cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rotational Reorientation Dynamics of Aerosol-OT Reverse Micelles Formed in Nearcritical Propane

The rotational reorientation kinetics of two fluorescent solutes (rhodamine 6G, R6G, and rhodamine 101, R101) have been determined in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (Aerosol-OT, AOT) reverse micelles formed in liquid and nearcritical propane. We show that the amount of water loading ([water]/[AOT], R), continuous phase density, and temperature all influence the solute rotational dynamics. In all cases, the decay of anisotropy data (i.e., frequency-dependent differential polarized phase angle and polarized modulation ratio) are well-described by a bi-exponential decay law. We find that the faster rotational correlation times are similar to but slightly less than the values predicted for an individual AOT reverse micelle rotating in propane. The recovered rotational correlation times range from 200 to 500 ps depending on experimental conditions. This faster rotational process is explained in terms of lateral diffusion of the fluorophore along the water/headgroup interfacial region within the reverse micelle. The recovered values for the slower rotational correlation times range from 7 to 18 ns. These larger rotational reorientation times are assigned to varying micelle-micelle (i.e., tail-tail) interactions in the low-density, highly compressible fluid region. We also quantify the contribution of the reverse micellar "aggregate" to the total decay of anisotropy.
A decomposition-based constraint optimization approach for statically scheduling task graphs with communication delays to multiprocessors

The paper presents a decomposition strategy to speed up constraint optimization for a representative multiprocessor scheduling problem. In the manner of Benders decomposition, our technique solves relaxed versions of the problem and iteratively learns constraints to prune the solution space. Typical formulations suffer prohibitive run times even on medium-sized problems with less than 30 tasks. Our decomposition strategy enhances constraint optimization to robustly handle instances with over 100 tasks. Moreover, the extensibility of constraint formulations permits realistic application and resource constraints, which is a limitation of common heuristic methods for scheduling. The inherent extensibility, coupled with improved run times from a decomposition strategy, posit constraint optimization as a powerful tool for resource constrained scheduling and multiprocessor design space exploration
New electrically conducting solids based on nickel(II) - bis (1,3-dithiole-2-thione-4,5-diselenolate)

Electrochemical oxidation of the metal-organic complex, nickel(II)–bis(1,3-dithiole-2-thione-4,5-diselenolate) or simply [Ni(dsit) 2 ] 2− , yields highly conducting salts, in which the stoichiometry and packing arrangement depends critically on the size of the counter-cations incorporated. Smaller counter-cations, e.g., tetramethylammonium and tetramethylphosphonium ions, yield salts with a 1:2 cation:[Ni(dsit) 2 ] stoichiometry, while the larger tetraethylammonium ion yields a salt with 2:2 stoichiometry. In both these salts, the [Ni(dsit) 2 ] units occur as tightly bound dimers, in which the coordination geometry of nickel is a unique, but not unprecedented square-pyramidal type. Moreover, the packing arrangement of [Ni(dsit) 2 ] 2 dimer units in both (Me 4 N)[Ni(dsit) 2 ] 2 and (Me 4 P) [Ni (dsit) 2 ] 2 is κ-type, similar to that found in the organic superconductor with the highest-known T c (10.4 K), κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 Cu(NCS) 2 . Both these salts possess good room temperature conductivities (σ rt = 36 and 19 S.cm −1 respectively), but the temperature dependance of their conductivities is characteristic of semiconductors with small bandgaps (Eg = 0.11 and 0.13 eV, respectively). The 2:2 salt (Et 4 N) 2 [Ni(dsit) 2 ] 2 , on the other hand, has a substantially lower room temperature conductivity, about six orders of magnitude smaller than that of the 1:2 salts. Its structure is characterized by [Ni(dsit) 2 ] 2 dimer units which are separated from each other by the tetraethylammonium cations, with no effective interaction between [Ni(dsit) 2 ] 2 dimers. It is suggested that dimeric metal-dithiolene and metal-diselenolene complexes may be potential building blocks in the structural design of κ-type organic conductors and superconductors.
Frequency hopped systems for PCS

The application of frequency hopping methods to cellular and personal communication systems (PCS) is studied. The performance enhancements due to the use of frequency hopping (FH) is initially reviewed followed by a brief summary of previously designed cellular/PCS systems that have incorporated FH methods. A slow frequency hop (SFH) prototype (which incorporated a hybrid form of multiple access, in particular slow frequency hopping CDMA combined with time division multiple access (TDMA)) was developed for PCS applications is then described. Performance results using the SFH prototype in laboratory and field trials are provided. These results demonstrate the excellent performance that may be obtained in PCS environments using a SFH architecture which has a complexity level that is suitable for PCS implementation. >
Sample size determination for comparing more than two survival distributions

