cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Making Microwaves with Light at the Quantum Limit and Beyond

Precision measurements enabled by exquisitely stable optical sources had a profound impact on the optical metrology enterprise. What is perhaps lesser known is that similar optical tools enable ultra-stable microwave sources and measurement techniques. Here, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges of laser-driven low-noise microwave generation in the presence of quantum and technical noise in laser, detection and characterization systems.
Abstract B64: Targeting the pH regulators in the tumor microenvironment for ovarian cancer treatment

The high mortality rate in ovarian cancer (OVCA) is currently the most pressing concern despite the research advancements. It is still not clear how to effectively treat OVCA patients to prevent a relapse or to treat the relapse tumors that display a drug-resistant profile. To address this issue, this study targets a uniquely expressed pH regulator in the tumor microenvironment as a strategy to treat ovarian cancer. In order to survive the metabolic acidosis, cancer cells overexpress pH regulators on their surface to pump out excess protons/lactic acid. This, in turn, acidifies the tumor microenvironment and promotes tumor invasion/chemoresistance. The a2-Vacuolar-ATPases (V-ATPases) are the major pH-sensing unit of the V-ATPase proton pumps and are abundantly expressed on the surface of ovarian cancer cells. To establish the clinical importance, our findings show that a2-V-ATPases are overexpressed in all morphologic subtypes and stages of human OVCA and are absent on normal ovarian tissues. We further examined the therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibody against a2-V-ATPase (V0a2-mab) in controlling tumor growth in the preclinical mouse model. In vivo V0a2-mab treatment (300μg in PBS; i.p) resulted in a significantly delayed tumor growth compared to control, with no apparent in vivo toxicity in athymic nude mice xenograft model. The delayed tumor growth was attributed to high immune infiltration with increased leukocyte population and an enhanced iNOS expression compared to control mice. These results show that V-ATPases are overexpressed in the tumor microenvironment and their inhibition impairs OVCA growth by interfering with tumor acidification that enhances the antitumor responses. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that targeting V-ATPase pH regulators is an effective treatment strategy in ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Arpita Kulshrestha, Gajendra K. Katara, Sylvia Schneiderman, Valerie E. Riehl, Alexandria N. Young, Shayna Levine, Safaa Ibrahim, Mahmood Bilal, Alice Gilman-Sachs, Kenneth D. Beaman. Targeting the pH regulators in the tumor microenvironment for ovarian cancer treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research; 2019 Sep 13-16, 2019; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(13_Suppl):Abstract nr B64.
Do Schools Promote Good Coping Skills for Students with Learning Disabilities? A Review of Research from a Self-Determination Perspective

There is a dearth of studies that explore how students with learning disability (LD) cope in school. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to answer this question by reviewing relevant researc...
Coffee leaf litter decomposition: Short term home-field advantage in shaded coffee agro-ecosystems

Abstract Home-field advantage (HFA), when applied to decomposition, predicts that a substrate will decompose more quickly in a home environment compared to away environments, presumably due to specialized decomposer communities. Few empirical tests of HFA have been done in agricultural environments, where manipulated species composition and reduced biodiversity could increase the effects of HFA. We used both a six week tethered line experiment and a yearlong litterbag study as complementary methodologies to assess the decomposition of Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta leaf litter in three environments: (a) where C. arabica is grown, (b) where C. robusta is grown and (c) an adjacent forest, where coffee is not cultivated. Using the decay constant (k) and carbon to nitrogen ratios, we tested for evidence of accelerated decomposition in home environments, compared to congeneric-away and forested-away environments. We found evidence of HFA with the shorter-term tethered line experiment, where C. arabica decayed twice as quickly in its home environment and 50% faster in the congeneric away as it did in the forested-away environment. We found no evidence of HFA in the longer litterbag study, with no difference in decay based on species or environment. The carbon to nitrogen ratios for tethered line samples differed over time and by environments, driven by differences between the coffee environments and the forest. Our results provide some of the first evidence of HFA in an agricultural system, with effects even in a congeneric-away environment. While we found no evidence of HFA in the longer, yearlong litterbag study, a short term HFA could still provide an ecologically important pulse of nutrients if this pulse is synchronized with plant demand.
Income Comparisons and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Self-Perceived Relative Income Data from China

This paper studies the impact of relative income on subjective wellbeing (SWB) using data on self-perceived relative income from China. It shows that when individuals perceive their incomes to be lower in comparison to their relatives, colleagues, school mates, neighbors and to the average income of the city or county where they live, this lowers their general life satisfaction and happiness. The effect of lower relative income on SWB is monotonic — the lower the position of an individual in income comparisons, the larger the negative effect of perceived relative income on SWB of that individual. Favorable and unfavorable relative income positions have asymmetric impacts on life satisfaction but they impact happiness symmetrically. The results are similar between men and women. The results hold when controlling for individual fixed effects by utilizing the panel structure of the two waves of the survey.
Strategies to Prevent Problem Behavior

