cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Space-Time Coding for Aeronautical Telemetry: Part I—Estimators

This paper derives and analyzes the estimators required for detection and decoding of Alamouti-encoded-shaped offset QPSK version TG (SOQPSK-TG). The joint maximum likelihood (ML) estimators for the frequency offset, channel delays, and channel gains are derived and analyzed. As a complexity-reducing technique, a sequential version of the ML estimators is developed. The Cramer–Rao bound for the parameters is derived and used to analyze the performance of the estimators to determine pilot sequence length. The complexity of the frequency estimator is reduced by applying the Zoom FFT algorithm in the coarse search. The complexity of the channel delay estimator was reduced by developing a novel version of the simplex search algorithm that operated on a discrete two-dimensional grid. These estimation algorithms were implemented in a prototype demodulator that was field tested at Edwards AFB.
Urban Policy: North America

Urban policy has two broad meanings—as specific courses of public action addressing urban areas and problems, or as general, high-level guides towards public action in relation to urban areas and issues. In practice, the distinction is often blurred and policies are complex. Advanced societies tend to be heavily urbanized. As a result, many broad social, economic, and political issues are manifested both as functional concerns dealt with by national, vertically organized agencies, and as subnational, regional or local concerns, dealt with by lower levels of government that cut across functional categories. In the federal political systems of all three countries of North America, namely Canada, Mexico, and the United States, such complexity is especially visible. Within this framework, urban policy is diverse, but falls into three broad groupings. First, land use and development underpin urbanization; policy in these areas has existed from the earliest days in all three countries, exemplified by regulation of urban form. In North America, such regulation has to varying degrees supported market driven development. Second, urban policy deals with management of key functions, exemplified by transportation, public health, utilities, and environmental quality. Such policy occurs at all levels of government. Third, urban policy addresses social issues that have varied over time from the acculturation of immigrants, to poverty, housing, and race relations.
Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era

Women continue to be underrepresented in U.S. politics. Today, women make up less than 20% of Congress, and only about one-quarter of state legislatures (CAWP, 2017). What can explain this? Past sc...
An Undercurrent off the East Coast of Sri Lanka

Abstract. The existence of a seasonally varying undercurrent along 8° N off the east coast of Sri Lanka is inferred from shipboard hydrography, Argo floats, glider measurements, and two ocean general circulation model simulations. Together, they reveal an undercurrent below 100–200 m flowing in the opposite direction to the surface current, which is most pronounced during boreal spring and summer and switches direction between these two seasons. The volume transport of the undercurrent (200–1000 m layer) can be more than 10 Sv in either direction, exceeding the transport of 1–6 Sv carried by the surface current (0–200 m layer). The undercurrent transports relatively fresher water southward during spring, while it advects more saline water northward along the east coast of Sri Lanka during summer. Although the undercurrent is potentially a pathway of salt exchange between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the observations and the ocean general circulation models suggest that the salinity contrast between seasons and between the boundary current and interior is less than 0.09 in the subsurface layer, suggesting a small salt transport by the undercurrent of less than 4 % of the salinity deficit in the Bay of Bengal.
Craniofacial Applications of 3D Printing

Current advances in imaging technology, virtual surgical planning, and 3D printing have potentially changed how we will use patient-specific information for treatment planning and customized treatment. Medical providers can not only view a 3D rendering of the patient’s anatomy on digital display, but that image can now be transferred as a physical model which not only aids in treatment planning but in patient education. The use of these technologies in craniofacial reconstruction is reported in the early 1990s (Gronet et al. 2003). These techniques have proven to provide surgeons confidence in executing their plan, reducing operating times, follow-up surgical revisions, and poor outcomes. In addition, they provide patient-centered care and better esthetic and functional outcomes (Grant et al. 2013) (Fig. 1). In this chapter, we will review some of the areas of application in craniofacial reconstruction and dentistry.
Decrease in Inpatient Telemetry Utilization Through a System-Wide Electronic Health Record Change and a Multifaceted Hospitalist Intervention.

BACKGROUND Unnecessary telemetry monitoring contributes to healthcare waste. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of 2 interventions to reduce telemetry utilization. DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS A 2-group retrospective, observational pre- to postintervention study of 35,871 nonintensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted to 1 academic medical center. INTERVENTION On the hospitalist service, we implemented a telemetry reduction intervention including education, process change, routine feedback, and a financial incentive between January 2015 and June 2015. In July 2015, a system-wide change to the telemetry ordering process was introduced. MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome was telemetry utilization, measured as the percentage of daily room charges for telemetry. Secondary outcomes were mortality, escalation of care, code event rate, and appropriateness of telemetry utilization. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate changes in outcomes while adjusting for patient factors. RESULTS Among hospitalist service patients, telemetry utilization was reduced by 69% (95% confidence interval [CI], -72% to -64%; P < .001), whereas on other services the reduction was a less marked 22% (95% CI, -27% to -16%; P < .001). There were no significant increases in mortality, code event rates, or care escalation, and there was a trend toward improved utilization appropriateness. CONCLUSIONS Although electronic telemetry ordering changes can produce decreases in hospital-wide telemetry monitoring, a multifaceted intervention may lead to an even larger decline in utilization rates. Whether these changes are durable cannot be ascertained from our study.
Community Conversations and Transition Systems Change