We examine the asymptotic properties of the Tarone and Ware and Harrington and Fleming classes of test statistics under alternative hypotheses when there are comparisons between more than two survival distributions in the presence of arbitrary right censoring. When we assume equal censoring distributions across treatment groups and proportional hazards, we derive the sample size formula for testing the equality of k ⩾ 2 survival distributions using the logrank test. This work extends Schoenfeld's derivation for comparing two survival distributions and also generalizes the results of Makuch and Simon. We also derive the sample size formula for testing monotone dose-response using Tarone's trend test. We then investigate the practicality of the formula in various situations by presenting empirical power with use of Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, with stratification present, we derive the sample size formula for the stratified logrank test, which is an extension of Palta and Amini.
Dilatações gigantes das artérias coronárias em paciente assintomático

A case of giant dilatation of coronary arteries is presented, with review of the literature on the subject, and discussions about management of the patients with such disease.
Efficacy and adverse events of sacral nerve stimulation for overactive bladder: A systematic review.

Aims To systematically review the literature regarding efficacy and adverse events of sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) via the InterStim device for treatment of women with refractory overactive bladder (OAB). Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Collaboration databases from 1980 to September 2008. All English studies reporting on efficacy or adverse events of SNS for the treatment of refractory OAB were considered. Only studies where 30 or more women received the complete therapy (implanted lead and generator) were included. The quality of the studies (good, fair, or poor) was assessed based on predefined criteria. Results Seven studies were designated “good” regarding efficacy of SNS for OAB. Multiple authors reported results from the same cohort of patients. In this instance, the highest quality study was chosen, leaving three independent studies regarding efficacy. In these studies, incontinent episodes per day and pad usage significantly improved after SNS therapy. Six studies were designated “good” regarding adverse events. Using tined leads, surgical revision rates ranged from 3% to 16%. Six percent of patients were explanted due to lack of efficacy and 5–11% of patients were explanted due to infection. Conclusions Based on observational data, SNS appears effective for treatment of OAB in women. Adverse event rates with tined leads are lower than previously published estimates using non-tined leads. High-quality studies are needed to confirm our findings and to provide additional data regarding reprogramming, quality of life, and efficacy when compared to other therapies. Neurourol. Urodynam. 29:S18–S23, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Identifying the Priorities and Practices of Virtual School Educators Using Action Research

This study examined the nature of thirty virtual educators' action research questions during a yearlong action research professional development experience within a large, state-funded virtual school. Virtual educators included instructional personnel (i.e., individuals responsible for teaching virtual courses) and noninstructional personnel (i.e., individuals responsible for other roles in the virtual school such as administration or course design.) Action research questions emerge from the intersection of educators' professional contexts and their real-world challenges or passions and analyzing the nature of these questions provided a glimpse into the priorities and practices of the participating instructional and noninstructional virtual educators. Studying completion rates and personalizing the curriculum were trends within questions posed by instructional personnel whereas noninstructional personnel primarily focused on macrolevel issues within the virtual schools, such as communication. Future resea...
Partisan Bias among Interviewers

Survey researchers have long observed that demographic characteristics of interviewers such as race and gender affect survey responses as well as response rates. Building on this work, we address a previously unexplored question: Do interviewers� partisan leanings bias data collection in telephone surveys? Leveraging a unique data set in which interviewers reported their partisan identifications before the survey was fielded, we find that interviewers are more likely to ascribe positive experiences to interviews with copartisans. However, we find little evidence to suggest that interviewer partisanship biases interviewer ratings of respondents� personal characteristics, the answers provided by respondents, item nonresponse, or the measurement error associated with responses.
The effect of externally applied electrical fields on myocardial tissue

The explanation of the response to electrical stimulus by macroscopic regions of cardiac tissue in terms of the behavior of membrane ion channels requires mathematical models that span the range of spatial scales from the single cardiac cell to the entire heart. This is accomplished by the bidomain model, which successfully characterizes the electrical properties of the heart and the effect of externally applied electric fields on myocardial tissue, Recently the bidomain model has been used to make several specific, testable predictions: (1) a 4-fold symmetric magnetic field pattern is associated with an expanding wave front, (2) a region of positive interstitial potential precedes an expanding wave front in the direction parallel to the myocardial fibers, (3) the rate of rise of an action potential depends on the direction of propagation in superfused tissue, (4) the wave front in superfused strands of tissue is curved (5) a "dog bone" shaped region of depolarization exists under a unipolar cathode, (6) depolarized regions along the fiber direction adjacent to a unipolar anode are responsible for anodal stimulation, (7) interactions between adjacent depolarized and hyperpolarized tissue cause anode-break and cathode-break stimulation, (8) reentry can be induced by successive stimulation using a single unipolar cathode, and (9) a mechanism for far field stimulation depends on fiber curvature. These predictions have been verified qualitatively in every case where they have been tested experimentally. In some cases, such as the mechanisms for reentry induction and far field stimulation, the necessary experiments have not yet been performed.
Temporal Dissociation of Early Lexical Access and Articulation Using a Delayed Naming Task — An fMRI Study

