cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Deep Neural Network Approach for Time-Of- Arrival Estimation in Multipath Channels

Attaining accurate estimation of a signal time-of-arrival (TOA) in dense multipath channels is very challenging. This problem was traditionally solved with signal processing techniques. In this paper, a novel deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) TOA estimator is developed. The DCNN was trained with synthetically generates multipath channel realizations based on statistical modeling, and then tested on real-life measurements from indoor environments. It is shown that the DCNN attains the performance of state-of-the-art signal processing based estimators (maximum likelihood performance), and has the advantage that it does not require knowledge of the channel statistics nor the knowledge of the transmitted signal waveform. This work inspires further study on the applicability of neural networks to other related problems, which have been traditionally solved with signal processing methods.
Comments and Predictions on Female Olympian and Paralympian Events

Summarizing the contents of this volume within an historical perspective, this chapter also includes a valuable table listing when men, women, and Paralympians began participating in various sports. Then, conclusions are drawn relative to the future of women’s sport and the importance of rhetorical analyses.
La ruta latinoamericana del doctor Faustus: El lugar sin límites de Donoso y Under the Volcano de Malcolm Lowry

espanolEstudio sobre El lugar sin limites que propone que la famosa apelacion a la obra de Christopher Marlowe por parte de esta obra de Jose Donoso esta mediada por Under the Volcano (1947), de Malcolm Lowry –novela del infierno rural mexicano cuya matriz confesa es el Doctor Faustus de Marlowe. Argumentamos, en suma, que en Mexico de 1965 –donde Donoso escribira El lugar sin limites, y donde apenas antes de llegar la Revista de la Universidad de la UNAM habia publicado un especial conmemorativo dedicado a Bajo el volcan–, Jose Donoso y Malcolm Lowry se encuentran e intercambian el legado infernal de Christopher Marlowe en tierras latinoamericanas. EnglishIn this article we argue that Jose Donoso’s famous invocation of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus in El lugar sin limites (1966) is mediated by the influence of Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano (1947) –a novel that addresses the topic of Mexican hell, and which in turn is textually based on Marlowe’s drama. We claim that in Mexico, 1965, precisely where Donoso wrote El lugar sin limites, and where, shortly before his arrival, UNAM’s Revista de la Universidad had published an issue exclusively devoted to Under the Volcano, Jose Donoso and Malcom Lowry cross literary paths and negotiate Christopher Marlowe’s hellish legacy on Latin American soil.
Variability in oropharyngeal airflow and aerosol deposition due to changing tongue positions

Abstract Human tongue is a highly compliant entity and its position has significant effects on the delivery efficiency of orally inhaled pharmaceuticals. However, studies of tongue postures on aerosol transport and deposition are rare due to technical challenges in developing such models. This study presents a computational oropharyngeal model with varying tongue shapes, which are representative of the positions a subject takes during pulmonary drug delivery. The affected airflow and aerosol behaviors were simulated using a well-validated computational fluid-particle tracking model. Results show that, depending on the extent of the morphology variations, tongue position can significantly alter the airflow pattern and particle behaviors in the oral cavity and the subsequent pharyngeal airway. The variability in the total oropharyngeal filtering rate was 6%–25% and varied with particles sizes and breathing conditions. Much higher differences were observed in the compartmental deposition fractions, with the most pronounced variations in the oral cavity. The effects from tongue positioning were also observed in the particle distributions that entered the lungs, which might further cause differences in the pulmonary deposition distributions. Results of this study indicate that the tongue position can be a key factor in administering therapeutic agents to conducting airways (e.g., bronchial asthma).
Field Testing of Manufacturable Advanced Low-Cost Receiver for Parabolic Trough Solar Power

Current parabolic trough receiver tubes are evacuated and operate at temperatures below 400°C. Manufacturing and maintaining evacuated tube receivers over an expected 30-year lifetime is costly, and complex. In addition, their temperature limitations affect plant cycle efficiency. In this project a novel low cost non-evacuated and thermally insulated receiver tube is field tested for thermal capacitance and optical efficiency. Three measurements of temperature were takine for the thermal capacitance test resulting in a heat loss of 0.6kW at 10oC and 1.2kW at 20°C. Ten optical efficiency tests were performed, and the mean was found to be 78.3% with a standard deviation of 1.37%.
Making the Jump: A Qualitative Analysis on the Transition From Bedside Assistant to Console Surgeon in Robotic Surgery Training.

