cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capacity Discovery in customer-driven micro-grids

A completely decentralized system to discover the capacity of a micro-grid in a distribution feeder is presented. It is shown that in a multi-agent system with only neighbor-neighbor communication between agents in a radial feeder, each agent can determine the total generation capacity available at its node. Properties of the algorithm suggest convergence in a finite number of iterations. A Matlab/Simulink implementation is used to illustrate the algorithm for a seven-bus distribution system.
Reaction of aniline and its alkyl derivatives with hexoses and pentoses.

Abstract Aniline and its alkyl derivatives in an acetic acid media react with hexoses and pentoses to form colored products with characteristic absorption spectra. The spectral characteristics of the chromogen produced is not specific for individual hexoses, pentoses, and their dehydration products and tend to vary with a given aniline derivative. A suggested mechanism of action is presented along with absorptivity values for ribose, xylose, glucose, galactose, fructose, and furfural reaction products with aniline, o-, m- and p-toluidines, o-ethylaniline, and N-ethylaniline.
Forming a global monitoring mechanism and a spatiotemporal performance model for geospatial services

Geographic information service GIService has become popular in the last decade to develop applications for addressing global challenges. Performance is one of the most important criteria to help users select distributed online GIService for developing geospatial applications including natural hazards and emergency responses. However, performance accuracy is limited by the single-location-based evaluation mechanism while service performance is dynamic in space and time between end-users and services. We propose a spatiotemporal performance evaluation mechanism to improve the accuracy. Specially, a cloud and volunteer computing mechanism is proposed to collect performance information of globally distributed GIServices. A global spatiotemporal performance model is designed to integrate spatiotemporal dynamics for better performance evaluation for users from different regions at different times. This model is tested to support GIService selection in global spatial data infrastructures SDIs. The experiment confirms that the proposed model provides more accurate evaluations for global users and better supports geospatial resource utilizations in SDIs than previous mechanisms. The methodology can be adopted to improve the services of other regional and global distributed operational systems.
Ixodid Ticks on the Coyote and Gray Fox at Land between the Lakes, Kentucky–Tennessee, and Implications for Tick Dispersal

We examined 20 coyotes and 20 gray foxes for ticks at Land Between the Lakes, Tenn. from April to October 1986. Three coyotes and one gray fox were examined in 1984 and 1985. Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis (Say), and Ixodes cookei infested both mammals. The highest mean intensities were of A. americanum on coyotes, with monthly half-body averages of 103 adults in May, 127 nymphs in June, and 5,075 larvae in September. Numbers of this tick on gray foxes were somewhat fewer than those on coyotes. Although A. americanum attached to all body regions, adults were more numerous on the head and neck, ventral body, and legs and tail, and immatures on the ventral body and legs and tail. D. variabilis and I. cookei were found in fewer numbers than A. americanum on both hosts, and they attached mostly to the ears and head and neck. The coyote's extensive home range suggests that it is important in the dispersal of ticks for which the coyote is a host.
Using Lidar Remote Sensing for Spatially Resolved Measurements of Evaporation and Other Meteorological Parameters

Remote sensors are useful tools for making measurements that are not possible with conventional point instruments. We developed methods to obtain spatially resolved latent energy fluxes from Raman water vapor data and the regional virtual potential heat flux from elastic lidar data. The evaporation method is based on Monin-Obukhov similarity theory applied to spatially and temporally averaged data. Latent heat flux estimates were found to be well correlated (R 2 = 0.84, slope = 0.98) compared with eddy correlation measurements. The standard error of the flux estimates was 36.5 W m -2 (a 14% root mean square [RMS] difference), which is close to the predicted uncertainty of 15%. A vertically staring elastic lidar was used to obtain a continuous record of the boundary layer height and thickness of the entrainment zone between a soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and a corn (Zea mays L.) field. The surface heat flux was calculated using the Batchvarova-Gryning boundary layer model. The virtual potential heat flux estimates were found to be well correlated (R 2 = 0.79, slope = 0.95) compared with eddy correlation measurements. The standard error of the flux estimates was 21.4 Wm -2 (31% RMS difference between estimates and surface measurements), higher than the predicted uncertainty of 16%. Other parameters such as the Monin-Obukhov length, the stability correction functions, and integral scale can be obtained from lidar data.
Essential oil composition of four Lomatium Raf. species and their chemotaxonomy

