cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the Development and Use of a Concept of Operations in Traffic Management Systems

The purpose of this research effort was to identify benefits provided by a concept of operations in the life-cycle of a transportation management system (TMS) and to identify best practices in the development and use of the concept of operations for TMSs. Experience has shown that the systems engineering process is well suited for the complex nature of the contemporary TMS. The foundation of the systems engineering process is the concept of operations, a high-level, nontechnical document focusing vision and goals for all aspects of a system that are necessary for operation in such a way that a diverse audience will fully understand what the system will do. The research surveyed current practice in TMS applications and compared this with concept-of-operations standards from the industry. Key findings of the research include the following recommendations and best practices for development and use of the concept of operations for TMSs: (a) stakeholder communication and involvement in system development is the main benefit from the concept-of-operations development process; (b) when the system development team is created, owners of the system should begin compiling the team of stakeholders immediately and focus on those who will be responsible for using the system; (c) recommended practices for improving readability of the documents include minimizing technical jargon and frequent and effective use of graphics; and (d) operational scenarios should be developed and extensively used in the concept-of-operations document. A concept of operations is dynamic and useful throughout the entire life-cycle of the system, providing guidance for all stages of system development.
Intersectionality as a multipurpose collective action frame: The case of the undocumented youth movement:

During the early 2010s, undocumented youth activists were leading the charge to gain congressional support for the federal Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, which sought to p...
Typologies of dyadic mother-infant emotion regulation following immunization.

Abstract Mother-infant dyadic emotion regulation – the joint modulation of affective rhythms as interactive partners dynamically respond to each other across time – has been shown to promote social-emotional wellbeing both during and beyond infancy. Although contributions of dyadic regulation to self-regulatory development may particularly apparent during infant distress, studies have traditionally examined dyadic regulation in low-stress contexts. The present study addresses this gap by identifying distinct patterns of mother-infant dyadic emotion regulation following a highly distressing immunization procedure and then examining how these groups differed in mother and infant personality and temperament characteristics. Mother-infant dyads (N = 131) were videotaped during a routine immunization procedure, and infant crying and maternal soothing behaviors were subsequently coded. Cluster analysis was applied to trajectories of latent states representing each dyad’s post-immunization behaviors. Results indicated five typologies of dyadic regulation following infant immunization. These typologies reflected the effectiveness with which the dyad worked together to soothe infant distress, as well as the specific maternal soothing behaviors employed. Differences in maternal personality and infant temperament among clusters indicated that both mothers and infants contributed to the dynamic regulatory process.
IoT-NDN: An IoT Architecture via Named Data Netwoking (NDN)

Internet of Things (IoT) systems have become the central part of future internet research. In the IoT, heterogeneous devices are connected to sense the environment or to observe individual tasks. Many research fields use the seamless IoT infrastructure to interact with the integrated devices and diverse services. Furthermore, IoT is a promising technology to increase the comfort and quality of life and opens new ways of interaction between people and things. Real life applications in healthcare sectors, home automation, industry, smart cities, monitoring scenarios, etc. benefit from the low-cost wireless technology in IoT on one hand. On the contrary, IoT system has many challenging features: many devices are resource-constrained with energy and memory, are highly heterogeneous and their applications continuously transmit transient information. Furthermore, Requesting, delivering and updating the information in IoT are challenging because of the resource limitation. Named Data Networking (NDN) is one of the latest and the most important Information-Centric Networking (ICN) approaches which uses named data to deliver data in the network. Based on hierarchically structured names, NDN matches the application pattern of IoT systems and uses its communication concept to optimize the power supply and distribute the data efficiently in the network. This paper discusses the main concepts of NDN including naming, routing, forwarding and caching in IoT infrastructure. To achieve an efficient system in different applications scenario in future IoT, an IoT architecture is proposed via NDN called IoT-NDN. The objective of this research work is the design and development of IoT-NDN for different fields in IoT systems. The deployment of IoT-NDN is challenging and requires proper design choices. The proposed solution and challenges of all mentioned issues are discussed in this paper.
Differences among Asian/Asian American, and Caucasian breast and gynecologic cancer patient-reported survivorship needs, symptoms, and illness mindsets (N=220).

11620Background: Cancer experiences are mediated by host and disease factors and affected by social and cultural determinants of health. We sought to characterize perceived supportive care needs an...
Retest Reliability for Complete Airway Interruption Systems of Aerodynamic Measurement.

