cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multigrid and upwind viscous flow solver on three-dimensional overlapped and embedded grids

A computationally efficient method is presented for solving the three-dimensional governing equations of the viscous compressible flows about complex configurations with geometrically nonsimilar components. The physical domain is decomposed into regions for which the grid generation is relatively simple and virtually without significant restrictions. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved by an implicit, upwind, finite-volume scheme. The convergence is accelerated by a multigrid algorithm despite the holes created in the computational domain by the overlapped grids, which are completely or partially embedded within one another. The block inversions and the diagonalized scalar inversions of the coefficient matrices are modified to allow the existence of such holes. The method is tested through two demonstrative csises. The solution for a supersonic flow past a blunt-nose cylinder at a high angle of attack is obtained using a C-O grid embedded in a global Cartesian grid. This solution is successfully compared with the one obtained using a single C-O grid and the experimental data. Then, supersonic interference flows past an ogive-nose cylinder in the close proximity of a flat plate are solved using overlapped and topologically nonsimilar but simple grids.
Path-goal models as a basis for the design of organization reward systems

All organizations are faced with choices of reward system design. In order to make intelligent choices of compensation systems, promotions, supervisory styles and job content a model of human behavior is needed. The model must be at a level of abstraction which will generalize to the entire work force. This paper presents such a model, indicates its relation to reward system choices, and indicates a research strategy to test the hypotheses.
RELEASE OF ENDOGENOUS ADENOSINE DOES NOT MEDIATE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO MORPHINE IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS IN VITRO

Previous studies have shown that adenosine receptor antagonists can block some of the effects of morphine and that morphine can enhance the release of adenosine. The possibility that some of the effects of morphine in the hippocampus are exerted through the release of adenosine was investigated using electrophysiological responses in vitro. Although both morphine and the adenosine receptor antagonist theophylline increase population spike responses, they appear to do so by independent mechanisms. Also, while adenosine significantly decreases the amplitude of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) and theophylline increases this response (by blocking the effects of endogenous adenosine), morphine had no significant effect on the fEPSP. No significant interactions between morphine and theophylline were observed using either fEPSPs or the population spike response. These results suggest that, either morphine does not stimulate the release of adenosine in slices of hippocampus under normal electrophysiological recording conditions, or that the concentrations of adenosine, released by morphine, are not physiologically relevant in the hippocampus in vitro.
Derivations and Invariant Forms of Lie Algebras Graded by Finite Root Systems

Lie algebras graded by finite reduced root systems have been classified up to isomorphism. In this paper we describe the derivation algebras of these Lie algebras and determine when they possess invariant bilinear forms. The results which we develop to do this are much more general and apply to Lie algebras that are completely reducible with respect to the adjoint action of a finite-dimensional subalgebra.
Numerical analysis of end effects in laminated piezoelectric circular cylinders

Abstract A method to quantify Saint-Venant’s principle for laminated piezoelectric circular cylinders is described. An algebraic eigensystem is constructed based on homogeneous equations of equilibrium with displacement and electric potential (voltage) fields stated in exponential form. The end effects for displacements and voltages, as well as stresses and electric displacements of self-equilibrated states are represented by the eigendata extracted from the eigensystem. The real parts of the eigenvalues convey information on the inverse decay lengths and their corresponding eigenvectors are displacement and voltage distributions of the self-equilibrated states. Stress and electric displacement eigenvectors are formed by appropriate differentiation of the eigenvectors for the displacement and voltage fields and through the coupled electromechanical constitutive laws. The right and left-eigenvectors, which are obtained from the eigensystem and its adjoint, are related through bi-orthogonality relationships. The end effects due to arbitrary displacements, voltages, tractions or electric displacements prescribed at the cylinder’s ends are obtained by means of an expansion theorem based on these bi-orthogonality relationships, or by a least-squares method. A number of verification examples are provided to demonstrate that the present results compare well with known analytical solutions and numerical results obtained via three-dimensional finite element analyses.
Presynaptic dopamine receptors: insensitivity to kainic acid and the development of supersensitivity following chronic haloperidol.

The effects of kainic acid lesions and chronic haloperidol treatment on rat striatal dopaminergic presynaptic receptors were studied. Following the γ-butyrolactone-induced inhibition of dopaminergic impulse flow, and after dopa decarboxylase inhibition, dopa accumulation and its reversal by dopamine agonists was measured in vivo.3H-apomorphine (a dopamine receptor ligand with purported presynaptic specificity) was used for in vitro binding experiments. Presynaptic dopamine receptors, as assessed by both methods, were unaffected by intrastriatal kainic acid injection 5–6 days before sacrifice. Seven days after termination of chronic haloperidol treatment (28 days, 0.5 mg/kg/day s.c.) both an increased apomorphine response using the dopa accumulation method and an increase in3H-apomorphine binding were observed, indicating the development of presynaptic dopamine receptor supersensitivity.
Modeling semiconductor heterojunctions in equilibrium

