cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Novel Nesting Protocol to Decrease Readmission and Increase Patient Satisfaction Following Congenital Heart Surgery.

Abstract Background Pediatric patients post-cardiac surgery have complex care needs requiring extensive discharge education and skill competency by caregivers to transition from the hospital environment to a medical home. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a nesting protocol in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) to improve discharge teaching and care coordination, with a goal to reduce readmission rates and increase caregiver satisfaction and understanding. Methods A nesting protocol was created to provide clear and consistent guidelines to the multidisciplinary team. Pre- and post-intervention data was collected from caregiver satisfaction surveys, using a Likert scale, to determine understanding of nesting and feeling of preparedness upon discharge. In 2016 and 2017, retrospective chart reviews were performed to evaluate readmission data. SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines were utilized when writing this article (Ogrinc et al., 2015). Results Caregivers reported an increase in satisfaction and understanding of the nesting process post-intervention with an increase of 4.48%. Readmission rates did not improve from 2016 to 2017. However, only 6 months of 2017 were reviewed. Conclusions Readmission is a significant problem for children with complex CHD. Post-discharge care requires caregivers to understand the medical care that their children require. Pre-intervention data revealed deficiencies in understanding regarding care regimens, infection control, and nutrition, which correlated with the most frequent causes for readmission among this population. The protocol developed addressed multiple issues concerning discharge readiness.
Microscopy with ultraviolet surface excitation for wide-area pathology of breast surgical margins

Intraoperative assessment of breast surgical margins will be of value for reducing the rate of re-excision surgeries for lumpectomy patients. While frozen-section histology is used for intraoperative guidance of certain cancers, it provides limited sampling of the margin surface (typically <1 % of the margin) and is inferior to gold-standard histology, especially for fatty tissues that do not freeze well, such as breast specimens. Microscopy with ultraviolet surface excitation (MUSE) is a nondestructive superficial optical-sectioning technique that has the potential to enable rapid, high-resolution examination of excised margin surfaces. Here, a MUSE system is developed with fully automated sample translation to image fresh tissue surfaces over large areas and at multiple levels of defocus, at a rate of ∼5 min / cm2. Surface extraction is used to improve the comprehensiveness of surface imaging, and 3-D deconvolution is used to improve resolution and contrast. In addition, an improved fluorescent analog of conventional H&E staining is developed to label fresh tissues within ∼5 min for MUSE imaging. We compare the image quality of our MUSE system with both frozen-section and conventional H&E histology, demonstrating the feasibility to provide microscopic visualization of breast margin surfaces at speeds that are relevant for intraoperative use.
A system of rate equations governing a two-sided optical cavity

An evolution equation is introduced which governs a two-sided optical cavity under spontaneous photon emission. This equation implies a system of rate equations for expectation values of combinatio...
Stability of 4H-SiC JBS Diodes Under Repetitive Avalanche Stress

Silicon carbide (SiC) Junction Barrier Schottky (JBS) rectifiers, used as antiparallel diodes for silicon IGBTs, can be subjected to high current reverse avalanche stress (RAS) during operation in inductive load circuits. The stability of commercially available and NCSU SiC JBS rectifiers was investigated after repetitive RAS. No degradation was observed after 10,000 RAS pulses at the rated on-state current level. Numerical Simulations reveal that the degradation of JBS diodes is suppressed because: (a) the electric field at the Schottky contact is reduced by P+ shielding region, (b) the avalanche current primarily flows via the P+ shielding region and not the Schottky contact, and (c) the temperature rise is limited to less than 100°C during the stress. The avalanche energy for failure of the diodes was also obtained for three values of load inductance by increasing the avalanche current. The critical failure energy was found to be independent of the load inductance values leading to a reduction of the failure current with increasing load inductance.
Non-venous causes of leg and arm swelling

Extremity swelling, pain, edema and erythema are non-specific signs and symptoms for an upper or lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT). There is a poor clinical accuracy to diagnose DVT. The clinical signs and symptoms of DCVT are often mimicked by other pathologies (musculoskeletal, other vascular and infectious disorders). In this presentation we will discuss the differential diagnoses and conditions, which may mimic the clinical signs and symptoms of a DVT such as musculoskeletal causes (lymphadenopathy, hematoma and abscesses, muscle tears, soft tissue masses, popliteal cysts and joint effusions), fluid collections/edema (groin, popliteal fossa and calf) and arterial causes (pseudoaneurysm, arteriovenous fistula and arterial thrombosis).
Design and Evaluation of A 150 kVA SiC MOSFET Based Three Level TNPC Phase-leg PEBB for Aircraft Motor Driving Application

