper [1] presents link fragility results for various types of terrain and demonstrates that the expected link longevity is significantly greater than the time taken by the proposed dynamic network optimization scheme. Thus, network connectivity can be greatly improved by employing the proposed dynamic topology control methodology and optimization of physical network parameters such as antenna height.
Retrievable inferior vena cava filters in trauma patients: factors that influence removal rate and an argument for institutional protocols

Abstract Background Trauma patients at risk for pulmonary embolism, but with contraindications for anticoagulation therapy, often have retrievable inferior vena cava filters (RIVCF) placed. This study evaluated factors associated with the recovery rate of the device (RIVCFs) with the goal of developing an institutional protocol to ensure timely removal. Methods This was a case-control study of 88 trauma patients who underwent RIVCF placement at a level 1 trauma center between 2006 and 2010. Results The overall retrieval rate was 58%, declining from 89% in 2006 to 50% in 2009. Factors independently associated with filter nonretrieval included increasing age, increase in number of providers, comorbidity, hospital discharge from the intensive care unit, and discharge to a long-term acute care facility or skilled nursing facility. In 2010, a protocol was implemented and the retrieval rate increased to 73%. Conclusions In a large institution where a number of providers may be responsible for filter management, implementation of a protocol appears to improve retrieval rates.
Immediate radiographic assessment following laparoscopic antireflux operations is unnecessary.

Background: Laparoscopic antireflux operations (LAP) have become increasingly common for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We sought to determine if routine postoperative barium contrast studies following LAP were clinically efficacious in identifying technical problems and life-threatening complications related to the surgical intervention. Methods: From January 1996 to December 1997, 112 barium studies were performed following 112 LAP procedures (47 male/65 female patients; mean age, 51 years) (group I). This group was compared to a subsequent cohort of 67 patients who underwent LAP between January 1998 and July 1998 without routine early postoperative barium contrast study (group II). Results: In 111/112 of the barium studies of group I, no radiographic abnormality was identified. The average length of stay (LOS) for these patients was 2.6 days. Routine barium studies were not utilized in group II. The average length of stay for patients in group II was 1.4 days. Twelve group II patients underwent early postoperative barium studies to evaluate suspicious clinical symptoms. None of these 12 postoperative studies identified important problems, nor did they alter the patients' clinical management. However, because of the barium study, their LOS was equivalent to those patients who had undergone routine barium study (2.4 days). There was an increase of $1451.80 in hospital charges in the group of patients who had a barium study, largely as a result of the increased LOS. Conclusion: The routine use of these studies results in increased patient charges and a prolongation in the length of hospital stay. Immediate postoperative barium studies following laparoscopic antireflux operations are of little value in determining important postoperative problems among patients undergoing LAO.
A real-time adaptive signal control in a connected vehicle environment

The state of the practice traffic signal control strategies mainly rely on infrastructure based vehicle detector data as the input for the control logic. The infrastructure based detectors are generally point detectors which cannot directly provide measurement of vehicle location and speed. With the advances in wireless communication technology, vehicles are able to communicate with each other and with the infrastructure in the emerging connected vehicle system. Data collected from connected vehicles provides a much more complete picture of the traffic states near an intersection and can be utilized for signal control. This paper presents a real-time adaptive signal phase allocation algorithm using connected vehicle data. The proposed algorithm optimizes the phase sequence and duration by solving a two-level optimization problem. Two objective functions are considered: minimization of total vehicle delay and minimization of queue length. Due to the low penetration rate of the connected vehicles, an algorithm that estimates the states of unequipped vehicle based on connected vehicle data is developed to construct a complete arrival table for the phase allocation algorithm. A real-world intersection is modeled in VISSIM to validate the algorithms. Results with a variety of connected vehicle market penetration rates and demand levels are compared to well-tuned fully actuated control. In general, the proposed control algorithm outperforms actuated control by reducing total delay by as much as 16.33% in a high penetration rate case and similar delay in a low penetration rate case. Different objective functions result in different behaviors of signal timing. The minimization of total vehicle delay usually generates lower total vehicle delay, while minimization of queue length serves all phases in a more balanced way.
Oxygen Permeability Measurements on Elastomers at Temperatures up to 225 °C