Abstract Computation of the equilibrium electrostatic potential and energy band diagram of semiconductor devices with nonuniform composition is considered. We first establish the relationship between the electrostatic potential and the energy band edges and then derive a Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the electrostatic potential. Although the equation is more general, we consider only the simple example of an abrupt heterojunction diode in detail. An analytical solution for doubly-intrinsic, abrupt heterojunctions is also presented. The modeling approach is then generalized to include Fermi-Dirac statistics for free carriers. We also discuss the application of the formulation to a variety of heterojunction devices (e.g. heavily doped silicon and gate-modulated devices).
Understanding the use of celebrity endorsers for hospitality firms

Promotional clutter makes it extremely difficult for hospitality firms to capture the attention of prospective buyers with sales messages. One way firms attempt to penetrate clutter is by utilizing...
A Novel Nanotube-on-Insulator (NOI) Approach toward Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Devices

We present a novel nanotube-on-insulator (NOI) approach to produce high-yield nanotube devices based on aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes. First, we managed to grow aligned nanotube arrays with controlled density on crystalline, insulating sapphire substrates, which bear analogy to industry-adopted silicon-on-insulator substrates. Based on the nanotube arrays, we demonstrated registration-free fabrication of both top-gated and polymer-electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors with minimized parasitic capacitance. In addition, we have successfully developed a way to transfer these aligned nanotube arrays to flexible substrates. Our approach has great potential for high-density, large-scale integrated systems based on carbon nanotubes for both micro- and flexible electronics.
Is it time to stop evolving digital systems

Evolving combinational and sequential logic circuit is still under investigation within the evolvable hardware community. This situation is somewhat surprising since the electronic design automation industry is mature and the tools in wide use today are incredibly powerful. It therefore makes sense to see how well evolvable hardware techniques compare against the existing design methods. That comparision is made in this paper and the conclusion is evolvable hardware techniques are woefully inadequate. However, there are areas where evolvable hardware techniques can have an impact in the IC design field and those areas are briefly discussed.
An Experimental Measurement of Effective Diffusion Distance for the Sintering of Ceramics

The traditional models of sintering predict a pronounced dependence of densification rate on the scale of the microstructure as measured by the grain size. This study evaluates the grain size exponent for densification during isothermal sintering of an aggregated nanocrystalline zirconia powder, and for a submicrometer alumina powder. The results gave grain size exponents that are much higher than those anticipated for the expected sintering mechanisms. Furthermore, microstructural analysis showed that this overestimate of the exponent could be due to the spatial heterogeneity in the microstructure on the scale of the diffusion distance. To assess this issue, pore boundary tessellation was used to determine a new measurement of effective diffusion distance that takes into account the local spatial arrangement of pores. This measurement gives exponents much closer to those expected for the sintering of tetragonal zirconia by volume diffusion, and for the sintering of the alumina by grain-boundary diffusion.
Reduced Fertility In Vitro in Mice Lacking the Cystatin CRES (Cystatin-Related Epididymal Spermatogenic): Rescue by Exposure of Spermatozoa to Dibutyryl cAMP and Isobutylmethylxanthine

The cystatin CRES (cystatin-related epididymal spermatogenic; Cst8) is the defining member of a reproductive subgroup of family 2 cystatins of cysteine protease inhibitors and is present in the epididymis and spermatozoa, suggesting roles in sperm maturation and fertilization. To elucidate the role of CRES in reproduction, mice lacking the Cst8 gene were generated and their fertility examined. Although both male and female Cst8 � /� mice generated offspring in vivo, spermatozoa from Cst8 � /� mice exhibited a profound fertility defect in vitro. Compared to spermatozoa from Cst8 +/+ mice, spermatozoa from Cst8 � /� mice were unable to undergo a progesterone-stimulated acrosome reaction and had decreased levels of protein tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting a defect in the ability of Cst8 � /� spermatozoa to capacitate. Incubation of Cst8 � /� spermatozoa with dibutyryl cAMP and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine rescued the fertility defect, including the capacity for sperm protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Both untreated Cst8 +/+ and Cst8 � /� spermatozoa, however, exhibited similar increased total levels of cAMP and protein kinase A (PKA) activity throughout the capacitation time course compared to spermatozoa incubated under noncapacitating conditions. Taken together, these results suggest that mice lacking CRES may have altered local levels of cAMP/ PKA activity, perhaps because of improper partitioning or tethering of these signaling molecules, or that the CRES defect does not directly involve cAMP/PKA but other signaling pathways that regulate protein tyrosine phosphorylation and capacitation. cystatins, fertilization, mouse, signal transduction, signaling, sperm capacitation, spermatozoa
Women in orthopedic surgery residencies in the United States.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect that increased numbers of women medical school graduates have had on the composition of orthopedic surgery residencies, and to evaluate trends over time in the likelihood of women medical students to select orthopedic residencies. METHOD: The author analyzed JAMA's “R
Ethanol increases cytochromes P450IIE, IIB1/2, and IIIA in cultured rat hepatocytes

