cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Some Aspects of Language Processing Revealed Through the Analysis of Acquired Aphasia: The Lexical System

Acquired aphasia is the loss of some aspect of language processing consequent to brain damage. The specific form of aphasia observed in a patient is determined by the locus of cerebral insult. However, given the complexity of the language processing system, involving as it does complex linguistic mechanisms—phonological, lexical, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic—as well as associated cognitive systems (e.g., working memory), a vast number of different forms of aphasia may be observed. Each form of aphasia observed is presumed to result from the particular type of damage to a component or combination of components of the language processing system. It is unrealistic, therefore, in the limited space available here, to attempt a review of the full range of possible language deficits in aphasia. A more manageable task is to focus the review on just one subsystem of the language faculty. This review will focus on the lexical system.
Experimental Constraints and Theory of Layered High-Tc Superconductors

Recent experiments have revealed several key features of the normal and superconducting states of high-temperature superconductors. They impose strong constraints on theoretical models of the phenomenon. We developed a tight-binding BCS-type model. The carriers form a narrow and anisotropic band, and are subject to on-site and inter-layer singlet pairing. The resulting properties agree remarkably well with experimental results, resolve conflicting interpretations of experimental results, offer an easily understandable physical picture, and point to the nature of the pairing mechanism.
Effect of Broccoli Sprouts and Live Attenuated Influenza Virus on Peripheral Blood Natural Killer Cells: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study

Enhancing antiviral host defense responses through nutritional supplementation would be an attractive strategy in the fight against influenza. Using inoculation with live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) as an infection model, we have recently shown that ingestion of sulforaphane-containing broccoli sprout homogenates (BSH) reduces markers of viral load in the nose. To investigate the systemic effects of short-term BSH supplementation in the context of LAIV-inoculation, we examined peripheral blood immune cell populations in non-smoking subjects from this study, with a particular focus on NK cells. We carried out a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study measuring the effects of BSH (N = 13) or placebo (alfalfa sprout homogenate, ASH; N = 16) on peripheral blood mononuclear cell responses to a standard nasal vaccine dose of LAIV in healthy volunteers. Blood was drawn prior to (day-1) and post (day2, day21) LAIV inoculation and analyzed for neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, T cells, NKT cells, and NK cells. In addition, NK cells were enriched, stimulated, and assessed for surface markers, intracellular markers, and cytotoxic potential by flow cytometry. Overall, LAIV significantly reduced NKT (day2 and day21) and T cell (day2) populations. LAIV decreased NK cell CD56 and CD158b expression, while significantly increasing CD16 expression and cytotoxic potential (on day2). BSH supplementation further increased LAIV-induced granzyme B production (day2) in NK cells compared to ASH and in the BSH group granzyme B levels appeared to be negatively associated with influenza RNA levels in nasal lavage fluid cells. We conclude that nasal influenza infection may induce complex changes in peripheral blood NK cell activation, and that BSH increases virus-induced peripheral blood NK cell granzyme B production, an effect that may be important for enhanced antiviral defense responses. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01269723
Is Postponing Social Security Benefits the Better Choice

Since the year 2000, the social security benefit recipients have been permitted to work after reaching age 65 without the earnings test which had previously reduced their benefits by one dollar for every three dollars earned above a certain threshold. Taxpayers who work past their normal retirement age are now given a choice of when to begin receiving social security retirement benefits. The new law rewards those who postpone the start of these benefits until age 70 by increasing the monthly benefit received by a specified percentage for each year of delay. As was true prior to the law change, there is no incentive to delay commencement of benefits beyond age 70. A general rule cannot be formulated to guide a taxpayer in choosing accurately between starting full retirement social security benefits at age 65 or at age 70. The choice depends on too many variables that are particularly personal. One critical variable is the taxpayer's tax bracket between ages 65 and 70 and then from age 70 onward. Other critical variables are the investment vehicle in which the taxpayer invests the after-tax social security benefits and the annual investment yield on the invested after-tax benefits. Using a computer model, the interrelationships of those variables were analyzed to yield a critical age at which the taxpayer would be indifferent between starting social security benefits at age 65 or at age 70 in terms of accumulated after-tax wealth. Using the reveled critical ages, the taxpayer can then make a judgment about whether he or she is likely to live long enough for postponing social security benefits to be beneficial. If the taxpayer judges that he or she is not likely to live longer than the critical age revealed in this study, he or she should choose to start social security benefits at age 65. Some of the critical ages in the article's exhibits are 100 years or older. In those instances, the taxpayer is likely to easily conclude that starting social security benefits at age 65 is the best choice. Given the assumptions used in this study, there are no critical ages less than age 81. Thus, even with the critical ages shown in the study, the taxpayer approaching age 65 will still have to make a tough call concerning his or her likely age at death in order to make a reasoned decision concerning the best social security benefits starting age.
Abstract 18: Adipose Specific Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein Deficient Mice Are Resistant To High Fat Diet Induced Obesity