Summary Introduction Measures of subglottal pressure (Ps), phonation threshold pressure (PTP), and laryngeal resistance (LR) can be used as indicators of vocal cord disorders. The gold standard non-invasive measurement uses labial interruption, which has been shown to have reliability inconsistencies. Mechanical interruption methods have demonstrated promise in measurement reliability. The goal of the present study is to compare retest reliability of labial and mechanical interruption methods. Methods 55 subjects aged 18-69 participated. Ten trials were performed for each method. For labial interruption, subjects produced five labial plosives at comfortable and quiet volumes. For mechanical interruption, subjects produced a sustained /α/ while a balloon valve interrupted phonation five times. Thirty subjects completed a second study visit identical to the first approximately two weeks (15 days ± 3.76) after the first visit. Ps, PTP, mean airflow rate, and LR were determined for each subject and retest reliability for each was analyzed. Results The percent difference in measurement results for test-retest of Ps were 12.88% ± 10.15 for mechanical interruption and 27.56% ± 17.14 for labial interruption (P = 0.0003). The percent difference for PTP measurements were 21.46% ± 16.01 for mechanical and 17.04% ± 14.62 (P = 0.3372) for labial. Intra-subject coefficients of variation of Ps were 0.086 ± 0.046 for mechanical and 0.161 ± 0.078 for labial (P Conclusions Ps and LR measured using mechanical interruption showed more consistency for both retesting across separate study visits and intra-subject variability. PTP was similar in retesting and intra-subject variability. Continued work to improve mechanical interruption techniques is warranted as these methods offer higher reliability and consistency than the labial interruption methods.
Household air pollution and personal exposure from burning firewood and yak dung in summer in the eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Abstract This study assessed the sources, magnitudes, and chemical compositions of household air pollution (HAP) and personal exposure in traditional Tibetan households. We measured 24-h personal exposures to PM2.5 and kitchen area black carbon (BC) concentrations, using MicroPEMs and microAeths, respectively. Particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and inorganic element concentrations were quantified via post analyses of a subset of MicroPEM sample filters. Household surveys regarding participant demographics, cookstove usage, household fuel, cooking behaviors, and lifestyles were collected. The results reaffirm that burning firewood and yak dung, mainly for cooking, leads to high PM2.5 and BC exposures. The geometric mean concentration (95% confidence interval, CI) was 74.3 (53.6, 103) μg/m3 for PM2.5 and the arithmetic mean ± standard deviation (SD) concentration was 4.90 ± 5.01 μg/m3 for BC and 292 ± 364 ng/m3 for 15 identified PAHs, respectively. The arithmetic mean ± SD of mass concentrations of 24 detected elements ranged from 0.76 ± 0.91 ng/m3 (Co) to 1.31 ± 1.35 μg/m3 (Si). Our statistical analyses further illustrated that the high concentrations of PM2.5, BC, and most PAHs and metals, are significantly associated with nomadic village, poorer stove/chimney conditions and yak dung burning. The results from this study show that substantial HAP exposure is prevalent in Tibetan households and requires immediate actions to mitigate potential negative environmental health impacts. The observational data also revealed the possibility of other important sources (e.g. traffic and garbage burning) that have contributed to personal exposures. These findings improve our understanding of HAP exposure and potential health risks in Tibetan communities and will help inform strategies for reducing HAP in Tibetan households and beyond.
The Hawthorne Effect in Eye-blinking: Awareness that One’s Blinks are Being Counted Alters Blink Behavior

Purpose: Spontaneous eye-blink rate is the number of involuntary blinks performed during a certain period of time. Assessing blink rate in humans provides valuable physiological and behavioral data...
Article 9's Incorporation Strategy and Novel, New Markets for Collateral: A Theory of Non-Adoption

Online auctions like eBay are heralded widely as efficient, robust markets through which millions of businesses and people have sold billions of dollars of all types of property. Yet U.C.C. Article 9 secured parties apparently are only slowly and anemically adopting eBay or other online auctions to sell repossessed property (collateral) and are sticking instead to conventional, traditional sale methods. The apparent slow and anemic adoption of eBay and other online auctions by Article 9 secured creditors suggests a failure of the commercial reasonableness standard's incorporation strategy of new, efficient markets and its price-maximization goal. The Article proposes a non-adoption theory for novel, new markets to explain the failure. In short, the non-adoption theory holds that for any given new market, a wealth-maximizing secured party will suffer varying degrees of imperfect information due to legal, business, or empirical data uncertainties with respect to identifying, assessing, and using that new market. Such a secured party may fail to adopt a relatively more efficient new market and continue instead to use the conventional, traditional market due to the aggregate amount of this legal, businesses, and empirical data uncertainty. For the "riskiest" of new markets, those with the highest aggregate degree of such uncertainty, theoretically it is possible that no or very few secured parties would ever adopt it. For a less risky market, one with a wider range of perceived riskiness among secured creditors, it is theoretically possible that a larger number of Article 9 secured creditors would adopt it, although others would not.
Mana Wahine and Mothering at the Loʻi: A Two-spirit/Queer Analysis

Indigenous feminist scholars have documented the extent and impact of heteropatriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy on Indigenous communities. Settler colonial forces targeted women and two-spi...
Scaling of subcellular actin structures with cell length through decelerated growth

