cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A framework for evaluating potential ecological effects of implementing biological control of Phragmites australis

The increasing abundance ofPhragmites australis in many North American coastal and inland wetlands is of great concern to many scientists and land managers. While some considered the species native, others considered it an introduced invasive species. Regardless of its origin, control measures using mechanical, physical, and chemical means are implemented widely. With the exception of increased salinity, reductions in the abundance ofP. australis are usually temporary and control measures need to be repeated frequently increasing the cost and the potential for nontarget effects. The failure of traditional control attempts resulted in increased interest to develop a biological control program. Recent research suggests that genetically distinct populations (introduced and native) occur in North America. The native genotypes appear noninvasive and declining while the introduced genotypes are invasive replacing native genotypes where they co-occur. Accidentally introduced European herbivores specialized onP. australis are spreading across North America and can be extremely abundant in the Northeast. Introduction of additional specialized herbivores as biological control agents from the European range ofP. australis, if approved and successful, will result in changes in plant communities, wetland food webs, and management practices. The potential changes associated with introduction of biological control agents to wetland plant communities and their food webs may be more beneficial than current management strategies allowing the introducedP. australis genotypes and its associated herbivores to spread.
The Influence of Muscle Loadings on the Density Distribution of the Proximal Femur

This paper presents an efficient method for simulating the bone remodeling procedure. This method is based on the trajectorial architecture theory of optimization and employs a truss-like model for bone. The truss was subjected to external loads including 5 point loads simulating the hip joint contact forces and 3 muscular forces at the attachment sites of the muscles to the bone. The strain in the links was calculated and the links with high strains were identified. The initial truss is modified by introducing new links wherever the strain exceeds a prescribed value; each link undergoing a high strain is replaced by several new links by adding new nodes around it using the Delaunay method. Introduction of these new links to the truss, which is conducted according to a weighted arithmetic mean formula, strengthens the structure and reduces the strain within the respective zone. This procedure was repeated for several steps. Convergence was achieved when there were no critical links remaining. This method was used to study the 2D shape of proximal femur in the frontal plane and provided results that are consistent with CT data. The proposed method exhibited capability similar to more complicated conventional nonlinear algorithms, however, with a much higher convergence rate and lower computation costs.© 2006 ASME
Ultrafast and scalable cone-beam CT reconstruction using MapReduce in a cloud computing environment.

Purpose: Four-dimensional CT (4DCT) and cone beam CT (CBCT) are widely used in radiation therapy for accurate tumor target definition and localization. However, high-resolution and dynamic image reconstruction is computationally demanding because of the large amount of data processed. Efficient use of these imaging techniques in the clinic requires high-performance computing. The purpose of this work is to develop a novel ultrafast, scalable and reliable image reconstruction technique for 4D CBCT/CT using a parallel computing framework called MapReduce. We show the utility of MapReduce for solving large-scale medical physics problems in a cloud computing environment. Methods: In this work, we accelerated the Feldcamp–Davis–Kress (FDK) algorithm by porting it to Hadoop, an open-source MapReduce implementation. Gated phases from a 4DCT scans were reconstructed independently. Following the MapReduce formalism, Map functions were used to filter and backproject subsets of projections, and Reduce function to aggregate those partial backprojection into the whole volume. MapReduce automatically parallelized the reconstruction process on a large cluster of computer nodes. As a validation, reconstruction of a digital phantom and an acquired CatPhan 600 phantom was performed on a commercial cloud computing environment using the proposed 4D CBCT/CT reconstruction algorithm. Results: Speedup of reconstruction time is found to be roughly linear with the number of nodes employed. For instance, greater than 10 times speedup was achieved using 200 nodes for all cases, compared to the same code executed on a single machine. Without modifying the code, faster reconstruction is readily achievable by allocating more nodes in the cloud computing environment. Root mean square error between the images obtained using MapReduce and a single-threaded reference implementation was on the order of 10−7. Our study also proved that cloud computing with MapReduce is fault tolerant: the reconstruction completed successfully with identical results even when half of the nodes were manually terminated in the middle of the process. Conclusions: An ultrafast, reliable and scalable 4D CBCT/CT reconstruction method was developed using the MapReduce framework. Unlike other parallel computing approaches, the parallelization and speedup required little modification of the original reconstruction code. MapReduce provides an efficient and fault tolerant means of solving large-scale computing problems in a cloud computing environment.
Introduction to the special section on multivariate psychotherapy process research: structure and change in the talking cure.