Within the sphere of transition to integrated employment, systems change impacts all aspects of services and supports from broad-based policies addressing funding and contracting to performance man...
Anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in cancer immunotherapy: selective depletion of intratumoral regulatory T cells or checkpoint blockade?

Antibodies to human CTLA-4 have been shown to induce long-lasting protection against melanoma. It is assumed that these antibodies cause tumor rejection by blocking negative signaling from the B7-CTLA-4 interactions to enhance priming of naive T cells in the lymphoid organs. Recently, we reported that anti-CTLA-4 antibody Ipilimumab effectively induces tumor rejection in vivo although it blocks neither B7 transendocytosis by CTLA-4 nor CTLA-4 binding to immobilized or cell-associated B7. Using genetic model in which the anti-CTLA-4 antibodies are unable to engage more than 50% of CTLA-4, we demonstrated that saturating binding of CTLA-4 is not necessary for tumor rejection. Our results argue against B7-CTLA-4 blockade as the mechanism of action for the clinically effective Ipilimumab. Moreover, Ipilimumab induces tumor rejection even in the absence of de novo T cell priming in the lymphoid organs. Thus, our data are inconsistent with key provisions of the prevailing hypothesis on mechanism of action by anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. Furthermore, anti-CTLA-4 antibodies effectively induce depletion of regulatory T (Treg) cells in tumor microenvironment but not in the peripheral lymphoid organs, which is strictly dependent on Fc receptor on host cells. Based on these data and other recent publications on the subject, we propose that anti-human CTLA-4 antibodies induce tumor rejection by selective depletion of Tregs in the tumors rather than blockade of B7-CTLA-4 interaction in lymphoid organs.
The hypoxic tumor microenvironment in vivo selects tumor cells with increased survival against genotoxic stresses.

Abstract Tumor sensitivity to radiation therapy has been known to be dependent on O2 concentrations. However, radiosensitivity of naturally occurring hypoxic tumor cells remains to be well fully investigated in direct comparison to that of their adjacent non-hypoxic tumor cells within the same tumor. We developed a hypoxia-sensing xenograft model using the hypoxia-response element (HRE)-driven enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) as a hypoxia reporter to identify hypoxic tumor cells in situ. Here, we have found that naturally hypoxic tumor cells are moderately radioresistant compared to their neighboring non-hypoxic tumor cells in the same tumor. These naturally hypoxic tumor cells are proficient at repairing DNA damages and resist apoptosis induced by genotoxic stresses, which involves activation of the ATM/CHK1/CHK2 DNA damage-sensing pathway. Inhibition of the checkpoint kinases sensitizes the ex vivo hypoxic tumor cells to ionizing irradiation. Second, the new functional phenotypes acquired by the hypoxic tumor cells in vivo are stable even after they are maintained under non-hypoxic conditions. These new results strongly suggest that the hypoxic tumor microenvironment is capable of selecting stable tumor cell populations with increased resistance to genotoxic stresses and enhanced survival.
Phenomena, Poiēsis, and Performance Profiling: Temporal-Textual Emphasis and Creative Process Analysis in Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera

Amidst discussions regarding the nature of a musical work, tensions within and between score- and performance-based approaches often increase ideological entrenchment. Opera's textual and visual elements, along with its inherently social nature, both simultaneously complicate understanding of a work's nature and provide interdisciplinary analytical inroads. Analysis of operatic performance faces challenges of how to interrogate onstage musical behaviors, and how they relate to both dramatic narrative and an opera's identity. This article applies Martin Heidegger's dichotomy of technē and poiēsis to relationships between scores, performances, and works, characterizing works as conceptual, and scores and performances as tangible embodiments. Opera scholarship relies primarily upon scores, creating a lacuna of sound-based examinations. Adapting analyses developed in CHARM's "Mazurka Project," this essay incorporates textual considerations into tempo hierarchy as a means of asserting each performance's nuanced uniqueness and thus provides a window into performers' creative processes. Interviews with the performers considered in this study confirmed postulations derived from analyzing temporal-textual emphases. This approach is adaptable to other expressive elements employed in creating a role onstage. In addition to the hybrid empirical-hermeneutic application, the datasets created in this approach could be valuable as ground truth in machine learning applications.
Hard + Soft: Robotic Needle Felting for Nonwoven Textiles

