cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Light scattering and size exclusion chromatography of semi-flexible polyimide precursors

Measurement of the molecular weight, radius, and molecular weight distribution of polyimide precursors (amic acids and easters) is quite difficult due to strong polymer–solvent interactions, electrostatic interactions, and the possibility of partial imidization in solution. The large quantities of solvent and high dilutions necessary in liquid chromatography make this technique the most sensitive to these effects. The distortions in the chromatogram from these effects can make assessment of the molecular weight distribution from a polystyrene calibration very tenuous. Use of a light-scattering detector permits direct measurement of the scattering intensity (and thus the molecular weight), as the sample elutes from the column. For the esters, anomalous peaks and unexpectedly large apparent values for both the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution are shown to be due primarily to partial imidization in solution catalyzed by basic solvent impurities. Chromatographic results obtained in neutralized solvent are in agreement with light-scattering results obtained at higher concentrations.
Transportation-related injuries and fatalities among emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

Introduction: This is the first study using national data to evaluate transportation risks among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics (to be referred to hereafter as "EMTs") in the United States.Hypothesis: This epidemiological study compares the transportation risks for EMTs to the transportation risks for all workers in the US.Methods: The rates, relative risks, and proportions associated with the 1,050 injury cases with lost work days, and 30 fatalities resulting from transportation incidents occurring to EMTs in the US between 2006 and 2008 are described.Results: The risk of transportation-related injury for EMTs in the US is about five times higher than the national average. Females were the victims in 53% of the cases yet females only accounted for about 27% of employment in this occupation. Twenty percent of cases resulted in 31 or more lost work days. There were 30 transportation related fatalities.Conclusions: The US national EMS system is built on the premise of having an unlimited supply of 20 year olds interested in, and dedicated to, the provision of EMS care. Not only do we not have an unlimited supply of 20 year olds, we may be rapidly losing our current workforce through clearly preventable risks such as transportation incidents.Emergency medical services workers face a rate of occupational injury that is much higher than the national average and transportation-related events are a significant component of that risk. Resources must be devoted to further research, and to the development and evaluation of interventions designed to mitigate these transportation-related hazards. Language: en
Effect of Frozen Storage on the Proteolytic and Rheological Properties of Soft Caprine Milk Cheese

Freezing and long-term frozen storage had minimal impact on the rheology and proteolysis of soft cheese made from caprine milk. Plain soft cheeses were obtained from a grade A goat dairy in Georgia and received 4 storage treatments: fresh refrigerated control (C), aged at 4 degrees C for 28 d; frozen control (FC), stored at -20 degrees C for 2 d before being thawed and aged in the same way as C cheese; and 3-mo frozen (3MF), or 6-mo frozen (6MF), stored at -20 degrees C for 3 or 6 mo before being thawed and aged. Soft cheeses had fragile textures that showed minimal change after freezing or over 28 d of aging at 4 degrees C. The only exceptions were the FC cheeses, which, after frozen storage and aging for 1 d at 4 degrees C, were significantly softer than the other cheeses, and less chewy than the other frozen cheeses. Moreover, after 28 d of aging at 4 degrees C, the FC cheeses tended to have the lowest viscoelastic values. Slight variation was noted in protein distribution among the storage treatment, although no significant proteolysis occurred during refrigerated aging. The creation and removal of ice crystals in the cheese matrix and the limited proteolysis of the caseins showed only slight impact on cheese texture, suggesting that frozen storage of soft cheeses may be possible for year-round supply with minimal loss of textural quality.
Joint Capacity and Contract Management for Operating Service Facilities

Capacity planning and incentive contract design have always been challenging strategic decisions, especially for companies operating in a stochastic service demand and delivery environment. Such service facilities often must make capacity decisions long before observing demand, so a practical approach is to make the decision based on the expected demand distribution. Due to stochastic demand and capacity constraints, service centers often incur delays and delay-related costs when the actual demand is high. When the actual demand is low, however, centers have to bear high idle capacity costs. Economics literature on principal-agent issue has mostly focused on designing salesforce compensation plans so as to motivate the agent and manage risk-sharing. However, in a typical principal-agent model setting, the principal faces no capacity limit and incurs no delay-related costs. Furthermore, the capacity decision and the compensation decision are usually treated as two separate decision processes both in practice and in research. This suboptimal decision process leads to suboptimal results: the principal either incurs high delay costs or high idle capacity costs. To tackle service facility capacity planning and incentive contract issue, we propose instead an integrated approach. That is, we integrate a firms decision regarding capacity investment with its decision regarding the design of a compensation contract. We outline this integrated decision approach and illustrate its benefits with numerical examples. We show that following our decision methodology the firm can achieve significantly higher profits. Several cases in the paper depict that the firm can achieve profit increments ranging from 10% to 42% by properly integrating contract design with its capacity decision process early on.
Oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

