cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inversion of the backscattering data and a problem of integral geometry

Abstract The backscattered acoustic field from an inhomogeneity is known on a plane P for all frequencies. These data determine the inhomogeneity uniquely. An analytical formula for the inversion is given. The integral geometry problem which consists in finding a compactly supported function from the knowledge of its integrals over the spheres S( x 1 , R ) of various R centered at x 1 , 0 R x 1 ϵ P, is solved analytically explicitly. The backscattered field known at any finite number of frequencie s does not determine the inhomogeneity uniquely.
Lethal weapon: amyloid β-peptide, role in the oxidative stress and neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease

Lethal weapon: amyloid -peptide, role in the oxidative stress and neurodegeneration of Alzheimer’s disease Debomoy K. Lahiri a, Nigel H. Greig b,∗ a Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, 791 Union Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA b Drug Design and Development Section, Laboratory of Neurosciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 5600 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Anamorphic Laser Beam Shaper with a Phase Step

The far field energy distribution of a 10.6 u laser beam can be altered by optical means to favorably match the field of view of an imaging system with a linear array of detectors. In this paper we describe a laser beam shaper which consists of an anamorphic optical system and a X/2 phase step which is introduced into the central part of the laser beam. It is shown that with proper design, most of the laser energy can be made to fall within the field of view of the linear array and with nearly equal distribution among the detectors.
Weighing decisions: Aiding emergency response decision making via option awareness

Emergency response is an especially challenging domain for decision support, as often high-impact decisions must be made quickly, usually under high levels of uncertainty about the situation. The level of uncertainty and the time pressure require a new approach to using modelbased decision support tools during ongoing emergency events. This paper discusses the latest in a series of experiments examining the use of a decision-space visualization helping users identify the most robust options in response to complex emergency scenarios. The results provide additional insight into the value of decision-space information and option awareness for users working in complex, emerging, and uncertain task environments.
Evaluating the Impact of Getting to Outcomes–Underage Drinking on Prevention Capacity and Alcohol Merchant Attitudes and Selling Behaviors

Underage drinking is a significant problem facing US communities. Several environmental alcohol prevention (EAP) strategies (laws, regulations, responsible beverage service training and practices) successfully address underage drinking. Communities, however, face challenges carrying out these EAP strategies effectively. This small-scale, 3-year, randomized controlled trial assessed whether providing prevention coalitions with Getting To Outcomes–Underage Drinking (GTO-UD), a tool kit and implementation support intervention, helped improve implementation of two common EAP strategies, responsible beverage service training (RBS) and compliance checks. Three coalitions in South Carolina and their RBS and compliance check programs received the 16-month GTO-UD intervention, including the GTO-UD manual, training, and onsite technical assistance, while another three in South Carolina maintained routine operations. The measures, collected at baseline and after the intervention, were a structured interview assessing how well coalitions carried out their work and a survey of merchant attitudes and practices in the six counties served by the participating coalitions. Over time, the quality of some RBS and compliance check activities improved more in GTO-UD coalitions than in the control sites. No changes in merchant practices or attitudes significantly differed between the GTO-UD and control groups, although merchants in the GTO-UD counties did significantly improve on refusing sales to minors while control merchants did not.
Endocarditis in the drug addict

Abstract The English literature is reviewed for reports of endocarditis in the drug addict, and 16 additional patients are described. Our series reveals a high incidence of Streptococcus viridans infections. In reviewing the previously recorded cases, we conclude that heroin addicts are not more likely to have endocarditis on the right side of the heart, but if this lesion does develop, the organism most likely responsible is the Staphylococcus. The mortality for this disease is high, and vigorous diagnostic and therapeutic measures are required.
Using Homomorphic Encryption and Digital Envelope Techniques for Privacy Preserving Collaborative Sequential Pattern Mining

Nowadays, data mining is widely used in various applications. Privacy is an important issue in data mining systems. By privacy, we mean how to conduct data mining without compromising much data privacy. In particular, we consider the scenario where data sharing for data mining purpose is the main goal. However, we would like minimize the data disclosure during data mining process.
A paradoxical peace: HIV in post-conflict states

Conflict has traditionally been thought to contribute to the epidemic spread of HIV. New data call into question this assumption, and there is concern that the ‘post-conflict phase’ may be a particularly dangerous time for HIV transmission. The post-conflict phase is characterized by a potentially disastrous confluence of factors including demobilization of combatants, the presence of peacekeeping forces, the return of potentially infected soldiers and refugees, high-risk behaviours and persistent economic and social debilitation. These factors, along with the concentration of populations into cities and urban areas, may further increase the risk to these populations of HIV infection. Further research and study are required to adequately inform and address the issue of HIV transmission in post-conflict societies.
Calculating, With Income Effects, the Compensating Variation for a State Change

