cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on alpha albumin in nervous tissue. I. Biochemical investigations.

Abstract In aqueous extracts of human nervous tissue, either normal or diseased, a protein is frequently, but not always, present that possesses a slightly slower mobility than that of serum albumin on agar gel electrophoresis. It has been isolated and purified. This protein appears to be a macromolecular complex, possibly an aggregate of partially degraded serum albumin. It retains its immunological parentage with serum albumin after purification, gel filtration and other procedures. On account of these facts it is named α-albumin. The relative concentration of the amino acid residues of α-albumin are similar for various types of preparation regardless the functional state of the tissue or its topographical region. On the other hand, the amino acid composition is distinctly different from that of serum albumin. The authors are aware that these conclusions are only temporary ones, serving as an introduction to further investigations on the physicochemical properties of α-albumin.
SU-E-T-500: Dose Escalation Strategy for Lung Cancer Patients Using a Biologically- Guided Target Definition

Purpose: Dose escalation strategy for lung cancer patients can lead to late symptoms such as pneumonitis and cardiac injury. We propose a strategy to increase radiation dose for improving local tumor control while simultaneously striving to minimize the injury of organs at risk (OAR). Our strategy is based on defining a small, biologically-guided target volume for receiving additional radiation dose. Methods: 106 patients with lung cancer treated with radiotherapy were selected for patients diagnosed with stage II and III disease. Previous research has shown that 50% of the maximum SUV threshold in FDG-PET imaging is appropriate for delineation of the most aggressive part of a tumor. After PET- and CT-derived targets were contoured, an IMRT treatment plan was designed to deliver 60 Gy to the GTV as delineated on a 4D CT (Plan 1). A second plan was designed with additional dose of 18 Gy to the PET-derived volume (Plan 2). A composite plan was generated by the addition of Plan 1 and Plan 2. Results: Plan 1 was compared to the composite plan and increases in OAR dose were assessed. For seven patients on average, lung V5 was increased by 1.4% and V20 by 4.2% for ipsilateral lung and by 13.5% and 7% for contralateral lung. For total lung, V5 and V20 were increased by 4.5% and 4.8% respectively. Mean lung dose was increased by 9.7% for the total lung. The maximum dose to the spinal cord increased by 16% on average. For the heart, V20 increased by 4.2% and V40 by 5.2%. Conclusion: It seems feasible that an additional 18 Gy of radiation dose can be delivered to FDG PET-derived subvolume of the CT-based GTV of the primary tumor without significant increase in total dose to the critical organs such as lungs, spinal cord and heart.
A Comparision of Phospholipid Biosynthesis in Irradiated Bone Marrow and Liver

SummaryTotal phospholipid phosphorus, lecithin V, and cephalin P of bone marrow, but not of liver, were markedly decreased in rats 4 days after total-body irradiation. Experiments measuring the incorporation of palmitic-1-14C and oleic-l-14C acids into various phospholipids of blood serum, liver, and femoral bone marrow of normal and irradiated rats revealed that the lecithin was the major phospholipid incorporating radioactivity in all tissues. Total-body irradiation did not appear to exert any appreciable effect on the specific activities of these phospholipids in any of the tissues studied. Although radioactivity distribution studies showed little change in liver and serum, radiation significantly decreased the amounts of both palmitic-1-14C and oleic-l-14C acids incorporated into bone-marrow phospholipids. The data are explained on the basis of changes in the marrow-cell population occurring after irradiation.The authors express thanks to Mrs. Anita Moehl for technical assistance.
Prenatal effects of ochratoxin a in hamsters

Pregnant golden hamsters were injected ip with 2.5–20 mg/kg ochratoxin A on one of gestation days 7–10. The largest dosages when given on day 7, 8, or 9 increased prenatal mortality and on day 9 diminished fetal growth. Malformations, such as micrognathia, hydrocephalus, short tail, oligodactyly, syndactyly, cleft lip, micromelia, and heart defects occurred, but no skeletal malformations were noted. These results add to the prenatal effects of ochratoxin A previously reported in mouse, rat, and chicken embryos.
Heat Transfer in a Complex Trailing Edge Passage for a High Pressure Turbine Blade - Part 1: Experimental Measurements

A combined experimental and computational study has been performed to investigate the detailed heat transfer coefficient distributions within a complex blade trailing edge passage. The experimental measurements are made using a steady liquid crystal thermography technique applied to one major side of the passage. The geometry of the trailing edge passage is that of a two-pass serpentine circuit with a sharp 180-degree turning region at the tip. The upflow channel is split by interrupted ribs into two major subchannels, one of which is turbulated. This channel has an average aspect ratio of roughly 14:1. The spanwise extent of the channel geometry includes both area convergence from root to tip, as well as taper towards the trailing edge apex. The average section Reynolds numbers tested in this upflow channel range from 55,000 to 98,000. The tip section contains a turning vane near the extreme comer. The downflow channel has an aspect ratio of about 5:1, and also includes convergence and taper. Turbulators of varying sizes are included in this channel also. Both detailed heat transfer and pressure distribution measurements are presented. The pressure measurements are incorporated into a flow network model illustrating the major loss contributors.
Linking health and environmental data in geographical analysis: It’s so much more than centroids