Abstract The composition of the essential oils of Lomatium dasycarpum ssp. dasycarpum , Lomatium lucidum , Lomatium macrocarpum var. macrocarpum and Lomatium utriculatum is described. Identification of components was determined from their GC, GC/MS data and many were confirmed by coinjections with authentic samples. Several components were isolated by liquid and gas chromatographic techniques and their structures confirmed from their 1 H and 13 C NMR spectral data. 2-Methyl and 3-methylbutanoates were the major components of L. dasycarpum fruits as well as stems and leaves oils. β-Phellandrene/limonene, decanal, dodecanal, bornyl acetate, germacrene D, α-humulene and bicyclogermacrene were the major components of the corresponding L. lucidum oils. α-Pinene and β-pinene were the major components of the fruit oil of L. macrocarpum . Its stem and leaf oil was rich in peucenin 7-methyl ether, β-caryophyllene, ( Z )-3-hexenol, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and ( E )-2-hexenal. Sabinene, ( Z )-ligustilide, terpinen-4-ol, β-phellandrene/limonene, β-caryophyllene, myrcene, α-pinene and β-pinene were the major compounds in L. utriculatum fruit oil, while its stem and leaf oil was rich in ( Z )-ligustilide, palmitic acid, terpinen-4-ol, linoleic acid and germacrene D. ( Z )-Falcarinol was a major component of all the four root oils.
Rank Swapping for Partial Orders and Continuous Variables

Rank swapping, which was first defined for ordinal attributes, is currently applied also to numerical values. In this paper we propose a general definition for continuous domains and another definition for partially ordered sets.
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN: EVIDENCE FROM LIMA, PERU

The issue of whether emigration has consequences for the education of children who remain behind in the country of origin occupies an increasingly prominent place in the agendas of both scholars and policy makers. The conventional wisdom is that the emigration of family members may benefit children by relaxing budget constraints through remittances that can be used to cover educational expenses. However, the empirical evidence on the overall effect of migration is inconclusive. This is due in part to a substantive emphasis on remittances in the literature, as well as the inability of some studies to deal satisfactorily with the endogeneity of household migration decisions in comparing outcomes across migrant and non-migrant households. Using Peruvian data from the Latin American Migration Project (LAMP), we apply an innovative instrumental variable technique to evaluate the overall effect of migration on educational attainment and schooling disruption among the children of immigrants. In contrast to conventional wisdom, our results suggest that a higher household risk of immigration has deleterious consequences for the education of children who remain behind.
Correlation of paradoxical atrial septal motion and an interatrial pressure gradient in severe tricuspid regurgitation.

Abstract The anatomic and hemodynamic sequelae of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) have been evaluated by M-mode and 2-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography. 1 Tei et al 2 observed abnormal (paradoxical) motion of the atrial septum toward the left atrium during systole on 2-D and M-mode echocardiograms. 2 These investigators postulated that the paradoxical motion of the atrial septum was a result of the TR-induced volume overload of the right atrium and an abnormal right atrial-left atrial (RA-LA) pressure gradient. However, Lin et al, 3 in a study of atrial septal motion in LA and RA volume overload states, contended that normal and abnormal atrial septal motion can be explained wholly by LA volume change. The patient described herein, who had severe TR and paradoxical motion of the atrial septum, documents an RA-LA pressure gradient and compares this gradient with RA-LA area changes (reflecting volume changes) during the cardiac cycle.
Controlling cell adhesion on polyurethanes

Cell attractive or non-attractive surface properties of polyurethane devices can be controlled by treating them with zirconium tetra(tert-butoxide). This gives reactive interfacial zirconium complex species that can be used subsequently to bond cell attractive peptides such as arg-gly-asp (RGD) or cell non-attractive organics such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the device surface. Control of the surface properties of the polyurethane occurs on the nanoscale, and does not compromise the physical properties of the polymer. Interfacial Zr complex formation occurs at N–H sites of the polyurethane; therefore surface loadings of the Zr complex depend on the spatial separation of these N–H groups in the polymer backbone. A complex loading of 110 ± 15 pmol cm–2 is achieved on poly(hexamethylenehexylene)urethane, and 40 ± 10 pmol cm–2 is bound on the medically relevant polyurethane, tecoflex®. About 25% and 10% of these polymer surfaces, respectively, can be covered by RGDvia the zirconium complex interface; because of its greater size, about 100% of both polymer surfaces is covered by PEG. The response of 3T3 fibroblasts to surface-treated and untreated tecoflex® is described.
The response of benthic macrofauna to anthropogenic stress in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island: A review of human stressors and assessment of community conditions

The present state of knowledge regarding the input of anthropogenic pollutants into Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island was reviewed and benthic infaunal communities present at four depositional environments within the upper Bay were characterized. Inter-station differences in species composition and abundance of these assemblages were examined in relation to established pollution gradients. Using diversity curves and multivariate statistics, evidence of significant anthropogenic impact on the structure of benthic macrofaunal communities in Narragansett Bay was identified. The magnitude of this impact was greatest at stations closest to the Bay's urban centers, where exposure to multiple stressors had resulted in communities of opportunistic taxa which persisted in a state of low faunal diversity characteristic of early stages of species succession. As was expected based on historic models of faunal succession; the apparent maturity of benthic assemblages in Narragansett Bay increased along the north-south gradient of decreasing anthropogenic stress.
Multiuser detection for square-law receiver under Gaussian channel noise with applications to fiber-optic communications