This chapter will provide an overview of evidence-based prevention strategies that can be used to reduce challenging behaviors in young children. Preventions help set children up for success and promote developmental competence. Early interventionists will learn how to implement strategies that tone down triggers, improve transitions, and promote independence for young children.
Comparative Review of Longitudinal Dispersion Coefficient Equations in Rivers

AbstractThis paper presents analysis and estimation of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient, a key hydrologic parameter for transport of contaminants in rivers and streams. The longitudinal disp...
Leveraging a data-driven approach to simulate and experimentally validate a MIMO multiphysics vibroacoustic system

Abstract The objective of the present work is to evaluate the performance of a data-driven approach to simulate a multiphysics vibroacoustic field. Of particular interest is the complex propagation of anechoic waves in a finite 1D-structure submerged in water. Experimental data from an underwater beam actuated by two macro-fiber composites (MFCs) serves as the experimental framework for the data-driven model. Next, the Vector-Fitting (VF) algorithm estimates a state-space model of the multiphysics dynamics with voltage signals to the two MFCs as inputs, and the structural and the acoustic responses as the outputs. The multi-input–multi-output data-driven model is then used to determine the parameters that result in the optimal anechoic wave, a process that was carried out previously by experimental iterations. The optimal time-domain simulations are validated with experimental results.
Stimulated Desorption Spectroscopy

As the field of stimulated desorption has progressed, a variety of different techniques with which to extract information on the surface chemical bond have evolved. One of the most useful has been the use of stimulated desorption in a spectroscopic mode where the ion yield vs. energy of the exciting particle is measured [1–20]. Spectral thresholds and shapes provide information on both the basic excitations initiating the desorption process and, conversely, the nature of the chemical bond from knowledge of the desorption process. Thus we perform two types of desorption spectroscopy experiments from surfaces. The first involves well-characterized systems that have been studied by other techniques, to gain information about the nature of the desorption process. In the second, we use relatively well-defined desorption processes to gain information on the nature of the surface bond. In both cases, it is necessary to pay close heed to the details of the physics of the excitation process since they are crucial to our ability to interpret spectra. The object of this paper is to bring together some of the elementary phenomena encountered in electron and photon-stimulated desorption (ESD and PSD) in order to contrast the two excitation methods and outline the potential usefulness of desorption spectra.
FP-based formulations as protective coatings in oil/gas pipelines

Abstract Corrosion in the interior of pipelines is a major and costly problem encountered in the oil and gas industry. In this context, a fluoropolymer and a hybrid epoxy/fluoropolymer resin were studied for their potential use to prevent corrosion. The fluoropolymer coating required the use of a primer layer. The coatings were formulated to maintain the excellent abrasion and chemical resistance properties of fluoropolymers, while enhancing adhesion to the substrates. Standard corrosion experiments, including chemical immersion, adhesion, and salt fog tests, were used for preliminary evaluation. Coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy before and after exposure to corrosive environments. Electrochemical properties were studied with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, by monitoring the resistance and capacitance of the coatings over time. The results obtained in this work will fill a knowledge gap and will aid in the selection of the proper composition and thickness of anticorrosion coatings for use in a highly corrosive media.
Rheumatic complaints of women using anti-ovulatory drugs. An evaluation.

3014 women electively selecting the cyclic use of antiovulatory drugs in a family planning center were evaluated for rheumatic disease. For periods of from 6 to 24 months 191 patients (mainly young American Negroes) were followed for classifiable rheumatic conditions. Of these only 20 had rheumatoid arthritis. 10 had sickle cell disease. 11 cases of rheumatoid arthritis developed after drug therapy was begun. 9 cases were preexistent. Progression of symptons were the same in both groups. The 46 women with multiple arthralgias reacted somewhat differently. While 52% of the patients having newly developed disease showed improvement only 16% of those with prior disease did so. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in young American Negro women in this study group in Washington D.C. is .66%. This figure is a low one when compared to the figure of 7.4% determined in women in a Michigan town which was studied previously by Mikkelsen.
Inverse Optimal Control with Linearly-Solvable MDPs

We present new algorithms for inverse optimal control (or inverse reinforcement learning, IRL) within the framework of linearly-solvable MDPs (LMDPs). Unlike most prior IRL algorithms which recover only the control policy of the expert, we recover the policy, the value function and the cost function. This is possible because here the cost and value functions are uniquely defined given the policy. Despite these special properties, we can handle a wide variety of problems such as the grid worlds popular in RL and most of the nonlinear problems arising in robotics and control engineering. Direct comparisons to prior IRL algorithms show that our new algorithms provide more information and are orders of magnitude faster. Indeed our fastest algorithm is the first inverse algorithm which does not require solving the forward problem; instead it performs unconstrained optimization of a convex and easy-to-compute log-likelihood. Our work also sheds light on the recent Maximum Entropy (MaxEntIRL) algorithm, which was defined in terms of density estimation and the corresponding forward problem was left unspecified. We show that MaxEntIRL is inverting an LMDP, using the less efficient of the algorithms derived here. Unlike all prior IRL algorithms which assume pre-existing features, we study feature adaptation and show that such adaptation is essential in continuous state spaces.
Power in Global Governance: Power, governance, and the WTO: a comparative institutional approach