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) transfers neutral lipids and is essential for the assembly of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins by the liver and the small intestine. To determine whether MTP plays a role in adipocyte maturation and lipid metabolism, we used 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. MTP expression and activity transiently increased during early stages of differentiation, and declined later. The increases in MTP expression preceded the expression of PPARγ. Overexpression of MTP enhanced lipid droplet formation in 3T3-L1 cells, and its knockdown attenuated cellular lipid accumulation. These studies indicated that MTP positively affects cellular adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis. Adipose-specific Mttp gene ablated (A-Mttp-/-) mice were lean and had reduced white adipose tissue after feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) compared with wild-type (Mttpfl/fl) mice. The adipose tissue of A-Mttp-/- mice had increased number of smaller size adipocytes and had less macrophage infiltration a...
Role of vasoconstrictor systems in experimental glucocorticoid-hypertension in rats

1. The blood pressure effect of SKF 64139, a phenylethanolamine N -methyltransferase (PNMT) inhibitor acting both in the central and peripheral nervous system, was studied in conscious normotensive and glucocorticoid-hypertensive rats maintained for 2 weeks on a salt-deficient diet. On the day of the experiment, mean blood pressure was 119.2 ± 1.1 mmHg (mean ± sem) in the normotensive and 143.2 ± 1.9 mmHg ( P < 0.001) in the hypertensive rats. In all animals, the blood pressure was followed for 4 h after oral gavage by either SKF 64139 (50 mg/kg) or its vehicle (5% glucose solution). 2. In the vehicle-treated rats, no change in blood pressure occurred. However, after SKF 64139 administration, a 17.9 ± 3.8 mmHg ( P < 0.001) blood pressure fall was observed in the hypertensive rats whereas normotensive animals did not decrease their pressure. 3. Plasma catecholamines were determined in all these rats at the end of the observation period. No significant difference in plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline levels was observed between normotensive and hypertensive as well as vehicle- and SKF 64139-treated rats, though both catecholamines tended to be higher after administration of the PNMT inhibitor. 4. In two additional groups of glucocorticoid-hypertensive rats, the blood pressure effects of an infusion of saralasin, a competitive antagonist of angiotensin II, or of a bolus injection of a vasopressin analogue antagonizing the pressor action of vasopressin, were investigated over a 20 min period. The vasopressin antagonist had no blood pressure effect whereas saralasin decreased mean blood pressure from 144 ±1.9 to 136 ± 3.2 mmHg ( P < 0.005). 5. These data suggest that the sympathetic nervous system is the main vasoconstrictor system involved in the maintenance of established glucocorticoid hypertension. Since SKF 64139 is also known to inhibit to some degree α-adrenoceptors, monoamine oxidase and neuronal uptake processes, it remains unclear, however, whether the blood pressure-lowering effect of this PNMT inhibitor can be attributed to central blockade of adrenaline synthesis.
Optimized scalable decentralized hybrid advanced metering infrastructure for smart grid

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is one of the most important components of smart grid (SG) which aggregates data from smart meters (SMs) and sends the collected data to the utility center (UC) to be analyzed and stored. In traditional centralized AMI architecture, there is one meter data management system to process all gathered information in the UC, therefore, by increasing the number of SMs and their data rates, this architecture is not able to satisfy SG requirements (e.g., delay and reliability) and it would not be scalable. Since scalability is one of most important characteristics of AMI architecture in SG, in this paper, we have investigated scalability of different AMI architectures and propose a scalable hybrid AMI architecture. We have introduced three performance metrics: monthly, fixed, and total deployment cost of AMI architecture as objective functions of corresponding optimization problems. Based on these metrics, we formulated each AMI architecture and used a genetic-based algorithm to minimize them and find their near optimal solutions. Based on the requirements of five demographic regions (i.e., different density or number of SMs) and range of SMs data rates, we simulated our proposed AMI architecture and the results proved that our proposed AMI hybrid architecture has better performance compared with centralized and decentralized AMI architectures and it has a good load and geographic scalability.
Group psychology in the totalitarian system: A psychoanalytic view

The author discusses the ideas of three important psychoanalytic thinkers about group processes in large social groups: Sigmund Freud, Wilfred Bion, and Erich Fromm. Their ideas are developed and applied to analysis of group processes in totalitarian systems, as they were known to the author in Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. In conclusion, treatment considerations as they apply to patients who grew up in these regimes are developed and illustrated by clinical cases.
Life in a Corner: Cultural Episodes in Southeastern Utah, 1880–1950. By Robert S. McPherson.

