cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low-Frequency Learning and Fast Adaptation in Model Reference Adaptive Control

While adaptive control has been used in numerous applications to achieve system performance without excessive reliance on dynamical system models, the necessity of high-gain learning rates to achieve fast adaptation can be a serious limitation of adaptive controllers. This is due to the fact that fast adaptation using high-gain learning rates can cause high-frequency oscillations in the control response resulting in system instability. In this note, we present a new adaptive control architecture for nonlinear uncertain dynamical systems to address the problem of achieving fast adaptation using high-gain learning rates. The proposed framework involves a new and novel controller architecture involving a modification term in the update law. Specifically, this modification term filters out the high-frequency content contained in the update law while preserving asymptotic stability of the system error dynamics. This key feature of our framework allows for robust, fast adaptation in the face of high-gain learning rates. Furthermore, we show that transient and steady-state system performance is guaranteed with the proposed architecture. Two illustrative numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Southern California Salt Marsh Dominance Relates to Plant Traits and Plasticity

The three most abundant tidal marsh species at Tijuana Estuary rank Salicornia virginica > Jaumea carnosa > Frankenia salina in occurrences and cover, despite being equally productive in a greenhouse study. The same abundance ranking (Sv>Jc>Fs) developed within 10 years in a restoration site that was planted with near-equal numbers per species. In this paper, we show that resistance to invasion and invasiveness also ranked Sv>Jc>Fs, helping to explain how the restored community lost diversity over time. To explain differential dominance, we assessed 20 traits (including trait ratios), expecting several traits to rank Sv>Jc>Fs, but that was not so. Nor were field abundance ranks explained by the number of superior traits, since Salicornia ranked first in only four traits; Jaumea ranked first in seven, Frankenia in three, and six traits involved ties. Instead, we found explanatory power in two traits (height and runner length) and plasticity (ability to shift trait ratios with changing conditions). We propose that Salicornia becomes dominant by growing tall (height ranked Sv>Jc = Fs) and capturing light first, and that Jaumea co-dominates by extending its runners throughout the understory. Both dominants are more plastic than the subordinate Frankenia, which allocates the greatest proportion of dry weight to roots. Our multi-trait approach explained abundance ranks where focusing on a single trait (potential productivity) could not.
On relating Eulerian and Lagrangian velocity statistics: single particles in homogeneous flows

Various theories seeking to relate the velocity statistics of Lagrangian particles to the statistics of the Eulerian flow in which they are embedded are examined. Mean particle drift, mean-square particle velocity and the frequency spectrum of velocity are examined for stationary, homogeneous and joint-normally distributed Eulerian fields. Predictions based on a third-order weak-interaction expansion, the successive approximation procedure of Phythian (1975), the quasi-normal approximation of Saffman (1969), the parametrized model of Saffman (1962), and a new procedure based on a statistical estimator of the kinematic equation are compared with simulations of particle motion in one-dimensional flow. Only the statistical estimator produces both acceptable mean-drift and frequency-spectrum predictions.
Adapting system execution traces to support analysis of software system performance properties

UNITE is a method and tool that analyzes software system performance properties, e.g., end-to-end response time, throughput, and service time, via system execution traces. UNITE, however, assumes that a system execution trace contains properties (e.g., identifiable keywords, unique message instances, and enough variation among the same event types) to support performance analysis. With proper planning, it is possible to ensure that properties required to support such analysis are incorporated in the generated system execution trace. It, however, is not safe to assume this to be the case with many existing software systems. This article therefore presents a method and a tool called the System Execution Trace Adaptation Framework (SETAF), which is built atop of UNITE and adapts system execution traces to support performance analysis of software systems. It also presents examples and results of applying SETAF to different open-source projects. The results show that SETAF enables proper performance analysis via system execution traces without requiring developers to make modifications to the originating software system's source code, which can be a expensive and time-consuming task.
Ontogenetic Effects on Snake Hemipenial Morphology

Abstract In this study we investigate hemipenial variation through ontogeny by preparing specimens of known-aged individuals from captive-bred Plains Gartersnakes, Thamnophis radix, descended from a wild population in northern Illinois, USA. We examined males at two different ages (215–254 days, N = 9) and (829–867 days, N = 12) to compare both juvenile and adult morphologies. Hemipenis length increased isometrically with tail length, and there were no significant differences detected between right and left hemipenis length or width. In addition, this study is the first to explore variation in hemipenial morphology within and among litters. We found significant litter effects on hemipenis length, on the elevation (but not the slope) of the relationship between hemipenis length and tail length, and on number of basal hooks, suggesting a possible genetic basis to these characteristics. These results highlight the importance of examining multiple males through ontogeny, as well as reporting body-size measure...
Secondary crystallization and premelting endo‐ and exotherms in oriented polymers