How cells tune the size of their subcellular parts to scale with cell size is a fundamental question in cell biology. Until now, most studies on the size control of organelles and other subcellular structures have focused on scaling relationships with cell volume, which can be explained by limiting pool mechanisms. Here, we uncover a distinct scaling relationship with cell length rather than volume, revealed by mathematical modeling and quantitative imaging of yeast actin cables. The extension rate of cables decelerates as they approach the rear of the cell, until cable length matches cell length. Further, the deceleration rate scales with cell length. These observations are quantitatively explained by a 'balance-point' model, which stands in contrast to limiting pool mechanisms, and describes a distinct mode of self-assembly that senses the linear dimensions of the cell.
Blurred Engineering Identities in Megascience: Overcoming Epistemic Injustice

The scientific community engaged in research practices of high-energy physics in megascience laboratories is constituted by various subcommunities. These subcommittees are involved in engineering activities and preoccupied by phenomenal analyses. In recent decades, interdisciplinary accelerator and detector researchers, whose work is rooted in engineering, have replaced the experimentalists and instrumentalists of the 1970s; however, the role of pure theorists has remained essentially unchanged. In this article, the author clarifies the roles and specializations of these groups and explicate community members' blurred professional identities; the emphasis lies on engineering specialists and experimentalists. This research also attempts to clarify the reasons for the substantial imbalance of prestige among groups and how it is associated with access to highly valued epistemic practices such as articulating statements regarding natural phenomena. This paper applies an ethical theory framework to reveal how the lack of access to phenomenal knowledge expression—despite mediated contribution to knowledge production—creates participatory epistemic injustice. Finally, the author suggests ways to address this problem.
Multi-vitamin supplementation blunts the circulating IL-6/IL-10 ratio increase after knee arthroplasty: A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study.

Abstract Circulating interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 concentrations can be elevated following the surgically induced trauma of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). An exaggerated increase in IL-6 relative to IL-10 (i.e., IL-6/IL-10 ratio) associates with trauma severity and indicative of pro-inflammatory predominance. Although various vitamins and minerals alter individual IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations in the blood, surprisingly, it is unknown if a multi-vitamin supplement alters the IL-6/IL-10 ratio during the systemic inflammatory response following TKA. The objective of this study was to identify if a multi-vitamin with mineral supplement taken prior to alters the circulating IL-6/IL-10 ratio following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study consisted of a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled design. Twenty-one subjects undergoing elective, primary, unilateral TKA were randomly assigned to a placebo (PL, n = 11) or multi-vitamin with mineral supplement (MV, n = 10). Supplements were taken daily starting approximately 6-weeks prior to surgery. Supplements were not taken the day of surgery or during inpatient care 2-days after surgery. Circulating IL-6, IL-10, high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), vitamin C (ascorbic acid (AA)), vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)), and vitamin E (α-tocopherol (αT)) concentrations were measured in fasting blood draw samples obtained ~6-weeks prior to surgery (and before starting supplementation), the morning of surgery, and 24-hours and 48-hours after surgery. MV supplementation tended to increase serum 25(OH)D and significantly increased plasma AA and plasma αT before surgery without mitigating the post-operative IL-6 and hsCRP increases. However, the post-operative increase in the serum IL-6/IL-10 ratio after surgery was significantly blunted in the MV group. Based on these findings, we conclude that a multi-vitamin with mineral supplement taken daily for several weeks before surgery might reduce the pro-inflammatory predominance after TKA. Future research confirming or refuting the novel data presented herein is needed.
Geospatial Analysis of Persons with Movement Disorders Living in Underserved Regions

Background Movement disorders persons from underserved areas have increased barriers to access tertiary care. There is currently limited data on the geographic and demographic profile of movement disorders persons from underserved areas. Methods A retrospective chart review of the geographic and demographic profile of consecutive cases seen between 2002-2017 at the University of Florida Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases (UF-NFIND) was performed. Information collected included age, sex, diagnosis, zip code, treatment received, and insurance information. The distances between each person's home residence and the nearest movement disorders center of excellence (MDC) as well as the distance to the UF-NFIND were calculated using ArcGIS 10.3. Results A total of 5.2% (355/6867) of the sample population were identified as a Medicaid/self-pay population and classified as underserved. The most common diagnoses were tic disorder (19.2%), dystonia (18.3%), and Parkinson's disease (14.3%). In underserved persons, the median distances from their homes to the UF-NFIND (82.19 [45.79-176.93] km) vs. their nearest MDC (63.34 [26.91-121.43] km) were significantly different (p < 0.001). Discussion Underserved persons in our study travelled further to receive subspecialty care at UF-NFIND than closer MDCs. Potential reasons for underutilization of closer care could possibly include research opportunities, availability of specific treatments or procedures, insurance restrictions, and limited specialist availability. Despite this observation, underserved persons were underrepresented at our institution compared to the proportion of Medicaid/uninsured patients in Florida. Our results highlight the need for increased awareness of care options for underserved movement disorders populations.
Transesophageal echocardiogram to guide valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement of a failed Medtronic-freestyle aortic prosthesis.

Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV TAVR) is an appealing alternative to surgical intervention on failed aortic prosthesis with comparable safety and efficacy. ViV TAVR has proven to be a technical challenge in stentless bioprosthetic aortic valves like free style aortic valve prosthesis. In this case series of two patients we report the utility of transesophageal echocardiogram guidance to help visualize surgical annulus and TAVR deployment.
Pain, Weight Loss, and Quality of Life in a Supportive Care Trial for Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer.

Purpose/Objective(s) Symptom management is critical during radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). Worse pain during RT has been associated with worse treatment tolerance, weight loss, and worse quality of life (QoL). This study further explored the relationship between pain control, weight loss, and QoL in a prospective cohort of patients receiving RT for HNC. Materials/Methods This study was a secondary analysis of a clinical trial of microsphere oxycodone (NCT03317730) during RT for locally advanced HNC. Participants had RT dose > 50 Gy, ECOG 0-2, and no known history of substance abuse. Analgesia was prescribed in accordance with the WHO Pain Ladder, but the extended-release opioid option was limited to microsphere oxycodone. QoL was assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory and EORTC HN-35 forms at baseline and 1- and 3-months post-RT. Correlations were assessed using Pearson's r and differences in means were determined with the independent samples T-test. Analysis was performed using IBM SPSS software. Results Responses were available from participants at 1 month post-RT (n = 23) and at 3 months post-RT (n = 21). At baseline, BMI positively correlated with pain control. In addition, at baseline, worst pain correlated with amount of pain interfering with enjoying life as well as with the ability to eat solid foods (Table). Change in worst 24-hour pain from enrollment to 1- and 3-months post-RT was significantly associated with change in ability to enjoy life due to pain. At 3-months post-RT, change in worst pain negatively correlated with overall ability to enjoy life and ability to eat solid food. Change in BMI correlated with change in relief with pain medication at 1-month and 3-months post-RT. No significant difference in pain relief was noted when considering men vs women (2.06 vs 0.33, P = 0.3). Conclusion This study supports the hypothesis that response to pain medication is associated with change in weight during and shortly after completion of RT. Pain levels were significantly correlated with QoL, particularly the ability to enjoy life and eat food at both 1- and 3-months post-RT. Ongoing research is needed to better elucidate the relation between pain control and patient outcomes, and to develop new interventions to promote QoL among patients with HNC.
Foil implosion studies with a plasma flow switch

A plasma flow switch has been developed for the 1.5-MJ Pegasus capacitor bank to utilize the bank energy (quarter-cycle approximately 4 mu s) efficiently to drive a foil implosion (foil initiation and run-in approximately 1-2 mu s). The object of this activity is to generate an intense burst of soft X-rays when the foil stagnates and thermalizes on axis. A typical free-standing aluminum annular foil is 2500-AA thick, 10-cm in diameter, and 2-cm high. The peak current of the Pegasus bank is approximately 10 MA. When used in direct-drive, foil-implosion experiments, the foil collapses to the axis when the current rises to only approximately 3 MA. The kinetic energy of the imploding foil for the direct-drive configuration cannot exceed approximately 25% of the bank energy (lossless calculation). The plasma flow switch has been designed to have a conduction time of approximately 4 mu s and a commutation time of approximately 0.2 mu s. This permits flow-implosion experiments to be performed at peak current. >
Overburndened and Underfunded: California Public Schools Amidst the Great Recession

Since 2008, many nations, including the United States, have struggled with the effects of a global recession. The state of California has been particularly impacted by the Great Recession. Unemployment rates in California are among the highest in the United States, and a weak fiscal environment has forced deep cutbacks to a variety of state services. This study uses California as a case to explore the effects of economic crisis on public schools and the students they serve. The study draws on two years of survey and interview data with a representative sample of public school principals across California. The data show that, during the Great Recession, students have experienced growing social welfare needs that often shape their well-being and their performance in schools. We also find that the capacity of public schools to meet these needs and provide quality education has been eroded by budget cuts. This study finds that schools primarily serving low-income families have been hardest hit during the recession, in part because they cannot raise private dollars to fill the gap left by public sector cuts. The Great Recession thus has undermined educational quality while producing widening educational inequality in California.
Learning Curves for Delayed Static and Dynamic Visual Feedback

Abstract Sixty subjects were randomly assigned to 20 initial trials of blind maze tracing under conditions of delayed static or dynamic visual feedback and completed the alternate condition during the second series of 20 trials one week later. The amount of delay (10 sec.) was the same for all trials, and the maze remained the same for all trials. For static visual feedback, subjects were allowed to view their previously completed tracing for 10 sec., whereas for dynamic feedback they saw a replay of their taped action in tracing the maze. Significant learning occurred over the two series of trials for both groups of subjects and within each feedback condition for Group B. There was no significant difference between the two feedback conditions.
Seeing the Unseen: Initiating an MBA Program Committee Change Process.