Oxygen permeability data, vital parameters for understanding and modeling the thermooxidative degradation of polymers, have been determined for various elastomers. Using a novel experimental setup, oxygen permeability through sheet materials was measured for elevated temperatures up to 225 °C. Under these conditions oxygen can react with the polymer reducing the effective O2 flux. Knowing the relevant oxidation rates makes it possible to correct the permeability measurements for thermal oxidation occurring during permeation. A theoretical model using iterative data processing to determine true permeability data was developed to compensate for the oxidative loss of oxygen. The applicability to data collection and mathematical treatment for a range of materials is demonstrated. All permeability measurements exhibit curvature for an Arrhenius plot with activation energies being highly dependent on temperature.
Methylene blue induces cytotoxicity in human brain tumor cells

Methylene blue (MB), a known inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase, induced cytotoxicity in SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma and U-373 MG human astrocytoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. MB did not significantly alter cellular levels of cGMP in both cells. 8-Br cGMP, a membrane-permeable analogue of cGMP, did not decrease MB-induced cytotoxicity, indicating that cGMP may not be a major target of the cytotoxic action of MB. However, hydroxyl radical scavengers or intracellular Ca2+ modulators effectively blocked the MB-induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that hydroxyl radical and intracellular Ca2+ may have an important involvement in the cytotoxic action of MB. These results further suggest that the treatment with MB may be useful for the therapeutic applications of human brain tumors.
Alkyl Nitrate, Hydroxyalkyl Nitrate, and Hydroxycarbonyl Formation from the NOx−Air Photooxidations of C5−C8 n-Alkanes

Products of the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals with the n-alkanes n-pentane through n-octane at 298 ± 2 K and atmospheric pressure of air have been investigated using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID), combined gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and in situ atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The formation yields of alkyl nitrates from n-hexane, n-heptane, and n-octane were measured by GC-FID, with the sum of the isomeric alkyl nitrates being 0.141 ± 0.020, 0.178 ± 0.024, and 0.226 ± 0.032, respectively. These alkyl nitrate yields are ∼35% lower than previous data reported from this laboratory in the early 1980s. Using negative ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization with the addition of pentafluorobenzyl alcohol to study the n-pentane through n-octane reactions and those of the fully deuterated n-alkanes, hydroxyalkyl nitrate products were identified from the n-pentane, n-heptane, and n-octane reactions for the first time and the presenc...
Reactive nitrogen oxides in the southeast United States national parks: source identification, origin, and process budget

Abstract We present in this study both measurement-based and modeling analyses for elucidation of source attribution, influence areas, and process budget of reactive nitrogen oxides at two rural southeast United States sites (Great Smoky Mountains national park (GRSM) and Mammoth Cave national park (MACA)). Availability of nitrogen oxides is considered as the limiting factor to ozone production in these areas and the relative source contribution of reactive nitrogen oxides from point or mobile sources is important in understanding why these areas have high ozone. Using two independent observation-based techniques, multiple linear regression analysis and emission inventory analysis, we demonstrate that point sources contribute a minimum of 23% of total NOy at GRSM and 27% at MACA. The influence areas for these two sites, or origins of nitrogen oxides, are investigated using trajectory-cluster analysis. The result shows that air masses from the West and Southwest sweep over GRSM most frequently, while pollutants transported from the eastern half (i.e., East, Northeast, and Southeast) have limited influence (
Transient Impact of Automated Glomerular Filtration Rate Reporting on Drug Dosing for Hospitalized Older Adults With Concealed Renal Insufficiency

