cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA02: Genome regulation by long noncoding RNAs

The discovery of extensive transcription of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) provide an important new perspective on the centrality of RNA in gene regulation. I will discuss genome-scale strategies to discover and characterize lncRNAs. Genome-wide mapping of RNA secondary structures, termed the structurome, provides important clues to potential functions of regulatory RNAs. An emerging theme from multiple model systems is that lncRNAs form extensive networks of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes with numerous chromatin regulators, and target these enzymatic activities to appropriate locations in the genome. Consistent with this notion, long noncoding RNAs can function as modular scaffolds to specify higher order organization in RNP complexes and in chromatin states. The importance of these modes of regulation is underscored by the newly recognized roles of long RNAs in developmental patterning and cancer. Citation Format: Howard Y. Chang. Genome regulation by long noncoding RNAs. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Noncoding RNAs and Cancer: Mechanisms to Medicines ; 2015 Dec 4-7; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(6 Suppl):Abstract nr IA02.
The OCTN2 carnitine transporter and fatty acid oxidation

Carnitine (3-hydroxy -4-trimethylammonium butyrate) is a hydrophilic molecule that plays an essential role in the transfer of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria for β-oxidation (Scaglia and Longo 1999). Carnitine also binds acyl residues and helps in their elimination. This decreases the number of acyl residues conjugated with Coenzyme A (CoA) and increases the ratio between free and acylated CoA (Bieber 1988). Less defined functions of carnitine include the shuttling of fatty acids between different intracellular organelle s (peroxisomes, microsomes, and mitochondria) involved in fatty acid metabolism (Bieber 1988). Carnitine deficiency has been known for several years in humans, but the difference between primary and secondary carnitine deficiency has only been fully defined in recent years. This chapter will review the structure and function of the OCTN2 carnitine transporter defective in primary carnitine deficiency.
The Role of Indicators and Surveys in the Service of Children’s Needs

The health and welfare of children has traditionally been seen as a major concern of both the public and the private sectors of society. Development of our human resources along with the fostering of economic growth and environmental improvement is increasingly the object of social planning and public policy. A central focus of such planning involves the improvement of the lot of children and youth, especially those whose potentialities have been limited by the inequities of poverty and discrimination.
Target Engagement with Transcranial Current Stimulation

Transcranial electric stimulation (tES) applies a weak electric current to the scalp, which causes an electric field that changes brain activity and behavior. Despite the rapidly growing number of studies that report successful modulation of behavior in both healthy participants and patients, little is known about how tES modulates brain activity. In this chapter, we discuss what we know and what we do not know about the targeting of brain networks with tES. We provide an in-depth review of studies that use computational models, in vitro and in vivo animal models, and human participants to elucidate the mechanism of action of tES. The main emerging themes are (1) that the stimulation interacts with endogenous network dynamics, (2) functional connectivity represents an attractive and underexplored target for tES, and (3) that low-frequency cortical oscillations during sleep and anesthesia have become the flagship network target to elucidate the mechanisms of tES.
Substance abuse may hasten motor onset of Huntington disease Evaluating the Enroll-HD database

Objective: To investigate the relationship between substances of abuse and age at motor onset (AMO) in patients with Huntington disease (HD) in a large and diverse patient population. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of the Enroll-HD database. Participants were determined to belong to 1 of 3 substance abuse groups: (1) tobacco abusers, (2) alcohol abusers, and (3) drug abusers. A group of participants who had never abused substances served as a control group. The average AMO of patients in the substance abuse groups was compared to the control group. The number of CAG repeats was used as a covariate in all analyses. Results: The average difference in AMOs of participants in the tobacco (n = 566), alcohol (n = 374), and drug abuse groups (n = 217) compared to the control group (n = 692) were 2.3 (F1, 1,258 = 33.8, p Conclusions: Substances of abuse have a strong effect on the AMO in patients with HD. These effects seem to be amplified in women with HD compared to men. These results may provide a safe intervention capable of adding disease-free years to patients with HD.
Introducing "Genomics and Precision Health".

The US health care system has seen significant changes over the last decade resulting from diverse factors including the widespread adoption of electronic health records, the opioid crisis, and the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act. Such changes have buffeted the day-to-day work of physicians and other health care practitioners, leaving many finding it challenging to address demands placed on them. Looking forward in 2017, it seems that the future will hold more turbulence.1 In this milieu, it is easily possible to overlook that medicine has been undergoing a much more gradual and deeper transformation. This shift is inexorably moving medicine from an endeavor in which care for individual patients is driven by trial and error informed by studies designed to measure population outcomes to one in which care is selected based on a deep understanding of health and disease attributes unique to each individual. Accelerated by the completion of the Human Genome Project, this transformation has been variably called genomic medicine, genomic health care, personalized medicine, precision medicine, and precision health. The extent to which it ultimately alters medicine remains unclear.
Using Suction to Minimize Sand-Bed Scour