Objective To determine barriers associated with the transition from bedside assistant to console surgeon for general surgery residents in the era of robotic surgery in general surgery training. Design Qualitative thematic analysis using one-on-one interviews of general surgery residents and attendings conducted between June 2018 and February 2019. Setting An urban, academic, multihospital general surgery residency program with a robust robotic surgery program. Participants Convenient and purposeful sampling was performed to ensure a variety of resident graduate-years and attending subspecialties were represented. Sample size was determined by data saturation, which occurred after 20 resident and 7 attending interviews. Results Residents identified the low volume of general surgery robotic cases, the infrequency of exposure to robotic surgery, and attending comfort with robotic surgery (and with teaching on the robot) as potential barriers in the transition from bedside assistant to console surgeon. Residents had to find a replacement bedside assistant in order to be the console surgeon, which was challenging. In addition, residents felt that the current culture surrounding robotic surgery is very hierarchal, limiting their exposure. Attendings’ trust in the residents’ console skills was a major determining factor in allowing residents on the console. Conclusions Most robotic surgery education curricula are sequential, requiring the resident to progress from bedside assistant to console surgeon. Unfortunately, there are many potential barriers for residents in the transition from bedside assistant to console surgeon. Some barriers apply to general surgery training overall, but are amplified in robotic surgery, while others are unique to robotic surgery education. Recognition of, and rectifying, these barriers may increase resident participation as the console surgeon.
Investigating mental health crisis in youth with autism spectrum disorder.

Evidence suggests that youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at increased risk for experiencing a mental health crisis. Yet, limited systematic research exists on this topic. This study examines the prevalence, phenomenology, and correlates of mental health crisis in children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD. Participants included 462 parents of individuals with ASD (83% male, 86% Caucasian, M = 13.7 years, SD = 4.7) who were enrolled in the Interactive Autism Network, a large online registry of families of individuals with ASD. Parents completed the Mental Health Crisis Assessment Scale, a psychometrically sound measure of mental health crisis for youth with ASD, as well as measures of parental depression, family quality of life, and mental health treatment history. Overall, 32% of parents reported that their child had experienced a mental health crisis during the last 3 months. In the younger group, elopement (88%) and self-injury (81%) were the most frequent behaviors contributing to crisis; physical (60%) and verbal (42%) aggression were the most frequent crisis behaviors in the older group. Correlates of crisis included younger age, increased parental depressive symptoms, and lower family quality of life. Approximately 75% of individuals in crisis had seen a psychiatrist or behavioral therapist/psychologist within the last 3 months and 25% were not engaged in any mental health treatment. In summary, mental health crises were quite prevalent in this online sample of youth with ASD. Identification and treatment of these serious events is critical to reduce morbidity in this population. Autism Res 2020, 13: 112-121. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: This study examines the prevalence and characteristics of mental health crisis in children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. We found that 32% of individuals in our study had experienced a mental health crisis within the last 3 months. Younger age, increased parental depression, and lower quality of life were associated with crisis. These findings emphasize the importance of developing child and family-based interventions to prevent and treat the mental health crisis in this population.
Rapid Damage Assessments of Shorelines and Structures in the Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma

AbstractThe 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active since 2005 and was classified as an extremely active year of coastal storms. Hurricane Irma caused significant damage in the Caribbean...
Endosomal sorting pathways in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.

Abstract The identification of Parkinson's disease (PD)-associated genes has created a powerful platform to begin to understand and nominate pathophysiological disease mechanisms. Herein, we discuss the genetic and experimental evidence supporting endolysosomal dysfunction as a major pathway implicated in PD. Well-studied familial PD-linked gene products, including LRRK2, VPS35, and α-synuclein, demonstrate how disruption of different aspects of endolysosomal sorting pathways by disease-causing mutations may manifest into PD-like phenotypes in many disease models. Newly-identified PD-linked genes, including auxilin, synaptojanin-1 and Rab39b, as well as putative risk genes for idiopathic PD (endophilinA1, Rab29, GAK), further support endosomal sorting deficits as being central to PD. LRRK2 may represent a nexus by regulating many distinct features of endosomal sorting, potentially via phosphorylation of key endocytosis machinery (i.e., auxilin, synaptojanin-1, endoA1) and Rab GTPases (i.e., Rab29, Rab8A, Rab10) that function within these pathways. In turn, LRRK2 kinase activity is critically regulated by Rab29 at the Golgi complex and retromer-associated VPS35 at endosomes. Taken together, the known functions of PD-associated gene products, the impact of disease-linked mutations, and the emerging functional interactions between these proteins points to endosomal sorting pathways as a key point of convergence in the pathogenesis of PD.
Fantasmagorías bogotanas: invención y producción de fantasmas en la Candelaria

In this article I analyze how a ghostly map of the Candelaria neighborhood has been constructed through inclusions and exclusions of ghosts and their stories. I underscore how the city’s broader imaginary is impacted by this selective mapping of ghostly narratives. In particular, I read these ghosts as localized signs of resistance and persistence of memory—usually of memories violently silenced. At the same time, the included ghosts often simultaneously displace other events and characters that are continually excluded from spaces of urban memory.
On the reversibility of the Meissner effect and the angular momentum puzzle

