cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spinal neuronal plasticity is evident within 1 day after a painful cervical facet joint injury.

Excessive stretch of the cervical facet capsular ligament induces persistent pain and spinal plasticity at later time points. Yet, it is not known when such spinal modifications are initiated following this painful injury. This study investigates the development of hyperalgesia and neuronal hyperexcitability in the spinal cord after a facet joint injury. Behavioral sensitivity was measured in a model of painful C6/C7 facet joint injury in the rat, and neuronal hyperexcitability in the spinal cord was evaluated at 6 hours and 1 day after injury or a sham procedure, in separate groups. Extracellular recordings of C6/C7 dorsal horn neuronal activity (229 neurons) were used to quantify spontaneous and evoked firing. Rats exhibited no change in sensitivity to mechanical stimulation of the forepaw at 6 hours, but did exhibit increased sensitivity at 1 day after injury (p=0.012). At 6 hours, both spontaneous neuronal activity and firing evoked by light brushing, pinch, and von Frey filaments (1.4–26g) applied at the forepaw were not different between sham and injury. At 1 day, spontaneous firing was noted in a greater number of neurons after injury than sham (p<0.04). Evoked firing was also increased 1 day after injury compared to normal and sham (p<0.03). Dorsal horn hyperexcitability and increased spontaneous firing developed between 6 and 24 hours after painful facet injury, suggesting that the development of hyperalgesia parallels dorsal horn hyperexcitability following mechanical facet joint injury, and these spinal mechanisms are initiated as early as 1 day after injury.
Qubit Entanglement in Coherent Field Environments

We examine theoretically the entanglement between a pair of two-level atoms which are exposed to an exactly resonant coherent state. We report features like entanglement creation, entanglement sudden death (ESD) and periodic revival of entanglement.
Passivity Verification and Macromodel Interpolation Using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD)

Approximation of the Rational Function (RF) order plays a key role in passivity checking of large interconnect memory design. RF approximation can be estimated using the Least- square solutions; the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is used to solve large order macromodels. The interpolation method is used to solve linear systems by approximating the RF degree and coefficients. However, building the macromodel requires RF order approximation, which can lead to inaccurate passivity checking for complex systems. While inaccurate order estimation may lead to inaccuracy in the passivity checking process and drive to unnecessary passivity enforcement to the macromodel. Inaccurate passivity enforcement perturbation may cause large error adds up to the RF approximation, and may change the original design characteristics. Thus, passivity verification for larger order models requires determining the RF order, using the SVD resolved the inaccurate prior estimation of the model order, yet it yields to an exact solution. SVD is considered an expensive computational algorithm, but SVD shows accurate models order approximation. Using the SVD solved the problem associated with the passivity checking algorithm, which is estimating the initial number of poles or the model order. However, the correlation between determining the model order degree and passivity checking did not exist before. The DC frequency band and the truncation frequency point may lead to some residuals that affect the accuracy of this estimation. Using SVD to solve linear systems enhances the passivity checking of DRAM memory package and high end computers reduces the computation time.
Cooperative Prevention Systems to Protect Rangelands From the Spread of Invasive Plants

E astern Montana is a vast region dominated by weed-free plains grassland. The protection of these prairies from the spread of invasive plants through weed prevention areas (WPAs) can preserve high- quality rangelands for wildlife, livestock, and other ecosystem goods and services. Eastern Montana sustains a spacious region of native grasslands and shrublands (approximately 57,000 mi 2 ). The conservation of these rangelands has far- reaching societal implications for long-term sustainability of ecosystem services and rural livelihoods. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v34i1_g oodwin
Early Flight-Test and Other Boundary-Layer Research at Mississippi State 1949-1960

In 1949, August Raspet was hired by Mississippi State College to establish a research program in aerophysics. Raspet and coworkers began a series of experiments in boundary layers and other viscous flows that led to a number of discoveries, in particular the effectiveness of distributed suction in delaying transition and preventing separation. A number of these studies were conducted using gliders and modified general aviation aircraft. Eventually, two prototype aircraft were constructed that combined all of the technologies previously studied. This study surveys the boundary-layer research that led up to these prototype aircraft and discusses some of the technologies developed. The experimental techniques used are also discussed.
A solution of the cache ping-pong problem in multiprocessor systems

Abstract The cache ping-pong problem arises often in parallel processing systems where each processor has its own local cache and employs a copy-back protocol for the cache coherence. To solve the problem of large amounts of data moving back and forth between the caches in different processors, techniques associated with parallel compilers need to be developed. Based on the concept in [Fang, J. Z., Proc. International Conference on Parallel Processing, Aug. 1990, pp. II-271–II-275] regarding the relations between array element accesses and enclosed loop indices in nested parallel loops, we present an algorithm in this paper to reduce the unnecessary data movement between the caches for parallel loops with multiple array subscript expressions. By analyzing the array subscript expressions in the nested parallel loop constructs, the compilers can use the algorithm to prepare information at compile time and let the processor execute the corresponding iterations of parallel loops in terms of the data in its cache. It benefits the parallel programs in which parallel loops are enclosed by a sequential loop and have multiple different subscript expressions for the same array, whose elements are repeatedly used in the different iterations of the outermost sequential loop.
Analysis of T lymphocyte subsets in all stages of diabetes.