An unprotected cylindrical pier was exposed to the erosive forces of unidirectional currents with superimposed waves traveling with or against the current. The same set of tests was repeated with a cylinder through which ground flow was pumped. Inducing suction through a cylinder placed in a sand bed greatly reduces scour and enhances stability. By sufficiently increasing the pumping rate, even the combined dislocating forces of waves and currents can be nullified.
Cytoplasmic Dynein Transports Axonal Microtubules in a Polarity-Sorting Manner

Axonal microtubules are predominantly organized into a plus-end-out pattern. Here, we tested both experimentally and with computational modeling whether a motor-based polarity-sorting mechanism can explain this microtubule pattern. The posited mechanism centers on cytoplasmic dynein transporting plus-end-out and minus-end-out microtubules into and out of the axon, respectively. When cytoplasmic dynein was acutely inhibited, the bi-directional transport of microtubules in the axon was disrupted in both directions, after which minus-end-out microtubules accumulated in the axon over time. Computational modeling revealed that dynein-mediated transport of microtubules can establish and preserve a predominantly plus-end-out microtubule pattern as per the details of the experimental findings, but only if a kinesin motor and a static cross-linker protein are also at play. Consistent with the predictions of the model, partial depletion of TRIM46, a protein that cross-links axonal microtubules in a manner that influences their polarity orientation, leads to an increase in microtubule transport.
First human use of hybrid synthetic/biologic mesh in ventral hernia repair: a multicenter trial.

Mesh options for reinforcement of ventral/incisional hernia (VIH) repair include synthetic or biologic materials. While each material has known advantages and disadvantages, little is understood about outcomes when these materials are used in combination. This multicenter study reports on the first human use of a novel synthetic/biologic hybrid mesh (Zenapro® Hybrid Hernia Repair Device) for VIH repair. This prospective, multicenter post-market clinical trial enrolled consecutive adults who underwent elective VIH repair with hybrid mesh placed in the intraperitoneal or retromuscular/preperitoneal position. Patients were classified as Ventral Hernia Working Group (VHWG) grades 1–3 and had clean or clean-contaminated wounds. Outcomes of ventral and incisional hernia were compared using appropriate parametric tests. In all, 63 patients underwent VIH repair with hybrid mesh. Most were females (54.0%), had a mean age of 54.8 ± 10.9 years and mean body mass index of 34.5 ± 7.8 kg/m2, and classified as VHWG grade 2 (87.3%). Most defects were midline (92.1%) with a mean area of 106 ± 155 cm2. Cases were commonly classified as clean (92.1%) and were performed laparoscopically (60.3%). Primary fascial closure was achieved in 82.5% with 28.2% requiring component separation. Mesh location was frequently intraperitoneal (69.8%). Overall, 39% of patients available for follow-up at 12 months suffered surgical site events, which were generally more frequent after incisional hernia repair. Of these, seroma (23.7%) was most common, but few (8.5%) required procedural intervention. Other surgical site events that required procedural intervention included hematoma (1.7%), wound dehiscence (1.7%), and surgical site infection (3.4%). Recurrence rate was 6.8% (95% CI 2.2–16.6%) at 12-months postoperatively. Zenapro® Hybrid Hernia Repair Device is safe and effective in VHWG grade 1–2 patients with clean wounds out to 12 months. Short-term outcomes and recurrence rate are acceptable. This hybrid mesh represents a novel option for reinforcement during VIH repair.
Changes in Geometry and Cardiac Deformation of the Thoracic Aorta after Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair

Background Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has dramatically expanded treatment options for patients with thoracic aortic pathology. The interaction between endografts and the dynamic anatomy of the thoracic aorta is not well characterized for repetitive physiologic stressors and subsequent issues related to long-term durability. Through three-dimensional (3D) modeling we sought to quantify cardiac-induced aortic deformation before and after TEVAR to assess the impact of endografts on dynamic aortic anatomy. Methods Eight patients with acute (n = 4) or chronic (n = 3) type B dissections, or chronic arch aneurysm (n = 1), underwent TEVAR with a single (n = 5) or multiple (n = 3) Gore C-TAG(s). Cardiac-resolved thoracic CT images were acquired pre- and post-TEVAR. 3D models of thoracic aorta and branch vessels were constructed in systole and diastole. Axial length, mean, and peak curvature of the ascending aorta, arch, and stented lumens were computed from the aortic lumen centerline, delineated with branch vessel landmarks. Cardiac-induced deformation was computed from mid-diastole to end-systole. Results Pre-TEVAR, there were no significant cardiac-induced changes for aortic axial length or mean curvature. Post-TEVAR, the ascending aorta increased in axial length (2.7 ± 3.1%, P Conclusions TEVAR for a range of indications not only causes direct geometric changes to the stented aorta but also results in dynamic changes to the ascending and stented aorta. In our cohort, endograft placement straightens the stented aorta and mutes cardiac-induced bending due to longitudinal stiffness. This is compensated by greater length and curvature changes from diastole to systole in the ascending aorta, relative to pre-TEVAR.
A Functional Approach to Data Science in CS1