It is generally believed that the laws of thermodynamics govern superconductivity as an equilibrium state of matter, and hence that the normal-superconductor transition in a magnetic field is reversible under ideal conditions. Because eddy currents are generated during the transition as the magnetic flux changes, the transition has to proceed infinitely slowly to generate no entropy. Experiments showed that to a high degree of accuracy no entropy was generated in these transitions. However, in this paper we point out that for the length of times over which these experiments extended, a much higher degree of irreversibility due to decay of eddy currents should have been detected than was actually observed. We also point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no explanation exists for why no Joule heat is generated in the superconductor to normal transition when the supercurrent stops. In addition we point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no mechanism exists for the transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body as a whole, which is necessary to ensure that the transition in the presence of a magnetic field respects momentum conservation. We propose a solution to all these questions based on the alternative theory of hole superconductivity. The theory proposes that in the normal-superconductor transition there is a flow and backflow of charge in direction perpendicular to the phase boundary when the phase boundary moves. We show that this flow and backflow explains the absence of Joule heat generated by Faraday eddy currents, the absence of Joule heat generated in the process of the supercurrent stopping, and the reversible transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body, provided the current carriers in the normal state are holes.
Workplace Subjective Alienation and Individuals’ well-being

There are many sociological studies that have consistently demonstrated the importance of workplace alienation and its association with human health. However, nearly all research has focused on the objective dimension of alienation, overlooking the significance and in-depth understanding of subjective or covert forms of alienation. The purpose of this study is to explore the role and impact of subjective alienation on the mental and physical well-being of individuals, utilizing secondary analysis of data. The spillover effect of this type of alienation in relation to workplace behavior can significantly impact many aspects of people’s lives. Generally, alienation is the feeling of being disconnected and often occurs in the presence of, or presumed differentiation in social status. It lies in discrepancy and contradiction between subjective emotion and objective sensation; it is an inauthentic human relationship. This study finds that as a subtle form of bullying, covert alienation can produce significant levels of stress, which has countless consequences including emotional, financial, and physical problems. The findings also suggest that a lack of support in helping an alienated individual results in further alienation, leading to deviant behavior. Overall, this study may be helpful to organizations in recognizing maladaptive behaviors that might cause workplace alienation. Moreover, this study can be additional avenue to literature reviews, specifically in the area of subjective alienation.
Macroeconomic Equilibrium and Employment

I now turn to a perennial question in macroeconomics since the time the General Theory was published: Can an economy be in equilibrium at less than full employment? Keynes’s answer in the General Theory was a clear yes. His reasoning (and mechanism) was that aggregate output and income are determined by the Principle of Effective Demand. Aggregate expenditure (and therefore income) is equal to the sum of consumption and investment expenditures, consumption (and therefore saving) is primarily determined by the level of income, investment is determined by the interest rate, and the interest rate is determined by Liquidity Preference. Savings and investment are brought into equilibrium through adjustments in the level of income, rather than through adjustments in the rate of interest. The resulting equilibrium level of output determines the level of employment, and there is no necessity for this to be at the full-employment level. Full employment could be foreclosed, for Keynes, either because of the ‘liquidity trap’ or because of a depressed marginal efficiency of capital.
A Symbiotic Cognitive Computing Perspective on Autonomic Computing

Symbiotic Cognitive Systems (SCS) are multi-agent systems comprising both human and software agents that are designed to collectively perform cognitive tasks such as decision-making better than humans or software agents can unaided. Autonomic Computing Systems (ACS) are multi-agent systems that manage applications as well as software and hardware resources in accordance with goals specified by human administrators and users. SCS and ACS share some key characteristics. First, both are designed to extend human intellectual capabilities, and as such they require effective means by which humans can communicate their objectives to the computing system. Second, their natural architecture is a multi-agent system in which dozens, hundreds or even more semi-autonomous entities interact. In both SCS and ACS, issues of inter-agent communication and coordination come to the fore. We report our experience with a moderate-scale SCS prototype that helps human experts make decisions with financial impacts ranging from millions to even billions of US: corporate mergers and acquisitions. Taking advantage of the commonalities, we translate this experience into insights that may benefit future research on ACS, and recommend a stronger focus on agent-human communication and building realistic system prototypes.
Myosin in polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Abstract Myosin was extracted from guinea pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes (granulocytes) homogenized in either 0.6 m KCl or 0.34 m sucrose solutions. It was purified by precipitation at low ionic strength, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and gel filtration with buffers containing KI and ATP. Myosin isolated from sucrose extracts of granulocytes consisted of essentially one polypeptide that co-migrated with the heavy chain of skeletal muscle myosin on sodium dodecyl sulfate acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Antibody against this protein was prepared in rabbits and reacted with it to yield one precipitin line by immunodiffusion. Myosin isolated from extracts of cells prepared with 0.6 m KCl was heterogenous by electrophoresis and immunodiffusion probably because of partial degradation by lysosomal enzymes solubilized by KCl but not by sucrose. All myosin preparations reacted with antiserum to yield at least two arcs on immunoelectrophoresis. Granulocyte myosin, like other myosins, had EDTA- and calcium- but not magnesium-activated ATPase activity in 0.6 m KCl, and it bound skeletal muscle F-actin in the absence but not the presence of ATP. At low ionic strength the Mg2+ATPase activity of granulocyte myosin was activated by skeletal muscle F-actin. This activation was not influenced by calcium. However, under the influence of skeletal muscle troponin-tropomyosin, activation of granulocyte myosin Mg2+ATPase by skeletal muscle F-actin occurred only after addition of calcium. In 0.12 m KCl, granulocyte myosin formed thin short bipolar filaments in the presence of divalent cations. Actin was identified in granulocyte extracts as a protein which comigrated with skeletal muscle actin on sodium dodecyl sulfate acrylamide gel electrophoresis and which formed filaments that bound granulocyte myosin to form polarized arrowhead structures.
A paradigm for intelligent CAD