Purpose – This article describes one way for committee chairs, program administrators, and/or task force leaders to effectively galvanize an educational program change process. In particular, it introduces and describes the successful use of an assumptions audit (AA) to expose, challenge, reinforce, and/or discard a variety of educational program design and delivery assumptions under‐girding one top‐ranked, MBA program's required first year.Design/methodology/approach – From a case study perspective, this paper chronicles the actual process pursued by a faculty committee chair, to successfully and effectively initiate an educational program review and change process. The paper also roots the AA in the literature on creativity, teams, educational administration, and organizational development.Findings – As a result of the insights provided by the AA, a successful educational change process was launched with high collegiality amongst the change team and with high clarity regarding avenues of change to pursu...
Knowledge discovery using neural networks

A novel knowledge discovery technique using neural networks is presented. A neural network is trained to learn the correlations and relationships that exist in a dataset. The neural network is then pruned and modified to generalize the correlations and relationships. Finally, the neural network is used as a tool to discover all existing hidden trends in four different types of crimes in US cities as well as to predict trends based on existing knowledge inherent in the network.
Methods of Increasing the Storage Capacity of High-gain Image Intensifier Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the methods of increasing the storage capacity of high-gain image-intensifier systems. The specific storage capacity of an image-intensifier system is correspondingly smaller than that of an electronographic camera. The significant gains in storage capacity in two-dimensional images have resulted from the use of a low-contrast developer for the final photographic record. An estimate was made of the signal-to-noise ratio near the double emission feature on the right-hand side; it was found that the signal-to-noise ratio for the 20 unit exposure was 4.4 times greater than that for the one unit exposure, as expected from the exposure increase and indicating that there is little loss in efficiency due to over-exposure. Further study was made to determine the effects that cause the apparent suppression of noise in dense regions. In order to simulate the photometric effects of exposure level on small-scale high-lights the test pattern was devised. Strong adjacency effects were observed for plates indicating the possibility of some kind of developer-depletion effect despite the long development time and continual agitation.
Resilience as Regulation of Developmental and Family Processes

Resilience can be defined as establishing equilibrium subsequent to disturbances to a system caused by significant adversity. When families experience adversity or transitions, multiple regulatory processes may be involved in establishing equilibrium, including adaptability, regulation of negative affect, and effective problem-solving skills. The authors' resilience-as-regulation perspective integrates insights about the regulation of individual development with processes that regulate family systems. This middle-range theory of family resilience focuses on regulatory processes across levels that are involved in adaptation: whole-family systems such as routines and sense of coherence; coregulation of dyads involving emotion regulation, structuring, and reciprocal influences between social partners; and individual self-regulation. Insights about resilience-as-regulation are then applied to family-strengthening interventions that are designed to promote adaptation to adversity. Unresolved issues are discussed in relation to resilience-as-regulation in families, in particular how risk exposure is assessed, interrelations among family regulatory mechanisms, and how families scaffold the development of children's resilience.
Characterization ofin vivo acid secretory responses of rabbit with comparison to dog and rat

Even though rabbit gastric glands are a commonly used model for the study of gastric physiology, little is known about the secretion of gastric acid in the rabbit in vivo.Gastric acid secretion in response to pentagastrin, histamine, and bethanechol stimulation, and the effect of specific cholinergic and histamine H2-receptor blockers was studied in 62 urethane-anesthetized rabbits. Additionally, the responses of eight conscious rabbits prepared with chronic gastric fistula were compared with similarly prepared conscious dogs (n=10) and conscious rats (n=18). In anesthetized rabbits, maximal pentagastrin stimulation resulted in acid outputs only 22% that of maximal histamine stimulation, but this was enhanced by restoring cholinergic tone with a subthreshold infusion of bethanechol. In conscious rabbits, pentagastrin was an effective stimulant, resulting in maximal acid output 70% that of maximal histamine stimulation. This is in contrast to the in vitrofindings reported reported by others utilizing isolated gastric glands and cells. Histamine was a potent stimulant of acid secretion in both the anesthetized and conscious rabbit, an observation that parallels the in vitrofindings. Unlike the dog and rat, atropine was ineffective as an inhibitor of histamine-stimulated acid secretion in the conscious rabbit, although it was marginally effective against histamine in anesthetized rabbits and against pentagastrin in conscious rabbits. It is concluded that cholinergic tone plays a crucial role in pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion in the rabbit. This may be an explanation for the poor response to pentagastrin described in isolated rabbit gastric gland preparations.
Territoriality by hilltopping males of the great purple hairstreak, Atlides halesus (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae): convergent evolution with a pompilid wasp

Males of the lycaenid butterfly Atlides halesus regularly perched in certain portions of particular palo verdes growing on ridgetops in southern Arizona. From their perches, they launched defensive flights that repelled conspecific males from their territories.
Automated docking of monosaccharide substrates and analogues and methyl α-Acarviosinide in the glucoamylase active site

