cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fastrac Nozzle Design, Performance and Development

With the goal of lowering the cost of payload to orbit, NASA/MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center) researched ways to decrease the complexity and cost of an engine system and its components for a small two-stage booster vehicle. The composite nozzle for this Fastrac Engine was designed, built and tested by MSFC with fabrication support and engineering from Thiokol-SEHO (Science and Engineering Huntsville Operation). The Fastrac nozzle uses materials, fabrication processes and design features that are inexpensive, simple and easily manufactured. As the low cost nozzle (and injector) design matured through the subscale tests and into full scale hot fire testing, X-34 chose the Fastrac engine for the propulsion plant for the X-34. Modifications were made to nozzle design in order to meet the new flight requirements. The nozzle design has evolved through subscale testing and manufacturing demonstrations to full CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), thermal, thermomechanical and dynamic analysis and the required component and engine system tests to validate the design. The Fastrac nozzle is now in final development hot fire testing and has successfully accumulated 66 hot fire tests and 1804 seconds on 18 different nozzles.
In Situ Measurement and Empirical Modeling of Base Infiltration in Highway Pavement Systems

Free-drainage lysimeters, commonly used in agriculture to monitor evapotranspiration and solute transport, were installed at three highway test sites in Tennessee. The lysimeters were installed below flexible pavement systems just beneath the coarse-graded asphalt stabilized base. The lysimeters collect water infiltrating the unbound aggregate (stone base) and monitor the quantity of infiltration by diverting the flow into tipping bucket rain gauges. One test site indicated infiltration beneath the longitudinal joint in the first several months of monitoring. A second test site, where the dense surface layer was not in place, indicated infiltration correlating with rainfall. Data from this site were used to develop a model to predict the measured infiltration based on the recorded rainfall. The monitoring method and modeling approach may be applicable in the investigation of pavement permeability, drainage system efficiency, and the role of infiltration in the seasonal variation of water content of unbound pavement layers.
Picking Winners: From Technology Catch-up to the Space Race in Japan

Picking Winners: From Technology Catch-up to the Space Race in Japan. By Saadia Pekkanen. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003. 304 pages, $45.00. The purpose of this book is to use the postwar Japanese political-economic experience to answer a question that has divided Japan and other Asian scholars for over two decades, namely, how governments choose which industries to favor. This is an important question for both intellectual and policy reasons. Indeed, answering this question will help determine which of two very different points of view better explains Japan's postwar trajectory and will assist the governments of the developing world to design and enact policies that best serve their economic development goals. Saadia Pekkanen addresses this question with a rich variety of quantitative and qualitative data, the former captured in an expanded data set that breaks down the Japanese economy and trade and industrial policy tools by two-digit economic sectors, and the latter involving short case discussions of specific industrial sectors and an extended case study of the commercial space industry.
Preliminary results of the expedition of the marine hydrophysical institute of the ukrainian national academy of sciences on the R/V Éksperiment in the northwest part of the black sea in May 2007

In May 2007, the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences carried out an oceanographic expedition in the northwest sector of the Black Sea. This expedition originates a series of surveys scheduled for this region. It was realized within the framework of national and international projects, such as Climate, Ecoshelf, Stable Ecosystem, SESAM, ECOOP, and Oceanography. We present the data on the works carried out in this expedition and perform a brief analysis of the process of subduction of waters on the northwest shelf. It is shown that, despite the abnormally warm preceding autumn-winter period, the wellpronounced subduction of waters formed in the process of autumn-winter cooling was still observed over the drop of depth along the isopycnic surfaces σt = 14.0 and σt = 14.5-14.6 in May 2007. New data on the intensity of vertical turbulent exchange over the continental slope in the northwest part of the Black Sea are obtained.
Isolation enhancement in integrated circuits using dummy metal fill

Metal fill patterning in modern IC processes is often viewed as parasitics to be minimized. Here, we use metal fills to improve isolation. The improved isolation comes at the cost of increased capacitive loading. This isolation-loading tradeoff is analyzed for various grounding strategies. It is found to be best to ground first inner metal-fill. The effect of finite ground impedance is analyzed. An assumed worst-case ground impedance path of 50Omega is shown to give sufficient grounding up to 10 GHz.
Multi-GPU MapReduce on GPU Clusters

We present GPMR, our stand-alone MapReduce library that leverages the power of GPU clusters for large-scale computing. To better utilize the GPU, we modify MapReduce by combining large amounts of map and reduce items into chunks and using partial reductions and accumulation. We use persistent map and reduce tasks and stress aspects of GPMR with a set of standard MapReduce benchmarks. We run these benchmarks on a GPU cluster and achieve desirable speedup and efficiency for all benchmarks. We compare our implementation to the current-best GPU-MapReduce library (runs only on a solo GPU) and a highly-optimized multi-core MapReduce to show the power of GPMR. We demonstrate how typical MapReduce tasks are easily modified to fit into GPMR and leverage a GPU cluster. We highlight how total and relative amounts of communication affect GPMR. We conclude with an exposition on the types of MapReduce tasks well-suited to GPMR, and why some tasks need more modifications than others to work well with GPMR.
Towards a taxonomy of approaches for mining of source code repositories

