cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydroisomerization probe of the catalytic and structural behavior of iron-rhodium particles supported on refractory oxide supports

Abstract In order to understand the role of metal—support interactions in determining the structure and catalytic chemistry of multimetallic catalysts, kinetic and calorimetric studies of FeRh particles supported on a number of refractory oxide supports were conducted. Kinetic studies (1-butene hydroisomerization) showed that selectivity and activity were influenced by a number of parameters, particularly support identity, but also reduction temperature, and time on stream. To explain the observed kinetics it is postulated: (i) catalysis takes place both at metal sites and at acid sites on the surface, and that the selectivity of each site type is very different, (ii) the presence of metal enhances the rate of reaction at the acid sites by providing hydrogen atoms via a spillover mechanism, (iii) the metal loses activity more rapidly than the acid sites and (iv) due to the relative strengths of iron and rhodium interactions with the support, rhodium is preferentially reduced. Microcalorimetric studies of the surface composition support the postulate that rhodium is preferentially reduced and found at the surface. In sum, this study clearly shows that the structural and hence catalytic behavior of refractory oxide supported FeRh is distinctly different than that observed for the same metals on a graphitic support, thus demonstrating the critical importance of metal—support interactions in determining the catalytic character of multimetallic particles.
Mechanism of Transferrin Receptor Down-regulation in K562 Cells in Response to Protein Kinase C Activation (∗)

Treatment with phorbol esters increases endocytosis of the transferrin receptor in K562 cells (Klausner, R. D., Harford, J., and van Renswoude, J.(1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 81, 3005-3009). In this report, we demonstrate that this effect is reversible within early times of protein kinase C activation ( 15 h).
Tissue Doppler imaging for rejection surveillance in pediatric heart transplant recipients

Background Most transplant centers perform serial cardiac biopsies for rejection surveillance in pediatric heart transplant (HT) recipients. We sought to assess tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) findings during biopsy specimen-proven rejection in pediatric HT recipients and to develop TDI criteria for absence of rejection with high predictive accuracy. Methods We included the 122 HT recipients in follow-up at our center (median age at HT, 8.7 years). We identified all echocardiograms with adequate TDI data performed within 24 hours of a cardiac biopsy during 2005 to 2011. Rejection was defined as Grade ≥ 2R cellular rejection or antibody-mediated rejection. Paired comparisons of TDI velocities were made using patients' baseline velocities as the control. Results Overall, 647 specimen-pairs were identified where there was no rejection at baseline. In 24 of these, the second biopsy specimen demonstrated rejection. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of percentage change from baseline, we identified 99% accuracy. When joint criteria were used, the predictive accuracy was 100%, and no rejection event was misclassified. More than 75% of TDI pairs met these criteria for non-rejection. Conclusions Biopsy specimen-proven rejection is associated with a significant decline in biventricular TDI velocities from baseline in pediatric HT recipients. By using well-defined TDI criteria to predict non-rejection, a substantial proportion of planned biopsies may be deferred or avoided at minimal risk to pediatric HT recipients.
Two topics for further exploration

Abstract Information concerning brain regions selectively affected in Alzheimer's disease is still incomplete, and the unique involvement of olfactory regions remains to be demonstrated conclusively. The very high incidence of Alzheimer neuropathology in aging humans with Down's syndrome raises issues concerning the role of aluminosilicates.
Analysis of a Penalty Method

In this article we study the simplest one-dimensional transport equation u t +au x =f and study the implementation of the boundary condition using a penalty method combined with a P1 finite element discretization. We discuss the convergence of the method when both the penalty parameter ? and the mesh size h go to zero, in sequence or simultaneously. Some numerical simulations are reported also showing the efficiency of the method. Numerical simulations are also made for the similar problem in space dimension 2.
Specification, Residuals and Contextual Effects

The controversy over contextual effects is reviewed from the standpoint of specification analysis. The uselessness of ad hoc calculations of "variance due to" is demonstrated, and more careful examinations of goodness of fit are advocated. In this regard, it is demonstrated that techniques involving the analysis of residuals can be powerful aids both to assessing the quality of parameter estimation and to allowing the data to reveal the unexpected. It is concluded that contextual effects are weak, but cannot be dismissed, and a new line of theorizing is advocated.
Colloids decrease clot propagation and strength: role of factor XIII‐fibrin polymer and thrombin–fibrinogen interactions