Abstract Programs and studies increasingly use existing data from multiple sources (e.g., surveillance systems, health registries, or governmental agencies) for analysis and inference. These data usually have been collected on different geographical or spatial units, with each varying from the ones of interest. Combining such disparate data creates statistical challenges. Florida’s efforts to move toward implementing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) program aptly illustrate these concerns, which are typical of studies designed to measure the association between environmental and health outcomes. In this paper, we develop models of spatial associations between myocardial infarctions (MIs) and ambient ozone levels in Florida during August 2005 and use these models to illustrate the problems that can occur when making inferences from aggregated data, the concept of spatial support, and the importance of correct uncertainty assessment. Existing data on hospital discharges and emergency department visits were obtained from Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. Environmental data were obtained from Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection; sociodemographic data were obtained from the US Census Bureau; and data from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to provide additional information on other risk factors. We highlight the opportunities and challenges associated with combining disparate spatial data for EPHT analyses. We compare the results from two different approaches to data linkage, focusing on the need to account for spatial scale and the support of spatial data in the analysis. We use geographically weighted regression, not as a visual mapping tool, but as an inferential tool designed to indicate the need for spatial coefficients, a test that cannot be made by using the majority of Bayesian models. Finally, we use geostatistical simulation methods for uncertainty analysis to demonstrate its importance in models with predicted covariates. Our focus is on relatively simple methods and concepts that can be implemented with ESRI’s® ArcGIS® software.
On gray-coded binary representation for supporting a (repair-by-interpolation) genetic operator for constrained Optimization Problems

A new genetic operator is proposed in the context of genetic algorithms that are applied to constrained optimization problems with binary decision variables. A solution is said to be feasible if it satisfies the constraints, and infeasible otherwise. Provided the two inputs of the operator are of differing feasibility, the operator outputs a infeasible/feasible pair that differ by only a single bit. This is valuable because any optimal solution is within a single bit of transitioning between infeasibility and feasibility, unless the constraints are irrelevant. The operator is implemented by binary search along a path connecting the two inputs. The path is a portion of a randomly selected Gray code (an ordered list of all binary strings having the property that adjacent strings differ by a single bit).
Scaling Procedures for Capillary Pressure Data at Low Wetting-Phase Saturations

Presentation of a method to characterize capillary relationships at low saturations of the wetting phase. The author proposes the use of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms to generate capillary curves at low saturations.
On the design and optimization of biomimetic electrically small antenna arrays

Many small animals and insects possess acute directional hearing capabilities and are able to localize sound sources of interest with an astonishing degree of precision. The auditory systems of such insects are analogous to a two-element antenna array with closely spaced receiving elements. Despite this close spacing, however, the insects can detect the direction of arrival of a sound wave with an amazing degree of precision. In this paper, we discuss electrically small antenna arrays that mimic the sense of directional hearing of small animals and discuss the important design considerations and that must be taken into account in designing these structures.
Measuring knowledge of natural selection: A comparison of the CINS, an open‐response instrument, and an oral interview

Growing recognition of the central importance of fostering an in-depth understanding of natural selection has, surprisingly, failed to stimulate work on the development and rigorous evaluation of instruments that measure knowledge of it. We used three different methodological tools, the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS), a modified version of Bishop and Anderson's (Bishop and Anderson [1990] Journal of Research in Science Teaching 27: 415–427) open-response test that we call the Open Response Instrument (ORI), and an oral interview derived from both instruments, to measure biology majors' understanding of and alternative conceptions about natural selection. We explored how these instruments differentially inform science educators about the knowledge and alternative conceptions their students harbor. Overall, both the CINS and ORI provided excellent replacements for the time-consuming process of oral interviews and produced comparable measures of key concept diversity and, to a lesser extent, key concept frequency. In contrast, the ORI and CINS produced significantly different measures of both alternative conception diversity and frequency, with the ORI results completely concordant with oral interview results. Our study indicated that revisions of both the CINS and ORI are necessary because of numerous instrument items characterized by low discriminability, high and/or overlapping difficulty, and mismatches with the sample. While our results revealed that both instruments are valid and generally reliable measures of knowledge and alternative conceptions about natural selection, a test combining particular components of both instruments—a modified version of the CINS to test for key concepts, and a modified version of the ORI to assess student alternative conceptions—should be used until a more approprite instrument is developed and rigorously evaluated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 1131–1160, 2008
Engineering education needs surgery