This project explores the development of an additive manufacturing technique for nonwoven textiles. Nonwoven textiles, based on natural materials, synthetic polymers, or blends of the two, have numerous performative aspects, including excellent acoustic absorption, thermal insulation, and tactile characteristics. Felt is a typical example of a nonwoven material, and can be manufactured by both wet or dry processes. One example of a dry process involves needle felting, whereby fibers of the textile are meshed and entangled when punched together. This process binds the material together seamlessly without the addition of sewn thread or adhesives. Needle felting can range in scale from hand craft techniques with a single needle to large scale web processing. Integration into a robotic process not only enables precision and speed in manufacturing but also extends needle felting as a three-dimensional process, allowing for local differentiation of stiffness and other properties across a homogeneous solid. Through a customized digital workflow, formal and material properties can be varied at local level within a component. By developing a fully integrated design to production methodology for influencing these properties, this research opens a wide range of potentials for nonwoven textiles in architectural applications. The research involves three areas of development; the process tooling for robotic felting, the digital workflow that enables the formal and material properties to be specified computationally and embedded into the machine code, and prototypes of architectural elements such as acoustic panels and furniture demonstrating different techniques and processes.
A Critical Evaluation of Current Concepts in Cerebral Palsy.

Spastic cerebral palsy (CP), despite the name, is not consistently identifiable by specific brain lesions. CP animal models focus on risk factors for development of CP, yet few reproduce the diagno...
The Fourteenth Amendment as an Ending: From Bayonet Justice to Paper Rights

Since its enactment and ratification, savvy observers have viewed the Fourteenth Amendment as a vindication of the military experience of the Civil War. Bullets and bayonets in wartime led to peacetime citizenship in Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment and to peacetime ballots that were first protected in Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment and then bolstered in the Fifteenth Amendment. But there is another story to tell as well, one in which the Fourteenth Amendment is not the beginning of a new constitutional story, or at least not only the beginning of a new story, but also a betrayal and an ending. In important respects the Fourteenth Amendment helped to close out the righteous form of power that had emerged in the antebellum era as a solution to the glaring injustice of slavery. This crucial authority was the federal government’s war power. Stories of vindication and of new beginnings are not wrong. But they make it all too easy to miss the Fourteenth Amendment’s role as part of a complicated denouement of the wartime experience, one that embodied the war’s triumphs but also blunted their force and pace. The Fourteenth Amendment abandoned a vital chapter of American history even as it occasioned a new one whose results are still unfolding.
INTEGRATED MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

A measurement framework for continuing transportation planning is suggested, which has the potential to relate the planning of transportation facilities and services to social, economic and other physical planning considerations. To integrate such planning, new transportation measurements, expressed in terms of access to opportunities, should supplement the current level of service (speed) standards now used to evaluate and design transportation systems and facilities. Continuing measurement and feedback of the service provided by the transportation system, as reflected in the amount of opportunities provided to different user groups, is essential to the process. Research is needed to determine the levels of access required by different user groups.
Real-Time Vibration-Based Propeller Fault Diagnosis for Multicopters

Reliable health monitoring of mechanical components in aerial robotic systems is crucial to their safe operation. The highly constrained nature of aerial systems requires that such systems operate with a minimum of sensing and computational power. This article proposes a method for the detection and diagnosis of motor/propeller degradation on a multicopter aerial robot. The proposed method works by monitoring the accelerometer output, and effectively correlates vibration power to the motor commands, allowing it to estimate the magnitude of a propeller's unbalance mass. This is done directly in the time domain with a recursive implementation. The method makes low computational and memory demands, and relies only on the accelerometer almost universally present on aerial robots, so that it may be easily implemented on existing platforms as well as new designs. Experiments show reliable detection of a faulty propeller on three distinct multicopter platforms: two quadcopters whose masses differ by more than an order of magnitude, and a hexacopter; one vehicle has brushed motors, two have brushless motors. The proposed method requires only a minimum of assumptions about the vehicle's dynamic model, and does not, e.g., require knowledge of the vehicle's center of mass or its mass moment of inertia.
Reply to discussions by Zavala (2019) and by Van Loon, Hüeneke, and Mulder (2019) on Shanmugam, G. (2018, Journal of Palaeogeography , 7 (3): 197–238): ‘the hyperpycnite problem’

In this reply, I respond to 18 issues associated with comments made by Zavala (e.g., inverse- to normally-graded sequence, origin of massive sands, experimental sandy debris flows, tidal rhythmites, facies models, etc.), and 10 issues associated with comments made by Van Loon et al. (e.g., 16 types of hyperpycnal flows, anthropogenic hyperpycnal flow, etc.).
Combined Dynamic Network and Filler Interface Approach for Improved Adhesion and Toughness in Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives.