In response to the search for novel investigative strategies to apply in the study of psychotherapy processes, several investigators have turned to the use of factor-analytic methods of investigation. Four studies are presented that use such methods to investigate the structure of, and change in, aspects of the client and therapist discourse and symptoms over the course of treatments. The corpora of process data, culled from investigations taking place on three different continents, represent some of the largest samples of in-therapy behavior that have been analyzed in microanalytic detail. Providing both methodological advances and important substantive findings, the studies included were conducted to stimulate further use and development of factor-analytic methods to identify and track key processes over the course of psychotherapeutic treatment.
An operator splitting scheme for the stream‐function formulation of unsteady Navier–Stokes equations

A fictitious time is introduced into the unsteady equation of the stream function rendering it into a higher-order ultra-parabolic equation. The convergence with respect to the fictitious time (we call the latter 'internal iterations') allows one to obtain fully implicit nonlinear scheme in full time steps for the physical-time variable. For particular choice of the artificial time increment, the scheme in full time steps is of second-order of approximation. For the solution of the internal iteration, a fractional-step scheme is proposed based on the splitting of the combination of the Laplace, bi-harmonic and advection operators. A judicious choice for the time staggering of the different parts of the nonlinear advective terms allows us to prove that the internal iterations are unconditionally stable and convergent. We assess the number of operations needed per time step and show computational effectiveness of the proposed scheme. We prove that when the internal iterations converge, the scheme is second-order in physical time and space, nonlinear, implicit and absolutely stable. The performance of the scheme is demonstrated for the flow created by oscillatory motion of the lid of a square cavity. All theoretical findings are demonstrated practically.
Significance of abnormal phase II response to Valsalva maneuver in cardiac patients.

Abnormal responses to a standardized Valsalva maneuver have been proposed as additional criteria for heart failure. The present study was undertaken to determine the variability of these responses in normal subjects as well as frequency of abnormal responses in cardiac patients. Only phase II responses could be considered reliable for this purpose. Discrepancies between phase II responses were observed in relation to other criteria.
Pregnancy attitudes and contraceptive plans among women entering jail.

ABSTRACT Unplanned pregnancies are an important and costly public health problem. Women entering jail are at particularly high risk for unplanned pregnancies when they leave jail, given the high rates of poverty, substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in this population, all of which are associated with unplanned pregnancies. Attitudes toward pregnancy vary substantially, influencing openness of incarcerated women to starting a birth control method. This study was conducted as part of a Title X service evaluation and examined varying attitudes towards pregnancy and associated plans to use contraceptives. The current study included 223 women entering jail who were, under 36 years of age, fertile, sexually active with men, and not planning to become pregnant in the near future. Nearly half of the women had negative pregnancy attitudes (PAs), indicating that they did not want to become pregnant, while 41.3% endorsed ambivalent PAs. Compared to those with ambivalent PAs, those with Negativ...
BLACK-SCHOLES REVISITED: SOME IMPORTANT DETAILS

This paper discusses some of the important details not presented in the original derivation of the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The associated economic rationale is also discussed. A simple alternative derivation based upon risk-neutrality arguments is presented.
Sewall wright on the method of path coefficients: An annotated bibliography

When Dudley Duncan and others became interested in linear causal models, they discovered a genetic biologist had laid down the groundwork for them over nearly a 50‐year period. This annotated bibliography covers Sewall Wright's development of the method of path coefficients.
Radicals from the Pyrolysis of Tobacco

The fractional pyrolysis of Bright tobacco was studied in an inert nitrogen environment at atmospheric pressure over a temperature range of 200−700 °C, using a continuous-flow reactor system. The effect of pyrolysis conditions on the generation of free radicals and their distribution among total particulate matter (TPM), char residue, and the gas phase was characterized using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and EPR spin-trapping techniques. It was found that the fractional pyrolysis of tobacco led to the generation of free radicals with g-factors of 2.0035−2.0040. They were formed during pyrolysis at temperatures of >380 °C and were present in both char and TPM. The concentration of these radicals in TPM varied from 0 spins/g at 240 °C to 11 × 1016 spins/g of TPM at 620 °C. The concentration of these radicals in the char residue increased as the pyrolysis temperature increased; a maximum concentration of 1.2 × 1019 spins/g of char at 480 °C was obtained, and then the value declined. The g-values of ...
Meteorological insights from planetary heat flow measurements

Abstract Planetary heat flow measurements are made with a series of high-precision temperature sensors deployed in a column of regolith to determine the geothermal gradient. Such sensors may, however, be susceptible to other influences, especially on worlds with atmospheres. First, pressure fluctuations at the surface may pump air in and out of pore space leading to observable, and otherwise unexpected, temperature fluctuations at depth. Such pumping is important in subsurface radon and methane transport on Earth: evidence of such pumping may inform understanding of methane or water vapor transport on Mars. Second, the subsurface profile contains a muted record of surface temperature history, and such measurements on other worlds may help constrain the extent to which Earth’s Little Ice Age was directly solar-forced, versus volcanic-driven and/or amplified by climate feedbacks.
Therapeutic targeting of STAT pathways in CNS autoimmune diseases

Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) transduce extracellular signals that regulate the initiation, duration and intensity of immune responses. However, unbridled activation of STATs by pro-inflammatory cytokines or growth factors contributes to pathogenic autoimmunity. In this review, we briefly discuss STAT pathways that promote the development and expansion of T cells that mediate two CNS inflammatory diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS) and uveitis. Particular focus is on animal models of MS and uveitis and new approaches to the treatment of CNS autoimmune diseases based on therapeutic targeting of Th17 cells and STAT pathways.
Analytic approximations for curves of growth of Doppler-Lorentz broadened lines

Analytic approximations in closed form for curves of growth of Doppler-Lorentz broadened lines, considering radiative transport in nonisotropic gases
Activin signaling in microsatellite stable colon cancers is disrupted by a combination of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms.