Crystallization in polyamide 6 (nylon 6) fibers during annealing was studied in detail by following the changes that occurred in the neighborhood of crystalline relaxation temperatures, by using wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Two distinct crystallization regimes were observed depending on whether annealing was carried out below or above onset of crystalline relaxation at ∼190°C. In fibers annealed below 190°C, minor melting peaks were followed by exothermic transitions. These were attributed to ∼1.5% (by weight) of microcrystals formed during annealing that melt and recrystallize during the DSC scan. These microcrystals are nucleated from unoriented amorphous chains between the lamellar stack within a fibril, and are shown to account for the observed increase in the crystalline orientation and decrease in permeability. Fibers annealed above 190°C did not show the exotherm and had significantly fewer microcrystals. The crystallization in this regime was attributed to the growth of existing lamellae, as evidenced by the increase in crystallite size, crystalline density, crystalline orientation, lamellar spacing, and lamellar intensity. The changes at annealing temperatures >190°C are accompanied by increased dyeability, indicative of more open amorphous regions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 447–454, 2006
Effect of Toxorhynchites brevipalpis on Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in continuous-breeding laboratory populations.

Experimental continuous-breeding populations of Toxorhynchites brevipalpis and Aedes aegypti were established in room-sized cages with water-filled tires, using numbers of larvae comparable to those found in the field at the beginning of the breeding season. In cage 1 (control) no adult Tx. brevipalpis were released and the space in each tire was continuous. In cage 2, plastic lattice-work baskets were put in the tires to increase the structural complexity of the breeding sites. In cage 3, adult Tx. brevipalpis were released at the beginning of the experiment. In cages 4 and 5, adult Tx. brevipalpis and adult Ae. aegypti were released and plastic baskets were present. In cage 1 the Ae. aegypti population continued for 31 weeks and attained a peak of 27,000 larvae. In cage 2 the Ae. aegypti population attained a maximum density of 50,000 larvae and continued to fluctuate until the baskets were removed at the end of week 34. In cage 3 the Ae. aegypti population continued for only 16 weeks and reached a peak density of only 10,000 larvae. In cages 4 and 5 the Ae. aegypti population continued for only 11 weeks and attained a maximum density of 20,000 larvae.
Inhibition of cardiac myocyte maturation by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

The signals that regulate cardiac myocyte maturation in the neonatal heart are not completely understood. In our study we examined the effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] on primary cultures of ventricular myocytes isolated from neonatal rat hearts. Our data show that 1,25-(OH)2D3 inhibited an increase in both the muscle-specific form of creatine kinase and V1 myosin isoenzyme levels in myocytes induced to mature by serum withdrawal. Thus, in contrast to other cell types studied to date, in the heart, 1,25-(OH)2D3 blocks cell maturation. Treating cultures with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induced a decrease in the muscle-specific isoenzyme of creatine kinase similar to the effects of 1,25-(OH)2D3. Interestingly, we found that staurosporine, a protein kinase-C inhibitor, blunts the effects of 1,25-(OH)2D3 and has the opposite effect of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate on cultured myocytes induced to mature by serum withdrawal. Thus, our data identify a novel role for 1,25-(OH)2D3 in the re...
Comparative prevalence of the fourth heart sound in hypertensive and matched normal persons

Abstract Occurrence of the fourth heart sound (S 4 ) as a physiologic phenomenon would limit its usefulness as a discriminator of disease. Reports of a high prevalence rate of S 4 , as determined by auscultation and by phonocardiography in normal older persons, have provoked support and rebuttal. A blind, randomized phonocardiographic study of 50 normal and 50 age- and sex-matched hypertensive persons (mean age 53.9 ± 6.6 years) drawn from an outpatient screening clinic showed a high and virtually equal prevalence of S 4 (35 instances in each group) or possible S 4 (3 and 5 cases, respectively). It appears that in middleaged persons, as in older persons, there is a high and equal prevalence rate of S 4 . Quantitative studies appear to be indicated to determine when this sound can be considered a presystolic gallop.
The murine excisional wound model: Contraction revisited

Rodent models of healing are considered limited because of the perception that rodent wounds heal by contraction while humans heal by reepithelialization The purpose of this report is to present evidence that simple murine excisional wounds provide a valid and reproducible wound model that heals by both contraction and reepithelialization. Previous studies have shown that, although rodent wounds contract by up to 80%, much of this contraction occurs only after epithelial closure. To confirm these previous findings, we measured re-epithelialization and contraction in three separate mouse strains, (BALB/c, db/+, and db/db); reepithelialization and contraction each accounted for ∼40 to 60% of the initial closure of full thickness excisional wounds. After closure, the wound continues to contract and this provides the impression of dominant closure by contraction. In conclusion, the simple excisional rodent wound model produces a well defined and readily identifiable wound bed over which the process of reepithelialization is clearly measurable.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitor Treatment and the Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Nested Case-control Study