In fiber-optic wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) communications systems, the nonlinearity of the channel and the limitations of optical filters result in received channel signals that are correlated. Furthermore, the square-law nature of the detector converts the additive fiber amplifier noise to a data-dependent asymmetric and non-Gaussian noise. The optimal multiuser detector for a Gaussian approximation is compared to the actual statistics and found to give a close performance estimate. Through bounds on the error probability and the asymptotic multiuser efficiency, the optimal multiuser detector based on a Gaussian approximation is found to improve significantly performance in highly correlated data cases. This result is applied to a practical optical WDM system.
Interaction of secobarbital with warfarin pseudoracemates

To evaluate the interaction of secobarbital with racemic warfarin or R,S(+/-)-warfarin, S(-)-warfarin was synthesized with 13C-label in the 2-position of the coumarin nucleus and added to 12C-R(+)-warfarin to form a 12C-/13C-warfarin pseudoracemate. Six normal subjects received 1.5 mg/kg of this "cold-labeled" pseudoracemate. It was given with and without a daily oral dose of secobarbital, 100 mg, beginning 7 days before the warfarin and continuing throughout the hypoprothrombinemia. Plasma samples were obtained daily and analyzed for warfarin and for one-stage prothrombin activity. Unchanged warfarin in plasma was fractionated by forward-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography, and enantiomorphic ratios were determined by chemical ionization-mass spectrometry with pentadeuterio-warfarin as the internal standard. There was a reduction of the hypoprothrombinemia of the pseuoracemate during the secobarbital regimen over that on warfarin alone (p < 0.001). There was an increase in plasma clearance of R-warfarin (p < 0.05) and an increase in plasma clearance of S-warfarin (p < 0.003) during the secobarbital regimen over that on warfarin alone. It was concluded that secobarbital diminished the hypoprothrombinemia of pseudoracemic warfarin by increasing plasma clearance of the more hypoprothrombinemic S-warfarin and by increasing plasma clearance of the less hypoprothombinemic R-warfarin.
Student-Faculty Interaction in Research Universities: Differences by Student Gender, Race, Social Class, and First-Generation Status

This study examined whether the effects of student–faculty interaction on a range of student outcomes—i.e., college GPA, degree aspiration, integration, critical thinking and communication, cultural appreciation and social awareness, and satisfaction with college experience—vary by student gender, race, social class, and first-generation status. The study utilized data on 58,281 students who participated in the 2006 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES). The findings reveal differences in the frequency of student–faculty interaction across student gender, race, social class and first-generation status, and differences in the effects of student–faculty interaction (i.e., conditional effects) that depended on each of these factors except first-generation status. The findings provide implications for educational practice on how to maximize the educational efficacy of student–faculty interaction by minimizing the gender, race, social class, and first-generation differences associated with it.
Patients comment on video-recorded consultations--the "good" GP and the "bad".

Patients comment on video-recorded consultations — the “good” GP and the “bad”. Arborelius, E., Timpka, T. and Nyce, J. M. (Department of Social Medicine, Linkoping University and Department of Anthoropology, Brown University, USA).The aim of this study was to describe and understand patients' positive and negative experiences of General Practitioners (GPs). Forty-six consultations were videotaped in four primary health care centres in Sweden. Afterwards the patients commented on the recorded consultations. The comments were categorized and analyzed using an exploratory qualitative approach. An image of the “good” GP emerged that had two major characteristics: that of being a caring human; an individual who listens, understands, and is concerned. At the same time, the good GP acts like an ordinary person and treats the patient as an equal. The personal relationship with the GP also influenced the choice and course of medical interventions. For the patient, the manner in which an intervention is seen is li...
Datapoints: detecting depression in VA primary care clinics.

The treatment of depression largely falls to providers in primary care settings, which have been identified as the de facto mental health delivery system (1). Systemwide programs to improve depression care have been initiated in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and in other health care organizations (2,3). One such VA initiative is screening for depression as part of the Prevention Index, which was mandated in 1998 as an annual screening tool for all primary care patients. Our study investigated diagnosis patterns of depressive disorders in VA primary care clinics over a five-year period. Specifically, we wanted to determine whether primary care service use data indicated that implementing and monitoring the mandated depression screening affected depression diagnosis rates. Data on all primary care visits were gathered from the VA’s national outpatient service use database for fiscal years 1997 to 2001. In the database, all primary care visits carry a primary diagnosis that indicates the main reason for and the presenting problem at the visit as well as up to ten secondary diagnoses. Overall, the frequency with which depression was diagnosed, as well as the percentage of the primary care population who received a diagnosis of depression, increased across the study years. As can be seen in Figure 1, the rates of primary diagnosis of depression remained unchanged in our study. Despite the overall increase in the diagnosis of depression in the primary care setting, it is important to note that among veterans with a primary care diagnosis of depression, the average number of primary care visits for which a primary diagnosis of depression was noted did not vary across the study period (1.4 or 1.3 visits) and falls well below guideline recommendations for the treatment of depression in this population (4). ♦ Acknowledgments
Fuzzy Partial-Order Relations for Intervals and Interval Weighted Graphs

