cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On storing arbitrarily many extendible arrays of arbitrary dimensions

Techniques that were developed for allocating storage for extendible arrays can be adapted to allocate storage for a (possibly growing) collection of (possibly extendible) arrays of arbitrary dimensions. By carefully selecting the allocation scheme to be adapted, one can ensure that the computational characteristics of the allocation schemes for the constituent arrays are not too badly degraded in the adaptation process, although some degradation is inevitable.
Risk assessment in the absence of complete data

Abstract The mathematical basis of risk assessment is examined within the context of frequency-consequence modeling. In particular, its application to technological systems, in the absence of complete data, is discussed. It is found that some systems contain risk-significant singularities (one or two probability-high consequence events) which greatly influence continuous frequency-consequence distributions.
Taxonomic Studies on the Ephemeroptera IV. The Genus Stenonema

The genus Stenonema is abundant and ecologically widely distributed in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. The flattish nymphs of one or more species are to be found in most permanent bodies of water in which currents are set up either by wind action or by gravity. For a number of years I have been accumulating material for a generic revision. The taxonomy of the group is involved and it is apparent that considerable rearing of imagoes from their respective nymphs must be undertaken before some of the problems can be solved. Stenonema does, however, consist of three distinct complexes or groups of species. For two of these, i. e., tripunctatum and interpunctatum , enough data have been accumulated by various investigators as well as by the author that a rather clear picture can be presented at this time. The third complex, pulchellum , consists of numerous closely related species and subspecies and presents many puzzling questions. To solve the problems presented in the last named complex, imagoes must be reared from various parts of the geographical ranges of the sundry species, a type of investigation which proceeds slowly and demands the co-operation of numerous students of the ephemerids. I hope that this preliminary paper may stimulate such endeavors and that eventually we shall be able to compose a complete picture of the taxonomy of the group from its entire range. The present work is restricted to a general discussion and delimitation of the genus plus taxonomic revision of the tripunctatum and the inter punctatum complexes.
Assessing iPSC reprogramming methods for their suitability in translational medicine

The discovery of the ability to induce somatic cells to a pluripotent state through the overexpression of specific transcription factors has the potential to transform the ways in which pharmaceutical agents and cellular transplantation therapies are developed. Proper utilization of the technology to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) requires that researchers select the appropriate reprogramming method for generating iPSCs so that the resulting iPSCs can be transitioned towards clinical applications effectively. This article reviews all of the currently available reprogramming techniques with a focus on critiquing them on the basis of their utility in translational medicine.
Induction of lipid droplet accumulation in cardiac muscle cells of guinea pigs and mice: An analysis of the effects of reserpine and fasting

Reserpine has been demonstrated in previous studies to induce the accumulation of lipid droplets in ventricular cardiac muscle cells of bats and this effect has been attributed to mediation by the sympathetic nervous system. The present study was done to evaluate the species specificity of this action of the drug. Reserpine caused lipid droplet accumulation in cardiocytes of guinea pigs and mice. However, in contrast to the action of the drug in bats, this action of reserpine in guinea pigs and mice could not be antagonized by chemical sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine or by treatment of animals with phenoxybenzamine, atropine or hexamethonium. Like reserpine, fasting for as little as 24 hours induced lipid droplet accumulation in cardiocytes of guinea pigs and mice. This effect also could not be prevented by treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine indicating that the sympathetic nervous system was not involved in its mediation. Force-feeding guinea pigs given reserpine prevented the accumulation of lipid droplets normally induced by this drug. It is concluded that the lipid droplets accumulation in the hearts of guinea pigs that follows administration of reserpine is not due to a direct cardiotoxicity of the drug but is secondary to the failure of drug-treated animals to eat. Since the autonomic nervous system appears to mediate reserpine's cardiotoxicity in bats, the species difference revealed by these experiments probably results from an underlying physiological difference in the nervous systems of these animals.
Factors mediating remote preconditioning of trauma in the rat heart: central role of the cytochrome p450 epoxygenase pathway in mediating infarct size reduction.

The present study further identified factors involved in the cardioprotective phenomenon of remote preconditioning of trauma (RPCT) with special emphasis on the role of the epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) in mediating this phenomenon. Remote preconditioning of trauma was produced by an abdominal incision only through the skin. Subsequently, all rats were subjected to 30 minutes of left coronary artery occlusion followed by 2 hours of reperfusion and the infarct size was determined. Remote preconditioning of trauma produced a reduction in infarct size expressed as a percentage of the area at risk from 63.0% ± 1.1% to 44.7% ± 1.4%; P < .01 versus control. To test the 3 major triggers of classical preconditioning in mediating RPCT, blockers of the bradykinin B2 receptor (B2BK), (S)-4-[2-[Bis(cyclohexylamino)methyleneamino]-3-(2-naphthalenyl)-1-oxopropylamino]benzyl tributyl phosphonium (WIN 64338, 1 mg/kg, iv), or HOE 140 (50 μg/kg, iv), the nonselective opioid receptor blocker, naloxone (3 mg/kg, iv), or t...
Strangulating Diaphragmatic Hernia