Abstract This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific, the oceanic region centered on the eastern Pacific warm pool, but also including the equatorial cold tongue and equatorial current system, and summarizes what is known about oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans there. The eastern tropical Pacific supports on the order of 50 species of seabirds and 30 species of cetaceans as regular residents; these include four endemic species, the world’s largest populations for several others, three endemic sub-species, and a multi-species community that is relatively unique to this ecosystem. Three of the meso-scale physical features of the region are particularly significant to seabirds and cetaceans: the Costa Rica Dome for blue whales and short-beaked common dolphins, the Equatorial Front for planktivorous seabirds, and the countercurrent thermocline ridge for flocking seabirds that associate with mixed-species schools of spotted and spinner dolphins and yellowfin tuna. A few qualitative studies of meso- to macro-scale distribution patterns have indicated that some seabirds and cetaceans have species-specific preferences for surface currents. More common are associations with distinct water masses; these relationships have been quantified for a number of species using several different analytical methods. The mechanisms underlying tropical species–habitat relationships are not well understood, in contrast to a number of higher-latitude systems. This may be due to the fact that physical variables have been used as proxies for prey abundance and distribution in species–habitat research in the eastern tropical Pacific. Though seasonal and interannual patterns tend to be complex, species–habitat relationships appear to remain relatively stable over time, and distribution patterns co-vary with patterns of preferred habitat for a number of species. The interactions between seasonal and interannual variation in oceanographic conditions with seasonal patterns in the biology of seabirds and cetaceans may account for some of the complexity in species–habitat relationship patterns. Little work has been done to investigate effects of El Nino-Southern Oscillation cycles on cetaceans, and results of the few studies focusing on oceanic seabirds are complex and not easy to interpret. Although much has been made of the detrimental effects of El Nino events on apex predators, more research is needed to understand the magnitude, and even direction, of these effects on seabirds and cetaceans in space and time.
Abstract 1325: Organ, species and sex differences in mutagenesis induced by butyl-hydroxybutyl-N-nitrosamine in big blue transgenic rodents as the basis for the strict organ specificity of this environmental carcinogen metabolite

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Although butyl-hydroxybutyl-N-nitrosamine (BBN) is a powerful carcinogen that specifically causes bladder cancer in rodents, the reason for such a high degree of organ specificity is unclear. Mutagenesis induced by BBN in a chromosomally incorporated mutagenesis reporter gene was measured in bladder urothelial cells and smooth muscle cells of mice or rats and compared with mutagenesis in liver, kidney, ureter and forestomach. BBN was administered as a 0.05% solution in water for 2 weeks followed by 4 weeks of water to 6 male and female mice and 4 male rats. All animals were euthanized at 6 weeks. Since mutagenesis in the reporter gene is a surrogate for mutagenesis in general, we hypothesized that mutations also induced in critical growth control genes would contribute to the tumor formation induced by BBN. The mutant fractions in urothelial cells were: 257 +/- 25 mutants / 105 pfu for male mice, 276 +/- 43 for female mice and 54 +/- 6 for rats. In contrast, the mutant fractions in bladder smooth muscle cells were 8-9 fold lower than these values in all animals. In non-bladder tissues such as liver, kidney, ureter and forestomach, the mutant fractions were between 2 and 5 mutants / 105 pfu, a level comparable to the control groups without BBN treatment. Hence mutagenesis correlated extremely well with the organ specificity for cancer induction by BBN. Additionally, mutagenesis level was found to be significantly higher in mice than in rats, consistent with the fact that BBN is a much more potent bladder carcinogen in mice. Finally, no significant difference in mutagenicity of BBN between male and female mice was observed, suggesting that post-initiation processes may be responsible for the gender difference in bladder tumor susceptibility. BBN is a primary metabolite of the environmental carcinogen, dibutylnitrosamine and hence a potential human carcinogen. These results provide molecular explanations to the bewildering organ and species specificity of BBN, and indicate that BBN-induced mutagenesis in the urinary bladder represents a highly appropriate model for initiation of bladder cancer, and combined with other models can help elucidate distinct steps in bladder carcinogenesis. Supported by an NYU Centers of Excellence Seed Grant. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1325. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1325
Detection of sensor failures in automotive engines

The real-time application of detection filters to the diagnosis of sensor failures in automotive engine control systems is presented. The detection filter is the embodiment of a model-based failure detection and isolation (FDI) methodology, which utilizes analytical redundancy within a dynamical system to isolate the cause and location of abnormal behavior. The philosophy and essential features of FDI theory are presented, and the practical application of the method to the diagnosis of faults in some key sensors in an electronically controlled internal combustion engine is described. The experimental results presented here have been obtained on a production vehicle, and demonstrate that the real-time implementation of such detection filters is feasible, opening the way to a new generation of diagnostic strategies. >
Some patterns of unscripted speech in Hindi

