cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability sensitivity analysis of rotor vibration based on neural network

Aiming at the random rotor system with complex constructure in practical engineering,taking the influence of bearing,gyroscopic moment and mass unbalance on vibration characteristics of rotor system as considerable factor,the explicit relationship expression between random response and original random variables was obtained by integrating Finite Element Method(FEM) and Artificial Neural Network(ANN) technique.According to the assumption that the maximum amplitude peak of unbalance response should be no more than the allowable amplitude peak,the reliability mode was defined,and the formula of reliability-based sensitivity was given under the condition that the first four moments of basic random variables was known.The effect of working parameter′s randomness on rotor system vibration's reliability was studied,and the sensitivity of reliability to the mean value and variance of original random variables was obtained.The results indicated that the working speed and performance parameters of intermediate-pressure compressor left bearing were main influencing factors of vibration.In practical working process,the changes of these parametes should be control and monitor strictly.
Effect of EGCG on ethology and expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in vascular dementia rats

Objective To study the effect of EGCG on vascular dementia(VD) rats in ethology and expression of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins.Methods 3-4 month old Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups:sham group,model group (by occlusion of MCAO to establish VD model,control group(injexction normal saline),EGCE high dose group (6mg/kg/d),EGCG low dose group (2mg/kg/d).Learning and memory ability was determined by Morris water maze,the expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 were assessed by immunohistochemistry and Wstern blot.Results The results of water maze test showed that the escape latency and frequency of crossing platform decreased in EGCG treatment groups compared with model group (P0.05),but increased in model group than in sham (P0.05).Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot results showed that the expression level of Bax was lower in EGCG group than in model (P0.05),but higher for the expression level of Bcl-2.The expression of Bax was significantly higher in model group than in sham (P0.05),but lower for expression of Bcl-2 (P0.01).Conclusion EGCG significantly improved cognitive function and memory capabilities in VD rat,which might be related to the induction of Bcl-2 protein and decrease Bax expression.
Effect of Particle Shape on Geogrid-Reinforced Granules

Geogrids are polymeric products formed by joining intersecting ribs in a grid like pattern and are widely used to reinforce the granular soils used in road base and retaining walls. In geogrid-reinforced granular soils, the soil particles strike through the geogrid apertures and form a layer of reinforced granules which is commonly believed as the interlocking reinforcement mechanism of geogrids to improve the mechanical properties of the granular matrix. Previous experiments and numerical simulations are mostly focused on the stress-strain behaviors of the reinforced granules. Much study is needed to examine the reinforcement mechanism at the individual grain scale level, particularly the particle shape and rotation. In this paper, spherical class beads and joined-spherical glass beads reinforced with geogrids were tested under static triaxial compression tests to examine the effect of particle shape. The triaxial tests were performed at two confining pressures. 2D discrete element simulations of the triaxial tests were performed using PFC2D software to further examine individual particle movement during the shearing process. The results showed that angular particle shape can increase the geogrid reinforcement effect.
Between Probability and Certainty: What Justifies Belief, by Martin Smith

The principal target of Martin Smith's book Between Probability and Certainty is what he terms the risk minimization conception of justification, which is the idea that the strength of one's justif...
Managing from the Middle: Frontline Supervisors and Perceptions of Their Organizational Power

Frontline supervisors serve as a “critical interpretive nexus between policy creators and policy implementers” (Rudes 2012, 4). However, we still know relatively little about how subordinates view their own power in relation to their supervisors and how frontline supervisors understand and exercise their power. Focusing on street-level workers and frontline supervisors across a statewide community corrections agency, we explore perceptions, experiences, and assertions of power in the workplace. Using focus groups with thirty-two street-level probation and parole officers and focus groups and field observations of seventy-five frontline supervisors, we find that officers and frontline supervisors have widely differing views on the power of the frontline supervisory position, some of which are influenced by gender. While street-level workers align frontline supervisors with policy creators, frontline supervisors view their own role as disempowered go-betweens. Frontline supervisors compensate for their perceived lack of power in policymaking and implementation by using micro power strategies to assert their power. This study extends street-level bureaucrat theory to the role of the frontline supervisor, who in practice is distant from the upper management roles with which they are typically categorized. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Bridging Performances of Auto/ethnography and Queer Bodies of Color to Advocacy and Civic Engagement

On June 12th, 2016 in Orlando, Florida, 49 people were shot and murdered and 53 people were hospitalized in the deadliest shooting in the United States since the Wounded Knee Massacre. President Barack Obama called the event: “An act of terror and an act of hate.” The gunman attacked Pulse, a LGBTQAI nightclub, during Pride Month around 2 A.M. on “Latin Night” while approximately 320 people were dancing, finishing drinks, and preparing to head home.
Identifying the Aerothermodynamic Environment of the Space Shuttle Orbiter, Columbia