Source code version repositories provide a treasure of information encompassing the changes introduced in the system throughout its evolution. These repositories are typically managed by tools such as CVS. However, these tools identify and express changes in terms of physical attributes i.e., file and line numbers. Recently, to help support the mining of software repositories (MSR), researchers have proposed methods to derive and express changes from source code repositories in a more source-code "aware" manner (i.e., syntax and semantic). Here, we discuss these MSR techniques in light of what changes are identified, how they are expressed, the adopted methodology, evaluation, and results. This work forms the basis for a taxonomic description of MSR approaches.
Right coronary artery arising from the left ventricular outflow tract: a rare congenital anomaly of the coronary arteries.

Congenital anomalies of the coronary arteries constitute a very heterogeneous group of lesions with varying clinical significance. Some are considered to be clinically irrelevant, diagnosed incidentally by echocardiography or angiography or discovered at necropsy. Others are more clinically significant, causing manifest symptoms that lead to their recognition. There are several reports and literature reviews of congenital anomalies of the coronary arteries in both the pediatric and the adult population [1-6]. We report the case of an asymptomatic child who presented to our clinic for evaluation of a murmur and was diagnosed with a rare coronary anomaly. His right coronary artery (RCA) arose from the left ventricular outflow tract in the presence of a normal aortic valve. To our knowledge, the defect has not been previously reported.
Feature-based generalisation as a source of gradient acceptability*

Phonological judgements are often gradient: blick>?bwick>*bnick>**bzick. The mechanisms behind gradient generalisation remain controversial, however. This paper tests the role of phonological features in helping speakers evaluate which novel combinations receive greater lexical support. A model is proposed in which the acceptability of a string is based on the most probable combination of natural classes that it instantiates. The model is tested on its ability to predict acceptability ratings of nonce words, and its predictions are compared against those of models that lack features or economise on feature specifications. The proposed model achieves the best balance of performance on attested and unattested sequences, and is a significant predictor of acceptability even after the other models are factored out. The feature-based model's predictions do not completely subsume those of simpler models, however. This may indicate multiple levels of evaluation, involving segment-based phonotactic probability and feature-based gradient phonological grammaticality.
Data assimilation of ground GPS total electron content into a physics‐based ionospheric model by use of the Kalman filter

A three-dimensional (3-D) Global Assimilative Ionospheric Model (GAIM) is currently being developed by a joint University of Southern California and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) team. To estimate the electron density on a global grid, GAIM uses a first-principles ionospheric physics model and the Kalman filter as one of its possible estimation techniques.
Global-view coefficients: a data management solution for parallel quantum Monte Carlo applications

Quantum Monte Carlo QMC applications perform simulation with respect to an initial state of the quantum mechanical system, which is often captured by using a cubic B-spline basis. This representation is stored as a read-only table of coefficients and accesses to the table are generated at random as part of the Monte Carlo simulation. Current QMC applications, such as QWalk and QMCPACK, replicate this table at every process or node, which limits scalability because increasing the number of processors does not enable larger systems to be run. We present a partitioned global address space approach to transparently managing this data using Global Arrays in a manner that allows the memory of multiple nodes to be aggregated. We develop an automated data management system that significantly reduces communication overheads, enabling new capabilities for QMC codes. Experimental results with QWalk and QMCPACK demonstrate the effectiveness of the data management system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Experience of Learning Meditation and Mind/Body Practices in the COPD Population

Context Persons with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exhibit high levels of comorbid anxiety that severely worsens their sensation of dyspnea and is associated with high levels of avoidance of essential activities resulting in an increase morbidity and mortality. Increasing meditation and mind/body practices have been shown to decrease anxiety, and improve intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships in general populations, however, results of studies in the COPD population have been mixed. Objective Understanding how persons with COPD experience learning meditation and mind/body skills would aid future meditation-focused mind/body intervention design. Design/Setting/Patients A mixed-method study of a community based meditation-focused mind/body intervention for persons with COPD. Measures Reflective journaling, phone exit interviews and survey measures: chronic disease respiratory questionnaire, and Anxiety Sensitivity 3 questionnaire. Intervention Eight weekly one hour meditation-focused mind/body classes that taught concentration and insight meditation skills along with mind/body exercises that facilitated increased body and emotional awareness. Results Out of 41 participants, 32 (73%) contributed detailed experience about learning and practicing meditation and mind/body practices that distilled into four themes, barriers to practice, learning style, emotional processing, and benefits of practice. Of those 32 participants 21 (73%) identified improvement in physical or emotional symptoms. Overall, 13 (40%) participants provided details regarding how they adapted specific meditation skills into daily life to improve emotional function and lessen dyspnea. Anxiety sensitivity to social situations was associated with a lack of participation. Lessons learned for larger scale application to future meditation and mind/body intervention design for chronic illness populations such as COPD are identified.
Effect of osmotic diuresis on renal blood flow.

