cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theory of refractive scattering in scintillation phenomena

Abstract For a plane wave incident upon a thin plane one-dimensional phase-changing screen that has an outer scale Lo, an inner scale Li and an intervening inverse power-law spectrum (spectral index p), calculations are made of the spatial power spectrum of intensity fluctuations in a reception plane parallel to the screen. The outer scale is taken to be large compared with the Fresnel scale F, and results are obtained for a range of values of the spectral index and of the mean square fluctuation of phase (ΔΦ) 2 . For large values of (ΔΦ) 2 , lens action occurs in the screen, producing focal action in the reception plane. A lens scale F [2 (ΔΦ) 2 ] 1 4 is defined, as well as a focal scale l that varies from L o [(ΔΦ) 2 ] −1 2 at p = 5 to L o [2 (ΔΦ) 2 ] −1 at p = 2. When refractive scattering dominates, l−1 is the upper roll-off angular spatial frequency for intensity fluctuations in the reception plane whether this is the focal plane or not. The lower roll-off angular spatial frequency occurs at a scale such that its geometric mean with the focal scale is equal to the Fresnel scale. Refractive scattering dominates even for weak scattering if p ~ 5 or p > 5. For lower values of p, diffractive scattering dominates unless the lens scale exceeds the focal scale. Refractive scattering dominates when the focal scale is small compared with the lens scale. Saturation of the intensity spectrum occurs when the focal scale is small compared with the Fresnel scale. The scintillation index tends to unity as (ΔΦ) 2 → ∞ for all p. The turbulence parameter approximation is satisfactory for a range of spectral indices near 2, but not for p ~ 3 and p > 3.
Sex bias in trials and treatment must end

Gender inequalities in biomedical research are undermining patient care. In the first of three related pieces, Alison M. Kim, Candace M. Tingen and Teresa K. Woodruff call on journals, funding agencies and researchers to give women parity with men, in studies and in the clinic.
Extinction and orientational dependence of electron diffraction from single-walled carbon nanotubes

The extinction and orientational dependence of electron diffraction from single-walled carbon nanotubes have been observed experimentally and investigated in detail theoretically using both algebraic analysis and numerical simulations. Electron diffraction from only achiral carbon nanotubes of zigzag or armchair structure shows observable orientational dependence and extinction of certain layer lines in experiment due to the interference of two primary Bessel functions of the same order that contribute to the scattering intensities on these layer lines.
A reactive force-field (ReaxFF) Monte Carlo study of surface enrichment and step structure on yttria-stabilized zirconia

To investigate surface segregation in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), DFT energies describing surface energy as a function of yttrium lattice position were used to parameterize a reactive-force field (ReaxFF). We used ReaxFF to perform Monte Carlo (MC) simulated annealing to sample structural configurations of flat YSZ (111) and vicinal YSZ (111) stepped surfaces. We evaluated yttrium surface segregation, oxygen vacancy position, and surface step composition for flat and stepped YSZ surfaces. It is thermodynamically favorable for yttrium atoms to segregate to the surface of YSZ, and specifically to step edge sites. Surface saturation of yttrium occurs at approximately 40% (40:60 Y:Zr ratio) while yttrium concentration at the step edge does not approach a saturation value, suggesting that steps on the YSZ surface are mainly yttria-terminated. We found that it is thermodynamically favorable for oxygen vacancies to occupy positions in the subsurface layer of YSZ, and a higher fraction of vacancies occupy positions NN to Y than NN to Zr. Yttrium segregation to step edges on the YSZ surface does not lower the surface formation energy of the stepped surface below that of the flat (111) termination, suggesting that the stability of YSZ surface steps observed experimentally is due to kinetic barriers for surface re-ordering.
Examining the Influence of Athletic Participation in Evaluation of Entry-Level Positions In Financial Services: An Application of Role Congruity Theory

AbstractRole congruity theory was utilized to examine whether a candidate’s participation in intercollegiate athletics influenced hiring preferences of managers in the financial services industry; an industry with a majority of leadership positions occupied by men. Participants were N = 163 (female n = 71, male n = 92) managers within the financial services industry. A simulated employment procedure was used with hiring managers evaluating mock applicant resumes for either male/female athletes or male/female non-athletes prior to answering questions about preferences for hiring candidates for entry-level employment. Results indicated female athlete candidates received similar scores to the male athlete candidates for hiring and competence. The female non-athlete candidate received the lowest scores for hiring and competence. Further, female athlete candidates received the highest scores overall for likeability. The findings indicate that participation in athletics provides women with a benefit in regard t...
Dying for NF-κB? Control of cell death by transcriptional regulation of the apoptotic machinery

The transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a pleiotropic protein complex that is activated from a sequestered, cytoplasmic form by pro-inflammatory extracellular signals and cellular stress. Several hundred cellular genes have been shown to be regulated by NF-kappaB, including cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules. Nearly eight years ago, a flurry of publications showed that loss or suppression of NF-kappaB results in an enhanced sensitivity to apoptosis. In the ensuing years, activation of NF-kappaB has become almost synonymous with enhanced cell survival, although more recent data suggests that this transcription factor plays a more complex role in the regulation of cell death.
Extended Radial Basis Functions for Metamodeling: A Comparative Study

