cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Convolutional Neural Networks for Hydrometeor Classification using Dual Polarization Doppler Radars

Traditional fuzzy logic hydrometeor classification algorithm is a common way to classify precipitation type from dual polarization doppler radar. We propose a deep learning-based method to estimate hydrometeors efficiently using observed radar variables such as horizontal reflectivity (Z H ), differential reflectivity (Z DR ), correlation coefficient (ρ HV ) and specific differential phase (K DP ) from National Weather Service NEXRAD collected at Vance AFB facility at the first elevation angle from January 1st, 2015 to July 31th, 2019. We stack matrices of values from these four polarimetric variables as one 3D array. Samples are preprocessed and divided into training, validation and test set with four target hydrometeor categories (Ice Crystals (IC), Dry Snow (DS), Light and/or Moderate Rain (RA) and Big Drops (rain) (BD)). We developed and optimized five Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) architectures and achieved an accuracy of 87.23% and 93.736% respectively using modified ResNet with two different input data selection strategies for hydrometeor classification. Training data selection strategies were important to ensure use of available samples in training for robust performance evaluated by applying the models to novel time period beyond what was use to train the model. Seasonal variation in atmospheric conditions lead to seasonal patterns of liquid vs solid forms of precipitation, that poses challenge for classifier and offer insights into domain specific approaches required for problem of hydrometeor identification. Computationally efficient and scalable approach for classification of hydrometeors offer opportunties to effectively use the large volumes of rich time series of radar observations that are becoming increasingly available.
Vapor Pressure of Nine Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) Determined Using the Knudsen Effusion Method

Sublimation vapor pressures of nine pure perfluoroalkyl substances, including ammonium perfluoro(2-methyl-3-oxahexanoate) (GenX), 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluoro-1-decanol (8:2 FTOH), 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluoro-1...
Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease With Exaggerated Pressor Response Have Greater Ambulatory Dysfunction Than Patients With Lower Pressor Response

We determined whether patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who have either an exaggerated or a negative pressor response during treadmill walking have shorter peak walking time (PWT) and claudication onset time (COT) than patients with a normal pressor response, independent of comorbid conditions. A total of 249 patients were categorized to 1 of 3 groups based on systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses at 2 minutes of treadmill walking (speed = 2 mph, grade = 0%): group 1 (negative pressor response, SBP 18 mm Hg). After adjusting for comorbid conditions, group 3 (exaggerated) had significantly reduced COT (P = .011) and PWT (P = .002) compared to group 2 (normal), while group 1 (negative) and group 2 (normal) were not different. Patients with symptomatic PAD with an increase in SBP > 18 mm Hg after 2 minutes of treadmill walking experience claudication earlier and thus have greater ambulatory dysfunction, compared to patients with PAD with a normal pressor response, whereas patients with PAD with negative pressor response had a similar walking performance. The implication is that the magnitude of pressor response to only 2 minutes of treadmill walking can partially explain the degree of ambulatory dysfunction in patients with PAD.
The Orbiting Dubins Traveling Salesman Problem: planning inspection tours for a minehunting AUV

The Orbiting Dubins Traveling Salesman Problem (ODTSP) is to plan a minimum-time tour for a Dubins vehicle model to inspect a set of targets in the plane by orbiting each target along a circular arc. This problem arises in underwater minehunting, where targets are mine-like objects on the sea bottom that are inspected by a sonar-equipped underwater vehicle. Each orbit subtends a prescribed angle so that the target’s acoustic response is measured from a variety of target-sensor relative geometries to aid in classifying it. ODTSP tours consist of circular-arc orbits joined by Dubins paths, and the optimization problem is to partition the set of targets into orbits and determine the position, radius, direction, and vehicle entry angle of each. Algorithms are presented for the restricted case, where each orbit inspects a single target (only), and the general case, where orbits inspect multiple targets. The approach is facilitated by analytical conditions that identify admissible clusters of targets as cliques of a disk graph. The ODTSP is extended to consider path planning in the presence of a steady uniform current.
Reproductive characteristics of American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) in their invasive range of the Pacific Northwest, USA.

