cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Stability Guaranteed Robust Fault Tolerant Control Design for Vehicle Suspension Systems Subject to Actuator Faults and Disturbances

A fault tolerant control approach based on a novel sliding mode method is proposed in this brief for a full vehicle suspension system. The proposed approach aims at retaining system stability in the presence of model uncertainties, actuator faults, parameter variations, and neglected nonlinear effects. The design is based on a realistic model that includes road uncertainties, disturbances, and faults. The design begins by dividing the system into two subsystems: a first subsystem with 3 degrees-of-freedom (DoF) representing the chassis and a second subsystem with 4 DoF representing the wheels, electrohydraulic actuators, and effect of road disturbances and actuator faults. Based on the analysis of the system performance, the first subsystem is considered as the internal dynamic of the whole system for control design purposes. The proposed algorithm is implemented in two stages to provide a stability guaranteed approach. A robust optimal sliding mode controller is designed first for the uncertain internal dynamics of the system to mitigate the effect of road disturbances. Then, a robust sliding mode controller is proposed to handle actuator faults and ensure overall stability of the whole system. The proposed approach has been tested on a 7-DoF full car model subject to uncertainties and actuator faults. The results are compared with the ones obtained using $H_\infty $ approach. The proposed approach optimizes riding comfort and road holding ability even in the presence of actuator faults and parameter variations.
Hypermorphic expression of centromeric retroelement-encoded small RNAs impairs CENP-A loading

The proper functioning of centromeres requires a complex cascade of epigenetic events involving chromatin and kinetochore assembly; however, the precise mechanism by which this cascade proceeds is unknown. The pivotal event during kinetochore formation is the "loading," or deposition, of CENP-A. This histone H3 variant is specific to centromeres and replaces conventional H3 in centromeric chromatin. Failure to load CENP-A into mammalian centromeres in late telophase/early G1 of the cell cycle leads to malsegregation and cell division defects in subsequent cell cycles. Mounting evidence supports the hypothesis that an RNA component is involved, although how RNAs participate in centromere formation in mammals has remained unknown. Using the marsupial model, the tammar wallaby, we show that centromeric retroelements produce small RNAs and that hypermorphic expression of these centromeric small RNAs results in disruption of CENP-A localization. We propose that tight regulation of the processing of this new class of small RNAs, crasiRNAs, is an integral component of the epigenetic framework necessary for centromere establishment.
Priority Scheduling in Digital Microfluidics-Based Biochips

Discrete droplet digital microfluidics-based biochips face problems similar to that in other VLSI CAD systems, but with new constraints and interrelations. We focus on one such problem of resource constrained scheduling for digital microfluidic biochips. Since the problem is NP-complete, finding the optimal solution is a very time expensive task. We propose a hybrid priority scheduling algorithm solution directly applicable to digital microfluidics with the potential to yield near optimal schedules in the general case in a very short time. Furthermore we propose the use of configurable detectors that allow for even more improved system performance.
Development and application of a selection criterion for particle size breakdown of smooth bromegrass leaves

The rate of particle size breakdown in the reticulo-rumen is an important determinant of voluntary intake by ruminants. The objective of this study was to develop a selection criterion to measure particle size breakdown and to study its suitability for creating unique germplasm. Dried leaf tissue of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) was weighed and placed in a rubber drum, with 200 steel balls. The drum was rotated at constant speed, ball-milling the sample, after which the contents were sieved through a 1-mm screen. The particle size reduction index (PSRI) was determined as the weight of tissue passing through the 1-mm screen as a percentage of total sample weight. Two experiments focused on the optimal milling time, leading to the conclusion that a 30-s time was optimal. Five experiments focused on sample size and showed that sample sizes of ≥ 2.0 g adequately controlled precision. Repeatability of duplicate determinations was judged to be moderate in one experiment, suggesting that a single determination could characterize a sample of dried leaf tissue with a 24% reduction in precision compared to duplicate determinations. Another experiment indicated that genotype × harvest interaction was very important, but could be partly controlled by using two-stage selection. Finally, PSRI was not correlated with fiber digestibility, but was moderately and negatively correlated with fiber concentration. The results suggest that genetic variation exists for this selection criterion, it is repeatable, and it characterizes a physical property of grass leaves distinct from fiber digestibility or concentration.
Epigenetic life: biological plasticity, abnormality, and new configurations of race and reproduction:

Environmental epigenetics is a ‘hot’ new field of post-genomic science investigating mechanisms that influence how genes are expressed. It offers a dynamic and non-dualistic understanding of the re...
On Optimizing Green Energy Utilization for Cellular Networks with Hybrid Energy Supplies