In intact rats, ethanol treatment has been associated with increases in hepatic levels of both P450IIB1/2 and P450IIE. When rat hepatocytes were cultured on an extracellular tumor matrix (Matrigel), exposure to ethanol from 48 to 96 h in culture resulted in increases in cytochromes P450IIE, IIB1/2, and IIIA. Cytochrome P450IIE was detected immunologically and enzymatically, using two activities associated with cytochrome P450IIE, p-nitrophenol hydroxylation, and acetaminophen activation to a metabolite that binds to glutathione. The content of cytochrome P450IIE in freshly isolated cells decreased when the cells were placed in culture. Exposure of the cultured hepatocytes to ethanol from 48 to 96 h after inoculation resulted in an increase in cytochrome P450IIE compared to untreated cultured cells. In addition, in culture, the amount of enzymatically active protein after ethanol treatment was equal to that in hepatocytes freshly isolated from intact animals. Ethanol treatment resulted in increases in cytochrome P450IIB1/2 compared to untreated cells, as shown immunologically and by increased benzyloxyresorufin dealkylase activity. However, phenobarbital induced cytochrome P450IIB1/2 to higher levels, compared to ethanol. Ethanol and phenobarbital treatments both increased P450IIIA, as determined immunologically and by the amount of propoxycoumarin depropylase activity that is inhibited by triacetyloleandomycin. However, the amount of P450IIIA increased after ethanol treatment was less than that increased after treatment with dexamethasone in these cells. The ethanol-mediated increases in all four forms of cytochrome P450 in culture suggest that these increases in the intact animal result from direct effects of ethanol on the liver.
Continuous-variable entanglement in a two-mode three-level cascade laser with a parametric amplifier

We analyze the squeezing and entanglement properties of the two-mode light produced by a composite system consists of a nondegenerate three-level laser and a parametric amplifier employing the pertinent master equation. It so turns out that the two-mode light is in a highly squeezed and entangled state.
Optical behavior of an antenna immersed in a hyperbolic dome made of DNG metamaterial

A dipole antenna immersed in a hyperbolic dome made of DNG metamaterial is considered. In the very high-frequency limit, transmission from the antenna across the dome surface occurs as through a planar interface coincident with the plane tangent to the dome at the point of incidence. The far-field radiation appears to originate from a circular equatorial ring located outside the dome and with the antenna at its center.
Differential sensitivities of grassland structural components to changes in precipitation mediate productivity response in a desert ecosystem

Summary In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, there are legacies of previous-year precipitation on current-year above-ground net primary production. We hypothesized that legacies of past precipitation occur through changes in tiller density, stolon density, tiller growth, axillary bud density and percentage of viable axillary buds. We examined the sensitivity to current- and previous-year precipitation of these grassland structural components in Bouteloua eriopoda, the dominant grass in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. We conducted a rainfall manipulation experiment consisting in −80% reduced precipitation, ambient, +80% increased precipitation treatments that were subjected to one of five precipitation levels in the previous two years (−80% and −50% reduced precipitation, ambient, +50% and +80% increased precipitation). The first two years preconditioned the experimental plots for year three, in which we created wet-to-dry and dry-to-wet transitions. Measurements were taken in year 3. We found that stolon density was the most sensitive to changes in precipitation and that percent-active buds were insensitive. We also found that past precipitation had a significant legacy on grassland structural components regardless of the precipitation received in the current year, and that the legacy occurs mostly through changes in stolon density. Here, we showed that there is a differential sensitivity of structural components to current and past precipitation and supported previous findings that vegetation structure is one of the controls of productivity during precipitation transitions.
Pulmonary vein stents or stenosis: why acquisition phase matters during computed tomography?

A 26-year-old female who had pulmonary vein (PV) stenting for PV stenosis in two out of four PVs following PV ostial isolation presented with acute dyspnoea and chest …
Computation of conductor for finite extensions with cyclic Galois groups

Abstract At first a definition of “conductor” for abelian extensions K k (K⊇k⊇Q) by “ray ideal classes” is given. Then we will show for cyclic extensions K k , with Galois groups of degree 4, f (K k) = (d K k /d K2 k ) 1 2 where f (K k) is a conductor, d K k is a relative discriminant, and K2 is a quadratic extension of k. Since by theorem (Kronecker-Weber) every absolutely abelian field is a subfield of some Q( exp 2πi m ) , where m is the conductor of solK Q —in particular, for a real extension K Q , K is a subfield of Q ( cos 2π m ) with conductor m—then d K Q can be computed directly from the above equation.
Cause for the radical change with season in the type of potential‐gradient diurnal‐variation curves at Watheroo