Objective. To compare the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events between use of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors (TNFi) and nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. A nested case-control study was conducted using data from Truven’s MarketScan commercial and Medicare claims database for patients with early RA who started treatment with either a TNFi or a nonbiologic DMARD between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2010. Date of CV event diagnosis for cases was defined as the event date, and 12 age-matched and sex-matched controls were sampled using incidence density sampling. Drug exposure was defined into the following mutually exclusive categories hierarchically: (1) current use of TNFi (with or without nonbiologics), (2) past use of TNFi (with or without nonbiologics), (3) current use of nonbiologics only, and (4) past use of nonbiologics only. Current use was defined as any use in the period 90 days prior to the event date. Conditional logistic regression models were used to derive incidence rate ratios (IRR). Results. From the cohort of patients with early RA, 279 cases of incident CV events and 3348 matched controls were identified. The adjusted risk of CV events was not significantly different between current TNFi users and current nonbiologic users (IRR 0.92, 95% CI 0.59–1.44). However, past users of nonbiologics showed significantly higher risk compared to current nonbiologic users (IRR 1.47, 95% CI 1.04–2.08). Conclusion. No differences in the CV risk were found between current TNFi and current nonbiologic DMARD treatment in patients with early RA.
Pushing Forward: Disability, Basketball, and Me:

Wheelchair basketball offers an ethnographic space through which this article connects a familial story of survival to the author’s evolving engagement with disability. The author has been looking for role models, for people who might offer guidance to help his family cope with his daughter’s disability. The story of Melvin Juette, a Chicago gang member turned world-class wheelchair athlete, was the inspiration for embarking on a research project about wheelchair sports. Melvin’s perseverance in the face of adversity illustrates the dynamic interface between agency and structure and suggests a way to move beyond the “supercrip” critique that is prevalent in the disability studies literature. Melvin’s story and others like his have emboldened the author and helped him to view social difference as enabling rather than as disabling.
Extrapolating near-field emissions of low-frequency loop transmitters

This paper investigates the emission of fields and field attenuation rates from electrically small transmitting loop antennas in the presence of a general half-space. Considerations are made for the practical effects of antenna loop dimension and source-to-sensor impedance coupling. The resulting field attenuation rates correlate well with open area test site (OATS) measurements. The tables provided may be readily used to extrapolate measured low-frequency emissions to common regulatory limit locations.
Expert curation in UniProtKB: a case study on dealing with conflicting and erroneous data

UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot provides expert curation with information extracted from literature and curator-evaluated computational analysis. As knowledgebases continue to play an increasingly important role in scientific research, a number of studies have evaluated their accuracy and revealed various errors. While some are curation errors, others are the result of incorrect information published in the scientific literature. By taking the example of sirtuin-5, a complex annotation case, we will describe the curation procedure of UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot and detail how we report conflicting information in the database. We will demonstrate the importance of collaboration between resources to ensure curation consistency and the value of contributions from the user community in helping maintain error-free resources. Database URL: www.uniprot.org
Efficiency vs. portability in cluster-based network servers

Efficiency and portability are conflicting objectives for cluster-based network servers that distribute the clients' requests across the cluster based on the actual content requested. Our work is based on the observation that this efficiency vs. portability tradeoff has not been fully evaluated in the literature. To fill this gap, in this paper we use modeling and experimentation to study this tradeoff in the context of an interesting class of content-based network servers, the locality-conscious servers, under different inter-node communication subsystems. Based on our results, our main conclusion is that portability should be promoted in cluster-based network servers with low processor overhead, given its relatively low cost ($\leq$ 16%) in terms of throughput performance. For clusters with high processor overhead communication, efficiency should be the overriding concern, as the cost of portability can be very high (as high as 107% on 96 nodes). We also conclude that user-level communication can be useful even for non-scientific applications such as network servers.
Applications of low-resolution Raman spectroscopy (LRRS)

LRRS has been shown to have the potential to make Raman spectroscopy as practical and as widely used as IR spectroscopy. The advantages LRRS brings to Raman spectrometry are its order of magnitude lower price, size, and weight from that of laboratory grade Raman spectrometers. These allow the implementation of the Raman approach with all of its advantages in a small, lightweight, portable, and affordable instrument. The disadvantages of LRRS is a small degradation in performance from that of laboratory grade Raman spectrometers. It is shown in this paper that for one class of applications, measuring the concentrations of analytes in a solvent, the degradation in performance is insignificant. This class of application includes monitoring monomers and polymer concentrations during polymerization and the chemical constituents during crystallization processes.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Structure of Intersectionality: A Comparative Politics of Gender

A comparative analysis of gender relations incorporates and goes beyond a “women and politics” approach by focusing on the organization of political life, illuminating the systematic way that social norms, laws, practices, and institutions advantage certain groups and forms of life and disadvantage others. In order to illuminate the various ways that women and men are advantaged and disadvantaged as women and men, gender analysis must incorporate analysis of race, class, sexuality, and other axes of disadvantage, and explore interactions among them. These axes are defined differently in different national contexts, and so examining variation across national borders illuminates the variety of social arrangements that are consistent with human biology: This type of analysis thereby denaturalizes and politicizes gender, racial/ethnic, and class relations (among others). The wide variety of modes and degrees of resistance to these forms of social organization, and success in challenging them, illuminate and inspire new strategies of resistance for people in other countries.
E.D. Hirsch (1999) The Schools We Need. Book review by Mike Eisenberg