This paper makes three central points. First, it charts the myriad ways in which the United States, the European Community, and influential constituencies within them advance their interests through the World Trade Organization (WTO). They predominate because they wield considerable material and ideational resources that provide them with advantages in economic relations in any institutional context. Second, the paper shows how WTO judicial bodies, as any court, exercise power when they decide legal cases. Because WTO rules are not fixed in meaning, their application requires WTO judicial bodies to make institutional choices. These institutional choices result in the effective allocation of decision-making authority to alternative institutional processes. To understand the operation of WTO judicial power, we thus need to examine how choices over the application of WTO rules differentially shape opportunities for states and their constituents in the market and in domestic and international political processes. In short, the paper adopts an institutional perspective for assessing law's power, differing from (and complementing) perspectives that focus on legal discourse and legitimization processes. Third, the paper raises broader questions about the analysis of power and global governance. The paper contends that, since all institutional processes are characterized by bias, institutional analysis - whether conducted from a normative or strategic perspective - should be comparative, the key question being how parties participate, or otherwise are represented, in an institutional context in comparison with its alternatives. As the paper shows, because of the open-ended nature of WTO rules, the WTO Appellate Body itself can engage in comparative institutional analysis and consider institutional alternatives in terms of their relative biases. The issue is not whether biases exist (they exist in all institutional contexts), but rather, what are the effects of an institutional process on participation in the weighing of competing concerns compared to its non-idealized institutional alternatives. The paper demonstrates the effects of institutional choice through its assessment of one of the WTO Appellate Body's most controversial decisions, one which has been referred to as a constitutional-like case for the WTO and global governance - the United States shrimp-turtle case. The case involved the interaction of domestic and international trade, environmental, and development concerns.
Ice-shelf dynamics near the front of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, revealed by SAR interferometry

Fifteen synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) images of the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, obtained by the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Earth Remote Sensing satellites (ERS) 1 & 2 are used to study ice-shelf dynamics near two ends of the iceberg-calving front.
Performance bounds for the estimation of the degree of polarization from active laser illumination

In this paper, performance bounds are computed for the estimation of the degree of polarization for reflected fields with active laser illumination. Bounds are compared for three situations: i) measurement and processing of the complex amplitude of two orthogonal field components; ii) measurement and processing of the intensity of two orthogonal field components; and iii) measurement and processing of the total intensity of the field.
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis and Extrinsic Asthma: An Unusual Association

A farmer who had no prior history of pulmonary disease developed tightness fat the chest of rapid onset, shortness of breath, fever, and pulmonary infiltration while farming. The symptoms of his disease worsened with repeated exposure to the dusty farm field but remitted after each of five hospitalizations. Provocative challenge with inhalation of a water-soluble extract of dust front the field reproduced both asthmatic and pneumonitic features of the disease, while administration of corticosteroide clinically controlled the entire process. The data suggest a common cause for asthma and pneumonitis in this patient.
Immediate reward followed by extinction vs. later reward without extinction

Pigeons could obtain reinforcements either by pecking at a key immediately after it was trans-illuminated by red light or by delaying their pecks until the light turned green. Each reinforcement for pecking at the red key was followed by a period of extinction, but no penalty followed reinforcement for pecking at the green key. Although pigeons did not delay often, their tendency to do so increased in proportion to the advantages of delaying.
Effects of age and gender on the location and orientation of the foramen magnum in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Endocasts from 378 rhesus macaque skulls from the Cayo Santiago skeletal collection were measured to determine the effects of age and gender on the position and orientation of the foramen magnum. The foramen magnum migrates from a rostral to a caudal position and its angle changes during postnatal development. The angles and relative positions of the foramen magnum are similar for both genders of infants and for both genders of adults. However, analyses of linear response and plateau (LRP) functions reveal significant differences between males and females in the timing of reorientation of the angle and migration of the foramen magnum. The mean adult angle and relative position of the foramen magnum are reached by 4.7 years in females, but they do not achieve their adult values until 7.1 years in males. A similar pattern is observed for the brainstem region of the basicranium. Mean adult lengths of the brainstem region are reached at 5.2 years in females and 7.1 years in males. The relationships between cranial capacity, the growth pattern of the brainstem, and the pattern of change for the angle and the relative position of the foramen magnum are examined. Quantification of the effects of age and gender on the location of the foramen magnum in a large sample of endocasts from one species of higher primate has potential implications for research on human development, and for interpretation of juvenile specimens in the hominid fossil record.
Quantum chemistry by random walk: H4 square