The atmospheric potential-gradient over the oceans was found by Mauchly [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] to vary systematically through the day. The variation is, however, unlike that of temperature, which is a function of local time. Instead, the variation in potential-gradient depends upon universal time, that is, at the instant it passes through a maximum or minimum at one place on the globe it likewise passes through a maximum or minimum at all other points as well. Over land, however, this is not the case. The variations at some stations are in step with those over the oceans while at other stations they may never be in step and at still other stations the variations may be in step during only a portion of the year. A daily variation in the potential-gradient is to be expected at all stations over land or over sea due to the fact that the magnitude of charge on the Earth, caused presumably by the action of thunder-storms, does not remain constant through the day but varies in a systematic manner. Whether fee variations follow universal time or not depends upon the behavior of the resistance of the atmosphere to the air-earth current which flows between the ground and upper air. The variations in potential-gradient will follow universal time when the resistance of the lower stratum of air varies through the day as that of the entire vertical column of the atmosphere over the station. Over the oceans the resistance of the lower stratum of air, as well as that of the entire vertical air-column, remains essentially constant through the day. As a result, the variation in potential-gradient is independent of local time and follows universal time.
The barrier to HIV transmission provided by genital tract Lactobacillus colonization.

While resistance to HIV transmission is due to multiple mechanisms such as the epithelium, a lower genital tract microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus appears to play an important role. This article reviews selected recent research on genital tract microbiota in women including how microbiota impacts HIV resistance and factors affecting Lactobacillus colonization.
Weakly Supervised Part-of-Speech Tagging for Morphologically-Rich, Resource-Scarce Languages

This paper examines unsupervised approaches to part-of-speech (POS) tagging for morphologically-rich, resource-scarce languages, with an emphasis on Goldwater and Griffiths's (2007) fully-Bayesian approach originally developed for English POS tagging. We argue that existing unsupervised POS taggers unrealistically assume as input a perfect POS lexicon, and consequently, we propose a weakly supervised fully-Bayesian approach to POS tagging, which relaxes the unrealistic assumption by automatically acquiring the lexicon from a small amount of POS-tagged data. Since such relaxation comes at the expense of a drop in tagging accuracy, we propose two extensions to the Bayesian framework and demonstrate that they are effective in improving a fully-Bayesian POS tagger for Bengali, our representative morphologically-rich, resource-scarce language.
Adults’ Future Time Perspective Predicts Engagement in Physical Activity

Results. Results indicated a good fit of the data to the model c 2 (4, N = 226) = 7.457, p = .14 and accounted for a moderate amount of variance in adults’ physical activity (R 2 = 15.7). Specifically, results indicated that perceived functional limitation (b = −.140) and FTP (b = .162) were directly associated with physical activity. Age was indirectly associated with physical activity through its association with perceived functional limitation (b = −.264) and FTP (b = .541). Discussion. Results indicate that FTP may play an important role in explaining engagement in health promoting behaviors across the life span. Researchers should consider additional constructs and perhaps adopt socioemotional selectivity theory when explaining adults’ engagement in physical activity.
Mammalian-wide interspersed repeat (MIR)-derived enhancers and the regulation of human gene expression

Mammalian-wide interspersed repeats (MIRs) are the most ancient family of transposable elements (TEs) in the human genome. The deep conservation of MIRs initially suggested the possibility that they had been exapted to play functional roles for their host genomes. MIRs also happen to be the only TEs whose presence in-and-around human genes is positively correlated to tissue-specific gene expression. Similar associations of enhancer prevalence within genes and tissue-specific expression, along with MIRs’ previous implication as providing regulatory sequences, suggested a possible link between MIRs and enhancers. To test the possibility that MIRs contribute functional enhancers to the human genome, we evaluated the relationship between MIRs and human tissue-specific enhancers in terms of genomic location, chromatin environment, regulatory function, and mechanistic attributes. This analysis revealed MIRs to be highly concentrated in enhancers of the K562 and HeLa human cell-types. Significantly more enhancers were found to be linked to MIRs than would be expected by chance, and putative MIR-derived enhancers are characterized by a chromatin environment highly similar to that of canonical enhancers. MIR-derived enhancers show strong associations with gene expression levels, tissue-specific gene expression and tissue-specific cellular functions, including a number of biological processes related to erythropoiesis. MIR-derived enhancers were found to be a rich source of transcription factor binding sites, underscoring one possible mechanistic route for the element sequences co-option as enhancers. There is also tentative evidence to suggest that MIR-enhancer function is related to the transcriptional activity of non-coding RNAs. Taken together, these data reveal enhancers to be an important cis- regulatory platform from which MIRs can exercise a regulatory function in the human genome and help to resolve a long-standing conundrum as to the reason for MIRs’ deep evolutionary conservation.
HGFL supports mammary tumorigenesis by enhancing tumor cell intrinsic survival and influencing macrophage and T-cell responses