Invasive species pose a major threat to global biodiversity. The effects of invasive species can be strongly influenced and potentially mediated by their reproductive characteristics, such as fecundity, egg production, and duration and number of reproductive events. Selection for smaller body size at first reproduction can also play a role in their establishment, facilitating colonization and spread. The American bullfrog, native to the eastern U.S. (Lithobates catesbeianus), is a species that has invaded more than 40 countries across 4 continents. This species has become especially prevalent in the western United States since its introduction in the early 1900s. This study characterized reproductive characteristics of bullfrogs with emphasis on the minimum size at which males and females reach sexual maturity in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA invasion range. We collected and dissected 121 individuals in 2013 and 2017, quantifying characteristics of sexual maturity including snout-vent length, total length, sex, tympanum diameter, presence of distended oviducts or eggs for females, and testes length and sperm activity in males. Our results showed that the minimum reproductive size of both males and females was smaller relative to bullfrogs in their native range as well as in populations across their invasive range. Reduction in size at reproductive maturity is likely impacting the invasive success of American bullfrogs and this study gives us insight on management actions to control the invasion. Applying this insight, managers can adjust their definition of reproductively active adults, increasing the target population of culling and other control methods.
Exposure to cigar Point-of-Sale marketing and use of cigars and cigarettes among young adults

Abstract Introduction Few studies examine the impact of objective exposure to point-of-sale (POS) marketing for cigars including little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs) on tobacco use. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to LCC marketing at the POS and current and future use of LCCs and cigarettes among young adult college students. Method Data on LCC and cigarette use from 4201 young adult students (mean age = 22.8 [SD = 2.3]; 35.9% non-Hispanic whites) attending 24 Texas colleges was linked to objective assessments of POS marketing at 220 tobacco retail outlets within one mile of the colleges. Multilevel logistic regression analyses examined the impact of LCC marketing at the POS on use of LCCs and cigarettes currently and 6-months later. Results Participants were, on average, exposed to 43 LCC marketing materials per week. Results from cross-sectional analyses indicated that exposure to LCC POS marketing was associated with higher odds of current use of LCCs (AOR = 1.003, 95% CI = 1.0002, 1.0053) and cigarettes (AOR = 1.006, 95% CI = 1.0050, 1.0075). The relationship between LCC POS marketing exposure and LCC use was not significant in longitudinal models; however, exposure to LCC POS marketing at baseline did predict current cigarette use at 6-month follow-up (AOR = 1.004, 95% CI = 1.0021, 1.0052). Conclusion Findings suggest a substantial influence of LCC marketing exposure at the POS. Regulations on LCC marketing at the POS, especially around college campuses, should be considered.
Reception-oriented radio rights: Increasing the value of wireless by explicitly defining and delegating radio operating rights

The increasingly intensive coexistence of diverse radio systems and the inability of existing institutions to resolve conflicts in a timely manner require a change in the way operating rights are defined, assigned, and enforced. This paper proposes a regulatory approach that increases delegation to operators and reduces ambiguity by (1) more clearly defining operating rights and harmful interference using the Three P approach of probabilistic reception protections and transmission permissions; (2) facilitating transactions by limiting the number of parties to a negotiation, only altering the rights in a license at renewal, and implementing a registry; and (3) making rights enforcement more efficient by enabling direct enforcement of rights, separating rulemaking from adjudication, and defining remedies up-front.
Criminal arrests associated with reduced regional brain volumes in an adult population with documented childhood lead exposure

Abstract Childhood lead exposure interferes with brain maturation, which adversely impacts cognitive and behavioral development. Lower intelligence scores, impairments in decision making, and increased rates of delinquent and criminal behavior are adverse outcomes linked to childhood lead absorption. The present study examined the relationships between childhood blood lead concentrations, structural brain volume, and measures of adult criminality. We hypothesized that increased rates of criminal arrests in adulthood would be inversely correlated with regional gray and white matter volumes, especially prefrontal areas responsible for decision making and self-control. We obtained childhood blood lead histories and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging from a subset of the longitudinally followed birth cohort known as the Cincinnati Lead Study. Criminality data for cohort participants were extracted from public databases. Voxel based morphometry was used to examine spatial differences in regional gray and white matter volumes associated with childhood blood lead concentrations and measures of adult criminality, respectively. Conjunction analyses allowed for the exploratory evaluation of common regions of volume change. Childhood blood lead concentrations were inversely associated with gray and white matter volume in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes. Gray matter volumes were also inversely associated with criminal arrests with key regions within the cingulate, precuneus, several frontal gyri and the supplementary motor area. Conjunction analyses identified regions in the anterior cingulate, frontal gray matter and supplementary motor area associated with childhood lead absorption and criminality. The results from this study suggest that reduced brain volumes in regions responsible for cognition and emotional regulation are associated with childhood lead exposure and criminal arrests.
Computable Execution Traces

This paper gives an execution trace set based account of computability by imposing restrictions on sets of arbitrary sequences of objects, based on a supplied stock of unary tests and binary operations. This account of finite control computability provides a highly general, top down perspective on computability. We prove equivalence with the Turing machine model, under appropriate assumptions, and show how finite control computability can be used to provide a unified account of computability across multiple levels of abstraction.
Subsistence Economy and Food Security – The Case of Rural Households from Romania☆