The random-walk method of solving the Schrodinger equation is applied to the 1B1g and 1B2g states of the H4 square with side length 2.4 a.u. The results provide an independent check of the accuracy of prior variational calculations for these states. With node structures for the 1B1g state taken from a variational calculation with a single-zeta basis set and taken in the simplest form meeting symmetry requirements, the calculated energies are lower than the expectation value of the energy for the single-zeta basis set but not as low as the expectation value for an optimized-exponent double-zeta basis set with polarization terms. Comparisons of results give no suggestion of a barrier height lower than ∼120 kcal/mol for passage through the square configuration in the exchange reaction H2 + D2 2HD. For the 1B2g state with node structure in the simplest form meeting symmetry requirements the calculated energy is ∼65 kcal/mol lower than the expectation value of the energy for variational calculations with a double-zeta basis set.
Extended anti-windup control schemes for LTI and LFT systems with actuator saturations

In this paper, the popular anti-windup control scheme will be extended in two important directions. The first scenario is the control of LTI systems subject to actuators with both magnitude and rate constraints. The second case of extension is LFT systems with input saturations. Based on the extended Circle criterion, we will develop convex anti-windup control synthesis conditions in the form of LMIs for each class of systems. The explicit anti-windup controller formula are also provided to facilitate compensator construction. The effectiveness of proposed anti-windup control schemes will be demonstrated using a flight control example. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of substrate material on bias-enhanced diamond nucleation

Abstract Diamond has been deposited on polycrystalline copper substrates via bias-enhanced nucleation, a pre-treatment technique to promote nucleation in which a negative potential is applied to the substrate. The maximum nucleation density of the diamond on the copper substrates was approximately 1 × 106 cm−2. In contrast, typical nucleation densities of roughly 1 × 1011 cm−2 have been observed on silicon substrates, indicating that bias-enhanced nucleation is affected by the substrate material. Auger electron spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy indicated the presence of a highly graphitic surface carbon on the copper, which was not detected on silicon. Also, deconvolution of the Cu 2 p 3 2 peak and micro-Auger depth profiling revealed this surface carbon to be 5–10 A thick. The thickness and form of this surface carbon remained constant despite increasing bias-enhanced nucleation times. This is believed to be related to the slight enhancement of diamond nuclei compared with silicon.
Outcome Measurement for COPD: Reliability and Validity of the Dyspnea Management Questionnaire

Summary Background The Dyspnea Management Questionnaire (DMQ) is a measure of the psychosocial and behavioral responses to dyspnea for adults with COPD. The research objectives were to evaluate the reliability and validity of an expanded DMQ item pool, as a preliminary step for developing a computer adaptive test. Methods The original 66 items of the DMQ were used for the analyses. The sample included 63 women and 44 men with COPD (n = 107) recruited from two urban medical centers. We used confirmatory factor analysis to test the factor structure of the DMQ and its underlying cognitive-behavioral theoretical base. The internal consistency and test–retest reliability, and breadth of coverage of the expanded DMQ item bank were also evaluated. Results Five distinct dyspnea domains were confirmed using 56 original items of the DMQ: dyspnea intensity, dyspnea anxiety, activity avoidance, activity self-efficacy, and strategy satisfaction. Overall, the breadth of items was excellent with a good match between sample scores and item difficulty. The DMQ-56 showed good internal consistency reliability (α = 0.85–to 0.96) and good preliminary test–retest reliability over a 3-week interval (ICC = 0.69–0.92). Conclusions The DMQ demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability and validity for measuring multidimensional dyspnea outcomes after medical, psychological, and behavioral interventions for adults with COPD.
The effect of two different trochanteric nail lag-screw designs on fixation stability of four-part intertrochanteric fractures: a clinical and biomechanical study

Objectives To compare lag-screw sliding characteristics and fixation stability of two cephalomedullary nails (CMN) with different lag-screw designs (solid and telescopic), we conducted a biomechanical study and an analysis of clinical results.
Pressure within the thoracic duct modulates lymph composition

The amount of lymph received by the thoracic duct depends on each contributing organ's ability to produce interstitial fluid and generate a pressure differential moving lymph into the central lymphatic circulation. It has been reported that varying the pressure within the thoracic duct could alter each organ's contribution to thoracic duct flow. The thoracic duct above the diaphragm was cannulated to obtain lymph from the liver, gut, and lower body. Pressure within the thoracic duct was elevated serially by increasing the lymphatic cannula outflow height. This caused lymph protein concentration to increase while chyle concentration (measured by absorbance) decreased. The data demonstrate that as thoracic duct pressure increases, the percentage contribution of gut lymph flow (as represented by chyle concentration) decreases while the contribution of lymph originating within the liver (as indicated by higher protein concentration) increases. We conclude that pressure variation within the central lymphatic system affects the amount of lymph or edema fluid leaving any given organ.
Automatic brain segmentation in rhesus monkeys