It is pointed out that, while enrollments in engineering have been declining over the past several years, the percentage of first year students not staying on for the second year has also been on the rise. This increase in attrition is of particular concern considering the fact those students electing to study engineering are among the best and brightest high school graduates. A model curriculum for the year 2000 is proposed. It is suggested that the undergraduate engineering curriculum should be revised to reduce the shock of the transition from high school to college, give more attention to developing basic study and critical thinking skills with the freshmen, introduce first year students to concepts of design and develop teamwork among the students, utilize computer technology to improve and expand mathematics education, introduce engineering concepts in the physics courses to make them more relevant, strengthen the general liberal arts education, and provide students with opportunities to study aspects of engineering and project management. >
Inhibition of renal caveolin-1 reduces natriuresis and produces hypertension in sodium-loaded rats.

Renal dopamine receptor function and ion transport inhibition are impaired in essential hypertension. We recently reported that caveolin-1 (CAV1) and lipid rafts are necessary for normal D1-like re...
Products of idempotent matrices over integral domains

Abstract We say that a ring R has the idempotent matrices property if every square singular matrix over R is a product of idempotent matrices. It is known that every field, and more generally, every Euclidean domain has the idempotent matrices property. In this paper we show that not every integral domain has the idempotent matrices property and that if a projective free ring has the idempotent matrices property then it must be a Bezout domain. We also show that a principal ideal domain has the idempotent matrices property if and only if every fraction a / b with b ≠ 0 has a finite continued fraction expansion. New proofs are also provided for the results that every field and every Euclidean domain have the idempotent matrices property.
PDMS stretchable platforms for the studies of mechanical compression on neurogenesis

The use of MEMS to study the effect of mechanical compression on neurogenesis has been demonstrated. Polydimethylsiloxane — (PDMS)-based stretchable platforms were used on neurosphere assay to investigate the role of mechanical forces on the formation of radial glial processes, neuronal generation and migration. To induce mechanical compression on neurospheres, The PDMS culturing substrate is patterned with micron-sized wells. Neurospheres are cultured on the prestretched device. After 48 hours, when neurospheres are grown to the size of the well's width, the stretched substrate is released. The experimental results showed that applied mechanical compression on neural stem cells cultured as neurospheres could be a factor accelerating the radial glial formation, which is associated to neurogenesis and neuronal migration.
Information Asymmetry and Corporate Governance

We examine the impact of a firm’s asymmetric information on its choice of three mechanisms of corporate governance: the intensity of board monitoring, the exposure to market discipline, and CEO pay-for-performance sensitivity. We find that firms facing greater asymmetric information tend to use less intensive board monitoring but rely more on market discipline and CEO incentive alignment. These results are consistent with the monitoring cost hypothesis. In addition, we find that high information-asymmetry firms that have to substantially increase board monitoring intensity after Sarbanes-Oxley Act suffer poor stock performance. Our evidence therefore suggests that regulators should use caution when imposing uniform corporate governance requirements on all firms.
An investigation of the correlates of career motivation

Abstract London (1938) proposed that career motivation consists of three individual characteristics: career identity, career insight, and career resilience. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential correlates of career motivation. The importance that individuals placed on work and career, and perceptions regarding the presence of motivating job characteristics, were significantly related to all three aspects of career motivation. Significant relationships were also found between managerial support, career stage, distance from career goal, and the match between individual and organizational career goals and various dimensions of career motivation. The implications of this study for future research on career motivation and how organizations can facilitate career motivation is discussed.
Why There is No Mileage Left in Global Negotiations

For nearly four decades now, the conventional wisdom has been that the migration of human capital (skilled workers) from a developing country to a developed country is detrimental to the developing country. However, this perception need not hold. A well-designed migration policy can result in a â€œbrain gainâ€ to the developing country rather than in just a â€œbrain drainâ€ from it, as well as in a welfare increase for all of its workersâ€”migrants and non-migrants alikeâ€”as the new research reported here suggests.
Whose Standards? (B) Reaching the Assessment Puzzle.