Abstract: E.D. Hirsch (1999) The Schools We Need. Anchor Books. New York. Book review by Mike Eisenberg (March, 1999). ISBN: 0-385-48457-7
Klinefelter's syndrome

Klinefelter’s syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosome disorder in men, affecting roughly 1 in 400–600 men throughout all ethnic groups (1,2) It is also the most common cause of primary testicular failure, resulting in impairments in both spermatogenesis and testosterone production. The hypogonadism associated with KS can range from mild to severe, leading to a marked variation in clinical presentation. Men with KS possess at least one additional or “supernumerary” X chromosome, resulting in a 47, XXY genotype. The clinical phenotype in the adult is that of severely impaired spermatogenesis (usually azoospermia) and varying degrees of hypogonadism, manifested by a tall body habitus with sparse body and facial hair, gynecomastia, diminished libido, and small testes. In childhood, common presenting features can include delayed speech development, learning difficulties at school, unusually rapid growth in mid-childhood, and truncal obesity. Laboratory analysis reveals low or low-normal serum testosterone and elevated serum gonadotropin levels, with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) elevated to a greater degree than luteinizing hormone (LH). The clinical diagnosis is confirmed using chromosomal analysis (karyotyping) of either peripheral blood leukocytes or tissue, which usually reveals a 47, XXY genotype, although, infrequently, additional X chromosomes may be present or an individual may be mosaic (47, XXY/46, XY). Treatment consists of testosterone therapy for improved virilization, sexual function, bone density, and quality of life. Gynecomastia is treated with cosmetic surgery after androgen replacement has begun. New approaches to the treatment of infertility, including intracytoplasmic injection of sperm aspirated from the testes, have been recently reported for KS patients and may be successful in the subset of patients in whom sperm are present on testicular biopsy. However, for most men with KS, artificial insemination with donor sperm or adoption remain the only options for fertility. This chapter summarizes the initial historical description of KS, as well as the current understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, associated conditions, and treatment of individuals with KS. In addition, the effect of newly described assisted reproductive techniques on the potential for fertility in men with KS is discussed.
Digital audio forensics using background noise

This paper presents a new audio forensics method based on background noise in the audio signals. The traditional speech enhancement algorithms improve the quality of speech signals, however, existing methods leave traces of speech in the removed noise. Estimated noise using these existing methods contains traces of speech signal, also known as leakage signal. Although this speech leakage signal has low SNR, yet it can be perceived easily by listening to the estimated noise signal, it therefore cannot be used for audio forensics applications. For reliable audio authentication, a better noise estimation method is desirable. To achieve this goal, a two-step framework is proposed to estimate the background noise with minimal speech leakage signal. A correlation based similarity measure is then applied to determine the integrity of speech signal. The proposed method has been evaluated for different speech signals recorded in various environments. The results show that it performs better than the existing speech enhancement algorithms with significant improvement in terms of SNR value.
Changes in Biomarker Expression in the Development of Prostatic Adenocarcinoma

In spite of the prevalence of prostatic adenocarcinoma, the development and natural history of this malignancy is poorly understood. This paper reviews the current knowledge of biomarker expression during the development and progression of prostatic adenocarcinoma. Emphasis is placed on the comparison of biomarker expression in benign prostatic epithelium, intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), a putative preinvasive lesion, and prostatic adenocarcinoma. Within the benign epithelium, the proliferative potential is restricted to the basal cells as demonstrated by the expression of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA). The strong expression of the bcl-2 protein, an inhibitor of apoptosis, supports the concept that the basal cells or a subpopulation of the basal cells represent the stem cell of the epithelium. In addition, the strong expression of growth factor receptors such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr), p185erbB-2, p180erbB-3, and c-met suggests that the growth of the basal cells is re...
Computation of a matric convolution-integral that arises in discrete-time DAC theory, and similarly in Discrete/Continuous (D/C) control theory

In the theory and applications of, the Discrete Time version of, Disturbance-Accommodating (Rejection) Control (DAC), and also in Discrete/Continuous (D/C) Control, there arises a new, novel form of a matric convolution-integral containing “dual-kernels” that evolve in a “counterflow” manner. In general, the effective computation of that matrix, which we have called a “dual-kernel/counterflow matric convolution integral” presents some challenging problems in the field of computational-control. In this paper, we show that the “dual-kernel/ counterflow matric convolution integral” obeys a simple, non-homogenous, linear matric differential equation of first-order, with zero initial-condition which can be re-written as a homogenous coupled-pair of first order matric differential equations. Those matric differential equations provide effective numerical-computation tools using existing algorithms incorporated in commercial software programs such as MATLAB, MATHCAD, etc.
False localizing signs in traumatic brain injury