An intelligent CAD system is a tool box of automated problem solving aids that allow designers to conceive, evolve, and document their designs. Our research involves CAD systems for mechanical applications where three-dimensional geometric shapes play a significant functional role. In this paper, we consider the design process itself as a problem solving activity. Computer systems suitable for assisting different modes of problem solving must be based on different assumptions about users’ intentions and their dialog with the system. We identify three modes of problem solving based on their implications on a system’s underlying paradigm. Because of the important role of geometric information in design, a prerequisite for intelligent CAD systems is more explicit representation and manipulation of geometric knowledge. We discuss a paradigm for an intelligent CAD environment specifically suitable for geometric information and its implication on knowledge representation.
Allelic Spectra of Risk SNPs Are Different for Environment/Lifestyle Dependent versus Independent Diseases

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have generated sufficient data to assess the role of selection in shaping allelic diversity of disease-associated SNPs. Negative selection against disease risk variants is expected to reduce their frequencies making them overrepresented in the group of minor (<50%) alleles. Indeed, we found that the overall proportion of risk alleles was higher among alleles with frequency <50% (minor alleles) compared to that in the group of major alleles. We hypothesized that negative selection may have different effects on environment (or lifestyle)-dependent versus environment (or lifestyle)-independent diseases. We used an environment/lifestyle index (ELI) to assess influence of environmental/lifestyle factors on disease etiology. ELI was defined as the number of publications mentioning “environment” or “lifestyle” AND disease per 1,000 disease-mentioning publications. We found that the frequency distributions of the risk alleles for the diseases with strong environmental/lifestyle components follow the distribution expected under a selectively neutral model, while frequency distributions of the risk alleles for the diseases with weak environmental/lifestyle influences is shifted to the lower values indicating effects of negative selection. We hypothesized that previously selectively neutral variants become risk alleles when environment changes. The hypothesis of ancestrally neutral, currently disadvantageous risk-associated alleles predicts that the distribution of risk alleles for the environment/lifestyle dependent diseases will follow a neutral model since natural selection has not had enough time to influence allele frequencies. The results of our analysis suggest that prediction of SNP functionality based on the level of evolutionary conservation may not be useful for SNPs associated with environment/lifestyle dependent diseases.
Implementing an auction market for regulation service using software agents

Software agent based systems have long been used in the design and implementation of complex systems. This paper discusses a framework for the regulation service auction market for investigating the behaviors of software agents representing the various participants including the auction coordinator (ISO). The main emphasis is to consider the profit maximizing bidding strategies employed by the power suppliers to gain from the competitive market setup. The Java Multi-Agent Development Kit (Madkit) is used for the auction simulations and Java Native Interface (JNI) methods are employed to invoke Matlab computations. Finally, two examples are shown for procurement of regulation service involving five suppliers over a twenty-four hour auction period.
A IMPORTÂNCIA DO PLANEJAMENTO ESTRATÉGICO PARA AS INSTITUIÇÕES FINANCEIRAS

O presente trabalho visa destacar o Planejamento Estrategico como caminho de organizacao na gestao das empresas, apresentando os pontos principais para a sua elaboracao. Busca afirmar sua importância na realizacao das acoes de trabalho. Em especial aborda aspectos do Planejamento Estrategico sua elaboracao e importância para as Instituicoes Financeiras. O referido trabalho foi desenvolvido com metodologia descritiva, por meio de pesquisas bibliograficas em livros, artigos impressos e da internet, observacao nas Instituicoes Financeiras, analise de documentos e conversas informais com pessoas ligadas ao setor. Com a crescente concorrencia entre as instituicoes financeiras, por terem produtos e precos identicos, torna-se cada vez mais importante pensar estrategicamente como atender os clientes e manter a fidelidade dos mesmos para com a instituicao. E reconhecido que para as instituicoes financeiras, sao necessarios, alem de estrategias competitivas, instrumentos tecnicos de organizacao de acoes, preparar os funcionarios para que os mesmos atendam as necessidades dos clientes com conhecimento do produto e da instituicao, postura e etica. E de suma importância manter ajuste viavel entre objetivos, metas, habilidades e recursos disponiveis, estando atento as oportunidades de mercado, para o continuo crescimento.
In Search of a Consistency Model for Evaluation of Student Performance in Nontraditional Education.