This paper presents the design and evaluation of a phase-leg of power electronic building block (PEBB) with 150-kVA rated power by using 3-level T-type neutral-point-clamped (3L-TNPC) inverter for high-speed motor drives. Model-based pre-design evaluations and power module selections are first introduced to evaluate the design feasibility and improve efficiency. Based on the selected power modules, a novel busbar structure is proposed with a stray inductance of 11.2 nH. Besides these, a novel non-metallic cold plate is designed and evaluated. It shows less weight and improved common-mode noise than the traditional aluminum-cast cold plate. In the end of the paper, continuous tests are carried out to demonstrate the performance of the designed PEBB system. The measured peak efficiency is 99.45% with 30 kHz switching frequency and the measured specific power is 35.36 kW/kg.
Bidirectional Optogenetically-Induced Plasticity of Evoked Responses in the Rat Medial Prefrontal Cortex Can Impair or Enhance Cognitive Set-Shifting.

Abstract Chronic stress compromises cognition, including executive function mediated in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). To investigate mechanisms underlying these processes, we use chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), which reduces activity in the mPFC and impairs cognitive set-shifting, a measure of cognitive flexibility in laboratory rats. It has been shown that CUS attenuates the local electrical field potential response evoked in the mPFC by stimulation of the ascending excitatory afferent from the mediodorsal thalamus (MDT). Thus, in this study, to investigate the role that such changes in afferent-evoked responsivity of the mPFC might play in the cognitive deficits induced by CUS, we used optogenetics to directly induce plastic changes in the thalamic-mPFC afferent pathway. Glutamatergic neurons in the MDT were virally-induced to express the ChETA variant of channelrhodopsin. Then, to first validate the optogenetic induction of plasticity, long-term depression (LTD) or long-term potentiation (LTP) were induced by laser stimulation of ChETA-expressing terminals in the mPFC of anesthetized rats. In subsequent experiments, induction of opto-LTD in awake animals produced set-shifting deficits similar to those induced by CUS. By contrast, inducing opto-LTP in rats that had received prior CUS treatment corrected the stress-induced deficit in set-shifting. These results suggest that stress-induced plasticity in the thalamic-mPFC pathway is sufficient to produce stress-induced cognitive deficits, and may represent a novel target for effective therapeutic intervention to correct cognitive impairment in stress-related psychiatric disorders. Significance Statement Chronic stress reduces the response of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to afferent input, and also impairs cognitive flexibility mediated by the mPFC. We investigated if plasticity in the response of the mPFC to input from the thalamic afferent originating in the region of the mediodorsal thalamus (MDT) could account for stress-induced changes in cognitive capability. Direct optogenetic depression of the thalamic-mPFC pathway impaired cognitive set-shifting similarly to chronic stress. By contrast, directly potentiating this pathway optogenetically restored set-shifting performance in stressed rats. Thus, plasticity in the thalamic-mPFC pathway may be a mechanism for stress-induced cognitive impairment, and restoring function in this pathway may be an effective strategy for therapeutic intervention.
Goal-Aligned, Epidemic Intelligence for the Public Health Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

For the COVID-19 pandemic, and for future pandemics, public health authorities at the local, state, and national levels must develop, deploy, and routinely disseminate, in as timely a manner as pos...
Direct Transverse Sinus Cannulation for Coil Embolization of a Transverse-Sigmoid Sinus Dural Arteriovenous Fistula: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

A 65-yr-old male presented 2 mo after an episode of acute-onset headache associated with altered mental status. Imaging workup with cerebral angiography revealed a Cognard type IV right-sided transverse-sigmoid junction dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF). The patient was treated with endovascular embolization of several pedicles from the middle meningeal (MMA) and occipital arteries. Residual filling and cortical venous reflux were noted on follow-up imaging. Therefore, definitive treatment of the persistent fistula was offered with a combined open and endovascular embolization approach.1 This would provide direct access into the sinus followed by embolization of the fistula. In the accompanying video, we present the case in detail and provide a discussion of the rational and treatment nuances associated with this approach. Patient consent was given prior to the procedure and consent and approval for this operative video were waived due to the retrospective nature of this manuscript and the anonymized video material.
0069 ‘It’s just really tricky business’: challenges and possibilities encountered in a qualitative study of bias-based bullying experiences

