cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Quantization of Gauge Fields

Stochastic quantization of gauge fields is reviewed, with particular attention to the mechanism by which stochastic gauge-fixing resolves the Gribov ambiguity, and the light which this casts on the geometry of gauge orbits. Some geometric properties of gauge orbits are derived, and the difficulty which they present for the Faddeev-Popov method is reviewed. Stochastic quantization is introduced, and it is shown how the Euclidean probability distribution may be determined by a diffusion process with a drift force K=−∇S, where S=S(A) is the classical Yang-Mills action. The equivalence of the diffusion and Langevin equations is demonstrated. Stochastic gauge-fixing is explained, and it is demonstrated that an additional drift force, called the gauge-fixing force, may be introduced which does not affect expectation values of gauge-invariant quantities because it is everywhere tangent to the gauge orbits. The gauge-fixing force is non-conservative and thus cannot be accommodated in an action formalism. Properties of the gauge-fixing force are explained and it is shown how, by a mechanism of “instability stabilizes”, it concentrates the probability near the interior Ω of the first Gribov horizon. As a new result, the diffusion equation is solved for large values of the gauge-fixing force, the solution being a modified Faddeev-Popov formula, whereby the integration extends only over Ω. Another new result is the ℏ or loop expansion of the effective action for stochastic gauge-fixing, and it is shown that all primitive divergences arize in the iterative calculation of an effective drift force Keff.
Teaching Green Chemistry with Epoxidized Soybean Oil

The synthesis of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) provides students a vantage point on the application of green chemistry principles in a series of experiments. Qualitative tests review the reactions of alkenes, whereas spectroscopic analyses provide insight in monitoring functional group transformations.
Sub-10 nm Tunable Hybrid Dielectric Engineering on MoS2 for Two-Dimensional Material-Based Devices.

The successful realization of high-performance 2D-materials-based nanoelectronics requires integration of high-quality dielectric films as a gate insulator. In this work, we explore the integration of organic and inorganic hybrid dielectrics on MoS2 and study the chemical and electrical properties of these hybrid films. Our atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, and photoluminescence results show that, aside from the excellent film uniformity and thickness scalability down to 2.5 nm, the molecular layer deposition of octenyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and Al2O3 hybrid films preserves the chemical and structural integrity of the MoS2 surface. The XPS band alignment analysis and electrical characterization reveal that through the inclusion of an organic layer in the dielectric film, the band gap and dielectric constant can be tuned from ∼7.00 to 6.09 eV and ∼9.0 to 4.5, respectively. Furthermore, the hybrid films show promising dielectric properties, including a high breakdown fie...
Mollib: a molecular and NMR data analysis software

Mollib is a software framework for the analysis of molecular structures, properties and data with an emphasis on data collected by NMR. It uses an open source model and a plugin framework to promote community-driven development of new and enhanced features. Mollib includes tools for the automatic retrieval and caching of protein databank (PDB) structures, the hydrogenation of biomolecules, the analysis of backbone dihedral angles and hydrogen bonds, and the fitting of residual dipolar coupling (RDC) and residual anisotropic chemical shift (RACS) data. In this article, we release version 1.0 of mollib and demonstrate its application to common molecular and NMR data analyses.
Effects of a Tournament Incentive Plan Incorporating Managerial Discretion in a Geographically Dispersed Organization

Using retail chain data, we study the effects of a tournament incentive plan based primarily on objective performance, but incorporating managerial discretion in the selection of winners. In princi...
Percutaneous mechanical hemodynamic support as a bridge to recovery in severe takotsubo cardiomyopathy with profound left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and cardiogenic shock

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (TC) in severe cases may present with profound LV outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction and cardiogenic shock, posing management challenges for clinicians, since inotropes and vasopressor use can exacerbate LVOT obstruction, potentially yielding catastrophic consequences. A 55-
A Study on Algorithms for Selecting r Best Elements from An Array

The issue of identifying r best (smallest or largest) elements from a data set is relevant in a variety of combinatorial search settings, for example, some strategies of tabu search (Glover 1989, 1992, 1994, Lokketangen and Glover 1995), semi-greedy heuristics (Hart and Shogan 1987), and GRASP (Laguna, Feo, and Elrod 1994, Feo and Resende 1995). This is particularly true of aggressive search strategies such as probabilistic tabu search, which strongly bias the choice among elements to favor those with preferred evaluations. The identification of r best elements is also relevant for applying candidate list selection strategies within combinatorial search (e.g. Glover 1992, 1994). This occurs notably where compound moves are screened by decomposing them into components, as where exchange moves are broken into “add moves” and “drop moves,” and r best options for each type of component are identified (and then combined) to restrict the number of compound moves examined. Additional applications to candidate list strategies occurs where distribution of the r best elements is monitored as a supplementary guideline for determining the suitability of the candidate list composition. In these instances, the most appropriate value for r is often relatively small, e.g. typically less than 20.
Mobile coupons delivery problem: Postponable online multi-constraint knapsack