The process of constructing computationally benign approximations of expensive computer simulation codes, or metamodeling, is a critical component of several large-scale Multidisciplinary Design Optimization approaches. Such applications typically involve complex models, such as finite elements, computational fluid dynamics, or chemical processes. The decision regarding the most appropriate metamodeling approach usually depends on the type of application. However, several newly-proposed kernel-based metamodeling approaches can provide consistently accurate performance for a wide variety of applications. The authors recently proposed one such novel and effective metamodeling approach — the Extended Radial Basis Function approach — and reported encouraging results. To further understand the advantages and limitations of this new approach, we compare its performance to that of the typical radial basis function approach, and another closely related method — kriging. Several test functions with varying problem dimensions and degrees of nonlinearity are used to compare the accuracies of the metamodels using these metamodeling approaches. We consider several performance criteria, such as metamodel accuracy. effect of sampling technique, effect of problem dimension, and computational complexity. The results suggest that the E-RBF approach is a potentially powerful metamodeling approach for MDO-based applications.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Diagnostic criteria patterns of U.S. children with Metabolic Syndrome: NHANES 1999–2002

Background As childhood obesity increases in the U.S., the Metabolic Syndrome (MS) can be assumed to be increasing in the pediatric population as well. To date, there is lack of information on the most prevalent risk factors of MS in children and the patterns of risk factors present in children met the criteria for MS.
Non-negative mixed finite element formulations for a tensorial diffusion equation

We consider the tensorial diffusion equation, and address the discrete maximum-minimum principle of mixed finite element formulations. In particular, we address non-negative solutions (which is a special case of the maximum-minimum principle) of mixed finite element formulations. It is well-known that the classical finite element formulations (like the single-field Galerkin formulation, and Raviart-Thomas, variational multiscale, and Galerkin/least-squares mixed formulations) do not produce non-negative solutions (that is, they do not satisfy the discrete maximum-minimum principle) on arbitrary meshes and for strongly anisotropic diffusivity coefficients. In this paper, we present two non-negative mixed finite element formulations for tensorial diffusion equations based on constrained optimization techniques. These proposed mixed formulations produce non-negative numerical solutions on arbitrary meshes for low-order (i.e., linear, bilinear and trilinear) finite elements. The first formulation is based on the Raviart-Thomas spaces, and the second non-negative formulation is based on the variational multiscale formulation. For the former formulation we comment on the effect of adding the non-negative constraint on the local mass balance property of the Raviart-Thomas formulation. We perform numerical convergence analysis of the proposed optimization-based non-negative mixed formulations. We also study the performance of the active set strategy for solving the resulting constrained optimization problems. The overall performance of the proposed formulation is illustrated on three canonical test problems.
Secretory granule biogenesis and neuropeptide sorting to the regulated secretory pathway in neuroendocrine cells.

Neuropeptide precursors synthesized at the rough endoplasmic reticulum are transported and sorted at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to the granules of the regulated secretory pathway (RSP) of neuroendocrine cells. They are then processed into active peptides and stored in large dense-core granules (LDCGs) until secreted upon stimulation. We have studied the regulation of biogenesis of the LDCGs and the mechanism by which neuropeptide precursors, such as pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), are sorted into these LDCGs of the RSP in neuroendocrine and endocrine cells. We provide evidence that chromogranin A (CgA), one of the most abundant acidic glycoproteins ubiquitously present in neuroendocrine/endocrine cells, plays an important role in the regulation of LDCG biogenesis. Specific depletion of CgA expression by antisense RNAs in PC12 cells led to a profound loss of secretory granule formation. Exogenously expressed POMC was neither stored nor secreted in a regulated manner in these CgA-deficient PC12 cells. Overexpression of CgA in a CgA- and LDCG-deficient endocrine cell line, 6T3, restored regulated secretion of transfected POMC and the presence of immunoreactive CgA at the tips of the processes of these cells. Unlike CgA, CgB, another granin protein, could not substitute for the role of CgA in regulating LDCG biogenesis. Thus, we conclude that CgA is a key player in the regulation of the biogenesis of LDCGs in neuroendocrine cells. To examine the mechanism of sorting POMC to the LDCGs, we carried out site-directed mutagenesis, transfected the POMC mutants into PC12 cells, and assayed for regulated secretion. Our previous molecular modeling studies predicted a three-dimensional sorting motif in POMC that can bind to a sorting receptor, membrane carboxypeptidase E (CPE). The sorting signal consists of four conserved residues at the N-terminal loop structure of POMC: two acidic residues and two hydrophobic residues. The two acidic residues were predicted to bind to a domain on CPE (CPE254–273) containing two basic residues (R255 and K260) to effect sorting into immature secretory granules. Site-directed mutagenesis of the motif on POMC resulted in accumulation of the mutant in the Golgi, as well as high basal secretion, indicating that the mutant POMC was inefficiently sorted to the RSP. These results support the model that POMC is actively sorted to the RSP granules for processing and secretion by a sorting signal-mediated mechanism.
“Will I Be Pretty, Will I Be Rich?”: The Missing Self in Antidepressant Commercials