Abstract Romania is the country with the largest number of subsistence farms in the European Union. Practically, out of the 3.7 million farms from Romania, 3.3 million can be considered subsistence farms, having in view the extremely low value of the obtained productions. Although these small farms have a less important role on the markets, they are important in the rural world, as they provide food and social security for the population, contributing to environment preservation through the use of traditional production methods. The paper attempts to investigate the small farm role in the economy of rural areas and in the welfare of peasant households. The data source used were the Agricultural Census, for the analysis of small farm production structure and the Household Budget Survey in order to reveal the importance of own resources in the food consumption and incomes of rural households. The main conclusions of the paper refer to the strong production diversification on the small farms compared to the large farms, which are much more specialized. The analysis of food consumption behavior of the rural households reveals high shares of self-consumption in most products, a lower food diversification compared to urban households and a lower cost of calories in the rural households diet.
Immune Modulation of T Cells and Natural Killer Cells by Tumor-Derived Exosomes

Tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) are present in body fluids of patients with cancer. By downregulating functions of immune cells, TEX promote tumor progression. In patients with cancer, apoptosis of activated tumor-specific T cells, depressed natural killer (NK) cell activity, and the increased frequency in the peripheral blood or tumor sites of CD4+CD25hiFOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) are common and consistent findings. Evidence suggests that TEX have immunoregulatory properties and contribute to CD8+ effector T cell apoptosis, induction/expansion of Treg, and inhibition of NK cell activity. Membrane-associated molecules, such as TGF-b or Fas ligand, are carried by TEX and are responsible for the ability of TEX to regulate peripheral tolerance in patients with cancer.
On Preserving Data Integrity of Transactional Applications on Multicore Architectures

Multicore architectures are increasingly becoming prone to transient faults. In this paper we briefly present Shield, a middleware to provide transactional applications with resiliency to those faults that can happen anytime during the execution of a processor but do not cause any hardware interruption. Shield is inspired by the state machine replication approach, where computational resources are partitioned, the shared state is fully replicated, and requests are executed by all partitions in the same order. Shield embeds a set of algorithmic and system innovations to limit the overhead with respect to non-fault-tolerant solutions. They include a fast total order layer that lets application threads and computational nodes co-operate in order to fast deliver.
Review of Penile Prosthetic Reservoir: Complications and Presentation of a Modified Reservoir Placement Technique

ABSTRACT Introduction Multiple modifications have been made to the inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) since its inception in the 1970s. These modifications have made reservoir‐related mechanical malfunctions highly unlikely in current IPP models. Although these complications are rare, it would be incumbent upon the implanting surgeon to be aware of these potential complications, how they present, how they are best treated, and how to prevent them from occurring. Aims The aim of this article was to present our experience with complications associated with penile prosthesis reservoirs, perform a review of the literature regarding reservoir‐related complications, and present our modified technique to place the reservoir into the space of Retzius. Main Outcome Measures Reservoir‐related complications including inguinal herniation, erosion into bladder or bowel, intraperitoneal reservoir placement with subsequent visceral injury, vascular injury, autoinflation, and infection. Methods We retrospectively reviewed our experience with penile prosthesis reservoir complications or procedures requiring an alternative implantation approach at our center over the past 10 years where over 400 devices were implanted. We also review reservoir‐related complications published in the English literature since the 1980s. Results While exceedingly rare, reservoir complications do occur. Six cases from our institution are presented including one reservoir herniation, one postoperative direct inguinal hernia, one bladder laceration during revision surgery, one ectopic reservoir placement due to morbid obesity, one iliac vein compression syndrome, and one vascular laceration during reservoir revision. Reported reservoir complications include inguinal herniation, erosion into the bladder or bowel, intraperitoneal reservoir placement with subsequent injury to the ureter or bowel, vascular injury, autoinflation, and infection. Conclusion Penile prosthesis reservoirs rarely fail mechanically but are associated with a variety of complications or may require alternate implantation technique. In our experience, the Jorgensen scissors technique allows safe entry into the space of Retzius with diminished risk of hernia as well as vascular, bladder, or bowel injury. Levine LA and Hoeh MP. Review of penile prosthetic reservoir: Complications and presentation of a modified reservoir Placement technique. J Sex Med 2012;9:2759–2769.
Fine-scale spatial patterns of genetic relatedness among resident adult prairie voles

Characterizing the spatial arrangement of related individuals within populations can convey information about opportunities for the evolution of kin-selected social behaviors, the potential for inbreeding, and the geographic distribution of genetic variation. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are socially monogamous rodents that sometimes breed cooperatively. Individuals of both sexes are highly philopatric, and among natal dispersers, the average dispersal distance is about 30 m. Such limited natal dispersal can result in the spatial clustering of kin and we used microsatellite data to estimate genetic relatedness among resident adult prairie voles in 2 natural populations to test the hypothesis that limited natal dispersal of male and female prairie voles results in the spatial clustering of kin. Spatial autocorrelation analyses of nest residency and microsatellite data indicated that proximate same-sex adult residents of both sexes were significantly more related than more spatially distant resident samesex adults in Kansas. In Indiana, adult female voles residing less than 20 m apart were also significantly more related than more spatially distant resident adult females but spatial clustering of kin was not detected among resident adult males. The spatial clustering of kin indicates that opportunities for kin-selected behaviors exist in both populations, especially among females. Differences in the patterns of spatial genetic structure among resident males between the Kansas and Indiana populations may be due to population differences in factors such as demography and mating system, as well as in the extent of natal philopatry.
The use of multiple-beam directional antennas in wireless messaging systems