Neuroimaging studies of overt speech hold an important practical advantage allowing monitoring of subject performance, particularly valuable in disorders like aphasia. However, speech production is not a monotonic process but a complex sequence of stages. Levelt and colleagues have described these as roughly corresponding to two originally independent systems — conceptual and sensorimotor — that are linked in the formulation and expression of spoken language. In the initial stages a word is chosen to match a concept (lexical selection); in the later stages the sound and motor patterns are encoded and the word is uttered (articulation). It has been difficult to discriminate these stages using conventional neuroimaging techniques. We designed a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in an attempt to do this, by introducing a latency into a conventional naming paradigm, delaying the articulated response. Our results showed that left hemisphere perisylvian areas were active throughout, interacting with visual and heteromodal areas during early lexical access and with motor and auditory areas during overt articulation. These results are consistent with the broadest version of the Levelt model and with that derived from Chomsky’s minimalist program in which a core language system interacts with conceptual-intentional systems and articulatoryperceptual systems during the early and late stages of lexical access respectively.
Growth and doping of GaN directly on 6H-SiC by MBE

The authors report on methods for the growth of GaN by MBE directly on 6H-SiC substrates. The films were doped p-type by the incorporation of Mg and the samples were characterized by studying their structure and morphology by RHEED, XRD and SEM and their recombination properties by photoluminescence measurements. The undoped films were found to be atomically smooth with 2 x 2 surface reconstruction and have an x-ray rocking curve with a FWHM of 3.5 arcmin. The photoluminescence spectra indicate that recombination is dominated by transition across the gap. The p-type doped films have a rocking curve with FWHM of 6.5 arcmin, and the majority of recombination occurs through D-A transitions at 3.26 eV.
Phosphate transport by the human renal cotransporter NaPi-3 expressed in HEK-293 cells

The human renal Na-PO4cotransporter gene NaPi-3 was expressed in human embryonic kidney HEK-293 cells, and the transport characteristics were measured in cells transfected with a vector containing ...
Survey Control at Glen Canyon Dam

Horizontal and vertical control as developed for 710-ft concrete arch dam during phases of site investigation, design and construction; horizontal control was tied in with state coordinate system and adjusted to average elevation of construction site to form local plane coordinate system; methods and equipment used in establishing vertical control over total level loop distance of 36 mi at construction site; method of reciprocal leveling across 1200-ft wide canyon.
The role of human herpesvirus-8, (HHV-8), in multiple myeloma pathogenesis.

The fate of any malignant cell is determined not only by its inherent genetic abnormalities but also by the environmental conditions in which the cell resides. Multiple myeloma is characterized by the accumulation of terminally differentiated plasma cells within the bone marrow. Even though malignant cells are readily detectable within the peripheral blood of these patients, the bulk of disease typically remains within the marrow cavity until the terminal stages of a patient’s disease. Clearly, the microenvironment within the bone marrow is important for the growth of the myeloma cell. Within that bone marrow microenvironment is a complex network of cells which produce cytokines capable of supporting both malignant and normal hematopoietic cell growth. These supporting cells, primarily comprised of macrophages and fibroblasts, are collectively termed bone marrow stromal cells.
Millimeter wave directional channel modeling

A combination of extreme cell densification, more bandwidth, and higher spectral efficiency is needed to support the data traffic requirements for 5G cellular communications. In this paper, Kirchhoff approximation (KA) is integrated with a 3D ray-tracing (RT) algorithm to develop a directional channel model for urban millimeter-wave (mmW) small cells. We study the spatial correlation and coverage distance in line-of-sight (LOS), obstructed LOS (OLOS), and non-LOS (NLOS) scenarios. Using both the physical optics (PO) and geometric optics (GO) solutions, closed form expressions are derived for multiuser correlation of co-located receive antennas. Availability of LOS, carrier frequency, and surface roughness scale are all found to have a substantial impact on the diversity of spatial dimensions for signaling. It is found that using antenna arrays of moderate gain at both sides of the link, even under NLOS propagation condition, a typical urban cell size of 200m is achievable.
Lazy rounding

Intermediate results in digital signal processing (DSP) hardware frequently must be truncated or rounded to maintain reasonable wordlengths. Noise and bias are introduced into the signal due to these operations. For the addition operation, we introduce and investigate two methods which reduce variance and bias and yet maintain the computational simplicity of truncation. Essentially, each method drives the least significant carry input of the adder string with a very simple Boolean function. We demonstrate the utility of these approaches by calculating bias and variance reductions, and by using the methods in several simple but important DSP examples.
Beyond honor: a new approach to the many sides of shame