This undoubted faith in the integrity of the photograph is often rudely shaken; for while photographs may not lie, liars may photograph. (Hine 1909, 3) In “Ban the Sunset? Nonpropositional Content ...
Three Primary Trust Pathways Underlying Ethical Considerations

The role of trust pathways in achieving a competitive advantage is becoming increasingly important for effective ethical consideration policies in all business and non-business sectors. This paper argues that there are three primary trust pathways of rational choice, rule-based trust, and category-based trust that underscore the basis of trust relationships. The implementation of these primary trust pathways is strongly influenced by expertise level, incomplete information, rapidly shifting environments, and/or time-pressure. The refinement of the interaction of information exchange and framing of problems can produce three secondary higher-level trust pathways of third party-based trust, role-based trust, and knowledge-based trust. These six different trust pathways that guide ethical consideration issues are discussed with a Throughput Modeling theoretical approach.
Specific and reversible degranulation of pituitary mammotrophs.

Abstract When dissociated anterior pituitary cells were cultured over a layer of gelatin, electron microscopic observation showed the mammotrophs in the culture to be essentially degranulated and to have massively dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and Golgi apparati (GA), while there were no discernible effects on any of the other cell types. PRL synthesis in the gelatin-cultured cells occurred at twice the rate of that in the control cells and the gelatin-cultured cells contained 3% of the normal amount of PRL. Transfer of the cells to a more traditional culture situation reversed most of the morphological changes within 24 h. The mammotrophs were responsive to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (10−7 M) both immediately after gelatin culture (3-fold control) and after reversal (5-fold control). As placement of the gelatin-cultured cells into traditional culture synchronizes the onset of granulation, we conclude that mammotrophs cultured in this fashion will be useful in the further study of PRL synthesis, packaging, storage and degradation.
Rapidly Tunable Quantum Cascade Lasers

Operation principles and designs of rapidly tunable quantum cascade lasers (QCL) were analyzed theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical analysis shows that by adding a special polarization transition with controllable intensity or energy to existing QCL designs, one can achieve emission frequency modulation $\Delta \upsilon \approx 30$ GHz for the carrier wavelength of 10 μm, while introducing additional optical losses of not more than 10 cm−1 in the laser waveguide. Proof-of-principle electrically tunable QCL demonstrated frequency shift of 4.5 GHz. Rapid and continuous frequency tuning of a single-mode distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB QCL) by optical generation of electron–hole pairs in the laser waveguide and active area was demonstrated. Application of optimized pumping geometry made possible to achieve continuous tuning of a room-temperature-operated DFB QCL in the range of 0.6 cm −1 (20 GHz) using 1.3-μm telecom diode laser as a pumping source. The wavelength of the optically tunable DFB QCL was modulated at frequencies up to 300 MHz.
Comment: Mitochondrial DNA Analysis Indicates Sea Lampreys are Indigenous to Lake Ontario

Waldman et al. (2004, 2006), using mtDNA markers, concluded that the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus was native to Lake Ontario. These papers are essentially a rebuttal of Stanford Smith (Aron and S...
Rheological properties of soy protein hydrolysates obtained from limited enzymatic hydrolysis

Abstract Soy protein products hexane-defatted soy flour, extruded-expelled soy flour, soy protein concentrate and soy protein isolate, were modified by using the enzyme bromelain to 2% and 4% degrees of hydrolysis (DH). Peptide profiles, water solubility, and rheological properties including dynamic shear, large deformation, and apparent viscosities of resulting hydrolysates were determined. Protein subunits profiles for the hydrolysed isolates and concentrates were extensively altered by the treatment while only minor changes were observed for the hydrolysed flours. Water solubility profiles of all hydrolysates in the pH range of 3.0–7.0 were enhanced by hydrolysis. For the unhydrolysed controls, the isolate had the highest storage modulus (G′), followed by the concentrate, the extruded-expelled flour and the hexane-defatted flour. The hydrolysates retained some of their gelling ability even though the losses in storage modulus (G′) were substantial. After heating step to 95 °C, the G′ values of all substrates at 25 °C decreased with increase in DH. Texture profile analyses of the soy protein gels were also lower in hardness after hydrolysis. The Power Law model provided excellent fit to hydrolysate dispersions flow ( R 2 > 0.99 ) . Hydrolysis decreased the consistency coefficients of dispersion and increased flow behavior index resulting in thinner dispersions. These results suggest that limited protease hydrolysis of various soy protein meals with bromelain produce soy protein ingredients with modified rheological properties.
Rerouting Cellular Electron Flux To Increase the Rate of Biological Methane Production