Abstract Understanding that strangulated diaphragmatic hernia is a thoracoabdominal complex consisting of distinctive gastrointestinal and cardiorespiratory features will facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment. Strangulated diaphragmatic hernia is a fatal condition unless promptly recognized and surgically treated. The abdominal manifestations of the acute complex include sudden excruciating upper abdominal pain and tenderness, nausea and vomiting, and gastrointestinal bleeding or shock or both. The thoracic portion of the complex is characterized by severe lower chest or substernal pain with radiation to the neck or shoulder. Dyspnea and cyanosis result from a mediastinal shift produced by massive distention from herniated viscera or pleural effusion or both. A gastrointestinal series should be obtained in all patients with crushed chest injuries, multiple rib or pelvic fractures, or severe blows to the lower thorax or upper abdomen before discharge from the hospital. The thoracic approach is preferred for left-sided strangulated diaphragmatic hernia, but the abdominal route may also be satisfactory. The thoracic approach is essential for proper management of strangulated hernia occurring on the right side.
Mobility of Electrons in Compensated Semiconductors. II. Theory

A theory of the electron mobility in compensated semiconductors for ionized-impurity scattering is developed. It differs from the existing theory due to Brooks and Herring in that it avoids the expansion of Fermi functions in powers of the electrical potential over the temperature. The mobility depends essentially on the pair correlation function between acceptors and donors. A simple model for this correlation is presented as an example, and an attempt is made to extract the pair-correlation function from the experimentally measured values of the mobility. Strong screening and antiscreening effects are obtained from an analysis of the experiment.
A Mashup Application to Support Complex Decision Making of Retail Consumers

Purchase processes often require complex decision making and consumers frequently use Web information sources to support these decisions. However, increasing amounts of information can make finding appropriate information problematic. This information overload, coupled with decision complexity, can increase time required to make a decision and reduce decision quality. This creates a need for tools that support these decision-making processes. Online tools that bring together data and partial solutions are one option to improve decision making in complex, multi-criteria environments. An experiment using a prototype mashup application indicates that these types of applications may significantly decrease time spent and improve overall quality of complex retail decisions.
Mass spectrometry of 1,1′-diacetylferrocene and 1,1′-dipropionylferrocene: Evidence for intraannular interaction between alkanoyl substituents

The mass spectra of 1,1′-diacetylferrocene, 1,1′-dipropionyl ferrocene and their deuterium and Fe57 isotope labeled analogs are herein reported and discussed. Fragmentation pathways are established and evidence is presented that in the process of fragmentation there is extensive interaction between substituents on the two ferrocene rings. This process apparently has little precedent in the mass spectrometry of ferrocene derivatives. Specifically, the experimental results suggest the simultaneous elimination of two molecules of carbon monoxide, or in another case, of carbon monoxide and ethylene from ions produced in the mass spectrometry of the above compounds.
Convexity of the upper complex plane part of the numerical range of a quaternionic matrix

The quaternionic numerical range of a matrix with quaternion entries has a convex intersection with the upper half complex plane. The quaternionic analog of the elliptical range theorem is proved.
Exercise testing and disease risk: individualized medicine without the “omics”?

exercise testing is a powerful physiological tool that can provide insights into cardiopulmonary fitness, all-cause mortality, and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease ([1][1], [9][2]). It can also be combined with a variety of other technologies to provide specific insight into a variety
Detection of signals by information theoretic criteria

A new approach is presented to the problem of detecting the number of signals in a multichannel time-series, based on the application of the information theoretic criteria for model selection introduced by Akaike (AIC) and by Schwartz and Rissanen (MDL). Unlike the conventional hypothesis testing based approach, the new approach does not requite any subjective threshold settings; the number of signals is obtained merely by minimizing the AIC or the MDL criteria. Simulation results that illustrate the performance of the new method for the detection of the number of signals received by a sensor array are presented.
Quantitative analysis of sugar solutions using infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Rapid quantitative analysis of sugar mixtures is important in industries such as soft drink manufacture and brewing. This work investigates the suitability of Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in the mid-infrared (4000-400 cm−1) as an analytical technique in this area. FT-IR allows much more rapid analysis than prior art procedures, and has potential for on-line monitoring. Matrix methods have been used to obtain calibrations for mixtures of sucrose, glucose and fructose, in concentration ranges typically encountered in the soft drinks industry. The calibrations have been applied to real and synthetic samples, and the results compared with those obtained from traditional methods of analysis.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE ACTION OF STEAM ON GLASS