The use of narrow beam directional antennas in wireless messaging has the potential of improving the transmission quality, increasing base station capacity, and reducing the number of base stations needed to provide a service for portable radio users. Directional antenna beams increase the protection to cochannel interference. The performance of a three-sector, twelve beam antenna system is compared with an omnidirectional and a conventional three-sector antenna configuration via computer simulation.
Parmenides’ Complete Rejection of Time

Parmenides is often credited with discovering the category of timeless truths, and he is sometimes praised or blamed (along with Plato) for asserting that what is real can transcend time.1 But besides positing a timeless reality for eternal truths to be about, Parmenides finds fault with beliefs about time and argues that time is not real: if temporal thoughts are inherently contradictory then reality cannot be temporal. In claiming time to Plato, Kant, and J.M. McTaggart) who find something unreal about time.
P2X7-regulated protection from exacerbations and loss of control is independent of asthma maintenance therapy.

Rationale: The function of the P2X7 nucleotide receptor protects against exacerbation in people with mild-intermittent asthma during viral illnesses, but the impact of disease severity and maintenance therapy has not been studied. Objectives: To evaluate the association between P2X7, asthma exacerbations, and incomplete symptom control in a more diverse population. Methods: A matched P2RX7 genetic case-control was performed with samples from Asthma Clinical Research Network trial participants enrolled before July 2006, and P2X7 pore activity was determined in whole blood samples as an ancillary study to two trials completed subsequently. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 187 exacerbations were studied in 742 subjects, and the change in asthma symptom burden was studied in an additional 110 subjects during a trial of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) dose optimization. African American carriers of the minor G allele of the rs2230911 loss-of-function single nucleotide polymorphism were more likely to have a history of prednisone use in the previous 12 months, with adjustment for ICS and long-acting β2-agonists use (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–6.2; P = 0.018). Despite medium-dose ICS, attenuated pore function predicted earlier exacerbations in incompletely controlled patients with moderate asthma (hazard ratio, 3.2; confidence interval, 1.1–9.3; P = 0.033). After establishing control with low-dose ICS in patients with mild asthma, those with attenuated pore function had more asthma symptoms, rescue albuterol use, and FEV1 reversal (P < 0.001, 0.03, and 0.03, respectively) during the ICS adjustment phase. Conclusions: P2X7 pore function protects against exacerbations of asthma and loss of control, independent of baseline severity and the maintenance therapy.
Growing out of a caste--reproduction and the making of the queen mole-rat.

SUMMARY Naked mole-rats have a eusocial colony structure consisting of non-reproductive workers and a reproductively active caste where a single, dominant queen and 1-3 males produce all of the offspring. Well-established queens have elongated bodies that characterize their caste. Worker females retain the ability to transform into queens, however the trigger and time course for this physical transformation remain a mystery. Here, we show a direct link between periods of pregnancy and vertebral lengthening in nascent queens. Adult female mole-rats were paired with a male and radiographed weekly for two and a half years to track the growth of the lumbar vertebrae as the mole-rats became sexually mature and experienced pregnancies. The lumbar vertebrae of breeding females grew at an increased rate during each pregnancy but growth rates returned to normal between pregnancies and during extended periods without reproduction. The rate of lumbar lengthening was reduced to normal rates in older, established queens experiencing pregnancies. Our results imply that the length of a new queen mole-rat is proportional to the number of pregnancies experienced and suggest that hormones related to pregnancy may play the critical role in bone growth associated with caste transformation.
A convolution identity and more with illustrations

We begin with a new, general, interesting, and useful identity (Theorem 2.1) based on recursive convolutions. Next, we extend the basic message from Theorem 2.1 by generalizing it under broadened set of assumptions. Interesting examples are provided involving multivariate Cauchy as well as multivariate equi-correlated normal and equi-correlated t distributions. Then, we discuss yet another approach (Theorem 4.1) that also works in the evaluation of the expectation of a ratio of suitable random variables. Example 4.3 especially stands out because it cannot be handled by the previous approaches, but Theorem 4.1 steps in to help.
Design and physical characteristics of a multistage, continuous tower fermentor