This paper presents data from a small corpus of unscripted speech gathered from one male and one female adult native speaker of Hindi. An acoustic analysis of the data demonstrated changes such as lenition and assimilation. The cases of assimilation included stop plus stop sequences yielding geminates. The results of a perceptual test showed that such ‘pseudogeminates’ are generally perceived as true geminates. Parallels between these phenomena and historical sound changes in Indo-Aryan are also discussed.
Creb coactivators direct anabolic responses and enhance performance of skeletal muscle

During the stress response to intense exercise, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) induces rapid catabolism of energy reserves through the release of catecholamines and subsequent activation of protein kinase A (PKA). Paradoxically, chronic administration of sympathomimetic drugs (β-agonists) leads to anabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle, suggesting that sympathetic outflow also regulates myofiber remodeling. Here, we show that β-agonists or catecholamines released during intense exercise induce Creb-mediated transcriptional programs through activation of its obligate coactivators Crtc2 and Crtc3. In contrast to the catabolic activity normally associated with SNS function, activation of the Crtc/Creb transcriptional complex by conditional overexpression of Crtc2 in the skeletal muscle of transgenic mice fostered an anabolic state of energy and protein balance. Crtc2-overexpressing mice have increased myofiber cross-sectional area, greater intramuscular triglycerides and glycogen content. Moreover, maximal exercise capacity was enhanced after induction of Crtc2 expression in transgenic mice. Collectively these findings demonstrate that the SNS-adrenergic signaling cascade coordinates a transient catabolic stress response during high-intensity exercise, which is followed by transcriptional reprogramming that directs anabolic changes for recovery and that augments subsequent exercise performance.
Detecting passive eavesdroppers in the MIMO wiretap channel

The MIMO wiretap channel comprises a passive eavesdropper that attempts to intercept communications between an authorized transmitter-receiver pair, with each node being equipped with multiple antennas. In a dynamic network, it is imperative that the presence of a passive eavesdropper be determined before the transmitter can deploy robust secrecy-encoding schemes as a countermeasure. This is a difficult task in general, since by definition the eavesdropper is passive and never transmits. In this work we adopt a method that allows the legitimate nodes to detect the passive eavesdropper from the local oscillator power that is inadvertently leaked from its RF front end. We examine the performance of non-coherent energy detection as well as optimal coherent detection schemes. We then show how the proposed detectors allow the legitimate nodes to increase the MIMO secrecy rate of the channel.
InGaN solar cell design by surface inversion caused by piezoelectric polarization

The III-nitride material system offers substantial potential to develop high-efficiency solar cells. The solar cell operation requires the formation of a depletion region. Conventionally, this is achieved by a p-n junction. The piezoelectric polarization introduces a strong band bending at the hetero-junction interface and hence creating a depletion region. The growth of a thin AlN or GaN epi-layer on InGaN introduces the required piezoelectric polarization to create a depletion region. This paper presents the polarization-incorporated simulations in “Silense” showing the depletion region formation by GaN or AlN epilayers on p-InGaN. Three structures are then MOCVD grown and characterized for crystal quality and electrical properties. The fabricated devices demonstrated the diode characteristics with an open-circuit voltages ≫ 2.0 V.
Understanding the Impact of vCPU Scheduling on DVFS-Based Power Management in Virtualized Cloud Environment

Virtualized platform has emerged as a prominent environment for cloud computing, especially in today's power-constrained data centers. However, due to a lack of coordination between runtime power management and a virtual CPU (vCPU) scheduler, existing virtualized cloud platform is far from efficient. First, current frequency control mechanism is unable to satisfy the fast-changing vCPU frequency requirement imposed by vCPU scheduler, which we refer to as demand imbalance problem. In addition, newly created vCPUs, if scheduled solely based on fairness, can cause inefficient frequency rise and drop on an unmatched physical core, which we refer to as utilization mismatch problem. In both cases, the system incurs degraded power efficiency and sub-optimal workload performance. In this study we perform a comprehensive analysis on the interplay between vCPU scheduling and processor-centric power control in virtualized cloud environment. Using representative workloads from Cloud Suite and real server deployment, we examine the energy/performance implications of frequency scaling and vCPU scheduling on both single-VM and multi-VM cloud host. We show that existing virtualized platform has the potential to improve energy efficiency and workload performance by 32% and 25%, respectively, if vCPUs are balanced and appropriately scheduled. We also show that dirty page rate, virtual block device processing rate, virtual network packets arrival rate, and network I/O buffer availability are important efficiency indicators for energy-efficient virtualized cloud system design.
Anterior shoulder capsular tears in professional baseball players.