Abstract Background Older adults with concealed renal insufficiency are at risk of medication dosing errors. It is not known whether automated estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) reporting is associated with reduced dosing errors in this population. Objective The goal of the present study was to examine the impact on prescribing patterns in older adults with concealed renal insufficiency for a variety of renally cleared medications before and after the addition of automated eGFR reporting. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review at a single tertiary academic medical center among hospitalized patients aged ≥70 years with concealed renal insufficiency. Data were examined from the months of July, December, and May before and after the hospital initiated automated eGFR reporting, in 2006–2007 and 2008–2009, respectively. Doses of selected renally cleared medications were classified as appropriate or inappropriate on the basis of published recommendations. Regression models were used to identify demographic, clinical, and care factors associated with dosing appropriateness. Results Before implementation of automated eGFR reporting, we observed 260 persons in whom 42.2% of relevant prescriptions were inappropriately dosed; after implementation, there were 280 subjects in whom 36.6% of relevant prescriptions were inappropriately dosed. The multivariable model suggested an overall trend toward less inappropriate dosing after automated eGFR reporting began, compared with rates before (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.75 [95% confidence interval: 0.52–1.07], P = 0.11). However, a gradient was observed as the academic year progressed. A marked reduction in the rate of inappropriate medication dosing was seen in July after initiation of eGFR reporting compared with the July before initiation (AOR = 0.28; P P = 0.05) and gone by May (AOR = 0.85; P = 0.67). Conclusion Automated eGFR reporting alone, without any order entry intervention, was associated only transiently with improved dosing appropriateness for these older adults with concealed renal insufficiency.
Transfer RNA4lys and cell cycle progression: Characterization of Ts-694 cells

Lysine tRNA modification has been studied in mammalian ts-694 cells with respect to cell cycle progression in temperature downshift and upshift experiments. The modification of tRNA(lys) measured in temperature downshift experiments showed that tRNA(4lys) levels start to increase 6 h following the temperature shift, approximately 10-12 h prior to the cells entry into S phase. Ts-694 cells showed a gradual decrease in the level of tRNA(4lys) and the rates of DNA synthesis following a temperature upshift. The cells became growth arrested following incubation for 36-45 h at the rt. Cell cycle mapping of the temperature restriction point suggests a G1 block prior to the serum deprivation restriction point. Depletion of cellular tRNA(4lys) by serum deprivation followed by simultaneously shifting cells to the rt and feeding medium containing 10% serum showed that cells with low tRNA(4lys) levels and no mechanism for the synthesis of tRNA(4lys) could not enter S phase and synthesize DNA. Blocking of ts-694 at the G1/S boundary with aphidicolin indicates that cells that have passed through G1 are capable of entering S phase and synthesizing DNA independent of the incubation temperature. These results indicate that tRNA(4lys) is not needed during S phase for DNA replication but suggests that tRNA(4lys) is required for cells to progress through G1.
Enabling rich human-agent interaction for a calendar scheduling agent

The RhaiCAL system provides novel visualizations and interaction techniques for interacting with an intelligent agent, with an emphasis on calendar scheduling. After an agent interprets natural language containing meeting information, a user can easily correct mistakes using RhaiCAL's clarification dialogs, which provide the agent with feedback to improve its performance. When an agent proposes actions to take on the user's behalf, it can ask the user to confirm them. RhaiCAL uses novel visualizations to present the proposal to the user and allow them to modify the proposal, and informs the agent of the user's actions in a manner that supports long-term learning of the user's preferences. We have designed a high-level XML-based language that allows an agent to express its questions and proposed actions without mentioning user interface details, and that enables RhaiCAL to generate high-quality user interfaces.
Gamma-ray burst and spectroscopy instrumentation development at the Goddard Space Flight Center

This paper summarizes the activities that are specifically related to the development of instrumentation for gamma-ray astronomy. Three programs are described: (1) the Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (GRIS), a balloon-borne array of seven germanium detectors for high-resolution spectrographic studies of persistent gamma-ray sources; (2) the Transient Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (TGRS), a single radiatively-cooled germanium detector for the spectrographic study of gamma-ray bursts, and (3) the Rapidly Moving Telescope (RMT), a ground-based optical telescope for the detection and study of short-lived optical transients, particularly those that occur in coincidence with gamma-ray bursts.
Oil detection in the coastal marshes of Louisiana using MESMA applied to band subsets of AVIRIS data