As part of the development of a new interdisciplinary initiative in data science that draws from statistics, mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, we have developed a new introductory CS course that emphasizes data science and that we refer to as DataCSCi. Unlike other introductory data science courses, such as Berkeley's Data 8, our course retains the broad array of concepts necessary not only to introduce programming principles related to data science, but also to prepare students for the second course in our standard introductory computer science sequence. In particular, the course includes coverage of recursion (numeric and structural), unit testing, linked data structures, and other concepts we rely upon in subsequent courses in computer science. At the same time, we introduce students to a wide variety of techniques and approaches that support them in their subsequent work in data science, including techniques for wrangling, cleaning, and visualizing data. We achieve this combination of breadth and depth through two core approaches: We focus on a spiral "use then implement" approach and we focus on a functional model of programming using Scheme/Racket. While Python and R are the most commonly used languages for data science, we find that Scheme works particularly well to introduce students to concepts both complex, like map-reduce, and simple, like list filtering. In this paper, we report on the design of the curriculum, particularly the capstone project and the ways in which we incorporate the burgeoning subfield of data science for social good.
Effects of Image Presentation Highlighting and Accuracy on Target Category Learning

This study alters various exemplar presentation parameters to determine their effects on human online category learning for a future system that combines humans and computer vision (CV). Online category learning is necessary in this system because we envision that humans will need to provide input to assist CV modules in determining category labels without reducing throughput and without necessarily having expert knowledge of each category. In our study, subjects participated in a Rapid Serial Visual Presentation paradigm in which they were asked to determine the target category from highlighted exemplar images interspersed among distractor images. In Experiment 1, the highlighting method was varied among four options and a negative (no-label) and positive (explicit, text-based) control. In Experiment 2, label accuracy was altered by incorrectly labeling some distractor and exemplar images. In both experiments, there were three levels of difficulty that varied the similarity between distractor and exemplar images. The results show that most highlighting methods resulted in equivalent accuracy to the positive control, but certain modalities were more effective at varying difficulty levels. In addition, the subject accuracy was sensitive to distractors highlighted as targets, but not to nonhighlighted exemplars. Our results indicate that human online category learning can be optimized for human–system interaction.
Rationality and the Green Revolution

Adaptation via differential success among competing individuals creates winners and losers. But adaptation via cultural group selection creates benefits that are shared among group members. During the twentieth century, evolutionary biologists and economists developed parallel theories of rationality, the gene’s eye view and rational choice theory, which imagine humans as self-interested individuals maximizing consumption of scarce resources. When rational choice theory was applied to agricultural development in the Green Revolution programs of the 1940s to the 1980s, it turned otherwise cooperative farmers into competitors for cash profits, resulting in a process akin to differential mortality, generating wealth for some but exacerbating poverty for many. I suggest that evolutionary biology may offer an alternative view of human rationality, one consistent with ethnographic evidence of farmers’ behavior. One emerging candidate for a “Rationality 2.0” assumes cultural inheritance, cultural group selection, strong reciprocity, and bounded rationality. Farmers make decisions that balance individual benefits with family and community well-being. While the new Alliance for a Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA) seeks technical solutions within its seeds, soils, policy, and markets programs, Rationality 2.0 suggests that AGRA should also promote community cohesion, autonomy, human capability, and reduced dependence on imported technology.
Outflows from Straits

Abstract Outflows from three straits, Tsushima, Soya and Tsugaru are treated from the law of potential vorticity conservation of a two-layer sea with the motionless lower layer. Water temperature profiles of these straits indicate a narrow geostrophic flow at a distance from the coast. width may be predicted from the transport through strait based on the law mentioned above. Its
Most meat products have digestible indispensable amino acid scores that are greater than 100, but processing may increase or reduce protein quality.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that meat products have digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) >100 and that various processing methods will increase standardised ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) and DIAAS. Nine ileal-cannulated gilts were randomly allotted to a 9 × 8 Youden square design with nine diets and eight 7-d periods. Values for SID of AA and DIAAS for two reference patterns were calculated for salami, bologna, beef jerky, raw ground beef, cooked ground beef and ribeye roast heated to 56, 64 or 72°C. The SID of most AA was not different among salami, bologna, beef jerky and cooked ground beef, but was less (P 100 and bologna and 64°C ribeye roast had the greatest (P 100 regardless of processing. However, overcooking meat may reduce AA digestibility and DIAAS.
Is It the End of Our World? How to Think About Implications and Challenges