Direct immunofluorescence analysis of circulating blood lymphocytes from patients with all stages of Type I diabetes revealed marked pheno-typic abnormalities among all major T-lymphocyte subpopulations. The alterations were most pronounced in the prediabetics and comprised a stimulation of the T4+2H4+ and T8+2H4+ suppressor inducer sub-populations and corresponding depression of the T4+4B4+ helper inducers.
Viable Cell Recycle with an Inclined Settler in the Perfusion Culture of Suspended Recombinant Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells

The perfusion culture of suspended mammalian cells requires a cell retention device, the best of which will retain all viable cells and reject all nonviable cells and debris. The inclined settler is a passive, simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-maintain device that has been shown in the past to selectively remove single nonviable cells of hybridoma cultures. In this work, we have demonstrated the preferential return of viable recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells through the use of a three-port settler maintained at lower temperatures and vibrated to reduce cell attachment and enhance cell return to the bioreactor. The residence time of CHO cells in the cooled, vibrated settler was determined by flow-cytometric discrimination of tracer recombinant CHO cells. Cells returning to the bioreactor through the underflow had an average residence time of 1.46 h in the settler. During perfusion cultures with cell densities above 10(6) cells/mL, cells seen to be stalled within the settler were easily dislodged by periodic air bubbling using a simple back-flushing procedure in which headspace gas was brought through the settler underflow port. The resuspended cells were returned to the bioreactor within an average of 32 min after bubbling. This study demonstrates that inclined sedimentation technology can be utilized to selectively recycle viable recombinant CHO cells with only a short retention time in an inclined settler.
Symptoms and Disability After Major Peripheral Nerve Injury

Laceration and irrecoverable stretch, crush, or avulsion of a major peripheral nerve in the upper extremity causes substantial impairment in an adult patient. Hand care professionals who treat these patients encounter a wide range of coping strategies leading to varied courses of recovery and strikingly different final outcomes. There is evidence that the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of recovery (not to mention the circumstantial aspects such as worker compensation and litigation) are as important as the physical aspects. Awareness of the factors that facilitate or hinder these aspects of recovery might improve the quality and effectiveness of our care.
New Developments in Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for Environmental Forensics

For nearly three decades the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD) has been involved in the development of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for the determination of organic contaminants in environmental matrices. Classes of organic contaminants characterized in these materials include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides, and most recently, brominated flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers [PBDEs]). Environmental matrices include fossil fuels, air and diesel particulate matter, house dust, coal tar, sediment, mussel and fish tissue, fish oil, and whale blubber. Recent SRM developments and activities have led to a number of environmental SRMs that are useful for assuring quality of analytical measurements in environmental forensics where source profiling of organic contaminants is often conducted in a range of environmental or biological matrices. Particle-related SRM developments include the issue of a ne...
Two Old‐Norse Motifs in Lawman's Brut

(1948). Two Old‐Norse Motifs in Lawman's Brut. Studia Neophilologica: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 211-215.
Skylab observations of H I Lyman-alpha

The H I Lyman-alpha profiles obtained with the Skylab SO82-B spectrograph at spectral and spatial resolutions of 60 mA and 2 arcsec x 60 arcsec are presented. Profile variations are illustrated from center to limb, at different heights above the limb, and over a cell and network boundary. The Lyman-alpha core exhibits weak or no limb darkening, whereas the line wings show weak limb darkening. Above the limb, the Lyman-alpha core integrated intensity and line width remain in essence constant up to plus 12 arcsec and may result from resonance scattering of chromospheric radiation by coronal neutral hydrogen or from spicules. On the disk, intensities in the line core are seen as correlating well with the H-alpha network; however, the Lyman-alpha wing intensities are found to correlate better with the transition region lines. The average of profiles acquired over the cell and network region is found to be similar to profiles obtained in the cell.
The effect of student- and teacher-centred small-group learning in medical school on knowledge acquisition, retention and application

(1997). The effect of student- and teacher-centred small-group learning in medical school on knowledge acquisition, retention and application. Medical Teacher: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 53-57.
Inverse scattering problems with interior control

We report recent work on inverse scattering problems in which manipulation of internal degrees of freedom of a scattering medium leads to improvements in image resolution.
Host-specificity of folivorous insects in a moist tropical forest