Life in a Corner: Cultural Episodes in Southeastern Utah, 1880–1950. By Robert S. McPherson. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2015. x + 293 pp. Illustrations, map, appendix, notes, bibliography, index. $24.95, paper.) Most students of American expansion in the Intermountain West know the story of the 1879–1880 Hole-in-the-Rock expedition, in which Mormon settlers traversed some of the world’s most rugged terrain to settle the valley of the San Juan River on the Navajo frontier. We less often hear the stories of the settlers after they reached their destinations and attempted to carve out a home along a harsh desert river. Life in a Corner fills this gap, telling how remote, tight-knit communities such as Bluff, Monticello, and Blanding established themselves, worked, and lived. … camhead{at}gmail.com
Multi-center Clinical Study on Jincao Oral Liquid in the Treatment of Phlegm-heat Obstructing Lung Syndrome in Children with Acute Bronchitis

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Jincao oral liquid in the treatment of phlegm-heat obstructing lung syndrome in children with acute bronchitis.METHODS:Stratified random,double-blind,parallel control of positive drug and multi-center clinical study were applied.Trial group and control group were given Jincao oral liquid and Jizhi syrup respectively,5 ml per time for children aged 1-2 years old,10 ml children aged 3-6 years old,15 ml children aged 7-14 years old,3 times a day for 5 days.RESULTS:The effectiveness of Jincao oral liquid for cough,expectoration and physical signs of phlegm-heat obstructing lung syndrome in children with acute bronchitis reached 87.20%,81.71%,80.37%(full data analysis set) respectively,which was similar to control group.Results of full data analysis set were in line with that of program data set.There was no significant difference between therapeutic efficacies of main symptoms and therapeutic efficacies of secondary symptoms,disease,syndrome and thoracic roentgenoscopy(P0.05).No ADR related to drug use was found.CONCLUSION:Jincao oral liquid possesses obvious effectiveness for cough,expectoration and physical signs of mild and moderate pediatric acute bronchitis,which is similar to Jizhi syrup.
30-day mortality after elective colorectal surgery can reasonably be predicted.

The aim of the present study was to develop a clinically relevant, accurate and usable risk assessment scoring system solely for colorectal cancer patients undergoing elective resection. All colorectal resections for colorectal cancer 2006–2012 were identified from the American College of Surgeons Quality Improvement Program. Independent risk factors for 30-day mortality after elective surgery were identified using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. A points-calculator based on factors most strongly associated with mortality and accurately predicting risk of mortality was developed. Fifty-nine thousand nine hundred eighty-six patients underwent elective colorectal cancer surgery, and 1096 (1.8 %) died within 30 days. On multivariable analysis, the strongest risk factors for mortality were age ≥65 years [odds ratio (OR) 2.17, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.61–2.92], American Society of Anesthesiologists score ≥3 (OR 1.77, 95 % CI 1.29–2.42), renal failure (OR 3.15, 95 % CI 1.01–9.77), disseminated cancer (OR 2.56, 95 % CI 1.96–3.35), hypoalbuminemia (OR 2.84, 95 % CI 2.21–3.65), preoperative ascites (OR 3.17, 95 % CI 2.07–4.87), heart failure (OR 2.08, 95 % CI 1.35–3.20) and functional status (OR 2.05, 95 % CI 1.56–2.70). A model that accurately predicted risk of mortality was created using forward stepwise logistic regression and externally validated (area under the curve 0.826). This allowed for development of an eight-factor predictive score; maximum points conferred mortality of 96.1 % (p < 0.0001). A simple preoperative scoring system predicting 30-day mortality with good capability may allow better preoperative risk assessment, optimization and decision-making.
Integrating information literacy into the learning outcomes of academic disciplines: A critical 21st-century issue

A la California State University, la cooperation entre enseignants et bibliothecaires a permis de faire progresser l'integration de la culture de l'information dans les resultats obtenus par les etudiants dans le cadre de disciplines specifiques. Des ateliers visant a definir et a articuler les competences en information requises a chaque niveau et pour chaque discipline ont ete mis en place a l'intention des etudiants de premiere annee et dans les departements de sciences biologiques, d'histoire et de psychologie et d'assistance educatives.
Collaborative Governance: Integrating Management, Politics, and Law

Scholars have engaged in an ongoing dialogue about the relationships among management, politics, and law in public administration. Collaborative governance presents new challenges to this dynamic. While scholars have made substantial contributions to our understanding of the design and practice of collaborative governance, others suggest that we lack theory for this emerging body of research. Law is often omitted as a variable. Scholarship generally does not explicitly include collaboration as a public value. This article addresses the dialogue on management, politics, and law with regard to collaborative governance. It provides an overview of the current legal framework for collaborative governance in the United States at the federal, state, and local levels of government and identifies gaps. The institutional analysis and development framework provides a body of theory that incorporates rules and law into research design. The article concludes that future research on collaborative governance should incorporate the legal framework as an important variable and collaboration as a public value.
A new approach of dynamic pinhole SPECT imaging for evaluation of sympathetic nervous system function in animal models of cardiac hypertrophy