SummaryA rise in PAH clearance following onset of urea diuresis was observed in 14 patients out of 15 who exhibited antidiuresis secondary to pain following ureteral catheterization.
Ionic Metal–Oxide TFTs for Integrated Switching Applications

Disordered ionic-bonded transition metal oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) show promise for a variety of dc and RF switching applications, especially those that can leverage their low-temperature, substrate-agnostic process integration potential. In this paper, enhancement-mode zinc-oxide TFTs were fabricated and their switching performance evaluated. These TFTs exhibit the drain-current density of 0.6 A/mm and minimal frequency dispersion, as evidenced by dynamic current–voltage tests. A high-frequency power switch figure of merit $R_{{\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}}Q_{G}$ of 359 $\text{m}\Omega \,\cdot \, $ nC was experimentally determined for 0.75- $\mu \text{m}$ long-channel devices, and through scaling 45.9 $\text{m}\Omega \,\cdot \, $ nC is achievable for 11 V-rated devices (where $R_{\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ is ON-state drain–source resistance, and $Q_{G}$ is gate charge). An RF switch cutoff frequency $f_{c}$ of 25 GHz was measured for the same 0.75- $\mu \text{m}$ TFT, whereas $f_{c}$ exceeding 500 GHz and power handling in the tens of watts are projected with optimization.
Zoomorphy: Animal Metaphors for Human Personality

ABSTRACTWe conducted three studies on the use of nonhuman animals as metaphors (zoomorphs) for human personality characteristics. In Study 1 (n = 51) university students rated gender, age, and favorableness of 36 mammal names when applied metaphorically to a person. In Study 2, we searched 14 dictionaries of colloquial English and three dictionaries of animal phrases to locate zoomorphic use of these 36 animal species in describing human personality. In Study 3 (n = 28), students rated zoomorphic use of non-mammalian species. Most animal metaphors for human personality are uncomplimentary, reinforcing the perceived distance between humans and nonhuman animal species. Zoomorphs tend to be male and refer to healthy adult individuals, with little usage referring to disability or infirmity. There is greater zoomorphy for mammal names than for bird, insect or fish names.
Rate of Increase of Populations of Cabbage, Green Peach, and Turnip Aphids at Constant Temperatures

The maximum finite rate of increase for apterous populations of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) was 1.14 times per day at 20°C; for the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), 1.32 times at 25°C; and for the turnip aphid, Hyadaphis pseudobrassicae (Davis), 1.45 times per day at 25°C. The cabbage aphid had the smallest rate of increase at all temperatures, the green peach aphid the greatest rate between 5° and 15 °C, and the turnip aphid the greatest rate between 20° and 30°C. No aphids reproduced at 35°C, only the population of turnip aphids increased at 30°C, and only the population of the green peach aphids increased at 5°C. Other populations decreased at 5° and 30°C. The components of the rate of increase (nymphal development, age-specific survival and fecundity, length of generation, and net reproductive rate) were determined for each aphid at each temperature. Their effect on the rate of increase was examined, as was the age at which 95% of the contribution to the next generation was made. The proportion of each stage in a population with a stable age distribution was also examined. Equations for predicting the rate of increase, and models comparing the relative growth of populations of the three species with time are presented.
Resolution of neurological deficits secondary to spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in a patient with hepatitis C-associated cryoglobulinaemia: a role for plasmapheresis

Essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia or type II cryoglobulinaemia is an important extrahepatic manifestation of chronic hepatitis C. Cryoglobulinaemia results in the deposition of immune complexes in small or medium-sized blood vessels leading to palpable purpura, arthralgia, renal disease and peripheral neuropathy. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a distinct phenomenon characterised by vasogenic oedema in the posterior circulation of brain. Cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis leading to spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage and PRES syndrome is rarely reported in the medical literature. In this report, we present an unusual case of spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage and PRES secondary to hepatitis C-associated cryoglobulinaemia presenting as right dense hemiplegia. Prompt institution of plasmapheresis resulted in successful resolution of symptoms in our patient, followed by full neurological recovery. To the best of our knowledge, this case describes the first successful use of plasmapheresis in alleviating neurological complications resulting from cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis and PRES secondary to chronic hepatitis C.
Strong magnetic correlations to 900 K in single crystals of the trigonal antiferromagnetic insulators SrMn 2 As 2 and CaMn 2 As 2