Weighted graphs have been broadly employed in various kinds of applications. Weights associated with edges in a graph are constants mostly in the literature. However, in real world applications, these weights may vary within ranges rather than fixed values. To model such kind of uncertainty or variability, we propose interval-valued weighted graphs in this study. In solving practical graph applications such as finding shortest paths and minimum spanning trees for interval weighted graphs, it is necessary to be able to compare interval valued weights. However, two general intervals can not be ordered reasonably in binary logic. In this paper, we establish fuzzy partial-order relations for intervals. These relations are continuous, except only at a single point in a special case. After studying the properties of the fuzzy partial order relations, we applied the interval partial order to extend well-known shortest path and minimum spanning tree algorithms for interval weighted graphs.
Cytotoxic sugar analogues of an optimized novobiocin scaffold

Studies on the natural product, novobiocin, have elucidated specific modifications that increase Hsp90 inhibition. Through diversification of the sugar appendage, coumarin core and benzamide side chain of novobiocin, structurally unique scaffolds have been synthesized. These structural adaptations have produced potent cytotoxic agents, such as KU135, which are prepared more simply than those that contain the noviose sugar. These analogues have been evaluated against two cancer cell lines and demonstrated low micromolar anti-proliferative activity.
Naïve T-Cell Dynamics in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection: Effects of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Provide Insights into the Mechanisms of Naïve T-Cell Depletion

Both naive CD4+ and naive CD8+ T cells are depleted in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection by unknown mechanisms. Analysis of their dynamics prior to and after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) could reveal possible mechanisms of depletion. Twenty patients were evaluated with immunophenotyping, intracellular Ki67 staining, T-cell receptor excision circle (TREC) quantitation in sorted CD4 and CD8 cells, and thymic computed tomography scans prior to and approximately 6 and approximately 18 months after initiation of HAART. Naive T-cell proliferation decreased significantly during the first 6 months of therapy (P < 0.01) followed by a slower decline. Thymic indices did not change significantly over time. At baseline, naive CD4+ T-cell numbers were lower than naive CD8+ T-cell numbers; after HAART, a greater increase in naive CD4+ T cells than naive CD8+ T cells was observed. A greater relative change (n-fold) in the number of TREC+ T cells/mul than in naive T-cell counts was observed at 6 months for both CD4+ (median relative change [n-fold] of 2.2 and 1.7, respectively; P < 0.01) and CD8+ T cell pools (1.4 and 1.2; P < 0.01). A more pronounced decrease in the proliferation than the disappearance rate of naive T cells after HAART was observed in a second group of six HIV-1-infected patients studied by in vivo pulse labeling with bromodeoxyuridine. These observations are consistent with a mathematical model where the HIV-1-induced increase in proliferation of naive T cells is mostly explained by a faster recruitment into memory cells.
Cerebral air embolism recognized by cerebral oximetry.

Absolute cerebral oximetry is useful in clinical settings to identify “catastrophic events” that may occur during the course of surgeries that would otherwise have gone unrecognized. This study reports a case in which cerebral desaturation occurred after commencing cardiopulmonary bypass. Consequently, the source of air entrainment was discovered and therapeutic measures implemented.
Pharmacogenetic Considerations in Diseases of Cardiac Ion Channels

Phenotypic variation within a species arises from differences in genetic makeup between individuals. This inherent diversity empowers the species as a whole to explore and expand into new environmental niches and also to survive new stressors within an ever-changing environment. Paradoxically, one class of stressors currently challenging the human population is therapeutic drugs: medications designed to combat disease are often associated with a host of nonspecific side effects. Following earlier studies of the involvement of some cardiac ion currents in unwanted drug interactions, recent reports have identified not only the ion channel subunits involved but also a range of mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms in ion channel genes that predispose to both drug-induced and familial cardiac arrhythmia. The tendency for individuals harboring specific, often common, gene variants to succumb to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia, and the contribution of other factors such as drug interaction to disease etiology in these cases, are discussed here together with potential pharmacogenetic strategies for arrhythmia circumvention and therapy.
Testing neural models of the development of infant visual attention.