Typically 123I-MIBG is used for the study of innervation and function of the sympathetic nervous system in heart failure. The protocol involves two studies: first a planar or SPECT scan is performed to measure initial uptake of the tracer, followed some 3-4 hours later by another study measuring the wash-out of the tracer from the heart. A fast wash-out is indicative of a compromised heart. In this work, a dual head pinhole SPECT system was used for imaging the distribution and kinetics of 123I-MIBG in the myocardium of spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. The system geometry was calibrated based on a nonlinear point projection fitting method using a three-point source phantom. The angle variation effect of the parameters was modeled with a sinusoidal function. A dynamic acquisition was performed by injecting 123I-MIBG into rats immediately after starting the data acquisition. The detectors rotated continuously traversing 360deg every 90 seconds. We applied the FADS method to obtain time activity curves in the blood pool and myocardium. Since the initial injection bolus is too fast to obtain a consistent tomographic data set in the first minute of the study, we applied the FADS method directly to projections during the first rotation. In the future, the method will be applied to determine if there are differences in the kinetics between SHR and WKY rats. This approach requires less time by replacing the delayed scan at 3-4 hours after injection with a dynamic acquisition of 90 to 120 minutes
Imaging for cardiac electrophysiology

Clinical cardiac electrophysiology is the study of the origin and treatment of arrhythmia. There has been considerable recent development in this field, where imaging has had a transformational impact. In this invited review, we offer a global overview of the most important developments in the use of imaging in cardiac electrophysiology. We first describe the radiological imaging modalities involved in cardiac electrophysiology, to assess cardiac anatomy, function and scar. We then introduce an imaging modality with which readers are probably unfamiliar (electroanatomical mapping [EAM]), but which is routinely used by electrophysiologists to plan and guide cardiac mapping and cardiac ablation therapy by catheter, a therapy which can reduce or even cure arrhythmia. We identify the limitations of EAM and describe how radiological imaging modalities can complement this technique. We then describe and illustrate how imaging has helped the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic conditions, and how imaging is used to plan and guide clinical cardiac electrophysiologic procedures and assess their results and complications. We focus on the two most common arrhythmias for which imaging has the greatest impact: atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.
Dynamics of Chromium(VI) Removal from Drinking Water by Iron Electrocoagulation.

The potential for new U.S. regulations for Cr(VI) in drinking water have spurred strong interests in improving technologies for Cr(VI) removal. This study examined iron electrocoagulation for Cr(VI) removal at conditions directly relevant to drinking water treatment. Cr(VI) is chemically reduced to less soluble Cr(III) species by the Fe(II) produced from an iron anode, and XANES spectra indicate that the Cr is entirely Cr(III) in solid-phases produced in electrocoagulation. The dynamics of Cr(VI) removal in electrocoagulation at pH 6 and pH 8 at both oxic and anoxic conditions can be described by a new model that incorporates Fe(II) release from the anode and heterogeneous and homogeneous reduction of Cr(VI) by Fe(II). Heterogeneous Cr(VI) reduction by adsorbed Fe(II) was critical to interpreting Cr(VI) removal at pH 6, and the Fe- and Cr-containing EC product was found to catalyze the redox reaction. Dissolved oxygen (DO) did not observably inhibit Cr(VI) removal because Fe(II) reacts with DO more slowly...
The Role of Akt3 in Platelet Activation

Akt is a family of serine/threonine kinases that are activated downstream of Phosphoinositide 3 Kinases (PI3K). There are three known Akt isoforms: Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3. Both Akt1 and Akt2 have been shown to be expressed in platelets and play important roles in PI3K-dependent platelet activation signaling. Previous studies have concluded that Akt3 is not expressed in platelets; however, we show that Akt3 is in fact a major Akt isoform present in platelets, and demonstrate that Akt3 plays an important role in platelet activation. In order to determine if Akt3 mRNA is present in platelets, RNA was isolated from platelets and RT-PCR experiments were performed using Akt3 specific primers. Akt3 mRNA was detected in both human and mouse platelets, and the possibility that Akt3 mRNA came from leukocyte contamination was excluded because Akt3 was not detected with RT-PCR using RNA purified from the same number of leukocytes as that in platelet preparation. To assess if Akt3 protein is present in platelets, western blot analysis was performed using an Akt3 specific antibody. Results revealed that Akt3 is highly expressed in human and mouse platelets. In order to assess the relative amount of Akt3 present in platelets, total Akt levels and phosphorylated Akt levels were measured in Akt3 knockout mouse platelets in comparison with wild type mouse platelets. Akt3 knockout mouse platelets showed a significant decrease in total Akt, and also a significant reduction in phosphorylated Akt, as indicated by Western blot analysis of phospho-Thr308-Akt and phospho-Ser473-Akt antibodies. Thus, our data indicates Akt3 is a major Akt isoform expressed in platelets. To determine the role of Akt3 in platelet activation, platelets from wild type mice and Akt3 knockout mice were stimulated with low concentrations of platelet agonists. Akt3 knockout mouse platelets exhibited impaired aggregation and ATP secretion in response to low dose thrombin and collagen compared with wild type controls, indicating that Akt3 plays an important role in promoting platelet activation. In order to assess the signaling molecules downstream from Akt3, Akt3 knockout and wild type mouse platelets were stimulated with low dose thrombin and phosphorylation of GSK-3β, an enzyme recently reported to negatively regulate platelet function downstream from Akt1 or Akt2 in platelets, was assessed. Western blot for phospho-Ser9 of GSK-3β in Akt3 knockout mouse platelets stimulated with thrombin showed less phosphorylation compared to Akt1 or Akt2 knockout mouse platelets, indicating that Akt3 is the major Akt isoform responsible for GSK-3β phosphorylation. Thus, our data shows that Akt3 is a major Akt isoform in platelets and plays an important role in platelet activation. Since phosphorylation of GSK-3β at Ser9 has been reported to reverse the inhibitory effect of GSK-3β on platelet function, our data also suggest that the stimulatory role of Akt3 in platelet activation may be mediated by negative regulation of GSK-3β function.
Population level differences in thermal sensitivity of energy assimilation in terrestrial salamanders