Abstract We consider the system identification problem associated with determining the aerothermodynamic heating environment of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia during reentry. A mathematical characterization of this environment is required for mission capability assessment as well as operational flight planning. The identification problem is one of estimating certain parameters in a fairly complete nonlinear, nonstationary partial differential equation (diffusion) model of the heat transfer characteristics of the orbiter thermal protection system (tiles) interacting with the surface boundary phenomena of aerodynamic forced convection and radiation. Cur solution uses a maximum likelihood technique that incorporates discrete, depth-wise (thermocouple) temperature measurements and reentry trajectory data. Results of analyzing flight test data collected during the first flight of the Columbia are included for illustrative purposes.
Reductions in cannabis use are associated with improvements in anxiety, depression, and sleep quality, but not quality of life.

Abstract Aims This study examined the longitudinal association between reductions in cannabis use and changes in anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and quality of life. Methods Secondary analyses were conducted based on data from a cannabis use disorder medication trial in 302 adults (ages 18–50). Changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression, sleep quality, and quality of life were assessed in relation to changes in cannabis use during the 12-week trial of treatment. Results Based on the slope of individual cannabis use trajectory, the sample was classified into two groups (Cannabis Use Reduction, n =152 vs. Cannabis Use Increase, n =150) which was included as a binary covariate in subsequent modeling. Controlling for demographics (age, gender, race/ethnicity), treatment condition, and time-varying tobacco and alcohol use, separate latent growth curve models showed a significant association between the Cannabis Use Reduction group and improvement (i.e., lower values in slope) in anxiety (β=−0.09, SE=0.04; p p p Conclusions These results indicate a longitudinal relationship between reductions in cannabis use and improvements in anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. Clinicians treating patients with co-occurring cannabis use and problems with anxiety, depression, or sleep quality should attend to cannabis use reduction as a component of treatment.
Asymptotic orders of reachability in perturbed linear systems

A framework for studying asymptotic orders of reachability in perturbed linear, time-invariant systems is developed. The systems of interest are defined by matrices that have asymptotic expansions in powers of a perturbation parameter epsilon about the point 0. The reachability structure is exposed by means of the Smith form of the reachability matrix. This approach is used to provide insight into the kinds of inputs needed to reach weakly reachable target states, into the structure of high-gain feedback for pole placement, and into the types of inputs that steer trajectories arbitrarily close to almost (A,B)-invariant subspaces and almost (A,B)-controllability subspaces. >
A Review of Digital Surveillance Methods and Approaches to Combat Prescription Drug Abuse

The use of social media to conduct digital surveillance to address different health challenges is growing. This multidisciplinary review assesses the current state of methods and applied research used to conduct digital surveillance for prescription drug abuse. Fifteen studies met our inclusion criteria from the databases reviewed (PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library). The articles were characterized based on their overarching goals and aims, data collection and dataset attributes, and analysis approaches. Overall, reviewed studies grouped into two overarching categories as either being method-focused (advancing novel methodologies using social media data), applied-focused (generating new information on prescription drug abuse behavior), or having both elements. The social media platform most predominantly used was Twitter, with wide variation in sample size and duration of data collection. Several data analysis strategies were employed, including machine learning, temporal analysis, rule-based approaches, and statistical analysis. Our review indicates that the field of prescription drug abuse digital surveillance is still maturing. Though many studies captured large volumes of data, the majority did not analyze data to characterize user behavior, a critical step needed in order to better explain the underlying risk environment for prescription drug abuse. Future studies need to better translate method-based approaches into applied research, use data generated from social media platforms other than Twitter, and take advantage of emerging data analysis strategies, including deep learning and multimodal approaches.
Covalent Ligand Discovery against Druggable Hotspots Targeted by Anti-cancer Natural Products

Summary Many natural products that show therapeutic activities are often difficult to synthesize or isolate and have unknown targets, hindering their development as drugs. Identifying druggable hotspots targeted by covalently acting anti-cancer natural products can enable pharmacological interrogation of these sites with more synthetically tractable compounds. Here, we used chemoproteomic platforms to discover that the anti-cancer natural product withaferin A targets C377 on the regulatory subunit PPP2R1A of the tumor-suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) complex leading to activation of PP2A activity, inactivation of AKT, and impaired breast cancer cell proliferation. We developed a more synthetically tractable cysteine-reactive covalent ligand, JNS 1-40, that selectively targets C377 of PPP2R1A to impair breast cancer signaling, proliferation, and in vivo tumor growth. Our study highlights the utility of using chemoproteomics to map druggable hotspots targeted by complex natural products and subsequently interrogating these sites with more synthetically tractable covalent ligands for cancer therapy.
Enhanced light emission from MoS 2 in heterostructure photonic crystal cavities