Green communications has received much attention recently. For cellular networks, the base stations (BSs) account for more than 50 percent of the energy consumption of the networks. Therefore, reducing the power consumption of BSs is crucial to achieve green cellular networks. With the development of green energy technologies, BSs are able to be powered by green energy in order to reduce the on-grid energy consumption, thus reducing the CO2 footprints. In this paper, we envision that the BSs of future cellular networks are powered by both on-grid energy and green energy. We optimize the energy utilization in such networks by maximizing the utilization of green energy, and thus saving on-grid energy. The optimal usage of green energy depends on the characteristics of the energy generation and the mobile traffic, which exhibit both temporal and spatial diversities. We decompose the problem into two sub-problems: the multi-stage energy allocation problem and the multi-BSs energy balancing problem. We propose algorithms to solve these sub-problems, and subsequently solve the green energy optimization problem. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed solution achieves significant on-grid energy savings.
Image processing techniques for assessing contractility in isolated neonatal cardiac myocytes

We describe a computational framework for the comprehensive assessment of contractile responses of enzymatically dissociated adult cardiac myocytes. The proposed methodology comprises the following stages: digital video recording of the contracting cell, edge preserving total variation-based image smoothing, segmentation of the smoothed images, contour extraction from the segmented images, shape representation by Fourier descriptors, and contractility assessment. The different stages are variants of mathematically sound and computationally robust algorithms very well established in the image processing community. The physiologic application of the methodology is evaluated by assessing overall contraction in enzymatically dissociated adult rat cardiocytes. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in characterizing the true, two-dimensional, "shortening" in the contraction process of adult cardiocytes. We compare the performance of the proposed method to that of a popular edge detection system in the literature. The proposed method not only provides a more comprehensive assessment of the myocyte contraction process but also can potentially eliminate historical concerns and sources of errors caused by myocyterotation or translation during contraction. Furthermore, the versatility of the image processing techniques makes the methodsuitable for determining myocyte shortening in cells that usually bend or move during contraction. The proposed method canbe utilized to evaluate changes in contractile behavior resulting from drug intervention, disease modeling, transgeneity, or other common applications to mammalian cardiocytes.
Employee Free Speech in the Workplace: Using the First Amendment as Public Policy for Wrongful Discharge Actions

A private-sector employer in the United States may fire an employee for the employee's political views. During the 1992 presidential campaign, employers required that employees sit through a presidential candidate's stump speech as part of a company-wide captive audience. Employees commented to reporters that they did not feel free to leave. Employees are increasingly experiencing pressure to support the political candidate or cause that the employer believes best serves the corporate interest. This Article examines this trend and suggests a framework for a private legal remedy when the employer crosses the boundary from influence to coercion by dismissing an employee in retaliation for that employee's exercise of the right to free speech. First, the Article addresses how the problem has evolved and the traditional reluctance of courts to protect employees' political activities from employer retaliation. Second, the Article discusses policy reasons why state courts should use the First Amendment in wrongful discharge actions to protect employee political speech and discusses the results of a survey on employer influence upon employee political activities. Third, it addresses the constitutional issue implicit in courts' condoning employer conduct that infringes upon employee free speech rights. Specifically, in the common law tort of wrongful discharge, state courts have created a classification based on the content of a private-sector employee's speech. State courts do recognize a cause of action when an employee speaks out on violations of law or when the employee claims benefits to which she is legally entitled but do not recognize a cause of action when an employee engages in political speech outside the workplace. This classification disadvantages political speech, the category of speech courts traditionally give the highest protection in First Amendment jurisprudence. State courts engage in state action within the reach of the Constitution by creating this classification. Courts may avoid the constitutional problem by using the First Amendment as the basis for a wrongful discharge claim. Finally, this Article examines the limits of this new remedy, which can be drawn from analogous public-sector cases. Courts should move to recognize the tort of wrongful discharge in instances when an employer retaliates against an employee for nondisruptive political speech.
The Methodology for Developing a Prospective Meta-Analysis in the Family Planning Community.

Background Prospective meta-analysis (PMA) is a collaborative research design in which individual sites perform randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and pool the data for meta-analysis. Members of the PMA collaboration agree upon specific research interventions and outcome measures, ideally before initiation but at least prior to any individual trial publishing results. This allows for uniform reporting of primary and secondary outcomes. With this approach, heterogeneity among trials contributing data for the final meta-analysis is minimized while each site maintains the freedom to design a specific trial. This paper describes the process of creating a PMA collaboration to evaluate the impact of misoprostol on ease of intrauterine device (IUD) insertion in nulliparous women.
Exploiting Word-level Features for Emotion Prediction