Thermal adaptation predicts that thermal sensitivity of physiological traits should be optimized to thermal conditions most frequently experienced. Furthermore, thermodynamic constraints predict that species with higher thermal optima should have higher performance maxima and narrower performance breadths. We tested these predictions by examining the thermal sensitivity of energy assimilation between populations within two species of terrestrial-lungless salamanders, Plethodon albagula and P. montanus. Within P. albagula, we examined populations that were latitudinally separated by >450km. Within P. montanus, we examined populations that were elevationally separated by >900m. Thermal sensitivity of energy assimilation varied substantially between populations of P. albagula separated latitudinally, but did not vary between populations of P. montanus separated elevationally. Specifically, in P. albagula, the lower latitude population had a higher thermal optimum, higher maximal performance, and narrower performance breadth compared to the higher latitude population. Furthermore, across all individuals as thermal optima increased, performance maxima also increased, providing support for the theory that "hotter is better".
Subjective experiences at first use of cigarette, e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigar products among Texas adolescents.

Abstract Introduction Subjective experiences (“SEs”) at first cigarette use have been thoroughly examined; however, limited research has examined SEs at first use of non-cigarette products. This study addresses this gap in the literature. Methods Cross-sectional data from 6th, 8th and 10th grade students in four metropolitan areas of Texas (n = 3907/N = 461,069). Nausea, coughing, relaxation, rush/buzz, and dizziness at first use were assessed for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigar products. Chi-square analyses examined differences in the prevalence of first use SEs by product. Weighted multiple logistic regression analyses examined the association of SEs and current product use. Covariates were grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and current other tobacco product use. Results Exploratory factor analysis of SEs determined differing factor structures across tobacco products. For example, the following items loaded onto the positive SE factor: 1) relaxation, rush, and dizziness for cigarettes, and 2) relaxation and rush for e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigar products. Prevalence of negative SEs (coughing and nausea) were higher for cigarette and cigar products compared to e-cigarettes and hookah. Positive SEs for cigarettes were associated with increased odds of current cigarette use (AOR = 1.51); similarly positive SEs for cigars were associated with increased odds of current cigar use (AOR = 2.11). Feeling nauseous at first use of cigars was associated with decreased odds of current cigar use (AOR = 0.18). No SEs were associated with current e-cigarette or hookah use. Conclusions Subjective experiences at first use differ by tobacco product. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine temporal relationships between SEs at first use and sustained tobacco use.
Why metaphysical debates are not merely verbal (or how to have a non-verbal metaphysical debate)

A number of philosophers have argued in recent years that certain kinds of metaphysical debates—e.g., debates over the existence of past and future objects, mereological sums, and coincident objects—are merely verbal. (Roughly speaking, a merely verbal dispute is one in which the two parties to the dispute don’t disagree about any non-verbal facts and only seem to disagree because they mean different things by their words.) It is argued in this paper that metaphysical debates (of a certain very broad kind) are not merely verbal. The paper proceeds by uncovering and describing a pattern that can be found in a very wide range of philosophical problems and then explaining how, in connection with any problem of this general kind, there is always a non-verbal debate to be had. Indeed, the paper provides a recipe for locating the non-verbal debates that surround these philosophical problems. This undermines metametaphysical verbalist views of our metaphysical questions—i.e., views that say that there is no non-verbal debate to be had about some metaphysical question. Finally, the paper also provides a quick argument against actual-literature verbalist views of our metaphysical questions; in other words, the paper argues that in connection with all of our metaphysical questions, it is easy to find examples of non-verbal debates in the actual philosophical literature.
Surgical Predictors of Clinical Outcomes After Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background:Revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has been documented to have worse outcomes compared with primary ACL reconstruction.Hypothesis:Certain factors under the control ...
Nonlinear control based on H-infinity theory for autonomous aerial vehicle