Background: Tearing of the anterior capsule of the shoulder is a rare but debilitating injury for throwing athletes. However, there is very little in the literature to guide its diagnosis and treatment. In this case series, we outline our experience with anterior capsular tears of the shoulder in professional baseball players. Methods: Five professional baseball players were diagnosed with midsubstance tears of their anterior capsule. A trial of rest and rehabilitation failed in all patients, and they eventually underwent surgery. These patients were retrospectively reviewed. The presenting symptoms and findings were documented, and outcomes were assessed by the player’s ability to return to play. Results: The mean age was 33.5 years (range, 31-37 years), and all patients presented with anterior shoulder pain and the inability to throw. No patient had an acute traumatic injury. Magnetic resonance imaging provided the correct diagnosis in 4 patients, and the diagnosis was made with diagnostic arthroscopy in the fifth. Three underwent arthroscopic repair, and 2 underwent open repair of the anterior capsule. Of the 5 players, 4 (80%) returned to their preinjury level by a mean of 13.3 months (range, 8-18 months). Conclusions: Anterior capsular tears can occur in older throwing athletes. Surgical repair, whether arthroscopic or open, can yield good results in most patients. Level of evidence: Level IV, Case Series, Treatment Study. 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees.
Effect of the Bowman-Birk inhibitor (a soy protein) on in vitro bladder neck/urethral and penile corporal smooth muscle activity.

Aims: The Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI), is a serine protease inhibitor derived from soy beans, which is presently being evaluated in clinical trials for its ability to serve as a cancer preventive or anti-inflammatory agent. The form of BBI currently in clinical trials is known as Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate (BBIC). There have been anecdotal reports from patients of improved voiding and sexual functions in the ongoing BBIC trials. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of BBI and BBIC on urethral and corporal smooth muscle activity. Methods: In vitro muscle strip studies of New Zealand White rabbit urethra/bladder neck and penile corpora in the presence or absence of BBI or BBIC incubation (5 mg/mL) were performed. Results: In dose-response curves to alpha stimulation, BBI mediated a shift to the right (decreased receptor sensitivity in bladder/urethra as well as corpora with no change in the maximal response). Bladder base/ urethra contraction by field stimulation was significantly inhibited by BBI at higher frequencies (1–32 Hz) (12.2 + 0.8 g vs. 6.3 + 0.75 g, P < 0.05). BBI inhibited field stimulated relaxation of corporal muscle at lower frequencies. Muscarinic contraction of the bladder neck/urethra in alpha prestimulated tissue was significantly inhibited by BBI (5.3 + 0.2 g vs. 2.7 + 0.1 g, P < 0.05). BBI has an inhibitory effect on alpha adrenergic dose-response curves in bladder neck/urethral and corpora smooth muscle. BBI also significantly inhibited neurohumoral cholinergic release and in vitro muscarinic contraction of the urethra. The effects on corpora relaxation were less pronounced. Conclusions: The data suggest that the phytochemical BBI may promote physiologic effects of urethral relaxation and improved voiding by unique mechanisms and deserves further study as a pharmacologic agent for lower urinary tract symptoms. Neurourol. Urodynam. 22:54–57, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A new model for multilayer real-time video transmission for ATM networks

Our research focuses on the transmission of multilayer, real-time video traffic over ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) networks. This issue covers several aspects of multimedia networking and ATM such as traffic definitions and descriptions, traffic management, buffer management, ATM adaptation layers and video application layers. We propose a new ATM traffic management and buffer management model together with the appropriate application and adaptation layer requirements. This new model is to solve the quality degradation problem of real-time video and efficiency degradation problem of the ATM network due to congestion on the network switches. The main assumption in this research is that the real-time video traffic is content based coded and consists of several video objects. One video source with various video objects introduces the need for multiple priorities. However there exists no adequate method for managing a single connection for multi-priority video traffic over ATM networks. The current ATM traffic management model takes care of only two levels of priorities, which are application independent. Multi-priority traffic will complicate the traffic management, the buffer management and the work of the ATM adaptation layers. On the other hand, by allowing the network to have several priority layers during a connection, the quality of the real-time video and the efficiency of the network will be improved.
Functional limitations in TBI and their relationship to job maintenance following work re-entry