Crystallographic, electronic transport, thermal, and magnetic properties are reported for ${\mathrm{SrMn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{CaMn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ single crystals grown using Sn flux. Rietveld refinements of powder x-ray diffraction data show that the two compounds are isostructural and crystallize in the trigonal ${\mathrm{CaAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{Si}}_{2}$-type structure (space group $P\overline{3}m1$), in agreement with the literature. Electrical resistivity $\ensuremath{\rho}$ versus temperature $T$ measurements demonstrate insulating ground states for both compounds with activation energies of 85 meV for ${\mathrm{SrMn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ and 61 meV for ${\mathrm{CaMn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$. In a local-moment picture, the ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{+2}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}3{d}^{5}$ ions are expected to have high-spin $S=5/2$ with spectroscopic splitting factor $g\ensuremath{\approx}2$. Magnetic susceptibility $\ensuremath{\chi}$ and heat capacity ${C}_{\mathrm{p}}$ measurements versus $T$ reveal antiferromagnetic (AFM) transitions at $T{}_{\mathrm{N}}=120(2)$ K and 62(3) K for ${\mathrm{SrMn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{CaMn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$, respectively. The anisotropic $\ensuremath{\chi}(T\ensuremath{\le}T{}_{\mathrm{N}})$ data indicate that the hexagonal $c$ axis is the hard axis and hence that the ordered Mn moments are aligned in the $ab$ plane. The $\ensuremath{\chi}(T)$ data for both compounds and the ${C}_{\mathrm{p}}(T)$ for ${\mathrm{SrMn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ show strong dynamic short-range AFM correlations from ${T}_{\mathrm{N}}$ up to at least 900 K, likely associated with quasi-two-dimensional connectivity of strong AFM exchange interactions between the Mn spins within the corrugated honeycomb Mn layers parallel to the $ab$ plane.
Recognition of familiar and unfamiliar melodies in normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease

We tested normal young and elderly adults and elderly Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients on recognition memory for tunes. In Experiment 1, AD patients and age-matched controls received a study list and an old/new recognition test of highly familiar, traditional tunes, followed by a study list and test of novel tunes. The controls performed better than did the AD patients. The controls showed the "mirror effect" of increased hits and reduced false alarms for traditional versus novel tunes, whereas the patients false-alarmed as often to traditional tunes as to novel tunes. Experiment 2 compared young adults and healthy elderly persons using a similar design. Performance was lower in the elderly group, but both younger and older subjects showed the mirror effect. Experiment 3 produced confusion between preexperimental familiarity and intraexperimental familiarity by mixing traditional and novel tunes in the study lists and tests. Here, the subjects in both age groups resembled the patients of Experiment 1 in failing to show the mirror effect. Older subjects again performed more poorly, and they differed qualitatively from younger subjects in setting stricter criteria for more nameable tunes. Distinguishing different sources of global familiarity is a factor in tune recognition, and the data suggest that this type of source monitoring is impaired in AD and involves different strategies in younger and older adults.
Prostacyclin: Effects on Cyclic AMP in Bone Cells

Prostacyclin (PGI2) increased cyclic AMP in specific rat bone cell populations obtained by sequential collagenase digestion of calvariae. An osteoclastic population, characterized by high acid phosphatase levels and the ability to resorb bone in vitro, was more sensitive as reflected by responses to lower doses of PGI2 (2.3 x 10(-8)M) as well as greater responses to higher doses (3.5 x 10(-4)) of PGI2 than the other populations isolated. The osteoblastic populations, characterized by high alkaline phosphatase levels and the inability to resorb devitalized bone did not respond significantly to PGI2 at doses less than 10(-4)M and increases in cAMP were smaller. Then results suggest a differential effect of PGI2 on osteoclasts and osteoblasts which may be involved in the mode of action of endogenously produced PGI2 in bone.
Trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms after civilian or deployment traumatic event experiences.

OBJECTIVE Growth mixture model studies have observed substantial differences in the longitudinal patterns of posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) trajectories. This variability could represent chance iterations of some prototypical trajectories or measurable variability induced by some aspect of the source population or traumatic event experience. Testing the latter, the authors analyzed a nationally representative sample of U.S. Reserve and National Guard members to identify the influence of civilian versus deployment trauma on the number of PTSS trajectories, the nature of these trajectories, and the proportion of respondents in each trajectory. METHOD Data were collected from 2010 to 2013 and latent class growth analysis was used to identify different patterns of PTSS in persons exposed to both a civilian and a deployment trauma and to test whether respondents' exposure to civilian trauma developed similar or distinct patterns of response compared to respondents exposed to deployment trauma. RESULTS PTSS were found to follow 3 trajectories, with respondents predominantly clustered in the lowest symptom trajectory for both trauma types. Covariates associated with each trajectory were similar between the 2 traumas, except number of civilian-related traumatic events; specifically, a higher number of civilian traumatic events was associated with membership in the borderline-stable, compared to low-consistent, trajectory, for civilian traumas and associated with the preexisting chronic trajectory for military traumas. CONCLUSIONS Holding the source population constant, PTSS trajectory models were similar for civilian and deployment-related trauma, suggesting that irrespective of traumatic event experienced there might be some universal trajectory patterns. Thus, the differences in source populations may have induced the heterogeneity observed among prior PTSS trajectory studies. (PsycINFO Database Record
Ab Initio Calculations on CO2 Binding to Carbonyl Groups