Background: Hemiparesis ipsilateral to a mass-occupying lesion can be due to Kernohan-Woltman Notch Phenomenon (KWNP). This syndrome implies a false-localizing sign because clinical findings lead the examiner to an incorrect neuroanatomical diagnosis. The contralateral crus cerebri (pyramidal tract) is pressed against the tentorial incisum and a resultant hemiparesis is found on the same side of the lesion.Review: A detailed literature search of false-localizing signs is presented.Conclusions: Not infrequently, patients presenting to a physiatrist may have incomplete records. The existence of false localizing signs may point the physician towards the wrong underlying pathology.
A NOTE ON NON-NEGATIVE ARMA PROCESSES

Recently, there has been much research on developing models suitable for analysing the volatility of a discrete-time process. Since the volatility process, like many others, is necessarily non-negative, there is a need to construct models for stationary processes which are non-negative with probability one. Such models can be obtained by driving autoregressive moving average (ARMA) processes with non-negative kernel by non-negative white noise. This raises the problem of finding simple conditions under which an ARMA process with given coefficients has a non-negative kernel. In this article, we derive a necessary and sufficient condition. This condition is in terms of the generating function of the ARMA kernel which has a simple form. Moreover, we derive some readily verifiable necessary and sufficient conditions for some ARMA processes to be non- negative almost surely.
DanceChemistry: Helping Students Visualize Chemistry Concepts through Dance Videos

A visual aid teaching tool, the DanceChemistry video series, has been developed to teach fundamental chemistry concepts through dance. These educational videos portray chemical interactions at the molecular level using dancers to represent chemical species. Students reported that the DanceChemistry videos helped them visualize chemistry ideas in a new and memorable way. Surveying the general laboratory course at the University of California, Irvine (n = 1266), 75% of the students said they wanted to use these videos to learn additional chemistry topics in the future. Data from pre- and postsurveys show an increase in students’ average scores after watching a 5 min DanceChemistry video. These instructional videos are disseminated broadly through a dedicated YouTube channel, DanceChemistry.
Structure and Properties of Water

The water molecule is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The water molecule is positively charged on one side and negatively charged on the other and is, thus, a dipole. The two hydrogen atoms share a pair of electrons with a single oxygen atom. The two hydrogen atoms of the water molecule are separated at an angle of 103 to 106 degrees, measured with the oxygen atom as the apex of the angle and with the two hydrogen protons as points on the angle sides. The electron pairs shared between the oxygen nucleus and the two hydrogen protons only partially screen (neutralize) the positive charge of the protons. The result is that the proton side of the molecule becomes the positive side of the water molecule. The chapter lists 15 properties of water. For example, water has the highest specific heat of any known substance except liquid ammonia, which is about 13 percent higher. The heat of vaporization of water is the highest known. The heat of vaporization is defined as the amount of heat needed to turn one gram of a liquid into vapor, without a rise in the temperature of the liquid. The heat of fusion of water is unusually high. The heat of fusion is the quantity of heat necessary to change one gram of a solid to a liquid with no temperature change.
The design of a weakly guided multimode interference device in three dimensions using a genetic algorithm

We discuss the use of a genetic algorithm in designing a weakly guided multimode interference (MMI) device. Lateral and transverse mode distributions are accounted for, in order to properly describe devices fabricated by ion exchange.
Reduced approximations in parameter identification of hereditary systems

In closing we comment that the practical observation: given the special structure of B(γ) in (1.1) the "full" spline approximation will include superfluous variables; is not startling. However it is interesting to note that "equivalence" of the reduced and full systems is established via an abstract semi-group formulation. A direct comparision of the respective ordinary-differential equation models (4.1) – (4.2) and (4.4) – (4.5) is not a useful approach.
Detection of Antineutrophil Cytoplasm Antibodies in Wegener’s Granulomatosis

It is critical to differentiate between three distinct staining patterns in the diagnosis of Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) by indirect immunofluorescence. The first, which is highly specific to WG, is a fine granular diffuse cytoplasmic fluorescent pattern, the second is a nonspecific perinuclear pattern, and the third is a nuclear pattern that must be interpreted as negative. A comparison of cytospin-prepared slides and air-dried drop slides showed that the slides prepared with cytospin substrate were superior in differentiating between the three patterns. Using airdried drop-prepared slides we were unable, in some cases, to distinguish perinuclear from cytoplasmic patterns. Studies using both types of slides indicate that the procedure we developed for the preparation of neutrophil substrate slides offers a better method of identifying antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies.
Thermodynamics of H2 Solution and Diffusion of H in (Pd0.77Ag0.23)1–xYx Alloys