The action of saturated steam on glass is apparently an action of superheated water. Filtration of saturated steam with partial removal of entrained water materially decreases the rate of decomposition of glass in contact with the steam, while dry steam has no apparent effect on glass. The decomposition of blown glass articles by saturated steam is influenced by the size, shape, and thickness of the articles and by their past history.
Hyaluronan accumulates in demyelinated lesions and inhibits oligodendrocyte progenitor maturation

Demyelination is the hallmark of numerous neurodegenerative conditions, including multiple sclerosis. Oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPCs), which normally mature into myelin-forming oligodendrocytes, are typically present around demyelinated lesions but do not remyelinate affected axons. Here, we find that the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan accumulates in demyelinated lesions from individuals with multiple sclerosis and in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. A high molecular weight (HMW) form of hyaluronan synthesized by astrocytes accumulates in chronic demyelinated lesions. This form of hyaluronan inhibits remyelination after lysolecithin-induced white matter demyelination. OPCs accrue and do not mature into myelin-forming cells in demyelinating lesions where HMW hyaluronan is present. Furthermore, the addition of HMW hyaluronan to OPC cultures reversibly inhibits progenitor-cell maturation, whereas degrading hyaluronan in astrocyte-OPC cocultures promotes oligodendrocyte maturation. HMW hyaluronan may therefore contribute substantially to remyelination failure by preventing the maturation of OPCs that are recruited to demyelinating lesions.
How Do We Acquire Parental Rights

A number of U.S. court cases have heard men, hitherto strangers to their biological child, contest the mother's right to put it up for adoption. Disputes over surrogacy agreements have raised the question of who is the real mother of a child borne by one woman for another. When difficult medical decisions must be made for a child, the default position is that its parents should be the proxy decision-makers. Custody disputes center on which of a couple has the stronger right to parent their children. In all these cases, the judgments made about parenthood are not merely legal or biological, but also moral claims. In this paper I develop a theory of the acquisition of parental rights that can help us make these judgments. According to this investment theory, parental rights are generated by the performance of parental work. Thus, those who successfully parent a child have the right to continue to do so, and to exclude others from so doing. The account derives from a more general principle of desert that applies outside the domain of parenthood. It also has some interesting implications for the attribution of moral parenthood. In particular, it implies that genetic relationships per se are irrelevant to parental rights and that it is possible to have more than two moral parents.
Hyperpycnal flow variability and slope organization on an Eocene shelf margin, Central Basin, Spitsbergen

Identification of bypass at the shelf margin is critical to deep-water exploration. We examine the shelf margin of an early Eocene fourth-order sequence with an attached basin-floor fan in the Spitsbergen Central Basin. Turbidity currents were fed mainly by hyperpycnal flow emerging from shelf-edge deltas. The life span of any turbidity current was determined primarily by the sediment concentration of the flow and the duration of the river flood. High-density hyperpycnal flows created sand-filled slope-channel complexes 10–15 m (33–49 ft) thick and 100–200 m (328–656 ft) wide that served as conduits for bypass to the basin floor. Low-density hyperpycnal flows were unconfined and deposited heterolithic lobes on the slope. Shelf-margin accretion of about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) during the falling stage gave way abruptly to bypass in the early lowstand. Most of the basin-floor fan growth was achieved after shelf-edge incision and before relative sea level rise. Coastal-plain aggradation in the late lowstand sequestered sediment from the shelf-edge distributaries, effectively diminishing high-density hyperpycnal flow output. The late lowstand was therefore marked by a second phase of shelf-margin accretion with only limited bypass to the basin floor, and a heterolithic, prograding complex downlapped the early lowstand channels. Transgression ultimately led to the abandonment of the shelf-edge delta complex and the accumulation of mainly mudstone on the margin. The shelf-margin architecture exhibited by this sequence should serve as a type example of a deep-water feeder system in which hyperpycnal flow is the primary initiator of turbidity currents for sand accumulation on the slope and basin floor.
The Arabidopsis Elongator Complex Subunit2 Epigenetically Regulates Plant Immune Responses

The Arabidopsis thaliana Elongator complex subunit2 (ELP2) genetically interacts with NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES1 (NPR1), a key transcription coactivator of plant immunity, and regulates the induction kinetics of defense genes. However, the mechanistic relationship between ELP2 and NPR1 and how ELP2 regulates the kinetics of defense gene induction are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that ELP2 is an epigenetic regulator required for pathogen-induced rapid transcriptome reprogramming. We show that ELP2 functions in a transcriptional feed-forward loop regulating both NPR1 and its target genes. An elp2 mutation increases the total methylcytosine number, reduces the average methylation levels of methylcytosines, and alters (increases or decreases) methylation levels of specific methylcytosines. Interestingly, infection of plants with the avirulent bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000/avrRpt2 induces biphasic changes in DNA methylation levels of NPR1 and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4), which encodes another key regulator of plant immunity. These dynamic changes are blocked by the elp2 mutation, which is correlated with delayed induction of NPR1 and PAD4. The elp2 mutation also reduces basal histone acetylation levels in the coding regions of several defense genes. Together, our data demonstrate a new role for Elongator in somatic DNA demethylation/methylation and suggest a function for Elongator-mediated chromatin regulation in pathogen-induced transcriptome reprogramming.
batemanater: a computer program to estimate and bootstrap mating system variables based on Bateman's principles