A heterostructure photonic crystal band edge mode cavity resonating at the wavelengths of monolayer MoS 2 photoluminescence is presented. The resonant mode is laterally confined by a mode gap near Γ. Emission enhancement of the integrated monolayer MoS 2 is demonstrated experimentally.
The Effects of Adding Search Functionality to Interactive Visualizations on the Web

The widespread use of text-based search in user interfaces has led designers in visualization to occasionally add search functionality to their creations. Yet it remains unclear how search may impact a person's behavior. Given the unstructured context of the web, users may not have explicit information-seeking goals and designers cannot make assumptions about user attention. To bridge this gap, we observed the impact of integrating search with five visualizations across 830 online participants. In an unguided task, we find that (1) the presence of text-based search influences people's information-seeking goals, (2) search can alter the data that people explore and how they engage with it, and (3) the effects of search are amplified in visualizations where people are familiar with the underlying dataset. These results suggest that text-search in web visualizations drives users towards more diverse information seeking goals, and may be valuable in a range of existing visualization designs.
Bootstrapping in Turbulence Computation

Classification schemes for methods for predicting turbulent flows were presented by Kline etal. (1978) and Ferziger etal. (1981); this scheme is given in Table 1. At each level in the scheme, a single method or model is more broadly applicable than a method at the preceding levels. This allows data for one flow to be used to predict other flows, an advantage of obvious importance. The primary disadvantage of the higher levels is that they cost more than the preceding levels; the data required to fix a model or correlation is also more difficult to acquire.
Comparison of Solar-Hydrogen with Synthetic Fossil Fuels

The fuels most considered for the post petroleum and natural gas era, hydrogen (for storing solar and renewable energy sources) and synthetic fluid fossil fuels, have been compared by taking into account production costs, utilization efficiencies and environmental effects. Three different cost bases have been used for hydrogen depending on the primary energy sources used in its production. The results show that hydrogen is a much more cost effective energy carrier than synthetic fossil fuels. In addition to its environmental and efficiency benefits, hydrogen causes resource conservation, and savings in transportation and capital investment. It is also shown to be a safer fuel.
Cardiovascular Responses to the Prostaglandin Precursors

Dramatic reports have drawn attention to arachidonic acid and its possible role in the pathogenesis of human thromboembolic and cardiovascular disease (Silver et al., 1974; Pirkle and Carstens, 1974; Furlow and Bass, 1974). At the same time, intermediates in the prostaglandin (PG) biosynthetic pathway have been found to possess significant biological activity (Hamberg and Samuelson, 1973; Hamberg et al., 1914), and biologically active nonprostaglandin end products of arachidonic acid metabolism have been described (Turner et al., 1975; Hamberg et al, 1976).
Imaging Approach for the Diagnosis of Head and Face Pain

Facial and head pain can be a feature of a wide array of disease entities across several medical domains. Time course and periodicity of pain, location, quality, and comorbidities are just a few of the factors that allow formation of a differential diagnosis. In many cases, diagnosis and management of pain symptomatology can be accomplished on a clinical basis that does not require imaging. In other instances, imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosis and treatment planning. For this chapter, we focus attention on disease entities in which imaging is a key component of the workup and/or management of pain, namely, some forms of headache and trigeminal pain. Other entities that may cause facial pain, such as pain of dental origin, will be thoroughly covered in a separate section. In each section, our goal is to discuss the indications for imaging, preferred modalities and techniques, and impact of imaging on management and/or treatment.
Integrated Cardiac and Lung Ultrasound (ICLUS) in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

This review highlights the use of basic lung ultrasound and introduces the concept of integrated cardiac and lung ultrasound (ICLUS) in the care of patients in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). Cardiac ultrasound is a fundamental imaging modality that is the gold standard for the diagnosis of cardiac pathology at the bedside. However, the demographics of the modern cardiac ICU are evolving to encompass patients with complex multi-organ system dysfunction in addition to acute cardiovascular disease. Therefore, a more comprehensive diagnostic approach is needed to allow the cardiologist to unravel the potential interplay of multiple pathologic processes. Literature on lung ultrasound has expanded dramatically in recent years as it has proven to be a feasible and accurate exam that provides rapid diagnosis of pulmonary pathology including pneumothorax, pleural effusion, pneumonia, and pulmonary edema. Furthermore, combined cardiac and lung sonography exposes the interaction of circulatory and pulmonary physiology that is central to the diagnosis and management of acute cardiovascular disease. ICLUS provides valuable information for the diagnosis and management of conditions such as respiratory failure, shock, and heart failure. Numerous studies in recent years have illustrated the utility of lung ultrasound in various clinical settings. Integration of lung and cardiac ultrasound provides the cardiologist with a more holistic examination of the medically complex patients that are admitted to the modern cardiac ICU.
Accuracy of Smartphone Self-Hearing Test Applications Across Frequencies and Earphone Styles in Adults