In nontraditional education we believe that learning how to learn should be the major objective. Helping students learn how to learn should be a major teaching objective and a major teaching skill. This skill involves helping a student recognize that learning involves personal change and that no one is so knowledgeable and so skilled that he or she need not learn. One of the major problems in learning how to learn for educators is being able to play a concurrent role—that of an evaluator and that of an academic advisor. Inherent in this double role is the concept that an evaluator should provide a learning experience that is planned as an integral and continuous part of a student's education. Evaluation processes, both in planning and implementation, should be consistent with knowledge, values, and goals of nontraditional education. Their basis should be a theory of adult learning.
Simulation for emergency management: Taking advantage of automation in emergency preparedness

Industrial facilities operate in an en vironment of increased public awareness of hazards, and added regulatory demands. Public awareness and new regulations result from concerns over the effec tiv...
Age and Present and Future Perceived Quality of Life

Future expectations of quality of life and present evaluations of quality of life were measured in three age groups using four measures. Expectations were found to exceed present evaluations on all four measures. There was a significant correlation between age and the Faces Scale for future expectations. Age also related to differences between future expectations and present quality of life estimates. Expectations, the cognitive dimension of hope, merit more intensive study.
Ether-Induced Retrograde Amnesia for One-Trial Conditioning in Mice

Mice were tested in a situation permitting them to step readily from a small, restrictive platform to a larger one. Conditioned avoidance was established by a single training trial when animals received a shock by stepping from one platform to another. At various intervals after the single punishing shock, subjects were anesthetized with diethyl ether. Interference with retention, tested 1 day later, was shown for intervals up to 24 minutes, at which time ether no longer appeared to influence the subsequent response.
“Non-traditional” siblings and the academic outcomes of adolescents

Abstract Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this paper explores the extent to which residing in “non-traditional” sibling compositions (i.e., living with step- and/or half-siblings) explains the relationship between academic disadvantage and stepfamily living. Net of demographic and family background characteristics, “non-traditional” sibling compositions are associated with lower grades and higher levels of school-related behavior problems. The disadvantage associated with “non-traditional” siblings accumulates or remains constant over time as family members live together. Controlling for sibling composition mediates the lowered outcomes of youth in married stepfamilies and explains a portion of the disadvantage experienced by those in cohabiting stepfamilies. Thus, part of what makes stepfamily life detrimental to the academic outcomes of youth appears to be the complexity, ambiguity and stress that comes with having “non-traditional” siblings living within the same home. These results confirm the importance of considering the composition of a young person’s entire residential family unit, rather than focusing exclusively on the structure of parent–child relations, when studying adolescent academic outcomes.
Metal–metal multiply-bonded complexes of technetium.

Abstract The α- (chelated) and β- (bridged) isomers of Tc2Cl4(dppe)2 (dppe=Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2) have been prepared and characterized. The reaction of Tc2Cl4(PEt3)4 or Tc2Cl4(PMe2Ph)4 with dppe in refluxing toluene affords the pale pink β-isomer, isostructural with both the analogous Mo and Re compounds. When Tc2Cl4(PMePh2)4 is refluxed in toluene with a large excess of dppe, the mauve α-isomer is produced. Spectral and electrochemical properties as well as reactivity of each isomer are reported. For each the X-ray crystal structure is also reported. The α-isomer has average Tc–Tc=2.15[1] A and an eclipsed conformation. For the β-isomer there is a twist angle of 35(2)° and a Tc–Tc distance of 2.117(1) A.
Endogenous substrates for in vitro phosphorylation by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum.