Love it or hate it, assessment has become the new reality on college and university campuses. Although measuring student achievement of course outcomes is not an easy task, assessment does not need to be a complex or painful experience. This paper describes the methods used to assess student achievement of the stated course outcomes in introductory level economics courses at two different colleges, the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) and Siena College, during the 2007 academic year. Specifically, we outline the course assessment activities that are used. We examine whether there are differences in the attainment of the course objectives of the students at the two very different institutions. Finally, we argue that an assessment exam designed using the course objectives is a better assessment tool than a standardized test.
Global monitoring and retrievals of atmospheric aerosols and clouds

A knowledge of aerosol and cloud radiative properties and their variation in space and time is especially crucial to the understanding of the radiative forcing in all climate related studies. The role of clouds in modifying the Earth's radiation balance-albedo cooling effect in shortwave radiation and greenhouse warming effect in longwave radiation-is well recognized as a key source of uncertainty. Man-made processes, both burning of fossil fuels and biomass, generate greenhouse gases and aerosol particles. Directly, aerosol particles can scatter and absorb sunlight. Indirectly, these particles may serve as cloud condensation nuclei and alter cloud albedo. Ship tracks have provided intriguing examples of cloud albedo modification by anthropogenic aerosols. There has been a general concern that the potential climate forcing from the indirect effects of aerosol on clouds can be of comparable magnitude, but opposite in sign, to greenhouse gas radiative forcing. Global monitoring of aerosol and cloud radiative effects relies on advanced Earth Observing Systems (e.g., NASA's EOS and NASDA's ADEOS). Key advances include simultaneous observation of radiation budget and aerosol/cloud properties, additional information on particle size, phase, and vertical layer structure. Comprehensive radiation models are used to develop retrieval algorithms. This paper presents an overview of the science and technique in remote sensing and retrievals of atmospheric aerosols and clouds. High quality multi-spectral imagery, together with nadir propagating lidar measurements, acquired from high altitude aircraft in many field experiments are served as examples for discussion.
Long-term Outcome of Women Compared With Men After Successful Coronary Angioplasty

Background Women who undergo coronary angioplasty have a higher in-hospital mortality than men, although much of this difference can be accounted for by their poorer clinical characteristics at the time of their procedures. However, whether or not there are important long-term differences in outcome between women and men after coronary angioplasty is not clear. Methods and Results A retrospective analysis was performed of 3027 consecutive patients (824 women and 2203 men) who underwent successful angioplasty and who have been followed continuously for a mean of 5.5 years (range, 0.5 to 14 years). Follow-up is 100% complete. Event-free survival was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and clinical end points were also examined by Cox proportional-hazards models to account for important baseline differences when appropriate. There was a trend toward lower survival among women during follow-up, but this was not significant ( P =.06). The relative risk of death among women compared with men after adjustment for baseline differences was 0.94 (CI, 0.76 to 1.15; P =NS). No significant sex differences in occurrence of Q-wave myocardial infarction were observed. Women were less likely to remain free of angina after 10 years (34% versus 37%, respectively; P =.008), but after adjustment for baseline differences, this difference was not significant (relative risk of angina, 1.07; CI, 0.95 to 1.21). Women tended to have less coronary artery bypass surgery performed during follow-up ( P =.06); adjusting for baseline differences made this difference more significant (relative risk, 0.79; CI, 0.64 to 0.96; P =.02). Among patients who were not treated in the setting of acute infarction, no sex differences in survival and freedom from myocardial infarction were noted. Conclusions After successful coronary angioplasty, the long-term prognosis for women is excellent and is similar to that observed in men. Risk-adjusted survival did not differ significantly between the sexes, but less frequent use of subsequent surgical revascularization was observed in women.
Normal and cancer cell metabolism: lymphocytes and lymphoma

Recent studies of normal and neoplastic lymphocytes have revealed overlapping metabolic rewiring in activated T cells and Myc-transformed lymphocytes. Myc expression is attenuated in normal lymphocytes that return to the basal state, but Notch-activated or Myc-transformed lymphocytes persistently express Myc, which activates genes involved in glucose and glutamine metabolism. Although this difference could provide a therapeutic window for the treatment of cancers, the overlapping metabolic profiles suggest a potential for immunosuppression by metabolic inhibitors.
Result of induction chemotherapy followed by surgery in patients with stage IIIA N2 NSCLC: importance of pre-treatment mediastinoscopy.

Objective: Data from the literature indicate that chemotherapy prior to resection may improve the results. However, only few and conflicting data are reported regarding the correlation between downstaging of mediastinal nodes and outcome. The aim of this study was to look at the correlation between downstaging, survival and pre-treatment staging. Material and methods: Between March 1995 and August 1998, 46 consecutive patients with pathology proven N2 disease were treated with three cycles of vindesine-ifosfamide-platinum (VIP). All patients underwent a rigorously performed cervical mediastinoscopy. Patients with at least partial response (na 26) were surgically explored. Results: The clinical response rate to chemotherapy was 57% (26 patients). Resection was complete in 23 patients (88.5%). Pneumonectomy was performed in 16 patients. In 11 patients (42.9%) the mediastinal nodes (which were positive at mediastinoscopy) had become negative (downstaging group). The projected 2-year survival of resected patients is 41%. Patients with downstaging of nodes had no better survival compared to patients with no downstaging. Patients with involved subcarinal nodes at mediastinoscopy and patients with involvement of more than one level had a worse survival. Conclusion: Surgery in N2-patients responsive to induction chemotherapy resulted in a high complete resectability rate. Findings at pre-treatment mediastinoscopy proved to be the most important prognostic factor. q 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
A strategy for generating polyglutamine 'length libraries' in model host proteins.