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate smartphone-based self-hearing test applications (apps) for accuracy in threshold assessment and validity in screening for hearing loss across freque...
NOVEL AND DIRECT MYOFILAMENT-MEDIATED ACTION OF METFORMIN IN THE AGING RIGHT HEART

In age-related heart failure as well as other clinical contexts in which aging populations suffer significant morbidity and mortality, right ventricular (RV) function is the strongest predictor of survival. However, despite the clear link between RV dysfunction and mortality, little is known about the impact of age on the RV and there are no direct RV therapies. We hypothesized that activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) would be beneficial through direct and novel action on the cardiac contractile apparatus and accordingly, we assessed the impact of age on RV function and the therapeutic potential of AMPK activation by metformin. We used a murine model of pulmonary hypertension-induced RV dysfunction by exposing young (3–4 month) and old (~20 months) mice to hypobaric hypoxia (HH) (17,000 feet; PO2 10%) for 4 weeks. Cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality were significantly accelerated in aged mice exposed to HH, with all mice dying within 4 weeks (compared to 0% of young mice). Advanced age modified the effect of HH on lung and RV weights, indicative of more severe remodeling. At the level of the myofilament, HH exposure increased force production and decreased myofilament cooperativity in isolated cardiomyocytes, suggesting dysregulation of myocyte contractile function. Treatment with metformin significantly improved survival in aged mice (75% alive at 4 weeks), improved cardiopulmonary remodeling, and partially restored myofilament-mediated contractility. These data suggest that activation of AMPK has beneficial effects on contractility in the aging right heart, and will further elucidate therapeutic potential of AMPK activators using pharmacological and genetic approaches.
Work-in-Progress: Lock-Based Software Transactional Memory for Real-Time Systems

We propose a method for designing software transactional memory that relies on the use of locking protocols to ensure that transactions will never be forced to retry. We discuss our approaches to implementing this method and tunable parameters that may be able to improve schedulability on an application-specific basis.
The Gifted Gap, STEM Education, and Economic Immobility:

Systemic inequities in educational opportunities contribute to reduced economic mobility. Extensive research has documented disproportionality in gifted education at national and state levels. Howe...
Teaching with Video Assistance in Embedded Real-Time Operating System

This Full Paper for the Innovative Practice Category presents our method of successfully using micro videos as teaching assistance in the course of real-time operating system (RTOS). With the wide deployment of embedded systems, RTOS has become a very important topic in undergraduate computer engineering curriculum at many universities. Inspired by previous work of using videos in instructions, we implemented a series of micro videos for RTOS to facilitate students’ understanding and practice. Different from the flipped-classroom method, our video assistants (VA) serve as a learning support rather than as a repetition or substitute to the course lectures. Students need to have normal lecture meetings to make full use of VAs. Each video is short, typically a few minutes. Each covers a topic such as summary of lectures, concept explanations, and software operation instructions. To assess the VAs, we analyze a number of factors and student attainment of the course learning outcomes. Student attainment of the course learning outcomes, as measured by the students’ academic performance on exams, has demonstrated a positive effect of the VAs and that the impact is statistically significant. Additionally, students gave quite positive comments on the VAs in their evaluation of teaching.
Bioenergetic food webs as a means of linking toxicological effects across scales of ecological organization

Although significant progress has been made in ourability to predict population-level consequences oftoxic effects on individuals, extending thispredictive ability to communities, functional guilds,and ecosystems will require more integration ofecological theory into environmental science. Bioenergetics and food webs have long been centralthemes in ecology and greatly expanded ourunderstanding of nature. Although numerousenergetic-based toxicological endpoints have beendeveloped, few have extended this framework beyond theindividual level. Most energetic endpoints includeindividual growth, and only occasionally is thisintegrated with population dynamics. However,population-level energetic analyses (e.g., secondaryproduction) integrate individual and populationprocesses, and provide two key parameters: consumptionand energy flow. Within a food web framework,estimates of consumption and energy flow throughpopulations facilitate linking population-levelcontaminant effects to ecosystem-level effects. Several examples are given to illustrate the utilityof this approach.
Ambidextrous helical nanotubes from self-assembly of designed helical hairpin motifs.