Using data from the Job Accommodation Network Information System (JANIS), the utility of self-reported functional limitations was examined in relationship to job maintenance for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who had returned to work. It was found that memory loss and attention/concentration concerns were the most common functional limitations reported. To further establish which limitations were associated with job maintenance, a binary logistic regression was applied. Results suggested that the presence of medical symptoms and emotional dysregulation were reliably and inversely associated with job maintenance. Implications are provided for further research as well as the practice of rehabilitation counseling.
Accurate mass measurement of proteins using electrospray ionization on a magnetic sector instrument

Peptides and proteins with molecular weights of ca 20 000 have been mass measured with accuracies of ±0.5 Da using electrospray ionization interfaced to a double-focusing magnetic sector mass spectrometer. Factors affecting mass measurement accuracy such as resolution, peak profiles, calibration, data processing, and mass calculations are discussed.
Opting Out of Medicaid Expansion: Impact on Encounters With Behavioral Health Specialty Staff in Community Health Centers

Objective:This study examined how state decisions not to expand Medicaid have affected behavioral health services utilization in health centers. Because health center revenues are adversely affected, the ability to provide on-site nonrequired services, such as specialty mental health and substance abuse treatment services, is compromised.Methods:Using 2012 Uniform Data System data and the projected health center insurance case mix in 2020, the authors estimated the amount of additional revenue that could accrue to health centers if all states were to expand Medicaid by 2020. Using the estimated percentage of total revenues supporting the provision of specialty behavioral treatment services, the authors also estimated the number of encounters with behavioral health specialists that might be possible in 2020 if all states expand Medicaid by then. State-specific estimates are provided.Results:If all states expand Medicaid by 2020, it is estimated that nearly $230 million in additional revenue could accrue to...
Lung Transplantation After Long-term Mechanical Ventilation: Results and 1-Year Follow-up

Background: Long-term mechanical ventilation is considered as a relative or absolute contraindication for lung transplantation by most centers. We report on the results of transplantation in nine patients requiring long-term mechanical ventilation at two lung transplant centers. Methods: The study group (group 1) consisted of nine patients receiving mechanical ventilation who underwent lung transplantation at either Duke University Medical Center or the University of Florida between 1992 and 1997. Patients in group 1 met the following criteria: they underwent exercise therapy with a physical therapist, and they were without panresistant bacterial airway colonization. The study patients that met these criteria spent at least 13 days receiving mechanical ventilation prior to transplantation. The control population (group 2; n 5 65) consisted of all patients who underwent transplantation at either center in the calendar year 1997 who were ventilator independent. The 1-year survival rates in each group were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The number of days required for extubation in each group were compared by the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test. The FEV1 value at 1 year was reported in each group. Results: The 1-year survival rates were 78% and 83% in group 1 and group 2, respectively. The mean number of days required until extubation were 41 days in group 1 and 9 days in group 2 (p < 0.01). The allograft function was comparable in the two groups at 1 year. Conclusions: In a select population of ventilator-dependent patients, the 1-year survival rate is comparable to the standard lung transplant population. However, these ventilator-dependent patients require a significantly longer time until extubation than other transplant recipients. (CHEST 2001; 119:224 ‐227)
Scheme Liability Under 10(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

In private securities litigation, plaintiffs often turn against entities who participated in various ways in the securities fraud of the issuer. However the Supreme Court held in 1994 that there is no private right of action against parties aiding and abetting securities law violations under § 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In the last few years, plaintiffs have tried to avoid this limitation by using a theory called "scheme liability." This paper provides an overview of the recent cases from lower courts where plaintiffs have tried to utilize the theory. The paper shows that scheme liability is applied in cases involving very different fraudulent practices and against actors with very different functions. Due to this wide range of circumstances, it is probably inappropriate to formulate a single test or rule for deciding scheme liability cases. Instead, courts should approach each case separately, based on the type of defendant and the type of claim.
Development and Experimental Validation of a Dynamic Model for Wind-Tunnel Heat Exchangers

A discretised dynamic heat-transfer model has been developed for the heat transfer processes occurring in a finned-tube cross-flow heat exchanger. An assumption that the fins and tubes can be treated as a single thermal entity leads to the development of a discretised set of equations that can be solved to generate a predicted heat transfer rate. Comparison of the model with experimental data shows the results obtained are consistent with the transient response of a low-speed closed circuit wind tunnel when subject to a step change in cooling flow to the heat exchanger.
A Simple Method to Observe, Trap, and Prepare Large Numbers of Subterranean Termites for Laboratory and Field Experiments

In studies of the microbial control of the Formosan subterranean termite. Coptotermes formosanas Shiraki, it was found that the mere introduction of even a highly virulent pathogen directly into the galleries of the termite was not sufficient to initiate epizootics in the colonies. Colonies of C. formosanus in Hawaii are very large and extensive with galleries radiating out 50 m or more (Zimmerman 1948; Bess 1970). Therefore, because of the distances involved, the pathogen could not be spread easily from the exposed gallery to the main nest.
Elegant Models, Empirical Pictures, and the Complexities of Contract