Many neuroimaging studies are applied to primates as pathologies and environmental exposures can be studied in well-controlled settings and environment. In this work, we present a framework for both the semi-automatic creation of a rhesus monkey atlas and a fully automatic segmentation of brain tissue and lobar parcellation. We determine the atlas from training images by iterative, joint deformable registration into an unbiased average image. On this atlas, probabilistic tissue maps and a lobar parcellation. The atlas is then applied via affine, followed by deformable registration. The affinely transformed atlas is employed for a joint T1/T2 based tissue classification. The deformed atlas parcellation masks the tissue segmentations to define the parcellation. Other regional definitions on the atlas can also straightforwardly be used as segmentation. We successfully built average atlas images for the T1 and T2 datasets using a developmental training datasets of 18 cases aged 16-34 months. The atlas clearly exhibits an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio compared to the original images. The results further show that the cortical folding variability in our data is highly limited. Our segmentation and parcellation procedure was successfully re-applied to all training images, as well as applied to over 100 additional images. The deformable registration was able to identify corresponding cortical sulcal borders accurately. Even though the individual methods used in this segmentation framework have been applied before on human data, their combination is novel, as is their adaptation and application to rhesus monkey MRI data. The reduced variability present in the primate data results in a segmentation pipeline that exhibits high stability and anatomical accuracy.
On thermal stress calculation

Least squares smoothing is applied to thermal strain calculation. The smoothing procedure eliminates apparent errors in thermal stresses due to mismatch of thermal and mechanical strain orders which facilitates direct evaluation of results. General procedures are developed and demonstrated for two-dimensional isoparametric elements. Examples serve to illustrate the effectiveness of the smoothing procedure.
Light extinction technique for void fraction measurements in bubbly flow

The analysis of the scattering induced by a dispersion of gas bubbles in a liquid medium on a collimated, monochromatic light beam, traversing the two-phase flow, allows for the direct measurement of the 2-D distribution of the line-average of the interfacial area density. The 2-D distribution of the line-average of the void fraction is deduced from that of the interfacial area density through an image processing algorithm. To demonstrate the technique, experiments are performed in a pool of water injected with air and illuminated with a CW argon ion laser. Since the bubble diameters range from a fraction of a millimeter to a few millimeters, the scattering processes are entirely in the Mie range. The limits of applicability of the technique and the measurement uncertainty are discussed. The results compare favorably with level-swell based measurements used as a reference.
Protest Anthropology in a Moment of Global Unrest

ABSTRACT In this review essay, I explore today's protest anthropology, the high-stakes domain of professional and political practice in which anthropologists are not just aligned with protest movements, revolts, and uprisings but are also full-fledged participants in them. Focusing on examples from the Occupy Movement, I discuss the promises and perils of taking a protest stance. I argue that, despite the risks, protest anthropology has the power to unsettle many of the current-day knowledge-producing practices in the discipline.
Learning to support the instructor: classroom assessment tools as discussion frameworks in CS 1

In this paper we describe and evaluate Classroom Assessment Tools (CATs) designed to encourage interaction and student ownership in an introductory programming course (CS 1). Traditionally, Classroom Assessment Techniques allow instructors to collect feedback from students regarding their understanding of course material \citeangelo93. We developed and categorized over 60 specific CATs to facilitate discussion and learning in a CS 1 course.The Classroom Assessment Tools described in this paper highlight concepts from recorded lectures that are used in CS 1 distance courses employing the Tutored Video Instruction (TVI) model. We present a qualitative evaluation of Classroom Assessment Tools as discussion frameworks in a TVI course offering. Evidence from site observations, interviews with the instructor and students, and survey responses from the instructor and students indicate that the CATs created classroom interaction, improved students' attitudes in the course, and provided assessment opportunities for the instructor.
Reconsidering Open and Distance Higher Education: A Life-History Analysis of Adult Learners in Korea National Open University

Adults who enter or re-enter Korea National Open University (KNOU) with a prior major break in their formal involvement in learning tend to seek a focused course of academic study, advanced knowledge, and the subsequent awarding of a degree, certificate, or credential that reflects their specialized knowledge and expertise. This research draws upon life-history analysis to investigate KNOU students’ pre-institutional experiences of exclusion and alienation in education and society in relation to their current motivations to attend the open and distance higher education. The participants’ life stories illuminate how Korean social and cultural barriers prevented them from educational progress, as well as what motivated them to attend KNOU as adults. Each participant’s life history describes the actual phenomenon of exclusion and alienation in education at the individual level; this study also implies how sociocultural discrimination in Korean society impacted each participant’s life. Given the participants’ critical viewpoints of the incompatible roles that KNOU plays in Korean society, this study argues that the positive social function of open and distance higher education, which is widely taken for granted, needs to be reconsidered as this national approach to higher education for adults may reinforce the current social relation highly affected by educational credentials.
Dynamics and bifurcations of a coupled column-pendulum oscillator