We live in a world so seemingly filled with “fake news” and hype, and not just in politics but also very much, too, with technology, that it can be difficult to make sense of our growing and intimate dependency on information technologies. In the summer of 2019, responsible news outlets buzzed with reports that children were growing “horns” (bone spurs) on the backs of their necks from walking around looking at smartphones and tablets. Critics quickly pointed out that the data reported in the initial scientific paper was faulty, but the press ran with the story anyway, including the distinguished Washington Post. It reported in May that,” kids are growing horns on their heads …. It’s technology’s fault.” Crazy? Plausible? It seemed so if you already knew that the human species is capable of very rapid evolution. Feed a generation of children properly and they grow several inches taller than their parents, military medical records have proven that point. Play a ball game requiring use of your right arm and it becomes larger and stronger than the other one. Every outstanding soccer player has thick, strong thighs. We all have personal experience observing the evolution of our bodies in support of repetitive actions. So, notions of humans evolving so that their thumbs can text faster or their heads bend over so to read screens and walk at the same time seem plausible.
Terabase-scale metagenome coassembly with MetaHipMer

Metagenome sequence datasets can contain terabytes of reads, too many to be coassembled together on a single shared-memory computer; consequently, they have only been assembled sample by sample (multiassembly) and combining the results is challenging. We can now perform coassembly of the largest datasets using MetaHipMer, a metagenome assembler designed to run on supercomputers and large clusters of compute nodes. We have reported on the implementation of MetaHipMer previously; in this paper we focus on analyzing the impact of very large coassembly. In particular, we show that coassembly recovers a larger genome fraction than multiassembly and enables the discovery of more complete genomes, with lower error rates, whereas multiassembly recovers more dominant strain variation. Being able to coassemble a large dataset does not preclude one from multiassembly; rather, having a fast, scalable metagenome assembler enables a user to more easily perform coassembly and multiassembly, and assemble both abundant, high strain variation genomes, and low-abundance, rare genomes. We present several assemblies of terabyte datasets that could never be coassembled before, demonstrating MetaHipMer's scaling power. MetaHipMer is available for public use under an open source license and all datasets used in the paper are available for public download.
Demystifying millimeter-wave V2X: towards robust and efficient directional connectivity under high mobility

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) networking represents a core technology to meet the demanding bandwidth requirements of emerging connected vehicles. However, the feasibility of mmWave vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity has long been questioned. One major doubt lies in how the highly directional mmWave links can sustain under high mobility. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive reality check of mmWave V2X networks. We deploy an experimental testbed to mimic a typical mmWave V2X scenario, and customize a COTS mmWave radio to enable microscopic investigation of the channel and the link. We further construct a high-fidelity 3D ray-tracer to reproduce the mmWave characteristics at scale. With this toolset, we study the mmWave V2X coverage, mobility and blockage, codebook/beam management, and spatial multiplexing. Our measurement debunks some common misperceptions of mmWave V2X networks. In particular, due to the constrained roadway network structures, we find the beam management can be handled easily by the often-denounced beam scanning schemes, as long as the codebook is properly designed. Blockage can be almost eliminated through proper basestation deployment and cooperation. Highly effective spatial multiplexing can be realized even without sophisticated MIMO radios. Our work points to possible ways to realize efficient and reliable mmWave networks under high mobility, while maintaining the simplicity of standard network protocols.
Atypical Variant of Guillain Barre Syndrome in a Patient with COVID-19.

Objective A rare variant Miller Fisher Syndrome overlap with Guillain Barre Syndrome is described in an adult patient with SARS-COV-2 infection. Case presentation The clinical course of a 45-year-old immunosuppressed man is summarized as a patient who developed ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, and areflexia after upper respiratory infection symptoms began. A nasopharyngeal swab was positive for COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction. He progressed to acute hypoxemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure requiring intubation and rapidly developed tetraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine was consistent with Guillain Barre Syndrome. However, the clinical symptoms, along with positive anti-GQ1B antibodies, were consistent with Miller Fisher Syndrome and Guillain Barre Syndrome overlap. The patient required tracheostomy and had limited improvement in his significant neurological symptoms after several months. Conclusions The case demonstrates the severe neurological implications, prolonged recovery and implications in the concomitant respiratory failure of COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms on the spectrum of disorders of Guillain Barre Syndrome.
Drug-Radiotherapy Combination Trial Developments-Letter.