Abstract We study the mobile coupons delivery problem (MCDP) in a push-based location based advertisement where an advertiser proactively sends mobile coupons to prospective customers on behalf of stores based on the customers' location and preferences. MCDP provides a new capability called postponable selection that enables an advertiser to better capitalize on the plethora of customer information provided by mobile phone users through network service providers. Postponable selection allows a customer to be reconsidered for selection for coupon delivery (i.e. postponed) as more information becomes available. We formulate MCDP as a new problem category referred to as the postponable online multi-constraint knapsack. We propose a single threshold-type algorithm with different design options and conduct extensive computational experiments to discuss the effectiveness of our algorithm as well as the benefit of postponable selection. Our experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the First-Come-First-Serve heuristic by 46% and postponable selection additionally improves performance by 4% on average.
Bosnia: Prelude, Disease, and Sequelae

In Bosnia, three factors led to war: the breakup of former Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic’s political ambitions and military capability, and ethnic nationalism, particularly in its territorial form. It is hard to picture the Bosnian War without any one of these. It is hard to picture peace prevailing with all three. After an initial period of stalemate, the postwar process in Bosnia benefited for almost ten years from ample international commitment of political will and other resources, blocking of Croatia’s support for Croat separatism inside Bosnia, and co-optation of Bosnian elites. The state- and peace-building process stalled thereafter, as the Americans passed the baton to a Europe that fumbled it. Bosnia is still not yet safe from nationalist and Russian destabilization.
Fourier transform on \(\mathbf{R}\)

We define and study the Fourier transform in this chapter. Rather than working with functions defined on the circle, we consider functions defined on the real line \(\mathbf{R}\).
CADE: Configurable Approximate Divider for Energy Efficiency

Approximate computing is a promising solution to design faster and more energy efficient systems, which provides an adequate quality for a variety of functions. Division, in particular, floating point division, is one of the most important operations in multimedia applications, which has been implemented less in hardware due to its significant cost and complexity. In this paper, we proposed CADE, a Configurable Approximate Divider which performs floating point division operation with a runtime controllable accuracy. The approximation of the CADE is accomplished by removing the costly division operation and replacing it with a subtraction of the input operands mantissa. To increase the level of accuracy, CADE analyses the first N bits (called tuning bits) of both input operands mantissa to estimate the division error. If CADE determines that the first approximation is unacceptable, a pre-computed value is retrieved from memory and subtracted from the first approximation mantissa. At runtime, CADE can provide a higher accuracy by increasing the number of tuning bits. The proposed CADE was integrated on the AMD GPU architecture. Our evaluation shows that CADE is at least 4.1× more energy efficient, 1.5× faster, and 1.7× higher area efficient as compared to state-of- the-art approximate dividers while providing 25% lower error rate. In addition, CADE gives a new knob to GPU in order to configure the level of approximation at runtime depending on the application/user accuracy requirement.
Evaluation of an Immersive Virtual Reality Safety Training Used to Teach Pedestrian Skills to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at an increased risk of injury, making safety skills training essential. Whether such training is conducted in the natural environment or in contrived settings is an important consideration for generalization and safety purposes. Immersive virtual reality (VR) environments may offer the advantages of both contrived and natural environment training settings, providing structure to create repeated learning opportunities in a safe and realistic analogue of the natural environment. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of an immersive VR safety skills training environment in teaching 3 children with ASD to identify whether it is safe to cross the street. After modifications to the VR training environment, all 3 participants reached mastery criteria in both VR and natural environment settings. Findings suggest that immersive VR is a promising medium for the delivery of safety skills training to individuals with ASD.
Antigen and G-Protein Coupled Receptor signaling differentially control CD8 T cell motility immediately before and after virus clearance in a primary infection

In mice, experimental influenza virus infection stimulates CD8 T cell infiltration of the airways. Virus is cleared by day 9, and between days 8 and 9 there is an abrupt change in CD8 T cell motility behavior transitioning from low velocity and high confinement on day 8, to high velocity with continued confinement on day 9. We hypothesized that it is loss of virus and/or antigen signals in the context of high chemokine levels that drives the T cells into a rapid surveillance mode. Virus infection induces chemokine production, which may change when the virus is cleared. We therefore sought to examine this period of rapid changes to the T cell environment in the tissue and seek evidence on the roles of peptide-MHC and chemokine receptor interactions. Experiments were performed to block G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling with Pertussis toxin (Ptx). Ptx treatment generally reduced cell velocities and mildly increased confinement, except on day 8 when velocity increased and confinement was relieved, suggesting chemokine mediated arrest. Blocking specific peptide-MHC with monoclonal antibody unexpectedly decreased velocities on days 7 through 9, suggesting TCR/peptide-MHC interactions promote cell mobility in the tissue. Together, these results suggest the T cells are engaged with antigen bearing and chemokine producing cells that affect motility in ways that vary with the day after infection. The increase in velocities on day 9 were reversed by addition of specific peptide, consistent with the idea that antigen signals become limiting on day 9 compared to earlier time points. Thus, antigen and chemokine signals act to alternately promote and restrict CD8 T cell motility until the point of virus clearance, suggesting the switch in motility behavior on day 9 may be due to a combination of limiting antigen in the presence of high chemokine signals as the virus is cleared.
Fear extinction memory is negatively associated with REM sleep in insomnia disorder.