Methanogens are anaerobic archaea that grow by producing methane, a gas that is both an efficient renewable fuel and a potent greenhouse gas. We observed that overexpression of the cytoplasmic heterodisulfide reductase enzyme HdrABC increased the rate of methane production from methanol by 30% without affecting the growth rate relative to the parent strain. Hdr enzymes are essential in all known methane-producing archaea. They function as the terminal oxidases in the methanogen electron transport system by reducing the coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethane sulfonate) and coenzyme B (7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine sulfonate) heterodisulfide, CoM-S-S-CoB, to regenerate the thiol-coenzymes for reuse. In Methanosarcina acetivorans, HdrABC expression caused an increased rate of methanogenesis and a decrease in metabolic efficiency on methylotrophic substrates. When acetate was the sole carbon and energy source, neither deletion nor overexpression of HdrABC had an effect on growth or methane production rates. These results suggest that in cells grown on methylated substrates, the cell compensates for energy losses due to expression of HdrABC with an increased rate of substrate turnover and that HdrABC lacks the appropriate electron donor in acetate-grown cells.
The Impact of the Federal Reserve's Interest Rate Target Announcement on Stock Prices: A Closer Look at How the Market Impounds New Information

The Federal Reserve announces its new interest rate target while the stock market is open, at precisely 2:15 P.M. eight times a year. In the Efficient Markets model, information is impounded in prices immediately and accurately as soon as it becomes public knowledge and only the unanticipated portion moves prices. Responding accurately to news requires investors to judge how much other investors have been surprised and how their investment decisions will be affected, so how the market responds to the news generates additional information to be digested and acted upon. This suggests that the full process of returning to equilibrium can not be instantaneous. In this paper, we combine a non-model dependent procedure for extracting the market's risk neutralized probability density over future stock prices from a set of option prices, with a newly available real time options data set, in order to examine the informational microstructure of the stock market around Fed funds target announcements.
Effectiveness of preoperative beta-blockade on intra-operative heart rate in vascular surgery cases conducted under regional or local anesthesia

Preoperative β-blockade has been posited to result in better outcomes for vascular surgery patients by attenuating acute hemodynamic changes associated with stress. However, the incremental effectiveness, if any, of β-blocker usage in blunting heart rate responsiveness for vascular surgery patients who avoid general anesthesia remains unknown. We reviewed an existing database and identified 213 consecutive vascular surgery cases from 2005–2011 conducted without general anesthesia (i.e., under monitored anesthesia care or regional anesthesia) at a tertiary care Veterans Administration medical center and categorized patients based on presence or absence of preoperative β-blocker prescription. For this series of patients, with the primary outcome of maximum heart rate during the interval between operating room entry to surgical incision, we examined the association of maximal heart rate and preoperative β-blocker usage by performing crude and multivariate linear regression, adjusting for relevant patient factors. Of 213 eligible cases, 137 were prescribed preoperative β- blockers, and 76 were not. The two groups were comparable across baseline patient factors and intraoperative medication doses. The β-blocker group experienced lower maximal heart rates during the period of evaluation compared to the non-β-blocker group (85 ± 22 bpm vs. 98 ± 36 bpm, respectively; p = 0.002). Adjusted linear regression confirmed a statistically-significant association between lower maximal heart rate and the use of β-blockers (Beta = -11.5; 95% CI [-3.7, -19.3] p = 0.004). The addition of preoperative β-blockers, even when general anesthesia is avoided, may be beneficial in further attenuating stress-induced hemodynamic changes for vascular surgery patients.
Application of insulating camellia oil in high fire resistance transformer

Insulating vegetable oils are environment-friendly and fire-resistant liquid dielectrics. This paper presented a new type of high fire resistance transformer filled with insulating camellia oil. The main physical, chemical and electrical properties of insulating camellia oil were measured and compared with those parameters of mineral oil. A new type of sealing camellia oil filled transformer was designed. The performances of camellia oil filled transformer were tested. The test results indicated good insulation performances of camellia oil filled transformer. The temperature rise of an ordinary transformer which was filled successively with insulating camellia oil and mineral oil were tested. The results showed that the temperature rise of insulating camellia oil filled transformer is slightly higher than that of mineral oil immersed transformer, suggesting that the oil gallery structure should be improved and the heat resistant grade of insulation paper should be enhanced.
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft's Sentimental Lessons: Native Literary Collaboration and Resistance