Endogenous proteins which could serve as substrates for cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro were measured in cytosolic fractions at four stages of development. A peak of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation occurred at the slug stage, coincident with the appearance of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. After partial purification of the slug-stage extracts by DE-52 cellulose and Sephacryl S-300 chromatography, cyclic AMP dependency of six proteins was observed. The apparent subunit molecular weights of the proteins were >200,000, 110,000, 107,000, 91,000, 75,000, and 69,000. Upon further purification of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase by chromatofocusing, the endogenous substrates were separated from the enzyme. In addition, the enzyme separated into catalytic and regulatory subunits. If the purified catalytic subunit was added to heated S300 fractions, proteins with apparent molecular weights of 91,000 and 107,000 were specificity phosphorylated. The results show the stage-dependent appearance of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and point out several in vitro substrates for the enzyme.
Three dimensional characterization and modeling of particle reinforced metal matrix composites part II: damage characterization

This second paper of a two part sequence, attempts to quantitatively characterize 3-D microstructural damage in particle reinforced metal matrix composites using a combination of computational and experimental tools. It is perhaps the first studies providing quantitative 3-D characterization of phase and damage morphology for comparison with 2-D micrographs. Materials with different volume fractions and particle sizes, at different levels of deformation are considered. The serial sectioning method is used to obtain micrographs of a series of parallel sections of the sample material. 3-D computer images of the particles and the associated damage in the microstructure are constructed by digitally assembling the section micrographs. Equivalent microstructures with actual particles and cracks replaced by ellipses or ellipsoids are simulated for enhanced computational efficiency. The equivalent microstructures are meshed into Voronoi cells by a surface based algorithm. Various characterization functions of geometric parameters are generated to identify the damage size, shape, orientation and spatial distribution both in 2- and in 3-D. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to explore the influence of the morphological parameters on damage. Particle size, orientation and local volume fraction are found to play the most significant roles in the cracking process. Experimental observations of damage are compared with predictions by a probabilistic damage model viz. the Weibull model. Representative material elements, which correspond to the characteristic sizes for local continuum representation, are investigated through the use of variograms and marked correlation functions.
Tunable reduced size planar folded slot antenna utilizing varactor diodes

A tunable folded slot antenna that utilizes varactor diodes is presented. The antenna is fabricated on Rogers 6006 Duriod with a dielectric constant and thickness of 6.15 and 635 µm, respectively. A copper cladding layer of 17 µm defines the antenna on the top side (no ground on backside). The antenna is fed with a CPW 50 Ω feed line, has a center frequency of 3 GHz, and incorporates Micrometrics microwave hyper-abrupt 500MHV varactors to tune the resonant frequency. The varactors have a capacitance range of 2.52 pF at 0 V to 0.4 pF at 20 V; they are placed across the radiating slot of the antenna. The tunable 10 dB bandwidth of the 3 GHz antenna is 150 MHz. The varactors also reduce the size of the antenna by 30% by capacitively loading the resonating slot line. At the center frequency, 3 GHz, the antenna has a measured return loss of 44 dB and a gain of 1.6 dBi. Full-wave electromagnetic simulations using HFSS are presented that validate the measured data.
Pelvic organ prolapse: Anterior, superior, and posterior vaginal segment defects☆☆☆

Pelvic organ prolapse is a complex entity that potentially involves not only poor support for multiple sites in the vagina but also the function of the urethra, bladder, and anorectum, as well as sexual function. We must provide a comprehensive approach to the evaluation and management of women with pelvic organ prolapse and must critically review the assessment of surgical management.
Sustainable mobility transitions and the challenge of countervailing trends: The case of personal aeromobility

Research on sustainable mobility transitions has focused on battery-electric vehicles, urban ‘smart’ cars, fuel-cell powered transport modes and power-assisted bicycles. While these studies have usefully exposed some of the dynamics governing sociotechnical change, developments outside the purview of sustainability have been largely ignored. A critical area of neglect concerns the growing popularity of personal aeromobility. Passenger dissatisfaction with commercial airlines, public concerns about terrorism, increasing affluence and creative marketing have expanded interest in private aviation. In parts of the USA, customised air travel is becoming a straightforward and affordable transport alternative. This article describes the mounting popularity of four segments of this trend: business/personal airplane acquisition, fractional aircraft ownership, flight-time cards and air taxis. It also highlights the role that the federal government is currently playing to overcome the technological obstacles to more...
Axisymmetric finite element solution of non-isothermal parallel-plate flow

Steady non-isothermal parallel-plate flow of a Newtonian fluid with a temperature dependent viscosity is considered. The viscosity is modelled by a Nahme type law. We apply axisymmetric Q^k finite elements to the coupled nonlinear system to obtain numerical solutions for a wide range of parameters.
A review of quality-of-life evaluations in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a highly prevalent malignancy in older men. Because the disease and its treatments have the potential to cause substantial morbidity in affected individuals, prostate cancer has been the subject of great interest for quality-of-life (QOL) researchers. In this article, we review published QOL studies that have focused on individuals with prostate cancer. Generic survey instruments have generally been found to be insensitive to changes in health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) related to prostate cancer and its treatments. Domain-specific survey instruments (such as those focusing on sexual function) have been more sensitive, but fail to capture all relevant impacts. At least 9 disease-specific instruments have been developed to measure the HR-QOL impact of prostate cancer. These instruments generally focus on specific symptoms related to the disease and its treatment — urinary function, bowel function, sexual function, physical function, psychological function and pain — however, the domains covered are not consistent from instrument to instrument, and the domains of emphasis within each instrument are rarely the same. In addition, no single instrument has been applied to all major therapies for prostate cancer across men at different ages and stages of disease. Finally, HR-QOL evaluations in some patient groups, such as thosewith advanced disease, have received relatively little attention to date. As a result of the proliferation of prostate cancer-specific survey instruments and inconsistencies in their design and application, decision-makers face great difficulties evaluating HR-QOL across disease stages and comparing the HR-QOL impacts of alternative therapies, including conservative management (‘watchful waiting“). In order for these tools to be useful for patient management and policy-making, coordination of instrument development efforts with the goal of consolidating the number of measures used is urgently needed.
Adopting Household Health Security as a Health Reform Strategy