Statement of purpose The purpose of this presentation is to describe the variety of qualitative approaches used to explore experiences of bias-based bullying (BBB) - bullying based on personal characteristics (e.g., race, gender identity, body weight). We present the challenges and strategies of combining dyadic interviews with 13 youth (ages 11–18) and their parents, 4 youth focus groups, and 7 school-team interviews. Methods/Approach This presentation will provide an overview of the study design, recruitment strategies, compare and contrast qualitative approaches, and outline a successful framework for future BBB qualitative studies. Results Challenges included 1) lack of familiarity with the term bias-based bullying, 2) schools were reluctant to discuss bias-based bullying incidents, and 3) recruitment of dyadic interviews generated unbalanced data from parents and youth depending on who was targeted for recruitment. Strategies used to overcome these challenges included iterative adaptations of the interview guide to include specific types of bias-based violence (e.g., racism). Reassurance of confidentiality and providing hypothetical examples of BBB informed by youth focus groups facilitated sensitive discussions with school personnel. Adding in-person recruitment at youth-focused events accessed adolescents with a wide range of BBB experiences. Conclusion Reducing BBB is critical to improving the health and wellbeing for all youth. Qualitative methods can foster new insights and yield rich data to enhance the understanding of BBB as well as other challenging life experiences among marginalized youth. Significance With the lessons learned from this study, these methods can be used to investigate other unique experiences in marginalized populations. This research showcases how a combination of rigorous qualitative methods can foster a greater understanding of student, school, and parent perspectives on bias-based bullying, which is essential to the development of more effective prevention and intervention programs to protect vulnerable youth from bullying.
The Irrepressible Myth of Jacobson v. Massachusetts

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Jacobson v. Massachusetts became the fountainhead for pandemic jurisprudence. Courts relied on this 1905 precedent to resolve disputes about religious freedom, abortion, gun rights, voting rights, the right to travel, and many other contexts. But Justice John Marshall Harlan’s decision was very narrow. It upheld the state’s power to impose a nominal fine on an unvaccinated person. No more, no less. Yet, judges now follow a variant of Jacobson that is far removed from the Lochner-era decision. And the Supreme Court is largely to blame for these errors. Over the course of a century, four prominent Justices established the irrepressible myth of Jacobson v. Massachusetts. This myth has four levels. The first level was layered in Buck v. Bell (1927). Justice Holmes recast Jacobson’s limited holding to support forcible intrusions onto bodily autonomy. The Cambridge law did not involve forcible vaccination, but Holmes still used the case to uphold a compulsory sterilization regime. The second level was layered in 1963. In Sherbert v. Verner, Justice Brennan transformed Jacobson, a substantive due process case, into a free exercise case. And he suggested that the usual First Amendment jurisprudence would not apply during public health crises. The third level was layered in 1973. In Roe v. Wade, Justice Blackmun incorporated Jacobson into the Court’s modern substantive due process framework. Roe also inadvertently extended Jacobson yet further: during a health crisis, the state has additional powers to restrict abortions. The fourth layer is of recent vintage. In South Bay Pentecostal Church v. Newsom, Chief Justice Roberts’s “superprecedent” suggested that Jacobson-level deference was warranted for all pandemic-related constitutional challenges. This final layer of the myth, however, would be buried six months later in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo. The per curiam decision followed traditional First Amendment doctrine, and did not rely on Jacobson. But Jacobson stands ready to open up an escape hatch from the Constitution during the next crisis. The Supreme Court should restore Jacobson to its original meaning, and permanently seal that escape hatch This article, written in the midst of the pandemic, will revisit, repudiate, and replace the irrepressible myth of Jacobson v. Massachusetts.
Down Here on the Ground: Prosecutorial Discretion, Intersectionality, Police Transparency, and Unintended Consequences

Offering a critical assessment of the regional, statewide, and national manifestations of structural inequality in the criminal justice system, this symposium illuminates the complexities of structural inequality as a function of discretionary prosecutorial decision-making; the gendered impact of mass incarceration and the prospect of reform through codifying dignity in prison policy; the Fourth Amendment's exclusionary rule and its efficacy in protecting privacy in the surveillance state; and the unintended consequences of systemic and structural reform. The reform debate will be advanced and refined by the diverse perspectives presented here; it is our hope that these articles will help to lay some of the essential groundwork for criminal justice reform.
Community event promotes active engagement in science

A small liberal arts college in the midwest collaborated with local partners to develop a community event, Family Discovery Night, with the objective of exciting and engaging the public about the i...
Space Crew Health Monitoring

In NASA’s strategy for continued expeditions human explorers are expected to undertake long duration missions which will increase the requirement for maintaining good health in instances of extreme conditions including higher radiation exposure and lower gravity environment. These circumstances pose greater challenges to the astronaut such as metabolic stress, decompressions sickness and radiation exposure. To support the health and performance of the astronaut there is an essential need to monitor their status in the space suit. In this paper a prototype low-power, wireless physiological monitoring system (VPack) is presented. Multiple non-invasive sensors are integrated into a wearable device that can be used to monitor the health and wellness of space suit occupant during extra vehicular activities (EVA). The integrated software and hardware interoperability capabilities are outlined here with inclusion of medical informatics and wireless network communication.
Chapter 6 The Human Alveolar Macrophage