One can easily obtain exact closed-form solutions for the compensating variation (and equivalent variation) in the presence of income effects when the policy being evaluated can be described as a change in the state of the world and one is willing to assume the policy change does not change the individual’s epsilon draw. Alternatively, if one assumes the policy changes the epsilon draw, the expectation of the compensating variation is a complicated integral, typically without a closed-form. The assumption that the policy does not affect one’s epsilon draw is common, and often reasonable, but little discussed.
Parts of Amazon on the verge of forest‐to‐grassland shift

The stability of the Amazon rainforest and the ecosystem's resilience to widespread deforestation may be much lower than previously thought. The replacement of stands of trees with grassland changes evapotranspiration rates and atmospheric moisture convergence, which, in turn, reduce regional rainfall. This feedback effect could drive further deforestation. Previous research indicated that a dramatic shift from forest to grassland could overtake the Amazon when the total deforested area hits 40% to 50% of the forest's current size. New research by Pires and Costa, however, found that the deforestation needed to trigger this equilibrium shift is much lower, closer to just 10%.
An Interplanetary Targeting and Orbit Insedion Maneuver Design Technique

The paper describes a tradeoff in selecting a planetary encounter aimpoint and a spacecraft propulsive maneuver strategy in the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Mission. The method uses parametric data spanning a region of acceptable targeting aimpoints in the delivery space and the geometric considerations. Real-time maneuver adjustments accounted for known attitude control errors, orbit determination updates, and late changes in a targeting specification.
Applying occupancy estimation and modelling to the analysis of atlas data

Aim Biological atlases are a globally widespread and effective means for documenting the distribution of numerous taxa and have been used to study many macroecological relationships. A common assumption when analysing atlas data is that species are detected perfectly (p = 1). This assumption is likely incorrect, but the application of methods to account for heterogeneous detectability (p < 1) has been difficult to implement. We provide an application of current methods of occupancy estimation and modelling to account for imperfect detection in the analysis of atlas data. Location New York, USA. Methods We employed multiseason occupancy models substituting spatial replicates for temporally repeated surveys to examine changes in distribution of the Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) using breeding bird atlases from 1980–1985 and 2000–2005. We compared estimates from models accounting for p < 1 versus those assuming p = 1 in assessing statewide patterns of occupancy, colonization and extinction. Results We found forest cover, observer effort, information on previous detections and the sampling year were important predictors of detection. Environmental predictors of statewide occupancy dynamics were similar among models accounting for p < 1 versus those assuming p = 1. Despite these similarities, site-level estimates of occupancy from the model accounting for imperfect detection indicated 14% and 19% higher site occupancy in the 1980–1985 and 2000–2005 Atlases, respectively. In addition, relative to the model accounting for p < 1, the model assuming perfect detectability underestimated persistence and overestimated extinction between atlases. The model accounting for p < 1 had 0.3% and 7.9% higher accuracy in predicting occupancy in the 1980–1985 and 2000–2005 Atlases, respectively, than the models assuming p = 1. Main conclusions Occupancy modelling and estimation can be successfully applied to broad-scale surveys, such as atlases, that do not explicitly implement repeated visits to a survey block. Occupancy modelling allows for a more rigorous analysis of atlas data for exploring species–environmental relationships and modelling species distributions while accounting for imperfect detection.
Gastrointestinal symptoms in Parkinson disease: 18-month follow-up study

In a recent study we identified abnormal salivation, dysphagia, nausea, constipation, and defecatory dysfunction as those gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms associated with Parkinson disease (PD) and characterized their relationship to PD severity and therapy. In this study, we re-evaluated these symptoms and their relationship to parameters of PD 18 months later. Sixty-six percent of the original participants responded. Over the 18 months, 68% of originally untreated PD subjects commenced anti-PD therapy. Abnormal salivation, dysphagia, nausea, constipation, and defecatory dysfunction were again identified as those GI symptoms more common in PD. Constipation increased both in severity and frequency. Comparison of GI symptom scores and parameters of PD dysfunction failed to reveal significant progression of either GI symptomatology or PD dysfunction, or the development of new GI symptoms over the 18-month period. This study validates our GI dysfunction assessment system and confirms abnormal salivation, dysphagia, nausea, constipation, and defecatory function as those GI symptoms truly associated with PD. A direct relationship between PD and its related GI symptoms is again supported.
New substituted 4H-chromenes as anticancer agents.