This paper explores the broad concept of household health security as a basis for health system reform. This concept incorporates a range of health and social services that influence the impact of an episode of illness on individual or household finances: curative and preventive healthcare, social care, rehabilitative care, occupational health services, workman's compensation, sickness pay, and disability pension. The paper examines the ability of this approach to refocus ongoing health system change in a manner consistent with both accepted social values as well as the increasing demands of financial stringency. By so doing, household health security may provide a simultaneously broader and more normative strategy with which to carry forward the notion of integrated care.
Spermatogenesis in Animals as Revealed by Electron Microscopy VIII. Relation between the Nutritive Cells and the Developing Spermatids in a Pond Snail, Cipangopaludina malleata Reeve

This paper deals with spermatogenesis in Cipangopaludina malleata Reeve, with special regard to the relation between the nutritive cells and the developing spermatids. The nutritive cell gives rise to numerous, slender or broad, elongate pseudopodia which extend from its surface toward the seminiferous lumen. They are characteristically provided with rows of circular, oval, and elongate profiles identical in form and position with the profiles of the endoplasmic reticulum. As the elongate pseudopodia increase in number, they become more slender and more closely packed until they coalesce into a continuous sheet circumferentially disposed around the nucleus and the full length of the middle piece of the typical spermatid. Thus the mantle of the typical spermatozoon of the pond snail is formed by a thin fold of the cytoplasm of the nutritive cells. This wrapping appears to contain 16 to 18 elements of the smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, which run parallel and helically (50 to 100 mµ apart). It is suggested that these constitute a conductor system for nutritional supply from the nutritive cells to the developing typical spermatids. The mantle is assumed to be a transient structure which disappears when the sperms are detached. The atypical spermatids develop while lodged in deep indentations of the surface of the nutritive cells.
Multilevel risk factors and developmental assets for internalizing symptoms and self-esteem in disadvantaged adolescents: modeling longitudinal trajectories from the Rural Adaptation Project

The current study filled significant gaps in our knowledge of developmental psychopathology by examining the influence of multilevel risk factors and developmental assets on longitudinal trajectories of internalizing symptoms and self-esteem in an exceptionally culturally diverse sample of rural adolescents. Integrating ecological and social capital theories, we explored if positive microsystem transactions are associated with self-esteem while negative microsystem transactions increase the chances of internalizing problems. Data came from the Rural Adaptation Project, a 5-year longitudinal panel study of more than 4,000 middle school students from 28 public schools in two rural, disadvantaged counties in North Carolina. Three-level hierarchical linear modeling models were estimated to predict internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety) and self-esteem. Relative to other students, risk for internalizing problems and low self-esteem was elevated for aggressive adolescents, students who were hassled or bullied at school, and those who were rejected by peers or in conflict with their parents. Internalizing problems were also more common among adolescents from socioeconomically disadvantaged families and neighborhoods, among those in schools with more suspensions, in students who reported being pressured by peers, and in youth who required more teacher support. It is likely that these experiences left adolescents disengaged from developing social capital from ecological microsystems (e.g., family, school, peers). On the positive side, support from parents and friends and optimism about the future were key assets associated with lower internalizing symptoms and higher self-esteem. Self-esteem was also positively related to religious orientation, school satisfaction, and future optimism. These variables show active engagement with ecological microsystems. The implications and limitations were discussed.
De novo synthesis of fatty acid in perfused rat liver as a determinant of plasma lipoprotein production.