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the different aspects of human alveolar macrophage. Alveolar macrophages are part of a family of mononuclear phagocytic cells that are widely scattered throughout the body. A primary function of alveolar macrophages is to keep the alveolar surfaces of the lung sterile and free of debris. Alveolar macrophages and lung lymphocytes can be obtained directly from lung biopsy specimens by placing the specimens immediately in sterile heparinized saline at 4°C at the time of thorocotomy. One of the critical determinants of the ability of alveolar macrophages to function and/or survive is whether they are attached to a surface or are suspended in a fluid. Macrophages attached to a surface synthesize greater amounts of protein for longer periods of time and are more efficient at phagocytosis than suspended cells. The ability of the alveolar macrophage to ingest and kill microorganisms has been demonstrated in vivo and in vitro in many types of animal models. The alveolar macrophage may also function to remove various abnormal cells in its environment.
A series-fed microstrip patch array with interconnecting CRLH transmission lines for WLAN applications

In this paper, a design of a series-fed microstrip array with composite right-/left-handed transmission lines (CRLH-TLs) is being proposed. To ensure that each element in the array is driven with the same voltage phase, dual-band CRLH-TLs are adopted instead of meander-line microstrip lines to provide a compact interconnect with a zero phase-constant at the frequency of operation. The simulation results of the proposed array are verified by measurements done in an anechoic chamber. A bandwidth of 24 MHz was experimentally determined with a center frequency of 2.45 GHz. The proposed array would be useful for 2.45 GHz WLAN applications.
Storage and commodity markets: Floor-price schemes

Markets for storable commodities are often subject to public interventions in the name of market stabilization, including price supports, price ceilings, prohibitions on private hoarding, marketing boards, and production controls. Often such measures are really designed to redistribute income among producers, consumers, and the public treasury by raising or lowering mean price. Others, however, are plausibly aimed at stabilization, because they do not directly interfere with sales to consumers when price is around its mean level. Even those interventions ostensibly for stabilization can result in substantial transfers between risk-neutral consumers and producers. Indeed, they can change mean price. Hence, consumers and producers need not be risk averse with respect to fluctuations in income to be affected by market-stabilizing interventions. Also, if there is a complete and otherwise undistorted set of markets, a market-stabilizing intervention causes a social deadweight loss; the degree of instability resulting from undistorted private storage is optimal given the cost of storage. Thus, for any market-stabilizing intervention there are questions about its allocative and welfare effects. Types of market-stabilizing price supports Three common types of scheme aimed at keeping the price paid to producers at or above a support level are distinguished by the method of market intervention. In one, the government pays producers deficiency payments, which consist of the difference, if positive, between a “target price” P D and the market price P t paid by consumers in period t . Under this scheme, the producer price = Max [ P t , P D ]. In another type of scheme the government itself stores the commodity.
Text data extraction from microfilm images of punched cards

A system for reading text data from microfilm images of punched cards is described. The input is a high resolution gray level image obtained by scanning the card image from the microfilm. Noise due to the poor quality of microfilm data and similarity in gray levels of noise patches and punches are the major problems for text extraction. Thresholding, skew correction and morphological operations are performed on the input gray level image. Card parameters such as positions of punches, etc., are calculated and used along with the knowledge about the contents of the card to separate punched holes from other artifacts. Text data are recognized by locating the punched holes and errors are corrected by a context-based approach. The algorithm has been implemented in software and tested on several images. >
Performance Specification and Measurement

There are currently quite a few hardware description languages that support functional and structural description. However very few of them have features for rigorously describing the nonfunctional aspects of a system. Among such data are the performance attributes. We propose a technique and a language for specifying the performance attributes and attribute evaluators. Using this language, designated PDL (Performance Description Language), the design is viewed as a hierarchical composition of building blocks and the performance attributes of the design are described in terms of the building block performance. PDL and its execution environment are based on attributed grammars. Attribute grammars have been investigated well. In this paper, we introduce various constructs in PDL and demonstrate its use for performance description and measurement. The syntax of PDL continues to evolve at this time; the syntax used in this paper is only incidental.
Photometric-Kinematic Correlations for Spirals

The relationship between near-infrared luminosity and rotation velocity in spiral galaxies is found to have the dependence L ~ V 3.2. This power-law dependence can be understood empirically if (a) all disk systems have similar mass profiles in dimensionless units, (b) large disk systems have higher central densities such that µ 0 ~ M0.8, and (c) small disk systems have relatively higher dark matter components such that M/L ~ M - 0.4.
Preferential increases in nucleus accumbens dopamine after systemic cocaine administration are caused by unique characteristics of dopamine neurotransmission.