Women and men who live with intimate partner violence often face multiple layers of shame. This article suggests that anthropologists separate shame from the honor/shame dyad and re-examine shame as a symbolic category that can illustrate the complex interactions among individual subjectivity, local moral systems, and global norms of modernity and progress. Through the stories of two Italian women who lived with violent partners, we see how shame is shaped by the ideological and cultural conflicts individuals negotiate in their daily lives.
Impractical in Part: New Directions for the American University

(1958). Impractical in Part: New Directions for the American University. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 228-228.
Sawtoothed Grain Beetle: Population Growth on Peanuts Stimulated by Eating Eggs or Adults of the Indian Meal Moth

Barnes and Simmons (1952) reported that the sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzacphihis surinamensis (L.), reduced populations of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), by feeding on its eggs. My recent studies (unpublished) confirmed these findings and prompted questions about the possibility that such feeding on eggs and dead adults of the Indian meal moth might increase populations of the sawtoothed grain beetle.
Abstract 5288: Glioma stem cells stimulate the motility of brain endothelial cells: Identification of cell-adhesion molecules mediating motility and direct interaction

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Angiogenesis is a prominent characteristic of malignant glioma. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) reside adjacent to blood vessels in the perivascular niche, and recent evidence suggests a role for GSCs in promoting angiogenesis. Here we examined the interplay between GSCs and endothelial cells (ECs) on a laminin substrate, and the potential for GSC promotion of EC motility. In an in vitro 2D motility assay, we found that GSCs dramatically stimulated EC migration, and ECs also stimulated GSC migration. An antibody to integrin α6 blocked in part the motility of both GSCs and ECs. We also found that GSCs directly interact with ECs; therefore, we investigated which cell-adhesion molecules mediated the interaction. In a cell-cell binding assay, blocking antibodies to both L1-cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) and integrin αvβ3 inhibited in part the direct contact between GSCs and ECs. In the motility assay, the combination of antibodies to L1CAM and αvβ3 significantly inhibited the motility and interaction of both cell types. These data suggest GSCs can promote angiogenesis by promoting EC migration, and indicate a role for the cell-adhesion receptors L1CAM and αvβ3 in the direct interaction between GSCs and ECs that may promote EC motility. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5288. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5288
Design and Optimization of Sheet Part Material Parameters on Numerical Simulation

Sheet part material parameters play very important roles in part draw forming. Different metal material parameters will affect the forming result. In this paper,all draw forming process of the rail part with the different material parameters was simulated by ETA / Dynaform software. Then,with the orthogonal experiment,optimize material parameters were obtained by comparing the simulation result and influence of forming result by all kinds of the material parameters.
Research Advance and Prospects of Highly Photosynthetic Efficient Rice Breeding

Based on the proposing of highly photosynthetic efficient breeding,the concept,genetic mechanism and research approach of highly photosynthetic efficient rice breeding were stated,the existent problems were discussed,and the prospects of highly photosynthetic efficient rice breeding were analyzed in this paper.
A 56-year-old man with a substernal goiter, multiple cutaneous and mucosal lesions, and a positive stool test for occult blood

Presentation of Case A 56-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of a substernal goiter. He was well until three or four years earlier, when he began to experience intermittent dyspnea during the night, without cough, wheeze, or hemoptysis. Sixteen months before admission he was first seen at this hospital, where examination showed that the blood pressure was 130/85 mm Hg. He was markedly obese, with clear lungs. The hematocrit was 54 percent, the white-cell count 6300, the hemoglobin 16.1 g per 100 ml, the total eosinophil count 35 per cubic millimeter, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate 13 mm . . .
A Reexamination of Contingent Convertibles with Stock Price Triggers

Initial proposals for bank contingent convertibles (CoCos) envisioned that these bonds would convert to new equity when the bank's stock price declined to a pre-specified trigger, thereby automatically re-capitalizing the bank and enhancing financial stability. However, subsequent research argued that doing so causes the bank's stock price to have multiple equilibria or no equilibrium. This paper shows that when CoCos have a perpetual maturity, which characterizes the majority of actual CoCos, a unique stock price equilibrium exists except under unrealistic conditions. A unique equilibrium can occur when conversion terms are advantageous or disadvantageous to CoCo investors and when CoCos convert to new equity shares or are written down. Moreover, the existence of a unique equilibrium stock price is more likely when the bank's asset risk is higher, when there are direct costs of bankruptcy, and when CoCos are callable by the bank. We illustrate these results by developing models of CoCos with either perpetual or finite maturities that lead to closed-form solutions for stock and CoCo values.
Silicon compatible optical interconnects

☹ Cu resistivity increases as technology scales down. This will be a bottleneck of future high-performance chip. ☺ CNTs have a significant advantage over Cu wires especially for local interconnects ☺ Optical links have smallest latency and energy per bit for longer global interconnects requiring higher band width ☺ 3D heterogeneous integration will keep the Moore's law going for awhile.
Fast imaging of ablation plume propagation through backgronnd gases at pressures used for pulsed laser deposition