Huntington’s disease is one of nine known neurodegenerative diseases in which a disease-specific protein contains an unusually long polyglutamine (polyQ) stretch. The proteins associated with each disease are unrelated in sequence, size, structure, function or location of the mutation. In all cases, there is an apparent critical number of glutamines below which individuals do not develop disease. Expansion of the polyQ domain is closely associated with misfolding and aggregation of the protein. It is not yet well understood how the length of the polyQ tract, and its location within a given protein, is related to misfolding and to disease. In this work we developed a strategy for generating length libraries of polyQ-containing proteins, with the polyQ inserted at an arbitrary location. This strategy facilitates systematic, detailed study of the relationship among polyQ length, context and misfolding.
Does unemployment insurance displace familial assistance

The objective of this study is to examine the extent to whichbenefits received from the Unemployment Insurance Programdisplace assistance that the unemployed receive from theirextended family. Using data from a supplement to the PanelStudy of Income Dynamics, it is found that the unemployedreceive private support and that these private networks arefairly pervasive; twenty-nine percent of those receivingUnemployment Insurance benefits also receive cash transfersfrom their family or friends. Moreover, it is found thatunemployment benefits displace familial support by as much as24–40 cents per dollar.
Regional Distribution of Neurofilament and Calcium-binding Proteins in the Cingulate Cortex of the Macaque Monkey

The cingulate cortex is composed of morphologically and functionally distinct areas. It is considered to be a major component of the limbic system and has been shown to subserve a wide range of autonomic and somatic motor functions. The anterior and posterior regions of the cingulate cortex can be differentiated according to their thalamic afferents as well as their patterns of corticocortical connectivity. The primate cingulate cortex is traditionally divided into a series of cytoarchitectonic zones that can be distinguished along a ventral-dorsal axis of differentiation in both the anterior (areas 25, 24a, 24b, and 24c), and posterior (areas 29, 30, 23a, 23b, and 23c) regions. However, little is known about the precise cellular organization of these subareas. In the present study, we attempt to define the neuronal morphological and biochemical composition of the different cingulate cortex subareas, using antibodies to the neurofilament triplet protein and calcium-binding proteins. Results indicate that there is a strong correlation between the structure and functions of the cingulate cortex and the immunostaining patterns. For instance, distribution of neurofilament-rich pyramidal neurons parallels that of specific corticocortical and corticosubcortical systems and is a useful marker to delineate the cingulate motor area. Calcium-binding protein-containing neurons display a high degree of regional and laminar specialization. In particular, parvalbumin-positive interneurons are codistributed with neurofilament-immunoreactive pyramidal cells along the ventrodorsal and rostrocaudal axes of the cingulate cortex. Calbindin- and calretinin-positive immunostaining show more monotonous laminar and regional patterns, although they exhibit a particular labeling in area 29 that may correspond to the termination of select thalamocortical afferents. These chemoarchitectural patterns of regional and laminar neuronal specialization may be envisioned as the reflection of the richness of cortical diversity in the cingulate gyrus, and make it an ideal place to explore the interplay of the distributions of various neuron types in cortical areas of known function.
Silverback CEOs: Age, experience, and firm value

Approximately half of S&P 1500 firms have adopted policies mandating retirement based on age. This study investigates the merits of CEO mandatory retirement policies (MRPs) using a sample of 12,610 firm-year observations from 2143 unique firms. It also addresses the question of whether CEO age is relevant to the success of an organization. We fail to find consistent evidence that MRPs are intended to limit CEO entrenchment. MRPs are, however, positively associated with CEO age and negatively associated with firm-specific human capital. Further analysis reveals that CEO age is significantly negatively related to firm value, operating performance, and corporate deal-making activity. Splitting our sample according to whether an MRP is in place, we observe that the negative impact of age exists only for those firms which do not have MRPs. We therefore conclude that MRPs represent an effective form of firm governance designed to mitigate the underperformance of older CEOs.
TIME SINCE CONTACT AND GENE FLOW MAY EXPLAIN VARIATION IN HYBRID FREQUENCIES AMONG THREE DENDROICA TOWNSENDI × D. OCCIDENTALIS (PARULIDAE) HYBRID ZONES

Abstract Hermit Warblers (Dendroica occidentalis) and Townsend’s Warblers (D. townsendi) meet and hybridize in three replicate zones in Washington and Oregon. Using male specimens, we show that the ratio of hybrid to parental phenotypes varies systematically across these three zones: there were 60.4% hybrids among 96 males from the Olympic zone, 43.3% hybrids among 411 males from the Washington Cascade zone, and 27.8% hybrids among 209 males from the Oregon Cascade zone. We found no evidence of habitat or climatic factors driving these systematic differences in hybrid frequencies, and we argue that they are related to differences among these zones in the immigration of pure parentals and time since contact. Building on earlier hypotheses about massive movement of the coastal zones (Rohwer and Wood 1998), we can infer that the Olympic and Washington Cascade zones are old and of similar age. The Washington Cascade zone, but not the Olympic zone, receives Townsend’s immigrants from the Rocky Mountains throug...
New-onset insomnia in a middle-aged woman.