In vivo voltammetry was used to investigate the preferential increase of extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens relative to the caudate-putamen after systemic cocaine administration. In the first part of this study, cocaine (40 mg/kg, i.p.) was compared with two other blockers of dopamine uptake, nomifensine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and 3beta-(p-chlorophenyl)tropan-2beta-carboxylic acid p-isothiocyanatophenylmethyl ester hydrochloride (RTI-76; 100 nmol, i.c.v.), to assess whether the inhibitory mechanism of cocaine differed in the two regions. All three drugs robustly increased electrically evoked levels of dopamine, and cocaine elevated dopamine signals to a greater extent in the nucleus accumbens. However, kinetic analysis of the evoked dopamine signals indicated that cocaine and nomifensine increased the K(m) for dopamine uptake whereas the dominant effect of RTI-76 was a decrease in V(max). Under the present in vivo conditions, therefore, cocaine is a competitive inhibitor of dopamine uptake in both the nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen. Whether the preferential effect of cocaine was mediated by regional differences in the presynaptic control of extracellular DA that are described by rates for DA uptake and release was examined next by a correlation analysis. The lower rates for dopamine release and uptake measured in the nucleus accumbens were found to underlie the preferential increase in extracellular dopamine after cocaine. This relationship explains the paradox that cocaine more effectively increases accumbal dopamine despite identical effects on the dopamine transporter in the two regions. The mechanism proposed for the preferential actions of cocaine may also mediate the differential effects of psychostimulant in extrastriatal regions and other uptake inhibitors in the striatum.
An integrated core sequence in digital computation

A new digital computation sequence that integrates elements of digital logic design, computer architecture, and programming is described. This four-course core sequence, introduced at Georgia Tech, provides a system-oriented presentation instead of treating these concepts as independent topics. Key concepts include hierarchical modular design, system-level trade-offs, and computer-based design and analysis tools. Tightly coupled laboratories and computer-based assignments consolidate key concepts. Real-world design environment tools are utilized for digital logic design and simulation, instruction level simulation, and VHDL-based architectural modeling. This restructuring of core courses is designed to better prepare students for the evolving design environment based on custom and semi-custom VLSI programmable logic devices, and computer-based design tools.
Pulsed EPR/ENDOR Characterization of the Cu2+ Surface Site in Photosynthetic Bacterial Reaction Centers

X-band pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance was used to elucidate details of the Cu2+ surface binding site involved in QA-QB → QAQB- electron transfer in photosynthetic bacterial reaction centers (RCs). Electron spin−echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy was employed to measure the hyperfine and electric quadrupole interactions of weakly coupled 14N nuclei, and X-band pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy was used to probe strongly coupled 14N nuclei. The 14N ESEEM observed for Cu2+ at the surface site of RCs results from a single histidine ligand. In addition, the ENDOR spectra reveal the presence of one more nitrogen ligand in the Cu2+ coordination sphere that we tentatively assign as a peptide backbone nitrogen. The similarity of the ESEEM and ENDOR spectra for RCs from Rb. sphaeroides, Rb. capsulatus, and Blc. viridis suggests a universal intrinsic structural site. These results indicate that Cu2+ has a different coordination environment from the crystallographically ...
Semiclassical complex-time method for tunneling ionization: Molecular suppression and orientational dependence

We apply a previously developed semiclassical complex time method to the calculation of tunneling ionization of several diatomic molecules and CO{sub 2}. We investigate the presence or absence of the molecular suppression effect by calculating ionization rates of N{sub 2} versus Ar, O{sub 2} versus Xe, F{sub 2} versus Ar, and CO versus Kr. Comparisons with other theories, including the molecular-orbital-Ammosov-Delone-Krainov (MO-ADK) model and the strong-field approximation, are given. We also analyze the dependence of the ionization rate on the angle {theta}{sub F} between the molecular axis and the field direction. The theoretical results agree quite well with experiment for N{sub 2} and O{sub 2} but give too low a value of the peak angle {theta}{sub F} for CO{sub 2}. Our calculations give small values of the ionization rates for O{sub 2} and CO{sub 2} at {theta}{sub F}=0 and 90 deg., in agreement with experiment. Other calculations, including the MO-ADK model and methods involving a numerical integration of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation, exhibit substantially weaker suppression at these angles.
Switchability and Bifurcation of Motions in a Double-Excited Fermi-Acceleration Oscillator

In this paper, switchability and bifurcation of motions in a double excited Fermi acceleration oscillator is discussed using the theory of discontinuous dynamical systems. The analytical conditions for motion switching in such a Fermi-oscillator are presented. Bifurcation scenario for periodic and chaotic motions is presented, and the analytical predictions of periodic motions are presented. Finally, periodic and chaotic motions in such an oscillator are illustrated.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Getting to the Table in Oslo: Driving Forces and Channel Factors