A multistage tower laboratory fermentor has been constructed consisting of eight compartments separated by sieve plates. Flow of substrate and air is concurrent from the bottom to the top of the column. It, was hoped that this system could be used to reproduce, simultaneously on a continuous basis, eight distinct phases of a batch growth curve. It was believed that the extent of batch curve simulation would depend upon the character of hydraulic mean residence time of broth in the column and in the individual compartments. The expected relationship did not occur. Rather it was found that growth in the column involved residence time characteristics not only for the fluid but also for the microorganisms, and for the growth limiting substrate. Depending upon the column operation, these could be distinct and different. The purpose of this investigation was to study the residence time distribution (RTD) of the continous (fluid) and dispersed (microorganisms) phases for model systems as well as for a yeast fermentation. Various degrees of flow nonideality, i.e., fluid blackflow and dispersed phase sedimentation, were noticed. The former seems to be due to interaction of the concurrent gas and liquid flow; it is particularly dependent upon void area of the sieve plate holes. Sedimentation is probably a function of plate design as well as cell size and density. It wa concluded that for a particular plate design the gas hold-up wass controlled by superficial air velocity and was the main parameter governing the differences between dispersed and continous phase(Rt1). This conclusion was supported by a computeraided styudy utilizing a mathematical model of fluid flow to fit the growth kinetics and cell distribution observed experimentally throughout the fermentor. Some advantages of foam control in the tower fermentor by surface active compounds are mentioned. Also, suggestions are made for carrying out fermentations that have two liquid phases, such as a hydrocarbon fermentation. The possibility of closely approximating plug-flow conditions in the multistage tower fermentor, a necessary condition for batch growth simulation, is discussed from a practical point of view.
Estimating traction coefficients of friction for small-scale robotic tracked vehicles

A method is presented for using an extended Kalman filter with state noise compensation to estimate the trajectory, orientation, and coefficients of friction for a small-scale robotic tracked vehicle. The ultimate goal of the method is to enable terrain property estimation particularly during laboratory and field-testing utilizing onboard sensor data and/or other sources. A methodology is described that relies on kinematic and dynamic models for skid-steering, as well as tractive force models parameterized by key soil parameters. Favorable results for estimating coefficients of friction are presented based on experimental data collected for laboratory and field testing with an iRobot® PackBot™. Preliminary results confirm the dependence of coefficients of friction on vehicle trajectory turning radius and velocity.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
The Hypertension-Lipid Connection: Insights into the Relation between Angiotensin II and Cholesterol in Atherogenesis

Clinical data and experimental studies have established the important role of abnormal lipid metabolism in the causation of atherosclerosis and enthroned the hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme reductase inhibitors (statins) as a mainstay in management of patients with coronary heart disease. However, emerging experimental data underline the role of vascular renin-angiotensin systems in mediating the early stages of vascular endothelial dysfunction and inflammation as prerequisites for unleashing the cascade of cellular and molecular events that lead to the deposition of foam cells and their eventual progression to the atherosclerotic plaque. We discuss here the biological effects of statins and angiotensin II in the evolution of atherogenesis, underscoring possible links between statins and angiotensin receptor blockers. From the assessment of the commonality of effects resulting from the nonlipidic actions of statins and angiotensin II on the process of atherogenesis, we develop the argument that dyslipidemia may influence the ability to control blood pressure in hypertensive subjects and hypothesize that the combined use of statins and blockers of the renin-angiotensin system may have an additive effect in the management of hypertensive subjects.
A PARALLEL IMPLEMENTATION OF A TWO‐DIMENSIONAL HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL FOR MICROWAVE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING INERTIA EFFECTS IN MOMENTUM RELAXATION

A self-consistent numerical transport model based on the hydrodynamic equations obtained from Boltzmann's transport equation (BTE) is presented. The model includes both the temporal and spatial variation in electron velocity. A parallel implementation of the solution method, using FDTD techniques, is illustrated. Numerical results for a GaAs MESFET device are generated using this complete hydrodynamic model (CHM) and compared with results obtained from the more commonly used energy or simplified hydrodynamic model (SHM). The results indicate that for short gate-lengths (less than 05 m) the two models lead to different DC steady-state results which in turn lead to different microwave small-signal models for the device.
Synthesis of Adamantyl Polyphosphazene-Polystyrene Block Copolymers, and β-Cyclodextrin-Adamantyl Side Group Complexation

Hydrophobic block copolymers with adamantyl polyphosphazene and polystyrene blocks were synthesized via the controlled cationic living polymerization of a phosphoranimine at ambient temperature. β-Cyclodextrins (β-CDs) were then complexed with the adamantyl side groups in aqueous media to generate amphiphilic block copolymers. These underwent micelle formation in an aqueous environment. The micellar behavior of these complexes was monitored using fluorescence techniques, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering. The critical micelle concentration of the adamantyl polyphosphazene-polystyrene block copolymer complexes was 0.925 mg/L. TEM imaging revealed spherically shaped micelles. A mean diameter of 193 nm was measured by dynamic light scattering. It was possible to control micelle formation by changing the amount of β-CD in the aqueous medium at constant block copolymer concentration.
Of deserts and doors: Methodology of the study of mysticism