As a continuation of our efforts to discover and develop small molecules as anticancer agents, we identified GRI-394837 as an initial hit from similarity search on RGD and its analogs. Based on GRI-394837, we designed and synthesized a focused set of novel chromenes (4a–e) in a single step using microwave method. All five compounds showed activity in the nanomolar range (IC50: 7.4–640 nM) in two melanoma, three prostate and four glioma cancer cell lines. The chromene 4e is active against all the cell lines and particularly against the A172 human glioma cell line (IC50: 7.4 nM). Interestingly, in vitro tubulin polymerization assay shows 4e to be a weak tubulin polymerization inhibitor but it shows very strong cytotoxicity in cellular assays, therefore there must be additional unknown mechanism(s) for the anticancer activity. Additionally, the strong antiproliferative activity was verified by one of the selected chromene (4a) by the NCI 60 cell line screen. These results strongly suggest that the novel chromenes could be further developed as a potential therapeutic agent for a variety of aggressive cancers.
Comparison of stair‐step ergometry and walk/run training

The purpose of this study was to compare stair‐step ergometry to walk/run training in terms of improving cardiorespiratory fitness and reducing adiposity in previously sedentary men (mean ± SE: age, 48.2 ± 1.4 yr; height, 175.7 ± 1.4 cm; weight, 92.9 ± 4.4 kg; body fat, 27.6 ± 2.0%). Two groups of five men each trained (14 weeks, 3 to 4 day/week, 30 to 45 min/day) by either stair‐step ergometry or walk/run exercise, while a third group of seven men served as sedentary controls. Relative and absolute maximal oxygen uptake improved by ≍20% (p <0.05) in both exercise groups. Time to exhaustion during an incremental treadmill test also increased similarly by ≍3.3 minutes (≍30%; p <0.05) regardless of the training mode. Fat mass (≍3 kg) was significantly (p <0.05) reduced with both training methods. These data suggest that stair‐step ergometry and walk/ run training improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce adiposity to a similar degree in previously sedentary, somewhat overweight men.
Sorption and displacement of pyrene in soils and sediments.

Sorption isotherms of pyrene on soils and sediments were examined to understand its sorption behavior. All systems examined exhibited nonlinear sorption. Sorption nonlinearity was found to be a fun...
The Target of Task Switching

Task switching involves processing target stimuli in accordance with a frequently changing series of tasks. An outstanding issue is whether this processing is tailored to the perceptual or categorical representation of targets. To address this issue, the authors compared switch costs in responding to targets that were perceptually distinct (words and images) but associated with the same categories (colors and shapes). In four experiments that varied the degree to which words and images were mixed together, no differences in switch costs were observed. These results support the idea that categorical target representations are central to task switching.
Comparison of rates of change in bone density as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and quantitative computed tomography in osteoporotic females treated with fluoride.

Abstract We conducted a retrospective comparison of the rates of change in vertebral bone density measured by two densitometric techniques: dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in osteoporotic women treated with fluoride. To compare both densitometric methods, lumbar vertebral bone density was determined before and during fluoride therapy in 104 osteoporotic women. All patients signed an informed consent under a protocol approved by our University Institutional Review Board. All subjects had at least three serial measurements using both densitometric techniques over the studied time period. Linear regression was used to calculate rate of change values for each patient. In agreement with previous published reports, lumbar density increased linearly over time both with DXA and QCT. Rates of change determined by DXA and QCT were significantly correlated ( r = 0.88, p
Hemodynamic responses to noninvasive external cardiac pacing

Although improvements in noninvasive external cardiac pacing have led to a technique with reliable electrical capture and reduced patient discomfort, hemodynamic responses to this pacing mode have not been described previously. Accordingly, this technique was applied to 16 patients with a clinical diagnosis of angina pectoris undergoing cardiac catheterization. Three patients had normal coronary arteries, whereas the remaining 13 had significant coronary artery disease. All patients had noninvasive pacing at increasing heart rates to 85 percent of age-predicted maximal heart rate. At maximal pacing, all patients demonstrated a rise in atrial, pulmonary artery, and mean aortic pressures. Cardiac index remained unchanged, reflecting parallel increases in arteriovenous oxygen difference and oxygen consumption. One minute after cessation of pacing, pulmonary artery pressure and oxygen consumption remained elevated, whereas arteriovenous oxygen difference returned to baseline with a subsequent rise in cardiac index. Angina occurred in eight patients with coronary artery disease at peak pacing and was accompanied by a rise in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure after pacing. In eight patients without pacing-induced angina, including the three patients with normal coronary arteries, there was no significant change in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure after pacing. It is concluded that noninvasive external cardiac pacing produces a rise in both right and left heart filling pressures and in oxygen consumption that persist after pacing, and may provoke angina and hemodynamic abnormalities consistent with myocardial ischemia. This mode of pacing appears hemodynamically safe with maintenance of cardiac index and aortic pressure at 85 percent of maximal age-predicted heart rate.
Factors Influencing Creativity in the Domain of Managerial Decision Making