Using the secret Middle East peace talks in Oslo, Norway as a case example, the authors develop a conceptual framework for analyzing prenegotiation processes in negotiation. The framework focuses on understanding changes in the balance of geopolitical, internal, political, and group psychological forces that lead parties to negotiate. The framework also highlights the importance of “channel factors,” such as the use of unofficial representatives, small-state sponsorship, co-mediation, secret diplomacy, and staged agreements. Although developed with reference to the Oslo peace process, the authors believe this framework has broader applicability to the analysis of prenegotiation processes in international and ethnic disputes and other situations of protracted conflict. They conclude with a series of questions for future prenegotiation research.
Exposure to light in healthy elderly subjects and Alzheimer's patients

Exposure to light was recorded from 10 healthy elderly adults and 13 age-matched subjects with senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT). Data were recorded in the home, for an average of 5 days, while subjects continued their normal daily activities. Subjects were exposed to remarkably small intervals of illumination exceeding 2000 lux. Subjects with SDAT were exposed to bright light significantly less than healthy controls (0.5 vs. 1.0 hr). Whether or not they had SDAT, males were exposed to illumination exceeding 2000 lux significantly more than were females. Healthy elderly received about two-thirds the duration of bright light received by healthy younger subjects. These findings suggest an association between decreased exposure to bright light and the declines in sleep quality which typically accompany normal and pathological aging.
A robust testing procedure for the equality of covariance matrices

In classical statistics the likelihood ratio statistic used in testing hypotheses about covariance matrices does not have a closed form distribution, but asymptotically under strong normality assumptions is a function of the @g^2-distribution. This distributional approximation totally fails if the normality assumption is not completely met. In this paper we will present multivariate robust testing procedures for the scatter matrix @S using S-estimates. We modify the classical likelihood ratio test (LRT) into a robust LRT by substituting the robust estimates in the formula in place of classical estimates. A nonlinear formula is also suggested to approximate the degrees of freedom for the approximated Wishart distribution proposed for S-estimates of the shape matrix @S. We present simulation results to compare the validity and the efficiency of the robust likelihood test to the classical likelihood test.
Scientific computation on some mathematical problems

Abstract Our goal is to survey, using three examples, how high-precision computations have stimulated mathematical research in the areas of polynomial and rational approximation theory. The first example will be the “ 1 9 ” Conjecture in rational approximation theory. Here high-precision computations gave strong evidence that this conjecture is false. Gonchar and Rakhmanov have given an exact solution of this conjecture. The second example will be the “8” Conjecture in rational approximation theory. In this case, high-precision computations and the use of the Richardson extrapolation method led to this conjecture. Stahl has proved that this conjecture and its generalization are true. The final example will be the Bernstein Conjecture in polynomial approximation theory and its generalization.
Dynamic modeling, design and simulation of a wind/fuel cell/ultra-capacitor-based hybrid power generation system

Recent research and development of alternative energy sources have shown excellent potential as a form of contribution to conventional power generation systems. In order to meet sustained load demands during varying natural conditions, different energy sources and converters need to be integrated with each other for extended usage of alternative energy. The paper focuses on the combination of wind, fuel cell (FC) and ultra-capacitor (UC) systems for sustained power generation. As the wind turbine output power varies with the wind speed: an FC system with a UC bank can be integrated with the wind turbine to ensure that the system performs under all conditions. We propose herein a dynamic model, design and simulation of a wind/FC/UC hybrid power generation system with power flow controllers. In the proposed system, when the wind speed is sufficient, the wind turbine can meet the load demand while feeding the electrolyzer. If the available power from the wind turbine cannot satisfy the load demand, the FC system can meet the excess power demand, while the UC can meet the load demand above the maximum power available from the FC system for short durations. Furthermore, this system can tolerate the rapid changes in wind speed and suppress the effects of these fluctuations on the equipment side voltage in a novel topology.
A novel scoring function for discriminating hyperthermophilic and mesophilic proteins with application to predicting relative thermostability of protein mutants