Pulsed laser deposition of thin films is often necessarily performed in the presence of background gases, for example, in situ deposition of 1:2:3 high- Tc superconductor films in ~200-mTorr oxygen. Ablated atoms and ions with typical initial kinetic energies of 40–70 eV undergo thermalization following collisions with the background gas, resulting in incident kinetic energies at the film surface of ~0.01 eV. The transport process involves the expansion of a high pressure beam of vaporized products through the background gas, which can lead to shock wave phenomena. An understanding of the complex hydrodynamic processes responsible for the attenuation and slowing of the pulse of ablated products is essential for the characterization of the pulsed laser deposition process.
The Main Themes of the Book

The aim of this introductory unit is to present the foundations of the work, which are based upon two conceptual frameworks, TR/NYCity Model and Koestler theory (1964) of the Act of Creation The coordination between teaching practice and theory (here Koestler theory) – a fundamental component of teaching-research has taken place during the teaching experiment by Vrunda Prabhu and became one of the thematics threads throughout the book.
Using a generalized verbal response to decrease unrelated verbal responses of a severely retarded adult

Echolalia is viewed as the pathological repetition of vocalizations and is seen as an obstacle to normal language development. Unrelated or contextually inappropriate responses are equally problematic and are also seen as an obstacle to the development of language. This study examined the effect of acquiring a generalized verbal response (i.e., “I don’t know”) to questions for which the subject did not know the answer on the occurrence of (a) echoic, (b) unrelated responding, and (c) appropriate verbal responding. The subject was a severely retarded 49-year-old female. She was taught a generalized verbal response to one set of questions for which she did not know the answers and generalization across another set of questions was examined. The effect was an increase in appropriate verbal responding and a decrease in unrelated verbal responding. No effect upon echoic responding was seen.
Prediction of Clinical Deterioration in Hospitalized Adult Patients with Hematologic Malignancies Using a Neural Network Model.

Introduction Clinical deterioration (ICU transfer and cardiac arrest) occurs during approximately 5–10% of hospital admissions. Existing prediction models have a high false positive rate, leading to multiple false alarms and alarm fatigue. We used routine vital signs and laboratory values obtained from the electronic medical record (EMR) along with a machine learning algorithm called a neural network to develop a prediction model that would increase the predictive accuracy and decrease false alarm rates. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting The hematologic malignancy unit in an academic medical center in the United States. Patient Population Adult patients admitted to the hematologic malignancy unit from 2009 to 2010. Intervention None. Measurements and Main Results Vital signs and laboratory values were obtained from the electronic medical record system and then used as predictors (features). A neural network was used to build a model to predict clinical deterioration events (ICU transfer and cardiac arrest). The performance of the neural network model was compared to the VitalPac Early Warning Score (ViEWS). Five hundred sixty five consecutive total admissions were available with 43 admissions resulting in clinical deterioration. Using simulation, the neural network outperformed the ViEWS model with a positive predictive value of 82% compared to 24%, respectively. Conclusion We developed and tested a neural network-based prediction model for clinical deterioration in patients hospitalized in the hematologic malignancy unit. Our neural network model outperformed an existing model, substantially increasing the positive predictive value, allowing the clinician to be confident in the alarm raised. This system can be readily implemented in a real-time fashion in existing EMR systems.
Room-temperature electrophosphorescence from an all-organic material

Abstract Materials displaying both fluorescence and phosphorescence emission in solutions and solid state at room temperature are described. The present materials comprise diphenylphosphino and bromo-substituents that cause intersystem crossing and corresponding triplet emission without the presence of heavy metals. Electroluminescence with a significant contribution of phosphorescence was observed in the experimental (Ph)OLEDs.
Why the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is Problematic for Modern Wildlife Management

ABSTRACTThe North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM) is a slippery construct, used both to explain how North American wildlife conservation developed and as a prescriptive framework. We argue both applications of the NAM are problematic. The roots of wildlife conservation in North America are more complex than those associated with the NAM, and minimizing contributions from diverse sources makes building a diverse wildlife conservation community more difficult than it would otherwise be. The NAM is not inclusive enough of diversity among wildlife species or stakeholders. Principles labeled the bedrock foundation of the NAM exist in flux and at the whim of political systems. Belief that the NAM reflects a foundation of laws more stable than the milieu of governance structures shaping wildlife management can encourage complacency among wildlife conservation advocates. Wildlife management exists in systems too complex to be beneficially defined by a terse list of principles.
What Gets Lost When English-Only Writing Assessment Is Used to Assess Writing Proficiency in Spanish-English Emerging Bilingual Learners?