Two warring methodological approaches have dominated the study of mysticism for the last several decades: perennialism and constructivism. Recently however several colleagues and I have tried to articulate a new methodological approach which I believe is quite promising. In what follows, I will describe perennialism and constructivism, showing the main strengths and problems of each. Then I will summarize this new methodology, and show how it has begun to articulate a place between these two. Finally I will conclude with a few observations about this new middle ground.
System for countermeasures of carbon dioxide

Abstract Mitigation measures to global climate change are classified focusing on carbon dioxide in order to cover all potential technologies. A templet is proposed to assess each technology and technological systems under the standardized criteria.
Formation of Nanometer Domains of One Chemical Functionality in a Continuous Matrix of a Second Chemical Functionality by Sequential Adsorption of Silane Self-Assembled Monolayers

In this paper, we describe a procedure to prepare mixed self-assembled monolayers containing nanometer to micrometer domains of a chemical functionality surrounded by another chemical functionality...
Access-control language for multidomain environments

The XML role-based access control (X-RBAC) specification language addresses multidomain environments' policy-specification needs. X-RBAC is based on an extension of the widely accepted US National Institute of Standards and Technology role-based access-control (RBAC) model. In addition to allowing specification of RBAC policies and facilitating specification of timing constraints on roles and access requirements, X-RBAC provides a framework for specifying mediation policies in a multidomain environment where RBAC policies have been employed.
The Sports Orientation of Female Collegiate Basketball Players Participating at Different Competitive Levels

Summay.-The purpose of this study was to determine how individuals participating in different AIAW basketball divisions perceived a constellation of sport-related concepts. It was hypothesized that, while Division I athletes would tend to be more positively disposed to concepts related to winning and dominating others, those in Division LII would be more favorable to concepts pertaining to the personal values of involvement. Although Division I athletes had marginally more positive attitudes toward mastering opponents than individuals in Division 111, no differences across divisions were found in the evaluation of concepts pertaining to personal satisfactions associated with participation. Across divisions concepts related to personal satisfaction were viewed most positively, those having to do with mastery over opponents next, and those concerned with the social pressures to participate were viewed somewhat negatively.
Alterations in Cell Cycle Regulation Underlie Cisplatin Induced Apoptosis of Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons in Vivo

Cisplatin is used in the treatment of ovarian and testicular cancer. Twenty percent of patients cannot be optimally treated because of sensory neurotoxicity. Human and animal studies demonstrate that the dorsal root ganglion neuron is the primary target of drug injury. We have previously demonstrated that cisplatin causes neuronal apoptosis in vitro. We now report a reproducible animal model of cell death induced by cisplatin. Drug was administered for 1 or 2 cycles of 5 days separated by 5 days. Total dose administered was 0, 5, 7.5, 10, or 15 mg/kg. Ganglia from 34 animals were processed and examined using in situ hybridization for cyclin D1 messenger RNA and digoxigenin coupled TUNEL staining. Overall, 2.9 +/- 3.9% of neurons were TUNEL positive in treated rats compared with 0.2 +/- 0.3% in controls (P <.005). There was a strong positive correlation (r2 = 0.88; P = 0.018) between percentage of TUNEL stained DRG and cumulative dose of cisplatin. Two independent approaches to quantitation of in situ cyclin D1 hybridization were used; blinded grading by an observer and measurement of color density using digital image analysis. Both demonstrated dramatic upregulation of expression of cyclin D1 mRNA in treated compared with control rats. This demonstrates that apoptosis of neurons is preceded by aberrant reentry into G1 phase of the cell cycle in an animal model.
Recovery of surface defects on epoxy coatings and implications for the use of accelerated weathering

Abstract Surface roughness, arising from photodegradation, increases overall during weathering but may relax and diminish during episodes when exposure is limited. Different ambient temperatures will change the balance between photodegradation defect size and recovery, depending on the value of the glass transition temperature of the polymer. Epoxy coatings were exposed to periods of ultraviolet irradiation, after which the recovery of the surface roughness was monitored at several temperatures, above and below their glass transition temperatures. Atomic force microscopy, as well as following the increase in roughness with exposure, showed that increased exposure made phase separated domains more distinct. Recovery of nanoindentation on un-damaged coatings produced a similar value of the glass transition temperature to that deduced from the degradation roughness recovery. This was significantly lower at the surface of the epoxy coatings than was measured for the bulk. Confocal Raman spectroscopy was unable to detect any chemical difference between the surface of any films and deeper in their bulk. This evidence suggests that the low glass transition temperature is not due to different curing chemistry at the surface of the coating, but hints that the surface of these crosslinked coatings may relax differently to the bulk or have a different physical structure. These results lead to questions about how to change accelerated testing to better serve the needs of coatings’ technology and how to make progress in the overall goal of service lifetime prediction.
Lenalidomide-Induced Interstitial Lung Disease