Background: Activin receptor 2 (ACVR2) is commonly mutated in microsatellite unstable (MSI) colon cancers, leading to protein loss, signaling disruption, and larger tumors. Here, we examined activin signaling disruption in microsatellite stable (MSS) colon cancers. Methods: Fifty-one population-based MSS colon cancers were assessed for ACVR1, ACVR2 and pSMAD2 protein. Consensus mutation-prone portions of ACVR2 were sequenced in primary cancers and all exons in colon cancer cell lines. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was evaluated for ACVR2 and ACVR1, and ACVR2 promoter methylation by methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing and chromosomal instability (CIN) phenotype via fluorescent LOH analysis of 3 duplicate markers. ACVR2 promoter methylation and ACVR2 expression were assessed in colon cancer cell lines via qPCR and IP-Western blots. Re-expression of ACVR2 after demethylation with 5-aza-29-deoxycytidine (5-Aza) was determined. An additional 26 MSS colon cancers were assessed for ACVR2 loss and its mechanism, and ACVR2 loss in all tested cancers correlated with clinicopathological criteria. Results: Of 51 MSS colon tumors, 7(14%) lost ACVR2, 2 (4%) ACVR1, and 5(10%) pSMAD2 expression. No somatic ACVR2 mutations were detected. Loss of ACVR2 expression was associated with LOH at ACVR2 (p,0.001) and ACVR2 promoter hypermethylation (p,0.05). ACVR2 LOH, but not promoter hypermethylation, correlated with CIN status. In colon cancer cell lines with fully methylated ACVR2 promoter, loss of ACVR2 mRNA and protein expression was restored with 5-Aza treatment. Loss of ACVR2 was associated with an increase in primary colon cancer volume (p,0.05).
A new IEEE standard for safety levels with respect to human exposure to radio-frequency radiation

The IEEE Standards Association recently formally approved a new IEEE C95.1 "Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz." Official publication of the standard by the IEEE was expected by late 2005, or soon thereafter. The new IEEE standard contains some features of the current ICNIRP guidelines, but it also includes a number of differences. The new IEEE standard is not identical to the ICNIRP guidelines, even for frequencies used in cellular mobile communications and wireless devices and systems. Moreover, the newly approved IEEE standard departs in major ways from its 1991 edition and subsequent amendments
High guest inclusion in 3β-amino-7α,12α-dihydroxycholan-24-oic acid enabled by charge-assisted hydrogen bonds

3β-Amino-7α,12α-dihydroxycholan-24-oic acid (2) forms inclusion compounds with high ratio (host/guest=1/4) of guest methanol. Both hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions are important to the solid structure. The cholates assemble in a head-to-tail fashion to form infinite hydrogen-bonded chains. The chains are interconnected between cholates and also through the guests. Large channels are formed along the crystallographic a axis where most of the methanol molecules are located. Presence of a dominant hydrogen-bonding motif (i.e., ammonium-carboxylate ion pairing) is probably responsible for high guest incorporation.
Monte Carlo calculation of Comptonization effects in spherical accretion onto black holes

Spherical accretion onto black holes at high accretion rates leads to temperatures and optical depths for which Comptonization of the emerging radiation plays an important role, altering both the plasma temperature and the emergent spectrum. In this paper the nonlocal effects of Comptonization are accounted for by numerically modeling the scattering process with Monte Carlo techniques. Calculations are performed for black hole masses ranging from 101–109M⊙ and are compared with the local scattering model of Ipser and Price (1983). It is found that the local scattering approximation underestimates the energy in the X-ray portion of the spectrum. Monte Carlo calculations shows that the spectrum flattens and the spectral index decreases to values about 20% below those obtained by using the local scattering approximation.
Fabrication and testing of clear lightguide fiber bundles for the D-Zero prototype fiber tracker cosmic ray test