ABSTRACTRecent analyses of wide-scale writing assessment outcomes indicate that English writing achievement for fourth- and fifth-grade emerging bilingual learners continues to be an area of great ...
WLS and Generalized Least Squares

The concepts of a random vector, the expected value of a random vector, and the covariance of a random vector are needed before covering generalized least squares. Recall that for random variables Y i and Y j , the covariance of Y i and Y j is Cov(Y i , Y j ) ≡ σ i, j = E[(Y i −E(Y i ))(Y j −E(Y j )] = E(Y i Y j ) −E(Y i )E(Y j )provided the second moments of Y i and Y j exist.
The Social Impact of the Misconceptions Surrounding Tuberculosis

This paper addresses many of the misconceptions surrounding tuberculosis in three different time periods: ancient times, the Middle Ages, and the 19th-20th centuries, and explains the social ramifications caused by the lack of understanding.
Antimicrobial Effectiveness of Regular Dielectric- Barrier Discharge (DBD) and Jet DBD on the Viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacterial biofilm formation on medical implants is a major cause of illness in patients and is, therefore, increasing healthcare costs due to extended hospital stays and the failure/disposal of contaminated implants. Only limited progress has been made to prevent or eradicate this growing problem. Effective approaches include inhibiting the initiation of biofilm growth by killing planktonic bacteria and breaking down existing biofilms. We propose to employ atmospheric pressure nonthermal regular dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) and jet plasma to kill bacteria that have been grown planktonically or in biofilms. In this paper, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was grown either planktonically or on titanium coupons in a bioreactor under dynamic conditions to form mature biofilms. The planktonic bacteria and biofilms were exposed to regular DBD and jet plasma and bacterial survival was evaluated after treatment for various times and at different distances. Within 5 min of plasma treatment, we observed complete decontamination of planktonically grown bacteria, and within 15 min, we observed more than a 3 log reduction (99.9%) of bacteria grown as biofilms. The efficacy of plasma treatment was also visualized using scanning electron microscopy, where disruption of biofilm was found with an increasing treatment time. This paper also determined that jet plasma is more effective in treating biofilms than regular DBD plasma.
Absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopies.

The obtaining of absorption and circular dichroism spectra of a suspension of biological membranes is a relatively simple and quick procedure. Extracting correct and meaningful information from these spectra is not so simple and quick. In this chapter an effort will be made stepwise to present the problem of the application to the study of biomembranes of the physical methods of ultraviolet absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopies. This will be approached by first considering solutions, the phenomena that occur and type of information that is available in solution. Next will be considered suspensions of homogeneous particles and how to improve their distorted spectra, and finally the added complication of suspensions of heterogeneous particles (biomembranes) will be noted by presenting data on the three major sources of membrane absorption (lipids, protein side chains, and protein backbone) in several biomembranes and carrying out approximate corrections on experimental ellipticities.
WinATE: Windows automation of test equipment

We present WinATE, a new computer program to measure the electronic transport properties of materials with energy applications. The C++ program we describe here is designed with a user-friendly graphical interface to automate measurement. WinATE controls laboratory test and measurement equipment through a RS-232 serial interface. It was designed to measure electronic properties of synthesized materials at cryogenic temperatures. The material reaches thermal equilibrium within 0.01 K of the target temperature, and the resulting raw data are recorded and displayed to the user in a real-time plot. WinATE will independently capture electrical resistivity and temperature data, thus eliminating user entry errors. Current and voltage data can also be collected. New semiconductor materials can be characterized with this software by calculating the transport gap from resistivity measurements. The goal of WinATE is to increase the discovery rate of more energy efficient materials through automated data collection.
Demographic changes in Chinook salmon across the Northeast Pacific Ocean

The demographic structure of populations is affected by life history strategies and how these interact with natural and anthropogenic factors such as exploitation, climate change, and biotic interactions. Previous work suggests that the mean size and age of some North American populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Salmonidae) are declining. These trends are of concern because Chinook salmon are highly valued commercially for their exceptional size and because the loss of the largest and oldest individuals may lead to reduced population productivity. Using long-term data from wild and hatchery populations, we quantified changes in the demographic structure of Chinook salmon populations over the past four decades across the Northeast Pacific Ocean, from California through western Alaska. Our results show that wild and hatchery fish are becoming smaller and younger throughout most of the Pacific coast. Proportions of older age classes have decreased over time in most regions. Simultaneously, the length-at-age of older fish has declined while the length-at-age of younger fish has typically increased. However, negative size trends of older ages were weak or non-existent at the southern end of the range. While it remains to be explored whether these trends are caused by changes in climate, fishing practices or species interactions such as predation, our qualitative review of the potential causes of demographic change suggests that selective removal of large fish has likely contributed to the apparent widespread declines in average body sizes.
Weak Convergence in Many Player Games