A 52-year-old female security guard presents to the clinic complaining of insomnia for the past 6 months. She has been working the night shift (11 pm to 7 am) 5 times per week for the past 10 years but has never previously experienced any difficulties sleeping. She has not changed her routine of going to bed around 10 am following a shift and waking up at 6 to 7 pm. On off days, she actively participates in activities at the local church and keeps busy. She now complains of inability to maintain sleep, especially after a work night, that results in feeling sleepy for the next few days. There is no snoring by history or any other indication of sleep-disordered breathing.
Visual Servoing of Quadrotors for Perching by Hanging From Cylindrical Objects

This letter addresses vision-based localization and servoing for quadrotors to enable autonomous perching by hanging from cylindrical structures using only a monocular camera. We focus on the problems of relative pose estimation, control, and trajectory planning for maneuvering a robot relative to cylinders with unknown orientations. We first develop a geometric model that describes the pose of the robot relative to a cylinder. Then, we derive the dynamics of the system, expressed in terms of the image features. Based on the dynamics, we present a controller, which guarantees asymptotic convergence to the desired image space coordinates. Finally, we develop an effective method to plan dynamically feasible trajectories in the image space, and we provide experimental results to demonstrate the proposed method under different operating conditions such as hovering, trajectory tracking, and perching.
Growth and Characterization of non-polar (11–20) GaN and AlGaN/GaN MQWs on R-plane (10–12) sapphire

The majority of GaN films and related devices have been grown along the polar [0001] direction, and epitaxial growth along non-polar directions has received much less attention. In this paper we report the study of material properties of GaN and AlGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) deposited on R-plane (10–12) sapphire substrates using RF plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In this growth direction, III-Nitrides grow along the non-polar [11–20] direction, with the c-axis in the plane of growth. Various nucleation steps such as surface nitridation, as well as GaN and AlN buffer layers were investigated. Our results indicate that surface nitridation of R-plane sapphire is an undesirable nucleation step, contrary to what has been observed in the case of (0001) sapphire. The AlN buffer layer leads to well-oriented films along the [11–20] direction with many threading defects and faceted surface morphology whereas the GaN buffer leads to the formation of mis-oriented domains close to the buffer region. However, these domains are overgrown and the films have smoother surface morphology with fewer threading defects. These structural findings are supported by photoluminescence and Hall effect measurements done on the same films. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of (11–20) AlGaN/GaN MQWs show much higher intensity than for similar structures grown on the C-plane sapphire, consistent with the absence of internal fields in the non-polar direction.
Quantitative Narrative Analysis—What It Can and Cannot Tell Us About Lynching:

Franzosi, De Fazio, and Vicari (this volume, 2012:1-42) propose a strategy for using details contained in narrative accounts of social events to give life to the actors in those events and to reveal agency on the part of those actors. They use the history of lynching in the state of Georgia to demonstrate an application of the proposed meth odological tool, Quantitative Narrative Analysis (QNA). Early in this paper Franzosi and colleagues describe their primary objective as methodological rather than sub stantive. But in evaluating the contribution of this paper it is necessary to consider both methodological and substantive issues. As Franzosi and colleagues correctly observe, the quantitative study of southern lynching has relied heavily on aggregate data (spatial or temporal) to describe the strength of relationships between the intensity of lynching (usually counts of inci dents or victims) and a variety of social, economic, political, and demographic vari ables. As a result of these studies, we know that lynchings were more numerous where the African American population was relatively large, the agricultural econ omy was based predominantly on cotton, the white population was economically stressed, the Democratic Party was stronger, and multiple religious organizations competed for congregants. Savvy social scientists strive to avoid committing an eco logical fallacy by drawing inferences about individual-level motivations and beha viors from such aggregate evidence. Still, the temptation to do so is great because the loss of the actors involved in the lynchings seems a high price to pay for relying on the available, but aggregated, data. Franzosi's interest in the use of narrative for social scientific inquiry is long standing, and he and his colleagues have provided useful introductions to the QNA methodology elsewhere (see the citations in their work). The current paper offers an intriguing, and potentially very valuable, opportunity to complement the aggregate
Effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of crude oil on the copepod Centropages hamatus