Abstract The quantitative relationship between fatty acid synthesis de novo and production of plasma lipoproteins by perfused liver has been investigated. Livers of rats were perfused in situ for 3–5 hours with a suspension of erythrocytes in one of three perfusing media: rat plasma, buffer containing albumin, or a mixture of plasma and buffer. Tritium oxide (2 mC) was added in each case. Livers were from young rats fed adlibitum or fasted and re-fed. Rates of hepatic fatty acid synthesis ranged from 1.4 to 14.1 μmoles/gm liver/hour, as determined from the tritium content of fatty acids in the liver plus perfusate. A high correlation was found between the number of micromoles of fatty acid synthesized by livers and the number of micromoles of esterified fatty acid released by livers into the perfusing medium. When the perfusate was prepared with only plasma, 0.9 mole of total fatty acid was released per mole synthesized. With all perfusing media, net release of triglycerides, and to a lesser extent cholesterol, was highly correlated with rate of fatty acid synthesis. The additional amounts of triglycerides and cholesterol resulting from accelerated fatty acid synthesis were all released into the perfusate β-lipoprotein fraction, identified immunochemically and by ultracentrifugation. Livers with similar rates of fatty acid synthesis released more triglyceride, cholesterol, and newly synthesized fatty acid when the perfusing medium contained plasma. Net release of phospholipids was nearly independent of the rate of fatty acid synthesis or the presence of plasma in the perfusate. The rate of fatty acid synthesis de novo , which varied widely among even carefully selected rats, is an important determinant of lipid release by the perfused liver.
A tangent-plane marker-particle method for the computation of three-dimensional solid surfaces evolving by surface diffusion on a substrate

We introduce a marker-particle method for the computation of three-dimensional solid surface morphologies evolving by surface diffusion. The method does not use gridding of surfaces or numerical differentiation, and applies to surfaces with finite slopes and overhangs. We demonstrate the method by computing the evolution of perturbed cylindrical wires on a substrate. We show that computed growth rates at early times agree with those predicted by the linear stability analysis. Furthermore, when the marker particles are redistributed periodically to maintain even spacing, the method can follow breakup of the wire.
Adenosine receptors in the central nervous system: relationship to the central actions of methylxanthines

Adenosine has a significant role in many functions of the central nervous system. Behaviorally, adenosine and adenosine analogs have marked depressant effects. Electrophysiologically, adenosine reduces spontaneous neuronal activity and inhibits transsynaptic potentials via interaction with extracellular receptors. Biochemically, adenosine inhibits adenylate cyclase via a “high” affinity receptor, and activates adenylate cyclase via a “low” affinity receptor. These receptors, called “A1” and “A2” respectively, show differing profiles for activation by adenosine analogs. Radioactive N6-cyclohexyladenosine binds selectively to the “high” affinity receptor. One major class of antagonists is known at adenosine receptors: the alkylxanthines, including caffeine and theophylline. Radioactive 1,3-diethyl-8-phenylxanthine, a particularly potent antagonist, appears to bind to both low and high affinity adenosine receptors. Behavioral, electrophysiological, and biochemical effects of alkylxanthines are consistent with the hypothesis that the central stimulatory actions of caffeine and theophylline are due in large part to antagonism of central adenosine receptors.
Association of molecular alterations, including BRAF, with biology and outcome in pilocytic astrocytomas

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is the most common glioma in the pediatric population. PAs can exhibit variable behavior that does not always correlate with location. Although oncogenic rearrangements of the BRAF gene have recently been described in PAs, it is not clear whether such alterations have an impact on outcome. An institutional cohort of 147 PAs (118 with outcome data) from both cerebellar and non-cerebellar locations (spine, diencephalon, midbrain, brainstem, and cortex) was utilized in this study. Parameters included quantification of characteristic morphologic variables as well as genes and molecular loci previously shown to be of relevance in high-grade gliomas, including 1p, 9p, 10q, 17p, 19q, and BRAF. Neither 1p, 9p, and 10q nor 19q showed significant association with outcome in PAs, although p16 deletion was more common in PAs of the midbrain, brainstem, and spinal cord. Loss of heterozygosity on 17p13 correlated with increased risk of recurrence in cerebellar tumors. BRAF gene rearrangements were more common in cerebellar tumors than non-cerebellar tumors and associated with classic biphasic histology in the cerebellum. However, clinical outcome was independent of BRAF status. The molecular biology of PAs differs according to location, yet BRAF rearrangements do not appear to produce PAs with different behavior. Nevertheless, such tumors may have altered sensitivity to pathway-specific adjuvant therapy. Additionally, deletion on 17p13 may be an adverse prognostic biomarker in cerebellar tumors.
The conformation of myosin during the steady state of ATP hydrolysis: Studies with myosin spin labeled at the S1 thiol groups

Abstract MgATP produces a large change in the ESR spectrum of myosin that has been spin labeled at the S1 thiol groups. This change, indicative of increased mobility of the label, persists during the steady state of the hydrolysis of ATP, and when ATP has been depleted the spectrum changes to one identical with that observed on adding MgADP. It appears that the binding or hydrolysis of ATP by myosin in the presence of Mg induces a conformational change in myosin that persists during the steady state. If, as proposed by Taylor and coworkers (1,2) the predominant species present during the steady state is the myosin-ADP complex, then the conformation of myosin in this complex depends on whether the complex was formed with added ADP or in the course of the hydrolysis of ATP.