Recent advances have made scintillating-fiber technology a prominent choice for charged- particle tracking systems for high-energy physics. Such a system, containing some 81 K fibers, is planned for the 1997 upgrade of the D0 detector at Fermilab. As part of this project, a large-scale prototype containing 3072 channels has been designed and constructed. The prototype, which emulates many of the aspects of the planned upgrade tracker, is currently being tested with cosmic rays. An important feature of the prototype, as of the upgrade tracker, are clear plastic fibers, grouped into bundles, which transport scintillation light from the detector's scintillating fibers to remotely located visible-light photon counter (VLPC) photodetectors. Each of these lightguide bundles is 8 m long and contains 128 Kuraray clear multiclad fibers of 965 micrometers diameter terminated in an 128-channel optical connector at each end. This paper describes the details of the design, fabrication, and testing of 27 such bundles containing a total of 3456 channels and employing almost 17 miles of fiber. Excluding one bundle which appears to have been damaged in handling, the bad-channel frequency was found to be 0.2%, and the light loss per channel resulting from insertion of a bundle (and its two connectors) was measured to be about 5 dB. The results of these measurements validate the design and construction procedures used, and it is expected that similar procedures will be employed in fabricating more than 600 such clear lightguide bundles for the scintillating-fiber tracker for the 1997 upgrade of the D0 detector.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS : The First Second Timed Vital Capacity and The Course of Obstructive Lung Disease

Previous work has shown that with increasing airway obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the decrement in the maximum midexpiratory flow (MMEF) is exponential. Therefore, with severe obstructive disease the decrease in the MMEF as the disease progresses is difficult to discern. This work points out that the fall in first second timed vital capacity (FEV1/FVC × 100) is linear through the course of the disease and, therefore, the decrement, in absolute terms, continues unaltered regardless of how severe the obstruction becomes. It is suggested that the FEV1/FVC × 100 might be more useful in monitoring the course of severe disease than the MMEF. However, it is stressed that both measurements are useful for large groups, but may not be useful in individual cases.
The ontogeny of flowering and sex expression in divergent populations of Lomatium grayi.

Populations of Lomatium grayi (Umbelliferae), an andromonoecious, perennial herb, differe in growth rates, flowering frequency, and survivorship. Effects of these different life histories on the ontogeny of sex expression were analyzed for plants from two populations grown from seedlings in a common garden and monitored for six years. Plants from Smoot Hill, Washington grew faster, had a higher probability of flowering at each age and size after the first year of growth, and a higher probability of flowering repeatedly among years than did plants from Clarkston, Washington. The proportion of plants producing some hermaphroditic flowers increased with plant size in both populations. Smoot Hill plants, however, were more likely to begin flowering as small, staminate plants than Clarkston plants. Clarkston plants did not begin flowering until they were older and larger, and most of these plants produced some hermaphroditic flowers when they began reproduction. The positive association between production of hermaphroditic flowers and both plant size and age was consistent with the hypothesis that hermaphroditic flowers are more costly to produce than staminate flowers.
INTERNAL REASONS AND THE OUGHT-IMPLIES-CAN PRINCIPLE1

The task of this essay is to use the ought-implies-can principle (OIC) to clarify and defend Bernard Williams’ claim that all reasons are internal. On the interpretation offered here, the internalism/externalism controversy initiated by Williams is about the indexicality of normative practical reasons. The central question is this: Are all of our reasons anchored to our current beliefs and desires (as internalists claim), or might we have reasons that are in no way tied to such contingent facts about us (as externalists claim)? I will contend that although Williams provides two different arguments against externalism, only one of them can be used to effectively defeat external reasonclaims. The first argument, according to which only internal reasons can explain rational action, will be largely ignored in favor of the second argument, which appeals to OIC as a conceptual constraint on normative reasons. Although OIC cannot directly support internalism, a plausible version of it can be used to falsify external reason-claims and thereby render internalism the default theory of practical reasons. Since the distinction between “internal” and “external” reasons has itself been widely misunderstood, I devote the first section to explicating Williams’ thesis. In the second section, I discuss the conception of sound deliberation on which internalism depends. In section three, I reconstruct Williams’ central argument for internalism by recasting several examples he develops as implicit appeals to OIC. In the fourth section, I discuss the relationship between normative reasons and “ought” statements. Finally, in the fifth section I defend a relatively strong version of OIC and then explain why this version vindicates Williams’ suspicion that all external reason-claims are false.
Single-ventricle physiology: perioperative implications

Neonates with functional single ventricles have pulmonary and systemic circulations that are supplied in parallel, creating significant cyanosis and ventricular volume overload. The goal of palliative surgery, excluding transplantation, is to convert single-ventricle circulation from a parallel to a series arrangement. This will ultimately require a complete cavopulmonary anastomosis (Fontan-type procedure) in which vena caval blood is rerouted directly into the pulmonary circulation. Various factors require that this palliation occur in stages. Stage I surgery, which is often a Norwood procedure, is done in the neonatal period and stabilizes, but does not resolve, parallel circulation. The tenuous balance between pulmonary and systemic perfusion during this stage makes noncardiac surgery hazardous, and it should be restricted to urgent or emergent indications. Stage II surgery, or partial cavopulmonary anastomosis, relieves both parallel circulation and volume overload, but not cyanosis. Relatively stable hemodynamics during this stage create favorable conditions for elective surgery. Patients who have undergone stage III surgery, the Fontan-type repair, vary in age from toddlers to adults, and in physical status from well-compensated to significantly debilitated. Fontan patients require thorough preoperative assessment when elective surgery is contemplated. Optimal communication between surgeons, anesthesiologists, and cardiologists is essential when caring for the patient with single-ventricle physiology.
Performance optimization of a fast tool servo for single-point diamond turning machines