Critical efforts to recover the oeuvre of neglected Native women writers have generally treated these authors’ engagement with sentimental social values and literary conventions as an embarrassing historical affectation that must be downplayed in order to foreground sincere expressions of subaltern protest. As can be seen from Karen L. Kilcup’s introductory remarks on the poetry of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), the earliest American Indian female author recovered to date, even influential exponents of indigenous women’s “double-voiced discourse” (6) must tactfully contain literary sentimentality’s disaffecting resonances as an imitative, Anglo-American departure from legitimately indigenous self-expression: “Although Schoolcraft writes romantic poems . . . that are indistinguishable from those of her white American and European contemporaries, she also writes poetry that affirms the power of her Indian grandfather” (5). The unease or even outright suspicion that, in Cari M. Carpenter’s assessment, “many scholars of American Indian literature and history” express when encountering sentimentality can be attributed to sentimental texts’ troubling history as “a key tool of nineteenth-century colonization” (5): “Lucy Maddox treats ‘sentimental’ as a synonym for ‘stereotypical’ . . . . [and] Robert Allen Warrior links sentimentality to assimilation” (7). This tendency to minimize American Indian sentiment also reflects a commonly held and arguably commonsense skepticism toward the authenticity of sentimental literature itself. Given scholars’ increasingly nuanced understanding of nineteenth-century women’s writing, the thematic breadth and stylistic diversity displayed by women’s poetry over the century have called into question the assumption that sentimental “women’s genres” offer a transparent, reliable representation of either gender or race. For example, contrasting the hypertextualized lyric voice of belles lettres against the subversive self-expression emanating from women’s experience of gender and racial injustice, Paula Bernat Bennett marginalizes literary sentimentality as a self-alienating echoing of eighteenth-century European males’ pensive introspection, tear-stained sympathy, and fantasies of “mother-love and home” (24). Bennett’s critical approach illustrates Mary Loeffelholz’s assertion that recent recovery efforts have privileged “authentic” lyric voices that express a “spontaneous domestic realism” with its concomitants of anger and resistance while dismissing “derivative” perspectives or overtly collaborative voices with the prejudiced themes and gendered conventions of sensibility (17).
O ( 2 , 1 ) Analysis of Single-Particle Spectra at High Energy

Processes of the type proton+proton \ensuremath{\rightarrow} pion+anything at high energy are discussed. The differential cross section for such reactions is expressed in terms of a three-particle \ensuremath{\rightarrow} three-particle amplitude. This amplitude is then expanded into $O(2, 1)$ representations. If the Pomeranchuk trajectory is the dominant $O(2, 1)$ singularity at high energy, the existence of pionization and limiting fragmentation is obtained. Furthermore, the pionization products are essentially independent of the target and projectile, while the fragments of the target are independent of the projectile. Modifications in the presence of strong Regge cuts at $J=1$ are discussed.
Health Behaviors of an Elderly Filipino Group

More than 69 million elderly people are expected to be living in the United States by the year 2050 (American Association of Retired Persons, 1991). For public health nurses, this rapidly growing, diverse population poses a challenge. P. Ebersol and P. Hess (1994) suggest that health care professionals must become skilled in understanding the health needs and practices of the diverse, heterogeneous aged if they are to help the elderly achieve more healthful, satisfying existences. According to two studies, M. Nemcek (1990) and J. Flaskerud and C. Rush (1989), health behaviors of the elderly vary among and within cultural groups. The purpose of this descriptive survey study was to examine how culture affects the health behaviors of 52 elderly Filipino women and men. The Health Behavior Survey was designed and used by the researchers in this study. Unhealthy behaviors identified were inclusion of fried foods in diet, weight gain, and little or no exercise. Because of the value placed on personal health by the participants, it appears the group would be receptive to a health promotion program which would increase their probability for a healthy life.
Beyond Capacity: Identifying Ethical Dilemmas Underlying Capacity Evaluation Requests

Background Psychiatric consultations involving the evaluation of patients' medical decision-making capacity often seem to have little to do with truly compromised patient autonomy. Objective The authors seek to examine hidden ethical dilemmas that lead to capacity evaluation requests. Method The authors utilize the "principlism" approach to biomedical ethics to illustrate some common moral issues in patient care that are poorly captured by the "autonomy-versus-paternalism" paradigm. Results Patient autonomy sometimes comes into conflict with ethical imperatives to do "good," to avoid harm, and to deliver care fairly, as well as with the autonomy of others. Consultation psychiatrists are well positioned to unearth these dilemmas and begin to address them. Discussion Effective engagement of everyday ethics in clinical medicine is hindered by reflexive resort to capacity evaluations when moral problems arise. Greater attention to matters of values, aggressive urges, and obligations to others can enhance the negotiation of routine ethical dilemmas.
HIGH-RESOLUTION MASS SPECTROMETRIC STUDY OF WEATHERED ROAD TARS

FRACTIONS OF ROAD TARS OF COKE-OVEN AND VERTICAL RETORT ORIGIN WERE EXAMINED BY HIGH-RESOLUTION MASS SPECTROMETRY BEFORE AND AFTER EXPOSURE TO ROAD CONDITIONS. MOLECULAR FORMULAE AND RELATIVE CONCENTRATIONS WERE DETERMINED FOR ELEVEN SERIES OF PEAKS. A PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN THE PROPORTION OF COMPONENTS OF HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT (GREATER THAN MASS 200) WAS INDICATED WITH EXPOSURE TO ROAD CONDITIONS. IN THE HIGH MOLECULAR-WEIGHT RANGE, THE HETEROCYCLIC STRUCTURES CONTAINING OXYGEN SHOWED LARGER INCREASES THAN THE POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS. /TRRL/
On the Connectivity of Hierarchical Directional Optical Sensor Networks