Female copepods of the species Centropages hamatus exposed to 80-ppb South Louisiana crude oil in seawater show alterations in their swimming activity, as expressed by the duration of pause intervals during swimming, mean swimming speed, and allocation of time to active food search. Behavioral patterns of oil-exposed copepods returned to patterns shown by control individuals after only 30 min of depuration in uncontaminated seawater. The results indicate that sublethal concentrations of hydrocarbons interfere with mechanisms of food perception in copepods, as in decapod Crustacea, either via blockage of receptors or via narcotization of the copepod's nervous system.
Carbon Nanotube Risk Assessment: Implications for Exposure and Medical Monitoring

Objective: Quantitative risk estimates using toxicology data provide information for risk management to protect workers with potential exposure to carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Methods: Dose―response data from subchronic inhalation studies in rats were used in benchmark dose modeling. Dose was airborne mass concentration of multiwalled CNTs. Responses included pulmonary inflammation, lipoproteinosis, and fibrosis. Results: Estimated human-equivalent concentrations to the rat lowest observed adverse effect levels were similar to some workplace airborne concentrations of CNTs. Working lifetime risk estimates of early-stage adverse lung effects were more than 10% at the limit of quantification (7 μg/m 3 ) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health analytical method for measuring CNT airborne concentrations. Conclusions: Exposure monitoring and control are the primary occupational health measures to protect workers from potential exposure to CNT. Medical monitoring for early detection of occupational respiratory diseases may also be warranted.
Optical beam modal analysis via generalized two-path interferometry

A one dimensional optical implementation of the fractional Fourier Transform (fFT) using programmable lenses is presented. This set-up is used to implement a proof-of-principle experiment demonstrating a spatial mode-sorting Michelson interferometer based on a fFT generalized delay line.
Photoproduction of π 0 from Hydrogen near the Second and Third Pion-Nucleon Resonances

Measurements of the differential cross section for the process $\ensuremath{\gamma}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}+p$ have been made at eight pion center-of-mass angles in the range 51-135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and for incident photon energies from approximately 600-1200 MeV. The bremsstrahlung photon beam used was obtained from the California Institute of Technology electron synchrotron. Both the recoil proton and one $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ ray from the decay of the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ were detected. The incident photon energy was determined by measuring the laboratory angle and time of flight of the recoil proton. The angular distributions obtained indicate that the third pion-nucleon resonance is predominantly a $D(\frac{5}{2})$ resonance excited by a magnetic quadrupole transition. It can also be concluded that any contribution to the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ photoproduction cross section from a virtual vector-meson exchange process is probably negligible in the region of the second and third pion-nucleon resonances.
Drug-induced hemolytic anemias: increasing complications to therapeutic interventions.

Abstract There are recent reports of severe drug-induced immune hemolysis caused by several different classes of drugs. Second and third generation cephalosporins, diclofenac, fludarabine, carboplatin, and beta-lactamase inhibitors are among the drugs associated with severe or fatal hemolysis. Studies on patients who exhibit hemolysis after ingesting these drugs indicate that the four classical mechanisms of drug-induced hemolytic anemia may overlap. These studies appear to support the unified theory for induction of drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia.
Slips of the tongue and lexical storage.

Brown and McNeill's (1966) explanation of the " tip of the tongue " phenomenon relied on a concept of " faint entries " in the lexicon. Such an account may hold only for low frequency items. Slips of the tongue, however, can be obtained at all frequency levels. Analysis of 234 slips collected by the authors and 68 presented by Freud revealed a serial position effect for letter matches similar to that found by Brown and McNeill, supporting the generality of their account. Implications for theoretical accounts of slips are discussed.
Is Public Health Action achieving its goals

Public Health Action (PHA) has now published 11 issues since its launch in September 2011, and this provides us with the opportunity to reflect on how it is operating. Specifically, PHA aims to publish operational research on health systems and services that serve the poor, and to do so in a timely manner. We have taken the opportunity to review the first set of original articles published by the Journal in its first 10 issues. We specifically looked at the pattern and progress of submission and the process of evaluation of the published articles submitted during the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. The pattern of submission has not been uniform over the calendar months evaluated: the number of submissions has increased steadily over each calendar period, with the lowest number of submissions in the earlier months and the greatest later in the calendar period, with a steady rise over each period. The number of monthly submissions was low at the outset but has increased over the three years by more than two-fold for each of the years. The articles published have come from specific sources: approximately half of the articles have come from authors involved in training or education programmes, an additional fifth have come from technical collaboration with public health programmes, another seventh were from research undertaken with academic institutions and the remainder from the work of non-governmental organisations not specifically involved in training or education. Over this initial period, articles have been published from 47 countries: 41% of the articles have come from the World Health Organization’s Africa Region, 32% from the South-East Asia Region, 17% from the Western Pacific Region, 5% from the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 3% from the Americas Region and 2% from the Europe Region. At its inception, PHA established ambitious targets for timely turnaround for review of articles. For the period evaluated, slightly more than three-quarters of articles were assigned to Associate Editors within four days of submission, and the same proportion completed the first round of peer review within 31 days. While the subject matter of the journal has specifically targeted operational research, the types of services evaluated have varied substantially, from communicable diseases to women’s health, child health, non-communicable diseases and neglected tropical diseases. Although PHA is still in its early stages, it appears to be proceeding according to the targets established at the outset. It focuses on health services, primarily in countries with large populations with a high proportion of poor inhabitants, it addresses a broad range of topics in public health services and it has managed to handle submissions in a timely fashion. On this basis, it should be able to expand to fill the broad need for critical evaluation of the operation of health systems and services. We hope it will be increasingly seen as the home of operational research, as well as a vehicle for analysing what we do in providing health solutions for the poor.
Genetic and degenerative disorders primarily causing dementia