This study examines factors that influence the creativity of managers’ decisions. A domain-based, evolutionary model that describes the influence of context on creative action is combined with a teleological model of creative managerial decision making derived from the strategy formulation and organizational decision process literatures. Results show that two key dimensions of managerial creativity, the novelty and the value of choices, were affected by markedly different factors. Surprisingly, influences on the novelty of managers’ choices were essentially independent of influences on the value of those choices. Overall, this study represents an initial attempt to describe and empirically examine processes that affect the creativity of executives’ choices.
Interaction between Mu and Delta Opioid Receptor Agonists in an Assay of Capsaicin-Induced Thermal Allodynia in Rhesus Monkeys

Delta opioid agonists enhance antinociceptive effects of mu-opioid agonists in many preclinical assays of acute nociception, but delta/mu interactions in preclinical models of inflammation-associated pain have not been examined. This study examined interactions between the delta agonist SNC80 [(+)-4-[(αR)-α-((2S,5R)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl-1-piperazinyl)-3-methoxybenzyl]-N,N-diethylbenzamide] and the mu agonist analgesics methadone, morphine, and nalbuphine in an assay of capsaicin-induced thermal allodynia in rhesus monkeys. Thermal allodynia was produced by topical application of capsaicin to the tail. Antiallodynic effects of methadone, morphine, and nalbuphine were evaluated alone or in combination with fixed proportions of SNC80 identical to proportions previously shown to enhance acute thermal antinociceptive effects of these mu agonists in rhesus monkeys (0.9 : 1 SNC80/methadone; 0.29 : 1 SNC80/morphine; 3.6 : 1 SNC80/nalbuphine). Methadone, morphine, and nalbuphine each produced dose-dependent antiallodynia. SNC80 produced partial antiallodynia up to the highest dose tested (5.6 mg/kg). SNC80 produced a modest, enantioselective, and naltrindole-reversible enhancement of methadone-induced antiallodynia. However, SNC80 did not enhance morphine antiallodynia and only weakly enhanced nalbuphine antiallodynia. Overall, SNC80 produced modest or no enhancement of the antiallodynic effects of the three mu agonists evaluated. These results suggest that delta agonist-induced enhancement of mu agonist antiallodynia may be weaker and less reliable than previously demonstrated enhancement of mu agonist acute thermal nociception.
Fertility in women treated with cranial radiotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background Fertility impairments among women treated during childhood for cancer are known to occur after some, but not all, types of anticancer therapy. Although leukemia is the most common cancer of childhood, until now fertility in survivors has not been comprehensively assessed. Procedure We investigated functional impairment of fertility in women who were long-term survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with a retrospective cohort study. Proven fertility (defined as ever pregnant) was evaluated by self-report among 182 females treated on protocols of the Children's Cancer Group (age at interview, 22.6 years on average) and 170 controls drawn from among the survivors' female siblings (23.4 years). The interview included psychosocial inventories designed to detect mood problems. Results Significant fertility deficits were noted in female survivors treated with cranial radiotherapy (CRT) at any dose around the time of menarche (relative fertility (RF)) = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.09, 0.82, P = 0.03). Controlling for marital status, mood at interview, and many fertility-related situations did not change the association. Conclusion This study provides evidence for fertility deficits after treatment for ALL with CRT, and, in addition, for the first time, suggests that girls treated around the time of menarche are especially at risk. Clinical confirmation of these results is needed. If gonadal damage occurs in women receiving these treatments, their risk for further sequelae, such as osteoporosis and heart disease, may be significantly raised, requiring active management and intervention. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Methods for measuring unit maneuvering allowance of a control area and assessing the level of unit maneuvering for generating units

This paper presents two methods one for measuring and the other for assessing the level of unit maneuvering of unit under automatic generation control (AGC) in a control area (CA). Method 1 provides a mean for computing the minimum level of maneuvering. It computes a quantity called the unit maneuvering allowance (UMA) using the CA's load curve, interchange schedule, and manual generation data. Excess unit maneuvering, the additional maneuvering beyond UMA is considered and can be used to evaluate the performance of the CA's AGC algorithm with regard to unit maneuvering. Method 2 derives a measure that can be used to assess the level of unit maneuvering for individual generating units, including jointly owned ones, operating under AGC. This measures is obtained by computing the root mean square value of the lower/raise control signals issued to each unit. For jointly owned units, this measure shows that a reduction in generation change request signals from one owner will reduce the maneuvering imposed upon the unit. Such units will receive this relief even if the other owner does not reduce its generation change request signals.
Economics of employer-sponsored workplace vaccination to prevent pandemic and seasonal influenza

Employers may be loath to fund vaccination programs without understanding the economic consequences. We developed a decision analytic computational simulation model including dynamic transmission elements that estimated the cost-benefit of employer-sponsored workplace vaccination from the employer's perspective. Implementing such programs was relatively inexpensive (<$35/vaccinated employee) and, in many cases, cost saving across diverse occupational groups in all seasonal influenza scenarios. Such programs were cost-saving for a 20% serologic attack rate pandemic scenario (range: -$15 to -$995) per vaccinated employee) and a 30% serologic attack rate pandemic scenario (range: -$39 to -$1,494 per vaccinated employee) across all age and major occupational groups.
Watt-level Er-doped and Er-Pr-codoped ZBLAN fiber amplifiers at the 2.7-2.8 μm wavelength range