Study objectives Formation and maintenance of fear-extinction memories are disrupted in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders. Sleep contributes to emotional memory consolidation and emotion regulation. Insomnia disorder (ID) is characterized by persistent sleep disturbance as well as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep abnormalities and often precedes or develops in parallel with PTSD and anxiety disorders. Here, we explore the impact of chronic poor sleep and sleep immediately following fear conditioning and extinction learning on preservation of extinction memories. Methods Twenty-four ID age- and sex-matched to 24 healthy, good sleeper controls (GS) completed up to 2 weeks of habitual sleep monitoring with daily sleep-wake diaries and actigraphy, and then participated in a two-session fear conditioning, extinction learning and extinction recall procedure. Fear Conditioning and Extinction Learning occurred during session 1, followed by Extinction Recall approximately 24 hours later. Skin-conductance responses (SCR) and shock expectancies were recorded throughout all experimental phases to evaluate associative learning and memory. Overnight sleep between sessions 1 and 2 was recorded using ambulatory polysomnography. Results ID showed greater physiological reactivity during Fear Conditioning. REM sleep physiology was associated with poorer extinction memory in ID but better extinction memory in GS. Conclusion REM sleep physiology may differentially support emotional memory retention and expression in ID and GS. In the former, REM may enhance retention of fear memories, while in the later, REM may enhance the expression of extinction memories.
Legal Protection for Patients in Settlement of Medical Disputes through the Courts (Case Study of South Jakarta District Court Decision Number 538 / Pdt.G / 2016 / PN. Jkt. Cell)

One of in court mediation failure cases was the case of the South Jakarta District Court Nr.538/Pdt.G/2016/PN. Jkt. Sel. The objective of this study was to determine judges’ legal considerations in making decisions relating to the South Jakarta District Court case and to know the legal protection to the patient in resolving the medical disputes which were conducted through the court. This study used a legal-normative approach having descriptive-analytical specifications. The data used were primary and secondary meanwhile the data gathering techniques were by interviews and library studies. The interviews were conducted with informants, namely one judge of South Jakarta State Court, two judges of Semarang District Court, one Deputy Civil Registrar of the Supreme Court, and deputy chairman of MKEK. The library studies were conducted by studying primary secondary, and tertiary legal materials beside some other relevant written materials. The results of this study showed that the plaintiff, in this case, was the patient, was not legally protected when having a medical dispute case in the court. It was because the judge was not right in making a judgment. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit directly to the court to be able to resolve the case of facelift operation alleged malpractice. However, the plaintiff's claim was not accepted because according to the judges a medical dispute between doctors and patients should be done through Medical Ethics Commission Assembly (MKEK) first. This consideration is based on the Circular Letter of Supreme Court (SEMA) 1982 (without numbers) and expert opinion. However, if it used an analogy of MKEK which was treated equally to MKDKI, the submission of a medical dispute claim did not require to be processed through MKEK first. One of the reasons for the judge's irrelevance in the decision was the fact that SEMA used as the basis of the judge’s decision could not be found, even after being confirmed at the Supreme Court's Law and Public Relations Bureau. Besides, there had been many legislations that could be used as considerations of the decision such as Act Nr. 36 of 2009, the Act Nr. 29 of 2004, and the Act Nr. 44 of 2009.
Outer-sphere effects on ligand-field excited-state dynamics: solvent dependence of high-spin to low-spin conversion in [Fe(bpy)3]2+