Studies in nations with different social and economic systems indicate that the norms of contract law are seldom applied through the litigation process and that disputes are avoided or settled where there is a long-term relationship between the parties. Yet legal scholarship, as well as many proposals for reform, continue to be based on a picture of the contracts lawsuit, to a great extent. It is likely that this distortion is prompted by overgeneralization from a nonrepresentative sample of possible and actual disputes, and by the indirect influence of legal norms; it may also express the needs of legal scholars and reformers. It is questionable whether capitalist, socialist, or mixed economic systems would benefit if more disputes were resolved by the application of officially sanctioned contract norms.
Solar Array and High Gain Antenna Deployment Mechanisms of the STEREO Observatory

[Abstract] The Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) is the third mission in NASA’s Solar TErrestrial Probes program. The mission’s goal is to capture 3-D images of the Sun to study the nature of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). STEREO was launched on a single Boeing Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on October 25, 2006. This paper describes the solar arrays and high gain antenna (HGA) deployment mechanisms of the STEREO observatory. The first section focuses on the solar array mechanism design, pre-load interface design, integration to the spacecraft, and actuator problems encountered in ground testing. The second section focuses on the HGA deployment mechanism design and a description of the actuator of separation point. Lastly, lessons learned on the STEREO mechanisms are discussed.
Epigenetic Mechanisms of Adverse Neurodevelopment in Response to Lead Exposure and Prenatal Stress and the Combination: The Road Ahead

Risk factors for adverse child neurodevelopment such as elevated lead exposure and prenatal stress are often co-occurring or sequentially occurring in the human environment. They also have overlapping biological targets that likely underlie the similarity of their adverse behavioral consequences. This overlap also provides a biological infrastructure for their potential interactions and enhanced and/or cumulative toxicity. Effects of both developmental lead exposure and prenatal stress can be lifelong and are consistent with early fetal reprogramming via epigenetic changes, and multigenerational and transgenerational consequences of each have been suggested. While an accumulating body of evidence now documents the potential for epigenetic reprogramming in response to maternal stressors both in human and animal studies, information on the potential for similar mechanisms in response to developmental lead exposure is still sparse. Defining the extent to which epigenetic reprogramming underlies the protracted neurodevelopmental consequences of these risk factors will need to take into account the potential for plasticity of effects, differences in outcome by sex and by brain region and by timing of exposure to the risk factor(s), and, importantly, the modifying influence of behavioral experiences on epigenetic profiles. Furthermore, critical to ultimately understanding the consequences of these risk factors for human populations will be an understanding of epigenetic outcomes in response to combined exposures to such risk factors. The determination of how/what behaviors modify epigenetic profiles in the brain offers the opportunity to devise therapeutic behavioral interventions to facilitate resilience.
Diode-pumped electro-optically Q-switched microchip lasers

The electro-optically Q-switched microchip laser1,2 used in the experiments described here (illustrated in Figure 1) consists of a 532-μm long piece of Nd:YAG bonded to a 904-μm long piece of LiTaO3. Both materials are polished flat and parallel on the two faces normal to the optic axis. The pump face of the Nd:YAG is dielectrically coated to transmit the pump light and to be highly reflecting at the oscillating wavelength (1064 µm). A partially transmitting mirror between the two materials has a reflectivity of 95% at 1.064 µm and is highly reflecting at the pump wavelength. The opposite face of the LiTaO3, is coated for 50% reflectivity at 1.064 µm. The LiTaO3 is oriented with, its c-axis orthogonal to the cavity axis.
Radiation-induced mobility of small defect clusters in covalent materials

Although defect clusters are detrimental to the electronic and mechanical properties of semiconductor materials, annihilation of such clusters is limited by their lack of thermal mobility due to high migration barriers. Here, we find that small clusters in bulk SiC (a covalent material of importance for both electronic and nuclear applications) can become mobile at room temperature under the influence of electron radiation. So far, direct observation of radiation-induced diffusion of defect clusters in bulk materials has not yet been demonstrated. This finding was made possible by low-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with a nonrigid registration technique to remove sample instability, which enables atomic resolution imaging of small migrating defect clusters. We show that the underlying mechanism of this athermal diffusion is a ballistic collision between incoming electrons and cluster atoms. Our findings suggest that defect clusters may be mobile under certain irradiation conditions, changing the current understanding of the cluster annealing process in irradiated covalent materials.
Fabrication of Bacteria Environment Cubes with Dry Lift-Off Fabrication Process for Enhanced Nitrification