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations were performed at the SCF and MP2 levels, using a 6-31G basis set, for complexes of CO2 with carbonyl compounds. The specific interaction between CO2 and the carbonyl oxygen can be described as a Lewis acid−base reaction. Two different geometries, one having C2v symmetry and the other having Cs symmetry, were studied. The Cs symmetry was found to yield stronger binding of the CO2 complexes. The degeneracy of the ν2 bending mode in free CO2 was lifted when the CO2 was bound. The calculated ν2 splittings at the SCF level, using a 6-31G basis set, were comparable to literature values determined by IR spectroscopy of CO2-impregnated polymers. When steric hindrance was present, the binding energy of CO2 to carbonyls was reduced, resulting in lower ν2 splittings. The interaction energy between benzene and CO2 was determined to be much lower than that associated with a carbonyl oxygen and CO2. The preference of CO2 for the carbonyl group over the benzene ring, along with ...
SU-F-T-523: Radiobiological Comparison of Helical Tomotherapy and VMAT in the Treatment of Head and Neck Tumors

Purpose: This study aims at comparing the efficacy of Helical Tomotherapy (TOMO) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) in producing highly conformal dose distributions in challenging head & neck cancer patients. Furthermore, to interpret the dosimetric findings into expected tissue response rates in order to estimate their clinical impact. Methods: Seven patients were studied and for each patient two treatment plans (one TOMO and one VMAT) were created. Structures used for optimization were: high risk PTV, standard risk PTV, brainstem, spinal cord, parotid gland, larynx, mandible and surrounding tissue. The prescription varied between 60 – 74.4Gy to the HR. The same dosimetric constraints were used for both pairs of plans. Additionally, the TCP and NTCP values of the different targets and organs at risk (OAR) were calculated and compared together with the P+, which is the probability of achieving tumor control without normal tissue complications. Results: The proposed plan evaluation shows that the VMAT gives better results than TOMO in terms of expected clinical outcome. Specifically, the average difference in P+ = 3.3±1.8%, TCP = 3.3±1.8%, NTCP = 0.0±0.0%. The difference observed mainly stems from the lower TCP with TOMO (average difference of 2.9% for the high risk PTV and 3.1% for the standard risk PTV). The NTCP differences between the two modalities are very small even though their average differences in BEUD can be large (e.g. −21.9 Gy in brainstem, 27.2 Gy in larynx). Conclusion: The findings of the analysis indicate that VMAT achieves better coverage to the targets with lower doses to the OARs compared to TOMO for the patients tested. However, the dosimetric differences appear to have a measurable impact only in the expected TCP rates of the targets. Radiobiological evaluation of treatment plans should provide a closer association of the delivered treatment with the clinical outcome.
How to Think About Financial Regulation

In the United States, explanations of the origins of financial regulation are often as complex and contradictory as the regulation itself. US financial regulation has been depicted at times as uniquely American, reflecting the peculiar qualities of domestic law and culture,1 and at other times as derivative of the British experience;2 at times as a genuinely public-regarding effort to respond to the definitive economic event of twentieth century America, the Great Depression,3 and at other times as a private bargain that responded to nothing more than the needs of a few politically powerful interest groups;4 at times as a reflection of rational economic theory5 and at other times as an ‘incoherent barbarism’.6
Lysozyme-Induced Nephropathy.

Leukemia is among the most common malignancies associated with hospital admissions for acute kidney injury (AKI).1, 2 AKI develops in up to one-third of patients affected by hematologic malignancy, particularly in older patients with prior chronic kidney disease (CKD),3 and has been shown to have an adverse effect on long-term prognosis in this patient population.4 Intravascular volume depletion, tumor lysis syndrome, and drug-induced acute tubular injury are among the most common causes of leukemia-associated AKI.4, 5 Radiologic studies may be useful to exclude obstructive uropathy secondary to retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy or tumorous masses. Direct infiltration of the renal parenchyma by leukemic cells, although a common finding at autopsy,5 is only rarely associated with the development of symptomatic AKI.4 Rare cases of AKI secondary to intravascular leukostasis have also been described, particularly in patients with white blood cell counts greater than 100,000/mm3.6 Lysozyme-induced nephropathy (LyN) is a rare and underrecognized complication of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and other forms of monocytic leukemia in which lysozyme, a small cationic protein, is released into the circulation, filtered by the glomerulus and reabsorbed by the proximal tubule, causing toxic tubular injury.7
Characterization of smokeless powders using multiplexed collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry and chemometric procedures