We read with great interest the comprehensive review by Chargari and colleagues about the challenges of advancing new radiosensitizing drugs through preclinical models and clinical trials ([1][1]). The authors laid out a number of explanations and recommendations for moving forward with more success
Smart and connected scalp electronics for wireless, portable brain-machine interfaces

Inherent variation amongst human brains causes difficulty in implementing electroencephalography (EEG) into a universal brain-machine interface (BMI). Existing EEG systems suffer from an inconsistent signal quality, burdensome preparation time, and discomfort caused by rigid wires and metal electrodes in a hair cap. Additionally, leading classification methods require training on a per-subject or per-session basis. Although recent machine learning techniques offer a simpler EEG arrangement with fewer electrodes, these EEG devices still involve intrusive and bulky headgear, equipped with separate non-portable electrical hardware. Here, we introduce a fully portable, wireless, flexible scalp electronics on a soft elastomeric membrane, representing a comfortable and ergonomic wearable BMI. These imperceptible soft electronics incorporate an ultrathin nanomembrane electrode on non-hair-bearing skin, flexible conductive electrodes on the hair-bearing scalp, and low-profile, skin-conformal electronics on the neck for fully portable, wireless data acquisition. Analytical and computational studies establish the fundamental design criteria of the flexible, skin-like hybrid electronics (SKINTRONICS), enabling seamless, portable EEG recording with significantly enhanced signal quality over commercial systems. Newly designed time-domain analysis with deep convolutional neural networks allows real-time, highly accurate classification of steady-state visually evoked potentials from only two channels. This portable scalp system with six human participants achieves a high accuracy (94.54 ± 0.90%) for a corresponding information transfer rate of 122.1 ± 3.53 bits per minute. In vivo study of the fully portable BMI, enabled by the SKINTRONICS and deep-learning algorithm, shows precise, low-latency control of a wireless wheelchair, motorized vehicle, and keyboard-less presentation via two-channel EEG, which demonstrates potential implications for wide range applications of the new class of EEG-based universal BMI technologies.
Iatrogenic Delirium in Patients on Symptom-Triggered Alcohol Withdrawal Protocol: A Case Series.

In this report, we present a case series involving four patients placed on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, Revised (CIWA-Ar) protocol for alcohol or sedative-hypnotic withdrawal syndromes, who developed delirium on sustained or increasing symptom-triggered benzodiazepine dosages. In each of the four cases, delirium was not present on admission and resolved in the hospital itself with fixed benzodiazepine tapers. Cases were selected from an electronic medical record database of patients admitted to a United States-based university hospital and placed on CIWA-Ar between 2017 and 2018. This case series illustrates the major limitations of CIWA-Ar including its subjective nature, its susceptibility to inappropriate patient selection, and its requirement for providers to consider alternative etiologies to alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal syndromes. These cases demonstrate the necessity of considering other assessment and treatment options such as objective alcohol withdrawal scales, fixed benzodiazepine tapers, and even antiepileptics. An effective systems-based approach to overcoming these challenges may include setting time limits on CIWA-Ar orders within the electronic health record (EHR) system.
Super-resolution photothermal patterning in conductive polymers and nanowire patterning

The largest need in organic electronic devices is a universal method to produce micro- to nano-scale features for devices from semiconducting polymers cheaply, and at scale. We recently developed a solution method to optically pattern conjugated polymers with resolution that exceeds the linear Abbe diffraction limit. We examine the relationship between optical write intensity, write speed, and write wavelength on the resulting pattern fidelity. Finite element modeling reveals that nearly all patterning occurs as a result of local heating and superlinear resolution is a result of a highly non-linear dissolution rate for the polymer as a function of temperature. This result is general to any conjugated polymer. We used this new technique to fabricate P3HT/F4TCNQ nanowires We also demonstrate that a P3HT nanowires can be doped and de-doped from solution without changing the dimension of the wire.
Governance through Threats of Intervention and Exit

An activist shareholder who can discipline management through the threat of intervention and threat of exit endogenously determines what form of governance prevails in equilibrium. We specify conditions that lead to adoption of each form of governance as well as conditions under which these choices coincide with the most effective form of governance. Conditions encouraging the activist to establish a large toehold position discourage exit equilibria and encourage intervention equilibria. Whether stock liquidity enhances governance depends on which form of governance is most effective and whether the liquidity arises during the toehold-acquiring or the activism phase of the blockholder's activity.
Seizures in Subdural Hematoma