Tandem repeat proteins exhibit native designability and represent potentially useful scaffolds for the construction of synthetic biomimetic assemblies. We have designed 2 synthetic peptides, HEAT_R1 and LRV_M3Δ1, based on the consensus sequences of single repeats of thermophilic HEAT (PBS_HEAT) and Leucine-Rich Variant (LRV) structural motifs, respectively. Self-assembly of the peptides afforded high-aspect ratio helical nanotubes. Cryo-electron microscopy with direct electron detection was employed to analyze the structures of the solvated filaments. The 3D reconstructions from the cryo-EM maps led to atomic models for the HEAT_R1 and LRV_M3Δ1 filaments at resolutions of 6.0 and 4.4 A, respectively. Surprisingly, despite sequence similarity at the lateral packing interface, HEAT_R1 and LRV_M3Δ1 filaments adopt the opposite helical hand and differ significantly in helical geometry, while retaining a local conformation similar to previously characterized repeat proteins of the same class. The differences in the 2 filaments could be rationalized on the basis of differences in cohesive interactions at the lateral and axial interfaces. These structural data reinforce previous observations regarding the structural plasticity of helical protein assemblies and the need for high-resolution structural analysis. Despite these observations, the native designability of tandem repeat proteins offers the opportunity to engineer novel helical nanotubes. Moreover, the resultant nanotubes have independently addressable and chemically distinguishable interior and exterior surfaces that would facilitate applications in selective recognition, transport, and release.
Visualizing Near-Wall Two-Phase Flow Morphology During Confined and Submerged Jet Impingement Boiling to the Point of Critical Heat Flux

Abstract Confined and submerged two-phase jet impingement is a compact, low-pressure-drop solution for high heat flux dissipation from electronic components. Nucleate boiling can be sustained up to significantly higher heat fluxes during two-phase jet impingement as compared to pool boiling. The increases in critical heat flux are explained via hydrodynamic mechanisms that have been debated in the literature. In this study, the two-phase flow morphology of a single subcooled jet of water that impinges on a circular heat source is visualized at high speed with synchronized top and side views of the confinement gap. The impinging jet issues from a 3.75-mm-diameter orifice that is held at a height of 2 orifice diameters above a 25.4-mm-diameter heat source. The experiments are conducted at a jet Reynolds number of 15,000 and a jet inlet subcooling of 10 °C across a range of heat fluxes up to the critical heat flux. When boiling occurs under subcooled exit flow conditions and at moderate heat fluxes, a regular cycle is observed of formation and collapse of vapor structures that bridge the heated surface and the orifice plate, which causes significant oscillations in the pressure drop. Under saturated exit flow conditions, the vapor agglomerates in the confinement gap into a bowl-like vapor structure that recurrently shrinks, due to vapor break-off at the edge of the orifice plate, and is again replenished due to vapor generation at the heater surface. The optical visualizations from the top of the confinement gap provide a unique perspective and indicate that the liquid jet flows downwards through the vapor structure, impinges on the heated surface, and then flows underneath the vapor structure as a fluid wall jet that wets the heated surface upon which discrete bubbles are generated due to boiling. At high heat fluxes, intense vapor generation causes the fluid wall jet to transition from a bubbly to a churn-like regime, shearing off some liquid droplets into the vapor structure. The origin of critical heat flux appears to result from a significant portion of the liquid in the wall jet being deflected off the surface, and the remaining liquid film on the surface drying out before reaching the edge of the heater.
Sleep and Dreaming

Sleep and dreaming have an important role in the regulation of cognition. New investigative techniques suggest that brain activity during sleep is fundamental to learning. Keywords: rapid eye movements; REM; brain imaging; neuropsychology
Relative accuracy of social and medical determinants of suicide in electronic health records.

Objective This paper compares the accuracy of predicting suicide from Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) or history of illness. Population studied 5 313 965 Veterans who at least had two primary care visits between 2008 and 2016. Study design The dependent variable was suicide or intentional self-injury. The independent variables were 10 495 International Classification of Disease (ICD) Version 9 codes, age, and gender. The ICD codes included 40 V-codes used for measuring SDoH, such as family disruption, family history of substance abuse, lack of education, legal impediments, social isolation, unemployment, and homelessness. The sample was randomly divided into training (90 percent) and validation (10 percent) sets. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (AROC) was used to measure accuracy of predictions in the validation set. Principal findings Separate analyses were done for inpatient and outpatient codes; the results were similar. In the hospitalized group, the mean age was 67.2 years, and 92.1 percent were male. The mean number of medical diagnostic codes during the study period was 37; and 12.9 percent had at least one SDoH V-code. At least one episode of suicide or intentional self-injury occurred in 1.89 percent of cases. SDoH V-codes, on average, elevated the risk of suicide or intentional self-injury by 24-fold (ranging from 4- to 86-fold). An index of 40 SDoH codes predicted suicide or intentional self-injury with an AROC of 0.64. An index of 10 445 medical diagnoses, without SDoH V-codes, had AROC of 0.77. The combined SDoH and medical diagnoses codes also had AROC of 0.77. Conclusion In predicting suicide or intentional self-harm, SDoH V-codes add negligible information beyond what is already available in medical diagnosis codes. Implications for practice Policies that affect SDoH (eg, housing policies, resilience training) may not have an impact on suicide rates, if they do not change the underlying medical causes of SDoH.
Why psychiatry might cooperate with religion: The Michigan Society of Pastoral Care, 1945-1968