Neuroimaging comprises a powerful set of instruments to diagnose the different causes of dementia, clarify their neurobiology, and monitor their treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) depicts volume changes with neurodegeneration and inflammation, as well as abnormalities in functional and structural connectivity. MRI arterial spin labeling allows for the quantification of regional cerebral blood flow, characteristically altered in Alzheimer's disease, diffuse Lewy-body disease, and the frontotemporal dementias. Positron emission tomography allows for the determination of regional metabolism, with similar abnormalities as flow, and for the measurement of β-amyloid and abnormal tau deposition in the brain, as well as regional inflammation. These instruments allow for the quantification in vivo of most of the pathologic features observed in disorders causing dementia. Importantly, they allow for the longitudinal study of these abnormalities, having revealed, for instance, that the deposition of β-amyloid in the brain can antecede by decades the onset of dementia. Thus, a therapeutic window has been opened and the efficacy of immunotherapies directed at removing β-amyloid from the brain of asymptomatic individuals is currently being tested. Tau and inflammation imaging, still in their infancy, combined with genomics, should provide powerful insights into these disorders and facilitate their treatment.
Effect of liquid water on acid sites of NaY: An in situ liquid phase spectroscopic study

Abstract Liquid phase catalyst characterization is experimentally challenging, but it deserves consideration because solvent choice can affect catalyst structure and acidity. Thus, in vacuo spectroscopy of adsorbed probe molecules such as pyridine, while valuable, may provide incomplete information on available catalytic sites in liquid phase reactions. To this end, an Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) cell was used to detect pyridine adsorbed on sodium exchanged faujasite (NaY) in liquid water. The slow accumulation of pyridinium on NaY in the presence of liquid water was observed, suggesting water promotes the protonation of pyridine on NaY, a Lewis acidic material. Transmission FTIR and ATR-FTIR experiments revealed that pyridinium concentration increased with increasing amount of water in NaY, making the liquid phase technique more apt than the established vacuum technique for observing the effect of water on the acid sites of NaY. However, the Bronsted catalyzed ring opening of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) to 2,5-hexanedione is not active on NaY in water. The lack of activity is attributed to the low basicity of DMF. This is consistent with the observation that acetonitrile, a weaker base than pyridine, was not protonated on NaY in water, while 2,6-dimethylpyridine, a stronger base than pyridine, was readily protonated. Thus, although NaY is capable of forming pyridinium in water, NaY may not be active with respect to Bronsted catalyzed pathways unless a reactant is sufficiently basic. Results presented in this work suggest that probe molecule choice can lead to different interpretations of the nature of acid sites in the presence of adsorbed, and especially liquid, water.
Fracture Strength Distribution of Individual Nb 3 Sn Filaments

Brittle fracture of Nb3Sn filaments is one mechanism by which the current-carrying capacity of composite Nb3Sn wires is degraded. However, there are relatively little data in the literature on the intrinsic material fracture properties of Nb3Sn filaments, because the complex composite structure (matrix, secondary phases, and defects such as voids) acts as an integrated mechanical unit. In this study, we extracted individual Nb 3Sn filaments from a fusion-style Nb3Sn composite wire and conducted tensile testing to determine the fracture strength distribution of the isolated filaments. The distribution is modeled using a Weibull function. The relative fracture propensity of fully reacted filaments versus those with unreacted Nb cores is compared. The presence of a Nb core reduces, on average, the fracture strength of a filament by 38% and the strain to failure by 29%. Understanding the fracture probability of Nb3Sn as a function of both stress and volume will allow strand and conductor modeling efforts to more accurately represent the relative contributions of fracture and other effects (such as plasticity) to irreversible current density degradation, and may assist wire manufacturers in assessing the mechanical impact of wire design changes.