Colloid-mediated hypocoagulability is clinically important, but the mechanisms responsible for coagulopathy have been incompletely defined. Thus, my goal was to elucidate how colloids decrease plasma coagulation function. Plasma was diluted 0% or 40% with 0.9% NaCl, three different hydroxyethyl starches (HES, mean molecular weight 450, 220 or 130 kDa), or 5% human albumin. Samples (n=6 per condition) were activated with celite, and diluted samples had either no additions or addition of fibrinogen (FI), thrombin (FIIa) or activated Factor XIII (FXIIIa) to restore protein function to prediluted values. Thrombelastographic variables measured included clot propagation (angle, alpha), and clot strength (amplitude, A; or shear elastic modulus, G). Dilution with 0.9% NaCl significantly decreased alpha, A and G-values compared to undiluted samples. Supplementation with FI, but not FIIa or FXIIIa, resulted in 0.9% NaCl-diluted thrombelastographic variable values not different from those of undiluted samples. FI supplementation of HES 450, HES 220, HES 130 and albumin-diluted samples only partially restored alpha, A and G-values compared to undiluted samples. FIIa addition only improved clot propagation and strength in albumin-diluted samples. FXIIIa supplementation improved propagation in samples diluted with HES 450, HES 220 and albumin, and clot strength improved in HES 450 and albumin-diluted plasma. Considered as a whole, these data support compromise of FIIa-FI and FXIIIa--fibrin polymer interactions as the mechanisms by which colloids compromise plasma coagulation. Investigation to determine if clinical enhancement of FXIII activity and/or FI concentration (e.g. fresh-frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate) can attenuate colloid-mediated decreases in hemostasis is warranted.
Mononucleating Bis(β-diketonate) Ligands and Their Titanium(IV) Complexes

Novel bis(β-diketones) linked by 2,2‘-biphenyldiyl, 2,2‘-tolandiyl, and 2,2‘-bis(methylene)biphenyl moieties have been prepared. All are metalated readily by titanium(IV) isopropoxide, but the nature of the complexes formed depends on the linker structure. The biphenyl-bridged ligand gives only traces of a mononuclear complex, which is thermodynamically unstable with respect to oligomerization. The tolan-bridged ligand does form mononuclear complexes, but only as a mixture of geometric isomers. In contrast, the substituted 2,2‘-bis-(2,4-dioxobutyl)biphenyl ligands, R2BobH2 (R = tBu, p-Tol), react with Ti(OiPr)4 to give, initially, a mixture of monomer and oligomers, which is converted quantitatively to monomer upon heating in the presence of excess Ti(OiPr)4. Only a single relative configuration of the biphenyl and bis(chelate) titanium moieties, established by crystallography of (tBu2Bob)Ti(O-2,6-iPr2C6H3)2 to be the (R)-Λ/(S)-Δ diastereomer, is observed. The kinetic and thermodynamic robustness of the (...
Fermat potentials for nonperturbative gravitational lensing

The images of many distant galaxies are displaced, distorted and often multiplied by the presence of foreground massive galaxies near the line of sight; the foreground galaxies act as gravitational lenses. Commonly, the lens equation, which relates the placement and distortion of the images to the real source position in the thin-lens scenario, is obtained by extremizing the time of arrival among all the null paths from the source to the observer (Fermat's principle). We show that the construction of envelopes of certain families of null surfaces constitutes an alternative variational principle or version of Fermat's principle that leads naturally to a lens equation in a generic spacetime with any given metric. We illustrate the construction by deriving the lens equation for static asymptotically flat thin lens spacetimes. As an application of the approach, we find the bending angle for moving thin lenses in terms of the bending angle for the same deflector at rest. Finally we apply this construction to cosmological spacetimes (FRW) by using the fact they are all conformally related to Minkowski space.
Plato's Meno

HE Meno is pronounced a little gem by John Stuart Mill and is thought by many critics, ancient and modern, to be the best introduction to the study of Plato. One eminent scholar chooses to fancy that it is the program of the Academy." Thus Professor Shorey introduces his brief remlarks of five pages on the Meno in What Plato Said,' The only Platonists of note to cast serious aspersions on the authenticity of the dialogue were Friedrich Ast anid Schaarschmidt, who in the nineteenth century regarded the Meno as unworthy of Plato.z Should anyone be tempted to concur with Ast and Schaarschmidt, he should reflect on Aristotle's indirect reference to the Meno in his Politics and the direct references in his Prior Analytics and Posterior Analytics.3 The terminus ante quem for the dramatic date of the dialogue is probably shortly before March 401 B.C., when Meno joined Cyrus the Younger's expedition at Colossae.4 Since Xenophon describes Meno as ?`rt Wpcxto0 xv while he served under Cyrus,5 the meeting apparently could have taken place when Meno was en route to Asia Minor. A reference to Ismenias of Thebes, however, may appear to complicate the matter. The Meno (goA) states: . .. G)=eP O VUiV vecocrl ?1cpJ9 ro VloAxpcaTou4 Zpi%tonxt 'IavLgq 'o Rnpa_Zt04.. In the Republic (3 36A) we read: OT:lL ocU&o H?pLvA8pou ElVtct F HspgLxxou i ECpiou T 'IavvLou 'ro5
Social Support and Lifestyle vs. Medical Diabetes Self-Management in the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)

Background In chronic illness self-care, social support may influence some health behaviors more than others.
Introduction: Values of Value