The early decades of the pastoral care movement were characterized by a remarkable collaboration with psychiatry. While historians of the religious aspects of this movement have noted the reliance of pastoral care on psychiatry and psychology, it has been less clear how and why mental health professionals elected to work with clergy. This paper uses the Michigan Society of Pastoral Care (MSPC), one of the early training programs for hospital chaplains on the model of the Boston-based Institute for Pastoral Care, as a window to explore the interactions between psychiatry and religion at mid century. Raymond Waggoner, the nationally recognized and well-connected chair of the psychiatry department at the University of Michigan, was instrumental in expanding the influential pastoral care program at his hospital and in his state as part of his bigger mission of emphasizing the fundamental role of psychiatry in American life. Waggoner played a key role within the MSPC, in conjunction with leaders within the medical departments of the major hospitals in the state. All of the members of the MSPC viewed psychiatry's insights as essential for pastoral care, with the caveat that chaplains should remain pupils, not practitioners of psychotherapy.
A codex on linearized Nordström supergravity in eleven and ten dimensional superspaces

As the full off-shell theories of supergravity in the important dimensions of eleven and ten dimensions are currently unknown, we introduce a superfield formalism as a foundation and experimental laboratory to explore the possibility that the scalar versions of the higher dimensional supergravitation theory can be constructed.
Thermoplastic starch and poly(vinyl alcohol) blends centered barrier film for food packaging applications

Abstract This study explores the potential use of a Thermoplastic Starch (TPS)/Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH) blend as an alternative center-layer material to ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) in food packaging films. Multi-layer films consisting of a TPS/PVOH blend center-layer sandwiched between low-density polyethylene (LDPE) outer layers were prepared in a co-extruded blown film line. Middle-layer blend concentration of TPS was varied from 0 to 100 wt% and the barrier and mechanical properties were characterized. Films with center layer blends containing 25 and 75 wt% TPS exhibited similar oxygen barrier properties to neat EVOH. Moreover, multi-layer films containing 25 wt% TPS center-layers showed the highest tensile strength and dart impact value among all blends and this was attributed to an enhanced interaction between blend constituents. The study suggests that the blends containing either 25 or 75 wt% TPS could serve as alternative barrier layers due to their relatively low material cost, good oxygen barrier performance and adequate material properties.
Analysis of mordants, driers, and lapis lazuli using x-ray fluorescence: comparative research using reconstructed paint samples and case studies

Changes in the formulation of pigments and paint binders and the presence of additives used in the history of painting can complicate the interpretation of analytical data and may influence the characterization of the materials used in artworks. The limitations of the common analytical tools used to identify potential paint components including metallic driers, pigments, and the inorganic substrates of lake colors may also make analysis more difficult. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy is a common non-destructive technique used to collect inorganic elemental information from artworks. Advancements in XRF technology now permit the gathering of data from multi-layered paint systems and scanning technology can help characterize pigments across the entire surface of an artwork. These tools require an even greater understanding of the potential materials in an artwork to avoid misinterpretation of the data. The authors tested XRF’s ability to characterize lead, manganese, and cobalt driers. The presence of metallic driers could have an impact on the interpretation of the inorganic components in paint films. Lake pigment substrates often contain aluminum, tin, and calcium salts. The detection of these ions was also studied. Finally, the XRF detection of aluminum in lapis lazuli samples was assessed. These three groups of materials were also mixed with driers and/or other pigments to determine whether the presence of additional metal ions inhibited the detection of the characteristic elements. The authors used a Bruker ArtTax Micro XRF and a handheld Bruker Tracer III-SD XRF unit with and without a vacuum or helium purge for these experiments.
Guide to Enhanced Recovery for Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery: ERAS for Patients Undergoing Cytoreductive Surgery with or Without HIPEC

ERAS protocols may reduce length of stay and return to full functional recovery after cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC. Prehabilitation programs and post-operative goal directed pathways, along with other essential components of ERAS are discussed with supporting evidence.
Market development, state formation, and the historical abolition of the debtors’ prison

In the late 18th century, lenders’ right to imprison borrowers for defaulting on debts was taken for granted. By the mid-19th century, this power was widely and permanently revoked. Using a variety...
Raman Characterization of Fungal DHN and DOPA Melanin Biosynthesis Pathways.