In condensed phase chemistry, the solvent can have a significant impact on everything from yield to product distribution to mechanism. With regard to photo-induced processes, solvent effects have been well-documented for charge-transfer states wherein the redistribution of charge subsequent to light absorption couples intramolecular dynamics to the local environment of the chromophore. Ligand-field excited states are expected to be largely insensitive to such perturbations given that their electronic rearrangements are localized on the metal center and are therefore insulated from so-called outer-sphere effects by the ligands themselves. In contrast to this expectation, we document herein a nearly two-fold variation in the time constant associated with the 5T2 → 1A1 high-spin to low-spin relaxation process of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)iron(II) ([Fe(bpy)3]2+) across a range of different solvents. Likely origins for this solvent dependence, including relevant solvent properties, ion pairing, and changes in solvation energy, were considered and assessed by studying [Fe(bpy)3]2+ and related derivatives via ultrafast time-resolved absorption spectroscopy and computational analyses. It was concluded that the effect is most likely associated with the volume change of the chromophore arising from the interconfigurational nature of the 5T2 → 1A1 relaxation process, resulting in changes to the solvent–solvent and/or solvent–solute interactions of the primary solvation shell sufficient to alter the overall reorganization energy of the system and influencing the kinetics of ground-state recovery.
Clinical and Disability Characteristics of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Over Age 60 in a Large Multi-Center Database. (1396)

Objective: To determine the clinical and disability characteristics of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) over age 60. Background: As the peak prevalence of MS shifts as patients with the disease age, understanding the characteristics that define this older patient population to improve management strategies in this age group is critical. Design/Methods: Demographics, MS disease history, iPad® based patient reported outcomes and neuroperformance tests were collected from 10 academic MS centers in the US and Europe utilizing the MSPATHS database (2016–2019). Results: We identified 2755 patients over age 60 from the MSPATHS database. Our cohort is characterized by: median age 66 years (IQR 63–70y), 67.2% female, 67.4% white, median disease duration of 25.0 years (IQR 15–34y). Disease course was relapsing-remitting (RR) (44.5%), with 19.9% secondary-progressive (SP), 11.7% primary-progressive (PP), and 10.1% progressive-relapsing (PR). Current disease modifying therapies were: glatiramer acetate (13.0%), interferons (8.1%), dimethyl fumarate (7.8%), teriflunomide (5.3%), fingolimod (4.3%) and none (30.1%). 37.4% of patients had a self-reported relapse in the prior 12 months, only 1.2% had a new gadolinium enhancing lesion, and 3.2% had a new T2 lesion in the prior 12 months. More RR patients lived at home without assistance (84.0%) and work full time (23.6%), compared to PP (61.2% and 15.2%) and SP (68.3% and 14.2%), respectively. The median Patient-Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) of: RR patients was 1 (IQR 0–3), PP was 5 (IQR 3–6), and SP 4 (IQR 3–6). Only 23.8% of RR required a walking aide, compared to 67.7% of PP and 65.2% of SP patients. Co-morbidities of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity appear similar among RR, PP and SP patients. Conclusions: Most patients over age 60 live at home without assistance, but a majority reports some difficulties with walking. Planned longitudinal analyses in this cohort will be helpful for management of this older population. Disclosure: Dr. Hua has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Biogen, Genzyme, Novartis, EMD Serono, Genentech, Celgene and TG Therapeutics. Dr. Tian has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hersh has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Biogen Idec, Novartis, Teva, Genentech, Genzyme, and EMD Serono. Dr. Hersh has received research support from Biogen Idec and PCORI.Dr. Mowry has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for UpToDate. Dr. Mowry has received research support from Biogen, Genzyme, Teva, and Sun Pharma.Dr. Fitzgerald has nothing to disclose.
A Single-Center Phase 2 Open-Label Trial Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Daratumumab in Treatment of Patients with Monoclonal Gammopathy of Renal Significance

Proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immune deposits (PGNMID) and C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) with monoclonal gammopathy (MG) are kidney diseases related to monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS). Rituximab or combination of cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone have been used with variable success but no clinical trial has been performed up to now. In this phase 2 trial, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of daratumumab (an anti-CD38 plasma therapy) in patients with PGNMID and C3G with MG. The primary objective was safety and tolerability of daratumumab. The secondary objective was the response rate to daratumumab. Response was defined by complete remission (CR) (proteinuria Download : Download high-res image (575KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. OffLabel Disclosure: Daratumumab - off label use for treatment of PGNMID
Planning to Have It All: Emerging Adults’ Expectations of Future Work-Family Conflict

This study assessed college students’ anticipated work-family conflict (family-impacting-work and work-impacting-family), and the family-altering and work-altering strategies they plan to employ to relieve that conflict. Undergraduates (N = 121) from two universities in the southeastern U.S. were surveyed and differences between the genders were tested. There were no significant gender differences in total conflict, but women anticipated more family-impacting-work conflict, while men anticipated greater work-impacting family conflict. Women planned to employ conflict-relieving strategies more than men did, although the genders did not differ in the mean amount of conflict they anticipated. The type of conflict anticipated did not align with planning for the appropriate conflict-relieving strategy. Women varied in their employment plans while their children are too young for school, although most planned to have their first child by age 30, and to return to a highly prestigious career. Results indicate that emerging adults of both genders may not be realistically planning for their anticipated work-family conflict.
Passive Recovery Strategies after Exercise: A Narrative Literature Review of the Current Evidence.