In this paper, we investigate the fundamental property of connectivity in a hierarchical ad-hoc optical sensor network (OSN) communicating with broad beam lasers. The OSN is modeled as a random sector graph, in which the randomly deployed sensors can send data within a contiguous and randomly oriented sector of communication. Hierarchy is achieved by employing passive and active free space optical devices. Connectivity analysis in this hierarchical network model is vital in order to assess the feasibility of routing, security and network protocols. To this end, this paper provides probabilistic bounds on network parameters for hierarchical connectivity in OSNs, using a novel approach that directly considers directionality. In particular, we prove probabilistic bounds on the jointly minimum radius of communication as well as angle of the communication sector (i.e., beam width) required for network connectivity.
Photosynthesis in flashing light in soybean leaves grown in different conditions. II. Lightfleck utilization efficiency

Leaves of soybean plants grown in contrasting light and nutrient availability conditions were exposed to constant and to flashing light regimes with lightflecks of different frequencies, durations and photon flux density (PFD). The lightfleck characteristics were selected to be representative of the range of variation found for sunflecks in a soybean canopy. CO2 fixation rates were measured using a fast-response gas-exchange apparatus. The net CO2 fixation due to 1-s-duration lightflecks was 1·3 times higher than predicted from steady-state measurements in constant light at the lightfleck and background PFD. This lightfleck utilization efficiency (LUE) was somewhat higher at a high than at a low frequency of one second lightflecks. LUE in flashing light with very short lightflecks (0·2s) and single 1 s lightflecks was as high as 2, but decreased sharply with increasing duration of lightflecks. This decrease occurred because CO2 fixation rates during lightflecks were constrained by carbon metabolism and induction limitations, and because the contribution of post-illumination CO2 fixation to total CO2 fixation decreased with increased duration of lightflecks. LUE increased with increased PFD during the lightflecks, particularly in leaves from plants grown in high-light, high-nutrient conditions. Saturation PFDs were much higher in flashing light than in constant light. Only small differences in LUE were apparent between leaves from the three growth conditions.
Quantifying the effects of fumarate on in situ reductive dechlorination rates.

In situ methods are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical amendments at enhancing reductive dechlorination rates in groundwater that is contaminated with the priority pollutant, trichloroethene (TCE). In this communication, a method that utilizes single-well, bpush–pullQ tests to quantify the effects of chemical amendments on in situ reductive dechlorination rates is presented and demonstrated. Five push–pull tests were conducted in each of five monitoring wells located in a TCE-contaminated aquifer at the site of a former chemical manufacturing facility. Rates for the reductive dechlorination of the fluorinated TCE-surrogate, trichlorofluoroethene (TCFE), were measured before (test 1) and after (test 5) three successive additions (tests 2–4) of fumarate. Fumarate was selected to stimulate the growth and activity of indigenous microorganisms with the metabolic capability to reduce TCFE and TCE. In three wells, first-order rate constants for the reductive dechlorination of TCFE increased by 8.2–92 times following fumarate additions. In two wells, reductive dechlorination of TCFE was observed after fumarate additions but not before. The transformation behavior of fumarate was also monitored following each fumarate addition. Correlations between the reductive dechlorination of TCFE and the reduction of fumarate to
The future of public efforts to boost entrepreneurship and venture capital

The promotion of new high-potential business ventures and venture capital is of critical importance to economic growth. Well-considered policies can profoundly influence such opportunities, but many public initiatives are misguided. This article reviews the evidence behind these claims, as well as the criteria that can delineate appropriate and inappropriate policies towards the promotion of venture capital and high-potential entrepreneurship.
More on oscillation ofnth-order equations

In this paper we prove that a higher-order differential equation with one middle term has every bounded solution oscillatory. Moreover, the behavior of unbounded solutions is given. Two other results dealing with positive solutions are also given.
NITROGEN RETENTION ACROSS A GRADIENT OF 15N ADDITIONS TO AN UNPOLLUTED TEMPERATE FOREST SOIL IN CHILE

Accelerated nitrogen (N) inputs can drive nonlinear changes in N cycling, retention, and loss in forest ecosystems. Nitrogen processing in soils is critical to understanding these changes, since soils typically are the largest N sink in forests. To elucidate soil mechanisms that underlie shifts in N cycling across a wide gradient of N supply, we added 15NH415NO3 at nine treatment levels ranging in geometric sequence from 0.2 kg to 640 kg N·ha−1·yr−1 to an unpolluted old-growth temperate forest in southern Chile. We recovered roughly half of 15N tracers in 0–25 cm of soil, primarily in the surface 10 cm. Low to moderate rates of N supply failed to stimulate N leaching, which suggests that most unrecovered 15N was transferred from soils to unmeasured sinks above ground. However, soil solution losses of nitrate increased sharply at inputs >160 kg N·ha−1·yr−1, corresponding to a threshold of elevated soil N availability and declining 15N retention in soil. Soil organic matter (<5.6 mm) dominated tracer retention at low rates of N input, but coarse roots and particulate organic matter became increasingly important at higher N supply. Coarse roots and particulate organic matter together accounted for 38% of recovered 15N in soils at the highest N inputs and may explain a substantial fraction of the “missing N” often reported in studies of fates of N inputs to forests. Contrary to expectations, N additions did not stimulate gross N cycling, potential nitrification, or ammonium oxidizer populations. Our results indicate that the nonlinearity in N retention and loss resulted directly from excessive N supply relative to sinks, independent of plant–soil–microbial feedbacks. However, N additions did induce a sharp decrease in microbial biomass C:N that is predicted by N saturation theory, and which could increase long-term N storage in soil organic matter by lowering the critical C:N ratio for net N mineralization. All measured sinks accumulated 15N tracers across the full gradient of N supply, suggesting that short-term nonlinearity in N retention resulted from saturation of uptake kinetics, not uptake capacity, in plant, soil, and microbial pools.
A Novel Target for Oral Cancer Chemoprevention? Notch Quite, Yet…