Abstract We mapped oil presence in the marshes of Barataria Bay, Louisiana following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data. Oil and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) have very similar spectra, differing only in two narrow hydrocarbon absorption regions around 1700 and 2300 nm. Confusion between NPV and oil is expressed as an increase in oil fraction error with increasing NPV, as shown by Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) applied to synthetic spectra generated with known endmember fractions. Significantly, the magnitude of error varied depending upon the type of NPV in the mixture. To reduce error, we used stable zone unmixing to identify a nine band subset that emphasized the hydrocarbon absorption regions, allowing for more accurate detection of oil presence using MESMA. When this band subset was applied to post-spill AVIRIS data acquired over Barataria Bay on several dates following the 2010 oil spill, accuracies ranged from 87.5% to 93.3%. Oil presence extended 10.5 m into the marsh for oiled shorelines, showing a reduced oil fraction with increasing distance from the shoreline.
The Acutely Ischemic Extremity after Kidney Transplant: an Approach to Management

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to review arterial thromboembolic complications presenting with an acutely ischemic lower extremity after a kidney (KTx) or simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplantation (SPK) and to describe an approach to their management. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all such transplantations (a total of 2109) performed between January 1985 and August 1995. We identified 16 recipients (incidence, 0.76%) in whom an acutely ischemic leg developed during the immediate postoperative period (within the first 48 hours). Results: Of the 16 recipients, eight underwent a KTx (incidence, 0.45%) and eight underwent an SPK transplantation (incidence, 2.90%). Median age was 38 years (range, 15 months to 61 years). Thirteen had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), a significantly higher incidence than in the control group (i.e., transplant recipients without this complication) (p
Literacy concepts and skills among preschoolers: The development and test of a causal path model

Abstract The purpose was to examine how preschoolers' concepts and skills interact in literacy acquisition, and to investigate whether a preschooler's understanding of the purposes of written language is an aspect of general language ability. One hundred twenty-seven children were administered measures of: understanding the purposes of print, intelligence, language ability, skill in phonemic segmentation, sophistication of invented spelling (writing ability), and reading knowledge and ability. A causal path model relating all other variables to reading knowledge was proposed; the model was evaluated and tested using both factor analysis and path analysis. The factor structure was compatible with the proposed model. In the path analysis, all proposed paths were significant, and all excluded paths were insignificant. With reading knowledge as the criterion, only intelligence and writing ability were found to be direct effects. Both phonemic segmentation skill and understanding the purposes of print were indirect effects on reading through writing. When phonemic segmentation and understanding the purposes of print were the criteria, in each case intelligence and language ability were found to be direct effects.
Development of a high-throughput ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay to profile 18 eicosanoids as exploratory biomarkers for atherosclerotic diseases.

Abstract Abundant evidence suggests a prominent role for eicosanoids and metabolites in the pathogenesis and prognosis of inflammatory diseases. A sensitive and high-throughput SPE UPLC–MS/MS method was developed to quantitatively interrogate the levels of 18 eicosanoids in human and monkey plasma samples. A limit of quantitation of 0.25 ng/mL was achieved for all 18 investigated compounds with linear ranges spanning four orders of magnitude. Bioanalytical performance of this assay was fully characterized including SPE extraction efficiency, matrix effect, autosampler stability, benchtop stability and freeze–thaw cycle variability. Endogenous levels of the eicosanoids and analogs within a set of monkey plasma samples challenged with lipopolysaccharide and human plasma samples were quantified by this ultra performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) assay. Quantitative eicosanoid profiles of the human samples were further analyzed by a non-supervised cluster analysis, which revealed a set of potential positive and negative lipid biomarkers to distinguish the following three groups: healthy individuals, hypertensive patients and severe atherosclerosis patients. The components of the negative biomarker cluster (8-HETE, LTB4, 9-HODE and 13-HODE) are putative ligands of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), a family of master genes controlling the resolution of inflammatory signaling.