Of importance for adhesive materials, particularly pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) systems, is the ability to increase bulk toughness without reduction of adhesion. Previous approaches for increa...
Variable-power ADS-B for UAS

Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) have the potential for a large array of highly-beneficial applications. These applications include search and rescue, fire spotting, precision agriculture, etc. just to name a few. Typically sUAS vehicles weigh less than 55 lbs and will be performing flight operations in the National Air Space (NAS). Certain sUAS applications, such as package delivery, will include operations in the close proximity of the general public. Operations of sUAS vehicles pose risks to people and property on the ground as well as to manned aviation. The full benefit from sUAS is contingent upon the resolution of several technological areas in order to provide an acceptable level of risk for widespread sUAS operations. One significant technological area currently precluding widespread sUAS operations in the NAS is the ability to prevent sUAS from colliding with other sUAS and/or manned aircraft. Autonomous sense and avoid (ASAA) can provide sUAS the capability to maneuver around other vehicles, but is contingent upon adequate knowledge of traffic aircraft position. Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), already employed for manned aircraft, can be an excellent method of providing adequate air traffic position information. However, the large number of anticipated sUAS would be expected to completely saturate the ADS-B system, degrading existing ADS-B applications. One promising method of cooperative traffic position communication for sUAS is through reduced-power ADS-B. Reduced power output would greatly reduce the effect each vehicle has on the overall ADS-B system. The over-arching objective of the current effort was to determine if a transmit power level could be defined that would enable effective ASAA for sUAS while still providing useful alerts to manned aircraft without risking oversaturation of the ADS-B spectrum. Flight testing was performed for several ADS-B power levels. ADS-B communication from sUAS to sUAS and sUAS to manned aircraft were evaluated to ascertain the efficacy of this approach.
Biphasic Seeded Emulsion Polymerization in a Tubular Flow Reactor

A novel procedure for the production of polymer latex in a flow tubular reactor capable of achieving high solids content latex (>30 wt %) is reported herein. The novelty of this approach consists o...
CONCLUSIONS - REPLACING MYTHS WITH MAXIMS: RETHINKING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENERGY AND AMERICAN SOCIETY

15.1. INTRODUCTIONIn his article assessing the proper role of method in the social sciences, L.H.M.Ling (2002) opens with a tale about a fish and a turtle. Once upon a time, Lingbegins, there lived a colorful and proud little fish. He had lots of friends and lovedthe water surrounding him. He swam quickly, swiftly, and gracefully. One day hemet a turtle, an old friend whom he had not seen in a long time.
High-Velocity Impact of Encased Al/PTFE Projectiles on Structural Aluminum Armor

Abstract In support of the U.S. Army's science and advanced technology objective in hypervelocity penetration mechanics, the Army Research Laboratory has been studying the terminal ballistics of conventional and non-conventional high-velocity kinetic energy projectiles against urban, light-armor and heavy-armor targets. The purpose is to identify and analyze both mechanisms and concepts to effectively defeat a range of targets with inert payloads using the elevated impact velocities available from future delivery systems. To this end, a series of experiments has been performed launching low-aspect-ratio aluminum and steel cylindrical projectiles, aluminum conical projectiles, and encased reactive material projectiles, with nominal masses between 200 and 240-gm, striking finite aluminum armor at nominal velocities of 2100 m/s to observe crater and spall formation and to determine the damage capacity of the debris.
The role of palliative care in acute trauma: When is it appropriate?

Abstract Introduction We hypothesized that trauma providers are reticent to consider palliative measures in acute trauma care. Methods An electronic survey based on four patient scenarios with identical vital signs and serious blunt injuries, but differing ages and frailty scores was sent to WTA and EAST members. Results 509 (24%) providers completed the survey. Providers supported early transition to comfort care in 85% old-frail, 53% old-fit, 77% young-frail, and 30% young-fit patients. Providers were more likely to transition frail vs. fit patients with (OR = 4.8 [3.8–6.3], p Conclusions In specific clinical situations, there was wide acceptance among trauma providers for the early institution of palliative measures. Provider decision-making was primarily based on patient frailty and age. ADs were helpful for fit or young patients. Provider demographics did not impact decision-making.
Damage detection through Förster Resonance Energy Transfer in mechanoresponsive polymer nanocomposites