// Nancy M. Benight 1 , Purnima K. Wagh 1 , Glendon M. Zinser 1, 4 , Belinda E. Peace 1, 5 , William D. Stuart 1 , Juozas Vasiliauskas 1 , Peterson Pathrose 2 , Sandra L. Starnes 2 , Susan E. Waltz 1, 3 1 Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA 2 Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA 3 Research Service, Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA 4 Susan G. Komen, Scientific Grants Manager, Dallas, TX 75244, USA 5 Senior Medical Writer, Optum, Eden Prairie, MN 55344, USA Correspondence to: Susan E. Waltz, e-mail: susan.waltz@uc.edu Keywords: receptor tyrosine kinase, Ron receptor, hepatocyte growth factor-like protein, breast cancer Received: January 15, 2015 Accepted: April 07, 2015 Published: April 17, 2015 ABSTRACT The Ron receptor is overexpressed in human breast cancers and is associated with heightened metastasis and poor survival. Ron overexpression in the mammary epithelium of mice is sufficient to induce aggressive mammary tumors with a high degree of metastasis. Despite the well-documented role of Ron in breast cancer, few studies have examined the necessity of the endogenous Ron ligand, hepatocyte growth factor-like protein (HGFL) in mammary tumorigenesis. Herein, mammary tumor growth and metastasis were examined in mice overexpressing Ron in the mammary epithelium with or without HGFL. HGFL ablation decreased oncogenic Ron activation and delayed mammary tumor initiation. HGFL was important for tumor cell proliferation and survival. HGFL loss resulted in increased numbers of macrophages and T-cells within the tumor. T-cell proliferation and cytotoxicity dramatically increased in HGFL deficient mice. Biochemical analysis of HGFL proficient tumors showed increased local HGFL production, with HGFL loss decreasing β-catenin expression and NF-κB activation. Re-expression of HGFL in HGFL deficient tumor cells stimulated cell migration and invasion with coordinate activation of NF-κB and reduced apoptosis. Together, these results demonstrate critical in vivo functions for HGFL in promoting breast tumorigenesis and suggest that targeting HGFL may inhibit tumor growth and reactivate anti-tumor immune responses.
The role of peer relationships and interactions in preschool bilingual children's responses to picture books

In spite of the emphasis on the importance of social contexts in children's literacy development, there is still a startling scarcity of studies examining the role of peer relationships in preschool bilinguals' literary practices. This qualitative case study investigates how peer relationships and interactions among preschool, Korean-English bilingual children affect their responses to picture books during whole group read-alouds. As part of a comprehensive 18-month longitudinal study, this article focuses on data collected over a period of 10 months. Multiple data collection sources were used to enhance the credibility and validity of the study. Results indicated that the children's literary responses were highly influenced by their different social relationships with peers. Thus, in order to create supportive literature environments, it is important for teachers to pay considerable attention to what bilingual students experience with eir peers. With more engrossing narratives and vivid descriptions, the...
In vivo deep brain imaging of rats using oral-cavity illuminated photoacoustic computed tomography

We demonstrate, by means of internal light delivery, photoacoustic imaging of the deep brain of rats in vivo . With fiber illumination via the oral cavity, we delivered light directly into the bottom of the brain, much more than can be delivered by external illumination. The study was performed using a photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) system equipped with a 512-element full-ring transducer array, providing a full two-dimensional view aperture. Using internal illumination, the PACT system provided clear cross sectional photoacoustic images from the palate to the middle brain of live rats, revealing deep brain structures such as the hypothalamus, brain stem, and cerebral medulla.
GERD Is Associated with Higher Long-Term Reoperation Rates After Bariatric Surgery

Although bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment for morbid obesity, long-term reoperation remains a significant source of morbidity and mortality for the patient. We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGBP) or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) surgeries at our institution between 2009 and 2013. Main outcome of interest was reoperation rate up to current date. Final logistic regression model included age, gender, BMI at time of operation, race (Caucasian vs African American), surgery time, length of stay, history of diabetes, history of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), type of surgery, and readmission. A total of 533 patients underwent either LGBP or LSG surgery between 2009 and 2013. Overall reoperation rate was 9.0 % and mean follow-up was 43.9 months (median 45). When stratified by race, preoperative GERD in Caucasians was associated with a significant 2.2-fold increased risk of reoperation (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.0–4.8, P = .043). GERD in African Americans had a small nonsignificant increased risk. Other significant predictors included length of stay and readmission (OR 2.1, P = 0.029; OR 5.0, P < 0.000). Preoperative GERD in Caucasian bariatric patients is associated with a higher risk of reoperation. Lengthy hospital stay and readmission within 30 days of laparoscopic bariatric surgery are independent predictors of higher reoperation rates.
Polar Codes: Reliable Communication with Complexity Polynomial in the Gap to Shannon Capacity (Invited Talk)