Bateman's principles continue to play a major role in the characterization of genetic mating systems in natural populations. The modern manifestations of Bateman's ideas include the opportunity for sexual selection (i.e. I(s) - the variance in relative mating success), the opportunity for selection (i.e. I - the variance in relative reproductive success) and the Bateman gradient (i.e. β(ss) - the slope of the least-squares regression of reproductive success on mating success). These variables serve as the foundation for one convenient approach for the quantification of mating systems. However, their estimation presents at least two challenges, which I address here with a new Windows-based computer software package called BATEMANATER. The first challenge is that confidence intervals for these variables are not easy to calculate. BATEMANATER solves this problem using a bootstrapping approach. The second, more serious, problem is that direct estimates of mating system variables from open populations will typically be biased if some potential progeny or adults are missing from the analysed sample. BATEMANATER addresses this problem using a maximum-likelihood approach to estimate mating system variables from incompletely sampled breeding populations. The current version of BATEMANATER addresses the problem for systems in which progeny can be collected in groups of half- or full-siblings, as would occur when eggs are laid in discrete masses or offspring occur in pregnant females. BATEMANATER has a user-friendly graphical interface and thus represents a new, convenient tool for the characterization and comparison of genetic mating systems.
Evidence for Strain-Specific Immunity in Patients Treated for Early Lyme Disease

Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States. Many patients treated for early Lyme disease incur another infection in subsequent years, suggesting that previous exposure to B. burgdorferi may not elicit a protective immune response. However, identical strains are almost never detected from patients who have been infected multiple times, suggesting that B. burgdorferi exposure may elicit strain-specific immunity. Probabilistic and simulation models assuming biologically realistic data derived from patients in the northeastern United States suggest that patients treated for early Lyme disease develop protective immunity that is strain specific and lasts for at least 6 years.
Kernel Uncorrelated and Orthogonal Discriminant Analysis: A Unified Approach

Several kernel algorithms have recently been proposed for nonlinear discriminant analysis. However, these methods mainly address the singularity problem in the high dimensional feature space. Less attention has been focused on the properties of the resulting discriminant vectors and feature vectors in the reduced dimensional space. In this paper, we present a new formulation for kernel discriminant analysis. The proposed formulation includes, as special cases, kernel uncorrelated discriminant analysis (KUDA) and kernel orthogonal discriminant analysis (KODA). The feature vectors of KUDA are uncorrelated, while the discriminant vectors of KODA are orthogonal to each other in the feature space. We present theoretical derivations of proposed KUDA and KODA algorithms. The experimental results show that both KUDA and KODA are very competitive in comparison with other nonlinear discriminant algorithms in terms of classification accuracy.
Empowering Reflective Ethical Engagement in Field Settings.

Students often face ethical challenges in experiential education. This chapter describes how teachers, supervisors, and administrators can help students circumvent “ethical bypassing” by strengthening practices of reflective ethical engagement and inquiry.
EnKF assimilation of simulated spaceborne Doppler observations of vertical velocity: impact on the simulation of a supercell thunderstorm and implications for model-based retrievals

Abstract. Recently, a number of investigations have been made that point to the robust effectiveness of the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) in convective-scale data assimilation. These studies have focused on the assimilation of ground-based Doppler radar observations (i.e. radial velocity and reflectivity). The present study differs from these investigations in two important ways. First, in anticipation of future satellite technology, the impact of assimilating spaceborne Doppler-retrieved vertical velocity is examined; second, the potential for the EnKF to provide an alternative to instrument-based microphysical retrievals is investigated. It is shown that the RMS errors of the analyzed fields produced by assimilation of vertical velocity alone are in general better than those obtained in previous studies: in most cases assimilation of vertical velocity alone leads to analyses with small errors (e.g.
MRI Volume and Signal Intensity of ACL Graft Predict Clinical, Functional, and Patient-Oriented Outcome Measures After ACL Reconstruction:

Background:Clinical, functional, and patient-oriented outcomes are commonly used to evaluate the efficacy of treatments after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury; however, these evaluation techniques do not directly measure the biomechanical changes that occur with healing.Purpose:To determine if the magnetic resonance (MR) image–derived parameters of graft volume and signal intensity (SI), which have been used to predict the biomechanical (ie, structural) properties of the graft in animal models, correlate with commonly used clinical (anteroposterior [AP] knee laxity), functional (1-legged hop), and patient-oriented outcome measures (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS]) in patients 3 and 5 years after ACL reconstruction.Study Design:Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Based on a subset of participants enrolled in an ongoing ACL reconstruction clinical trial, AP knee laxity, 1-legged hop test, and KOOS were assessed at 3- and 5-year follow-up. Three-dimensional, T1-w...
Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change Assessment: Framing a Transportation Research Agenda

Problem: Mitigating the production of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and developing strategies to prepare for changes in climate is an important challenge to the transportation planning profession. Purpose: This article identifies the research needed to inform planning practice on the relationship between transportation and climate change. Methods: I chaired the panel that prepared a recent Transportation Research Board special report on research needs related to reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector and adapting transportation systems to climate change. The report considered needs both for short-term policy guidance and for longer-term research into fundamental relationships between GHG emissions, climate change, and transportation. Here, I review those findings and highlight the questions of greatest importance to planning. Results and conclusions: Additional research is needed on: the range of GHG impacts; how and whether to consider indirect GHG impacts; the sensitivity of GHG emission...
Effect of glutathione deficiency on the adipocyte Mg2+-dependent phosphatidate phosphohydrolase

Previous studies from this laboratory [Jamdar S. C. and Cao W. F. (1994) Biochem. J. 301, 793-799] show that the adipocyte Mg(2+)-dependent phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (MGPPH), a major regulatory enzyme in adipose triacylglycerol metabolism, requires an active thiol group for its activity and perturbation of this group results in the loss of enzyme activity. Since glutathione (GSH) is important in maintaining the intracellular thiol state, we have used GSH-deficient animals and adipocytes to test the possibility that intracellular GSH concentration is critical in controlling the MGPPH activity. The MGPPH was measured in the presence of aqueous dispersed phosphatidate, and the release of P1 was taken as a measure of enzyme activity. The GSH deficiency in animals and isolated adipocytes was produced in the presence of diethylmaleate (DEM) or buthionine sulfoximine (BSO). Intraperitoneal administration of BSO into animals (3 mmoles/kg) showed 10-25% reduction in the blood and adipose GSH and 25% decline in the adipose MGPPH activity. However, DEM (0.3 ml/kg) was more effective and caused over 70% reduction of the blood and adipose tissue GSH content and 75% decline in the adipose MGPPH activity within 4 hr of drug administration. After 24 hr, these values returned to normal. Adipocytes incubated with 2.5 mM DEM for 60 min at 37 degrees C also showed a significant reduction in the GSH content and the MGPPH activity present in the cytosol and membrane fractions. The loss of membrane MGPPH was associated with decreased rates of triacylglycerol formation from [14C]palmitate. Pre-incubation of adipocyte homogenates with 1 mM DEM also resulted in > 90% decline in the MGPPH activity, which was preventable in the presence of GSH and dithiothreitol. Therefore, these studies suggest that the sulfhydryl environment offered by glutathione is critical for the maintenance of adipocyte MGPPH activity.
Behavior-Based Control Hierarchy of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarming

Although there are many advantages associated with UAVs, the production cost as well as operation cost of one of todays military UAVs is an overwhelming problem. In this paper, a more basic and fundamental approach to controlling a mission of UAVs is proposed. Based on a combination of low-level behaviors, a swarming hierarchy is derived from three levels of behaviors: basic, individual and group. The proposed hierarchy enables multiple UAVs to successfully conduct a mission using a condition-based switching mechanism and relying on local interactions between each other and with minimal interactions with human controllers who only intervene when coordinating the mission-level actions [1]. From an analytical model of a point mass UAV in a 2D environment where mass, air drag force, initial speed and gravitational acceleration are constant and the only controls for the UAV are the thrust force and its banking angle, several behavior combinations are simulated in order to obtain a family of feasible solutions. The results achieved suggest that the above mentioned condition-based switching mechanism can be used and eventually applied to actual UAVs.
Impact of aircraft plume dynamics on airport local air quality

Abstract Air quality degradation in the locality of airports poses a public health hazard. The ability to quantitatively predict the air quality impacts of airport operations is of importance for assessing the air quality and public health impacts of airports today, of future developments, and for evaluating approaches for mitigating these impacts. However, studies such as the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow have highlighted shortcomings in understanding of aircraft plume dispersion. Further, if national or international aviation environmental policies are to be assessed, a computationally efficient method of modeling aircraft plume dispersion is needed. To address these needs, we describe the formulation and validation of a three-dimensional integral plume model appropriate for modeling aircraft exhaust plumes at airports. We also develop a simplified concentration correction factor approach to efficiently account for dispersion processes particular to aircraft plumes. The model is used to explain monitoring station results in the London Heathrow area showing that pollutant concentrations are approximately constant over wind speeds of 3–12 m s−1, and is applied to reproduce empirically derived relationships between engine types and peak NOx concentrations at Heathrow. We calculated that not accounting for aircraft plume dynamics would result in a factor of 1.36–2.3 over-prediction of the mean NOx concentration (depending on location), consistent with empirical evidence of a factor of 1.7 over-prediction. Concentration correction factors are also calculated for aircraft takeoff, landing and taxi emissions, providing an efficient way to account for aircraft plume effects in atmospheric dispersion models.
Synthesis and polymerization behavior of novel C1 and Cs titanium ansa-cyclopentadienyl-amido catalysts for ethylene and propylene polymerization