Glucoamylase is an important industrial glucohydrolase with a large specificity range. To investigate its interaction with the monosaccharides D-glucose, D-mannose, and D-galactose and with the substrate analogues 1-deoxynojirimycin, D-glucono-1,5-lactone, and methyl alpha-acarviosinide, MM3(92)-optimized structures were docked into its active site using AutoDock 2.1. The results were compared to structures of glucoamylase complexes obtained by protein crystallography. Charged forms of some substrate analogues were also docked to assess the degree of protonation possessed by glucoamylase inhibitors. Many forms of methyl alpha-acarviosinide were conformationally mapped by using MM3(92), characterizing the conformational pH dependence found for the acarbose family of glucosidase inhibitors. Their significant conformers, representing the most common states of the inhibitor, were used as initial structures for docking. This constitutes a new approach for the exploration of binding modes of carbohydrate chains. Docking results differ slightly from x-ray crystallographic data, the difference being of the order of the crystallographic error. The estimated energetic interactions, even though agreeing in some cases with experimental binding kinetics, are only qualitative due to the large approximations made by AutoDock force field.
Risk factors for rupture of chronic type B dissections

Abstract Objective: This study was an attempt to determine risk factors for rupture and to improve management of patients with type B aortic dissection who survive the acute phase without operation. Methods: We studied 50 patients by means of serial computer-generated 3-dimensional computed tomographic scans. All patients who did not undergo operative treatment before the completion of at least 2 computed tomographic scans a minimum of 3 months apart after an acute type B dissection were included in the study. The median duration of follow-up was 40 months (range 0.9-112 months). Only 1 patient died of causes unrelated to the aneurysm during follow-up. Nine patients had fatal rupture (18%); 10 patients underwent elective aneurysm resection because of rapid expansion or development of symptoms, and 31 patients remained alive without operation or rupture. Possible risk factors for rupture in patients in the rupture, operative, and event-free groups were compared, as were dimensional data from first follow-up and last computed tomographic scans. Results: Older age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and elevated mean blood pressures were unequivocally associated with rupture (rupture versus event-free survival, P Conclusions: In an environment in which patients with large and rapidly expanding aneurysms are usually referred for surgical treatment, older patients with chronic type B dissections, especially if they have uncontrolled hypertension and a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are significantly more likely to have rupture than are younger, normotensive patients without lung disease. Neither the presence of a persistently patent false lumen nor a large abdominal aortic diameter appears to increase the risk of rupture. Overall, our nondimensional data strikingly resemble the natural history of patients with nondissecting aneurysms, suggesting that calculations derived from data on chronic descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysms would provide an overly conservative individual estimate of rupture risk for patients with chronic type B dissection, who tend toward earlier rupture of smaller aneurysms. A more aggressive surgical approach toward treatment of patients with chronic type B dissection seems warranted. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:776-86)
Acute oral toxicity of 4-dimethylaminophenol to the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidney of the rat.

Single oral doses up to 25 mg/kg body weight of the methaemoglobin-inducing cyanide antidote, 4-dimethylaminophenol (DMAP) did not result in any gross or histological abnormality in the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys of rats killed up to 24 h after the dose. In animals kept for 7 days after the dose to abnormality was observed in the organs examined or in blood samples taken during the course of the experiment.
SU-FF-T-186: Dosimetric Effect of Patient Rotational Setup Errors On Prostate IMRT Plans

Purpose: To determine dose delivery errors that could result from systematic and random rotational setup errors for prostate patients treated with IMRT. Methods and Materials: Five prostate cancer patients treated with IMRT technique had their dose distributions re‐evaluated to assess the impact of systematic and random rotational setup errors. The IMRTtreatments were delivered in three phases: 54 Gy to 95% of PTV1 (prostate and seminal vesicle plus a 10mm margin), 16.2 Gy to 95% of PTV2 (prostate plus a 5mm margin), and 5.4Gy to 95% of PTV3 (which was PTV2 excluding rectum). Rotational setup error can be equivalently simulated with matrix transformed equations by using the gantry, collimator and couch angles of treatment beams. Systematic rotational setup error ΔΦ was simulated around each of the three Cartesian axes (denoted as ΔΦLR, ΔΦAP, ΔΦSI) respectively. The dosimetric effect of random rotational setup error (Δσ) was also simulated with normal probability distribution. Various dosimetric parameters for the targets and surrounding normal organs were evaluated with respect to the IMRT plan used for treatment.Results: The cumulative dosimetric deviations of target (prostate) were within 1% when ΔΦ and Δσ were up to ±5° and 3° respectively. For OARs, when ΔΦLR=ΔΦAP=ΔΦSI=5° was simulated, the V40Gy and V70Gy of rectum deviated by 5.8±3.6% and 6.1±11.8% respectively, the V40Gy and V65Gy of bladder deviated by −1.0±2.9% and −1.9±4.4%. When ΔσLR=ΔσAP=ΔσSI=3° was simulated, the V40Gy and V70Gy of rectum deviated by −0.4±0.4% and −2.9±3.2%, the V40Gy and V65Gy of bladder deviated by 1.6±1.5% and 0.6±1.5%. Conclusions: For three phases sequential boost prostate IMRT technique, the rotational setup errors do not have a significant dosimetric impact on the cumulative target coverage when ΔΦ and Δσ were up to ±5° and 3° respectively. However, reduction of rotational setup errors can decrease doses to surrounding normal structures.
Dielectric relaxation of 3-bromopentane in mixtures with 3-methylpentane