In this paper we study two techniques for combining word-level features for emotion prediction. Prior research has primarily focused on the use of turn-level features as predictors. Recently, the utility of word-level features has been highlighted but only tested on relatively small human- computer corpora. We extend over previous work by investigating the strengths and weaknesses of two different techniques for using word-level features and by using a larger corpus of human-computer dialogue. Our results confirm that the word-level pitch features fare better than the turn-level ones regardless of the combination technique. In addition, we find that each word combination technique has different strengths and weaknesses in terms of precision and recall.
Two thalamic pathways to primary auditory cortex

Abstract Neurons in the center of cat primary auditory cortex (AI) respond to a narrow range of sound frequencies and the preferred frequencies in local neuron clusters are closely aligned in this central narrow bandwidth region (cNB). Response preferences to other input parameters, such as sound intensity and binaural interaction, vary within cNB; however, the source of this variability is unknown. Here we examined whether input to the cNB could arise from multiple, anatomically independent subregions in the ventral nucleus of the medial geniculate body (MGBv). Retrograde tracers injected into cNB labeled discontinuous clusters of neurons in the superior (sMGBv) and inferior (iMGBv) halves of the MGBv. Most labeled neurons were in the sMGBv and their density was greater. iMGBv somata were significantly larger. These findings suggest that cNB projection neurons in superior and iMGBv have distinct anatomic and possibly physiologic organization.
Vascular endothelial growth factor acts through novel, pregnancy-enhanced receptor signalling pathways to stimulate endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity in uterine artery endothelial cells

During pregnancy, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) regulates in part endothelial angiogenesis and vasodilation. In the present study we examine the relative roles of VEGFRs (VEGF receptors) and associated signalling pathways mediating the effects of VEGF(165) on eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) activation. Despite equal expression levels of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 in UAECs (uterine artery endothelial cells) from NP (non-pregnant) and P (pregnant) sheep, VEGF(165) activates eNOS at a greater level in P- compared with NP-UAEC, independently of Akt activation. The selective VEGFR-1 agonist PlGF (placental growth factor)-1 elicits only a modest activation of eNOS in P-UAECs compared with VEGF(165), whereas the VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitor blocks VEGF(165)-stimulated eNOS activation, suggesting VEGF(165) predominantly activates eNOS via VEGFR-2. Although VEGF(165) also activates ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase)-1/2, this is not necessary for eNOS activation since U0126 blocks ERK-1/2 phosphorylation, but not eNOS activation, and the VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitor inhibits eNOS activation, but not ERK-1/2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, the inability of PlGF to activate ERK-1/2 and the ability of the VEGFR-2 selective agonist VEGF-E to activate ERK-1/2 and eNOS suggests again that both eNOS and ERK-1/2 activation occur predominantly via VEGFR-2. The lack of VEGF(165)-stimulated Akt phosphorylation is consistent with a lack of robust phosphorylation of Ser(1179)-eNOS. Although VEGF(165)-stimulated eNOS phosphorylation is observed at Ser(617) and Ser(635), pregnancy does not significantly alter this response. Our finding that VEGF(165) activation of eNOS is completely inhibited by wortmannin but not LY294002 implies a downstream kinase, possibly a wortmannin-selective PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase), is acting between the VEGFR-2 and eNOS independently of Akt.
An approach for faster high field magnet technology development

The Superconducting Magnet Program at LBNL has developed a magnet design supporting our new Subscale Magnet Program, that facilitates rapid testing of small superconducting racetrack coils in the field range of 10-12 Tesla. Several coils have been made from a variety of Nb/sub 3/Sn/Cu cables, insulated, wound, reacted, potted and assembled into a small reusable yoke and shell loading structure. Bladder and key technology have provided a rapid and efficient means for adjusting coil pre-stress during both initial assembly, and between thermal cycles. This affords the opportunity to test moderately long rectangular cable samples under "magnet conditions" on a time scale considerably closer to that for traditional short-sample cable tests. We have built and tested four coils with the initial aim of determining the feasibility of reducing overall conductor costs with "mixed-strand" cables. Details of cost reduction improvements, coil construction, magnet structure, and assembly procedures are reported, along with the relative performance of the mixed-strand coil.
Exits from Urban Superintendencies: The Intersection of Politics, Race, and Gender.

The experiences and perspectives of four women who have exited urban school district superintendencies are examined in this article. Sources of disenchantment with the political aspects of the role are discussed Structural and sociocultural frameworks are used to interpret findings about women's continuing "outsider" status in educational leadership. The authors conclude by advocating increased attention to both the recruitment and retention of women and members of other underrepresented groups in the superintendency.
Toward a detailed understanding of illegal digital downloading intentions: An extended theory of planned behavior approach:

Because theory-based research can provide a better understanding of the psychological motivations and reasons why college students intend to engage in illegal digital downloading, this project is conducted from the perspectives of the theory of planned behavior, attitude functional theory and the social norms approach. Based on a survey of 552 college students, results revealed that students who believed that illegal downloading would help save money and was convenient and those who did not want to be termed as being afraid of risk were more likely to download illegally, whereas those who had illegality concerns and high moral standards were less likely to download illegally. In addition, perceived social approval for downloading, but not the perceived frequency of others’ downloading behaviors, predicted intentions to download. This study argues that the integration of the three theoretical frameworks provides more meaningful, yet parsimonious guidance for designing antipiracy campaigns.
Bird use of solar photovoltaic installations at US airports: Implications for aviation safety

a b s t r a c t Several airports in the US have recently installed large photovoltaic (PV) arrays near air-operations areas to offset energy demands, and the US Federal Aviation Administration has published guidelines for new solar installations on airport properties. Although an increased reliance on solar energy will likely benefit airports from environmental and economic perspectives, bird use of solar installations should be exam- ined before wide-scale implementation to determine whether such changes in land use adversely affect aviation safety by increasing risk of bird-aircraft collisions. We studied bird use of five pairs of PV arrays and nearby airport grasslands in Arizona, Colorado, and Ohio, over one year. Across locations, we observed 46 species of birds in airfield grasslands compared to 37 species in PV arrays. We calculated a bird hazard index (BHI) based on the mean seasonal mass of birds per area surveyed. General linear model analysis indicated that BHI was influenced by season, with higher BHI in summer than fall and winter. We found no effect of treatment (PV arrays vs. airfields), location, or interactions among predictors. However, using a nonparametric two-group test across all seasons and locations, we found greater BHI in airfield grass- lands than PV arrays for those species considered especially hazardous to aircraft (species ≥ 1.125 kg). Our results suggest that converting airport grasslands to PV arrays would not increase hazards associated with bird-aircraft collisions. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.
ATTITUDES OF NOVICE TEEN DRIVERS AND PARENTS ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA'S GRADUATED DRIVER LICENSING PROGRAM: A FOCUS GROUP ANALYSIS

Graduated driver licensing systems are being introduced throughout the United States. Pennsylvania has had a three-tiered system since 1993, but legislation significantly strengthened the system in 1999. The changes included prolonging the learner phase to 180 days, adding a passenger restriction to the junior licensing phase, and moving the nighttime driving curfew to 11 P.M. from midnight. This project was designed to qualitatively assess the reactions of teen drivers and their parents to a strengthened graduated driver licensing system, and to determine their beliefs about the causes of high crash risk for teen drivers. In October 2000, a scripted interview technique was used to conduct eight focus groups in western Pennsylvania including 35 family pairs (parent and teen). A total of 35 teens (21 girls and 14 boys) and 38 parents (31 mothers and 7 fathers) participated. The parents believed the high teen crash rate is primarily the result of inexperience and generally supported the new system, particul...
Copper-catalyzed hydrophosphinations of styrenes in water at room temperature.

Copper-catalyzed hydrophosphinations of styrenyl systems in water, at room temperature is herein reported, enabled by our ‘designer’ surfactant TPGS-750-M. This is an attractive alternative to the more common Pd and Pt catalyzed versions.
Contrast-enhanced microwave breast imaging

Tomographic maps of the dielectric distribution of breast tissue can be made at microwave frequencies by applying nonlinear optimization techniques to the electromagnetic inverse scattering problem. There is a mismatch between the resolution of UHF band microwaves and the feature size of fibroconnective and glandular breast tissues which fundamentally limits the ability of such imaging systems to clearly resolve these structures. Tumor detection is further challenged by the small intrinsic contrast between the dielectric properties of normal and malignant glandular tissues. The use of contrast agents to preferentially alter the properties of malignant tissues is a potential approach to improving detection performance. In this paper, we explore the information available to contrast-enhanced imaging of realistic numerical breast phantoms at microwave frequencies. Differential images are produced using three-dimensional tomographic reconstructions of the dielectric profiles before and after the introduction of a contrast agent to a malignant inclusion.
Age-associated impairment in TNF-α cardioprotection from myocardial infarction

Age-associated dysfunction in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells with impaired induction of cardioprotective platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-dependent pathways suggests that alterations ...
Algal community responses to shallow lake dystrophication11This article is derived from a special session entitled “A New Hydrology: Inflow Effects on Ecosystem Form and Functioning” that took place at the February 2011 ASLO Aquatic Sciences conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This research details changes in lake algal community structure that occurred during dystrophication. We conducted a paleolimnological investigation of Pungo Lake, a shallow, dystrophic system near...
Free Will and Responsibility

Free will is a set of capacities for conscious choice and control of actions and is essential for moral responsibility. While determinism is traditionally discussed as the main potential challenge to free will and responsibility, other potential challenges exist and need to be considered by philosophers and scientists. The cognitive sciences are relevant to free will both to study how people understand free will and potential challenges to it, and to study whether these challenges are supported by relevant scientific evidence. WIREs Cogn Sci 2012, 3:439-449. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1181 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Associative Structure of Fear Memory After Basolateral Amygdala Lesions in Rats