Abstract Polymer nanocomposites offer design solutions to control and tune optical, conductive, topological, and thermomechanical properties of advanced and multifunctional materials. Because of their ubiquitous nature, methodologies to diagnose failure or structural changes in the nanocomposites are of significant interest. Herein, we report a nanocomposite system loaded with quantum dots and coumarin-modified carbon nanotubes that transduce mechanical force into fluorescence at a strain, for the first time, as low as 7.5%. Our comprehensive studies detail the optical, morphological, and thermomechanical properties of these nanocomposites to establish the fundamental reason behind the activation of fluorescence. Our results indicate that bare carbon nanotubes can irreversibly quench the fluorescence from quantum dots and that the coumarin-modified carbon nanotubes mitigate the quenching through Forster Resonance Energy Transfer. Next, the application of force to the sample changes the quantum dot-carbon nanotube spacing as well as the carbon nanotube morphology to activate fluorescence in the nanocomposite. Overall, this force activation of fluorescence can serve as a general strategy for the development of a new class of mechano-responsive nanocomposites that impart polymeric materials with desirable functionalities including damage sensing and mechanical strength.
Perfect Is the Enemy of Good: Best-Effort Program Synthesis

Program synthesis promises to help software developers with everyday tasks by generating code snippets automatically from input-output examples and other high-level specifications. The conventional wisdom is that a synthesizer must always satisfy the specification exactly. We conjecture that this all-or-nothing paradigm stands in the way of adopting program synthesis as a developer tool: in practice, the user-written specification often contains errors or is simply too hard for the synthesizer to solve within a reasonable time; in these cases, the user is left with a single over-fitted result or, more often than not, no result at all. In this paper we propose a new program synthesis paradigm we call best-effort program synthesis, where the synthesizer returns a ranked list of partially-valid results, i.e. programs that satisfy some part of the specification. To support this paradigm, we develop best-effort enumeration, a new synthesis algorithm that extends a popular program enumeration technique with the ability to accumulate and return multiple partially-valid results with minimal overhead. We implement this algorithm in a tool called BESTER, and evaluate it on 79 synthesis benchmarks from the literature. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, our evaluation shows that BESTER returns useful results even when the specification is flawed or too hard: i) for all benchmarks with an error in the specification, the top three BESTER results contain the correct solution, and ii) for most hard benchmarks, the top three results contain non-trivial fragments of the correct solution. We also performed an exploratory user study, which confirms our intuition that partially-valid results are useful: the study shows that programmers use the output of the synthesizer for comprehension and often incorporate it into their solutions.
A Federal Baseline for the Right to Vote

A number of states have laws that define domicile for purposes of voting in terms that would disenfranchise state residents who do not plan to remain in the state permanently, or even indefinitely. This paper argues that such laws are preempted by the federal constitutional concept of state citizenship, which is informed by the traditional definition of domicile set forth in the Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws. Under that definition, all United States citizens with a physical presence in a state and an intention to make the state their home for the time at least are citizens of the state. The essay seeks to demonstrate that the right to vote in a state belongs to every citizen who satisfies this test, and that the states lack the power to adopt any narrower definition of domicile for voting purposes.
Longitudinal Changes in Adiposity and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Among Older Men.

Background Adiposity increases risk for male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), although longitudinal studies have produced conflicting results. No prior studies have evaluated longitudinal associations of changes in adiposity with concurrent LUTS severity among older men. Methods We used repeated adiposity measurements from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), body mass index (BMI), and American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) measured at four study visits over a 9-year period among 5949 men enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study. Linear mixed effect models adjusted for age, health-related behaviors, and comorbidities were created to evaluate the association between baseline and change in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area, total fat mass, and BMI with change in LUTS severity measured by the AUASI. Results A non-linear association was observed between baseline VAT area and change in AUASI: men in baseline VAT tertile (T) 2 had a lower annual increase in AUASI score compared to men in T1 and T3 (T2 versus T1: β=-0.07; 95% CI -0.12, -0.03; P= 0.008; T3 versus T1: NS) but differences were small. No significant associations were observed between change in VAT area and change in AUASI score. Neither baseline tertiles nor change in total fat mass or BMI were associated with change in AUASI score. Conclusions Changes in VAT area, total fat mass, and BMI were not associated with change in LUTS severity in this cohort. Thus, despite other health benefits, interventions targeting adiposity alone are unlikely to be effective for preventing or treating LUTS among older men.
CFU-S assay: a historical single-cell assay that offers modern insight into clonal hematopoiesis.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been studied extensively since their initial functional description in 1961 when Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch developed the first in vivo clonal strategy, termed the "spleen colony-forming unit" (CFU-S) assay, to assess the functional capacity of bone marrow–derived hematopoietic progenitors at the single-cell level. Through transplantation of bone marrow cells and analysis of the resulting cellular nodules in the spleen, the CFU-S assay revealed both the self-renewal and clonal differentiation capacity of hematopoietic progenitors. Further development and use of this assay have identified highly proliferative, self-renewing, and differentiating HSCs that possess clonal, multilineage differentiation. The CFU-S strategy has also been adapted to interrogating single purified hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell populations, advancing our knowledge of the hematopoietic hierarchy. In this review, we explore the major discoveries made with the CFU-S assay, consider its modern use and recent improvements, and compare it with commonly used long-term transplantation assays to determine the continued value of the CFU-S assay for understanding HSC biology and hematopoiesis.
Enhancing cell adhesion and corrosion performance of titanium alloy by surface and sub-surface engineering using WEDM