1. To assess the degree of herbivore host-specificity in the moist tropical forest on Barro Colourado Island, Panama, I conducted an extensive series of feeding trials on the common insect herbivores from 10 tree species. 2. The herbivores were offered leaves from both congeneric and confamilial plant species to their known host species, as well as leaves from the most abundant tree species in the forest. 3. The amount of damage caused by these herbivores to young, expanding leaves was also measured on nine of the tree species. 4. Of 46 herbivores species (seven Coleoptera, one Orthoptera, 38 Lepidoptera), 26% were specialized to a single plant species, 22% were limited to feeding on a single genus and 37% were able to feed on several genera within a single family. The remaining 15% were generalists, able to feed from several different plant families. 5. The causes of leaf damage varied extensively across the tree species. On average, specialist herbivores caused 58% of the damage to young leaves, generalists herbivores 8% and fungal pathogens 34%. For four of the tree species, pathogens were the most important cause of leaf damage. 6. In this forest, most chewing herbivores appear to have fairly narrow diets, and these specialists are responsible for most of the insect herbivory.
STEATOHEPATITIS, SPONTANEOUS PEROXISOME PROLIFERATION AND LIVER TUMORS IN MICE LACKING PEROXISOMAL FATTY ACYL-COA OXIDASE:IMPLICATIONS FOR PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR ALPHA NATURAL LIGAND METABOLISM

Peroxisomal β-oxidation system consists of four consecutive reactions to preferentially metabolize very long chain fatty acids. The first step of this system, catalyzed by acyl-CoA oxidase (AOX), converts fatty acyl-CoA to 2-trans-enoyl-CoA. Herein, we show that mice deficient in AOX exhibit steatohepatitis, increased hepatic H2O2 levels, and hepatocellular regeneration, leading to a complete reversal of fatty change by 6 to 8 months of age. The liver of AOX−/− mice with regenerated hepatocytes displays profound generalized spontaneous peroxisome proliferation and increased mRNA levels of genes that are regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα). Hepatic adenomas and carcinomas develop in AOX−/− mice by 15 months of age due to sustained activation of PPARα. These observations implicate acyl-CoA and other putative substrates for AOX, as biological ligands for PPARα; thus, a normal AOX gene is indispensable for the physiological regulation of PPARα.
Turnover of cell-surface macromolecules in cultured dog tracheal epithelial cells.

Abstract We studied the metabolism of sulfated cell-surface macromolecules in dog tracheal epithelial cells in primary culture. To examine the time-course and rate of appearance of sulfated macromolecules at the cell surface, the cells were pulsed with 35SO4 for short periods (5–15 min), and the incubation medium was sampled for spontaneously released macromolecules (basal secretions) and for release induced by trypsin (trypsin-accessible secretions). Trypsin-accessible 35S-labeled macromolecules appeared on the cell surface within 5–10 min, increased linearly, and plateaued by 40 min; the median transit time for 35S-labeled macromolecules to reach the cell surface was 21 min. 35S-labeled macromolecules in basal secretions increased with a similar time-course, reaching a plateau by 40 min. Incorporation of [3H]serine into the protein moiety of trypsin-accessible macromolecules occured more slowly; trypsin-accessible 3H-labelled macromolecules were barely detectable at 1 h and increased to a maximum after 2 h, suggesting the presence of a preformed pool of nonsulfated core protein. Pretreatment with cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, decreased trypsin-accessible 35S-labeled macromolecules log-linearly depending on the duration of pretreatment providing an estimate of the rate of depletion of the core protein pool ( t 1 2 = 32 min ). During continuous exposure to 35SO4, 35S-labeled macromolecules accumulated on the cell surface (trypsin-accessible compartment) for 16 h, at which point the cell-surface pool was saturated ( t 1 2 = 7.5 h ). After pulse-labeling the cells with 35SO4 for 15 min, the 35S-labeled macromolecules disappeared continuously from the cell surface ( t 1 2 = 4.6 h ), and 79% of the radioactivity was recovered in the medium as nondialyzable macromolecules. Release of the 35S-labeled macromolecules from the cell surface was abolished at 4°C, indicative of an energy-dependent process, but multiple proteinase inhibitors did not affect the release. We conclude that sulfate is metabolized rapidly into epithelial cell-surface macromolecules, which accumulate continuously into a relatively large cell-surface pool, before they are released by an undefined energy-dependent mechanism.
Simultaneous elemental determination of aluminum and silicon in soils by gamma-ray detection following inelastic neutron scattering

The detection of prompt γ-rays produced by the inelastic scattering of fast monoenergetic neutrons has been used to determine the elemental composition of soil samples. Multigram samples were bombarded with 2.5 MeV neutrons, and concentrations were measured by analyzing the spectrum of emitted γ-rays. Particular emphasis has been placed on the simultaneous determination of aluminum and silicon. Possible extensions of the method to light elements are suggested.
Online learning to diversify from implicit feedback