ABSTRACT Passive recovery techniques are popular and offer a diverse spectrum of options for athletes and the clinicians providing care for them. These techniques are intended to minimize the negative effects of training or competition, thus enabling the athlete a quicker return to peak performance. Current evidence demonstrates improved athlete recovery with compression garments, cold water immersion, partial body cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen, and vibratory therapies. Other popular modalities, such as compression devices, whole body cryotherapy, percussive gun-assisted therapy, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and pulsed electromagnetic therapy lack convincing evidence concerning athlete recovery. This article seeks to review the current literature and offer the reader an updated understanding of the mechanisms for each modality and the evidence regarding each modality's potential benefit in an athlete's recovery strategy.
Exploring the interactions between modal options, destination access, and travel mood

Abstract A good understanding of subjectively experienced well-being in daily travel is critical for the design and evaluation of transportation policies and programs. Numerous studies have examined the relationship between how we travel and how we feel during travel. However, people’s travel mood is not only determined by their trip characteristics but also their potential mobility—the capacity of being mobile. Using the data collected via a smartphone application in Minneapolis-St. Paul area, we measure potential mobility in two aspects—modal options and destination access and reveal that people in households with better access to cars and alternative transportation modes are, all else equal, more likely to report more positive moods and fewer negative moods during travel. In addition, people living in neighborhoods with greater access to destinations are less likely to feel stress when traveling. We also find that associations between mode and mood are moderated by modal options and destination access. These findings confirm the importance of explicitly considering modal options and destination access in policy debates and planning initiatives addressing transportation and well-being. In doing so, they demonstrate the relevance of Sen’s Capabilities Approach to transportation planning.
The first course on electronics and ABET Criteria 2000

Industries are demanding that engineering graduates must have certain skills and also have knowledge of the design process in addition to factual technical knowledge and analytical abilities. The presentation discusses the author's experience in teaching a design oriented electronics course.
Use of Medicinal Plants in Monterrey, Mexico

Mexico has a rich tradition in medicinal plant use within its diverse traditional healing practices. Many people have used medicinal herbs to treat a variety of diseases and ailments for many generations. Located in the northeast, Monterrey is Mexico’s third largest city and one of the most industrialized cities in Latin America. In spite of widespread use of modern pharmaceuticals, and the availability of "scientific" or mainstream medicine in this city, many people still rely on traditional healers, as well as the use medicinal plants to combat illness. This study was undertaken in order to obtain information regarding the most popular medicinal plants used in Monterrey, as well as their uses, forms of application, and origin. Thirteen herbal providers voluntarily accepted to be interviewed within 2 of the city’s largest popular herbal marketplaces. A questionnaire written in the Spanish language was provided to all interviewees, regarding their years in business, their source of information or expertise in recommending herbs, as well as the type of herbs employed for the treatment of various diseases or afflictions. Fifty-six medicinal plants belonging to 27 botanical families, mostly sold as crude herbs, were mentioned by the herbal providers as being the most commonly used to treat various ailments.
A genetic algorithm for optimal power scheduling for residential energy management

Demand Response continues to gain popularity as an effective means for administering demand side management by including customer's involvement in Smart grid operations, particularly for residential energy management. Abundant recent researches have studied economic benefits both for retailers as well as customers point of view. However, working out an exact formulation for optimal management is a tedious task for large scale residential customers. This paper presents an energy management scheme for residential customers via power scheduling, assuming that an energy market prevails that publishes hourly dynamic energy prices in a day ahead fashion and the hourly demand of customers are also known day ahead. This paper presents a metaheuristic formulation that minimizes customers overall energy cost using genetic algorithm results presented herein demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed methodology.
Control of spatially interconnected discrete-time systems

In this paper, we consider the analysis and synthesis problem for linear time-invariant distributed discrete time systems. These systems occur in many practical applications such as formation flight, control of systems described by partial differential equations, and control of automated vehicles moving in a platoon. Computationally attractive linear matrix inequality conditions are obtained for ensuring stability and induced /spl Lscr//sub 2/ performance. An example is given to motivate the class of systems we consider.
Nanoporous graphene: Membranes at the limit

Water desalination membranes can be created by etching nanometre-sized pores in a single layer of graphene.
Destruction of Dirty Ice Mantles by Sputtering

Dirty ice mantles are destroyed efficiently by sputtering of He atoms when clouds encounter shock velocities greater than 13–15 km s-1. Destruction due to grain-grain collisions is found to be about 10-3 times less efficient. Sputtering in the hot intercloud medium should make intercloud grains smaller than cloud grains.
Ten Reasons to Care About the Sleeping Beauty Problem