Abstract This work demonstrates a non-targeted mass spectrometry approach for identification of organic compounds in smokeless powders. Unburned powders were removed from various commercial ammunitions of different brand, primer composition, caliber, and age. The unburned powders and corresponding fired residues were analyzed by liquid chromatography–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–APCI-TOFMS). Multiplexed collision-induced dissociation was performed at increasing collision potentials resulting in successive fragmentation that provided structural information for compound identification in a non-targeted manner. Nine compounds were identified in the powders, including akardite II, ethyl centralite, diphenylamine, N -nitrosodiphenylamine, and dibutyl phthalate. Multivariate statistical procedures were performed to first investigate association and discrimination of the unburned powders. Principal components analysis (PCA) of the chemical profiles suggested nine distinct groups of powders, according to the dominant organic compounds present. The clusters formed in hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were mostly in agreement with PCA groupings although HCA provided a metric to quantify the similarity. Finally, association of the fired residue to the corresponding unburned powder was possible although the success was highly dependent on the composition of the unburned powder and the extent of compound depletion as a result of firing.
Stability improvement of a four cable-driven parallel manipulator using a center of mass balance system

A four cable-driven parallel manipulator (CDPM), consisting of sophisticated spectrometers and imagers, is under development for use in acquiring phenotypic and environmental data over an acre-sized crop field. To obtain accurate and high quality data from the instruments, the end effector must be stable during sensing. One of the factors that reduces stability is the center of mass offset of the end effector, which can cause a pendulum effect or undesired tilt angle. The purpose of this work is to develop a system and method for balancing the center of mass of a 12th-scale CDPM to minimize vibration that can cause error in the acquired data. A simple method for balancing the end effector is needed to enable end users of the CDPM to arbitrarily add and remove sensors and imagers from the end effector as their experiments may require. A Center of Mass Balancing System (CMBS) is developed in this study which consists of an adjustable system of weights and a gimbal for tilt mitigation. An electronic circuit board including an orientation sensor, wireless data communication, and load cells was designed to validate the CMBS. To measure improvements gained by the CMBS, several static and dynamic experiments are carried out. In the experiments, the dynamic vibrations due to the translational motion and static orientation were measured with and without CMBS use. The results show that the CMBS system improves the stability of the end-effector by decreasing vibration and static tilt angle.
Of Princesses, Charities, Trustees, and Fairytales: A Lesson of the Simple Wishes of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop

Using the Bishop Dynasty Trust, a six billion dollar enterprise designed to protect education excellence for native Hawai'ian students, this article considers the problems of appointed trusteeship over dynasty trusts. It addresses two key questions: 1) whom do trustees represent? and 2) to whom are the trustees of a charitable trust accountable? We suggest a way to preserve both the charitable purpose of the trust and the role of the trust beneficiaries by linking trustee accountability and successor trustee election to the involvement of present and future beneficiaries in addition to the protections offered by the state attorney general.
Comparison of the Hydrodynamic Character of Three Tidal Inlet Systems

New Inlet formed on 2 January 1987 when a northeasterly storm passed over the southern portion of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA (Fig. 1). Breaching of Nauset Spit during this event presented an excellent opportunity to describe and understand how tidal inlets evolve hydrodynamically and morphologically after their formation (FitzGerald and Montello, 1991, 1993; Weidman and Ebert, 1993). In this study an analysis of the evolution of a newly formed, frictionally-dominated bay is conducted and results are compared to two well-documented inlet systems.
Synthesis of phosphonopeptide and thiophosphonopeptide analogs as inhibitors of carboxypeptidase A

Phosphonopeptides, phosphonate analogs of peptides in which an amide linkage has been replaced with a phosphonate ester or phosphonamide, mimic the tetrahedral intermediate common to the mechanism of amide bond hydrolysis and synthesis. There are many examples of phosphonopeptides that strongly inhibit metallo and aspartyl proteases [1], and they are widely employed as haptens for catalytic antibody production [2]. We are developing methods utilizing reduced phosphorus [P(III)] intermediates as a way to improve both the yield and accessibility of these valuable peptide mimics and also to expand the chemistry around the phosphorus atom to include thiophosphonate derivatives. Herein we describe two novel P(III)-based synthetic routes to phosphonopeptides and thiophosphono-peptides 1 (Fig. 1). We demonstrate for the first time the effectiveness of thiophosphonopeptides as inhibitors of a zinc protease, carboxypeptidase A (CPA).
Extraction of brain tissue from CT head images using fully convolutional neural networks

Removing non-brain tissues such as the skull, scalp and face from head computed tomography (CT) images is an important field of study in brain image processing applications. It is a prerequisite step in numerous quantitative imaging analyses of neurological diseases as it improves the computational speed and accuracy of quantitative analyses and image coregistration. In this study, we present an accurate method based on fully convolutional neural networks (fCNN) to remove non-brain tissues from head CT images in a time-efficient manner. The method includes an encoding part which has sequential convolutional filters that produce activation maps of the input image in low dimensional space; and it has a decoding part consisting of convolutional filters that reconstruct the input image from the reduced representation. We trained the fCNN on 122 volumetric head CT images and tested on 22 unseen volumetric CT head images based on an expert’s manual brain segmentation masks. The performance of our method on the test set is: Dice Coefficient= 0.998±0.001 (mean ± standard deviation), recall=0.998±0.001, precision=0.998±0.001, and accuracy=0.9995±0.0001. Our method extracts complete volumetric brain from head CT images in 2s which is much faster than previous methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using fCNN to perform skull stripping from CT images. Our approach based on fCNN provides accurate extraction of brain tissue from head CT images in a time-efficient manner.
Performance-based framework for evaluating the flexural response of precast concrete wall panels to blast loading