Abstract This study deals with the dynamics of a large flexible column with a tip mass-pendulum arrangement. The system is a conceptualization of a vibration-absorbing device for flexible structures with tip appendages. The bifurcation diagrams of the averaged system indicate that the system loses stability via two distinct routes; one leading to a saddle-node bifurcation, and the other to the Hopf bifurcation, indicating the existence of an invariant torus. Under the change of forcing amplitude, these bifurcations coalesce. This phenomenon has important global ramifications, in the sense that the periodic modulations associated with the Hopf bifurcation tend to have an infinite period, a strong indicator of existence of homoclinic orbits. The system also possesses isolated solutions (the so-called “isolas”) that form isolated loops bounded away from zero. As the forcing amplitude is varied, the isolas appear, disappear or coalesce with the regular solution branches. The response curves indicate that the column amplitude shows saturation and the pendulum acts as a vibration absorber. However, there is also a frequency range over which a reverse flow of energy occurs, where the pendulum shows reduced amplitude at the cost of large amplitudes of the column. The experimental dynamics shows that the periodic motion gives rise to a quasi-periodic response, confirming the existence of tori. Within the quasi-periodic region, there are windows containing intricate webs of mode-locked periodic responses. An increase in the force amplitude causes the tori to break up, a phenomenon similar to the onset of turbulence in hydrodynamics.
Renewal Agendas and Accreditation Requirements: Contrasts and Correspondence

En 1990, a ete etabli un programme pour l'amelioration de la formation des enseignants, insistant particulierement sur le renouveau des etablissements et des programmes de formation. Beaucoup d'enseignants et de dirigeants d'etablissements scolaires s'interrogent sur la correspondance de ce programme avec les nouveaux standards proposes par le NCATE (Conseil National pour l'habilitation de la formation des enseignants). Une comparaison des deux permet de repondre a cette interrogation
Cytokine polymorphisms predict the frequency of otitis media as a complication of rhinovirus and RSV infections in children

Previous studies suggested that the otitis media (OM) complication rate of viral upper respiratory infection (vURI) is conditioned by genes affecting cytokine production. Two hundred and thirty children (114 male; 187 White, 25 Black; aged 1–9.3 years, average = 3.6 ± 1.6 years) were prospectively followed over the typical cold season for cold-like illness and OM. Nasopharyngeal secretion samples collected during cold-like illness and OM were assayed for upper respiratory viruses and buccal samples were assayed for TNFα (−308), IL-10(−1082, −819, −592), IL-6 (−174) and IFN-γ (+874) polymorphisms. Logistic regression was used to identify genotypes that predict OM coincident with RSV and rhinovirus (RV) infection. Of the 157 children with RV detection (79 male; 132 White, 13 Black, 12 Other; aged 3.6 ± 1.5 years), simple logistic regression identified age (B = −0.34, Z = −2.8, P < 0.01, OR = 0.71), IL-6 (B = −0.76, Z = −3.3, P < 0.01, OR = 0.47) and IL-10 (B = 0.49, Z = 2.0, P = 0.05, OR = 1.6) as significant predictors of OM coincidence. A more complex logistic regression model for RV detection that included selected OM risk factors identified these factors as well as the TNFα genotype, OM history, breastfeeding history and daily environment as significant predictors of OM coincidence. Of the 43 children with RSV detection (21 male; 35 White, 5 Black, 3 Other, aged 3.9 ± 1.7 years), logistic regression identified IL-10 (B = 1.05, Z = 2.0, P = 0.05, OR = 2.9) as a significant predictor of OM coincidence. New OM episodes coincident with evidence of RSV and RV infection were significantly more frequent in children with high production IL-10 phenotypes. The low production IL-6 and high production TNFα phenotypes also contributed to OM risk during RV detection. Cytokine polymorphisms may be one of an expectedly large number of genetic factors contributing to the known heritability of OM.
Chlorination of nucleobases, RNA and DNA by myeloperoxidase: a pathway for cytotoxicity and mutagenesis by activated phagocytes.

AbstractOxidants generated during the respiratory burst of activated phagocytes have been implicated as a cause of cytotoxicity and mutagenesis at sites of inflammation in humans. One of the most abundant oxidants generated by activated phagocytes is hypochlorous acid, generated by the heme enzyme myeloperoxidase.
Identification of a target in presence of ground clutter using polarization

This article examines the polarimetric method of identification of a target in the presence of ground clutter. The clutter is modeled as a two-layer random medium. The complex scattering matrix for the clutter is obtained by using Born approximations carried to the second order to extract the crosspolarized scattered fields. The test target used is a loop of conducting wire oriented arbitrarily. It is found that the choice of polarization is one of the key factors if one has to identify targets in presence of clutter. This work does not take into account the mutual coupling between the target and the clutter sources. The important results are analyzed and discussed.
The impact of age on toxicity, response rate, quality of life, and survival in patients with advanced, Stage IIIB or IV nonsmall cell lung carcinoma treated with carboplatin and paclitaxel.