The ability to design thermostable proteins is theoretically important and practically useful. Robust and accurate algorithms, however, remain elusive. One critical problem is the lack of reliable methods to estimate the relative thermostability of possible mutants. We report a novel scoring function for discriminating hyperthermophilic and mesophilic proteins with application to predicting the relative thermostability of protein mutants. The scoring function was developed based on an elaborate analysis of a set of features calculated or predicted from 540 pairs of hyperthermophilic and mesophilic protein ortholog sequences. It was constructed by a linear combination of ten important features identified by a feature ranking procedure based on the random forest classification algorithm. The weights of these features in the scoring function were fitted by a hill-climbing algorithm. This scoring function has shown an excellent ability to discriminate hyperthermophilic from mesophilic sequences. The prediction accuracies reached 98.9% and 97.3% in discriminating orthologous pairs in training and the holdout testing datasets, respectively. Moreover, the scoring function can distinguish non-homologous sequences with an accuracy of 88.4%. Additional blind tests using two datasets of experimentally investigated mutations demonstrated that the scoring function can be used to predict the relative thermostability of proteins and their mutants at very high accuracies (92.9% and 94.4%). We also developed an amino acid substitution preference matrix between mesophilic and hyperthermophilic proteins, which may be useful in designing more thermostable proteins. We have presented a novel scoring function which can distinguish not only HP/MP ortholog pairs, but also non-homologous pairs at high accuracies. Most importantly, it can be used to accurately predict the relative stability of proteins and their mutants, as demonstrated in two blind tests. In addition, the residue substitution preference matrix assembled in this study may reflect the thermal adaptation induced substitution biases. A web server implementing the scoring function and the dataset used in this study are freely available at http://www.abl.ku.edu/thermorank/ .
Mixed fleet dispatching in truckload relay network design optimization

Abstract We propose a mathematical formulation for strategic relay network design and dispatching method selection for full truckload transportation. The proposed model minimizes total transportation and installation costs of a mixed fleet dispatching system combining relay network and point-to-point dispatching. Operational constraints such as maximum driver tour length and load circuity are considered within the variable definition using predefined templates to generate feasible routes. High quality solutions for largely-sized problem instances are obtained in reasonable times. Computational results are analyzed to develop insights about the mixed fleet dispatching system and quantify its benefits over relay network-only and point-to-point dispatching.
Wistar Kyoto rats exhibit reduced sucrose pellet reinforcement behavior and intravenous nicotine self-administration

A phenotype of heightened anxiety-like behavior is hypothesized to be associated with altered reinforcement behavior. To test this hypothesis, we studied patterns of sucrose pellet intake and intravenous nicotine self-administration in animals that exhibit anxiety-like behavior at baseline, Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, as compared to normal controls (Wistar rats). WKY rats exhibited significantly reduced sucrose pellet self-administration behavior as assessed by both fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement and exhibited significantly reduced self-administration of intravenous nicotine. On the basis of previously published findings, we hypothesize that altered mesolimbic dopamine responses, as well as heightened HPA axis functioning, may account for reduced nicotine self-administration and sucrose pellet reinforcement responding in WKY rats. These studies highlight the role of heightened anxiety-like behavior, resulting from the genetic background of the animal, in altering behavioral responses to reinforcing stimuli.
The OsteoQuant: an isotope-based CT scanner for precise measurement of bone density.

OBJECTIVE We attempted to design and construct a computed tomography scanner with an in vivo precision of better than 0.5% for trabecular bone density of the radius. MATERIALS AND METHODS A number of considerations involving physical limitations, stability of the system, and cost led to the development of the OsteoQuant, an isotope-based computed tomography scanner working on the translate-rotate principle. With 16 detectors providing a total of 128 projections and 256 data points per projection, the measurement time for one cross section is typically 90 s. Optimal for bone measurements in arms and legs, 125I was chosen as the photon source. The detectors are photomultipliers with Nal(TI) crystals employed in the counting mode. Usually, six to ten slices are measured at a given site, 2 mm apart from each other, and bone density is calculated for trabecular, subcompact, and compact bone. For repeat measurements, the evaluation sites are carefully matched, and the same volume of bone is analyzed at each measurement occasion. RESULTS The long-term precision of the scanner, measured with a water cylinder, is 0.03%. This error includes the performance of the scanner hardware, calibration of the photon count rates, and reconstruction process. In vivo precision is influenced by additional factors such as slice positioning, patient cooperation, and bone contour detection. At the distal end of the tibia, trabecular bone density can be measured with a precision of 0.1%. The error for trabecular bone density in the radius is 0.3%. CONCLUSION The OsteoQuant surpasses the design goals and represents an ideal instrument to assess small changes in bone density over time.
Selective Proteolysis of the Receptor for Parathyroid Hormone in Renal Corte1

Studies were carried out to determine if the receptors for parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, and prostaglandin E1 could be differentiated in renal cortex. Slices of rabbit renal cortex were incubated in buffer containing theophylline for 1 hr and then in fresh buffer with and without hormone for an additional period of 15 to 30 min. Parathyroid hormone caused a marked increase in 3',5'-AMP in both the tissue and the reaction medium. The maximal increase in 3',5'-AMP in response to prostaglandin Ej was similar to that of parathyroid hormone in the tissue but significantly less in the medium. The maximal response to calcitonin was less in both the tissue and the medium. Addition of 200 μg/ml trypsin to the first incubation abolished the subsequent response to parathyroid hormone in both the tissue and the reaction medium, but did not affect the basal concentration of 3',5'-AMP or the response to calcitonin or prostaglandin E1. Controls were carried out to show that the lack of response to parathyroid hormone...
Transport at large downstream distances in mixed convection flow adjacent to a vertical uniform-heat-flux surface