Several models of the development of infant visual attention have used information about neural development. Most of these models have been based on nonhuman animal studies and have relied on indirect measures of neural development in human infants. This article discusses methods for studying a "neurodevelopmental" model of infant visual attention using indirect and direct measures of cortical activity. We concentrate on the effect of attention on eye movement control and show how animal-based models, indirect measurement in human infants, and direct measurement of brain activity inform this model.
Vertical Beam Size Due to Orbit and Alignment Errors

The value of luminosity, synchrotron light source brightness, quantum lifetime, etc., for an electron storage ring is directly dependent upon the natural beam size and shape in the transverse phase space. These transverse beam parameters can be determined from the stationary particle distribution, psi, which depends upon (a) quantum excitations determined by the horizontal and vertical energy dispersion functions eta/sub x,y/ and eta'/sub x,y/ in the machine, (b) radiation damping provided by the rf acceleration, and (c) coupling between the transverse betatron motions caused by the skew quadrupole and solenoid magentic fields. A straightforward method to find psi is by solving the Fokker-Planck equation, which conveniently takes into account these factors. In this approach the quantum diffusion effects are described by three quantities, H/sub xx/, H/sub xy/, and H/sub yy/, which are integrals of the ..beta..- and eta-functions and their derivatives evaluated over the bending magnets in the machine; the radiation damping effects are characterized by the radiation damping constants ..cap alpha../sub x,y/ provided by an rf system. The coupling effects are represented by a coupling coefficient, Q, assuming smooth coupling between the betatron motions. Under these assumptions, psi can be found analytically and the expressions for transverse beam parametersmore » in terms of Q, H/sub xx/, H/sub x,y/, H/sub yy/, ..cap alpha../sub x/, and ..cap alpha../sub y/ can be obtained. From these expressions, invariant conditions between some of the beam parameters can easily be shown. These results have been used to estimate the effects in PEP and SPEAR due to magnet alignment and vertical closed-orbit errors.« less
Design of implantable microstrip antenna for communication with medical implants

The objective of this paper is to design a microstrip patch antenna for communication with medical implants in the 402-405-MHz Medical Implant Communications Services band. Microstrip antenna design parameters are evaluated using the finite-difference time-domain method, and are compared to measured results. The effects of shape, length, size, location of feed point and ground point, substrate and superstrate materials, and their thicknesses are evaluated. An extensive study of the performance of the antennas to changes in these parameters was undertaken. The results of this paper provide guidance in the design of implantable microstrip antennas.
The Plasmon–Plasmon Coupling in a System of a Dielectric Slab Doped with Silver Nano-spheres Sandwiched Between Two Silver Parallel Plates

I compute the transmission coefficient as function of the incident light frequency for a system consisting of a dielectric slab doped with silver nano-spheres sandwiched between two silver parallel plates. Then, I analyze the details of the transmission spectrum identifying the coupled plasmons from the two (doped dielectric and plates) subsystems which dominate the system’s dynamics.
Modeling of Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite-Enabled Hydrogen Gas Production

Hydrogen extraction using water electrolysis, and microbial biomass conversion are clean and minimum-emission option for renewable energy storage applications. Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) is a category of electro-active polymers that exhibits the property of ion migration under the application of external voltage. This property of IPMC is useful in electrolysis of water (H2O) and produce hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases. This paper discusses the electrochemical fundamentals of electrolysis, which provides a linear relationship between the flow rate of hydrogen from electrolysis and the source current. An IPMC electrolyzer circuit model is developed to capture the electrical characteristic of IPMC. The model incorporates nonlinear capacitance, pseudo-capacitance, and a nonlinear resistance defined with a polynomial function. A state-space equation is then obtained to simulate the proposed circuit model for electrolysis. Experimental result shows that the flow-rate of hydrogen production is proportional to the system current and the proposed model validates the step-response of the system. The model prediction error is less than 4.5647%.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Formulas for the Error in Simpson's Rule

(1926). Formulas for the Error in Simpson's Rule. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 76-83.
Reverse shoulder arthroplasty for proximal humeral fractures: outcomes comparing primary reverse arthroplasty for fracture versus reverse arthroplasty after failed osteosynthesis.