Abstract Ti-6Al-4V (grade 5 titanium alloy) is a widely used material for biomedical implant and prostheses. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of surface and sub-surface characteristics (i.e., surface roughness, microstructure, phase transformation, and recast layer) of Ti-6Al-4V alloy on the cell attachment and corrosion performance after machined by Wire Electric Discharge Machining (WEDM) process. The biocompatibility of titanium alloy has been studied based on the cell adhesion and cell proliferation response of mouse osteoblastic cell MC3T3-E1 to the machined surface of different levels of surface roughness and sub-surface microstructural and phase composition. One conventionally machined surface and one tissue culture treated plastic surface were used for comparison with those four WEDM machined surfaces. It was found that cell attachment increased with increasing surface smoothness, and WEDMed Ti-6Al-4V alloy sample exhibited higher cell attachment compared to even smoother conventionally machined samples. It was found that β phase at the sub-surface favored the cell adhesion on the machined surfaces for EDMed samples. The corrosion rate of machined Ti-6Al-4V alloy samples under simulated body fluid decreases with decreasing surface roughness. The findings suggest that WEDM has the capability of producing implant surface that can promote cell adhesion with improved corrosion performance under body fluid, thus, has the capability to manufacture implants with improved biocompatibility.
Capital Movements and Exchange Stability

During the interwar period, there was a tendency to view the capital movements as primarily monetary phenomena. This was particularly true in Eastern Europe where great efforts were made to establish and maintain internal and external stability of the currencies after World War I. Perhaps, this was one of the reasons why the discussion of the deeper workings of the economic process in connection with trade and capital movements was subdued, while the discussion of the exchange mechanism and its manipulation had a golden age.
Tiled Mapping Clients

This chapter discusses the use of tiled map imagery within map and GIS clients. Both web-based and desktop clients are considered.
Secure, usable biometric authentication systems

Biometrics are physiological features that allow individuals to be identified. Popular biometrics include fingerprints, faces, and irises. A common use of biometric systems is to authenticate users desiring access to a system or resource. Universal Access can be promoted with biometrics. Biometrics provide a secure way to access information technology, although the use of biometrics presents challenges and opportunities unique to other authentication methods (such as passwords and tokens). Biometric systems are also vulnerable to poor usability. Such systems must be engineered with wide user accessibility and acceptability in mind, but also need to provide robust security. This paper considers the application of biometrics in Universal Access systems with regards to usability and security.
Extraction of memory colors using Bayesian Networks

In this work, a region classification algorithm based on low-level features and probabilistic framework is proposed where skin, sky, and vegetation memory color classes are detected in digital images. A region's low-level features are extracted using a segmentation map of input image. Bayesian Network (BN) is used to classify memory color regions for smart rendering in printing applications. Other applications of the proposed technique include image annotation, indexing, and content retrieval. The algorithm was tested on a large database of color images with 85% classification accuracy.
Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choices and Social Policies

Chloe Bird and Patricia Rieker argue that to improve men's and women's health, individuals, researchers, and policymakers must understand the social and biological sources of the perplexing gender differences in illness and longevity. Although individuals are increasingly aware of what they should do to improve health, competing demands for time, money, and attention discourage or prevent healthy behavior. Drawing on research and cross-national examples of family, work, community, and government policies, the authors develop a model of constrained choice that addresses how decisions and actions at each of these levels shape men's and women's health-related opportunities. Understanding the cumulative impact of their choices can inform individuals at each of these levels how to better integrate health implications into their everyday decisions and actions. Their platform for prevention calls for a radical reorientation of health science and policy to help individuals pursue health and to lower the barriers that may discourage that pursuit.
Deterring Corruption: Beyond Rational Choice Theory

Corruption, while reflecting (and often reinforcing) broad, even systemic, institutional deficiencies within societies, also represents the amalgam of the choices, priorities, and actions of individual actors. This Article explores how cognitive and social conditions impact individuals’ decisions to engage in corruption, considering how anticorruption initiatives can, do, and should alter incentives to deter actors from engaging in such behaviors. It argues for context-specific approaches to fight corruption, emphasizing that the impacts of reform programs will hinge decisively on the nature, character, and status of both corruption and the targeted potential corrupt actors within a given environment. Expanding on the rational choice model of criminal behavior, this Article first considers how individuals evaluate expected costs and benefits when contemplating corrupt acts, examining how heuristics and biases may produce predictable errors in perception, evaluation, and judgment that impact their ultimate decisions and behaviors. Recognizing the role of social factors in shaping individuals’ perceptions of both the magnitude and probability of related costs and benefits, it then analyzes the incidence of corruption as a frequency-dependent equilibrium. Specifically, it presents a dynamic, path-dependent model of corruption in which the decision of an individual to engage in corrupt activities is driven not only by her own personal experiences, values, and expectations, but also by her perceptions concerning the beliefs and behaviors of other members of her community. The Article concludes by considering how such insights into individual decision-making can and should inform legal and non-legal initiatives to combat various forms of corruption in diverse environments.
On the perceived speed of time over time