Existence of modeling errors, external disturbances, and inaccurate design assumptions make robustness a desired property for any control system in real-life applications. Linear robust controllers are widely seen as acceptable solutions when systems are controlled close to known equilibrium points and a known trajectory. Unfortunately, linear robust control designs become partially ineffective when these conditions are not met. The nonlinear and unsteady aerodynamics of aircraft in the presence of external disturbances and adverse conditions make application of linear robust controllers challenging. This paper presents a nonlinear version of robust H-infinity controller based on L2 gain and dissipativity concepts. The nonlinear H-infinity approach allows larger perturbations from the trim condition and delays any control degradation and risk of instability compared with the linear versions. The nonlinear H-infinity controller requires the solution of a Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs equation which is a limiting factor due to its complexity. This paper applies a state-feedback Taylor series expansion of the value function to iteratively solve the partial differential equations in incremental steps for an increasing degree of accuracy. A large UAS in trajectory tracking is used for performance comparison and robustness analysis in one hand with a linear robust controller, and on the other, with a robust nonlinear model predictive controller.
Characteristics of 2.5 MV beam and imaging dose to patients.

Abstract Purpose This work provides the beam characteristics and evaluates the imaging dose to patients for a 2.5 MV portal imaging beam. Method and materials The Monte Carlo technique has been used to simulate the 2.5 MV imaging beam. Beam characteristics have been analyzed including the energy spectra and the fluence distributions as a function of position away from the beam central axis. The accuracy of a simulated beam was validated through comparisons between the Monte Carlo calculated and measured dose distributions in a water phantom. The simulated 2.5 MV beam was also used to obtain the absorbed-dose beam quality conversion factor, kQ, for absorbed dose calibration. The simulated beams were then used to evaluate the imaging dose to patients compared with that from a conventional therapeutic 6 MV beam. Results The mean energies of photons and electrons in the 2.5 MV beam are 0.48 MeV and 0.37 MeV respectively. The photon fluence decreases at 20 cm away from the central axis by only up to 30% for this flattening-filter free beam. The values of %dd curves at depth = 10 cm are 53% and 63% for 10 × 10 cm2 and 40 × 40 cm2 fields respectively. Portal imaging doses (D50 of the DVHs) to the eyes, heart and bladder from representative pairs of 2.5 MV (or 6 MV) setup images are 1.8 cGy (3.5 cGy), 1.1 cGy (2.5 cGy) and 1.0 cGy (2.4 cGy) for head, thorax and pelvis image acquisitions respectively. Conclusion We provide dosimetric data, as well as estimates of organ imaging doses, for this 2.5 MV beam. When clinical default imaging protocols are used, the imaging dose from the 2.5 MV beam is about 50% of that from a 6 MV beam. The information can be used to select image procedures and to estimate organ dose from imaging procedures.
Fishes collected by Captain John M. Dow mainly on the Pacific coast of Central America (1861–1865) and deposited in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

Abstract The collection of fishes made by Captain John M. Dow of the Panama Railroad Company represents one of the earliest and most important collection of fishes from the Pacific coast of Central America. There are 133 entries in the Division of Fishes catalog attributed to Dow, of which 81 can currently be located. These represent some 61 species and include 29 types. The material is summarized, catalog numbers and sizes are given, and the current condition of each specimen is assessed. Missing specimens are summarized, with as much information on each as is available. Photographs of 21 of the type specimens are included.
Use and Analysis of Complex Adaptive Systems in Ecosystem Science: Overview of Special Section

Ecologicalsystemsarecomplexassemblagesofinter-acting organisms embedded in an abiotic environ-ment.Complexityarisesfrominterspecificandintra-specific interactions among individuals or agents,interactions across trophic levels, and the interac-tions of organisms with the abiotic environmentover space and time. In addition, interactions canrange from strong and direct to weak and diffuseand are modified by both positive and negativefeedback with the environment. In our effort tounderstand pattern formation at the community orecosystem level, we are confronted with the daunt-ing array of processes that function across differentspatial and temporal scales. We are thus forced toaddress the question of how these different levels oforganization can be integrated, or how mechanismsand patterns at one level of organization can beunderstood in terms of processes operating at adifferent level of organization.The goal of this
Can a Solid be Turned into a Gas without Passing through a First Order Phase Transition

Four distinct solid phases for water are shown in the phase diagram in Fig. 1. Water has eight known solid phases and many more metastable phases [1]. How can we locate the phase boundaries?
Neruda y la superación de la ¿estética anarquista¿

Este articulo trata del impacto del anarquismo politico y estetico en Pablo Neruda a lo largo de los anos veinte y treinta, a partir de un estudio de los articulos periodisticos, las cartas, las entrevistas y las memorias del poeta. Aunque se sabe que Neruda se asocio con el anarquismo politico, Jaime Concha ?advierte Greg Dawes en este articulo? ha sido el unico en trazar esa trayectoria y hacer alusiones a una posible estetica anarquista en el pensamiento nerudiano. Por medio de un analisis detenido de dichas fuentes, en estas paginas sostiene que el poeta se vio influido por el arte libertario hasta en Residencia en la Tierra, obra que es tanto el apogeo de esa ideologia estetica como su agotamiento total pese al realismo que la recorre.
Effects of organism and substrate size on burial mechanics of English sole, Parophrys vetulus