In this chapter, we will discuss the weak convergence methods for n-person games. The entire problem will be set in a relaxed control framework. The advantage is that the problem becomes linear in control variables. The main advantage of occupation measure setting is that the differential game problem reduces to a static game on the set of occupation measures, the dynamics of the game being captured in these measures. In the proofs, we will use the weak convergence theory. We will only explain the case of averege payoffs. Discounted and other payoffs structure can be dealt in a similar fasion.
15 – Wavelet Analysis: Time Domain Properties

Abstract In this chapter we first introduce the wavelet transform starting from an example of the Haar wavelet transform to a sampled signal. In this example, we demonstrate the properties of the wavelet and scaling signal. Next, we generalize this example to higher-level Haar wavelet transforms and multiresolution analysis and discuss applications of wavelet transforms. Although we make no attempt to present an overview of all types of wavelets, specific properties of other wavelets are briefly discussed and a comparison between the properties of the Haar and Daubechies wavelets is used as an example. Finally we use the wavelet transform in a 2-D spatial domain, and demonstrate this application for the detection of edges in an image.
Kling and the “critical”: Social informatics and critical informatics: Research Articles

The article discusses Rob Kling's notion of the critical and how this term is embodied in Kling's social informatics and in works of other authors, which we identify as belonging to critical informatics. Issues of method and the notion of the empirical are discussed. The importance of such analyses in regard to social life and professional education is discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Entamoeba Histolytica Genome

E. histolytica is a human parasite that is a significant cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. This parasite is also of interest because it is an early branching amitochondriate eukaryote. The genome project should be completed by the end of 2003, however, the current release and preliminary annotation has already confirmed some previous observations and revealed new interesting aspects of the genome. The genome size is estimated to be 20 Mb with an overall AT content of 78%. The exact number of chromosomes is not resolved. Estimates range from 6 to 14. The genome includes numerous extrachromosomal circular elements including an episome with the rDNA genes. The chromosomal genome also contains a variety of other repeated elements including degenerate transposon-like elements. The promoter elements of E. histolytica have some unique features including a novel “GAAC” element. Introns are estimated to occur in 15% of protein encoding genes. A limited number of genomic sequences of other Entamoeba species have also been released. A comparison of these genomes, along with the nonpathogenic “cousin” of E. histolytica should help to discern the basis of virulence and the phylogenetic relationship of these and other species.
Collusion between neutralizing antibodies and other immune factions in the destruction of adenoviral vectors

Adenoviral vectors hold great promise for gene therapy, the induction of antitumor immunity, and vaccination against viral infections (1, 2). But sometimes, preexisting antibodies elicited by natural infection with particular types of adenovirus prevent the desired expression of the transgene carried by the vector, such as a replication-defective adenovirus 5. And there has been a mystery: The antibodies binding to the virus do not prevent the adenoviral particles from reaching the cells, attaching to specific receptors, getting internalized by endocytosis, or even penetrating the membrane of the endocytic vesicle and thus entering the cytoplasm. Building on the discovery of how a cytoplasmic receptor, tripartite motif-containing protein 21 (TRIM21) (3, 4), participates in neutralizing adenovirus, Bottermann et al. (5) have solved the mystery by showing that once the antibodies on the gene-delivery vehicle are in the cytoplasm, they interact with TRIM21 and thereby launch machineries for destroying not only the protein coat of the virus but also its DNA genome. In addition, the antibody–TRIM21 interaction sets off cascades of immune signaling, which can be deleterious (5, 6). If vector-mediated delivery in the face of neutralizing antibodies were a courier service, the package would reach the correct address, even get inside the intended home, but the evoking of bad memories of similar packages would prompt the overzealous shredding of the box and the rapid chopping up of its precious contents thereafter, triggering both fire and burglar alarms, and sometimes even setting fire to the house. The field of virus–antibody interactions abounds with dichotomies. Some antibodies to viral epitopes neutralize infectivity; others do not. Enveloped viruses, which enter the host cell by fusing with the cell surface or an endosomal membrane, are neutralized only if antibodies block viral attachment to receptors or entry by fusion. But naked viruses, which enter … [↵][1]1Email: pek2003{at}med.cornell.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Rapid forward modeling of logging-while-drilling neutron-gamma density measurements

ABSTRACTNeutron-activated gamma-ray (neutron-gamma) logging-while-drilling (LWD) measurements deliver bulk density estimates without using a chemical source. The assessment of bulk density is based...
Key Results from Detailed Nondestructive Examinations of 25 Pressurized Water Reactor High Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods

AbstractThe High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, is focused on understanding the effects of long-term storage and transportation...
Light-directed functionalization methods for high-resolution optical fiber based biosensors