Lenalidomide is a more potent and less toxic oral analog of thalidomide. The drug is indicated for treatment of multiple myeloma and other hematologic disorders and has rarely been associated with pulmonary toxicity. We describe a 73-year-old woman who received lenalidomide therapy for multiple myeloma. Nine weeks after starting the drug, she developed progressive dyspnea, cough, and constitutional symptoms, and was found to be hypoxic. A computed tomography scan of the chest showed bilateral interstitial infiltrates. Bronchoalveolar lavage was negative for infection, but transbronchial biopsy showed an organizing pneumonia. The patient was diagnosed with lenalidomide-induced interstitial lung disease after other causes were excluded. Clinical and radiologic resolution occurred after lenalidomide was discontinued and a tapering course of corticosteroids was begun. Use of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability indicated a high probability (score of 7) that this adverse drug reaction was caused by lenalidomide. Lenalidomide inhibits prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) secretion by cells. If fibroblast PGE(2) synthesis is impaired in the lung, the mitogenic action of cysteinyl leukotrienes may be unmasked, promoting fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis, eventually leading to interstitial lung disease. Another potential mechanism may be an immunologic one similar to that seen in the interstitial pulmonary process in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. To our knowledge, only one other case of lenalidomide-induced pulmonary toxicity has been reported in the literature. Although lenalidomide-induced pulmonary toxicity is uncommon, clinicians should consider this potential adverse drug reaction in the differential diagnosis in patients receiving lenalidomide who present with symptoms of interstitial lung disease for which alternative causes have been excluded.
Reevaluating the use of aminoglycoside antibiotics in behavioral studies of the lateral line.

Van Trump et al. (2010) recently demonstrated that the aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin, previously thought to be selectively toxic to hair cells of the canal neuromasts (CN) of the fish lateral line system, is additionally toxic to hair cells of the superficial neuromasts (SN). The authors used the fluorescent vital dyes DASPEI (2-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-N-ethylpyridinium iodide) and FM1-43 ((n-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(4-(dibutylamino)styryl) pyridinium dibromide) to visualize by fluorescence microscopy the survival of hair cells in the CN and SN of zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Mexican blind cave fish (Astyanax fasciatus) treated in a solution of 0.001% gentamicin sulfate for 24h. Extensive hair cell death was observed in populations of CN and SN of gentamicin-treated animals of both species compared to control animals. On the basis of this result, the authors concluded, (p. 49), “(1) That hair cells in the SNs of the lateral line can no longer be regarded as functionally resistant to gentamicin toxicity, (2) that this drug should therefore no longer be used as a pharmacological tool for selective blocking of CN, but not SN hair cells, and (3) that the conclusions of some previous studies need to be reevaluated.” Using an alternative approach to themselves reevaluate a 15-year-old assumption in the literature drawn from SEM imaging (e.g., Song et al., 1995), Van Trump et al. (2010) convincingly demonstrated that gentamicin in fact damages a high proportion of both SN and CN, similar in effect to another commonly used aminoglycoside, streptomycin (e.g., Kaus, 1987; Blaxter and Fuiman, 1989; Montgomery et al., 1997; Montgomery et al., 2003). Toward further caution in the interpretation of lateral line behavioral studies that have used aminoglycoside antibiotics to chemically ablate SN and/or CN without rigorous verification of treatment efficacy, we are inspired to share our own recent observations on limitations in the efficacy of both gentamicin and streptomycin in damaging the lateral line systems of three fish species.
Patellofemoral Arthroplasty: The Impact of Design on Outcomes

The results of patellofemoral arthroplasty have been improved over the three decades that the procedure has been used for the treatment of patellofemoral arthritis. Specifically, there has been a reduction in the incidence of patellofemoral-related problems, such as patellar maltracking and catching, after patellofemoral arthroplasty. While these problems were often attributed to errors in surgical technique or component malposition, it is likely that many were related to flawed trochlear component designs. Contemporary patellofemoral arthroplasties have a reduced incidence of the problems related to patellar maltracking that typically plagued earlier generation designs. Further study will likely prove contemporary patellofemoral arthroplasty to be an effective treatment for the management of isolated patellofemoral arthritis, with predictable outcomes and a low incidence of complications.
A fast hybrid fourier-boltzmann transport equation solver for nongray phonon transport