Hydrogen isotherms and thermodynamic properties have been determined for hydrogen solution in (Pd0.77Ag0.23)1–xYx alloys (x = 0.03 and 0.06). ΔHH and ΔSH have been determined as a function of r for 12H2 solution where r = H-to-(Pd0.77Ag0.23)1–xYx, molar ratio. The values of ΔHH° at infinite dilution of r are −24.5 and −29.6 kJ/mol H, for the (Pd0.77Ag0.23)0.97Y0.03 and (Pd0.77Ag0.23)0.94Y0.06 alloys, respectively, which are more exothermic than ΔHH° for solution of 12H2 in Pd0.77Ag0.23 or Pd. Diffusion parameters of H in the alloys have been determined from permeation measurements through (Pd0.77Ag0.23)1–xYx alloy membranes. The values of DH at infinite dilution of H, DH*, are 5.7× 10–6 and 2.5× 10–6 cm2/s for the (Pd0.77Ag0.23)0.97Y0.03 and (Pd0.77Ag0.23)0.94Y0.06 alloys, respectively (473 K), as compared to 8× 10–6 cm2/s for the Pd0.77Ag0.23 alloy. The permeation rates of H in the (Pd0.77Ag0.23)0.97Y0.03 and (Pd0.77Ag0.23)0.94Y0.06 alloy membranes are greater than that of the Pd0.77Ag0.23 membrane at 52...
The Absence of Surgical Care on the Public Health and Global Health Agendas: Insights from a Global Surgery Community

The Absence of Surgical Care on the Public Health and Global Health Agendas: Insights from a Global Surgery Community Evan G Wong, MD, MPH, Emmanuel A Ameh, MBBS, FACS, Sherry M Wren, MD, FACS, Wakisa Mulwafu, MD, Mark A Hardy, MD, Benedict C Nwomeh, MD, MPH, Richard A Gosselin, MD, MPH, T Peter Kingham, MD, Raymond R Price, MD, Adam L Kushner, MD, MPH, FACS Surgeons Over Seas, New York, NY, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Comparisons of Grounding Performances and Technical Economy between Regular Ground Electrode and Common Ground Electrode

The grounding performances and technical economy of common ground electrode are different from those of regular ground electrode,of which the comparisons between regular electrodes and common electrodes can help engineers optimizedly design electrodes.According to the major modes of multiple convert stations operating in synchronism,the grounding current,ground resistance,and economy etc are analyzed and compared for regular ground electrode,one common electrode and two common electrodes of multi-stations.It is shown that common electrode is better than regular electrode from both environmental influence and economy aspects,where the electrode site is exigent for one common electrode of multi-stations.If better electrode site is available,one common electrode has smaller electromagnetic influence range of step voltage than that of two common electrodes,of which both are on the same levels in the construction investments.
LOW TEMPERATURE NANOCRYSTALLIZATION OF Fe_(78)Si_9B_(13) AMORPHOUS ALLOY TREATED BY LOW-FREQUENCY MAGNETIC PULSING

Amorphous Fe_(78)Si_9B_(13) alloys have been treated by low frequency magnetic pulsing. The temperature rise in the course of the application of pulsed magnetic field was measured by a non- contact infrared thermometer.The microstructure change of amorphous specimens after treatment was observed by M(?)ssbauer spectroscopy and TEM.The results showed that nanocrystallization of amorphous specimens can occur at low temperature(the temperature riseΔT=7℃).The volume content and grain size of nanocrystalline phaseα-Fe(Si)are about 2.18%—9.43% and 10nm,respec- tively.Compared with the as-quenched sample,the double-phase nanocrystalline alloy has obvious high mean hyperfine magnetic field.
Optical Interference for Deformation Measurements--Classical, Holographic and Moiré Interferometry

Interferometry is a powerful tool. It enables measurements of surface topography, dimensional changes and deformations of solid bodies, all in the sub-wavelength sensitivity range. This article is a tutorial treatment of the subject. Its purpose is to introduce modern interferometric techniques of engineering measurements; and to explain them in sufficient detail to generate a comfortable association with the subject. Ultimately, the mission is to foster understanding and appreciation in order to inspire increased utilization and further development.
Democracy and authoritarianism in South Asia: Societies, cultures and ideologies: hybrids in contrived monoliths

Threading the intricacies of multiple social, cultural and ideological meanings informing subcontinental South Asian states and politics is a task befitting a team of artful tapestry makers. Subcontinental societies in their varied regional and sub-regional cultural and ideological hues defy unidimensional patterning onto neat seamless folds. At each step in their historical evolution they have devised their own modes of resistance, both passive and active, to the dominant frames within which centralized states have sought to embroider a coherent national identity. Partly expressed in the dialectic of state and political processes, social dynamics at the regional and local levels also need to be decoded in terms of their own relatively autonomous, if never wholly insular, cultural and ideological idioms. Neither static nor unchanging, these represent the hybrid and improvised responses of different social formations to the centralized state's efforts at constructing and imposing monolithic cultural and ideological meanings. The dialogue between state and societal cultural and ideological semantics waxes and wanes according to the level of political and economic incorporation of specific regions. But at no stage does it fade away to establish the omnipotence of state-sponsored symbols and meanings. Resistance to the dominant discourse promoted by the state has been an immutable feature of South Asian societies and psyches. Shaped in overlapping realms of the public and the private, these contestations have given cultural processes a certain measure of autonomy from the state, even as they are influenced by the larger political and economic context.
Imperial Scripts and Vaudeville Skits: Faulty Memory and the Power of Performance