The Sleeping Beauty Problem attracts so much attention because it connects to a wide variety of unresolved issues in formal epistemology, decision theory, and the philosophy of science. The problem raises unanswered questions concerning relative frequencies, objective chances, the relation between self-locating and non-self-locating information, the relation between self-location and updating, Dutch Books, accuracy arguments, memory loss, indifference principles, the existence of multiple universes, and many-worlds interpretations of quantum mechanics. After stating the problem, this article surveys its connections to all of these areas.
Airline mergers and their effect on network structure

Abstract The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 introduced high-level competition into the US domestic industry. The resulting network changes have created a deluge of research, largely focused on the hub-and-spoke structure. Over 15 years have passed since deregulation, and the industry still appears somewhat unsettled. Recent concerns of domestic carriers include downsizing of some hubs, and discussions of further consolidation of operations. Mergers may be the answer for airlines with shrinking markets within the US transportation system. This study examines the effect on network structure created by the merger of two carriers from the perspective of hub structures, accessibility and geographic coverage.
Potential for intraoperative molecular staging of the mediastinum in NSCLC patients

Abstract Introduction: Accurate staging of mediastinal lymph nodes guides decisions in the choice of treatment of NSCLC. Unfortunately, reported sensitivity for mediastinoscopy ranges from 40%–89%, using standard pathologic techniques. Our objective was to develop molecular techniques to improve sensitivity and to apply these methods intraoperatively such that mediastinoscopy and tumor resection can potentially be performed in one procedure when the mediastinum is negative for disease. Methods: Approximately 40 markers were screened for expression in 6 primary tumors and 10 benign lymph nodes. From these, 6 markers that showed high expression in primary tumors and at least 500 fold lower expression in benign nodes were chosen for a secondary screening in 22 primary tumors, 21 positive lymph nodes and 22 benign lymph nodes to assess sensitivity and specificity. In collaboration with Cepheid, we have developed and tested a fully integrated, automated instrument (the GeneXpert) that is capable of performing both RNA isolation and QRT-PCR in less than 35 minutes. To demonstrate the feasibility of intraoperative staging, 5-micron sections were cut from OCT embedded tissues from a set of 6 positive, 6 negative, and 6 benign nodes and analyzed on the GeneXpert. Results: We identified 6 markers with good potential for lymph node analysis. Using an expression level cutoff equal to the highest expression in the benign lymph nodes and thus yielding 100% specificity, the following sensitivities were achieved for each marker respectively: carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (95.2%), cytokeratin 19 (CK19) (100%), lung-specific X protein (LUNX) (61.9%), novel marker LC-1 (61.9%), surfactant protein B (SFTPB) (57.1%), and TACSTD-1 (100%). Using TACSTD-1 as the marker, the fully automated GeneXpert assay (completed in 35 minutes) clearly discriminated positive from negative nodes. Conclusions: We evaluated molecular markers for their ability to detect nodal disease in NSCLC. In addition, we have developed instrumentation that allows rapid, automated molecular analysis of lymph nodes. The combination of the appropriate markers with this technology could potentially provide the ability to detect occult nodal disease, allowing for accurate intraoperative analysis of mediastinal lymph nodes, and enabling the surgeon to determine operability at the time of the original procedure.
Meson Factories-1977

The purpose of meson factories is to provide large fluxes of pions and muons so that detailed and precise measurements of meson characteristics and meson interactions could be made. Such experiments are important in many fields of research and may well be of interest for various ''practical'' problems. Such accelerators are formidable undertakings; for example, the design currents for the existing machines imply beam powers of 50 to 800 kW and the associated very high levels of induced radioactivity. The present levels of performance of the existing machines are compared. A preliminary section gives a brief description of the three meson factories in operation. Following the comparison of the existing machines, the new Russian meson factory now under construction is briefly described.
Phonological Awareness and Beginning Reading Evaluation of a School-Based Screening Procedure

Experimental phonological synthesis and analysis tasks were administered to children in the spring preceding their kindergarten entry. End-of-kindergarten, end-of-first-grade, and end-of-second-grade measures of beginning reading were collected for the group of 76 children (39 boys, 37 girls). Screening data for the 76 children were correlated with interim measures and standardized reading-performance measures that were administered at the end of second grade. The first experimental task, a phonological-synthesis task (sound blending), was significantly related to most of the interim and outcome measures. The phonological analysis task (rhyme detection) was related to fewer measures of beginning reading.
Influence of Electrostatic Effects on Activation Barriers in Enzymatic Reactions: Pyridoxal 5‘-Phosphate-Dependent Decarboxylation of α-Amino Acids