Characteristics of diode-pumped Er-doped and Er-Pr-codoped ZBLAN fiber amplifiers were investigated at the 2.7-2.8 microm wavelength range. An amplified signal of 4.6 W was obtained from the singly Er-doped amplifier for an input signal of 110 mW, corresponding to a net gain of 16.2 dB. An amplified signal of 2.65 W was obtained from the Er-Pr-codoped amplifier for an input signal of 70 mW, corresponding to a net gain of 15.8 dB. It is found that the gain bandwidth of the singly Er-doped amplifier is much narrower than that of the Er-Pr-codoped amplifier. Small gain, no gain, or even a loss for shorter-wavelength signals propagating through the singly Er-doped amplifier should attribute for the large number residual populations in the lower laser level caused by the inefficient depopulation of the energy transfer upconversion processes.
Developing Customer Orientation among Service Employees

A conceptual framework is proposed that considers the customer orientation of service employees and its relationship with their perceived level of organizational socialization and perceptions of the organizational climate for service, motivational effort and direction, and organizational commitment. Structural equation modeling techniques are applied to data collected from employees in the financial services industry to test the framework. The results of this study indicate higher levels of customer orientation result from favorable perceptions of the organizational climate for service and higher levels of motivational direction and organizational commitment. In addition, organizational socialization was found to have a positive impact on perceptions of climate, levels of motivation, and organizational commitment.
Inhibition of triiodothyronine (T3) binding to thyroxine-binding globulin by sodium salicylate and its application to immunoassay of T3 in human serum.

P REVIOUS STUDIES, largely based on paper electrophoresis, have shown that salicylate interferes with the binding of thyroxine to human thyroxinebinding prealbumin (TBPA) .*,2 Osorio has also suggested that salicylates may interfere with T3 and T4 binding to thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) .3 Artifacts introduced by the supporting media, the electrical field, and the buffers used present difficulties in interpretation of studies using electrophoretic techniques. We were therefore interested in studying this problem using more direct methods to measure the concentration of hormone displaced. We were especially interested in free T3 because of the recent development of a simplified assay for measuring total T3 in human serum.4 This communication reports the results of our studies with sodium salicylate and a potentially useful application of these observations.
Pediatric Benign Vocal Fold Lesions: A Team Approach

Abstract Many children with dysphonia present with benign vocal fold lesions, including bilateral vocal fold nodules, cysts, vocal fold varices, and scarring. Evaluation and treatment of these children are best undertaken in a thoughtful and coordinated manner involving both the speech-language pathologist and the otolaryngologist. The goals of this article are (a) to describe the team evaluation process based on a “whole system” approach; (b) to discuss etiological factors and diagnosis; and (c) to review current medical, behavioral, and surgical treatments for children with different types of dysphonia.
Measurement of Quasi-Fermi Levels in Quantum Well Lasers

Heterojunction Quantum Well Lasers were tested under forward and reverse bias, by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) working in Differential Voltage Contrast(DVC) mode. DVC utilizes the impact of electrical potential across a device on the emission of secondary electrons. DVC consists of storing and subtracting two digitized images of the tested device under zero bias and in an operational regime. Calibration of the resultant image provides for quantitative measurements of the potential across the device. The question of whether the DVC technique measures the electron affinity of a material or its work function or the thermodynamic potential has been addressed in recent papers, however questions remained regarding discrepancies between the expected Quasi Fermi Energy (QFE) and the measured values. The experimental part of our work concentrated on taking (QFE) profiles by DVC across a single quantum well laser operating in inverse population, threshold, and high power emission modes of photoemission. The intensity was measured by a calibrated photodetector aligned with the laser in the SEM chamber. The cleaved and yet operational lasers have as a central part a layer of In 0.2 Ga 0.8 As 600nm thick between two undoped layers of Al 0.3 Ga 0.7 As 0.1 μm thick each with cladding layer of n-type Al 0.6 Ga 0.4 As on one side and a similar p-type layer on the other. The shape of QFE indicated that eletrons and photons contribute to total energy over the intrinsic area. This QFE profiling across the laser reveals areas of electron and photon confinement.
County-level determinants of dental utilization for Medicaid-enrolled children with chronic conditions: how does place affect use?