The War of 1898 is typically described as the moment Uncle Sam somewhat reluctantly claims the spotlight on the world stage; indeed, the metaphor of the theatrum mundi is vital to the War’s historiography. (Jeffrey H. Richards, Theater Enough: American Culture and the Metaphor of the World Stage, 1607–1789 (Durham: Duke University Press, 1991); Gary W. Reichard et al., eds., America on the World Stage: A Global Approach to U.S. History (Organization of American Historians, 2008). The War lasted from April 25 to August 12, 1898.) As Louis A. Perez Jr. notes, US historians writing between the two World Wars celebrated 1898 as the country’s “point of debut on the global stage, an affirmation of [its] place of importance in world affairs.” (Louis A. Perez, Jr., The War of 1898: The United States and Cuba in History and Historiography (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998), 131) The rhetorical force of this narrative persists in both professional and popular contemporary historiography and its function continues to be to simultaneously occlude and announce Uncle Sam’s role as a global power. (Thomas David Schoonover, Uncle Sam’s War of 1898 and the Origin of Globalization (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2003). Donna Littlejohn, “Spanish-American War to Take Center Stage in San Pedro Military Re-Enactment Weekend,” Daily Breeze (2013), http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20130706/spanish-american-war-to-take-center-stage-in-san-pedro-military-re-enactment-weekend).
Gravity orientation tuning in macaque anterior thalamus

Gravity may provide a ubiquitous allocentric reference to the brain's spatial orientation circuits. Here we describe neurons in the macaque anterior thalamus tuned to pitch and roll orientation relative to gravity, independently of visual landmarks. We show that individual cells exhibit two-dimensional tuning curves, with peak firing rates at a preferred vertical orientation. These results identify a thalamic pathway for gravity cues to influence perception, action and spatial cognition.
Ovalidota milleri, a new genus and species of bathyal sea cucumber from the Caribbean Sea (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Apodida)

Ovalidota milleri new genus, new species, is a chiridotid holothurian with an egg-shaped body, a broad oral field surrounded by 18 19 (?20) tentacles, and body wall ossicles in the form of typical Chiridota wheels gathered into papillae and also scattered among the papillae. It is known from two localities in the Caribbean, near St. Vincent and at Grand Cayman Island, in bathyal depths of 366-414 metres. The egg-shaped body of this new genus is unique in the Order Apodida. When more material becomes available for study, Ovalidota milleri may be referred to a new family.
Understanding the Mechanisms of Human RNA Polymerase II Transcription using Single Molecule Fluorescence Colocalization

Transcription is the first step in cellular gene expression and a key regulatory point for determining how a cell responds to stimuli. In mammalian cells, transcription is initiated by the formation of a pre-initiation complex (PIC), an assembly of general transcription factors (GTFs) and RNA polymerase II (Pol II), on promoter DNA. Our goal is to use single molecule approaches to address mechanisms of PIC formation and activity that have previously been unattainable using traditional biochemical approaches. We have developed a novel single molecule total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy assay that allows us to visualize human Pol II transcriptional activity on individual DNA templates. With this single molecule setup, we have performed experiments to address the pathways by which active pre-initiation complexes can form. Ultimately we found that Pol II and three GTFs can form a quaternary complex in the absence of promoter DNA, indicating that a stable network of interactions exists between these proteins independent of promoter DNA.We are also developing a single molecule system to monitor dynamic protein-protein interactions that facilitate activation of transcription. It has long been known that transcriptional activators interact with subunits of transcription factor IID (TFIID) to potentiate high levels of transcription, however, the biophysical parameters defining these interactions are almost entirely uncharacterized. We have developed a novel method to label transcriptional activators and monitor their interactions with transcription factor TFIID in real-time using single molecule fluorescence colocalization. We observe that the activation domains from different activators exhibit different kinetic parameters for interactions with TFIID. We are positioned to address previously unanswered questions regarding how important protein-protein interactions between TFIID and transcriptional activators impact gene expression.
Computational modeling to advance deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Deep brain stimulation is effective at improving motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. However, the mechanism of action remains unclear and more efficient approaches to stimulation may improve patient quality of life. Here we review how computational models have been used to understand and advance the therapy. We describe two classes of models: (1) abstract models, which aim to replicate behaviors without simulating exact patient measures, and (2) clinically predictive models, which aim to simulate patient specific parameters. Abstract models can be used to develop novel patterns of stimulation while clinically predictive models can be used to aid clinicians in selecting therapeutic stimulation parameters for each patient. These principles can likely be applied to stimulation therapies for a number of disorders.
The role of mindfulness skills in terms of anxiety-related cognitive risk factors among college students with problematic alcohol use