This paper describes a new, fast tool servo system designed for fabrication of nonrotationally symmetric components using single-point diamond turning machines. A prototype device, designed for flexible interfacing to typical machine tool controllers, is described, along with performance testing data of tilted flat and off-axis conic sections. Techniques for controlling the piezoelectric actuator to less than 1% error are discussed. The performance of a standard integral controller shows a significant error due to hysteresis in the actuator. The effects of the hysteresis were reduced by implementing two control schemes, an optimized PID controller and a technique that utilizes a dynamic compensator module in conjunction with the linear controller. The compensator samples the hysteretic voltage/displacement relationship in real time and modifies the effective gain accordingly. Experimental implementation results in an 80% reduction in the motion error caused by hysteresis, but peak-to-valley errors are limited by side effects from the compensation.
Lessons learned in pediatric heart transplantation

Between February 1, 1982, and June 30, 1988, 32 children underwent cardiac transplantation for treatment of congenital heart disease (10) and other cardiomyopathies (22). The 6-year actuarial survival was a disappointing 36% because of a high perioperative mortality (12 of 32, 37.5%) and because of five late deaths due to uncontrolable rejection. The perioperative mortality was a staggering 60% (6 of 10) for the patients with congenital heart disease. Four of the 6 recipients with congenital heart disease died because of acute failure of the donor right ventricle. This included 2 patients who required reconstruction of the pulmonary arteries for stenosis secondary to previous systemic-to-pulmonary shunts and 2 others in whom the pulmonary vascular resistances were underestimated because of undetected recent pulmonary emboli (1) and complicated pulmonary vascular anatomy (1). Five of the six late deaths were due to rejection-related events, and all were patients with acquired cardiomyopathy.
Employment Impacts of the Economic Development Administration's Public Works Program

Improved rural development policy requires empirical analysis of impacts of past programs. Economic Development Administration Public Works Projects in large urban regions had less employment impact than projects in less populated areas. A growth center strategy would have been a poor guide for allocating the funds in this program.
Development of the Drosophila tracheal system occurs by a series of morphologically distinct but genetically coupled branching events

The tracheal (respiratory) system of Drosophila melanogaster is a branched network of epithelial tubes that ramifies throughout the body and transports oxygen to the tissues. It forms by a series of sequential branching events in each hemisegment from T2 to A8. Here we present a cellular and initial genetic analysis of the branching process. We show that although branching is sequential it is not iterative. The three levels of branching that we distinguish involve different cellular mechanisms of tube formation. Primary branches are multicellular tubes that arise by cell migration and intercalation; secondary branches are unicellular tubes formed by individual tracheal cells; terminal branches are subcellular tubes formed within long cytoplasmic extensions. Each level of branching is accompanied by expression of a different set of enhancer trap markers. These sets of markers are sequentially activated in progressively restricted domains and ultimately individual tracheal cells that are actively forming new branches. A clonal analysis demonstrates that branching fates are not assigned to tracheal cells until after cell division ceases and branching begins. We further show that the breathless FGF receptor, a tracheal gene required for primary branching, is also required to activate expression of markers involved in secondary branching and that the pointed ETS-domain transcription factor is required for secondary branching and also to activate expression of terminal branch markers. The combined morphological, marker expression and genetic data support a model in which successive branching events are mechanistically and genetically distinct but coupled through the action of a tracheal gene regulatory hierarchy. SUMMARY
Radiation from planar resonators

Power radiated from microstrip-based resonators is calculated by integration of a Green's function with assumed currents, a method that is convenient and is thought to be more accurate than previous methods used in calculations of radiation Q. Resonators consisting of two coupled microstrips excited in the odd mode are found to radiate much less than conventional single-microstrip resonators or U-shaped hairpin resonators. However, when the resonator is loaded by a semiconductor device, as in an oscillator, radiation increases. Asymmetries in the resonators, arising from output coupling or fabrication errors, introduce even-symmetric currents which radiate much more strongly than odd-mode currents. The effects of such asymmetries on radiated power are estimated. On the basis of these findings, a convenient geometry for high-power planar oscillators with low radiation is proposed. >
A randomized linear-time algorithm to find minimum spanning trees

We present a randomized linear-time algorithm to find a minimum spanning tree in a connected graph with edge weights. The algorithm uses random sampling in combination with a recently discovered linear-time algorithm for verifying a minimum spanning tree. Our computational model is a unit-cost random-access machine with the restriction that the only operations allowed on edge weights are binary comparisons.
Flight Path Optimization at Constant Altitude