Recent advances in miniaturization and analyte-sensitive fluorescent indicators make optical fiber biosensors promising alternatives to microelectrodes. Optical sensing offers several advantages over electrochemical methods including increased stability and better spatial control to monitor physiological processes at cellular resolutions. The distal end of an optical fiber can be functionalized with different fluorophore/polymer combinations through mechanical, dip-coating or photopolymerization techniques. Unlike mechanical and dip-coating schemes, photopolymerization can spatially confine the sensing layer in the vicinity of light in a more reproducible and controllable manner. The objective of this study was to fabricate microscale fluorescence lifetime based optrodes using UV-induced photopolymerization. Six commercially available acrylate based monomers were investigated for stable entrapment of the oxygen sensitive porphyrin dye (PtTFPP) dye via photopolymerization at the end of optical fibers. Of these, the acrylate-functionalized alkoxysilane monomer, 3-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (tradename Dynasylan MEMO) showed maximal response to changes in oxygen concentration. Dye-doped polymer microtips were grown at the ends 50 μm optical fibers and sensitivity and response time were optimized by varying both the concentration of doped dye and the excitation power used for polymerization. The resulting sensors showed linear response within the physiologically relevant range of oxygen concentrations and fast response times. While applied here to oxygen sensing, the photopolymer formulation and process parameters described are compatible with a wide range of available organic dyes and can be used to pattern arrays of spots, needles or more complex shapes at high spatial resolution.
The outsider on the inside: Donald Trump’s Twitter activity and the rhetoric of separation from Washington culture

This project examines how Donald Trump has used Twitter to separate himself rhetorically from the traditional Washington elite and maintain his outsider status while serving as president. I divide ...
Frequency-to-time optical arbitrary waveform generator

We introduce a novel optical arbitrary waveform generator that can create transform-limited ps-scale features over long (>300 ps) records. This has potential applications for controlling and/or mitigating laser–plasma interactions, laser machining, and studies of molecular dynamics. The technique works by patterning the spectrum of a short pulse and optically transforming this spectral pattern to the time domain via a χ(2)-based frequency-to-time converter. We derive the theory of operation and present experimental results demonstrating 4 ps resolution and 330 ps record length.
NOTCH pathway activation in infantile hemangiomas.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to characterize the role of NOTCH signaling cascade activation in the angiogenic drive of infantile hemangioma (IH) tissue. Methods Both IH tissue and normal skin were collected from 55 surgical patients. Of these, 14 were proliferating hemangiomas, 14 were stationary, 14 were involuted, and 13 had been treated with propranolol. Protein and RNA were extracted from all tissues and subjected to Western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively, for components of the NOTCH signaling pathway. Results Compared with normal skin from the same patients, proliferating IHs contained higher levels of messenger RNA and protein for the majority of NOTCH receptors and ligands as well as the downstream coactivator MAML1. Expression of NOTCH receptor ligand messenger RNA and protein was significantly lower in involuting and propranolol-treated IHs. Conclusions Perturbations in NOTCH signaling follow the natural course and treatment outcome of IHs, suggesting a critical role in their pathogenesis.
Milk production responses to altering the dietary ratio of palmitic and oleic acids varies with production level in dairy cows.

We evaluated the effects of altering the dietary ratio of palmitic (C16:0; PA) and oleic (cis-9 C18:1; OA) acids on production responses of cows with a wide range of milk production (32 to 65 kg/d) in a crossover design experiment with a preliminary period. Thirty-two multiparous Holstein cows (144 ± 54 d in milk) were assigned randomly to a treatment sequence. Treatments were diets supplemented with fatty acid (FA) blends (1.5% of diet dry matter) that provided 80% C16:0 + 10% cis-9 C18:1 (PA) and 60% C16:0 + 30% cis-9 C18:1 (PA+OA). The corn silage and alfalfa-based diets contained 20.0% forage neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 28.5% starch, and 17.1% crude protein. Treatment periods were 21 d with the final 5 d used for data and sample collection. Treatment did not affect dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, energy-corrected milk (ECM), body weight, or body weight change. The PA+OA diet increased total, 16-carbon, and 18-carbon FA digestibility compared with the PA diet. Compared with PA+OA, PA increased fat yield (1.97 vs. 1.91 kg/d) and protein yield (1.61 vs. 1.55 kg/d). The PA diet also increased the yield of de novo (448 vs. 428 g/d) and mixed (749 vs. 669 g/d) milk FA and decreased the yield of preformed FA (605 vs. 627 g/d) compared with PA+OA. Interactions were detected between treatment and preliminary milk yield for DMI, total FA intake, 16-carbon FA intake, ECM, 3.5% fat-corrected milk (linear interaction), and a tendency for milk yield (linear interaction); lower-producing cows ( 55 kg/d) had increased DMI and ECM on the PA+OA diet. A linear interaction was detected between treatment and preliminary milk yield for mixed milk FA yield (linear interaction) and a tendency for de novo milk FA yield (linear interaction). Our results demonstrate that feeding a fat supplement containing more cis-9 C18:1 replacing C16:0 increased production responses (DMI, milk yield, and ECM) in higher-producing cows, but decreased production responses in lower-producing cows.