To embark upon the study of value is to enter a field well trodden by others. From Smith and Ricardo to Marx and Mauss, and by way of Simmel and Saussure, the category has been used in varied ways to illuminate ethical, economic, aesthetic, logical, linguistic, and political dimensions of human life. Over the course of the 20th century, divergent understandings of value have often been expressed in terms of dyadic distinctions: Value is about measure or meaning; it is material or symbolic, secular or sacred, abstract or concrete, individual or collective, qualitative or quantitative, global or local. Its origins and content can be found in either production or in exchange, in structure or in process. To inquire into value often has meant to choose between focusing on social relations or objects, the makeup of persons or of polities, systems of meaning or patterns of action. The contributors to this theme issue of Cultural Anthropology, "Value in Circulation," explore how the value of value as a theoretical concept and mode of analysis rests in its capacity to transcend such oppositions and offer a multidimensional rubric for critical transdisciplinary inquiry.' The articles in this collection explore diverse aspects of value across specific historical and geographical contexts and draw inspiration from a variety of theoretical sources. In an analysis of transnational Jewish pilgrimage in Morocco, Oren Kosansky calls upon Pierre Bourdieu (1977) to help elucidate the politics and logic of valuation in auctions of sacred candles. Elizabeth Ferry finds Annette Weiner's (1985, 1992) analysis of inalienable wealth a suggestive way to conceptualize the meaning of silver as patrimony in Mexican silver mining cooperatives. In a discussion of Salvadoran migration to Washington, D.C., David Pedersen draws upon the semeiotics of Charles Peirce (1992) for insight into quotidian
Structure Based Refinement of a Humanized Monoclonal Antibody That Targets Tumor Antigen Disialoganglioside GD2.

Disialoganglioside GD2 is an important target on several pediatric and adult cancer types including neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, melanoma, small cell lung cancer, brain tumors, sarcomas, and cancer stem cells. We have utilized structural and computational methods to refine the framework of humanized monoclonal antibody 3F8, the highest affinity anti-GD2 antibody in clinical development. Two constructs (V3 and V5) were designed to enhance stability and minimize potential immunogenicity. Construct V3 contained twelve point mutations and had higher thermal stability and comparable affinity and in vitro tumor cells killing as the parental hu3F8. Construct V5 had 9 point mutations to minimize potential immunogenicity, but resulted in weaker thermal stability, weaker antigen binding, and reduced tumor killing potency. When construct V3 was combined with the single point mutation HC:G54I, the resulting V3-Ile construct had enhanced stability, antigen binding, and a nearly 6-fold increase in tumor cell killing. The resulting product is a lead candidate for clinical development for the treatment of GD2-positive tumors.
Changes in wood properties at the boundary of polyporus amarus decay pockets

Incense cedar heartwood infected by the pocket rot fungus Polyporus amarus was subjected to microtensile testing and miscroscopical examination to determine effects of this fungus upon wood substance adjacent to advanced decay pockets. Although springwood of the annual ring nearest the decay pocket in some samples had a slightly lower tensile strength than springwood from the same ring but a distance from the pocket, the difference was not statistically significant. Microscopical examination revealed the presence of small, sparse bore holes and hyphae in approximately the same number inside and outside the advanced decay pockets, and in discolored regions of incipient decay. A few bore holes and hyphae were found in specimens from what was macroscopically considered to be sound wood. Polarized illumination revealed no evidence of diffusion of cellulolytic enzymes from the hyphae in regions other than within advanced decay pockets, but the small numbers of hyphae and bore holes observed in decay pockets indicated that considerable enzyme diffusion might be necessary for decay to procede. The data suggest that possible alteration of physical, mechanical, and chemical properties in wood substance surrounding decay pockets need not be a significant factor for consideration in utilization of pecky incense cedar.
Further Examination of the Spirituality Scale

This study provides additional data on a newly developed paper-and-pencil measure of spirituality from an Afrocultural perspective. Sixty-eight African American and 75 European American college students completed the Spirituality Scale and indices of internal, external, and quest religious motivation, divine and personal agency, and religious and existential well-being. Results indicated that the Spirituality Scale had good internal consistency in both cultural groups and that the level of endorsement of females was significantly higher than that of males. However, after adjusting for gender effects, mean scale endorsement was significantly higher among African Americans than it was among European Americans. There were few differences in the patterns of bivariate correlations. Standard regression procedures yielded significant, but different, predictive models of Spirituality Scale scores for both groups. For African Americans, an internal religious motivation was predictive of scores on the Spirituality ...
Oxymetazoline adds to the effectiveness of fluticasone furoate in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis

Background In clinical trials, only about 60% of subjects report an excellent response to intranasal steroids, suggesting a need to add therapies to intranasal steroids to provide additional efficacy. Objective To determine whether the combination of fluticasone furoate and oxymetazoline is more efficacious than either agent alone, and to determine whether rhinitis medicamentosa develops after treatment. Methods We performed a double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel study. Sixty patients with perennial allergy were randomized to 4 weeks of once-a-night treatment with fluticasone furoate, oxymetazoline hydrochloride, the combination, or placebo. They were monitored during treatment and for 2 weeks posttreatment. Results The total nasal symptom score over the 4 weeks of treatment was lower with the combination (median, 143; range, 30-316) compared with treatment with placebo (262; 116-358) and oxymetazoline alone (219; 78-385; ANOVA, P = .04). When acoustic rhinometry was compared between the groups at the end of 4 weeks of treatment, the combination resulted in significantly higher nasal volume (mean + SEM, 15.8 + 1.1 mL; P Conclusion The addition of oxymetazoline adds to the effectiveness of fluticasone furoate in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis. The lack of development of rhinitis medicamentosa suggests the need for a large multicenter study to develop a once-a-day combination of an intranasal steroid and a long-acting topical decongestant.
The origin of the lunar surface

Abstract A mechanism is described how the lunar landscape could have originated by a chain reaction of volcanic eruptions. The mechanism consists of a sequence of three steps; surface solidification and fragmentation, gas formation and crack-wave interactions. A quantitative analysis is presented and it is shown that the volcanic chain reaction was most likely to occur around 10 million years after surface solidification.
Evaluation of the performance of urine albumin, creatinine and albumin-creatinine ratio assay on two POCT analyzers relative to a central laboratory method

Abstract Background The evaluation of microalbumin, creatinine and albumin–creatinine ratio is very important in patients with diabetes for the early detection of kidney disease and the identification of patients at risk for complications from diabetes or hypertension. Methods A total of 88 spot urine samples previously analyzed using the Vitros 5,1 FS (creatinine) and Beckman Coulter Immage (microalbumin) located in the central laboratory and having microalbumin and creatinine values within the Afinion and DCA Vantage reportable ranges were run on 2 point of care ( POC) instruments (Siemens DCA Vantage and Axis-Shield Afinion). Results The mean values for the DCA Vantage were: 42.6 mg/l for albumin, 10.3 mol/l for creatinine, and 5.4 mg/mol for ACR. For the Afinion AS100, the mean values were: 48.5 mg/l for albumin, 9.5 mol/l for creatinine, and 6.7 mg/mol for ACR. The mean values obtained for CL were: 40.8 mg/l for albumin, 10.0 mol/l for creatinine, and 5.4 mg/mol for ACR. All POC analyzers showed good correlation to the central laboratory tests for microalbumin, creatinine and albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) for Afinion (R2 = 0.954, 0.974, and 0.964, respectively) and DCA Vantage (R2 = 0.989, 0.987, and 0.991, respectively). With the exception of the DCA Vantage ACR (p = 0.53), the levels of microalbumin, creatinine and ACR obtained for the Afinion and DCA Vantage instruments as compared to the CL were statistically different (p Conclusions The 2 instruments evaluated in this study were in good agreement with the quantitative laboratory results and thus can be used for microalbumin, creatinine and ACR assays at the POC. However, facilities using Afinion will have to use different normal range for ACR.
Fire retardancy of a buckypaper membrane

A carbon nanotube membrane (buckypaper) was incorporated onto the surface of a Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes /glass fiber composite by vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding to improve the flame retardancy. The flammability was investigated with a cone calorimeter. With buckypaper on the surface, the heat release rate, peak heat release rate, smoke production rate and CO yield of the composite were decreased dramatically during the combustion.
The Interpenetration of Mind and Machine

We here provide our assessment of the growing intimacy which is the relationships between humans and technology. With the development of each more innovative and intimate system, the line between human and machine is becoming increasingly blurred. The concept of human qua human and machine qua machine are no longer situated at polar extremes of a human versus automation spectrum. Rather, human and machine represent a converging dyad that is evolving toward a hybrid commonalty. Within this overarching context, we discuss the concept of intimacy using four basic dimensions: i) the internal perspective, ii) the external extension, iii) interpersonal interaction, and finally, iv) the societal reflection. Through the use of three case study personae (a disabled individual, a military operative, and a student), these dimensions are shown to be flexible to the characterization of various classes of users and can thus be used to frame the multilevel and emerging impacts of emergent physical and cognitive intimacy.
Stability and reliability of detection thresholds for human A-Beta and a-delta sensory afferents determined by cutaneous electrical stimulation