Four titanium ansa-cyclopentadienyl-amido complexes of the general formula [C5H3RMe2SiN(2,6-Me2C6H3)]TiX2(R = H,Me,Bz,tBu;X = NMe2 or Cl) have been synthesized. The complexes polymerize both ethylene and propylene in the presence of methylaluminoxane or Ph3CB(C6F5)4–triisobutylaluminum and were most active at lower temperatures. In general, the smaller the substituent on the cyclopentadienyl group, the more active the catalyst. The catalysts were found to be poorly stereoselective for the polymerization of polypropylene, with the tertiary-butyl substituted catalyst giving a polymer with the greatest [mmmm] (14.2%). The structure of [C5H4Me2SiN(2,6-Me2C6H3)] Ti(NMe2)2 was determined by X-ray diffraction. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic system space group P21/n, with a = 16.437(2), b = 8.652(3), c = 16.494(4),β = 117.54(2) and Z = 4. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
BRCAPRO 6.0 model validation in male patients presenting for BRCA testing

Background. BRCAPROisariskassessmentmodeltoestimate the risk of carrying a BRCA mutation. BRCA mutation carriers areathigherriskofdevelopingbreast,ovarian,pancreatic,and prostate cancer. BRCAPRO was developed for women and found to be superior to other risk assessment models. The presentstudyevaluatedthevalidityofBRCAPROatpredicting the riskof male patients carrying a BRCA mutation. Patients and Methods. A total of 146 men who presented for geneticcounselingandtestingfromFebruary1997toSeptember 2011, and their test results were included in the present study.BRCAPROriskassessmentforallpatientswascalculated usingtheBRCAPROclinicalCancerGeneassessmentsoftware. Results.Themeanageatpresentationwas57years.Ofthe146 patients, 48 had breast cancer, 18 had pancreatic cancer, 39 hadprostatecancer,27hadotherprimarycancers,and37had no cancer. Fifty patients (34%) tested positive for a BRCA mutation (22 BRCA1 ,2 7BRCA2 ,a nd 1BRCA1 and BRCA2).The meanBRCAPROscoreforallpatientswas24.96%.TheBRCAPRO score was significantly higher for patients who tested positive foraBRCAmutation(46.19%vs.13.9%,p,.01).Theareaunder the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.83 for all patients for the BRCAPRO score to predict the risk of carrying a BRCA mutation. At a cutoff point of 30.02%, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.74, 0.81, 0.67, and 0.86, respectively. Conclusion. BRCAPRO appears to be a valid risk assessment tool for determining the risk of carrying a BRCA mutation in men.The Oncologist 2015;20:1–5 Implications for Practice: Men carrying genetic mutations in the BRCA gene have a greater risk than the general population of developing certain types of cancer, including breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. BRCAPRO is a risk assessment model that predicts the riskof carrying a BRCA mutation.The present study aimed at validating BRCAPRO for use with men seen for genetic counseling, whether affected by cancer or not. The data available for 146 patients revealed that BRCAPRO was effective at identifying patients at risk of BRCA mutation.These findings could help in identifying a subset of high-risk patients who should proceed to genetic testing.
The cytochrome P450 inhibitor, ketoconazole, inhibits oxidized linoleic acid metabolite-mediated peripheral inflammatory pain

Oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OLAMs) are a class of endogenous agonists to the transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) receptor. Although TRPV1 mediates inflammatory heat hyperalgesia, it is not known if the OLAMs contribute to the peripheral activation of this receptor during tissue inflammation. In the present study, we evaluated whether the OLAM system is activated during inflammation and whether cytochrome P450 enzymes mediate OLAM contributions to heat hyperalgesia using the complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) model of inflammation. Our results demonstrate that the intraplantar (ipl) injection of anti-OLAM antibodies significantly reversed CFA-induced heat hyperalgesia. Moreover, application of lipid extracts from inflamed rat skin to cultured sensory neurons triggered a significant release of iCGRP that is blocked by co-treatment with I-RTX, a TRPV1 antagonist. To determine the role of CYP enzymes in mediating OLAM effects, we used a broad spectrum CYP inhibitor, ketoconazole. Pretreatment with ketoconazole inhibited the release of TRPV1 agonists in lipid extracts from inflamed skin and significantly reversed CFA-induced heat hyperalgesia by a peripheral mechanism of action. Moreover, the ipl injection of linoleic acid to rats 24 hr after CFA evoked spontaneous nocifensive behaviors that were significantly reduced by capsazepine, by knockout of the TRPV1 gene, or by pretreatment with either anti-OLAM antibodies or ketoconazole. Taken together, our data suggests that OLAMs contribute to inflammatory nociception in the periphery and that cytochrome P450 enzymes play a crucial role in mediating OLAM contributions to inflammatory heat hyperalgesia.
Why are there fewer women in engineering