In order to minimize redundancy and optimize coverage of multiple user interests, search engines and recommender systems aim to diversify their set of results. To date, these diversification mechanisms are largely hand-coded or relied on expensive training data provided by experts. To overcome this problem, we propose an online learning model and algorithms for learning diversified recommendations and retrieval functions from implicit feedback. In our model, the learning algorithm presents a ranking to the user at each step, and uses the set of documents from the presented ranking, which the user reads, as feedback. Even for imperfect and noisy feedback, we show that the algorithms admit theoretical guarantees for maximizing any submodular utility measure under approximately rational user behavior. In addition to the theoretical results, we find that the algorithm learns quickly, accurately, and robustly in empirical evaluations on two datasets.
Direct targets of the D. melanogaster DSXF protein and the evolution of sexual development

Uncovering the direct regulatory targets of doublesex (dsx) and fruitless (fru) is crucial for an understanding of how they regulate sexual development, morphogenesis, differentiation and adult functions (including behavior) in Drosophila melanogaster. Using a modified DamID approach, we identified 650 DSX-binding regions in the genome from which we then extracted an optimal palindromic 13 bp DSX-binding sequence. This sequence is functional in vivo, and the base identity at each position is important for DSX binding in vitro. In addition, this sequence is enriched in the genomes of D. melanogaster (58 copies versus approximately the three expected from random) and in the 11 other sequenced Drosophila species, as well as in some other Dipterans. Twenty-three genes are associated with both an in vivo peak in DSX binding and an optimal DSX-binding sequence, and thus are almost certainly direct DSX targets. The association of these 23 genes with optimum DSX binding sites was used to examine the evolutionary changes occurring in DSX and its targets in insects.
Synthetic fragments of Vibrio cholerae O1 Inaba O-specific polysaccharide bound to a protein carrier are immunogenic in mice but do not induce protective antibodies

Development of Vibrio cholerae lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a cholera vaccine immunogen is justified by the correlation of vibriocidal anti-LPS response with immunity. Two V. cholerae O1 LPS serotypes, Inaba and Ogawa, are associated with endemic and pandemic cholera. Both serotypes induce protective antibody following infection or vaccination. Structurally, the LPSs that define the serotypes are identical except for the terminal perosamine moiety, which has a methoxyl group at position 2 in Ogawa but a hydroxyl group in Inaba. The terminal sugar of the Ogawa LPS is a protective B-cell epitope. We chemically synthesized the terminal hexasaccharides of V. cholerae serotype Ogawa, which comprises in part the O-specific polysaccharide component of the native LPS, and coupled the oligosaccharide at different molar ratios to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Our initial studies with Ogawa immunogens showed that the conjugates induced protective antibody. We hypothesized that antibodies specific for the terminal sugar of Inaba LPS would also be protective. Neoglycoconjugates were prepared from synthetic Inaba oligosaccharides (disaccharide, tetrasaccharide, and hexasaccharide) and BSA at different levels of substitution. BALB/c mice responded to the Inaba carbohydrate (CHO)-BSA conjugates with levels of serum antibodies of comparable magnitude to those of mice immunized with Ogawa CHO-BSA conjugates, but the Inaba-specific antibodies (immunoglobulin M [IgM] and IgG1) were neither vibriocidal nor protective in the infant mouse cholera model. We hypothesize that the anti-Inaba antibodies induced by the Inaba CHO-BSA conjugates have enough affinity to be screened via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay but not enough to be protective in vivo.
Crack front waves

Abstract We present simulations of 3 D dynamic fracture which suggest that a persistent elastic wave is generated in response to a localized perturbation of a propagating crack front, e.g., by a local heterogeneity of critical fracture energy. The wave propagates along the moving crack front and spreads, relative to its origin point on the fractured surface, at a speed slightly below the Rayleigh speed. The simulations were done using the spectral elastodynamic methodology of Geubelle and Rice (1995). They model failure by a displacement-weakening cohesive model, which corresponds in the singular crack limit to crack growth at a critical fracture energy. Confirmation that crack front waves with properties like in our simulation do exist has been provided by Ramanathan and Fisher (1997). Through a derivation based on the linearized perturbation analysis of dynamic singular tensile crack growth by Willis and Movchan (1995), those authors found by numerical evaluation that a transfer function thereby introduced has a simple pole at a certain ω κ ratio, corresponding to a non-dispersive wave. Further, we show that as a consequence of these persistent waves, when a crack grows through a region of small random fluctuations in fracture energy, the variances of both the local propagation velocity and the deformed slope of the crack front increase, according to linearized perturbation theory, in direct proportion to distance of growth into the randomly heterogeneous region. That rate of disordering is more rapid than the growth of the variances with the logarithm of distance established by Perrin and Rice (1994) for a model elastodynamic fracture theory based on a scalar wave equation. That scalar case, which shows slowly decaying (as t − 1 2 ) rather than persistent crack front waves, is analyzed here too.
TPB′: a constitutional isomeric mesogen based on conformational isomerism which generates pairs of completely isomorphic polyethers