Nongray phonon transport solvers based on the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) are being increasingly employed to simulate submicron thermal transport in semiconductors and dielectrics. Typical sequential solution schemes encounter numerical difficulties because of the large spread in scattering rates. For frequency bands with very low Knudsen numbers, strong coupling between other BTE bands result in slow convergence of sequential solution procedures. This is due to the explicit treatment of the scattering kernel. In this paper, we present a hybrid BTE-Fourier model which addresses this issue. By establishing a phonon group cutoff Knc, phonon bands with low Knudsen numbers are solved using a modified Fourier equation which includes a scattering term as well as corrections to account for boundary temperature slip. Phonon bands with high Knudsen numbers are solved using the BTE. A low-memory iterative solution procedure employing a block-coupled solution of the modified Fourier equations and a sequential solution of BTEs is developed. The hybrid solver is shown to produce solutions well within 1% of an all-BTE solver (using Knc = 0.1), but with far less computational effort. Speedup factors between 2 and 200 are obtained for a range of steady-state heat transfer problems. The hybrid solver enables efficient and accurate simulation of thermal transport in semiconductors and dielectrics across the range of length scales from submicron to the macroscale.
Community responsibility for accident victims.

W hat accident rate should a nation tolerate? Who is to blame for asbestosis, mesothelioma, thalidomide deformities, or dioxin defects? What does a nation owe the victims? What is the government's responsibility and how should it be determined and enforced? These questions are becoming increasingly important. Despite growing regulatory activity, birth defects from teratogenic agents continue, food products contain unknown quantities of toxic substances, and the cancer rate continues to rise. In the United States a victim of one of these environmental hazards can seek
Characterizing char particle fragmentation during pulverized coal combustion

Abstract A particle population balance model was developed to predict the oxidation characteristics of an ensemble of char particles exposed to an environment in which their overall burning rates are controlled by the combined effects of oxygen diffusion through particle pores and chemical reactions (the zone II burning regime). The model allows for changes in particle size due to burning at the external surface, changes in particle apparent density due to internal burning at pore walls, and changes in the sizes and apparent densities of particles due to percolation type fragmentation. In percolation type fragmentation, fragments of all sizes less than that of the fragmenting particle are produced. The model follows the conversion of particles burning in a gaseous environment of specified temperature and oxygen content. The extent of conversion and particle size, apparent density, and temperature distributions are predicted in time. Experiments were performed in an entrained flow reactor to obtain the size and apparent density data needed to adjust model parameters. Pulverized Wyodak coal particles were injected into the reactor and char samples were extracted at selected residence times. The particle size distributions and apparent densities were measured for each sample extracted. The intrinsic chemical reactivity of the char to oxygen was also measured in experiments performed in a thermogravimetric analyzer. Data were used to adjust rate coefficients in a six-step reaction mechanism used to describe the oxidation process. Calculations made allowing for fragmentation with variations in the apparent densities of fragments yield the type of size, apparent density, and temperature distributions observed experimentally. These distributions broaden with increased char conversion in a manner that can only be predicted when fragmentation is accounted for with variations in fragment apparent density as well as size. The model also yields the type of ash size distributions observed experimentally.
Is a Cold Pool Necessary for the Maintenance of a Squall Line Produced by a Cold Front Aloft

Abstract On 19–20 June 1979 a cyclone moved through the central United States. This cyclone contained a squall line associated with a cold front aloft (CFA), which caused significant damage. The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) was used to diagnose the role of the cold pool in the maintenance of the squall line. A control simulation with “full physics” was run, at 18- and 3.6-km grid spacing. Both simulations produced a squall line that was similar in location, orientation, and speed to the observed squall line, and displayed several characteristics that differed from the “leading line–trailing stratiform” paradigm for midlatitude squall lines. Sensitivity test simulations were run for both grid spacings, with diabatic cooling due to evaporation and melting of precipitation withheld to prevent the formation of a cold pool. These simulations produced a squall line similar to that in the control simulation, in terms of the location, orientation, and movement of the s...
Consistency of regression estimates when some variables are subject to error

For a general univariate “errors-in-variables” model, the maximum likelihood estimate of the parameter vector (assuming normality of the errors), which has been described in the literature, can be expressed in an alternative form. In this form, the estimate is computationally simpler, and deeper investigation of its properties is facilitated. In particular, w demonstrate that, under conditions a good deal less restrictive than those which have been previously assumed, the estimate is weakly consistent.
Comparison of genetic algorithm to particle swarm for constrained simulation-based optimization of a geothermal power plant

The performance of a genetic algorithm is compared with that of particle swarm optimization for the constrained, non-linear, simulation-based optimization of a double flash geothermal power plant. Particle swarm optimization converges to better (higher) objective function values. The genetic algorithm is shown to converge more quickly and more tightly, resulting in a loss of solution diversity. Particle swarm optimization obtains solutions within 0.1% and 0.5% of the best known optimum in significantly fewer objective function evaluations than the genetic algorithm.