Background Surgical treatment of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly pose challenges in decision making. Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has been established as a reliable option for salvage of failed hemiarthroplasty, although few studies have analyzed RTSA after failed open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF). This study evaluated the outcomes of patients with failed osteosynthesis who undergo salvage RTSA compared with patients undergoing primary RTSA for proximal humeral fractures. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients who underwent primary RTSA for acute proximal humeral fractures and 26 patients who underwent arthroplasty after failed ORIF at our institution between 2003 and 2013. Minimum follow-up was 2 years, with a mean follow-up 3 years (range, 2.0-6.0 years). Results There are no statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes between the two cohorts in the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores and in the most recent forward flexion or external rotation. The salvage RTSA cohort experienced a higher complication rate (8%), including dislocation and aseptic loosening. The primary RTSA cohort had a 5% complication rate, with 1 late prosthetic joint infection requiring reoperation. Conclusion Although RTSA after failed ORIF has a higher rate of complications compared with acute RTSA, the revision and reoperation rate as well as clinical outcomes and shoulder function remained comparable. When a surgeon approaches these complex fractures in patients with poor underlying bone stock, this study supports acute arthroplasty or ORIF with the knowledge that salvage RTSA still has the potential to achieve good outcomes if osteosynthesis fails.
Growth factors alter neonatal type II alveolar epithelial cell proliferation.

The type II alveolar epithelial cell plays a critical role in the repair of lung injury by repopulating the entire damaged alveolar epithelium. We report our studies of the effects of known growth ...
James Gregory's Calculus in the Geometric Pars Universalis

(2007). James Gregory's Calculus in the Geometric Pars Universalis. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 114, No. 7, pp. 565-576.
Immediate Extinction Attenuates Spontaneous Recovery and Reinstatement in a Passive Avoidance Paradigm

Recent research suggests that extinction occurring shortly after fear conditioning attenuates spontaneous recovery and reinstatement of fear. Two experiments investigated whether immediate extincti...
Life as We Don’t Yet Know It: An Anthropologist’s First Contact with the Science of ‘Weird Life’

This chapter argues that anthropology is uniquely positioned to address the intellectual challenges posed by the trope of outer space, by presenting counterfactuals to the worlds of alien/UFO believers we think we understand, from the native point of view. Ethnography, and the historical inquiries of anthropology as a discipline, acquire a new descriptive and also a diplomatic function in these terms – giving expression to realms of intimate foreignness, complexly inter-related by the practical ontologies of contact in a fluid modernity. Further, the discipline’s ritualized ‘welcoming apparatuses’ are exemplary sites for increased sensitization to multiple kinds of actors, such that models of disciplinary coherence can unapologetically give way to the creative possibilities of diverse modes of knowledge exchange.
Decreased Na,K-ATPase Activity in Erythrocyte Membranes and Intact Erythrocytes from Obese Man

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses decreased Na, K–ATPase activity in erythrocyte membranes and intact erythrocytes from obese man. Obesity in rodents is associated with increased metabolic efficiency based at least in part on reduced sodium pump activity. Several recent studies in man also suggest altered metabolic rates associated with human obesity. Experimental studies were undertaken to evaluate the relationship between Na, K–ATPase and obesity in the Pima Indians, a demographically well-characterized and relatively homogeneous population with an extraordinarily high pre­valence of obesity. The results demonstrate an inverse relationship between sodium pump activity and the magnitude of obesity in intact red cells as well as in isolated erythrocyte membranes. The role of this decreased erythrocyte Na, K–ATPase in the pathogenesis of human obesity is still obscure. A plausible but unproved hypothesis suggests that increased metabolic efficiency that results from a reduced expenditure of energy by the sodium pump could result in an accumulation of unused calories in the form of fat.
Stochastic predictive control with adaptive model maintenance

The closed-loop performance of model-based controllers often degrades over time due to increased model uncertainty. Some form of model maintenance must be performed to regularly adapt the system model using closed-loop data. This paper addresses the problem of control-oriented model adaptation in the context of predictive control of stochastic linear systems. A stochastic predictive control approach is presented that integrates stochastic optimal control with control-oriented input design in order to confer some degree of probing effect to the control inputs. The probing effect will enable generating informative closed-loop data for (online) control-oriented model maintenance. In a simulation study, the performance of the proposed stochastic predictive control approach with integrated input design is demonstrated on a atmospheric-pressure plasma jet with potential biomedical applications.
Mode excitation hysteresis of a flexible cylinder undergoing vortex-induced vibrations

Abstract A series of experiments was performed to investigate the modal excitation of a tensioned flexible cylinder in a uniform flow due to flow-induced vibrations. Experiments were conducted in a recirculating flow channel using a flexible cylinder with relatively low aspect ratio such that low structural mode numbers were excited. The spanwise motion of the cylinder was measured using standard motion tracking techniques with high-speed cameras. Hysteresis is observed in the response of the cylinder dependent on whether the flow speed is increased or decreased from the previous experiment. This observation differs from predictions in the literature regarding hysteresis and is attributed to hysteresis in the transition between excited structural modes coupled with the cylinder wake. It is also found that the flexible cylinder is unable to sustain excitation of asymmetric modes in the in-line direction unless the fluid-structure interaction excites a 1:1 frequency response between the in-line (IL) and cross-flow (CF) directions, resulting in a pedaling mode response. The inability to excite asymmetric modes is consistent with the response of linear systems undergoing a symmetric drag load and is consistent with the cylinder undergoing a preferred figure eight shape motion when excited. Distributed fluid forces are derived from the structural characteristics and body motions illustrating the transition of the distribution of added mass and excitation forces on the body.
Implementing a Weight Training Program for Beginners