BACKGROUND The optimal treatment strategy for elderly patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma has not been defined to date. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of a Phase III trial that treated patients who had Stage IIIB or IV nonsmall cell lung carcinoma with carboplatin and paclitaxel and analyzed the impact of age on response rate, survival, toxicity, and quality of life. METHODS Patients with Stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were randomized to receive either 4 cycles of carboplatin at an area under the curve (AUC) of 6 and paclitaxel at a dose of 200 mg/m2 every 21 days or treatment with carboplatin and paclitaxel (C/P) until they developed disease progression. At the time of disease progression, all patients on both arms were to receive second-line weekly paclitaxel at a dose of 80 mg/m2 per week. In this analysis, patients age 70 years and older were compared with patients younger than age 70 years. In addition, a minimum log rank P value analysis was performed in an attempt to identify other potential age splits that may have been significant. RESULTS Two hundred thirty patients were randomized. Sixty-seven patients were age 70 years or older (29%). The median number of cycles delivered for both age groups was 4 cycles (range, 0–19 cycles). No statistically significant differences in any of the most common toxicities (Grade ≥ 2) associated with C/P were identified (data from Cycles 1–4) for patients younger than age 70 years compared with patients age 70 years and older, respectively, including neutropenia (38% vs. 35%), neuropathy (13% vs. 16%), leukopenia (7% vs. 13%), myalgia/arthralgia (15% vs. 9%), malaise (8% vs. 15%), anemia (9% vs. 4%), thrombocytopenia (7% vs. 9%), anorexia (8% vs. 4%), and nausea/emesis (14% vs. 15%). In addition, no potential age splits that may have been significant were found using a minimum log rank P value analysis. CONCLUSIONS The current analysis demonstrated that C/P exhibited similar toxicity profiles in patients age 70 years and older compared with patients younger than age 70 years. The survival rates were not different between the two age groups, and there was no difference in progression of quality-of-life outcomes. In fit, elderly patients, C/P represented a reasonable standard regimen. Cancer 2003;98:779–88. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
Conservation of asymmetry factor in phase function discretization for radiative transfer analysis in anisotropic scattering media

A new phase function normalization technique is developed for use with anisotropic scattering media and is applied to the conventional discrete-ordinates method. The new approach is shown to ensure conservation of both scattered energy and phase function asymmetry factor after directional discretization when considering the Henyey–Greenstein phase function approximation. Results show the necessity of conservation of the asymmetry factor as well as of the scattered energy. Lack of either conservation can lead to false results for radiation analysis in highly anisotropic media. Wall flux profiles predicted by the normalized DOM in a highly anisotropic scattering cylinder are compared with FVM and isotropic scaling profiles. The effect of scattering albedo and optical thickness is examined. For the tested benchmark problem, it is found that heat flux profiles generated with the present normalization approach conform more accurately to both FVM and isotropic scaling profiles than when the previous normalization techniques are implemented.
BACIIS: Biological and Chemical Information Integration System

Life science Web databases are becoming increasingly essential in conducting everyday biological research. With more than 300 life science Web databases and the growing size of the life science data, searching and managing these complex data requires technology beyond that of traditional database systems. The open research issues include the interoperability of geographically distributed autonomous databases, which are generally only Web-accessible, and the seamless semantic-based integration of these databases with total transparency to the user. In this paper, the implementation of a Biological and Chemical Information Integration System (BACIIS) is presented. BACIIS supports the integration of multiple heterogeneous life science Web databases and allows the execution of global applications that extend beyond the boundaries of individual databases. This paper discusses the architecture of BACIIS. It also discusses the techniques used to extract and integrate data from the various life science Web databases.
Reactions in Silica‐Alumina Mixtures

Examination of mixtures of extremely pure silica and alumina shows that the greatest reactivity is not encountered with stoichiometric ratios to form mullite with the formula 3Al2O3. 2SiO2 but rather with the formula 2A12O3-SiO2, and that reactivity also depends on the crystalline modification of alumina. A sharp exothermic differential thermal peak at 980°C. is attributed to three simultaneous reactions dependent on the silica-alumina ratio of the mixture: (1) the crystallization of gamma alumina, (2) the crystallization of a hydrogen aluminum spinel (HAl5O5), and (3) the reaction of silica with the hydrogen aluminum spinel to form mullite.
Phase equilibria in the NaNbO3BaNb2O6 system