Abstract Activity in primary afferent fibers that usually mediate fine touch can evoke sensations of pain in conditions in which there is sensitization of central neurons. Input from these large diameter Aβ afferents may also sustain and exacerbate these central mechanisms. The role of these fibers in clinical pain syndromes can be evaluated by applications of electrical stimuli that preferentially activate Aβ axons. This study assessed the stability and reliability of a method of electrical stimulation (ES) useful for clinical evaluation. Monopolar constant-current rectangular pulses were delivered to 5 equi-spaced sites on the volar aspect of the left forearm along a transverse line 5 cm distal to the antecubital crease. Current intensity was gradually increased to determine detection threshold and pain detection threshold. This study determined: 1) Effect of pulse duration (1, 2, and 5 msec); 2) the variation of detection threshold and pain threshold over repeated stimulation; 3) the effect of electrode position with respect to distance from the trunk of underlying ulnar or median nerves; and 4) the effect of re-positioning the electrode on variability of detection threshold and pain threshold. There was no significant variability over time for either detection threshold (DT) or pain threshold (PT) at any of the 3 pulse durations tested. There was also no significant effect on variability of shifting the electrode between sites, nor was there a significant difference in variability between sites when placed either over or adjacent to peripheral nerves. Under simulated clinical conditions of electrode re-positioning, the mean detection threshold in 300 trials and ten subjects was 0.30 mA with an overall standard error of 0.007, standard errors of 0.014 over the 10 subjects, 0.003 over the 6 trials, and 0.012 over the 5 locations. Similarly, mean pain threshold in these 300 trials was 3.24 ± 0.093, with standard errors of 0.12 over the 10 subjects, 0.023 over the 6 trials, and 0.13 over the 5 locations. Mean ratio of pain threshold divided by detection threshold ratio was 10.9 ± 0.25 with a range of 2.0–28.3. Single pulse, constant current electrical stimulation of the skin at threshold levels is a quantifiable and reliable sensory method that is repeatable within and between testing sessions. Our results suggest that in skin unaffected by allodynia, a ratio of the two sensory thresholds (pain threshold and detection threshold) of less than 2.0 is uncommon. We propose that, in the presence of mechanical allodynia, a pain threshold/detection threshold of less than 2.0 suggests that altered central nervous system processing of Aβ input may contribute to allodynia.
Axillary Versus Rectal Temperatures in Preterm Infants Under Radiant Warmers

Twenty-five preterm neonates were studied to determine whether monitoring of body temperature may be accomplished by taking axillary instead of rectal temperatures. Both axillary and rectal temperatures were taken simultaneously 12 times over a two-day period. Temperatures were recorded at three, five, eight, and ten minutes. The researchers concluded that an axillary measurement of temperature may be adequately substituted for rectal measurement of temperature.
Modeling a robotics operator manager in a tactical battlefield

In a tactical battlefield, ground- and air- based robotic assets can be useful, but there is currently no one role to coordinate the use of multiple robots in the U.S. Army. The current work outlines and models the duties of a robotics operator manager (ROM), which could serve this role, using a theory of dynamic decision-making, instance-based learning (IBL). A model of the ROM is created that is based upon the IBL theory and that is intended to be a model of ROM's cognition. The IBL model first consults a Tactical Ground Reporting Network (TiGRNet) to recognize potential threat locations in a simulated battlefield. Then, the model decides whether a potential threat location warrants more investigation and if so weighs a number of factors to determine the type of robotic surveillance required (i.e., ground- or air- based). These factors include: the presence of certain attributes in a threat location, the utility of investigating a threat determining priority of investigation, the altitude of the terrain where the threat is located, whether there is time pressure, and the number of threat locations to investigate. The execution of the IBL model of the ROM generates predictions of the decisions made by a ROM under different factors. Future work in this area will focus on collecting human data to validate and adjust the predictions made by the IBL model of the ROM.
The failing Fontan: what's NEXT…?

The Fontan procedure represents the final stage of the transition to single ventricle physiology. Conversion of very complex congenital heart anatomy, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, double-outlet right ventricle or double-inlet left ventricle, to a single ventricle has grown in popularity as morbidity and mortality have improved. As these patients grow, survivors are at risk for impaired ventricular dysfunction, plastic bronchitis, protein-losing enteropathy and late failure. Late failing Fontan patients represent a particularly vexing scenario for clinicians, as the only durable treatment option is cardiac transplantation. However, in the short-term, some of these patients require support beyond medical management, with mechanical circulatory support via extracorporeal life support or a ventricular assist device. We report the successful bridge of an adolescent female post-Fontan conversion with late severe cardiac failure. The patient was initially resuscitated with extracorporeal life support, transitioned to a single Berlin Heart EXCOR® ventricular assist device and, subsequently, underwent successful cardiac transplantation.
Corrigendum to “An alternate look at educational psychologists’ productivity from 1991–2002” [Contemporary Educational Psychology 29 (2004) 333–343]

Table 1 listed the top 24 authors. Kenneth A. Kiewra should also have been listed. As well, Virginia W Berninger s information is inaccurate. Table 1 has been reprinted here in its entirety. Other errors relating to Table 1 are listed here: Page 336, line 23, ‘‘In addition, for the top 24 educational psychologists. . .’’ should read ‘‘In addition, for the top 25 educational psychologists. . .’’. Page 337, line 9, ‘‘Table 1 displays the 24. . .’’ should read ‘‘Table 1 displays the 25. . .’’. The authors regret the errors.
Laser speckle microstrain measurement in vascular tissue