Weight training activities provide positive benefits to the fitness programs of men and women of all ages. The provision of educational materials and training sessions is not only an excellent serv...
A Qualitative Study of Aesthetic Reflection as Embodied Interpretation

In his book, The Meaning of the Body: The Aesthetics of Human Understanding, Mark Johnson (The meaning of the body: aesthetics of human understanding. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2007) built his case for the importance of aesthetics in a conception of cognition as inherently embodied upon the writings in psychology and philosophy of William James and John Dewey. He devoted significant portions of the early sections of the book to each of these authors, who, with phenomenologist Merleau-Ponty, he has considered critical to the developments in neuroscience that have debunked the Cartesian mind/body dualism. Writing elsewhere, Johnson (Daedalus 135(3):46–54, 2006) asserted, “I regard American pragmatist philosophy, which came to prominence early in the twentieth century, as the most scientifically and philosophically sophisticated naturalistic, non-dualistic approach to mind available to us even today” (p. 48). In this chapter I will focus on Dewey’s influence on Johnson’s theory of embodied mind as a theoretical framework for a qualitative research study on aesthetic reflection as embodied interpretation.
Temporal effect of manipulating NeuroD1 expression with the synthetic small molecule KHS101 on morphine contextual memory.

Abstract The treatment of opioid addiction is challenging because addicts are highly prone to relapse when the memory of the former drug experience is triggered by emotional or environmental cues. An emerging and promising concept in addiction biology is that by manipulating adult hippocampal neurogenesis, a phenomenon involved in learning and memory, drug reward–like behaviors and relapse can be attenuated. We tested a new synthetic compound, KHS101, in an animal model of drug-associated contextual memory. KHS101 has been reported to increase the expression of neurogenic differentiation 1 (NeuroD1), a transcription factor involved in adult neurogenesis, and to specifically induce neuronal differentiation both in vitro and in vivo . Our results indicated that the subcutaneous injection of 3 mg/kg KHS101 for 7 days before conditioned place preference (CPP) training prolonged CPP extinction, while the same treatment after training accelerated extinction. This effect paralleled that observed following temporally controlled, tetracycline-induced NeuroD1 overexpression. Furthermore, the effect of KHS101 may occur via its induction of NeuroD1 expression as demonstrated by the abolition of the KHS101-mediated modulation of morphine-induced CPP extinction after the stereotaxic injection of lentiviral NeuroD1 small interfering RNA into the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. These results suggest that the KHS101-mediated modulation of neurogenesis at a critical stage of the conditioning or the extinction of an opioid-associated experience may disrupt the memory trace of the existing opioid-associated experience to facilitate the extinction of drug-associated contextual memory. This implies that KHS101 has therapeutic potential for the treatment of opioid addiction.
Molecular dynamics study of rejuvenator effect on RAP binder: Diffusion behavior and molecular structure

Abstract This study developed molecular dynamics (MD) models to study the rejuvenator diffusion behavior and its impact on molecular structures and thermodynamic properties of asphalt binder in Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP). A two layered model was developed to study the inter-diffusion process between rejuvenator and RAP binder. Results show that the inter-diffusion process can be described by Fickian equation. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations yield reasonable diffusion coefficient which is comparable to experimental result. A mixture model was prepared to investigate the effect of rejuvenator on molecular interactions of saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene (SARA) fractions in RAP binder. Thermodynamic properties including density, surface energy, and cohesive energy density of RAP binder were studied. It was found that oxidative aging changed both thermodynamic properties of RAP binder, and adding rejuvenator could restore thermodynamic properties to those of virgin binder to a certain extent. The visualization of molecule-molecule radial distribution functions (RDFs) suggests that rejuvenator increases the self-association of asphaltene in RAP binder. The study findings directly contribute to better understand the rejuvenator diffusion behavior which is difficult to observe from laboratory experiments. The developed MD models serve as benchmark for further study of rejuvenation using computational experiments.
Modeling and Performance Diagnostics of Composite Work Cells With Gantries