Shannon's monumental 1948 work laid the foundations for the rich fields of information and coding theory. The quest for efficient coding schemes to approach Shannon capacity has occupied researchers ever since, with spectacular progress enabling the widespread use of error-correcting codes in practice. Yet the theoretical problem of approaching capacity arbitrarily closely with polynomial complexity remained open except in the special case of erasure channels. In 2008, Arikan proposed an insightful new method for constructing capacity-achieving codes based on channel polarization. In this talk, I will begin with a self-contained survey of Arikan's celebrated construction of polar codes, and then discuss our recent proof (with Patrick Xia) that, for all binary-input symmetric memoryless channels, polar codes enable reliable communication at rates within epsilon > 0 of the Shannon capacity with block length (delay), construction complexity, and decoding complexity all bounded by a polynomial in the gap to capacity, i.e., by poly(1/epsilon). Polar coding gives the first explicit construction with rigorous proofs of all these properties; previous constructions were not known to achieve capacity with less than exp(1/epsilon) decoding complexity. We establish the capacity-achieving property of polar codes via a direct analysis of the underlying martingale of conditional entropies, without relying on the martingale convergence theorem. This step gives rough polarization (noise levels epsilon for the good channels), which can then be adequately amplified by tracking the decay of the channel Bhattacharyya parameters. Our effective bounds imply that polar codes can have block length bounded by poly(1/epsilon). We also show that the generator matrix of such polar codes can be constructed in polynomial time by algorithmically computing an adequate approximation of the polarization process.
The Dodge Family: An Enduring Tradition of Entomology

ABSTRACT. The brothers Edgar A. Dodge and George M. Dodge studied insects during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They corresponded and exchanged countless specimens with many prominent entomologists. Their younger brother, Charles F. Dodge, collected insects to a lesser extent. The Dodges obtained specimens primarily where they resided in Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, and California. Edgar's son, Ralph E. Dodge, collected moths, mostly in Nebraska and California. Detailed biographical information is provided for these members of the Dodge family, as well as for John P. Strohbeen, who collected Lepidoptera with Edgar in California. Their photographs are presented for the first time. George described 17 taxa of Lepidoptera and Orthoptera, which are summarized with remarks about related type specimens. Also listed are seven entomological patronyms that honor Edgar and George.
Multi-order Retarders and the Mystery of Retardance Discontinuities

Multi-element high-order retarders’ retardance spectra tend to avoid integer numbers of waves of retardance. The Mueller matrix spectrum is continuous, but to unwrap the phase, discontinuities must be introduced. A retardance unwrapping algorithm is developed.
Relationships among pH, aluminum solubility and aluminum complexation with organic matter in acid forest soils of the Northeastern United States

We investigated the interactions among pH, Al solubility and Al–soil organic matter (SOM) complexation to test the hypothesis that competition between Al and H ions for cation binding sites on soil organic matter (SOM) determines soil pH and Al solubility in acidic forest soils in the northeastern U.S. Samples from five soil horizons in 39 forested watersheds across the northeastern U.S. were used with two Al complexation models to test the hypothesis. Our results indicated that Al solubility increases with soil depth when pH is less than 4.5 and the ratio of the fractions of organically bound Al and H (NAl/NH) or the ratio of organically bound Al to total organic carbon (Alorg/C) remains roughly constant within each horizon. Both the NAl/NH and the Alorg/C ratios are effective measures of the ratio of sites bound to Al and H in Al–SOM complexation models. The log-linear relationship pAlKCl - p(Alorg/C) = 0.75 × pHKCl - 1.56 (r = 0.86, P < . 0001) can be used to describe Al–pH relationships in Oie, Oa, Bh and Bs1 horizon samples from across the region. The competition between H+ and Al3 + for binding to SOM affects soil pH and Al solubility to a greater degree in Oa and Bs1 horizons than in Oie and E horizons. Our data are consistent with the conceptual model that portrays the Al–pH relationship in acid forest soils as a balance between organic acidity and alkalinity produced through the weathering of aluminosilicate minerals.
Hierarchical Primitive Surface Classification From Triangulated Solids for Defining Part-to-Part Degrees of Freedom

Mesh segmentation is the process of organizing a set of data points into connected areas defined by known surface primitives or surface equations. Our approach is a hierarchical method based on clustering and Mamdani’s fuzzification system. First, a clustering algorithm is used to isolate regions of small and irregular oriented triangles, which make up a large portion of the total polygonal faces. Then, using fuzzification rule sets, the remaining triangles are made into meaningful primitives: cylinder, cone, sphere and flat. The end goal of this work is to use the primitives to define the degrees of freedom between mating parts in an assembly when such information is unknown or lost. The result of this process has proven to be accurate with well-defined borders with no need of additional post-processing steps.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Study on sampling techniques with CMMs

Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) coupleds with computers have provided new, powerful capabilities in the field of manufacturing quality control Most CMMs in use today rely on point sampling to evaluate the specified dimensions and tolerances we measure the coordinates in several selected points, and make conclusions about the entire surface. Several different sampling patterns have been proposed. In this paper, we describle theoretical and experimental results on choosing the best sample pattern for practical CMM applications.
What did you do to my brand? The moderating effect of brand nostalgia on consumer responses to changed brands

Previous research on consumer nostalgia has concluded that nostalgic feelings primarily have a positive effect on consumers, boosting positive feelings and affective responses. However, evidence suggests that consumers who hold nostalgic feelings toward a specific brand sometimes respond negatively to updated or modified versions of the brand. This research tests the moderating effect of consumers’ brand nostalgia on their responses to changes to a brand. Across four studies, the authors find that consumers who are nostalgic toward a specific brand exhibit a positive bias toward the original version of the brand that leads them to perceive the brand as having changed more than do less nostalgic consumers. Further, when the change to the brand is perceived to be large, individuals who are highly nostalgic for a brand show a significantly sharper decrease in reported attitude and behavioral intentions toward the changed brand than do their less nostalgic counterparts. This effect is in opposition to the positive effects of a general tendency toward nostalgia proneness. These results are replicated across multiple product categories and both manipulated and real changes, and the effect is found to be mediated by the consumer's biased perception of how much the brand has changed.
Application on Thiazolyl Blue(MTT) Plaque Forming Assay to Determine Virus Titer in Virology

Objective:To evaluate the application of thiazolyl blue(MTT) plaque forming assay to determine virus titer in virology.Methods: To perform a plaque forming assay,influenza virus and RSV were inoculated onto MDCD and Hep-2 cell monolayers,a single layer nutrient agar was added to cover cells and cultured for 3-4 days,MTT was used instead of neutral red to stain the cells for counting virus plaque.Results:(1)Compared to the neutral red plaque forming assay,MTT plaque forming assay was easier and faster;(2)Accuracy rating of the MTT plaque forming assay was the same as the neutral red plaque forming assay;(3)The false plaque forming of the MTT plaque forming assay was lower than the neutral red plaque forming assay.Conclusion: The MTT plaque forming assay could be used to replace the neutral red plaque forming assay,and it is more rapid and accurate.
Lewis Glacier, Mount Kenya

The geomorphic evidence and historical documentation discussed in Chapters 3 and 4, respectively, indicate marked and largely concurrent variations of East African glaciers on both the geological and recent time scales. The recent glacier variations in particular are of interest for quantitative inference of the climatic forcing. This requires detailed information on the present glacier characteristics to be obtained by field observation. In view of the similar long-term behavior documented for many glacier ensembles, the climate-glacier coupling of even an individual specimen is of general interest.
PubMed2XL (version 2.01)

Despite the benefits of having PubMed metadata in a spreadsheet, PubMed’s built-in spreadsheet functionality—the comma separated value (CSV) download—is severely lacking. Thankfully, an open-source tool called PubMed2XL meets this needed functionality.
Species diversity in the Phanerozoic: species-area effects

Raup's (1976a) data on Phanerozoic species numbers are examined for species- area relationships, using published estimates of areas of continental seas. By means of multiple regression, species numbers are regressed on both estimated areas of seas and amounts of available rock for sampling, as measured by outcrop area and rock volume. Although the sampling effects apparently have the strongest influence on fossil species diversity, areas of seas substantially increase the total correlation, suggesting that Phanerozoic species numbers were in equilibrium with habitat area. This is further supported by the fact that estimated parameters in the regressions are fairly consistent with established island biogeographic theory. Much of the remaining residual variation can be explained by periods of disequilibrium. Raup's (1976a) recent compilation of Phan- erozoic invertebrate species numbers provides the most accurate data for the study of global species diversity available to date. These data, as Raup (1976b) has forcefully argued, ap- pear primarily to reflect the vagaries of sam- pling: the estimated numbers of fossil species in each geologic system correlate strongly with measures of the amount of rock available for study, specifically outcrop area and rock volume. Biological or historical patterns are not immediately obvious. However, the cor- relations with outcrop area and rock volume are not perfect and some interesting biological information may be revealed in the uncorre- lated residual variation in species numbers. In this note I shall analyze the possibility that species-area effects are present in Raup's di-
Fast Hydrogen Atom Abstraction by a Hydroxo Iron(III) Porphyrazine

A reactive hydroxoferric porphyrazine complex, [(PyPz)FeIII(OH) (OH2)]4+ (1, PyPz = tetramethyl-2,3-pyridino porphyrazine), has been prepared via one-electron oxidation of the corresponding ferrous species [(PyPz)FeII(OH2)2]4+ (2). Electrochemical analysis revealed a pH-dependent and remarkably high FeIII–OH/FeII–OH2 reduction potential of 680 mV vs Ag/AgCl at pH 5.2. Nernstian behavior from pH 2 to pH 8 indicates a one-proton, one-electron interconversion throughout that range. The O–H bond dissociation energy of the FeII–OH2 complex was estimated to be 84 kcal mol–1. Accordingly, 1 reacts rapidly with a panel of substrates via C–H hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), reducing 1 to [(PyPz)FeII(OH2)2]4+ (2). The second-order rate constant for the reaction of [(PyPz)FeIII(OH) (OH2)]4+ with xanthene was 2.22 × 103 M–1 s–1, 5–6 orders of magnitude faster than other reported FeIII–OH complexes and faster than many ferryl complexes.
CodeBox64: A Tactile Input Modality for Block Programming (Abstract Only)