Abstract The synthesis and characterization of 1,-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxy-4′-biphenyl)butane (TPB′) which is the constitutional isomer of 1-(4-hydroxy-4′-biphenylyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane (TPB) and of the corresponding polyethers with α,ω-dibromoalkanes (TPB′-X with X = 4–19, where X = number of methylenic groups in the spacer) are described. The phase behaviour of TPB′-X is similar to that of TPB-X previously reported from our laboratory (Macromolecules 1991, 24, 6318), except that both the crystalline melting and the nematic-isotropic temperatures of TPB′-X are higher than those of TPB-X. Since the increase of the isotropization temperature is larger than that of the melting temperature, at long spacers virtual mesophases of TPB-X became monotropic for TPB′-X. This is explained by the difference between the axial ratio ( x = L d ) of these two constitutional isomers, i.e., x = 1.46 for TPB and x = 2.01 for TPB′. TPB-X and TPB′-X are isomorphic within their nematic and crystalline phases.
Design and Development of the General Electric LM5000 Industrial Package Power Plant

A new 33 MW power generation unit utilizing a proven CF6-50 aircraft-derivative gas generator driving a new power tubine has been designed, manufactured, and packaged by the General Electric Company. This paper describes the development and test of the gas turbine and its integration into a complete package power plant, with emphasis on electric utility and cogeneration applications.
What's the Matter with What's the Matter with Kansas?

Thomas Frank’s What’s the Matter with Kansas? asserts that the Republican Party has forged a new “dominant political coalition” by attracting working-class white voters on the basis of “class animus” and “cultural wedge issues like guns and abortion.” My analysis confirms that white voters without college degrees have become significantly less Democratic; however, the contours of that shift bear little resemblance to Frank’s account. First, the trend is almost entirely confined to the South, where Democratic support was artificially inflated by the one-party system of the Jim Crow era of legalized racial segregation. (Outside the South, support for Democratic presidential candidates among whites without college degrees has fallen by a total of one percentage point over the past half-century.) Second, there is no evidence that “culture outweighs economics as a matter of public concern” among Frank’s working-class white voters. The apparent political significance of social issues has increased substantially over the past 20 years, but more among better-educated white voters than among those without college degrees. In both groups, economic issues continue to be most important. Finally, contrary to Frank’s account, most of his white working-class voters see themselves as closer to the Democratic Party on social issues like abortion and gender roles but closer to the Republican Party on economic issues.
Segmented processing of electromagnetic pulse test data

A noise suppression technique that is based on the segmentation of data in both the time and frequency domains is evaluated. The segmented processing technique is based on the intrinsic behavior of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) transients. The experimentally measured data is first subdivided in the frequency domain into N/sub s/ subbands or, frequency segments, yielding N/sub s/ time-domain functions through the inverse Fourier transformation of each frequency segment. These time-domain functions may contain intervals over which noise predominates. The regions containing only noise can be eliminated by defining a subinterval of time, or time segment, for each time-domain function. The frequency-domain data can then be reconstructed through the superposition of the Fourier transforms of the time segments. The final result is a frequency-domain representation of the original signal with a lower overall noise level. The segmented processing technique is shown to significantly reduce spectral noise in typical EMP signals consisting of multiple damped sinusoids plus noise. >
Punk, Porn and Resistance Carnivalization and The Body in Popular Culture

Following work by Michel Foucault and Bryan Turner, the body has become an important topic for social inquiry. One major debate concerns the nature of social control vs agency. For Foucault, the gaze, surveillance, imposes disciplinary practices that inscribe identities upon docile bodies. Yet he also notes that domination fosters resistance. For others such as Turner or Shilling, the body can be seen as a site of agency and locus of empowerment. Late capitalism, in its globalized moment, has produced enormous wealth, but at the same time this wealth sustains hierarchies in which only a few benefit. Vast numbers of people remain alienated in their work and politically powerless to foster change. People find themselves entrapped in a disenchanted, rationalized world of rules and regulations. Finally, for many, the mass-mediated commodified culture is superficial and inauthentic. Given such conditions, we have seen the re-emergence of the carnival, which Bakhtin saw as legitimating a variety of forms of tra...
Deubiquitination of Tip60 by USP7 Determines the Activity of the p53-Dependent Apoptotic Pathway

Tip60 is an essential acetyltransferase required for acetylation of nucleosomal histones and other nonhistone proteins. Tip60 acetylates the p53 tumor suppressor at lysine 120 (K120), a modification essential for p53-dependent induction of PUMA and apoptosis. It is known that Tip60 is turned over in cells by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. However, the deubiquitinase activity for stabilizing Tip60 is unknown. Here we show that USP7 interacts with and deubiquitinates Tip60 both in vitro and in vivo. USP7 deubiquitinase activity is required for the stabilization of Tip60 in order to operate an effective p53-dependent apoptotic pathway in response to genotoxic stress. Inhibiting USP7 with the small-molecule inhibitor P22077 attenuates the p53-dependent apoptotic pathway by destabilizing Tip60. P22077, however, is still cytotoxic, and this is partly due to destabilization of Tip60.
A methodology for human-machine systems research: knowledge engineering, modeling, and simulation