ABSTRACTBackground: The aim of the current study was to examine the associations between the specific mindfulness skills of observing, describing, awareness, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity in terms of anxiety sensitivity (AS), distress tolerance (DT), and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) among college students with problematic alcohol use. Methods: Participants were 202 (69.3% male; Mage = 18.96, SD = 2.24, range = 18–45 years) undergraduate college students with problematic alcohol use who completed self-report measures for course credit. Results: Results indicated that after controlling for the effects of gender, smoking status, marijuana use status, and negative affectivity, greater use of the mindfulness skill of observing was associated with higher AS, greater describing was associated with lower AS and higher DT, greater nonjudgment was associated with lower AS and IU and higher DT, and greater nonreactivity was associated with increased DT. Awareness did not significantly predict any of the examined...
Financial toxicity of cancer treatment at a large academic cancer center.

e18323Background: Many studies have shown that patients with cancer are at higher risk of financial difficulty than those without cancer. Given the rising cost of cancer therapy it is important to ...
Murine Myocardial Transcriptome Analysis Reveals a Critical Role of COPS8 in the Gene Expression of Cullin-RING Ligase Substrate Receptors and Redox and Vesicle Trafficking Pathways.

Background: The COP9 signalosome (CSN) consisting of 8 unique protein subunits (COPS1 through COPS8) serves as the cullin deneddylase, regulating the catalytic dynamics of cullin RING ligases (CRLs), the largest family of ubiquitin ligases Background: The COP9 signalosome (CSN) consisting of 8 unique protein subunits (COPS1 through COPS8) serves as the cullin deneddylase, regulating the catalytic dynamics of cullin RING ligases (CRLs), the largest family of ubiquitin ligases. Supported primarily by the decrease of substrate receptor (SR) proteins of CRLs in cells deficient of a CSN subunit, CSN-mediated cullin deneddylation is believed to prevent autoubiquitination and self-destruction of the SR in active CRLs. However, it is unclear whether the decrease in SRs is solely due to protein destabilization. Moreover, our prior studies have demonstrated that cardiac specific knockout of Cops8 (Cops8-CKO) impairs autophagosome maturation and causes massive necrosis in cardiomyocytes but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Given that Cops8 is nucleus-enriched and a prior report showed its binding to the promoter of several genes and association of its ablation with decreased mRNA levels of these genes, we sought to determine the dynamic changes of myocardial transcriptome in mice with perinatal Cops8-CKO and to explore their functional implications. Methods and Results: Myocardial transcriptomes of Cops8flox/flox , Cops8flox/+::Myh6-Cre, and Cops8flox/flox::Myh6-Cre littermate mice at postnatal 2 and 3 weeks were analyzed. The data were imported into an in-house analysis pipeline using Bioconductor for quantile normalization and statistical analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups at each time point or between time points within the group were revealed by t-test. Genes with p < 0.05 after Benjamini and Hochberg false discovery rate correction for multiple hypothesis testing were considered as significant DEGs. We found that (1) the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed significant enrichment of DEGs in multiple pathways, especially those responding to oxidative stress, in homozygous Cops8-CKO hearts at both 2 and 3 weeks, corroborating the occurrence of massive cardiomyocyte necrosis at 3 weeks; (2) the decreases in multiple CRL SR proteins were associated with decreased transcript levels; and (3) enrichment of DEGs in the chromatin remodeling pathway and the microtubule motility and vesicle trafficking pathways. Conclusions: Our data are consistent with the notion that Cops8/CSN plays a role in the transcriptional regulation of CRL SRs and in the redox and vesicle trafficking pathways.
Identification of Itea virginica Cultivars by Using RAPD-PCR

Abstract Itea virginica L., Virginia sweetspire, is a flowering shrub native to the eastern United States. It has become popular recently due to its multiple seasons of interest, ease of propagation, and relative lack of significant insect or disease problems. Several cultivars of I. virginica varying in fall color, growth habit, and inflorescence length are now commonly seen in the landscape. These cultivars can be difficult to distinguish morphologically and can be confused in the trade. We used randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to reliably identify four of six commonly grown cultivars: ‘Sarah Eve’, ‘Saturnalia’, ‘Henry's Garnet’, and ‘Longspire’. The technique was also useful for identifying unknown or apparently mis-labeled cultivars. However, RAPD markers were not sensitive enough to separate the well-known I. virginica cultivars ‘Sprinch’ (Little Henry™) and ‘Merlot’.
Changes to the Ticket to Work Regulations in 2008 Attracted Providers and Participants, But Impacts on Work and Benefits are Unclear

In this article, the authors use administrative data from the Social Security Administration to explore employment service provider and beneficiary participation in the Ticket to Work program over time and to assess the extent to which participants had earnings sufficient to have their cash benefits suspended or terminated for work. The authors focus on the effects of 2008 regulatory changes to the program on participation and participant earnings.