"I don't believe it: another year has flown by-it seems that time is going by at an ever-faster rate."" This often expressed perception of time, the speed of time, is both qualitatively and quantitatively explored. While the speed of time is clearly invariant (at least on earth and at traveling speeds that are orders of magnitude below the speed of light), there is ample and plausible evidence that serves to contribute to our perception of a faster moving time. More specifically, it seems that both nature and nurture impact or influence our perception of time and the speed of time. In this exploratory study, we have briefly reviewed the cognition and related literature to understand why the older we get, the more we perceive the speed of time to increase - there is a clinical reason for this aging phenomenon. We then showed that environmental or experiential factors can also effect our perceived speed of time. Indeed, although the results should be considered preliminary, our analysis suggests that the nurture-related experience may have a stronger impact on our perceived speed of time than the nature-related perception (i.e., due to aging).
Applications of Sensitivity Analysis to Uncertainty Quantification in Variably Saturated Flow

In this paper, we present results demonstrating the effectiveness of a sensitivity analysis approach to uncertainty quantification of a variably saturated flow model. The basis for our method is a software system which simultaneously solves for solutions of large-scale nonlinear systems of equations and the sensitivity of the solutions to selected parameters. We present test cases showing the effects on the relative uncertainty of pressure due to heterogeneity in the absolute permeability and to differences in parameterizing the Van Genuchten curve soil parameters, α and n .
Comparison of the effects of Sindbis virus and Sindbis virus replicons on host cell protein synthesis and cytopathogenicity in BHK cells.

Abstract Infection of BHK cells by Sindbis virus leads to rapid inhibition of host cell protein synthesis and cytopathic effects (CPE). We have been studying these events to determine whether the expression of a specific viral gene is required and, in the present study, have focused our attention on the role of the structural proteins--the capsid protein and the two membrane glycoproteins. We tested a variety of Sindbis viruses and Sindbis virus replicons (virus particles containing an RNA that is self-replicating but with some or all of the viral structural protein genes deleted) for their abilities to inhibit host cell protein synthesis and cause CPE in infected BHK cells. Our results show that shutoff of host cell protein synthesis occurred in infected BHK cells when no viral structural proteins were synthesized and also under conditions in which the level of the viral subgenomic RNA was too low to be detected. These results support the conclusion that the early steps in viral gene expression are the ones required for the inhibition of host cell protein synthesis in BHK cells. In contrast, the Sindbis viruses and Sindbis virus replicons were clearly distinguished by the time at which CPE became evident. Viruses that synthesized high levels of the two membrane glycoproteins on the surface of the infected cells caused a rapid (12 to 16 h postinfection) appearance of CPE, and those that did not synthesize the glycoprotein spikes showed delayed (30 to 40 h) CPE.
FAILURE TO DETECT AN ANTI-MUTAGENIC EFFECT OF CHLORAMPHENICOL IN ULTRAVIOLET-TREATED POLAR CAP CELLS (EARLY GERM TRACK) OF DROSOPHILA

The ultraviolet-induced rate of second chromosome lethals in Drosophila was not significantly reduced by posttreatment of ultraviolet-treated polar-cap cells (the earlygerm track) with chloramphenicol, even when the parents of the treated eggs and the developing embryos were in addition reared on chloramphenicol-containing food, as indicated by the following data: ultraviolet- induced rate without chloramphenicol posttreatment, 2.0 450 deg C in a 0.7 percent; with posttreatment, 1.3 450 deg C in a 0.7 percent. The control rate was 0.7 450 deg C in a 0.3 percent. Although the ultraviolet-induced rate was rather low (2.0 450 deg C in a 0.7 percent), the rate ofter chloramphenicol treatment (1.3 450 deg C in a 0.7 percent) was still close enough to the induced rate to indicate that the chloramphenicol was not obliterating the induced rate, contrary to what would have occurred in the case of bacteria. (auth)
ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF CANINE GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMORS COMPARED TO OTHER GASTROINTESTINAL SPINDLE CELL TUMORS