This paper proposes a methodology for carrying out human-machine systems engineering research and in particular focuses on the development of knowledge-based support for training and aiding. The process is characterized by the definition of knowledge requirements, a normative model structure of human-machine interaction, a knowledge architecture that implements the model, and an interactive real-time simulation environment. The knowledge requirements largely specify the model, knowledge architecture, and simulation. The model and the knowledge architecture are the basis for the design of intelligent systems. The simulation serves as an experimental testbed that provides a feasible, safe, and effective means for exploring alternative human-machine systems designs and also facilitates technology transfer. The aim is to create an understanding of a complex work domain that forms the context for ongoing research in human-machine interaction. A specific example from satellite ground control is described. >
Sequential sampling for solving stochastic programs

We develop a sequential sampling procedure for solving a class of stochastic programs. A sequence of feasible solutions, with at least one optimal limit point, is given as input to our procedure. Our procedure estimates the optimality gap of a candidate solution from this sequence, and if that point estimate is sufficiently small then we stop. Otherwise, we repeat with the next candidate solution from the sequence with a larger sample size. We provide conditions under which this procedure: (i) terminates with probability one and (ii) terminates with a solution which has a small optimality gap with a prespecified probability.
Non-Invasive Bone Deformation Measurements Using a Pulsed-Phase-Locked-Loop Technique

Ultrasound has been widely used to non-destructively evaluate many kinds of materials, from metals to ceramics with more recent applications in bone tissues. Due to the adaptability of living bone to its mechanical environment both exercise and disease can have a profound effect on bone properties, and its ability to perform its necessary functions. Osteoporosis has become increasingly important as its manifestations are felt throughout the healthcare system. Osteoporosis is responsible for over 1.5 million fractures annually [1], which in turn cause disability and other health problems and increased mortality. The population affected is ever growing, and currently includes over 10 million Americans, with 34 million more at immediate risk (with osteopenia). [1] Recently, Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) has begun to be used to assess bone quality and fracture risk; providing a more informative and safer technique than DEXA for osteoporosis diagnosis. [2] QUS provides useful information about bone structure; however currently remains mainly a correlative method for quality and fracture risk prediction.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Minimizing radiation dose to patient and staff during fluoroscopic, nasoenteral tube insertions

It is possible to reduce greatly fluoroscopic radiation dose if some image degradation is acceptable. Since the fluoroscopic image during nasoenteral tube placements is used for guidance and not for diagnosis, a lower contrast image with increased quantum mottle can be easily tolerated. The three methods to reduce the radiation dose rate that were investigated consisted of removing the antiscatter grid, increasing the diameter of the optical aperture controlling the percentage of light reaching the television camera from the image intensifier output phosphor, and setting the fluoroscopic mA to the minimum value so that the kVp could be maximized. Fluoroscopic frozen video frames of a clinical tube insertion comparing the images with and without the dose-saving techniques are presented. Measurements of the radiation dose rates using a Plexiglas phantom show that the dose for patient and staff during fluoroscopic-guided nasoenteral tube placements can be reduced by over a factor of 10 without significantly adversely affecting the actual placement procedure. The importance of maintaining adequate nutrition as part of the therapeutic regimen in the intensive care unit (ICU), trauma and post-surgical patient has been well
Measurement and Other Errors in County-Level UCR Data: A Reply to Lott and Whitley

Lott and Whitley note that our analyses of the errors in the county-level UCR data used in More Guns, Less Crime (J. R. Lott, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1998, 2000) ignore the fact that all data have measurement error, that the largest errors were in counties with low populations, and that population-weighted regressions were used. We agree that this mitigates some of the effects of the errors, but does not take them fully into account. We also note that this is but one of the problems associated with the analysis. We therefore find no reason to alter our original conclusion, that in their current condition, county-level UCR crime statistics cannot be used for evaluating the effects of changes in policy.
Priority Preemption for Real-Time Application QoS Guarantees in Cooperative Vehicular Networks

Inter-vehicle and roadside-to-vehicle communications can contribute to a safer and more efficient driving experience by providing time-sensitive and location-aware information. However, its performance suffers from vehicle mobility, intermittent user connectivity, and wireless channel unreliability. In this paper, we propose a novel cross-layer optimization approach based on our Adaptive Distributed Cooperative Medium Access Control (ADC-MAC) protocol to guarantee the quality-of-service (QoS) of real-time applications. Markov chain based theoretical analysis show that our proposed priority preemption approach can improve the quality of a real-time application by guaranteeing its bandwidth and reducing its transmission latency.
Groups as Data Collection Method and Data Analysis Technique: Multiple Perspectives on Urban Social Work Education