This paper attempts to explain the paucity of women in engineering. While the percentage of women entering engineering and science careers has been increasing, the number at higher ranks has not increased as quickly, after considering the appropriate time lag. The differences in tenure rate due to gender alone were statistically insignificant. Instead, these were attributed to the fact that women who are married or have children are less successful than are men with matching characteristics. One solution proposed is to recognize that priorities might be different at differing stages of family life. It is also important to encourage more children of both genders to go into engineering by making it an appealing career.
Next-generation advances in cognitive processing using spiking neural networks for biochemical sensing, radar and rapid HDL

This invited plenary paper introduces a novel spiking neural network methodology, and applies it to an odorant learning, medical and radar detection applications. Rapid HDL is introduced as a 15 minute rapid prototyping approach, where real-time implementations will be demoed on FPGAs. The spike-time dependent plasticity can support coding schemes that are based on spatio-temporal spike patterns. Spiking (or pulsed) neural networks (SNNs) are models which explicitly take into account the timing of inputs. The network input and output are usually represented as series of spikes (delta function or more complex shapes). Plasticity SNNs have an advantage of being able to recurrently process information. Spike-time dependent plasticity can enhance signal transmission by selectively strengthening synaptic connections that transmit precisely timed spikes at the expense of those synapses that transmit poorly timed spikes.
Challenges and Opportunities in Thermal Management of Multi-Chip Packages

Multi-chip packages (MCPs) based solutions are becoming increasingly adopted as it results in higher signal count, density and enables increasing bandwidth demands and allows for heterogeneous integration [1,2]. However, manufacturing tolerances impose a variability in these stacks which results in new requirements for thermal interface materials. This paper describes the thermal, mechanical, and reliability challenges associated with MCP packages, and highlights need for novel thermal interface materials.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Mammalian Models of Parkinson's Disease: Potential Uses and Misuses of Acute, Sub-acute, and Chronic Models

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses about the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mammalian models of Parkinson's disease (PD). The chapter also explores the potential uses and misuses of acute, subacute, and chronic models. MPTP-induced Parkinsonism is characterized by clinical features that are remarkably similar to human PD. The mouse MPTP model has been used primarily to study pathogenic mechanisms contributing to PD and for development of neuroprotective strategies. The mouse model of Parkinsonism induced by MPTP administration is the most commonly used Parkinson model today. Several factors contribute to the widespread use of this model including the availability and relatively low cost of mice as well as the speed with which studies can be completed. However, the greatest potential misuse of the mouse MPTP model is in the area of neuroprotection. This chapter discusses the similarities and differences between acute and more chronic MPTP models in mice and monkeys. The chapter also presents views on the advantages and disadvantages of each of these models and their relevance for understanding PD and for developing effective therapeutics for this disease.
Role of renal medullary blood flow in the development of L-NAME hypertension in rats.

The effect of chronic intravenous infusion of the nitric oxide inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 8.6 mg.kg-1.day-1) on blood pressure, intrarenal blood flow distribution, and sodium and water balance was studied in conscious rats. On the 1st day of intravenous L-NAME infusion, renal medullary blood flow was reduced by 22%, renal cortical blood flow was unaltered, approximately 1 meq of sodium and 12 ml of water were retained, and blood pressure increased from 96 +/- 2 to 118 +/- 2 mmHg. Medullary blood flow was maintained at this decreased level, sodium continued to be retained, body weight continued to increase, and blood pressure remained elevated for the 5 days of L-NAME infusion. During the postcontrol period, blood flow in the renal medulla returned to levels not significantly different from control; the animals went into negative sodium balance and stopped gaining weight, and blood pressure returned to control. The present experiments indicate that decreased renal medullary blood flow and retention of sodium and water play an important role in the development of hypertension during chronic systemic L-NAME administration despite no measurable changes in renal cortical blood flow.
Using Courts to Buttress Electoral/Legislative Campaigns: Cases from the Culture Wars