The authors have recently demonstrated that rats with basolateral amygdala (BLA) lesions acquire Pavlovian fear conditioning after overtraining. However, it is not known whether the associative basis of Pavlovian fear memory acquired by rats with BLA lesions is similar to that of intact rats. Associations are typically formed between the conditional (CS) and unconditional (US) stimuli (stimulus-stimulus; S-S), although it is possible for stimuli to enter into association with the responses they produce (stimulus-response; S-R). Indeed, the central nucleus of the amygdala, which is essential for fear conditioning in rats with BLA lesions, may mediate S-R associations in some Pavlovian tasks. The authors therefore used a postconditioning US inflation procedure (i.e., exposure to intense footshock USs) to assess the contribution of S-S associations to fear conditioning after overtraining in rats with BLA lesions. In Experiment 1, intact rats that were overtrained and later inflated displayed elevated freezing levels when tested, indicating that S-S associations contribute to overtrained fear memories. Interestingly, neither neurotoxic BLA lesions nor temporary inactivation of the BLA during overtraining prevented the inflation effect (Experiment 2 and 3, respectively). These results reveal that S-S associations support Pavlovian fear memories after overtraining in both intact rats and rats with BLA lesions, and imply that the central nucleus of the amygdala encodes CS-US associations during fear conditioning.
Sensor Networks-Inspired Low-Power Robust PN Code Acquisition

Algorithmic noise tolerance (ANT) techniques have reduced power consumption in many signal-processing applications, but they typically require an error-free estimator block and do not fully exploit the statistical nature of timing errors. By approaching certain computations as estimation problems, we draw inspiration from sensor networks and develop a novel power conservation scheme in which the main computation result is estimated from multiple potentially erroneous sub-computations. The sub-computations are performed by ";sensors"; and a ";fusion center"; acts as a robust estimator. This scheme is shown to offer significant power savings in a PN code acquisition application.
On application of game theory for understanding trust in networks

In this expository paper, we show how some of concepts in game theory might be useful for supplying the underlying theoretical foundations for instilling trust in the framework of network sensing, and describes potential application for cyber warfare.
The Effect of Income on Child Development

This study presents estimates of the effect of parental income on children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. The effect of current income is small, especially when income is treated as endogenous. The effect of “permanent” income is substantially larger, but relatively small when compared to the magnitude of recent policy-induced changes in income. Family background characteristics play a more important role than income in determining child outcomes. Policies that affect family income will have little direct impact on child development unless they result in very large and permanent changes in income.
Prognostic value of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The Henry Ford HospITal CardioPulmonary EXercise Testing (FIT-CPX) project.

Background Although cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction is well established, there are limited data on the value of CPX variables in patients with HF and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We sought to determine the prognostic value of select CPX measures in patients with HFpEF. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of patients with HFpEF (ejection fraction ≥ 50%) who performed a CPX test between 1997 and 2010. Selected CPX variables included peak oxygen uptake (VO 2 ), percent predicted maximum oxygen uptake (ppMVO 2 ), minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope (V E /VCO 2 slope) and exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV). Separate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between each CPX variable and a composite outcome of all-cause mortality or cardiac transplant. Results We identified 173 HFpEF patients (45% women, 58% non-white, age 54 ± 14 years) with complete CPX data. During a median follow-up of 5.2 years, there were 42 deaths and 5 cardiac transplants. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative event-free survival was 96%, 90%, and 82%, respectively. Based on the Wald statistic from the Cox regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, and β-blockade therapy, ppMVO 2 was the strongest predictor of the end point (Wald χ 2 = 15.0, hazard ratio per 10%, P 2 (Wald χ 2 = 11.8, P = .001). V E /VCO 2 slope (Wald χ 2 = 0.4, P = .54) and EOV (Wald χ 2 = 0.15, P = .70) had no significant association to the composite outcome. Conclusion These data support the prognostic utility of peak VO 2 and ppMVO 2 in patients with HFpEF. Additional studies are needed to define optimal cut points to identify low- and high-risk patients.
The Spectrum of Metanephric Adenofibroma and Related Lesions: Clinicopathologic Study of 25 Cases From the National Wilms Tumor Study Group Pathology Center