We have developed a 3D dry lift-off process to localize multiple types of nitrifying bacteria in polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) cubes for enhanced nitrification, a two-step biological process that converts ammonium to nitrite and then to nitrate. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is responsible for converting ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) is responsible for converting nitrite to nitrate. Successful nitrification is often challenging to accomplish, in part because AOB and NOB are slow growers and highly susceptible to many organic and inorganic chemicals in wastewater. Most importantly, the transportation of chemicals among scattered bacteria is extremely inefficient and can be problematic. For example, nitrite, produced from ammonia oxidation, is toxic to AOB and can lead to the failure of nitrification. To address these challenges, we closely localize AOB and NOB in PEGDA cubes as microenvironment modules to promote synergetic interactions. The AOB is first localized in the vicinity of the surface of the PEGDA cubes that enable AOB to efficiently uptake ammonia from a liquid medium and convert it into nitrite. The produced nitrite is then efficiently transported to the NOB localized at the center of the PEGDA particle and converted into non-toxic nitrate. Additionally, the nanoscale PEGDA fibrous structures offer a protective environment for these strains, defending them from sudden toxic chemical shocks and immobilize in cubes. This engineered microenvironment cube significantly enhances nitrification and improves the overall ammonia removal rate per single AOB cell. This approach—encapsulation of multiple strains at close range in cube in order to control their interactions—not only offers a new strategy for enhancing nitrification, but also can be adapted to improve the production of fermentation products and biofuel, because microbial processes require synergetic reactions among multiple species.
Notes on anomalies, baryons, and Seiberg duality

We consider an N=1 SU(N_c) SUSY gauge theory with N_f \geq N_c matter multiplets transforming in the fundamental and antifundamental representations of the gauge group. Using the Konishi anomaly and a non-anomalous conservation law, we derive a system of partial differential equations that determine the low energy effective superpotential as a function of the mesonic and baryonic vacuum expectation values. We apply the formalism to the cases of N_f = N_c and N_f = N_c +1 where the equations are easily integrated and recover the known results. We further apply the formalism to derive a system of partial differential equations to determine the low energy effective superpotential for the Seiberg dual theories. Finally we briefly discuss the associated matrix models via the Dijkgraaf-Vafa conjecture.
U.S. Telco Industry History as a Prologue to its Future

The United States telco industry has been shaped by the interplay of technological advance, free enterprise, politics, public pressure, and government regulation. The history of the industry reveals a continuing tension between the forces of competition and concentration. Having coursed through eras of monopoly, competition, and regulated monopoly, the telcos are now in a more competitive arena. There is regulatory uncertainty on the issue of net neutrality.
Positron Emission Tomography-Determined Hyperemic Flow, Myocardial Flow Reserve, and Flow Gradient—Quo Vadis?

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) applied with positron-emitting flow tracers such as 13N-ammonia and 82Rubidium enables the quantification of both myocardial perfusion and myocardial blood flow (MBF) in ml/g/min for coronary artery (CAD) detection and characterization. The detection of a regional myocardial perfusion defect during vasomotor stress commonly identifies the culprit lesion or most severe epicardial narrowing, whereas adding regional hyperemic MBFs, myocardial flow reserve (MFR), and/or longitudinal flow decrease may also signify less severe but flow-limiting stenosis in multivessel CAD. The addition of regional hyperemic flow parameters therefore may afford a comprehensive identification and characterization of flow-limiting effects of multivessel CAD. The non-specific origin of decreases in hyperemic MBFs and MFR, however, prompts an evaluation and interpretation of regional flow in the appropriate context with the presence of obstructive CAD. Conversely, initial results of the assessment of a longitudinal hyperemic flow gradient suggest this novel flow parameter to be specifically related to increases in CAD-causes of epicardial resistance. The concurrent assessment of myocardial perfusion and several hyperemic flow parameters with PET/CT may indeed open novel avenues of precision medicine to guide coronary revascularization procedures that may potentially lead to a further improvement in cardiovascular outcomes in CAD patients.
Resilience in Families of Children With Autism and Sleep Problems Using Mixed Methods.