ABSTRACT Flatfishes use cyclic body undulations to force water into the sediment and fluidize substrate particles, displacing them into the water column. When water velocity decreases, suspended particles settle back onto the fish, hiding it from view. Burial may become more challenging as flatfishes grow because the area to be covered increases exponentially with the second power of length. In addition, particle size is not uniform in naturally occurring substrates, and larger particles require higher water velocities for fluidization. We quantified the effects of organism and particle-size scaling on burial behavior of English sole, Parophrys vetulus. We recorded burial events from a size range of individuals (5–32 cm total length, TL), while maintaining constant substrate grain size. Larger fish used lower cycle frequencies and took longer to bury, but overall burial performance was maintained (∼100% coverage). To test the effect of particle size on burial performance, individuals of similar lengths (5.7–8.1 cm TL) were presented with different substrate sizes (0.125–0.710 mm). Particle size did not affect cycle frequency or time to burial, but fish did not achieve 100% coverage with the largest particles because they could not fluidize this substrate. Taken together, these results suggest that both body size and substrate grain size can potentially limit the ability of flatfishes to bury: a very large fish (>150 cm) may move too slowly to fluidize all but the smallest substrate particles and some particles are simply too large for smaller individuals to fluidize.
Music Reveals Medial Prefrontal Cortex Sensitive Period in Childhood

An outstanding issue in our understanding of human brain development is whether sensitive periods exist for higher-order processes (e.g., emotion regulation) that depend on the prefrontal cortex. Evidence from rodent models suggests that there is a sensitive period before puberty when acoustic stimuli, like music, shape medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) responses that regulate affect in the context of acute stress in adulthood. The present study examined whether a homologous sensitive period for the mPFC occurs during human childhood. In the context of acute stress, adult behavioral preferences were observed only for music experienced during childhood, not preschool or adolescent periods. Childhood music increased mPFC activation and modulated connectivity with the amygdala, which was associated with enhanced emotion regulation and lowered autonomic arousal. Moreover, the timing of this sensitive period could be moved by early-life stress. These findings indicate that childhood is a sensitive period for mPFC encoding of regulatory stimuli.
A Unified Framework for Extensive-Form Game Abstraction with Bounds

Abstraction has long been a key component in the practical solving of large-scale extensive-form games. Despite this, abstraction remains poorly understood. There have been some recent theoretical results but they have been confined to specific assumptions on abstraction structure and are specific to various disjoint types of abstraction, and specific solution concepts, for example, exact Nash equilibria or strategies with bounded immediate regret. In this paper we present a unified framework for analyzing abstractions that can express all types of abstractions and solution concepts used in prior papers with performance guarantees---while maintaining comparable bounds on abstraction quality. Moreover, our framework gives an exact decomposition of abstraction error in a much broader class of games, albeit only in an ex-post sense, as our results depend on the specific strategy chosen. Nonetheless, we use this ex-post decomposition along with slightly weaker assumptions than prior work to derive generalizations of prior bounds on abstraction quality. We also show, via counterexample, that such assumptions are necessary for some games. Finally, we prove the first bounds for how $\epsilon$-Nash equilibria computed in abstractions perform in the original game. This is important because often one cannot afford to compute an exact Nash equilibrium in the abstraction. All our results apply to general-sum n-player games.
Mother Goose Refigured: A Critical Translation of Charles Perrault’s Fairy Tales

I know I am not the only one who has wanted the just awakened Sleeping Beauty in fairy tales to say something like ‘Is that you, Prince? You certainly took your time’. Now, thanks to Christine Jone...
A Mixed Data Sampling Approach to Accounting Research

This paper examines a mixed data sampling (MIDAS) approach to accounting research. MIDAS regression models parsimoniously incorporate variation embedded in existing economic data that are observed at much higher frequencies than accounting data. The additional source of data variation creates an opportunity to address new and important questions in accounting research. We develop and outline four new MIDAS models within the general framework that are simple to estimate and capture economic properties that are relevant to accounting research. We demonstrate the efficacy of our models with empirical applications to the January effect and to earnings response coefficients, which together illustrate the potential to expand the boundaries of accounting research by getting more out of high-frequency data.
Civil-Military Relations in Latin America: New Analytical Perspectives. Edited by David Pion-Berlin. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. 352p. $55.00 cloth, $22.50 paper.

As David Pion-Berlin explains in his Introduction, this collection of essays seeks to link the field of Latin American civil-military studies to major theoretical approaches in mainstream political science. Accordingly, the contributors draw from the rationalist, structuralist, and culturalist approaches in an effort to break what the editor of this book views as a long-standing isolation of Latin Americanists in general, and the region's civil-military specialists in particular, “from the major intellectual traditions, currents, and debates in political science and in the field of comparative politics” (p. 16). Therefore, the stated purpose of this volume is to reexamine civil-military relations in Latin America, taking into account major contextual changes (the wave of democratization in the region, the transition to free market economies, the end of the Cold War) and the potential contribution of mainstream analytical perspectives to new insights into this important theme in Latin American politics.
Unsupervised segmentation of mass spectrometric ion images characterizes morphology of tissues.