Changes in the ultrastructure of vascular tissue due to pathologies such as atherosclerosis may be manifested as subtle changes in the mechanical properties of the arterial wall. The ability to detect these changes is considered to be important in the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis. In order to evaluate the subtle viscoelastic properties of the arterial wall, a highly sensitive means of evaluating mechanical strain in the tissue is required. Herein we will present a novel laser speckle strain gauge for evaluating mechanical microstrains in perfused and superfused vessel segments. The strain gauge relies upon 2D frequency transforms of stacked speckle histories, which are time sequences of one dimensional views of the backscattered light stacked into a 2D array such that time is along the vertical axis and space is along the horizontal axis. The gauge can be made sensitive only to in-plane strains. Sensitivity of the gauge is on the order of single microstrain. By mechanically straining the vessel segments in a custom microtensile testing machine fitted with a high sensitivity load cell, mechanical constants of the vessel wall can be derived and changes in the mechanical behavior due to disease can be evaluated.
Germination and early growth of Ailanthus and tulip poplar in three levels of forest disturbance

Increasing rates of forest disturbance may provide greater opportunity for invasion of nonnative species, thereby altering the succes- sional trajectory of native plant communities. In the eastern U.S., invasive Ailanthus altissima and native Liriodendron tulipifera have similar life histories and niches and often co-occur. To examine how disturbance affects the establish- ment of these species, we performed field exper- iments to evaluate the response of sown seeds and transplanted seedlings to three levels of distur- bance on north- and south-facing aspects. L. tulipifera germination was severely limited by low seed viability and had significantly lower germination than A. altissima in all sites. The ef- fect of disturbance regime on A. altissima germi- nation depended on aspect in the second growing season. In contrast, mean seedling survival, bio- mass, leaf area and leaf area ratio were greater for L. tulipifera in all field sites. Overall, the north-facing selective cut forest provided a dis- proportionately large number of suitable microsites for L. tulipifera establishment. Collectively, this study demonstrated that different timber harvest practices produce heterogeneous mosaics of suit- able microsites for germination and establish- ment. Limited L. tulipifera germination may be a serious constraint to population establishment if seeds are deposited for the first time immediately after a disturbance event. However, if sufficient viable seeds of both species exist, L. tulipifera out-performs the invasive in the first two years following disturbance. This may explain why A. altissima has shown explosive population growth in a limited number of sites in the past century.
A dichotomy for a two-parameter piecewise rotation

We investigate a basic system T of two rotations with a common angle of rotation. Using a new idea, we prove that, except for an invertible T, the system T must have a global attractor and a global repeller. We give a specific condition for both cases.
Counting in Delay-Tolerant Mobile Networks

This research addresses the problem of counting in Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs). The goal is to estimate the total number of nodes in the network with short delay time, high accuracy and small storage overhead. DTNs are occasionally connected networks that may suffer from frequent partitions. While counting in conventional (well-connected) networks has been extensively studied, it remains challenging in DTNs, due to the intermittent network connectivity and heterogeneous nodal mobility. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme that exploits effective nodal contact probability to guide the counting process. Extensive simulations based on real mobility traces are carried out to evaluate the performance of our proposed scheme. The results demonstrate that it is highly efficient and outperforms all existing solutions.
Skill Intensity and Rising Wage Dispersion in Nineteenth-Century American Manufacturing

We study the correlates of the monthly establishment wage—the average monthly wage at the establishment level—and changes in wage dispersion between plants using a model of manufacturing developed by Goldin and Katz and data from manuscript censuses of manufacturing. We find that wages were decreasing in establishment size, but increasing in capital intensity and use of steam power. We also find an increase in inequality in the establishment wage between 1850 and 1880. Most of the increase occurred below the median wage and can be attributed, in part, to the growing concentration of employment in large establishments.
Mandatory Identification Bar Checks: How Bouncers Are Doing Their Job

The behavior of bouncers at on site establishments that served alcohol was observed. Our aim was to better understand how bouncers went about their job when the bar had a mandatory policy to check identification of all customers. Utilizing an ethnographic decision model, we found that bouncers were significantly more likely to card customers that were more casually dressed than others, those who were in their 30s, and those in mixed racial groups. We posit that bouncers who failed to ask for identification did so because they appeared to know customers, they appeared to be of age, or they took a break and no one was checking for identification at the door. We found that bouncers presented a commanding presence by their dress and demeanor. Bouncers, we posit, function in three primary roles: customer relations, state law
Sensorization in a photolithography coat process

The growth of automation and automatic data collection in the semiconductor industry is providing engineers and manufacturers with an unprecedented insight into their processes and is crucial in the trend toward higher quality and error free processing. Some of the immediate benefits of automation are real time monitoring of process conditions, reduction in equipment downtime due to qualification testing, real time Statistical Process Control (SPC), elimination of operator induced error in equipment measurements, and process risk reduction. These benefits and others were realized through the implementation of a real time temperature monitoring system on a photolithography coat track. The system provides full time temperature monitoring, automatic SPC data logging during actual process conditions, state driven control of track interlock to prevent out of limit processing and process data tracking for real time performance of wafer bake stations. The system was realized by implementing a C-based state logic program in the QNX Windows real time operating system to drive Keithley METRABUS hardware monitoring SVG 8600 coat tracks.
Diet-induced obesity promotes altered remodeling and exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy following pressure overload.