Abstract A perturbation analysis of mixed convection flow over a vertical semi-infinite surface with uniform heat flux is presented. A matched asymptotic expansion technique is used to construct inner and outer expansions including, for the first time, both mixed convection and higher-order boundary layer effects. It is shown that these effects must be simultaneously included to obtain consistent higher-order approximations to mixed convection boundary layer flow at large downstream distances. Numerical calculations are presented for Pr = 0.733 and 6.7 which indicate the relative magnitudes of mixed convection and non-boundary layer effects. In addition, new experimental measurements of surface heat transfer rates and velocity and temperature profiles are presented for mixed convection flow adjacent to a vertical uniformheat-flux surface in air. The measured profiles are found to be in excellent agreement with those predicted by the analysis. The predicted variation of the Nusselt number is also seen to agree well with the values inferred from the measurements.
Thermodynamics of the Cr-Ta-W system by combining the Ab Initio and CALPHAD methods

Abstract The thermodynamic properties of alloys can be described from the knowledge of the underlying lattice and the atomic numbers of the alloy species by using a first-principles electronic structure approach based on the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital method within the coherent potential approximation (TB-LMTO-CPA) and the local density approximation of density functional theory. The generalized perturbation method (GPM) permits direct mapping of the configurational part of the effective one-electron Hamiltonian onto an Ising-like model thus insuring the necessary link between quantum mechanics and statistical thermodynamics. To test the practical application of this approach to multi-component alloys, data assessment has been successfully performed for the Cr-Ta-W alloy system by using the thermodynamic results derived from the TB-LMTO-CPA-GPM and the cluster variation method (CVM) in the tetrahedron approximation for Ta-W alloys as functions of temperature and concentration. These later results predict B2 ordering for the bcc-based Ta-W system with a maximum ordering temperature near 1000 K at 43 at.% Ta. The output thermodynamics were converted to a Redlich-Kister/Bragg-Williams format with an acceptable level of accuracy. The results were then combined with those of the CALPHAD description of the Cr-W and Cr-Ta systems to calculate isothermal sections of the ternary phase diagram of the Cr-Ta-W system.
Crop–weed hybrids are more frequent for the grain amaranth ‘Plainsman’ than for ‘D136-1’

White-seeded cultivated amaranth [Amaranthus caudatus L., A. cruentus L., and A. hypochondriacus L.] grain is less valuable if contaminated with brown off-type seeds from the hybrid weedy progeny of spontaneous crop–weed crossing. Crop–weed crossing frequency was estimated by using two grain amaranth cultivars. Both cultivars were planted at the same nine locations in the Midwest United States and exposed to pollen from local weedy Amaranthus species. Harvested seeds were grown in a greenhouse, and the frequency of crop–weed hybrids was determined by observing dominant weed traits in the progeny. The cultivar ‘Plainsman’ was approximately tenfold more likely to hybridize with weedy amaranths than was ‘D136-1’. These are the first amaranth cultivars to be evaluated in this way. The reduced hybridization potential of ‘D136-1’ or similar material can be exploited to reduce the occurrence of off-type seed contamination in grain amaranths.
From Social Network to Data Envelopment Analysis: Identifying Benchmarks at the Site Management Level

AbstractIt is widely accepted in the construction industry that contract documents, specifying the responsibility and risk of each participant, are the basis for project managers’ and superintendents’ decision making (DM). However, in practice strict adherence to the formal procedures and chains of command would not always be possible without an unacceptable expenditure of time and money. Although much attention is given to the decisions at the project manager and superintendent level, the underlying rules and mechanisms for the moment-to-moment DM at the site management level has not been documented. In this paper, a social network (SN)–based data envelopment analysis (DEA) benchmarking procedure (SDBP), which combines DEA (assessing the relative efficiency of DM units) and SN (concentrating on the relationships amongst DM units) to identify the benchmarks for the inefficient specialty trades (STs). This paper also uses a case study to illustrate how to implement the SDBP. This research contributes to th...
On the binary nature of cosmic γ -ray burst sources

The binary model of gamma ray burst sources wherein the bursts are emitted by a collapsed object in a close-binary stellar system and a small fraction of the gamma radiation is reprocessed into optical radiation in the surface layers of a companion star is considered, and it is concluded that the model is viable. In particular, under the assumption that the optical flashes discovered by Schaefer (1981) and Schaefer et al. (1984) were produced by gamma-ray bursts of about the same intensity as those observed, it is found that nearby binary systems with secondaries whose masses are less than about 0.06 solar mass can fit all the observational constraints for the three optical/gamma-ray pair events.