The authors report nine new metanephric adenofibroma (MAFs; previously termed nephrogenic adenofibroma) and 16 related tumors from the files of the National Wilms Tumor Study Group Pathology Center (NWTSGPC). All tumors contained a variable amount of a bland spindle cell stroma, which is essentially identical to the recently described metanephric stromal tumor (MST). Features that distinguish this stroma from congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) include intratumoral angiodysplasia, concentric cuffing of entrapped tubules ("onion skinning"), and heterologous differentiation. The epithelial components of these lesions spanned a wide range of appearances. All tumors contained at least focally an inactive embryonal epithelium identical morphologically to metanephric adenoma (MA), and hence each case could be classified as containing MAF. The epithelium of nine tumors had this appearance throughout, and hence these were considered usual MAFs. The epithelium of four tumors demonstrated increased mitotic activity but was otherwise similar to MA. The epithelial component of seven tumors spanned a morphologic spectrum from inactive MA to malignant epithelial predominant Wilms tumor (WT), with gradual transitions noted in several cases. Five other tumors contained a carcinomatous component distinct from these lesions but identical morphologically to papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). In one of these cases, this component had metastasized to the regional lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis. No tumor recurred during follow-up, although almost all patients received adjuvant therapy for WT regardless of their tumor's histology and NWTSGPC diagnosis. In conclusion, MAF is a biphasic tumor that spans the morphologic spectrum between benign pure stromal (MST) and pure epithelial (MA) lesions, and can merge with the morphology of WT, supporting the concept that these are all related lesions. A relationship to PRCC is also evident.
Role of Small Mammals in Population Dynamics and Dissemination of Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) at Land Between the Lakes, Tennessee

We studied the relationship between small mammals, Amblyomma americanum (L.), and Dermacentor variabilis (Say) in an oak/hickory woods and an old-field habitat at Land Between The Lakes, Tennessee. The seven small-mammal species captured were Peromyscus leucopus, Microtus ochrogaster, Microtus pinetorum, Blarina brevicauda, Cryptotis parva, Reithrodontomys humulis, and Mus musculus. Only three subadult A. americanum were collected from small mammals, but high densities of free-living A. americanum were present. Therefore, we concluded that small mammals were not principal hosts of A. americanum. In the woods, 115 P. leucopus were examined for ticks, with a mean of 0.03 nymphal D. variabilis and 1.4 larvae per mouse. In the field, 49 P. leucopus were examined, with 0.3 larvae and 0 nymphs per mouse. We collected a total of 68 larval and 10 nymphal D. variabilis from M. ochrogaster and one larva from M. pinetorum. Although male P. leucopus traveled farther and had more ticks than females, we found no significant difference in numbers of ticks per mouse by sex and no significant correlation in numbers of ticks per mouse by weight, total length, or maximum distance traveled. This was most likely because a small percentage of the mice carried most of the ticks. We concluded that small mammals could reinfest a control area with D. variabilis but not with A. americanum.
Large-Eddy Simulation of Cavity Flame-Holding in a Mach 2.5 Cross Flow

Achieving stable combustion and flame holding in a supersonic combustor is challenging, especially considering hydrocarbon fuels, due to slow reaction rates and the short residence time that limits fuel-air mixing. Recently, cavity stabilized combustion has shown promising performance, yet fundamental understanding of underlying physical processes is still difficult due to limitation of the experimental measurements. The present paper considers numerical simulations within the LES framework using Linear Eddy Mixing (LEM) Model as a subgrid closure for turbulent combustion, and investigates stable combustion and blow-out limits using a blended mixture of methane and hydrogen, where methane is main fuel. The map of the stable combustion and blow-out limits is constructed as a function of methane and hydrogen mass flow rates and compared with experimental results. The distinct flow structures in the cavity are observed for stable combustion and blow-out states and are discussed. The flame structures predicted by LEM are discussed as well.
On Numerical Simulation of Fuel Mixed With Steam or Air to Investigate Soot and Other Emissions

Soot emissions (PM 2.5) as well as CO and NOx from industrial flares and other industrial processes or sources pose a substantial risk to human being health and the environment, and now are subject to new and tougher EPA regulations. Flaring is used widely used in many industries to dispose unwanted combustion gases by burning them as a flame. However, flaring produces significant amount of particulate matter in the form of soot, along with other harmful gas emissions. Although many experimental and numerical studies have previously been done on flames burning in a controlled condition, relatively few studies have been conducted with fuel-steam mixture. In practice, air and steam are commonly used to assist the flaring processes — control the smoke and the combustion efficiency. This study aims to investigate soot, CO and NOx emissions of turbulent diffusion methane and propane flame mixed with air or superheated steam. To study such effect numerically, the computational fluid dynamics software ANSYS Fluent 14.5 is used with non-premixed probability density function (PDF) model. The laminar flamelet is generated with automated grid refinement. For the soot generation, the Moss-Brookes soot model with Lee sub-model is considered. The combustion mechanism is developed by the authors’ research group from the combined GRI and USC mechanisms. Two types of fuel, methane and propane, are used. The amount of super-heated steam varied from four percent to twenty percent (4%, 8 %, 12%, 16%, and 20%), and the behavior of the flame is analyzed. For the baseline case, the jet has a diameter of 50.8 mm or 2 inches, and the jet velocity is kept to 1.0 m/s. A co-flow air is supplied at a velocity of 0.2 m/s. The temperature distribution of methane and propane are compared with different contents of steam or air assists. The NOx, Soot and CO yields (kg/kg) varying with steam or air percentages are also presented. The results indicate that the soot yield is dependent on fuel type strongly and the percentage of steam or air affects the soot yield differently as the fuel type varies.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Stimulated Level Shifting and Velocity Inversion in UV-Laser-Excited Photofragments