Heart failure (HF) is the end stage of cardiovascular disease, in which hypertrophic remodeling no longer meets cardiac output demand. Established animal models of HF have provided insights into disease pathogenesis. However, these models are developed on dissimilar metabolic backgrounds from humans – patients with HF are frequently overweight or obese, whereas animal models of HF are typically lean. Thus, we aimed to develop and investigate model for cardiac hypertrophy and failure that also recapitulates the cardiometabolic state of HF in humans. We subjected mice with established diet-induced obesity (DIO) to cardiac pressure overload provoked by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Briefly, we fed WT male mice a normal chow or high-fat diet for 10 weeks prior to sham/TAC procedures and until surgical follow-up. We then analyzed cardiac hypertrophy, mechanical function, and electrophysiology at 5–6 weeks after surgery. In DIO mice with TAC, hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction were exacerbated relative to chow TAC animals, which showed minimal remodeling with our moderate constriction intensity. Normalized heart weight was 55.8% greater and fractional shortening was 30.9% less in DIO TAC compared with chow TAC hearts. However, electrophysiologic properties were surprisingly similar between DIO sham and TAC animals. To examine molecular pathways activated by DIO and TAC, we screened prohypertrophic signaling cascades, and the exacerbated remodeling was associated with early activation of the c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK1/2) signaling pathway. Thus, DIO aggravates the progression of hypertrophy and HF caused by pressure overload, which is associated with JNK1/2 signaling, and cardiometabolic state can significantly modify HF pathogenesis.
Selective sphingosine 1-phosphate 1 receptor activation reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury in mouse kidney

The mechanisms involved in renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) are complex and appear to involve the early participation of bone marrow-derived cells. T lymphocytes participate in the pathogene...
Characterization of the execution pathway of developing motoneurons deprived of trophic support.

Avian spinal motoneurons have been well characterized with regard to developmental programmed cell death (PCD). Approximately 50% of the neurons originally generated undergo cell death as they innervate their target muscles, and target derived trophic support plays an important role in regulating survival of these neurons. To investigate events mediating motoneuron PCD, we have examined the role of Bcl-2 family proteins, cytochrome C, and caspase-9 in this process. We report that while protein levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Bax do not change within motoneurons as they become committed to die, a translocation of Bax from the cytosol to organelle membranes and the nucleus occurs coincident with the time when motoneurons become committed to cell death. In addition, cytochrome C is released from mitochondria to the cytosol in dying cells prior to the activation of caspases. Consequently, an enhanced caspase-9-like activity was detected in dying cells, and this activity was upstream and necessary for the appearance of a caspase-3-like activity. These results allow us to further define some of the critical events that mediate the execution phase of motoneuron death following trophic factor deprivation. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 46: 249–264, 2001
The Case for a Destination-Based Corporate Tax

In 1993, I published a paper advocating a destination-based corporate income tax (DBCT) (Avi-Yonah, 1993). Under DBCT, multinational enterprises (MNEs) would be treated as unitary businesses and taxed based on where they sell their goods or services, i.e., on a destination basis rather than (as in current corporate taxes) primarily on an origin basis. I have subsequently elaborated on this proposal with Kim Clausing and Mike Durst (Avi-Yonah, Clausing and Durst, 2009).In recent years, DBCT has attracted some support by economists, such as Alan Auerbach and Mike Devereaux (Auerbach, Devereux and Simpson, 2008; Devereux and de la Feria, 2014). While the economists tend to advocate a cash flow DBCT, i.e., a corporate tax that is more consumption than income based because MNEs will be allowed to expense capital outlays, both types of taxes apply to corporate rents in the same way. Moreover, the economists’ proposals raise similar issues as mine, e.g., in regard to compatibility with treaties or with WTO rules.These proposals have attracted significant critiques, e.g., from Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert and Susan Morse (Altshuler and Grubert, 2010; Morse, 2010). I would like to use this opportunity to restate the case for DBCT and reply to some of the common objections to it.
Marginalization in Inside the Haveli by Rama Mehta

The patriarchal system of India perpetuates the hierarchical mechanism of man exercising his power over women in order to maintain his supremacy in family and society. It ensures male hegemony that marginalizes women and prevents them from crossing over the boundary of their secondary status. The awareness of gender-based discrimination that had been simmering in the West became widespread in the twentieth century by giving rise to vehement responses in the form of feminist movements. Indian women too were influenced by these movements that pervaded all fields including literature in the 1960s and 70s. They began to comprehend and question the male domination and reacted against it by breaking their silence of centuries. They demanded recognition of their individual merit and their contribution both at home and at work place. This phenomenal transformation in the mindset of women found its expression in contemporary literature. The present paper explores a woman’s interrogation of marginalization of women and girls within the complex network of an orthodox, aristocratic family as represented in Inside the Haveli (1977) by Rama Mehta. The only novel of the renowned sociologist which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1979, it mirrors a specific way of life in the erstwhile State of Mewar in Rajasthan. This paper attempts to explore the psyche of a modern woman who enters the portals of a traditional haveli as a bride and finds herself trapped in its culture and conventions. It traces her efforts to overcome marginalization of women and girls by creating spaces for their emancipation.
Graph-Structures Matching for Review Relevance Identification