When we think of litigation on controversial culture-war issues, we most often think of cases that pit (or at least appear to pit) judicial politics and democratic politics against each other. In a number of contexts, however, rights advocates (on both the left and the right) have used litigation in an effort to enable and facilitate campaigns for policy change that they were conducting primarily via electoral and legislative channels. Drawing on an analysis of legal disputes regarding abortion, affirmative action, gay rights, and gun rights during the Clinton, Bush, and Obama eras, this paper details six such circumstances. Before seeking legislative change at the state or local level, advocates have sometimes found it necessary to call on federal courts to remove state constitutional barriers that precluded such change. When seeking policy change via ballot initiatives or referenda, advocates have sometimes appealed to courts to remove impediments to the electoral success of those measures. While pursuing change via legislative channels, advocates have sometimes litigated in an effort to draw public attention to the need for legislation and, in the meantime, to win some piecemeal protections. Litigation has sometimes been initiated by democratically elected policy makers themselves when other policy avenues are closed off. Advocates have sometimes appealed to federal courts to thwart activist decisions won by their opponents in state court. And finally, advocates have often litigated to enforce policy victories previously won via electoral and legislative channels. Greater scholarly attention to these six types of suits would complicate existing accounts of the relationship between rights-based litigation and democratic governance.
Implicit Theories of Creative Ideas: How Culture Guides Creativity Assessments

The current studies provide evidence of two distinct implicit theories of creative ideas and so help to resolve the debate over differences in creativity assessments between Chinese and American sa...
Size Effects and Domains in Ferroelectric Thin Film Actuators

Ferroelectric thin films typically differ from bulk ceramics in terms of both the average grain size and the degree of stress imposed on the film by the substrate. Studies on bulk ceramics have demonstrated that the number of domain variants within grains depends on the grain size for sizes <-lμm. This can diminish the poling efficiency of the material. Since most thin films show primary grain sizes well below a micron, similar effects should be observed in films. In addition, since the perovskite ferroelectrics contain ferroelastic as well as ferroelectric domains, it seems clear that stress in thin films may markedly alter the degree to which domain walls contribute to the observed properties. In this paper, the relative importance of these factors are discussed for several types of ferroelectric thin films. Films have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition, magnetron sputtering, and by sol-gel processing. It has been found that epitaxial BaTiO3 films are ferroelectric at 77K down to thicknesses as low as - 60nm. Data on the low and high field electrical properties are reported as a function of temperature, the film crystallinity, and film thickness for representative perovskite films.
Media engineering

Modern computer networks are capable of presenting a user with huge amounts of information. If an end user is unable or unwilling to assimilate what is available then it is of little value. The key contention in this paper is that information has to be engineered, just like any other product, if it is to deliver to its potential. Presented here is a systematic approach to the design and build of information-rich systems that has been designated media engineering.
Evaluation of Soil and Foliar Insecticides for the Control of Green Peach Aphid in Broccoli, 2015

The objective of this experiment was to assess the efficacy of select soil and foliar insecticides for the control of GPA in broccoli. The experiment was conducted at the Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Virginia Beach, VA and consisted of six treatments arranged in a RCB design with four replicates. “Green Magic” broccoli transplants were transplanted on 9 …
Analysis on case characteristics and etiological changes of 414 hand-foot-mouth disease in Licheng District,Jinan,in 2010-2013

Objective To analyze the case characteristics and etiological changes of hand-foot-mouth disease( HFMD)in Licheng District,Jinan,in 2010-2013. Methods HFMD cases were surveyed by face-to-face method. The realtime PCR was used to detect human enterovirus nucleic acid. Results A total of 414 cases were surveyed,and children aged 1-5 years accounted for 85. 99%( 356 /414). Male to female ratio was 1. 59∶1. Rash mainly distributed in hands,mouth,feet and buttocks. There were 38. 89% of the cases accompanied by fever. A total of 342 specimens were tested positive,and the positive rate was 82. 61%. The specimen positive rate sampling within 7 days was significantly higher than that after 7 days( 84. 76% vs 62. 50%,χ2= 12. 46,P 0. 001). There were statistical differences in etiology constituent in different years( χ2= 39. 45,P 0. 001). Conclusion HFMD mainly occurs in children aged1-5 years in Licheng District,Jinan. Nearly 40% of the cases are with fever. The advantage pathogen types are Enterovirus 71( EV71) and Coxasckie virus A16( CoxA16),both alternately popular in different years. Other enteroviruses also play an important role in HFMD pathogenesis,worthy of further developing research work in the future.
Who Is Opposed to Common Core and Why

Rising opposition to the Common Core Standards (CCS) has undermined implementation throughout the country. Yet there has been no scholarly analysis of the predictors of CCS opposition in the populace. This analysis uses poll data from a statewide poll of California voters to explore the demographic and policy predictors of CCS opposition. We find opposition strongly associated with views about President Obama, several education policy issues (especially testing), and two mis/negative conceptions about the standards. We advocate future work using poll data to understand public opinion on education issues.