The two major goals of oral cancer chemoprevention efforts are the ability to segregate the high-risk patients and the identification of an effective pharmacologic agent that halts progression to invasive cancer. Considerable progress has recently been achieved in profiling invasive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, particularly with the use of high throughput technologies. Similar molecular characterization of potentially malignant oral epithelial lesions (OPMLs) [leukoplakia and erythroplakia] is yet to be accomplished. It is postulated, though, that molecular profiling could lead to the discovery of novel markers of cancer risk that could also serve as potential targets for chemoprevention. In this perspective, we comment on the work by Izumchenko et al. that reports a high prevalence of NOTCH1 gain of function mutations in Chinese patients with OPMLs. Although additional studies are needed to validate the findings, the study is the first to link alterations in this gene in oral premalignancy. These findings could serve as a first prototype of a single gene mutation as a potential target in clinical chemoprevention setting.
No child left behind in SDHB testing for paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas.

treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Lancet Oncol 11:521-529, 2010 10. Bradbury PA, Tu D, Seymour L, et al: Economic analysis: Randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of erlotinib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 102:298-306, 2010 11. Coate LE, Shepherd FA: Maintenance therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. J Thorac Oncol 5:723-734, 2010
Nucleotide Requirements for the in Vitro Activation of the Apoptosis Protein-activating Factor-1-mediated Caspase Pathway *

Adenine deoxynucleosides, such as 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2CdA) and fludarabine, induce apoptosis in quiescent lymphocytes, and are thus useful drugs for the treatment of indolent lymphoproliferative diseases. We previously demonstrated that that the 5'-triphosphate metabolite of 2CdA (2CdATP), similar to dATP, can cooperate with cytochrome c and apoptosis protein-activating factor-1 (APAF-1) to trigger a caspase pathway in a HeLa cell-free system. We used a fluorometry-based assay of caspase activation to extend the analysis to several other clinically relevant adenine deoxynucleotides in B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia extracts. The nucleotide-induced caspase activation displayed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. As estimated by the V(max)/K(m) ratios, the relative efficiencies of different nucleotides were Ara-ATP > 9-fluoro-9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine 5'-triphosphate > dATP > 2CdATP > 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosylguanine 5'-triphosphate > dADP > ATP. In contrast to dADP, both ADP and its nonhydrolyzable alpha, beta-methylphosphonate analog were strong inhibitors of APAF-1-dependent caspase activation. The hierarchy of nucleotide activation was confirmed in a fully reconstituted system using recombinant APAF-1 and recombinant procaspase-9. These results suggest that the potency of adenine deoxynucleotides as co-factors for APAF-1-dependent caspase activation is due both to stimulation by the 5'-triphosphates and lack of inhibition by the 5'-diphosphates. The capacity of adenine deoxynucleoside metabolites to activate the apoptosome pathway may be an additional biochemical mechanism that plays a role in the chemotherapy of indolent lymphoproliferative diseases.
An energy efficient MAC protocol for wireless LANs

This paper presents an optimization of the power saving mechanism in the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) in the IEEE 802.11 standard. In the IEEE 802.11 power saving mode specified for DCF, time is divided into so-called beacon intervals. At the start of each beacon interval, each node in the power saving mode periodically wakes up for a duration called the ATIM window. The nodes are required to be synchronized to ensure that all nodes wake up at the same time. During the ATIM window, the nodes exchange control packets to determine whether they need to stay awake for the rest of the beacon interval. The size of the ATIM window has a significant impact on energy saving and throughput achieved by the nodes. This paper proposes an adaptive mechanism to dynamically choose a suitable ATIM window size. We also allow the nodes to stay awake for only a fraction of the beacon interval following the ATIM window. On the other hand, IEEE 802.11 DCF mode requires the nodes to stay awake either for the entire beacon interval following the ATIM window or none at all. Simulation results show that the proposed approach outperforms the IEEE 802.11 power saving mechanism in terms of throughput and the amount of energy consumed.
Female Pattern Hair Loss

Context: Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) also known as female androgenetic alopecia is a common condition afflicting millions of women that can be cosmetically disrupting. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential for obtaining optimal outcome. This review addresses the clinical presentation of female pattern hair loss, its differential diagnosis and treatment modalities.
Studying narrative text: The effects of annotating vs. journal writing on test performance