In this paper we consider flight optimization at constant altitude for a variety of missions and propulsion systems, and then focus on maximizing the range of a turbofan powered aircraft. Most analyses of optimal transport aircraft flight begin with the assumption that the flight profile consists of three segments – climb, cruise and descent. Indeed, this is the flight profile of all long-haul commercial flights today. The dominant stage of such flights, in terms of flight time, is the cruise segment. The air transportation industry is extremely competitive and even small changes in aircraft performance have significant impacts on the operation costs of airlines. Thus there has been, and continues to be, great interest in optimizing the cruising flight of transport aircraft.
Unidirectional wideband slot aperture antennas

A wideband unidirectional slot aperture antenna is analyzed. The slot aperture antenna is excited by a 50 /spl Omega/ microstrip line with a U-shaped tuning stub. A matching bandwidth of 97% is achieved. A stable broadside radiation pattern is also obtained for the whole matching bandwidth. An average gain of around 3 dBi is obtained across the operational frequency band.
Parsons’s Action-System Requisite Model and Weber’s Elective Affinity A Convergence of Convenience

In this paper I closely examine Talcott Parsons’s notion of functional requisites as articulated in his action-system requisite model - the AGIL schema - which includes the application of the gener...
Conditional Moments of the Distribution of Abnormal Returns, the Cross-section of Stock Returns, and Monetary Policy

Jensen, Johnson, and Mercer (1997) demonstrate that ME and BE/ME do not significantly explain the cross-section of stock returns during periods of contractionary monetary policy. In this study we use a dataset of stocks screened in the manner of a Fama and French 1992. We use a simple AR(1) model estimated via Quantile regression and OLS to forecast the first four moments of the distribution of abnormal returns. Where the abnormal returns come from the Fama-French four-factor time-series model applied to a pre-sample of returns for each of the stocks. In the overall sample the t-statistics from Fama-MacBeth regressions indicate the significance of the conditional mean, even in the presence of ln(ME), BE/ME, and cumulative lagged returns (to control for momentum). When the sample is bifurcated and the coefficients from periods of expansive monetary policy are examined separately from those for periods of contractionary monetary policy, none of the conditional moments are significant during periods of loosening monetary policy, while both the conditional mean and conditional kurtosis are significant during periods of monetary tightening. That is to say, that the conditional mean and the conditional kurtosis of the abnormal returns are significant in explaining the cross-sectional variation in stock returns in those periods where size and book-value are not.
Stereotactic breast biopsy of nonpalpable lesions : Determinants of ductal carcinoma in situ underestimation rates

PURPOSE: To measure the effect of biopsy device, probe size, mammographic lesion type, lesion size, and number of samples obtained per lesion on the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) underestimation rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nonpalpable breast lesions at 16 institutions received a histologic diagnosis of DCIS after 14-gauge automated large-core biopsy in 373 lesions and after 14- or 11-gauge directional vacuum-assisted biopsy in 953 lesions. The presence of histopathologic invasive carcinoma was noted at subsequent surgical biopsy. RESULTS: By performing the χ2 test, independent significant DCIS underestimation rates by biopsy device were 20.4% (76 of 373) of lesions diagnosed at large-core biopsy and 11.2% (107 of 953) of lesions diagnosed at vacuum-assisted biopsy (P < .001); by lesion type, 24.3% (35 of 144) of masses and 12.5% (148 of 1,182) of microcalcifications (P < .001); and by number of specimens per lesion, 17.5% (88 of 502) with 10 or fewer specimens and 11.5% (92 of 799) with greater than 10...
Feminine Virtue and Feminist Fervor The Impact of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in the 1930s

Because of the success of woman suffrage and concerns about World War I, women activists became involved in promoting peace. The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was a prominent organization in this movement, taking an active part in both national and international political processes. Issues of interest to the WILPF during the 1930s included international disarmament, investigation of the munitions industry, and racial justice. Red-baiting, along with the unpopularity of pacifism prior to World War II, lessened the influence of the WILPF. However, today's socialworkers can learn much from the WILPF's efforts of 70 years ago.
CULTIVATING JUST PLANNING AND LEGAL INSTITUTIONS: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL FARM STRUGGLE IN LOS ANGELES

TheSouthCentralFarm(SCF)inLosAngeleswasa14-acreurbanfarminoneofthe highest concentrations of impoverished residents in the county. It was destroyed in July 2006. This article analyzes its epic as a landscape of resistance to discriminatory legal and planning practices. It then presents its creation and maintenance as an issue of environmental justice, and argues that there was a substantive rationale on the basis of environmental justice and planning ethics that should have provided sufficient grounds for the city to prevent its dismantling. Based on qualitative case study methodology, the study contributes to the formulation of creation and preservation rationales for community gardens and other "commons" threatened by eventual dismantlement in capitalist societies.
Recurrence relations for Coulomb excitation matrix elements