Abstract Dielectric measurements of mixtures of 75, 50 and 25 mol% 3-bromopentane (3BP) in 3-methylpentane are presented in the temperature range 85–112 K. The data obtained from ac and transient measurements are in the frequency range from 100 kHz to below 1 μHz (transient data are transformed to the frequency domain). Previous dielectric studies and a recent measurement on pure 3BP fit the Cole-Davidson (CD) skewed arc within the limits of the experiment. However, measurements reported here on the mixtures yield a better fit to the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) function than to the CD skewed arc. A log plot of best-fit KWW relaxation times (KWWτ) against reciprocal temperature appears to be linear for the temperature range of the measurements (all mole fractions) unlike the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher behavior of pure 3BP. Due to the limited temperature range, only a comparison of isothermal relaxation times between adjacent concentrations can be made directly: at 111 K, the KWWτ for pure 3BP is 2.5 s and that for 75% 3BP is 0.0018 s; at 100 K, the KWWτ for 75% 3BP is 104 s and that for 50% is 0.0687 s; at 90.9 K, the KWWτ for 50% 3BP is 402 s and that for 25% is 0.444 s.
Computer Studies Of The Isleworth And Louvre Mona Lisas

One of the most pervasive problems in the scholarship of classical paintings is that of authenticity. Traditionally, the attribution of a work of art rests on the subjective opinion of an art historian bolstered by scientific data pertaining to the types and possibly the ages of the materials of the artwork. To expand the range of technical information that may be applied to the painting authentication problem, the methods of computer image processing (IP) have been employed to compare the techniques in two paintings. One is the Mona Lisa del Gioconda by Leonardo da Vinci. The other is known as the Isleworth Mona Lisa and has also been attributed to Leonardo by a few scholars. Computer IP was used to compare statistical and geometrical features of the two paintings. It emerged that the Isleworth work is not a copy of the Louvre painting but does have numerous similarities in composition and execution. These findings lend support to the theory that the Louvre Mona Lisa may be a portrait of Costanza by Leonardo that had been thought lost.
Experimental status of high energy neutrino astronomy

Abstract Current status of high energy astronomy is reviewed from an experimental point of view. Present data from the Baksan, Kamiokande, and IMB detectors constrain neutrino flux enhancement factors (λ) to be less than about 400, based on extrapolations from reported ultrahigh energy (UHE) “D.C.” gamma ray observations.
A Canonical Piecewise-Linear Representation Theorem: Geometrical Structures Determine Representation Capability

This brief proposes a general piecewise-linear (GPWL) representation theorem based on geometrical structure analysis of continuous PWL functions. A constructive algorithm is developed to represent a continuous PWL function with the weighted sum of GPWL basis functions. The GPWL basis functions are defined over a domain partition with pairwise directly adjacent regions. The GPWL representation theorem unifies many known PWL models into a common theoretical framework. The GPWL representation is promising to find applications in nonlinear circuit synthesis, dynamic system identification, and control.
Relationship of drinking to head and neck cancer.

Abstract A case-control study of 185 male patients with head- and neck-cancer sites and 182 control males with cancer sites unrelated to either smoking or drinking investigated the possible mechanism of alcoholic carcinogenicity. Head- and neck-cancer sites were grouped into two categories based on their presumed likelihood of direct contact with alcohol in its liquid form. Comparisons were made of drinking and smoking patterns among each group of head- and neck-cancer patients and the controls. Patients in both groups of head and neck sites smoked and drank significantly more than did the controls. Even after adjustment for alcohol use, heavy smokers were at about 8 times greater risk of developing a head and neck site in either group. Overall, heavier drinkers were at only twice the risk after adjustment for tobacco use; but among those with high-likelihood contact sites, the risk was 4.5 times greater. The odds ratio of developing a head- and neck-cancer site was 18 times greater for the patient who was both a heavy drinker and a heavy smoker than it was for the abstainer. There was a suggestion that individuals diagnosed under age 65 who were heavier drinkers and heavier smokers were at greater risk to sites with a high likelihood of direct contact with alcohol. Average age at diagnosis among heavy smokers and heavy drinkers with sites in direct contact with alcohol was 53, or 9 years earlier than for nonheavy drinkers and nonheavy smokers. No significant differences in age at diagnosis by level of smoking and drinking were evident for patients with head- and neck-cancer sites with a low likelihood of direct alcohol contact. Regression analysis indicated that, for patients with high-likelihood sites, greater alcohol consumption as well as younger age at first drinking correlated with earlier age at diagnosis. In general, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that one form of alcoholic carcinogenicity may be by direct contact of alcohol and tobacco with the involved site.
Child and Adolescent Behaviorally Based Disorders: A Critical Review of Reliability and Validity.