Review quality is determined by identifying the relevance of a review to a submission (the article or paper the review was written for). We identify relevance in terms of the semantic and syntactic similarities between two texts. We use a word order graph, whose vertices, edges and double edges help determine structure-based match across texts. We use WordNet to determine semantic relatedness. Ours is a lexico-semantic approach, which predicts relevance with an accuracy of 66% and f -measure of 0.67.
A flexible zero-inflated model to address data dispersion

Excess zeroes are often thought of as a cause of data over-dispersion (i.e. when the variance exceeds the mean); this claim is not entirely accurate. In actuality, excess zeroes reduce the mean of a dataset, thus inflating the dispersion index (i.e. the variance divided by the mean). While this results in an increased chance for data over-dispersion, the implication is not guaranteed. Thus, one should consider a flexible distribution that not only can account for excess zeroes, but can also address potential over- or under-dispersion. A zero-inflated Conway-Maxwell-Poisson (ZICMP) regression allows for modeling the relationship between explanatory and response variables, while capturing the effects due to excess zeroes and dispersion. This work derives the ZICMP model and illustrates its flexibility, extrapolates the corresponding likelihood ratio test for the presence of significant data dispersion, and highlights various statistical properties and model fit through several examples. Zero-inflated Conway-Maxwell-Poisson models dispersed datasets with excess zeroes.Hypothesis test detects statistically significant dispersion in light of excess zeroes.Data simulations and examples illustrate flexibility in model fit.
Reply to Professors Yordon and Herrnstadt

to be implemented in January, 1962, is for the use of police departments reporting statistical data on crimes, traffic enforcement, and police administration to the DBS for publication in each of these areas. A Dominion-Provincial Conference on Training School Statistics was held at the Bureau on October 30 and 31, 1961. Resolutions coming out of this conference will result in more meaningful data being made available concerning the populations of juvenile institutions. Similar developmental work has been undertaken with the Penitentiaries Branch of the federal Department of Justice concerning a revision of the statistical system used to report information to DBS on the populations of penitentiaries.
Thermal Stability and Reactivity of Cathode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries

The thermal stability of electrochemically delithiated Li0.1Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA), FePO4 (FP), Mn0.8Fe0.2PO4 (MFP), hydrothermally synthesized VOPO4, LiVOPO4, and electrochemically lithiated Li2VOPO4 is investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis, coupled with mass spectrometry (TGA-MS). The thermal stability of the delithiated materials is found to be in the order of NCA < VOPO4 < MFP < FP. Unlike the layered oxides and MFP, VOPO4 does not evolve O2 on heating. Thus, VOPO4 is less likely to cause a thermal run-away phenomenon in batteries at elevated temperature and so is inherently safer. The lithiated materials LiVOPO4, Li2VOPO4, and LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 are found to be stable in the presence of electrolyte, but sealed-capsule high-pressure experiments show a phase transformation of VOPO4 → HVOPO4 → H2VOPO4 when VOPO4 reacts with electrolyte (1 M LiPF6 in EC/DMC = 1:1) between 200 and 300 °C. Using first-principles calculations, we confirm that the charged VOPO4 cathode is indeed predicted to be marginally less stable than FP but significantly more stable than NCA in the absence of electrolyte. An analysis of the reaction equilibria between VOPO4 and EC using a multicomponent phase diagram approach yields products and reaction enthalpies that are highly consistent with the experiment results.
A Perturbation Based Decomposition of Compound-Evoked Potentials for Characterization of Nerve Fiber Size Distributions

The characterization of peripheral nerve fiber distributions, in terms of diameter or velocity, is of clinical significance because information associated with these distributions can be utilized in the differential diagnosis of peripheral neuropathies. Electro-diagnostic techniques can be applied to the investigation of peripheral neuropathies and can yield valuable diagnostic information while being minimally invasive. Nerve conduction velocity studies are single parameter tests that yield no detailed information regarding the characteristics of the population of nerve fibers that contribute to the compound-evoked potential. Decomposition of the compound-evoked potential, such that the velocity or diameter distribution of the contributing nerve fibers may be determined, is necessary if information regarding the population of contributing nerve fibers is to be ascertained from the electro-diagnostic study. In this work, a perturbation-based decomposition of compound-evoked potentials is proposed that facilitates determination of the fiber diameter distribution associated with the compound-evoked potential. The decomposition is based on representing the single fiber-evoked potential, associated with each diameter class, as being perturbed by contributions, of varying degree, from all the other diameter class single fiber-evoked potentials. The resultant estimator of the contributing nerve fiber diameter distribution is valid for relatively large separations in diameter classes. It is also useful in situations where the separation between diameter classes is small and the concomitant single fiber-evoked potentials are not orthogonal.