Recurrence relations among all allowed radial matrix elements for Coulomb excitation are derived by making use of a first order matrix differential equation for the nonrelativistic point Coulomb radial wave functions. Explicit recurrence relations that involve a change by one unit of any one of the angular momentum labels are given for the cases of the point Coulomb matrix elements, the indefinite integral from some radius $R$ to infinity, and the point Coulomb matrix elements with retardation.
Neuronal Vesicular Trafficking and Release in Age-Related Cognitive Impairment

Aging is a common major risk factor for many neurological disorders resulting in cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Novel results from the fields of molecular neuroscience and aging research provide evidence for a link between decline of various cognitive, executive functions and changes in neuronal mechanisms of intracellular trafficking and regulated vesicle release processes in the aging nervous system. In this Perspective, we review these recent findings and formulate a hypothesis on how cargo delivery to the synapses and the release of neurotrophic factors may be involved in maintaining learning and memory capabilities during healthy aging and present examples on how defects of those disrupt normal cognition. We provide an overview of emerging new concepts and approaches that will significantly advance our understanding of the aging brain and pathophysiology of dementia. This knowledge will be instrumental in defining drug targets and designing novel therapeutic strategies.
Heparin-tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor Complexes: Anticoagulant and Pharmacokinetic Properties

Exogenous addition of full-length tissue factor pathway inhibitor (FL-TFPI) to plasma caused a greater pro longation of prothrombin time (PT) than activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). In contrast, heparin elicited a greater prolongation of APTT than PT. These results suggest that FL-TFPI and heparin exert their anticoagulant activity pri marily through inhibition of the extrinsic and intrinsic path ways, respectively. Using a dilute thromboplastin-induced clot ting assay, it was found that FL-TFPI was ~37-fold more potent than the carboxyl terminus truncated form (CT-TFPI) in pro longing the clotting time, which indicated that the positively charged carboxyl terminus of FL-TFPI was crucial for its an ticoagulant activity. Both FL-TFPI and CT-TFPI could exert synergistic anticoagulant action with heparin when TFPIs and heparin were added sequentially to plasma. However, when FL-TFPI was complexed with heparin before addition to the plasma, the effect on anticoagulant activity was dependent on the ...
Prosthetic Mesh for Obliteration of the Nephrosplenic Space in Horses: 26 Clinical Cases.

Objective To report surgical complications, occurrence of post-obliteration colic, long term outcome, and return to previous function for horses treated with prosthetic mesh obliteration of the nephrosplenic space. Study Design Retrospective study. Animals Horses (n = 26) having nephrosplenic space obliteration using prosthetic mesh. Methods Horses undergoing mesh obliteration between January 2006 and May 2013 were included. A Proxplast™ mesh was secured to the nephrosplenic space with titanium helical coils in standing horses using laparoscopic technique. Perioperative data were obtained from the medical record and by telephone followup. Tests of proportion were used to compare the study population to the hospital colic population. Occurrence of colic within 1 year of obliteration was compared between horses where the diagnosis was confirmed at laparotomy and those diagnosed by abdominal palpation per rectum using a Fisher's exact test. Results All 26 horses undergoing mesh obliteration during the study period survived to discharge. Long term followup was available for 25 horses, with 23 returning to their previous level of function, and 21 alive at the time of followup. Cause of death was not associated with the surgical procedure in any case. Geldings and Warmbloods were overrepresented compared to the hospital colic population. Ten horses (38%) demonstrated colic after mesh obliteration. All 10 horses were examined by a veterinarian and none were diagnosed with recurrence of nephrosplenic entrapment. Conclusion Mesh obliteration of the nephrosplenic space is an effective alternative to suture closure for preventing nephrosplenic entrapment of the large colon in horses. No complications related to mesh obliteration were reported in our study population.
Characterization of Tiki, a new family of WNT-specific metalloproteases

The Wnt family of secreted glycolipoproteins plays pivotal roles in development and human diseases. Tiki family proteins were identified as novel Wnt inhibitors that act by cleaving the Wnt amino-terminal region to inactivate specific Wnt ligands. Tiki represents a new metalloprotease family that is dependent on Mn(2+)/Co(2+) but lacks known metalloprotease motifs. The Tiki extracellular domain shares homology with bacterial TraB/PrgY proteins, known for their roles in the inhibition of mating pheromones. The TIKI/TraB fold is predicted to be distantly related to structures of additional bacterial proteins and may use a core β-sheet within an α+β-fold to coordinate conserved residues for catalysis. In this study, using assays for Wnt3a cleavage and signaling inhibition, we performed mutagenesis analyses of human TIKI2 to examine the structural prediction and identify the active site residues. We also established an in vitro assay for TIKI2 protease activity using FRET peptide substrates derived from the cleavage motifs of Wnt3a and Xenopus wnt8 (Xwnt8). We further identified two pairs of potential disulfide bonds that reside outside the β-sheet catalytic core but likely assist the folding of the TIKI domain. Finally, we systematically analyzed TIKI2 cleavage of the 19 human WNT proteins, of which we identified 10 as potential TIKI2 substrates, revealing the hydrophobic nature of Tiki cleavage sites. Our study provides insights into the Tiki family of proteases and its Wnt substrates.
Technical Standards and Bioinformatics

This chapter addresses legal issues affecting data structures and data exchange standards for bioinformatics research and applications. Issues covered include antitrust considerations for standards developers, copyright in standards documents and patents that may be obtained on standardized technologies. A template policy for bioinformatics standards developers is included in the Appendix.
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in a Community Mental Health Clinic: Prevalence, Comorbidity and Correlates.