The role of the pyridoxyl functionality on pyridoxal 5‘-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymatic decarboxylation of α-amino acids has been examined using ab initio calculations at electron-correlated levels of theory (MP2/6-31G(d) and B3LYP/6-31G(d)). The zwitterionic reactant intermediates involved are used to measure the effects of ground-state destabilization on the activation barriers. Inclusion of the 2-hydroxy-3-methylpyridine group, as in alanine imine with PLP (5), results in a decrease in the barrier height to 20.1 kcal/mol. Either an intramolecular 1,4-proton shift from the carboxylic acid group or general acid catalysis by the phenol group in 5 affords a protonated aldimine group that provides Coulombic stabilization for the decarboxylation step (TS-6 and TS-7). There is no change in electron density of the pyridoxyl ring in either neutral transition structure. The “electron sink” effect attributed to the amide functionality in pyruvoyl-dependent and the pyridoxyl group in PLP-dependent decarboxylat...
Distinctive Circular Dichroism Signature for 14-Helix-Bundle Formation by β-Peptides

We identify a distinctive circular dichroism (CD) signature for self-assembled 14-helical β-peptides. Our data show that self-assembly leads to a mimimum at 205 nm, which is distinct from the well-known minimum at 214 nm for a monomeric 14-helix. The onset of assembly is indicated by [θ]205/[θ]214 > 0.7. Our results will facilitate rapid screening for self-assembling β-peptides and raise the possibility that far-UV CD will be useful for detecting higher-order structure for other well-folded oligoamide backbones.
Patterns of dentist location : Lansing, Michigan 1950-1991

Most literature on the location and distribution of medical professionals, particularly in the U.S., has concentrated on the locational patterns of physicians, even though dentists are also important providers of health care. During the last 40 years, dentists in Lansing, Michigan have moved their offices away from traditional downtown locations to other areas of the city, primarily along commercialized arteries leading out of the city core. The changes in dentist location have mainly been the result of older dentists retiring from the downtown area and new, presumably younger dentists locating in other sections. Dentists, like physicians, tend to cluster together, particularly in buildings occupied by other medical and dental professionals. Lansing dentists do not appear to locate their offices on the basis of population characteristics. It is suggested that future research consider the effects of city size on the distributional patterns of all health care professionals.
SCE induction in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) exposed to G agents

Abstract Cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were exposed to two neurotoxic organophosphates, either satin (GBI, GBII) at 1.4 x 10 −3 M or soman (GD) at 1.1 and 2.2 x 10 t-3 M for 1 h, grown and their metaphase chromosomes scored for sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE). No cytotoxicity was seen with either agent at any dose level tested. Since histograms of SCE per cell showed that they were non-symmetrically arrayed around the mean, the number of SCEs were analyzed by using the nonparametric tests, Mann-Whitney and Kruskall-Wallis. Agents GBI and GBII did not show any significant increase in SCE over baseline. On the other hand, GD demonstrated a statistically significant increase in SCE with and without metabolic activation. Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) alone at 5 x 10 −3 M and cyclophosphamide (CP) at 10 −4 M in the presence of rat microsomes (S9) induced a 3- and 8-fold increase in SCE per cell, respectively.
An Assessment of High Dynamic Range Luminance Measurements with LED Lighting

AbstractThis study investigates whether high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) can accurately capture luminance of a single light emitting diode (LED) chip within the luminaire. Two conventional methods of determining luminance—the use of a luminance meter with a close-up lens and deriving luminance from illuminance measurements, source area, and distance—of a single LED chip are compared to HDRI measurements. The results show that HDRI using a Canon EOS 7D camera, fitted with 28–105 mm lens and a neutral density filter (with less than 1% transmittance) combined in Photosphere compares very well to a luminance value determined with goniophotometer measurements and calculations. It provides confidence in the ability of HDRI to capture luminance of a single LED chip.
What leading practitioners say should be emphasized in students' software engineering projects

Software engineering students should carry out projects requiring them to work in groups, develop requirements documents, and design a system employing object-oriented techniques. To help determine what other project features to require in the limited time of a single semester, we asked software professionals with leadership roles to rank several possible project requirements according to their value for students' professional development. The features were ranked as follows, from most to least important: working with real users; developing a working prototype; completing a running system; and writing a formal verification and validation report. The results show that the area of user and client communication is seen as most crucial.
Morphine-receptor dissociation constant and the stimulus-effect relation for inhibition of gastrointestinal transit in the rat