Fungal melanins represent a resource for important breakthroughs in industry and medicine, but the characterization of their composition, synthesis, and structure is not well understood. Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the elucidation of molecular composition and structure. In this work, we characterize the Raman spectra of wild-type Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans and their melanin biosynthetic mutants and provide a rough “map” of the DHN (A. fumigatus) and DOPA (C. neoformans) melanin biosynthetic pathways. We compare this map to the Raman spectral data of Aspergillus nidulans wild-type and melanin biosynthetic mutants obtained from a previous study. We find that the fully polymerized A. nidulans melanin cannot be classified according to the DOPA pathway; nor can it be solely classified according to the DHN pathway, consistent with mutational analysis and chemical inhibition studies. Our approach points the way forward for an increased understanding of, and methodology for, investigating fungal melanins.
Periodic excitation of multiple-unit impact dampers

The exact solution corresponding to the steady-state motion of a periodically excited primary system that is provided with a multiple-unit impact damper is derived by treating the motion of this highly nonlinear system as a piece-wise linear process. Results of the analysis are applied to the particular case of a periodically pulse excited impact damper. It is shown that such devices are efficient vibration dampers.
Arrays, Matrices and Linear Algebra

This chapter discusses third-party numerical libraries implemented in Java and used for construction of arrays and matrices. It covers several Java classes to keep information on measurements (including their errors) and shows how to use Python for statistical analysis. Concrete physics implementation—a representation of a particle using four-momentum which is typically used in relativistic calculations is also included in this chapter.
Race-related service and faculty of color: Conceptualizing critical agency in academe

Based on a qualitative study of sixteen faculty of color at aprivate research university, this article argues that service,though significantly presenting obstacles to the promotion andretention of faculty of color, actually may set the stage fora critical agency that resists and redefines academic structuresthat hinder faculty success. The construct of `service,' therefore,presents the opportunity for theorizing the interplay of humanagency and social structures. The article suggests that facultymay seek to redefine oppressive structures through service, thus,exercising an agency that emerges from the very structures thatconstrain it. Faculty of color, in particular, may engage inservice to promote the success of racial minorities in the academyand elsewhere. Thus, service, especially that which seeks tofurther social justice, contributes to the redefinition of theacademy and society at large.
Automatic 4-D registration in dynamic MR renography based on over-complete dyadic wavelet and fourier transforms

Dynamic contrast-enhanced 4-D MR renography has the potential for broad clinical applications, but suffers from respiratory motion that limits analysis and interpretation. Since each examination yields at least over 10-20 serial 3-D images of the abdomen, manual registration is prohibitively laborintensive. Besides in-plane motion and translation, out-of-plane motion and rotation are observed in the image series. In this paper, a novel robust and automated technique for removing out-of-plane translation and rotation with sub-voxel accuracy in 4-D dynamic MR images is presented. The method was evaluated on simulated motion data derived directly from a clinical patient's data. The method was also tested on 24 clinical patient kidney data sets. Registration results were compared with a mutual information method, in which differences between manually co-registered time-intensity curves and tested time-intensity curves were compared. Evaluation results showed that our method agreed well with these ground truth data.
Are thalamocortical rhythms the rosetta stone of a subset of neurological disorders

Recent evidence indicates that "dysrhythmias" cause alterations in the normal function of the thalamocortical loop and lead to various types of neurological disorders. Will decoding this rhythm help us to understand the basis for movement disorders, chronic pain, and even neuropsychological dysfunction?
Tilings of Sequences of Co-evolved Images

Sims’ well-known technique for using evolving expressions to generate abstract images is paired with a co-evolutionary hosts and parasites fitness scheme to instantiate an evolutionary simulation. An added twist is that image populations are completely replaced after each generation. The goal is to identify evolutionary epochs where significant aesthetic themes emerge so that sequences of maximally fit images can be culled. Culled sequences are used to construct tilings. The technique yields abstract tilings where the interplay between creation, competition, and cooperation of visual themes combine to produce some surprising aesthetic results.
Evaluating complex systems when numerical information is sparse

Analyzing complex systems for which there is insufficient information for a complete quantitative characterization is a common problem encountered in military and research applications. As a result of repeated experience with this situation, we developed an approach that uses integrated logic modeling and approximate reasoning to make sophisticated and complicated predictions and decisions about systems with significant gaps in quantitative understanding. We describe how a process tree can be used to gain better understanding of complex physical or operational processes. We show how this understanding can be used to develop an approximate reasoning decision model that efficiently uses experience and expert judgment to make reasonable decisions.
An electroporation system for targeted cellular drug delivery