Abstract This paper proposes a new performance-based approach to assess the response of precast concrete wall panels to blast loading. Conventional blast-resistant design and analysis methods currently rely on simplified assumptions of component behavior and limit states that are based on visual observations of damage. The proposed methodology allows for the computation of nonlinear moment-rotation resistance functions, component-specific response criteria and deformation-dependent load-mass transformation factors as a function of the panel’s section mechanics and material properties. Computational modeling is used to examine direct correlations between constitutive behavior and critical panel response milestones. These milestones are used as the basis for calculating performance-based limit states, which vary as a function of panel geometry and material properties. Resistance functions and flexural response obtained from the performance-based approach are compared to those calculated via conventional methods and obtained from experimental test data. Comparisons are made between the proposed performance limits and existing response criteria for a set of concrete wall panels under experimental blast loading. Parametric studies were conducted to assess the relationships between performance-based limit states and variations of the panel’s geometric properties and material behavior. The proposed methodology enables improved blast-resistant design of precast concrete wall panels versus the current state-of-practice without significant sacrifices in analytical efficiency.
Investigating instructor misbehaviors in the online classroom

As online courses continue to gain popularity in higher education, researchers need to examine how instructors’ communication and behavior impact student experiences in online settings. More specif...
Safety and Feasibility of Transradial Access for Noncoronary and Peripheral Vascular Interventions.

Background Transradial access (TRad) is becoming the preferred access for cardiac catheterization. The use and safety of TRad in noncoronary and peripheral vascular interventions remains ill-defined and serves as the basis for this study. Methods Patients undergoing noncoronary and peripheral endovascular procedures via TRad from August 2010 to February 2013 at our institution were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic data, indications, interventions performed, sheath size, procedural outcomes, and access-site complications were evaluated. Postprocedural radial artery patency and hand ischemic symptoms were evaluated clinically and by duplex ultrasound. Results Nineteen patients underwent 24 procedures via TRad for both diagnostic (11/24) and therapeutic (13/24) purposes. Twelve (63%) were women, and 75% (18/24) were from left radial artery. Indications included absent femoral pulses in 12 (50%), morbid obesity in 6 (25%), previous bypass originating or terminating in the groin in 4 (17%), and groin wound infection in 2 (8%) cases. A 5F sheath was used in 13 (54%) cases, 6F in 10 (42%) cases, and 7F in 1 (4%) case. Thirteen therapeutic interventions included 7 (29%) iliac angioplasties and/or stent, 3 (13%) femoral anastomosis angioplasties, 2 (8%) superficial femoral artery angioplasties, and 1 (4%) mesenteric angioplasty. No access-site hematoma or procedure-related deaths were reported. Postprocedural radial artery occlusion was observed in 6 (31%) patients. All occlusions were asymptomatic, except for 1 (4%) patient with self-limiting forearm pain lasting for 1 day. Sheath size strongly correlated with radial artery occlusion. Conclusions TRad appears to be a safe and feasible alternative option for patients undergoing noncoronary and peripheral interventions. Radial artery occlusion, mostly asymptomatic, can occur and is directly related to the sheath size. Smaller sheath sizes, longer platform devices, better radial access kits, and better closure devices could potentially eliminate some of the challenges associated with TRad.
Chemistry and Biology of Nitric Oxide

Nitrosyl iron complexes have been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) since 1965. However no connection was made between EPR observations of nitrosyl complexes found in vivo and biosynthesis of nitric oxide until the latter had been independently discovered by biochemists and pharmacologists. The aim of this chapter is to provide an introduction to the basic chemistry and biology of nitric oxide with particular emphasis on EPR experiments and their interpretation.
Abstract 3436: Specific NIH Stroke Scale Items Strongly Predict Hospital Arrival Mode, Thrombolysis Administration, and Clinical Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background: The 11-item National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is widely used as an index of stroke severity and prognostication. However, no studies have specifically examined the infl...
EVIDENCE FOR PROTEASES WITH SPECIFICITY OF CLEAVAGE AT AROMATIC AMINO ACIDS IN HUMAN NATURAL CELL-MEDIATED CYTOTOXICITY