Abstract Objective: The revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5) added a new diagnosis of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) to depressive disorders. This study examines the prevalence, comorbidity, and correlates of the new disorder, with a particular focus on its overlap with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), with which DMDD shares core symptoms. Methods: Data were obtained from 597 youth 6–18 years of age who participated in a systematic assessment of symptoms offered to all intakes at a community mental health center (sample accrued from July 2003 to March 2008). Assessment included diagnostic, symptomatic, and functional measures. DMDD was diagnosed using a post-hoc definition from item-level ratings on the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children that closely matches the DSM-5 definition. Caregivers rated youth on the Child Behavior Checklist. Results: Approximately 31% of youth met the operational definiti...
Metabolic Engineering for Fatty Acid and Biodiesel Production

Abstract Renewable alternatives to petrochemicals (especially fatty acid and lipid-based molecules) are of particular interest for metabolic engineering applications. Although most cellular fatty acids are 16 or 18 carbons in length and possess 0-2 cis double bonds, there are enzymatic means for converting these plain fatty acids into an array of chemicals with useful properties. Such enzymatic modifications may involve the introduction of chemical functional groups or the conversion of fatty acids into other hydrocarbons and biodiesel. Yet, bio-production of oleochemicals is challenging due to the highly complex and energy-intensive nature of lipid metabolism. This chapter will highlight lipid metabolism as well as discuss the metabolic engineering of diverse organisms (including bacteria, yeast, plants, microalgae, and cyanobacteria) for the production of oleochemicals.
Location of the HIV-1 Rev protein during mitosis: inactivation of the nuclear export signal alters the pathway for postmitotic reentry into nucleoli

The HIV-1 Rev protein localizes predominantly to the nucleolus of HIV-1-infected or Rev-expressing cells. The subcellular location of Rev during mitotic nucleolar disintegration was examined at various stages of mitosis in synchronized Rev-expressing CMT3 cells. During early prophase Rev was predominantly located in disintegrating nucleoli and began to accumulate at the peripheral regions of chromosomes in late prophase, eventually distributing uniformly on all chromosomes in prometaphase. In anaphase Rev remained associated with the perichromosomal regions, but significant amounts of Rev were also seen in numerous nucleolus-derived foci. The movement of Rev from disintegrating nucleoli to perichromosomal regions and foci was similar to that of nonribosomal nucleolar proteins, including fibrillarin, nucleolin, protein B23 and p52 of the granular component. During telophase Rev remained associated with perichromosomal regions and mitotic foci until the nuclear envelope started to reform. When nuclear envelope formation was complete in late telophase, nonribosomal nucleolar proteins were present in prenucleolar bodies (PNBs) which were eventually incorporated into nucleoli; at the same time, Rev was excluded from nuclei. In contrast, a trans-dominant negative Rev protein containing an inactive nuclear export signal reentered nuclei by the nonribosomal nucleolar protein pathway in late telophase, associating with PNBs and reformed nucleoli. Rev protein reentry into postmitotic nuclei was delayed until early G1 phase, but before the arrival of ribosomal protein S6. Thus, Rev behaves like a nonribosomal nucleolar protein through mitosis until early telophase; however, its nuclear reentry seems to require reestablishment of both a nuclear import system and active nucleoli.
High-speed X-ray imaging pixel array detector for synchrotron bunch isolation.

A wide-dynamic-range imaging X-ray detector designed for recording successive frames at rates up to 10 MHz is described. X-ray imaging with frame rates of up to 6.5 MHz have been experimentally verified. The pixel design allows for up to 8–12 frames to be stored internally at high speed before readout, which occurs at a 1 kHz frame rate. An additional mode of operation allows the integration capacitors to be re-addressed repeatedly before readout which can enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of cyclical processes. This detector, along with modern storage ring sources which provide short (10–100 ps) and intense X-ray pulses at megahertz rates, opens new avenues for the study of rapid structural changes in materials. The detector consists of hybridized modules, each of which is comprised of a 500 µm-thick silicon X-ray sensor solder bump-bonded, pixel by pixel, to an application-specific integrated circuit. The format of each module is 128 × 128 pixels with a pixel pitch of 150 µm. In the prototype detector described here, the three-side buttable modules are tiled in a 3 × 2 array with a full format of 256 × 384 pixels. The characteristics, operation, testing and application of the detector are detailed.