Little is known about how place affects childrens’ access to dental care. We analyzed data for 25,908 Iowa Medicaid-enrolled children with chronic conditions to identify the county-level determinants of dental utilization. Our analyses suggest that higher levels of poverty and designation as a dental health professional shortage area at the county-level are associated with lower probability of child-level dental use. There are significant interactions between child-level race/ethnicity and county-level poverty as well as between child-level disability and county-level unemployment. We present a new descriptive model on dental utilization that emphasizes county-level factors as well as interactions between county-level and child-level factors.
Mutual coupling analyses for small GPS adaptive arrays

Aircraft in an ECM environment require high performance antenna arrays that are compact in size, and easy to manufacture. Modern microstrip antennas are suitable candidates for GPS arrays. A critical issue is how small can these antenna arrays be configured without compromising the performance of the GPS receivers. The closer the antenna elements are spaced, the stronger the mutual coupling between the elements. This can result in impedance mismatch of the individual elements to their feeds, distortion of the radiation patterns of the array, degradation of polarization and adaptive nulling performance. Mutual coupling studies are, therefore, essential in determining the overall characteristic behavior of small GPS antenna arrays. GPS arrays use right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) elements to match the element polarization to the satellite signal polarization. In this paper, a theoretical study of the mutual coupling between RHCP microstrip antenna elements is presented.
Tetrahymena Telomerase Holoenzyme Assembly, Activation, and Inhibition by Domains of the p50 Central Hub

The eukaryotic reverse transcriptase, telomerase, adds tandem telomeric repeats to chromosome ends to promote genome stability. The fully assembled telomerase holoenzyme contains a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) catalytic core and additional proteins that modulate the ability of the RNP catalytic core to elongate telomeres. Electron microscopy (EM) structures of Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme revealed a central location of the relatively uncharacterized p50 subunit. Here we have investigated the biochemical and structural basis for p50 function. We have shown that the p50-bound RNP catalytic core has a relatively low rate of tandem repeat synthesis but high processivity of repeat addition, indicative of high stability of enzyme-product interaction. The rate of tandem repeat synthesis is enhanced by p50-dependent recruitment of the holoenzyme single-stranded DNA binding subunit, Teb1. An N-terminal p50 domain is sufficient to stimulate tandem repeat synthesis and bridge the RNP catalytic core, Teb1, and the p75 subunit of the holoenzyme subcomplex p75/p19/p45. In cells, the N-terminal p50 domain assembles a complete holoenzyme that is functional for telomere maintenance, albeit at shortened telomere lengths. Also, in EM structures of holoenzymes, only the N-terminal domain of p50 is visible. Our findings provide new insights about subunit and domain interactions and functions within the Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme.
Heritage and early history of the boundary element method

This article explores the rich heritage of the boundary element method (BEM) by examining its mathematical foundation from the potential theory, boundary value problems, Green's functions, Green's identities, to Fredholm integral equations. The 18th to 20th century mathematicians, whose contributions were key to the theoretical development, are honored with short biographies. The origin of the numerical implementation of boundary integral equations can be traced to the 1960s, when the electronic computers had become available. The full emergence of the numerical technique known as the boundary element method occurred in the late 1970s. This article reviews the early history of the boundary element method up to the late 1970s.
Biconformal supergravity and the AdS/CFT conjecture

Biconformal supergravity models provide a new gauging of the superconformal group relevant to the Maldacena conjecture. Using the group quotient method to biconformally gauge SU(2, 2|N), we generate a 16-dim superspace. We write the most general even- and odd-parity actions linear in the curvatures, the bosonic sector of which is known to descend to general relativity on a 4-dim manifold.
The Authorship of the‘Discourse of the Commonweal’

In I58i the Discourse of the Common Weal was published by Thomas Marshe, printer, of London, under the title A Compendious or brief examination qf certayne ordinary complaints of divers of our countrymen in these our dayes: which although they are in some part unjust andfrivolous, yet are they all by way of dialogues thoroughly debated and discussed. By W. S. Gentleman. One knowledgeable contemporary avoided the traps into which later scholars fell trying to identify 'W. S.'1 William Lambarde, the Kentish antiquary, recorded on his manuscript copy of the Discourse that 'W. S.' was not the author:
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TREE-PRUNING METHODS AND POLYNOMIALS FOR CACTUS GRAPHS AND TREES

The object of this paper is to review the recent developments in tree-pruning methods and characteristic and matching polynomials of spirographs, cacti and trees. The applications of the pruning method to spirographs, Bethe lattices, cactus lattices and Bethe cactus lattices are considered. In each case, the tree-pruning method yields analytical solutions for these graphs.
Enabling framework for structural health monitoring using smart sensors

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an important tool for the ongoing maintenance of aging infrastructure. The ultimate goals of implementing an SHM system are to improve infrastructure maintenance, increase public safety, and minimize the economic impact of an extreme loading event by streamlining repair and retrofit measures. Networks of wireless smart sensors offer tremendous promise for accurate and continuous structural monitoring using a dense array of inexpensive sensors; however, hurdles still remain. Although smart sensors have been commercially available for nearly a decade, full-scale implementation for civil infrastructure has been lacking, with the exception of a few short-term demonstration projects. This slow progress is due in part to the fact that programming smart sensors is extremely complex, putting the use of these devices for all but the simplest tasks out of the reach of most engineers. This article presents an enabling, open-source framework for SHM using networks of wireless smart sensors. The framework is based on a service-oriented architecture that is modular, reusable, and extensible, thus allowing engineers to more readily realize the potential of smart sensing technology. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed framework, an example SHM application is provided. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sparse partial least squares regression for simultaneous dimension reduction and variable selection