Abstract While making marginal notations in text is considered an effective test preparation strategy, its effect is rarely studied. Further, few studies have dealt with annotations for narrative text. One purpose of this study was to measure the effects of training students to make annotations vs. training them in a commonly used strategy for narratives, journal writing, as preparation strategies for objective and essay tests on novels. Another was to measure which annotation or journal writing behaviors correlated with higher scores on the criterion measures. It was found that annotation was more effective for objective test items, but not essays. Writing inferential annotations appeared to be correlated with answering inferential questions correctly. These findings are discussed in relation to Anderson and Armbruster's (1984) conclusion that study strategies which relate more directly to the criterion measures will be more effective than study strategies which do not.
In-Core Nuclear Fuel Management Optimization for Pressurized Water Reactors Utilizing Simulated Annealing

AbstractAn in-core nuclear fuel management code for pressurized water reactor reload design has been developed that combines the stochastic optimization technique of simulated annealing with a computationally efficient core physics model based on second-order accurate generalized perturbation theory. The approach identifies the placements of feed fuel, exposed fuel with assembly orientations, and burnable poisons within the core lattice that optimize fuel cycle performance or thermal margin according to one of the following objectives: maximization of keff at a target end-of-cycle (EOC) burnup, minimization of the maximum radial power peaking over the cycle, or maximization of region average discharge burnup, and subject to constraints on radial power peaking, discharge burnup, and moderator temperature coefficient. Each objective examined for a typical cycle 2 reload indicated the existence of multiple optimal solutions. A comparison of the loading patterns obtained for the same fuel inventory shows that...
Mary's new perspective

(1995). Mary's new perspective. Australasian Journal of Philosophy: Vol. 73, No. 4, pp. 582-584.
Successes of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.

health in many years and, in part, led to tremendous changes to the school food environment. Because of the HHFKA, foods served as part of the National School Lunch Program were dramatically changed in 2012. This represented the first major change to school meals in 15 years. The lunch meal pattern changes, which align with the Dietary Guidelines of 2010, included grade-specific calorie/portion size specifications (including calorie maximums, not just minimums), increased amounts of fruits and vegetables served, only whole-grain–rich grains, no whole milk, and reductions in sodium. Three years after the implementation of these meal pattern changes, research examining the impact is accumulating, with the article by Johnson and colleagues 2 in this issue of JAMA Pediatrics adding to
Interpreting and Testing Interactions in Conditional Mixture Models

Mixture modeling applications in psychology often include covariates to explain class membership and aid in construct validation of the latent classification variable. These applications tend to use between-class models involving only main effects of predictors. However, a variety of developmental theories posit interactions among risk and protective variables in predicting membership in trajectory classes or behavioral symptom profiles. This article bridges this disconnect between substantive theory and methodological practice by presenting and comparing two approaches for testing interactive effects of predictors on class membership: product term (PT) and multiple group (MG) approaches. For each approach, we discuss alternative interpretation strategies involving predicted probabilities and odds ratios; we also discuss when the approaches provide equivalent inferences. Published longitudinal and cross-sectional mixture model applications that had originally allowed for only additive effects on class mem...
LRFD Criteria for Plate Girders

Load and Resistance Factor Design criteria are presented for transversely stiffened steel plate girders in buildings. Resistance factors and expressions for nominal resistance are developed for plate girders in flexure, shear, and combined flexure and shear. The resistance factors are derived from first-order probabilistic considerations.
An RF-input chireix outphasing power amplifier

This work presents for the first time an RF-input power amplifier (PA) based on Chireix outphasing, a technique employing two nonlinear but efficient PAs in a power-combining architecture that provides output power control. The RF-input approach eliminates the digitally-intensive signal component separator found in conventional outphasing architectures. We show that a passive network can be used to generate the phase- and amplitude-modulated signals used to drive nonlinear branch PAs in the outphasing system. The technique is demonstrated at 2.14 GHz in a 40-W PA and characterized with both CW and modulated signals.
Association of Plaque Composition and Vessel Remodeling in Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis: A Comparison With Coronary Artery Disease

Objectives The current study was designed to investigate the relationship between renal arterial structure and vessel remodeling in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS), compared with that seen in coronary artery disease (CAD). Background The nature and the tissue characterization of atherosclerotic RAS lesions have not been fully explored. Methods Gray scale and virtual histology (VH) intravascular ultrasound imaging was used to assess 23 lesions in 14 consecutive RAS patients and 20 left main trunk lesions in age-matched CAD patients. Analysis included assessment of vessel area and atherosclerotic plaque area of the main renal artery or left main trunk. Plaque was characterized as fibrous tissue, fibro-fatty tissue, necrotic core, and dense calcium. Remodeling was assessed by means of the remodeling index (RI). Results Positive remodeling (defined as RI ≥1.05) was present in 15 RAS and 9 CAD lesions, whereas intermediate/negative remodeling (RI 40% (p Conclusions The current study demonstrates in humans that plaque composition as assessed by VH intravascular ultrasound has an important role of adaptive vessel enlargement, and it is related to renal artery remodeling in RAS in a pattern similar to CAD.