We have recently begun to study radiative processes that occur in excited atoms which have been created by molecular photodissociation with UV excimer lasers. (1, 2, 3) This is a particularly useful technique for producing high densities of excited atoms in specific atomic states in low density gases. Because bound-free continua are relatively broadband, intense excimer lasers can be used for excitation. Further, since the pumping process does not involve a direct optical transition in the resultant atom, many of the limitations on direct optical pumping can be avoided, e.g., competing multiphoton processes, necessity for dipole-allowed one or two photon transition, etc.
Mannose-binding proteins of animal origin.

More than ninety years ago, Stillmark (1888) discovered that castor-bean extracts caused agglutination of human red cells. Boyd and Shapeleigh (1954) invented the term “lectin” (from legere, to select) for this group of plant proteins which are capable of hemagglutination. It soon became apparent that lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins. Modern nomenclature defines lectins as carbohydrate-binding proteins which are not immunoglobulins or enzymes.
Computable quantification of the stability of sparse signal reconstruction

The l 1 -constrained minimal singular value (l 1 -CMSV) of the sensing matrix is shown to determine, in a concise and tight manner, the recovery performance of l 1 -based algorithms such as Basis Pursuit, the Dantzig selector, and the LASSO estimator. Several random measurement ensembles are shown to have l 1 -CMSVs bounded away from zero with high probability, as long as the number of measurements is relatively large. Three algorithms based on projected gradient method and interior point algorithm are developed to compute l 1 -CMSV. A lower bound of the l 1 -CMSV is also available by solving a semi-definite programming problem.
Dielectric response of doped ICE measured with linear blocking layers

These experiments support the assumption of linearity and the equivalent circuit of Fig. 1. Further work is needed to ascertain whether a different equivalent circuit might not fit the data even better. The question of frequency-distributed relaxation processes in ice and of the physical nature of different relaxation processes should be investigated by means of equivalent-circuit theory and fitting.
Profiles of Local Consumer Commerce: Insights from 12 Billion Transactions in 15 U.S. Metro Areas

In Profiles of Local Consumer Commerce, we show that the year-to-year growth of consumers’ everyday spending on most goods and services in 15 major U.S. metropolitan areas has slowed dramatically, from 5 percent in the second quarter of 2014 to 0.5 percent in the comparable period in 2015. We use 12.4 billion credit and debit card transactions of 48 million JPMorgan Chase customers conducted over 34 months to analyze the growth of local consumer commerce at business establishments in 15 metropolitan areas. We analyze how the growth of local consumer commerce is shaped by the age and income of the consumer, the products sold by the business and its size, and the residence of the consumer relative to the business. Our findings are fivefold. First, middle- and high-income consumers, and consumers ages 65 and older, were responsible for most of the slowdown in growth, while low-income consumers and those under 35 maintained relatively stable spending growth. Second, spending at large businesses shrunk more than spending at small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), though SMEs accounted for almost as much of the slowdown in local consumer commercial spending as large businesses. Third, the growth of spending by consumers at businesses in their own metropolitan areas slowed the most, particularly at businesses in their own neighborhoods. Fourth, spending growth at businesses that sell fuel and other nondurable goods slowed dramatically, and not only because of price declines. Finally, strong and diverse growth across most metropolitan areas from Q2 2013 to Q2 2014 has slowed to tepid growth across the board from Q2 2014 to Q2 2015. The JPMorgan Chase Institute continues to issue updated data on a monthly basis on our website. In doing so, we provide an ongoing source of rich data that can advance the understanding of local consumer commerce in aggregate and in the 15 selected metropolitan areas.
Using a gene-environment interaction study to evaluate risk for lung cancer.