Many K-12 and university classrooms are now using block programming languages (e.g., Scratch, App Inventor, Code.org) to help students learn how to program. These block programming languages are popular because of their simplicity and "tinkerability" allowing novice users to create a project within minutes of first being exposed to the language. Unfortunately, these languages are highly dependent on the mouse and keyboard making them nearly inaccessible for those users with visual or motor impairments. This poster presents CodeBox64, a simplified input modality that is able to program block programming languages in a more tactile approach; it is a Tactile Input Modality (TIM). Because of the simplicity of CodeBox64, it allows visually impaired students to navigate the buttons and knobs with ease. CodeBox64 consists of four navigational buttons (i.e., up, down, left, right), a back button, and an enter button. It also contains an RFID sensor board that allows the user to use physical Lego blocks to execute commands of a block language. While CodeBox64 was originally developed to work with a custom, Blockly language, JamBlocks, it has the potential to work with other block languages. CodeBox64 demonstrates one possible methodology for enabling block languages to be accessible to those users with visual impairments.
CHAPTER 12 – Neurophysiological Effects of Insecticides

This chapter covers the neurophysiological mechanisms of action of various insecticides. Most insecticides are neuropoisons, but their target sites are rather limited. For example, voltage-gated sodium channels are the major target of pyrethroids and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT); gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABA A ) receptors are attacked by cyclodienes, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and fipronil; neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine (nnACh) receptors are the target of nicotine, and nitromethylene and nitroimine heterocycles (for example, imidacloprid). Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides inhibit acetylcholinesterase. Despite apparent differences in chemical structure, pyrethroids and DDT exert similar actions on the nervous system through modulation of the function of voltage-gated sodium channels. Imidacloprid exhibits a unique mechanism of action on nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptors. It binds to insect nACh receptors with a high affinity. Imidacloprid depolarized nerve membrane and caused spontaneous discharges in cockroaches. Fipronil has been found to block insect GABA receptors.
Abstraction, Multiple Exemplar Training and the Search for Derived Stimulus Relations in Animals

Symmetry and other derived stimulus relations are readily demonstrated in humans in a variety of experimental preparations. Comparable emergent relations are more difficult to obtain in other animal species and seem to require certain specialized conditions of training and testing. This article examines some of these conditions with an emphasis on what animal research may be able to tell us about the nature and origins of derived stimulus relations. We focus on two areas that seem most promising: 1) research generated by Urcuioli’s (2008) theory of the conditions necessary to produce symmetry in pigeons, and 2) research that explores the effects of multiple exemplar training on emergent relations. Urcuioli’s theory has successfully predicted emergent relations in pigeons by taking into account their apparent difficulty in abstracting the nominal training stimulus from other stimulus properties such as location and temporal position. Further, whereas multiple exemplar training in non-humans has not consistently yielded arbitrarily-applicable relational responding, there is a growing body of literature showing that it does result in abstracted same-different responding. Our review suggests that although emergent stimulus relations demonstrated in non-humans at present have not yet shown the flexibility or generativity apparent in humans, the research strategies reviewed here provide techniques that may permit the analysis of the origins of derived relational responding.
Monolithic integration of InAlAs/InGaAs quantum-well on InP-OI micro-substrates on Si for infrared light sources

We demonstrate for the first time that InAlAs/InGaAs QW can be selectively grown on micron-sized InP-OI substrates, obtained by selective epitaxy in empty oxide cavities on Si. The concept, material and optical characterizations are presented, paving the way towards integrated light sources for infrared applications.
Recent advances in wide bandgap semiconductor-based gas sensors

Abstract: We review recent progress in wide bandgap thin-film and nanorod sensors made from GaN or ZnO and related materials for applications in the detection of gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Practical aspects are covered, such as the use of differential sensor pairs to eliminate the effects of temperature variations and of the effect of humidity on the detection sensitivity.
The Multi-product Newsvendor Problem: Review, Extensions, and Directions for Future Research

In this paper, we review the contributions to date for the multi-product newsvendor problem (MPNP). Our focus is on the current literature concerning the mathematical models and the solution methods for the multi-item newsvendor problems with single or multiple constraints, as well as the effects of substitute and complementary products on the stocking decisions and expected profits. We present some extensions to the current work for a stylized setting assuming two products and conclude with directions for future research.