Canine gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are a recent subtype of gastrointestinal spindle cell tumor recognized with the increasing use of immunohistochemistry. To our knowledge, no imaging features have been described in immunostochemically confirmed canine GISTs. The objective of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to describe ultrasonographic features of canine GISTs compared with other spindle cell tumors. Thirty-seven dogs with an ultrasonographically visible gastrointestinal mass and a histopathologic diagnosis of spindle cell neoplasia were examined. Immunohistochemistry staining was performed for retrieved tissue samples to further differentiate the tumor type and each sample was interpreted by a single veterinary pathologist. Ultrasonographic features recorded examined included mass echogenicity, homogeneity, presence of cavitation, layer of origin, bowel wall symmetry, and loss of wall layering, location, size, vascularity, and evidence of perforation or ulceration. Tumor types included 19 GISTs, eight leiomyosarcomas, six leiomyomas, and four nonspecified sarcomas. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors were significantly more likely to be associated (P < 0.03) with abdominal effusion than other tumor types. There was overlap between the anatomical locations of all tumors types with the exception of the cecum where all eight tumors identified were GISTs. Besides location, there were no unique ultrasound features of GISTs that would allow distinction from other gastrointestinal spindle cell tumors. Similar to previous studies, GISTs appeared to be the most common spindle cell tumor associated with the cecum in our sample of dogs. The high frequency of abdominal effusion with GIST's was of unknown etiology could possibly have been due to septic peritonitis.
Maximum efficiency point tracking (MEPT) method and dead time control

Adaptive control method, to be called Maximum Efficiency Point Tracking (MEPT), is presented in this paper. This method tracks the system efficiency, which is a DC-DC converter here, and optimizes adaptively system parameters to maximize the efficiency. MEPT method is used in this paper to optimize the primary-to-secondary switches dead time parameter in an isolated topology to prevent switches body diodes conduction during freewheeling periods and reduces body diodes conduction related losses in order to improve the efficiency. MEPT tracks the converter efficiency while changing the dead time and detects the optimized dead time value at the maximum efficiency point at different load and line conditions. In this paper, the MEPT method is discussed, analyzed, and digital control algorithm and implementation are presented.
RAC1 and Melanoma

RAC1 is a GTPase member of the RAS superfamily, and RAC1(P29S) was recently identified as the third most common recurrent mutation in melanomas, affecting 4-7% of the patients. This is an oncogenic mutation, because the mutant protein remains mostly in its active GTP-bound form, and its ectopic expression increases the rate of normal melanocytes proliferation and migration. There is limited information regarding the functional role of RAC1(P29S) as a "driver" in human melanogenesis and as a cause for drug resistance. This commentary describes the latest data and provides evidence that supports the notion that RAC1 is activated even in melanoma cells that do not carry the mutation rendering it a good target for therapy. On the other hand, its role in conferring resistance to BRAF or MEK inhibitors is still in question.
Model of bleaching and acquisition for superresolution microscopy controlled by a single wavelength

We consider acquisition schemes that maximize the fraction of images that contain only a single activated molecule (as opposed to multiple activated molecules) in superresolution localization microscopy of fluorescent probes. During a superresolution localization microscopy experiment, irreversible photobleaching destroys fluorescent molecules, limiting the ability to monitor the dynamics of long-lived processes. Here we consider experiments controlled by a single wavelength, so that the bleaching and activation rates are coupled variables. We use variational techniques and kinetic models to demonstrate that this coupling of bleaching and activation leads to very different optimal control schemes, depending on the detailed kinetics of fluorophore activation and bleaching. Likewise, we show that the robustness of the acquisition scheme is strongly dependent on the detailed kinetics of activation and bleaching.
The cybotoid anoles and Chamaelinorops lizards (Reptilia: Iguanidae): evidence of mosaic evolution

Recent immunological comparisons involving the Hispaniolan Chamaelinorops and Anolis suggested that Chamaelinorops might be much more closely related to Hispaniolan species of Anolis than previously thought. Electrophoretic comparisons among the relevant taxa, coupled with a review of both the morphological and immunological data, suggest mosaic evolution may be responsible for the nonconcordance between some of the data sets. An example of significant morphological change with little electrophoretic differentiation was found in the A. cybotes-A. shrevei comparison while the converse was found in the A. cybotes-A. marcanoi comparison. Many of the character states that have been interpreted as implying close genealogical relationship between Chamaelinorops and other Hispaniolan anoles are known to be primitive and may be evolving slowly in these lineages.
Saturated models for repeated measures

Psychological and physiological data often consist of correlated responses repeatedly taken from the same sample of individuals. The unknown covariances among these responses present a problem for statistical inference to parameters of the population from which the samples are drawn. The present paper addresses this problem for saturated mean response models, i.e. models in which parameters and mean responses are equal in number. In these models the unknown covariances among repeated measures, which are nuisance parameters, are shown to cancel out. This cancellation provides exact tests and estimates for parameters within and between groups by means of Wishart distribution theory. These tests and estimates are illustrated for three different types of repeated measures, each involving a saturated mean response model. The unknown covariances in saturated models are also discussed in relation to the structured covariances in random coefficient models.