Subdural hemorrhage (SDH) or hematoma is a common neurological condition that often complicates traumatic brain injury. It usually occurs when the bridging veins between the dura and arachnoid maters rupture allowing blood to accumulate in the subdural space. SDH is divided into acute, subacute, or chronic forms based on the time of head injury and clinical presentation. It is often surgically evacuated especially if the presentation is acute. SDH can be associated with different neurological signs and symptoms including seizures. There is an increased risk of seizures in the 1st week after SDH, and this risk may persist for some time after surgical decompression. Seizures can be partial or generalized in type, and status epilepticus can occur in these patients. The electroencephalogram (EEG) findings in SDH include focal and generalized slowing patterns and epileptiform discharges. Some of these patients benefit from continuous video-EEG monitoring which allows the identification of subtle or subclinical seizures and certain electrographic patterns that require treatment. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are used whenever clinical seizures occur or prophylactically during the 1st week following an acute SDH. AEDs are often used prophylactically in chronic SDH, but this practice is controversial.
Predictive Modeling for Fatigue Crack Propagation via Linearizing Time Transformations

Engineering structures operating under cyclic loading are subject to fatigue damage accumulation, which leads to the initiation and subsequent growth of fatigue cracks. Predictive modeling of fatigue crack growth is important for the prevention of catastrophic failures commonly associated with aging air-transport fleets, critical aerospace components, and other large engineering structures such as hydroelectric dams and off-shore oil rigs. In this article, we demonstrate how a training sample of few experimental units from the underlying fatigue crack growth process can be effectively used to predict the crack propagation of an unit under use into the future, given its early growth history. Aspects of the process that represent population (macro) growth characteristics are integrated in a semiparametric time transformation model, which linearizes the functional relationship between average crack length and the number of load cycles. On the transformed time scale, individual (micro) growth characteristics are effectively accounted by a linear model fitted to whatever initial crack-growth data might be available for the particular specimen of interest. The prediction results for an experimental data set are quite appealing.
The effects of copper deficiency with or without high dietary iron or molybdenum on immune function of cattle.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of Cu deficiency with or without high dietary Mo or Fe on the specific immunity of calves. In Exp. 1, calves from 38 bred heifers, fed corn silage-based experimental diets from the last third of gestation until the calves were weaned, were used. Dietary treatments were control (no supplemental Fe, Mo, or Cu), 600 mg of supplemental Fe/kg of DM, 5 mg of supplemental Mo/kg of DM, and 10 mg of supplemental Cu/kg of DM. In Exp. 2, 18 Holstein bull calves were fed commercial milk replacer low in Cu for 49 d and then fed semipurified diets containing approximately 1.1 mg of Cu/kg of DM or diets supplemented with 5 mg of Mo or 10 mg of Cu per kilogram of DM for 126 d. Feeding diets not supplemented with Cu resulted in severe Cu deficiency in both experiments. During Exp. 1, control calves had higher (P < .10) secondary antibody response to pig erythrocytes than Cu-, Mo-, and Fe-supplemented calves. During Exp. 2, in vitro Cu supplementation decreased (P < .01) lymphocyte blastogenic response. In vivo cell-mediated response to phytohemagglutinin was decreased (P < .10) by Cu supplementation during Exp. 1 but was increased (P < .10) by Cu and Mo supplementation during Exp. 2. Copper deficiency and Cu deficiency coupled with high dietary Mo or Fe produced inconsistent immune function responses, indicating that Cu deficiency may not affect specific immune function of calves.
What if Nobody’s Listening?

In reading A. Wendy Nastasi’s very thoughtful call for Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) as a means for challenging hermeneutical injustice, I am struck by a nagging paradox centered on Kareem, the student involved in the Opportunity Gap project. One of Nastasi’s most powerful claims is that the counternarratives that come from YPAR have the potential to disrupt the hegemonic ideologies that sustain oppressive social relations. In so doing, they can help us to create more inclusive and empowering social and educational spaces. Here I am convinced that Nastasi is right, and that reframing how we understand the world is a critical element to any lasting social change effort. Yet I am also deeply troubled by Kareem’s experience in attempting to share what he learned about structural inequities and the disproportionate suspension rates for Black boys in a forum for administrators and teachers. Simply put, they refused to hear him, resorting to all the dominant ideologies that are so commonly used to blame marginalized youth for their own struggles. Indeed, the more he and his co-researchers tried to share their insights, their alternative narratives, the more his mentors began to worry, particularly about “the limits of talk.” Maria Elena Torre et al. describe their exasperation at counter-stories offered and yet denied: “we grew weary of the volley of youth interruption followed by adult denial; critical research presented and refused.” Certainly these stories are doing some work, even as they are being refused. The seeds for alternative worldviews are circulating, and I am confident that some will eventually take root. Yet what about Kareem? What happens to his sense of himself, his efforts, and his faith that the research he is doing matters, when nobody seems to be listening? I am reminded of Langston Hughes’s poem about a dream deferred. What happens to a counter-narrative ignored, silenced, and/or refused? Does it dry up, fester, or sag like a heavy load? When might it lead Kareem to explode?
Early Embryology of the Cow. I. Gastrula and Primitive Streak Stages