Abstract Complete liquidus and solidus equilibria have been established by DTA and quench techniques in the system NaNbO 3 BaNb 2 O 6 , which contains the pseudo-tetragonal bronze NaBa 2 Nb 5 O 15 . While little solid solution occurs in the end member compounds, the tungsten bronze phase shows extensive solid solubility from 62 to 83 mole % BaNb 2 O 6 . These results and subsolidus DTA and dielectric measurements are discussed in relation to the crystal chemistry of the bronze structure. The essential features of the phase diagram have been confirmed by Czochralski crystal growth experiments at selected melt compositions in the bronze(ss) field.
Silica surface chemistry at elevated temperatures

Potentiometric titrations of SiO2 surfaces at 25 and 60°C indicate that SiO2 surface chemistry is sensitive to temperature. The number of negatively charged surface sites becomes more pH dependent at T > 25°C. Metal binding constants for Cd++ and Pb++, calculated with a constant capacitance model, increase by between 0.3 and 2 orders of magnitude between 25°C and 60°C. This parallels temperature-dependent changes in the association constants for the respective metal hydrolysis constants.
RENAL FUNCTION AND ORGANIC ANION AND CATION TRANSPORT DURING DEHYDRATION AND/OR FOOD RESTRICTION IN CHICKENS

The effect of dehydration in the presence or absence of continued food intake on renal function was evaluated in chickens. In addition, renal transport of organic anions and cations under these conditions was assessed in vitro by uptake of 14C-para-aminohippuric acid and 14C-tetraethylammonium bromide by renal slices. Water restriction with continued food intake resulted in increases in serum osmolality and serum concentrations of sodium, uric acid, calcium and total protein. If food was restricted in addition to water, only serum osmolality and sodium concentration were significantly increased after 48 hours. Dehydration with continued access to food resulted in marked decreases in extracellular fluid volume, glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow. If food was restricted during dehydration, the decrease in effective renal plasma flow was attenuated despite reductions in glomerular filtration rate and extracellular fluid comparable to that seen in dehydrated birds allowed free access to food. Transport of organic anions was significantly increased after 24 and 48 hours of water restriction, regardless of whether food was withheld. Enhanced transport of organic anions in the presence of decreased glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow during dehydration may promote precipitation of urates and nephrosis in chickens.
Robust low microwave noise GaN MODFETs with 0.60 dB noise figure at 10 GHz

A demonstration of the high performance microwave-noise characteristics of robust 0.15 /spl mu/m gate-length GaN/AlGaN MODFETs is reported. Very low noise figures were achieved through the optimisation of materials growth and device fabrication processes. A minimum noise figure of 0.60 dB at 10 GHz has been achieved with a gate-drain breakdown voltage of 68 V. These excellent combined characteristics clearly demonstrate the potential of GaN MODFETs for robust low-noise amplifiers.
Standard moments based vessel bifurcation filter for computer-aided detection of pulmonary nodules

This work describes a method that can discriminate between a solid pulmonary nodule and a pulmonary vessel bifurcation point at a given candidate location on a CT scan using the method of standard moments. The algorithm starts with the estimation of a spherical window around a nodule candidate center that best captures the local shape properties of the region. Then, given this window, the standard set of moments, invariant to rotation and scale is computed over the geometric representation of the region. Finally, a feature vector composed of the moment values is classified as either a nodule or a vessel bifurcation point. The performance of this technique was evaluated on a dataset containing 276 intraparenchymal nodules and 276 selected vessel bifurcation points. The method resulted in 99% sensitivity and 80% specificity in identifying nodules, which makes this technique an efficient filter for false positives reduction. Its efficiency was further evaluated on the dataset of 656 low-dose chest CT scans. Inclusion of this filter into a design of an experimental detection system resulted in up to a 69% decrease in false positive rate in detection of intraparenchymal nodules with less than 1% loss in sensitivity.
HEALTH, WELL‐BEING, AND SOCIAL CONTEXT OF SAMOAN MIGRANT POPULATIONS

A minimal estimate suggests 300,000 Samoans reside outside the Samoan archipelago in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. Anthropological studies of Samoan migration provide a broader perspective that emphasizes the deep connections among individuals and families residing in and outside the Samoas, and the adaptive nature of these connections. A review of the published socioeconomic, demographic, public health, and medical literatures indicates that Samoans residing outside the Samoas may be at high risk for poor levels of population health because of poverty, low health literacy, and sociocultural influences on health care knowledge, attitude, and access. There is little systematic information on Samoans in the United States and Australia. Based on trends from smaller studies and the national data from New Zealand, we recommend more population-based health research among Samoans. Studies of representative samples will provide more accurate assessments of the spectrum of social and economic characteristics, acculturative processes, the returns and costs of connectedness to the families and villages in the Samoas, and population health characteristics. Studies should emphasize not only the negative costs to health and well-being of migration but the processes of adjustment, accommodation, and adaptation that produce the varieties of ways of life among Samoans outside the Samoas.