In this paper, the performance of a typical composite work cell structure that includes multiple machines and a material handling gantry is studied. A mathematic model is established to analyze the performance of such gantry systems. Due to the unique features of the gantry system, cycle time and waiting time of the gantry and machines are discussed and formulated based on two basic scenarios. To measure the impact of disruption events, permanent production loss is evaluated by using the sensor data collected from plant floors. Data-driven diagnostic methods are developed to identify the bottleneck machine and to evaluate permanent production loss attribution of each machine. The results provide a solid base to efficiently and effectively improve the performance of a composite work system. Performance diagnostics of gantry systems provides a theoretical and practical basis for production improvement. A gantry system for composite lay-up processes is used for numerical simulation case studies, by which the performance diagnostic methodologies and improvements are demonstrated. Note to Practitioners —Accurate performance diagnostics and effective improvement methods are critical to manufacturing operation and management. Most existing efforts are devoted to analyzing the performance of a whole production line rather than considering the complexity of each station/work cell in the line. This paper zooms into a composite work cell with a material handling gantry and focuses on the performance diagnostics of the lay-up station in a composite work center. The methods presented in this paper can be extended and applied to other manufacturing work cells comprising the similar gantry structure. We build a mathematical model to analyze the characteristics of the gantry system such as gantry cycle and waiting time. The evaluation of system production loss, which directly adopts sensor data from the factory floors, provides a quantitative tool for production engineers to monitor and control the system in real-time operation. In addition, the performance diagnostic methods based on production loss attribution and bottleneck identification are developed to guide the decision makers to improve the production system under different resource conditions. The methods are developed based on a work cell with only one gantry under a fixed gantry moving sequence. In the future research, we will extend the study to the systems with more gantries and more complex gantry moving policies.
Individual/relational resilience

Resilience, or the ability to adapt positively when confronted with adversity (Luthar, 2003), is one of the most studied concepts across disciplines, and yet continues to be one of the most elusive...
Soviet Criticisms of ‘Bourgeois’ Ethical Theory

In a sense the ambition of the neo-Kantian Marxists at the turn of the century to marry Kantian ethics with Marxian social theory was realized sixty years later in the work of one of the most original, noteworthy, and unorthodox moral philosophers to have participated in the recent rebirth of interest in ethical theory in the Soviet Union, Ja. A. Mil’ner-Irinin. In a monograph entitled Ethics, or the Principles of True Humanity Mil’ner-Irinin developed a denotological ethics inspired in a number of respects by Kant’s practical philosophy, but also influenced by Hegel, and of course Marx.1 His writings on ethics also contain some treatments of metaphysical issues which reflect his interest in Spinoza.2 In Mil’ner-Irinin’s own view his Ethics constitutes the first truly substantial and successful attempt to develop Kantian ethics in the light of the materialist conception of history, to construct a deontological ethical theory which accomodates the insights of Marx. He describes his own ethical system as a deontological one, or an ‘ethics of principle’, which he distinguishes from ‘normative ethics’ or an ‘ethic of negatives’.3
Visible-light optical coherence tomography oximetry based on circumpapillary scan and graph-search segmentation

Visible-light optical coherence tomography (vis-OCT) enables retinal oximetry by measuring the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (sO2) from within individual retinal blood vessels. The sO2 calculation requires reliable estimation of the true spectrum of backscattered light from the posterior vessel wall. Unfortunately, subject motion and image noise make averaging from multiple A-lines at the same depth position challenging, and lead to inaccurate sO2 estimation. In this study, we developed an algorithm to reliably extract the backscattered light’s spectrum. We used circumpapillary scanning to sample the vessels repeatedly at the same location. A combination of cross-correlation and graph-search based segmentation extracted the posterior wall locations. Using measurements from 100 B-scans as a gold standard, we demonstrated that our method achieved highly accurate measures of sO2 with minimal bias. In addition, we also investigated how the number of repeated measurements affects the accuracy of sO2 measurement. Our method sets the stage for large-scale studies of retinal oxygenation in animals and humans.
Protein Expression Library Resources for Proteome Studies

Publisher Summary There are several public projects worldwide with the goal of creating representative full-length cDNA clone collections, notably the NIH Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) project and the Mouse Gene Encyclopedia Project sponsored by the RIKEN Institute in Japan. These projects have taken the approach of sifting through large numbers of cDNA clones, e.g. from tissue-specific libraries, to identify unique full-length cDNA clones. There are, additionally, independent efforts to create ORF clone collections for use as expression tools. These include the FLEXGene effort led by the Institute of Proteomics at Harvard Medical School (HIP), the Caenorhabditis elegans ORFeome Project, and the Ressourcenzentrum fur Genomforschung (RZPD) ORF clone collection. These clone collections are available at this time as either cDNA clones or ORF clones. While cDNA clones are the most straightforward to create, they have important limitations as experimental tools. The cloned sequences serve not only as a tool to assist in the assignment of gene boundaries and the identification of splice isoforms, but also serve as the starting point for a new kind of genome-scale tool: an arrayed, sequence-validated, and full-length ORF clone collection that is highly representative of the gene content of an organism. These types of collections are under development for human, mouse, several of the important model organisms, and an important human pathogen, P. aeruginosa.