The dissociation constant (KA) of morphine for its receptors was determined by the method of partial irreversible blockade of the receptor population using inhibition of gastrointestinal transit of a forced charcoal meal as the pharmacological endpoint. The anti-motility effect of morphine was antagonized when rats were pretreated with buprenorphine (0.3 mg/kg s.c.), a narcotic antagonist analgesic, 30 min before morphine and the extent of gastrointestinal transit was estimated a further 45 min later. With this schedule of drug administration, the agonist action of buprenorphine is minimal and its antagonist action predominates. The value of KA was (1.1 +/- 0.2) x 10(-5) mol/kg, a value close to that previously reported (2.9 x 10(-5) mol/kg) by us with these compounds in the rat tail flick test. The value of [A50], found here was 2.15 x 10(-6) mol/kg, approximately 1/5 of that of KA. Also, the stimulus-effect relation of the tissue, defined in Stephenson's theory, was plotted and found to be nonlinear. This result, when coupled with the inequality of KA and [A50], argues against the application of classical drug-receptor theory to this system. The apparent agreement between KA values for antinociception and inhibition of gastrointestinal transit is interesting, but does not necessarily prove equivalent receptors mediating the two different effects.
Clinical considerations for the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder with cognitive-behavioral therapy

Although cognitive behavior therapy has been found to be very effective in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), there still remain a number of challenges that clinicians face in the treatment of individuals with BDD. In this article, we discuss issues related to comorbid depression, suicidality, substance use disorders, personality disorders as well as the role of early life experiences, delusional intensity of beliefs, and motivation to change. The aim of this review is to provide a treatment aid to clinicians by offering specific recommendations for improved care based on the available literature as well as our clinical experience.
The role of parents and teachers in the development of gender-related math attitudes.

Girls tend to have more negative math attitudes, including gender stereotypes, anxieties, and self-concepts, than boys. These attitudes play a critical role in math performance, math course-taking, and the pursuit of math-related career paths. We review existing research, primarily from U.S. samples, showing that parents’ and teachers’ expectancies for children’s math competence are often gender-biased and can influence children’s math attitudes and performance. We then propose three new directions for future research on the social transmission of gender-related math attitudes. First, parents’ and teachers’ own math anxieties and their beliefs about whether math ability is a stable trait may prove to be significant influences on children’s math attitudes. Second, a developmental perspective that investigates math attitudes at younger ages and in relation to other aspects of gender development, such as gender rigidity, may yield new insights into the development of math attitudes. Third, investigating the specific behaviors and mannerisms that form the causal links between parents’ and teachers’ beliefs and children’s math attitudes may lead to effective interventions to improve children’s math attitudes from a young age. Such work will not only further our understanding of the relations between attitudes and performance, but will lead to the development of practical interventions for the home and classroom that ensure that all students are provided with opportunities to excel in math.
Treadmill Exercise and Resistance Training in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease With and Without Intermittent Claudication: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Context Neither supervised treadmill exercise nor strength training for patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) without intermittent claudication have been established as beneficial. Objective To determine whether supervised treadmill exercise or lower extremity resistance training improve functional performance of patients with PAD with or without claudication. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized controlled clinical trial performed at an urban academic medical center between April 1, 2004, and August 8, 2008, involving 156 patients with PAD who were randomly assigned to supervised treadmill exercise, to lower extremity resistance training, or to a control group. Main Outcome Measures Six-minute walk performance and the short physical performance battery. Secondary outcomes were brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, treadmill walking performance, the Walking Impairment Questionnaire, and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey physical functioning (SF-36 PF) score. Results For the 6-minute walk, those in the supervised treadmill exercise group increased their distance walked by 35.9 m (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.3-56.5 m; P Conclusions Supervised treadmill training improved 6-minute walk performance, treadmill walking performance, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, and quality of life but did not improve the short physical performance battery scores of PAD participants with and without intermittent claudication. Lower extremity resistance training improved functional performance measured by treadmill walking, quality of life, and stair climbing ability. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00106327
Immobilization of α-amylase in vinyl-polymer-based interpenetrating polymer networks

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) of poly(ethylene glycol), poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyacrylamide were prepared as a support for enzyme immobilization and kinetic studies were performed for the immobilization of α-amylase. The effect of IPN composition on the extent of immobilization was investigated and the percentage of relative activity of the immobilized enzyme was evaluated as a function of the chemical architecture of the IPNs, pH and temperature, taking starch as a substrate. The kinetic constants and the maximum reaction velocity were also evaluated. The IPNs were characterized by IR spectral analysis.
A neural network model of inhibitory information processing in Aplysia

Recent cellular studies have revealed a novel form of inhibitory information processing in the siphon withdrawal reflex of the marine mollusc Aplysia: Motorneuronal output is significantly reduced by activity-dependent potentiation of recurrent inhibition within the siphon withdrawal network (Fischer and Carew 1991, 1993). This inhibitory modulation is mediated by two types of identified interneurons, L29s and L30s. In an effort to describe and analyze this and other forms of inhibitory information processing in Aplysia, and to compare it with similar processing in other nervous systems, we have constructed a neural network model that incorporates many empirically observed features of these interneurons. The model generates important aspects of the interactions of cells L29 and L30, and with no further modification, exhibits many network level phenomena that were not explicitly incorporated into the model.