Summary Serial sections of 16 bovine embryos recovered from cows slaughtered at 16, 17, and 18 days after insemination were studied to establish suitable standards of normal development and to define the limits of normal variation encountered during early pregnancy. The 16-day-old blastocysts were engaged in the processes of gastrulation, and ranged in development from a hollow bilaminar sphere to an elongate chorionic vesicle with an elevated germinal disk. Their principal features were the remarkably rapid growth of the trophoblast and the differentiation of somatic and splanchnic mesoderm. Blastocysts recovered at 17 days were characterized by further growth, cephalocaudal elongation of the germinal disk, and differentiations of Hensen's node and the primitive streak establishing the longitudinal axis. In the 18th day of development, the blastocysts extended throughout the major portion of the gravid horn and the embryos displayed well-defined primitive node, primitive groove, and notochord development. Amniogenesis was initiated and, in two specimens, completed amniotic sacs were present. Two cases of probable embryonic death were encountered in which the trophoblast persisted after loss and resorption of the embryonic area. The morphogenetic processes involved in gastrulation and primitive streak formation are considered in the light of reported high embryonic death during early pregnancy.
A wavelet-based multi-resolution PID controller

This paper presents a novel controller based on multi-resolution decomposition using wavelets. The controller is similar to a proportional-integral-derivative controller in principle and application. The output from a motion control system represents the cumulative effect of uncertainties such as measurement noise, frictional variation and external torque disturbances, which manifest at different scales. The wavelet is used to decompose the error signal into signals at different scales. These signals are then used to compensate for the uncertainties in the plant. Through hardware results on a motion control system this controller is shown to perform better than a PID in terms of its ability to provide smooth control signal, better disturbance and noise rejection.
Systematic approach to cosite analysis and mitigation techniques

Describes the development of an analysis tool used to determine a radio's operational performance in a multi-radio cosite environment. Using a Monte-Carlo simulation, the cosite analysis platform simulation program (CAPS) evaluates a receiver's performance as a function of radio-related parameters such as receiver/transmitter characteristics, individual operator message statistics, hop rates, frequency management techniques, as well as platform-related parameters such as antenna configuration, isolation, 'rusty bolts' effects, and characteristics of other support equipment including filters, couplers and amplifiers. The radio and equipment databases in CAPS are based on extensive laboratory measurements. CAPS identifies the major sources of interference (i.e. receiver desensitization/crossmodulation, transmitter broadband noise, intermodulation distortion products, etc.) and helps to facilitate the development of cost-effective solutions. >
On the use of metrics to compare process models, methods and tools

Summary form only given, as follows. It is stated that metrics provide the necessary measures to determine if there has been an improvement in productivity or quality. Used in this manner, the metrics prescribe how to capture information about some state of software development, product quality, etc. Given this baseline, the same information is collected later for some other state or practice. Within the limits of random error, the difference between these pairs of values will provide a measure of the improvements that can be attributed to the changes between the two states. Naturally, if there is uncertainty regarding the two states. Naturally, if there there is uncertainty regarding how many differences there are between these two states or if the metrics are qualitatively dissimilar, then the measures and their differences will have little value. >
Virtually Invisible Women: Women with Disabilities in Mainstream Psychological Theory and Research

A classical content analysis of PsycINFO journal abstracts from 1999 to 2003 revealed that women with disabilities are virtually invisible in mainstream psychology. We explore the implications of this invisibility.
A Mechanism To Automate The Production Of A Keyword Table For An Intelligent Active Assistance System

This paper describes the mechanism for generating a keyword table for an Intelligent Active Assistance System for small computers. This system runs under Unix (a trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories). The mechanism outlined would be applicable for any system where hierarchically organized text in the form of screens is used to explain to the user a variety of concepts. The goal of the Assistance System is to help the user learn more about Unix and its capabilities. It accomplishes this in two ways. First, it allows the user to ask questions about different system features and commands. Second, it monitors the user, maintains a history, and prompts the user on more efficient command sequences. Because of these two modes, this system is considered both intelligent and active. The keyword table is an essential component of the Assistance System's ability to answer user questions. When a user enters a question on a particular UNIX feature or asks how to accomplish a specific task, the Assistance System recognizes the key concepts in the question and uses the keyword table to determine which screens contain the appropriate information for answering the question. Since UNIX has a large number of features, the Assis-tance System Knowledge Base has developed incrementally and the keyword table needs to be frequently updated to include references to the new information. Therefore, we have automated the production of the keyword table. Auto-mation includes revising both the list of keywords and the references to screens containing each of the keywords. This is done in three steps: preparing a new list of keywords, pruning the list of unnecessary words, and searching the screens for references to each of the keywords.
Evaluation of Thermal Evolution Profiles and Estimation of Kinetic Parameters for Pyrolysis of Coal/Corn Stover Blends Using Thermogravimetric Analysis