Partial least squares regression has been an alternative to ordinary least squares for handling multicollinearity in several areas of scientific research since the 1960s. It has recently gained much attention in the analysis of high dimensional genomic data. We show that known asymptotic consistency of the partial least squares estimator for a univariate response does not hold with the very large p and small n paradigm. We derive a similar result for a multivariate response regression with partial least squares. We then propose a sparse partial least squares formulation which aims simultaneously to achieve good predictive performance and variable selection by producing sparse linear combinations of the original predictors. We provide an efficient implementation of sparse partial least squares regression and compare it with well-known variable selection and dimension reduction approaches via simulation experiments. We illustrate the practical utility of sparse partial least squares regression in a joint analysis of gene expression and genomewide binding data.
Rates and patterns of surface deformation from laser scanning following the South Napa earthquake, California

The A.D. 2014 M6.0 South Napa earthquake, despite its moderate magnitude, caused significant damage to the Napa Valley in northern California (USA). Surface rupture occurred along several mapped and unmapped faults. Field observations following the earthquake indicated that the magnitude of postseismic surface slip was likely to approach or exceed the maximum coseismic surface slip and as such presented ongoing hazard to infrastructure. Using a laser scanner, we monitored postseismic deformation in three dimensions through time along 0.5 km of the main surface rupture. A key component of this study is the demonstration of proper alignment of repeat surveys using point cloud–based methods that minimize error imposed by both local survey errors and global navigation satellite system georeferencing errors. Using solid modeling of natural and cultural features, we quantify dextral postseismic displacement at several hundred points near the main fault trace. We also quantify total dextral displacement of initially straight cultural features. Total dextral displacement from both coseismic displacement and the first 2.5 d of postseismic displacement ranges from 0.22 to 0.29 m. This range increased to 0.33–0.42 m at 59 d post-earthquake. Furthermore, we estimate up to 0.15 m of vertical deformation during the first 2.5 d post-earthquake, which then increased by ∼0.02 m at 59 d post-earthquake. This vertical deformation is not expressed as a distinct step or scarp at the fault trace but rather as a broad up-to-the-west zone of increasing elevation change spanning the fault trace over several tens of meters, challenging common notions about fault scarp development in strike-slip systems. Integrating these analyses provides three-dimensional mapping of surface deformation and identifies spatial variability in slip along the main fault trace that we attribute to distributed slip via subtle block rotation. These results indicate the benefits of laser scanner surveys along active faults and demonstrate that fine-scale variability in fault slip has been missed by traditional earthquake response methods.
Academic Advising: The Challenge of the 90s

“Academic Advising: The Challenge of the 90s” was delivered as the President's Address at the 1992 NACADA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. In her address King argues that the challenge faced by the profession in the coming decade is the challenge of accomplishing more with fewer staff and fewer resources. King suggests that the basic tenets of Total Quality Management can productively be applied to improve the content and delivery of advising services.
A SOCS1/3 Antagonist Peptide Protects Mice Against Lethal Infection with Influenza A Virus

We have developed an antagonist to suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), pJAK2(1001-1013), which corresponds to the activation loop of the Janus kinase JAK2, which is the binding site for the kinase inhibitory region (KIR) of SOCS1. Internalized pJAK2(1001-1013) inhibits SOCS1 and SOCS3. SOCS1 has been shown to be an influenza virus-induced virulence factor that enhances infection of cells. The antagonist was protective in cell culture and in influenza virus PR8 lethally infected C57BL/6 mice. The SOCS antagonist also prevented adverse morbidity as assessed by parameters, such as weight loss and drop in body temperature, and showed potent induction of both the cellular and humoral immune responses to the influenza virus candidate universal antigen matrix protein 2 (M2e). The SOCS antagonist, thus, protected mice against lethal influenza virus infection and possessed potent adjuvancy against the M2e candidate influenza virus universal vaccine antigen.
A case for the use of receiver operating characteristic analysis of potential clinical efficacy biomarkers in advanced renal cell carcinoma

Aim: Assess patient-level utility of suggested pretreatment biomarkers of sunitinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma. Patients & methods: Kaplan–Meier analysis of data from a randomized, Phase II study (n = 292) suggested baseline predictive value for circulating soluble Ang-2 and MMP-2 and HIF-1α percentage of tumor expression. Using this dataset, the sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Based on a ROC (sensitivity vs 1 - specificity) threshold AUC value of >0.8, neither Ang-2 (0.67) nor MMP-2 (0.65), nor HIF-1α percentage of tumor expression (0.65), performed appropriately from a patient-selection standpoint. Conclusion: To properly assess potential biomarkers, sensitivity and specificity characteristics should be obtained by ROC analysis.
Modeling changes in glucose and glycerol rates of appearance when true basal rates of appearance cannot be readily determined.