1524Background: Lung cancer is known be associated with over 20 germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Tobacco exposure is a known risk factor for developing lung cancer. Genotype by envi...
Cerebrospinal fluid humoral immunity in the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Background The diagnostic accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands (CSF-OCB) detected by isoelectric focusing (IEF) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) was evaluated in our study. Methods Three hundred and twenty-one patients with MS and other central nervous system (CNS) immune mediated disorders were assessed (CIMD). Cerebrospinal fluid and matched serum samples were examined for the presence of OCB by IEF-IB (isoelectric focusing with immunoblotting). Results Isolated oligoclonal bands (ISO-OCB) were the only predictor of MS diagnosis independent of age, gender and CSF-OCB. ISO-OCB ≥ 3.5 detected by IEF yielded a sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 87% in distinguishing MS from MS mimickers. Conclusions For the neurologist, a score of ≥ 4 ISO-OCB supports the diagnosis of MS. On the other hand, ISO-OCB ≤3 favors CIMD. Further studies with larger population samples are warranted to confirm these findings.
The Future of GC/Q-TOF in Environmental Analysis

Abstract Gas chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/Q-TOF) offers high mass resolution and accurate mass data with the ability to perform structure elucidation and confirmation via MS/MS processes for a myriad of analytes in environmental and biological matrices. The ability of GC/Q-TOF to accurately measure persistent organic pollutants and deconvolve the data to identify and confirm new environmental contaminates in the same sample offers a powerful methodology for environmental analysis and the identification of exposure markers and disease biomarkers. In conjunction with environmental analysis, GC/Q-TOF can be used to explore the biologically relevant chemical space in an “omics” workflow and examine personal exposure to chemical entitles over time—a relatively new concept called the exposome, the measurement of which is called exposomics.
Pyoderma gangrenosum demographics, treatments, and outcomes: an analysis of 2,273 cases

Objective: Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare, neutrophil-mediated, auto-inflammatory dermatosis. This condition has clinical features analogous to infectious processes and must be quickly diagnosed to...
Pertussis in Florida, 2000-2006: Trends in a Historically Low-Incidence State

OBJECTIVE Florida, the fourth most populous state in the nation, has had historically low incidence rates of pertussis, the only vaccine-preventable disease with increasing numbers of reported cases. We compared the epidemiology and incidence rates of pertussis in Florida with other states and the United States. METHODS We used Florida and federal surveillance data from 2000 through 2006. RESULTS Reported incidence of pertussis in Florida, numbers of cases, and proportions of adolescents and adults all increased during the seven-year study period. Florida incidence rates increased from 0.44 to 1.28, but the state's incidence was always ranked 45th or lower among the states. Reported pertussis cases and those among adolescents and adults in Florida increased during the study period. Ten counties, containing 60% of Florida's population, reported two-thirds of the state's cases. CONCLUSIONS Pertussis reported from Florida mirrored national trends with increasing incidence, numbers of cases, and proportions of adolescent and adult cases. Despite the increases, Florida maintained its historic pattern of pertussis incidence rates that are consistently lower than national figures. Limited laboratory diagnostics and a focus on the pediatric population likely contributed to the lower rates of pertussis in Florida. More emphasis on surveillance of adolescent and adult cases is needed.
The effects of violent video games on adolescents: The overlooked influence of development.

Recent acts of extreme violence involving teens and associated links to violent video games have led to an increased interest in video game violence. Research suggests that violent video games influence aggressive behavior, aggressive affect, aggressive cognition, and physiological arousal. Anderson and Bushman [Annu. Rev. Psychol. 53 (2002) 27.] have posited a General Aggression Model (GAM) to explain the mechanism behind the link between violent video games and aggressive behavior. However, the influence of violent video games as a function of developmental changes across adolescence has yet to be addressed. The purpose of this review is to integrate the GAM with developmental changes that occur across adolescence.
Vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor and the significance of microvascular hyperpermeability in angiogenesis.

Vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (VPF/VEGF) was originally discovered in the late 1970s because of its capacity to increase the permeability of microvessels to plasma and plasma proteins (Dvorak et al. 1979a,b). Using plastic-embedded, light microscopic section and, subsequent, immunohistochemistry, we noted that transplantable tumors growing in guinea pigs and rodents exhibit substantial deposits of fibrin in their stroma. Fibrin results from the clotting of fibrinogen, a 340kDa plasma protein which, under normal circumstances, is retained almost quantitatively within the blood vasculature. For fibrin to be deposited outside of blood vessels in tumor stroma, it was necessary that two requirements be met; namely, (1) that microvessels be abnormally hyperpermeable to permit the escape of fibrinogen and other plasma proteins necessary for blood clotting and (2) that there be a mechanism in place for activating the clotting system. In fact, both requirements were found to be met in tumors. The microvessels supplying tumors were hyperpermeable to fibrinogen and other plasma proteins, and both tumor cells and host stromal cells were capable of initiating extravascular coagulation via the tissue-factor pathway. Encouraged by these findings, we initiated a search for a tumor product that could account for tumor-vessels hyperpermeability. A potent vascular permeabilizing protein was soon found in serum-free tumor culture supernatants (Dvorak et al. 1979a,b) and was subsequently purified to homogeneity and given the name vascular permeability factor (VPF) (Senger et al. 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990).