The thermal evolution profiles and kinetic parameters for the pyrolysis of two Montana coals (DECS-38 subbituminous coal and DECS-25 lignite coal), one biomass sample (corn stover), and their blends (10%, 20%, and 30% by weight of corn stover) have been investigated at a heating rate of 5°C/min in an inert nitrogen atmosphere, using thermogravimetric analysis. The thermal evolution profiles of subbituminous coal and lignite coal display only one major peak over a wide temperature distribution, ~152–814°C and ~175–818°C, respectively, whereas the thermal decomposition profile for corn stover falls in a much narrower band than that of the coals, ~226–608°C. The nonlinearity in the evolution of volatile matter with increasing percentage of corn stover in the blends verifies the possibility of synergistic behavior in the blends with subbituminous coal where deviations from the predicted yield ranging between 2% and 7% were observed whereas very little deviations (1%–3%) from predicted yield were observed in blends with lignite indicating no significant interactions with corn stover. In addition, a single first-order reaction model using the Coats-Redfern approximation was utilized to predict the kinetic parameters of the pyrolysis reaction. The kinetic analysis indicated that each thermal evolution profile may be represented as a single first-order reaction. Three temperature regimes were identified for each of the coals while corn stover and the blends were analyzed using two and four temperature regimes, respectively.
Breast Tumor simulation and parameters estimation using evolutionary algorithms

An estimation methodology is presented to determine the breast tumor parameters using the surface temperature profile that may be obtained by infrared thermography. The estimation methodology involves evolutionary algorithms using artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA). The ANN is used to map the relationship of tumor parameters (depth, size, and heat generation) to the temperature profile over the idealized breast model. The relationship obtained from ANN is compared to that obtained by finite element software. Results from ANN training/testing were in good agreement with those obtained from finite element model. After ANN validation, GA is used to estimate tumor parameters by minimizing a fitness function involving comparing the temperature profiles from simulated or clinical data to those obtained by ANN. Results show that it is possible to determine the depth, diameter, and heat generation rate from the surface temperature data (with 5% random noise) with good accuracy for the 2D model. With 10% noise, the accuracy of estimation deteriorates for deep-seated tumors with low heat generation. In order to further develop this methodology for use in a clinical scenario, several aspects such as 3D breast geometry and the effects of nonuniform cooling should be considered in future investigations.
Analysis of creep and relaxation in composite laminates with holes

The time-dependent behavior of composite laminates subjected to mechanical loads is studied using linear viscoelastic theory. Three-dimensional finite elements are formulated to solve the integral equilibrium equations. Analyses of creep and stress relaxation in composites with holes are performed. Results indicate that the relaxation of interlaminar stresses depends on temperature and layups, and that the creep response of strains is affected by stress redistribution between plies.
Structure functions of quarks, gluons and hadrons in quantum chromodynamics

Abstract The Q2 variation of hadronic structure functions and of fragmentation functions in QCD is formulated in terms of Q2 dependent structure functions for the distribution of quarks and gluons in quark and gluon jets. This approach is completely equivalent to the standard moment analysis but is much more useful for obtaining qualitative results. Many old and new results for the behavior of quark and gluon jets and the implications for these results on the evolution of hadrons may be easily derived. It is easy to show, for example, that the ratio of gluon distributions in quark jets to that in gluon jets approaches a Q2 independent constant ( 4 9 ) as x → 0, that guon distributions in gluon jets vanish 9 4 times as rapidly as quark distributions in a quark jet at large x, Q2, and that at large x the leading hadrons in gluon jet fragmentation are produced via the sequential reaction gluon → quark → hadron, so that Dh/g(x, Q2) ∼ (1 − x) Dh/q (x, Q2). I present simple analytic expressions for hadronic structure and fragmentation functions and derive counting rules for QCD-based large-p⊥ inclusive jet and hadron cross sections.
Location‐Based Management for Construction: Planning, Scheduling and Control

Russell Kenley and Olli Seppanen, Spon Press, London, 2009, 336 pp., ISBN 978 0 415 37050 9, £90 I found this book to be a very well‐researched and written summary of prevalent construction industr...
Designing a support system for repairable items

Abstract A model is developed which yields the best system design (number and location of repair depots, number of repair channels at each depot and size of the spares inventory at each depot) to service a widely dispersed population of repairable units, subject to random failure. Considered in the design model is a service level constraint in terms of spares availability, as well as purchase costs of spares and repair channels, fixed costs of operating repair depots and unit repair and transportation costs. Failure and repair times are assumed to be exponential and finite source queueing theory coupled with a branch-and-bound algorithm are utilized in developing the model.