Advancing diabetes care requires accurate physiological assessments. Hyperinsulinemic clamps with stable isotope tracers can simultaneously measure insulin's ability to suppress lipolysis and hepat...
Robert H. Ferrell, Harry S. Truman and the Cold War Revisionists. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2006, paper 2015. 142 pp. $19.95

First published in 2006 and now reissued in a paperback edition, this useful book, well suited for classroom use, gives us both less and more than its title implies. A collection of Robert Ferrell’s reflections on the Truman administration published from 1972 to 2002, it takes its name from an initial chapter on Cold War revisionists, then segues to chapters on the nuclear bomb, the early Cold War, Korea, and the historiography on Harry S. Truman. Ferrell’s critique of the revisionists is restrained and gentlemanly. He calls the father of the genre, University of Wisconsin historian William Appleman Williams, a friend. He shrinks from describing as Marxist the far-fetched assertion by Williams that the central theme of U.S. foreign policy was a perpetual quest for “Open Door” markets. Indeed Ferrell almost seems to buy Williams’s implausible declaration that the Open Door interpretation was simply an adaptation of Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis to the wider world of diplomatic history. In reality it was much more akin to Karl Marx’s interpretation of the dynamics of capitalism than Turner’s evocation of pioneers moving toward the setting sun. Ferrell admits as much by describing Williams, Lloyd Gardner, and other revisionists as “socialists.” By the time he gets around to Gabriel Kolko he finds it impossible to avoid “Marxist” (p. 13). The “C-word” never makes the text, although Ronald Radosh’s autobiographical work, Commies, makes clear that a strong, covert Communist allegiance was central to the upbringing of at least some Cold War revisionists, sometimes characterized as “red diaper babies.” Two chapters on post-World War II U.S. foreign relations—“Diplomacy without Armaments” and “NATO”—are rewarding. In sharp, concise prose, Ferrell describes a diplomatic world in which the United States, with conventional military forces that could accurately be described as impotent, successfully contained Soviet expansionism. What Ferrell does not do—it likely would require a separate article—is explain why the Soviet Army did not simply march into Western Europe. The U.S. nuclear monopoly in the years immediately after the war no doubt had a lot to do with Soviet restraint, even if Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov might protest that his government was not impressed with the bomb. The USSR, moreover, needed to recover from the appalling wartime devastation, including the deaths of some 26 million, widespread destruction, and huge population dislocations. Having to pursue a rough equivalent of the Marshall Plan for his own country, Iosif Stalin moved with deliberation to consolidate his grip on territories the Red Army had occupied by the end of the war. The United States,
Epic Elements in 'Ceddo'

While film and oral narrative performance are two distinct media, Ousmane Sembene of Senegal is uniquely gifted to play the role of a cineaste/griot. In Ceddo, perhaps his most accomplished film to date, he uses several traditional narrative patterns, as well as developing the scope and pageantry of oral epic, to create an allegorical history of the confluence of Islam, Christianity, and the slave trade in a West African kingdom. Sembene also uses the conventions of cinema as well as the Wolof language to reach as large a Senegalese audience as he can. This essay describes the many devices of oral performance and cinema employed by Sembene to put across his message of caution and of popular, concerted activism on the part of the “common man (and woman).”
Mapping a viral phylogeny onto outbreak trees to improve host transmission inference

Developing methods to reconstruct transmission histories for viral outbreaks could provide critical information to support locating sources of disease transmission. Phylogenetic methods used to measure the degree of relatedness among sequenced viral samples have proven useful in identifying potential outbreak sources. The complex nature of infectious disease, however, makes it difficult to assign a rigorously defined quantitative confidence value assessing the likelihood of a true direct transmission event using genetic data alone. A new method is presented to calculate a confidence value assessing the likelihood of a transmission event using both phylogenetic inference and limited knowledge of incubation and infectious duration times. The method is applied to simulations of a foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak to demonstrate how the combination of both phylogenetic and epidemiology data can be used to strengthen the assessment of the likelihood of direct transmission over methods using just phylogenetic data or infection timing data alone. The method is applied to a previous FMD outbreak to identify areas where over confidence in previously inferred direct transmission may exist. Combining knowledge from viral evolution and epidemiology within a single integrated transmission inference framework is an important approach to assess the potential likelihood of transmission events and makes clear how specific features of a virus' spread through the course of an outbreak will directly determine the potential for confidence in inferred host transmission links.