The use of focus groups for social work research has increased dramatically in recent years. The strengths of group process can be used in an innovative way—as a technique to improve rigor in quali...
An incremental algorithm for TDM switching assignments in satellite and terrestrial networks

The authors present an incremental algorithm for scheduling traffic in a general class of time-division multiplexed (TDM) switching systems used in satellite and terrestrial communication networks. Instead of recomputing the time slot assignment (TSA) for each frame of traffic, this algorithm computes a TSA for a new frame by modifying the known TSA of the previous frame. The algorithm takes O(M/sup 2/+cM) time for finding an optimal TSA in a hierarchical switching system, where M is the number of users and c is the number of changes between the traffic demands of two consecutive frames. The algorithm uses a two-step process. The first step transforms the TSA problem in the hierarchical switching system (HSS) into an equivalent TSA problem in a simple TDM switching system. The second step uses an incremental algorithm to find a TSA for the latter. The second step exploits the correspondence between the TSA problem and the rearrangement problem in a Clos three-stage network. When the traffic demands in consecutive frames overlap to a significant extent, the incremental algorithm provides considerable speedup over previous algorithms. >
A Record of the Horsehair Worm Neochordodes occidentalis (Nematomorpha) in the State of Washington

ABSTRACT The horsehair worm Neochordodes occidentalis (Montgomery) is reported from Whitman County, Washington. This is the first record of the phylum Nematomorpha in the state of Washington.
The dissociation of discriminative and conditioned reinforcing functions of stimuli with changes in deprivation.

Pigeons were studied in two experiments designed to explore the effects of deprivation level upon responding in each link of a two-link chained schedule. The stimulus associated with the terminal link of the chain can be both a discriminative stimulus (SD) for responding in the presence of the stimulus and a conditioned reinforcer (Sr) for responding in the preceding link. Previous findings have indicated that the Sr function was more readily weakened by satiation than was the SD function, i.e., the rate of responding decreased more rapidly in the initial link of the chain than in the terminal link. The first of the present experiments, in which tests were conducted after a series of sessions, produced different results: rates of responding in the two links declined simultaneously. The second experiment supported the hypothesis that the effects of satiation interact with the duration of maintenance on the satiation procedure: in early sessions the Sr function was more readily disrupted, but in later sessions the rates of responding in the two links declined simultaneously. Subsequent to this extensive series of identical sessions, the pigeons' deprivation level was altered before a session by pre-feeding the pigeons up to their normal post-session weights. The rates of responding failed to reflect fully this change in deprivation in the first such session, suggesting that the pigeons' behavior had become partially independent of deprivation level.
A Procedure for Determination of Tritium in Potassium

Abstract A procedure has been developed for the quantitative analysis of potassium for its tritium content. This procedure consists of dissolving the highly reactive alkali metal in an inert liquid containing a small amount of ethanol and then analyzing the resulting solution for its tritium content by classical methods. Techniques previously used for sodium analysis are reviewed and discussed as they apply to the more reactive potassium.
Landmine detection with nuclear quadrupole resonance

Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) technology for the detection of explosives is of crucial importance in an increasing number of applications. For landmine detection, NQR has proven to be highly effective if the NQR sensor is not exposed to radio frequency interference (RFI). Since strong nonstationary RFI in the field is unavoidable, a robust detection method is required. With the aid of reference antennas, a frequency domain LMS algorithm is applied to cancel the RFI in field data. An average power detector based on power spectral estimation algorithms is proposed and performance using both the periodogram and MUSIC algorithms is evaluated. The detection performance has been compared with that of a non-adaptive Bayesian detector. The experimental results show that, unlike the non-adaptive Bayesian detector, the average power detector provides perfect detection capability if the data segments involved in the collection process are sufficiently long.
Carbonated Water Lexicon: Temperature and CO2 Level Influence on Descriptive Ratings

A lexicon for describing the sensory perception of carbonated water was developed by a trained panel. It included: salty, sour, bitter, cooling, astringency, bubbly, bubble size, bubble sound, gas expansion feeling, bite, burn, and numbing. Four CO 2 levels (noncarbonated, and 1.69, 2.75, and 4.63 volumes) and two temperatures (3 and 10 o C) were tested. Ratings of all descriptors, except cooling, increased significantly as CO 2 level increased. Bubble size and bubble sound were rated higher for 10 o C samples while cooling, bite, burn, and numbing were rated higher for 3 o C samples. The descriptors were classified into four groups (cooling, taste, trigeminal, and mechanoreception descriptors) based on principal component analysis
Bigger Share of a Smaller Pie

Anyone listening to Internet radio stations or other online sounds is familiar with the frequent need to choose between format and player. This is not a technological issue: the various sound formats all provide acceptable quality. Instead, we have a battle between a set of companies that think the best way to dominate the online music business is to tie the format and player together to lock in customers. Weýre in the middle of a contest to see whether one company can dominate the legal downloading business by controlling the format in which music is sold.
Transabdominal Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy: A Colour Atlas and Monograph (Grace Chia-yu Hsu Yang and Liang-Che Tao), Second Edition: A book review