An electroporation system allowing control of pulse amplitude, frequency, and duration is proposed. The system was implemented using a programmable lock-in amplifier and switch module. A software data acquisition system was designed to allow the user to control the pulse parameters and data acquisition setting. The system was validated by applying 1 V p-p pulses at 45 kHz to an array of gold electrodes seeded with HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells. Unseeded naked electrodes were used as controls. The experimental results of this study demonstrated a transient response and recover of HCT-116 cells to the applied pulses. Small changes in the naked electrodes were also observed following the electroporation pulses.
High Resolution Laser Spectroscopy

Methods of Doppler-free laser spectroscopy are reviewed, including several recent advances such as FM sideband or polarization intermodulation techniques. New approaches to laser frequency stabilization are also discussed. Precision studies of the simple hydrogen atom serve to illustrate the power of high resolution laser spectroscopy, and to point out future challenges and opportunities.
26th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 3–6 December 2003: update on preclinical and translational research

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is the largest annual meeting devoted solely to breast cancer research. The late William L McGuire's vision for this meeting was to stimulate 'translational research', many years before this term became popular. In this way, the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium represents a forum in which basic and clinical researchers present their research side by side. Each year sees the continued evolution of our understanding of the basic mechanisms of breast cancer initiation and progression, and the clinical application of this knowledge. Major topics of discussion at the symposium this year were the cell cycle, new evolving concepts of estrogen receptor action, breast cancer stem cells, new predictive and prognostic markers (including microarray studies), and continued exploration of the mechanisms of drug resistance. This report will summarize preclinical and translational highlights from the meeting.
Chaotic communications through arbitrary attenuation: a hardware demonstration

A chaotic communications baseband system has been designed and implemented in hardware that transmits, synchronizes, and recovers a data message over arbitrary amounts of attenuation in the presence of noise. The hardware demonstration system includes data bit generation, chaotic modulation, D/A conversion, physical attenuation, A/D conversion, and message recovery. This proof-of-concept system was implemented on computer-based DSP evaluation modules. It utilizes a duobinary signal structure as well as software algorithms to track and compensate for transmit-receive sample clock mismatch, eliminate intrinsic intersymbol interference, and adjust sample point values to the correct pulse peak amplitude. The signal amplitude restorer is the critical enabling component for chaotic synchronization and demodulation. It exploits the transmit probability density function to adjust received pulses to within tenths of a dB of a desired level. The primary result is the demonstrated ability of nonlinear dynamical chaos-based systems to successfully communicate through physical channels across arbitrary propagation distances. A second achievement is reliable message recovery at low received SNR with respect to the evaluation module noise floor.
Nonholonomic control based on approximate inversion

A variety of simple mechanical systems are known to exploit nonholonomic effects to achieve their goals. Theories describing the operation of such systems have been developed and applied, especially in the study of robotics. Not surprisingly, the inclusion of dynamical effects adds complexity and changes some of the qualitative properties. In this paper we give a complete analysis of the optimal positioning problem for a natural class of dynamical systems whose inertial effects are linear but whose kinematics are those of the standard nonholonomic integrator. Based on these results we develop a suitable modification of the approximate inverse method for solving tracking and stabilization problems.
Informational constraints on pre-lexical priming

Abstract A popular explanation of automatic semantic priming attributes those effects to the spreading of activation across a meaning-based network in lexical memory. A number of conflicting claims have been advanced regarding the kinds of information captured in that pre-lexical network. Lexical decision and naming experiments are reported which indicate (1) that automatic priming is supported equally well by a very broad range of relations, (2) that the quality of relation for individual prime-target pairs, as reflected in such measures as traditional associative strength, has no impact on the amount of priming produced, (3) that asymmetries between lexical decision and naming in the amount of priming they generate under stringent conditions of automaticity require the postulation of an extra-lexical source of automatic priming, and (4) the residual priming left for the putative lexical network to explain is at most a few milliseconds. Taken together, these findings suggest that explanations of automati...
A note on bifurcation problems in large containers

Recent work has shown that the analysis of bifurcation problems on a large, but finite, interval can yield Landau coefficients which are radically different from those obtained for the problem on an infinite interval. At first sight, such results seem to challenge the widely held belief that the onset of instability in a large domain should be described by a Ginzburg–Landau-type amplitude equation. In this note, we show that indeed the same phenomenon can occur when the Ginzburg–Landau equation is used as a starting point. An analysis based on neglecting the spatial derivative terms in the Ginzburg–Landau equation is justifiable only if the amplitude of the solution is large relative to 1/L, where L is the length of the interval. If the amplitude is small relative to 1/L, then the effect of the boundary conditions is felt throughout the interval.