MOTIVATION Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) characterizes the spatial distribution of ions in complex biological samples such as tissues. Since many tissues have complex morphology, treatments and conditions often affect the spatial distribution of the ions in morphology-specific ways. Evaluating the selectivity and the specificity of ion localization and regulation across morphology types is biologically important. However, MSI lacks algorithms for segmenting images at both single-ion and spatial resolution. RESULTS This article contributes spatial-Dirichlet Gaussian mixture model (DGMM), an algorithm and a workflow for the analyses of MSI experiments, that detects components of single-ion images with homogeneous spatial composition. The approach extends DGMMs to account for the spatial structure of MSI. Evaluations on simulated and experimental datasets with diverse MSI workflows demonstrated that spatial-DGMM accurately segments ion images, and can distinguish ions with homogeneous and heterogeneous spatial distribution. We also demonstrated that the extracted spatial information is useful for downstream analyses, such as detecting morphology-specific ions, finding groups of ions with similar spatial patterns, and detecting changes in chemical composition of tissues between conditions. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The data and code are available at https://github.com/Vitek-Lab/IonSpattern. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
On Exact and Asymptotic Formulas for the Distribution of the Integral of a Squared Brownian Motion with Drift

The aim of this paper is to derive a set of easily implementable formulas regarding the probability distribution of the integral of a squared Brownian motion with drift. By reestablishing the characteristic function via the Karhunen-Loeve transform, we obtain recurrence formulas for the moments as well as rapidly converging series with explicit coefficients for the probability density function and cumulative distribution function. We also perform asymptotic analyses to obtain sharp approximations for the exact formulas with small or large arguments. Extensive use is made of the parabolic cylinder function. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the proposed formulas as well as how they vary under the drift impact.
Strain-induced majority carrier inversion in ferromagnetic epitaxial LaCo O 3 − δ thin films

Tensile-strained $\mathrm{LaCo}{\mathrm{O}}_{3\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}$ thin films are ferromagnetic, in sharp contrast to the zero-spin bulk, although no clear consensus has emerged as to the origin of this phenomenon. While magnetism has been heavily studied, relatively little attention has been paid to electronic transport, due to the insulating nature of the strain-stabilized ferromagnetic state. Here, structure, magnetism, and transport are studied in epitaxial $\mathrm{LaCo}{\mathrm{O}}_{3\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}$ films (10--22-nm thick) on various substrates (from 1.4% compressive to 2.5% tensile strain), using synchrotron x-ray diffraction, scanning probe and transmission electron microscopy, magnetometry, polarized neutron reflectometry, resistivity, and Hall effect. High quality, smooth films are obtained, exhibiting superstructures associated with both oxygen vacancy ordering and periodic in-plane ferroelastic domains. Consistent with prior work, ferromagnetism with an approximately 80--85 K Curie temperature is observed under tension; polarized neutron reflectometry confirms a relatively uniform magnetization depth profile, albeit with interfacial dead layer formation. Electrical transport is found to have similar semiconducting nature to bulk, but with reduced resistivity and activation energy. Hall effect measurements, however, reveal a striking inversion of the majority carrier type, from $p$-type in the bulk and under compression to n-type under tension. While thus far overlooked, ferromagnetism in epitaxial $\mathrm{LaCo}{\mathrm{O}}_{3\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}$ films is thus directly correlated with $n$-type behavior, providing important insight into the ferromagnetic state in this system. Aided by density functional theory calculations, these results are interpreted in terms of tensile-strain-induced orbital occupation and band structure changes, including a rapid decrease in effective mass at the ${e}_{g}$-derived conduction band minimum, and corresponding increase at the valence band maximum.
Iatrogenic Neuropathology of Systemic Therapies

Administration of systemic antineoplastic agents can result in adverse neurologic events. We describe the clinicopathologic features and putative mechanisms underlying iatrogenic neuropathology of the central nervous system secondary to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and conventional chemotherapy.
Prescribing patterns of opioid analgesics in a dental setting: 2013–2018

Objective Analgesic prescribing patterns are influenced by internal and external factors. Understanding these factors could help improve prescribing practices. Study Design We conducted a retrospective analysis of electronic health records with regard to analgesic prescriptions written from 2013 through 2018 at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. Deidentified information (age, gender, dental procedures, analgesic drug, quantity, and refills) were recorded and studied with respect to national guidelines and recent state legislation using the χ2 test, analysis of variance, logistic regression, and multiple linear regression. Results Opioids comprised 74.9% of the 17,099 analgesic prescriptions written. Extractions were most commonly associated with opioid prescriptions. Multivariate analysis showed that (1) older patients were more likely to receive an opioid prescription (P Conclusions Regulations and guidelines were associated with reduction in opioid prescriptions.