Transabdominal fine needle aspiration biopsy has undergone considerable progression since the first edition of this book published by Dr. Tao in 1990. The present monograph has been built upon the foundation laid by Dr. Tao-a pioneer in transabdominal fine needle aspiration biopsy. Dr. Tao was able to bring his extensive personal experience that helped shape the inter-abdominal aspiration cytopathology to a considerable degree in this country. Dr. Grace Yang has further improved this classic by inclusion of her own broad experience in the field, incorporation of newer techniques including liquid-based preparation and development of rapid Ultrafast Papanicolaou stain (UPS). Dr. Yang is credited with this procedure. It is quick and reproducible. Although, not widely used, the procedure is promising and needs some experience and hands on experience for meaningful evaluation and interpretation. The book is divided into 12 chapters. It starts with a brief history and basic principles of the fine needle aspiration procedures. The third chapter provides an excellent review to the approach of diagnostic cytopathology. It incorporates useful, informative tabulation of the key features helpful in distinguishing various inter-abdominal lesions. The cytopathology of each organ is approached in a logical, systematic way, providing features of the normal structure followed by extensive in-depth presentation of the various morphological features necessary for diagnosis of the underlying pathology. There is a chapter on malignancies of lympho-reticular system. It follows the current World Health Organization (WHO) classification. Similarly current morphological classifications for lesions of liver, pancreas, and kidney have also been provided. The appropriate use of various bio-makers and ancillary techniques is adequately covered; many of these procedures tend to be transitory and may not withstand the test of the time. True to the Chinese proverb – "A picture is worth a thousand words", this monograph includes over a thousand pictures mostly good quality photomicrographs, some relevant diagrams, radiographs and some ultra-photomicrographs. The CD ROM serves as a stand-alone source of information; it provides high-quality images complementing the book. Dr. Yang and Dr. Tao have compressed an enormous amount of information in this well-illustrated book that should be valuable in the interpretation of intra-abdominal fine needle aspirations. This book is strongly recommended to the Cytopathology community.
Aggregating Community Information to Explore Social Connections

We introduce our ongoing work in community networks and present a system that aggregates geographical community news and events information from local news and social media. Our goal is to present community information according to its content and to make it more visible to local residents, thereby increasing community awareness. We also present a data analysis of how local residents are connected by analyzing the usage of their tweets and discuss future directions for our system.
A Praise for Reviewers: How Do We Reward Them?

![Figure][1] We in the JACC family of journals—along with all other science and medical journals—are tremendously indebted to the expert reviewers who spend hours of their valuable time meticulously analyzing all aspects of a submitted manuscript. To provide a sense of scope for the
How (Not) to Implement Cost as a Sentencing Factor

172 Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 172–177, ISSN 1053-9867 electronic ISSN 1533-8363. ©2012 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved. Please direct requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintInfo.asp. DOI: 10.1525/fsr.2012.24.3.172. Ryan W. Scott
Learning to write: Children's use of notation

Abstract This article considers the awareness, form, and use of notation by normally achieving and school‐identified learning disabled first‐grade students. Although all children used meaningful notation, young normally achieving children spontaneously recorded and organized information, while learning disabled children were more tentative in the use of notation. It appears that deficits in sound/symbol correspondence, attention, memory, and the ability to abstract pertinent information contribute to these differences. Given the persistent writing difficulties observed in the learning disabled population it is suggested that the performance of these students represents not simply a delay in development, but rather, differences in development.
Energy Harvesting Performance of Dynamic Bimorph Thermopiezoelectric Benders with Arbitrary Support Location

A comprehensive theoretical analysis of a dynamic thermoferroelectric pre-stressed bimorph energy harvester is performed. The analysis takes into account pyroelectric and thermal expansion effects and general analytical expressions for the energy conversation coefficients are presented for a bilayer. These derived coefficients (transformation coefficients) are for situation when mechanical, electrical, and thermal fields are present and they are important for sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters. They are a function of material properties, location of boundary conditions, vibration frequency, and in plane compressive/tensile follower force. Numerical simulations of the analytical results are presented. Effects of volume fraction, material properties, applied mechanical loads, and boundary conditions on the harvesting coefficients are shown in the figures. The results for a cantilever and a simply-supported beam are obtained as particular cases. The result for a low frequency (static) system is obtain...
Diagnostic décentralisé des systèmes à événements discrets

We consider the detection and identification of unobservable events in the behavior of discrete event systems. We study decentralized diagnosis architectures where several sites observe the system behavior, each site having its own set of observable events. These sites do not communicate among each other but they send their local diagnostic decisions to a coordinating site that implements a simple memoryless Boolean fusion rule. Several new results are presented in the context of such architectures, with special focus on the use of conditional decisions by the local sites.