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to investigate the historical construction and empirical support of two child and adolescent behaviorally based mental health disorders: oppositional defian...
SINGLE BOOK REVIEWS

On the Order of Chaos: Social Anthropology and the Science of Chaos. Mark S. Mosko and Frederick H. Damon, eds. New York: Berghahn, 2005. 276 pp.
Recasting nonlinear differential equations as S-systems: a canonical nonlinear form

An enormous variety of nonlinear differential equations and functions have been recast exactly in the canonical form called an S-system. This is a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, each with the same structure: the change in a variable is equal to a difference of products of power-law functions. We review the development of S-systems, prove that the minimum for the range of equations that can be recast as S-systems consists of all equations composed of elementary functions and nested elementary functions of elementary functions, give a detailed example of the recasting process, and discuss the theoretical and practical implications. Among the latter is the ability to solve numerically nonlinear ordinary differential equations in their S-system form significantly faster than in their original form through utilization of a specially designed algorithm.
Acid precipitation and food quality: Effects of dietary Al, Ca, and P on bone and liver characteristics in American black ducks and mallards

American black ducks (Anas rubripes) and mallards (A. platyrhynchos) were fed diets varying in concentrations of aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P) for 10 weeks to identify toxic effects of Al under conditions representative of areas with acid precipitation. Femur and liver tissues were analyzed for Al, Ca, and P concentrations and structural characteristics. At two weeks of age, both species demonstrated pronounced differences in femur Al and P concentrations and femur mass from dietary Al and interaction between Ca:P regimen and Al; Low Ca:Low P enhanced Al storage and decreased P and mass in femurs. Femur Ca was lowest in the Low Ca:Low P regimen but was not affected by dietary Al. At 10 weeks, femur and liver Al continued to vary with dietary Al. Elevated Al and reduced Ca lowered modulus of elasticity. Femur P increased with elevated dietary P in black ducks. Elevated dietary P negated some of the effects of dietary Al on femur mass in black ducks. Reduced Ca concentrations weakened bones of both species and lowered both Ca and P. An array of clinical signs including lameness, discoloration of the upper mandible, complete and greenstick fractures, and death were responses to elevated Al and Ca:P regimen. Black ducks seemed to display these signs over a wider range of diets than mallards. Diets of 1,000 mg/kg Al had toxic effects on both species, particularly when combined with diets low in Ca and P.
Free and total biotherapeutic evaluation in chromatographic assays: interference from targets and immunogenicity

Measurement of drug concentrations is critical during drug development, supporting evaluation of safety and efficacy in the context of pharmacokinetics. Protein-based therapeutics have been historically measured by immunoassay methods. Technological advances provide new opportunities to measure these biotherapeutics using previously incompatible chromatographic techniques, such as MS. These advances are breaking down the barriers between 'large-molecule' and 'small-molecule' bioanalysis, and pushing scientists outside their comfort zones. One challenge in measuring biotherapeutic concentration is potential impact from other matrix components, such as therapeutic target or antidrug antibodies. Depending on the specific assay development objective, target interference could be either desired (favoring free measurement) or undesired (favoring total measurement). Orthogonal techniques provide additional tools to meet this challenge. The goal of this review is to introduce both small- and large-molecule bioanalytical scientists to the opportunities and challenges to consider while evaluating orthogonal methods for biotherapeutic bioanalysis.
Effects of Cr, Zr, V, Mn, Fe, and Co to the hydride properties of Laves phase-related body-centered-cubic solid solution alloys

Abstract Chemical composition modifications of a Laves phase-related BCC solid solution base alloy, Ti15.6Zr2.1V44Cr11.2Mn6.9Fe2.7Co1.4Ni15.7Al0.3, were investigated in order to study the function of each constituent element on the structural, gaseous phase and electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of these alloys. In general, removal of Fe and decrease in V-content in exchange for higher Ni-content were found to improve both the electrochemical capacity and high-rate dischargeability, which are related to the decrease in C14-content and increase in TiNi-content. However, total elimination of the C14 phase by removal of Zr resulted in a reduced discharge capacity, a prolonged activation period, and a less catalytic surface for electrochemical reaction. Besides the BCC and C14 phases, the TiNi phase was also found in every alloy in this study, contributing positively to the bulk diffusion of hydrogen while hindering the surface electrochemical reaction.