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the evidence for proteases with specificity of cleavage at aromatic amino acids in human natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In a study described in the chapter, lymphocyte-K562 conjugates were formed by centrifuging 2:1 mixtures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and K562 cells for 3 minutes at 40g at room temperature. The inhibition of NK by plasma antiproteinases implies that a protease of the serine-dependent type is required for killing because these antiproteinases inactivate only this class of protease. The marked inhibitory activity of a-1-X to both slow and fast NK implies that at least one serine-dependent protease with chymotrypsin-like activity is crucial to NK. It is likely that the protease activity is either membrane-associated or released upon activation of the lytic mechanism because plasma antiproteinases are large acidically charged molecules which are unlikely to cross lymphocyte membranes. It was found that because pretreatment of lymphocytes with plasma antiproteases followed by washing has no subsequent effect, this indicates that the NK protease is either not activated and/or sequestered prior to killing. This conclusion that a protease with aromatic amino acid specificity is required for NK is further supported by the data from the experiments using ester and amide derivatives of aromatic amino acids to inhibit NK to K562 cells.
A Distributed Cloud-based Wide-Area Controller with SDN-Enabled Delay Optimization

The use of cloud computing for wide-area control of power systems using distributed computational resources has recently garnered significant attention. The upshot in such implementation, however, is that Synchrophasor data from one computational agent, commonly referred to as a virtual machine (VM), located in a certain location in the cloud need to be transmitted to VMs located in other locations through a shared communication network. Due to fluctuating bandwidth of these shared links, the wide-area control action can suffer from unacceptable delays, which may not only degrade closed-loop performance but can also threaten grid stability if they exceed a certain limit. This paper proposes the adoption of a simple latency control algorithm implemented in a software-defined network (SDN) connecting the VMs in the wide-area cloud by which delays in the control loop can always be optimized in order to retain their stability limit. The algorithm uses a greedy routing path selection based on active latency measurement for data transfer, and can be run periodically to pick the best available routes while the wide-area control loop is running.
The Principal Aspects of Sensitivity Theory

This chapter summarizes a list of definitions pertinent to sensitivity theory as applied in control theory. The fundamental aspects of sensitivity analysis are reviewed in Sections 2.3 and 2.4, followed by discussions on the preliminary mathematics and aspects of system theory in Sections 2.5 and 2.6. The chapter closes with a brief discussion on synthesis and the H ∞ -sensitivity minimization.
MicroRNA and their target mRNAs change expression in whole blood of patients after intracerebral hemorrhage.

Previous studies showed changes in mRNA levels in whole blood of rats and humans, and in miRNA in whole blood of rats following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Thus, this study assessed miRNA and t...
Phase 2, two-group, two-stage study of avelumab in patients (pts) with microsatellite stable (MSS), microsatellite instable (MSI), and polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutated recurrent/persistent endometrial cancer (EC).

5502Background: This non-randomized phase 2 study evaluated the PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab in two cohorts of EC: i) MSI/POLE cohort including ECs with immunohistochemical (IHC) loss of expression of ...
Carbon Dioxide Utilization for Building Materials, Fuels, Chemicals, and Polymers

Abstract Worldwide fuel consumption for electricity generation, transport, and industrial applications continues to increase emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). As of April 2019, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was 415 ppm. To limit the global temperature increase to 2 °C, society needs to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels by reducing CO2 emissions. A more significant impact can be realized with carbon negative technologies that pull CO2 directly from the air or capture CO2 emissions from point sources and sequester it in geological formations. The ultimate solution is carbon capture and utilization to produce building materials, industrial chemicals, and fuel from CO2. Because CO2 is fully oxidized carbon, it needs to be reduced before it can be utilized. The cost of renewable electricity from wind and solar is now low enough to make electrochemical reduction of CO2 feasible. This chapter explores pathways for CO2 utilization and the associated analytical needs.
A phase I open-label, dose escalation study to determine the maximum tolerated dose and to evaluate the safety profile of lenalidomide with every three week docetaxel in subjects with androgen independent prostate cancer

14618 Background: Based on the known efficacy of docetaxel (D) in Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer (AIPC), and demonstrated activity of the antiangiogenesis agent thalidomide in combination wit...
Wild treasures and natural families: wildlife film and the enactment of a new Spanish national Nature in Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente’s El hombre y la Tierra: Fauna ibérica (1975–1981)

Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente’s immensely popular wildlife film series Fauna iberica (1975–1981) has been credited with having transformed Spaniards’ attitudes toward Iberian wildlife. In this artic...
Development and conservative treatment of spinal deformities in cerebral palsy.

Abstract Incidence and cause Cerebral palsy (CP) is characterized by poor motor control. The more severe the affection is, the more patients are prone to deformities. Patients with Gross Motor Func...
M&A Policies Review Under the Competition Laws in the European Union

The notification of the concentration to the European Commission is usually preceded by prenotification discussions in which the merging parties and the Commission’s case team look over initial questions on the transaction and the relevant markets. More, Article 346(1)(b) of the TFEU allows any Member State to take measures as it considers necessary for the protection of the essential interests of its security which are connected with the production of or trade in arms, munitions, and war material.