Abstract Purpose About 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have sleep problems that may disrupt optimal family functioning. We explored the impact of sleep problems on families' resilience. Design and Methods An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used to discern whether resilience differed between families whose children with ASD have or do not have sleep problems, to seek predictors for family hardiness/resilience, and to determine whether narrative findings support, expand, or conflict quantitative findings. Results Seventy complete surveys were returned from parents of children with ASD to compare sleep and family functioning. Fifty-seven children had sleep problems and six interviews regarding eight of these children were conducted. Parents of children with ASD and sleep problems had lower levels of resilience than those who slept well. Predictors of hardiness were social support, coping-coherence (stress management), and lower strain scores. Qualitative content analysis revealed a journey analogy with themes: finding the trailhead, dual pathways, crossing paths and choosing travel companions, forging new paths, resting along the way, and seeing the vistas. Conclusions Qualitative findings supported quantitative findings regarding the impact of sleep problems but also expanded them by illustrating how families' resilience and children's socialization improved over time. Social support predicted family hardiness. Parents revealed that sleep issues contributed to family strains and described their progression to resilience and embracing their child. Practice Implications Findings support the need for community and provider advocacy and implicates a need for development of sleep interventions on behalf of families and children with ASD.
Second-harmonic patterned polarization-analyzed reflection confocal microscopy of collagen

Polarization analysis of images obtained by combining confocal microscopy with a second-harmonic mask permits traditional polarimetric metrics to be adapted to collagen imaging. This approach applies to any nonlinear scattering imaging technique.
Extraction of thiabendazole and carbendazim from foods using pressurized hot (subcritical) water for extraction: a feasibility study

Pressurized hot water was used to extract two fungicides, thiabendazole (TBZ) and carbendazim (MBC), from agricultural commodities including banana pulp, whole lemons, orange pulp, mushrooms, and rice at extraction temperatures below 100 °C and an extraction pressure of 50 atm. The extraction parameters that were studied include temperature, equilibration time, flow rate, pH, and collection volume. Liquid−liquid partitioning using ethyl acetate was then used to partition MBC and TBZ from the aqueous extractant and concentrate the analytes for final analysis and the determination of recovery. Residues of TBZ were also determined in incurred matrixes which had already been analyzed by another laboratory using validated methodology. Reversed-phase ion-pairing HPLC with UV absorbance and fluorescence detection was used to determine the recoveries of TBZ and MBC from fortified homogenates. Using an extraction temperature of 75 °C, the average recoveries of MBC and TBZ ranged 80.9−100.5% at fortification levels...
Characterization of Monoclonal Antibody–Protein Antigen Complexes Using Small-Angle Scattering and Molecular Modeling

The determination of monoclonal antibody interactions with protein antigens in solution can lead to important insights guiding physical characterization and molecular engineering of therapeutic targets. We used small-angle scattering (SAS) combined with size-exclusion multi-angle light scattering high-performance liquid chromatography to obtain monodisperse samples with defined stoichiometry to study an anti-streptavidin monoclonal antibody interacting with tetrameric streptavidin. Ensembles of structures with both monodentate and bidentate antibody–antigen complexes were generated using molecular docking protocols and molecular simulations. By comparing theoretical SAS profiles to the experimental data it was determined that the primary component(s) were compact monodentate and/or bidentate complexes. SAS profiles of extended monodentate complexes were not consistent with the experimental data. These results highlight the capability for determining the shape of monoclonal antibody–antigen complexes in solution using SAS data and physics-based molecular modeling.
Students’ Motivation to Participate via Mobile Technology in the Classroom: A Uses and Gratifications Approach:

E-learning applications have been rapidly adopted by instructors inside and outside of the classroom. As a result, some researchers have started to assess their usefulness applying uses and gratifi...
Mental Health Services in USA: Ethical and Legal Aspects and Human Rights—What India can Learn from Western Models

The ethical and legal principles guiding Western medical practice form a foundational pillar for the practice of psychiatry in USA. The American Psychiatric Association has annotated the principles of ethics developed by the American Medical Association to apply to psychiatric practice. It is the obligation of every psychiatrist to be informed of these principles and practice accordingly. Every state also has separate but often similar laws and regulations that govern medical practice. State medical and/or psychiatric societies serve to assist practitioners to comply with ethical and legal practice. Boards of Medical (Health Care) Professions in each state have the responsibility of monitoring compliance through the process of licensure and registration. State departments of health or mental health provide the necessary structures, policies, rules and guidance to assist the practitioner, clinics and institutions and support services providers in maintaining quality and compliance, and checks and balances, especially in the public sector. Finally, advocacy, human rights and watch dog groups have taken roots to create responsive and accountable systems of care.
Deformation Process Simulations Using Polycrystal Plasticity

A methodology is outlined for incorporating a representation of the behavior of metals based on polycrystal plasticity into a finite element formulation for their deformations. The review begins with a summary of the finite element formulation for equations governing the viscoplastic flow of metals. The anisotropic material response is specified by the averaged response of representative aggregates of crystals residing within the elements. The aggregate behavior is based on models for crystallographic slip in single crystals and hypotheses for computing the average response of crystals comprising the aggregate. Approaches are presented for representing orientations of individual crystals, for describing distributions of crystal orientations, and for updating the distributions with deformation. The methodology is applied to the rolling of face-centered cubic and hexagonal close-packed metals.