cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Autonomous urban reconnaissance using man-portable UGVs

For the Wayfarer Project, funded by the US Army through TARDEC, we have developed technologies that enable manportable PackBot Wayfarer UGVs to perform autonomous reconnaissance in urban terrain. Each Wayfarer UGV can autonomously follow urban streets and building perimeters while avoiding obstacles and building a map of the terrain. Each UGV is equipped with a 3D stereo vision system, a 360-degree planar LIDAR, GPS, INS, compass, and odometry. The Hough transform is applied to LIDAR range data to detect building walls for street following and perimeter following. We have demonstrated Wayfarer's ability to autonomously follow roads in urban and rural environments, while building a map of the surrounding terrain. Recently, we have developed a ruggedized version of the Wayfarer Navigation Payload for use in rough terrain and all-weather conditions. The new payload incorporates a compact Tyzx G2 stereo vision module and a high-performance Athena Guidestar INS/GPS unit.
P01.55. Turmeric inhibits parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) secretion from human rheumatoid synoviocytes

Purpose Excessive production of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) by tumor-like synoviocytes contributes to joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Having previously demonstrated that curcuminoid-only and essential oil-only fractions of turmeric prevent joint destruction in an animal model of RA, we hypothesized that synoviocyte PTHrP production could be one signaling pathway targeted by turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) in RA.
Where Is the Driver Looking: Analysis of Head, Eye and Iris for Robust Gaze Zone Estimation

Driver's gaze direction is critical information in understanding driver state. In this paper, the authors present a distributed camera framework to estimate driver's coarse gaze direction using both head and eye cues. Coarse gaze direction is often sufficient in a number of applications, however, the challenge is to estimate gaze direction robustly in naturalistic real-world driving. Towards this end, the authors propose gaze-surrogate features estimated from eye region via eyelid and iris analysis. They present a novel iris detection computational framework. The authors are able to extract proposed features robustly and determine driver's gaze zone effectively. They evaluated the proposed system on a dataset, collected from naturalistic on-road driving in urban streets and freeways. A human expert annotated driver's gaze zone ground truth using information from the driver's eyes and the surrounding context. The authors conducted two experiments to compare the performance of the gaze zone estimation with and without eye cues. The head-alone experiment has a reasonably good result for most of the gaze zones with an overall 79.8% of weighted accuracy. By adding eye cues, the experimental result shows that the overall weighted accuracy is boosted to 94.9%, and all the individual gaze zones have a better true detection rate especially between the adjacent zones. Therefore, the experimental evaluations show efficacy of the proposed features and very promising results for robust gaze zone estimation.
Coronal consonant, front vowel parallels in Maltese

This paper presents new evidence in support of the view that front vowels and coronal consonants are members of the natural class of coronal sounds. Evidence is drawn from coronal consonant/front vowel parallels in Maltese where these segments pattern together in default assignment, in vowel-to-coronal consonant assimilation, and in the more general process of coronal assimilation. The significance of the present study goes beyond the support that it offers for the coronality of front vowels; it also bears directly on the representation of consonant/vowel interaction in nonlinear phonology. Further, the evidence from consonant/vowel parallels as default segments is of particular interest in light of proposals suggesting that [coronal] is the unmarked place of articulation for consonants. In this work, it is proposed that the unmarked status of [coronal] can be extended naturally to include not only consonants but vowels as well.
Chemical Releasers of Social Behaviour - V. Source, Specificity, and Properties of the Odour Trail Pheromone of Tetramorium Guineense (F.) (Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

Abstract The source of the odour trail pheromones of Tetramorium guineense (F.) and T. caespitum (L.) is the true poison gland. Neither species of Tetramorium will follow each other's artificial odour trails. On the other hand, T. guineense follows artificial odour trails prepared from the poison glands of two attines, Trachymyrmex septentrionalis (McCook) and Atta texana (Buckley) and vice versa. The poison gland of T. guineense is a rich source of free amino acids, and the odour trail pheromone is a trace constitutent of the venom. This pheromone is a relatively stable compound with a low vapour pressure. Based on its solubility characteristics, it appears to be a fairly short-chain mono-functional compound whose chemical properties would not be inconsistent with those of an alcohol. The ability of different myrmicine genera to draw from the common constituents of the poison gland for their odour trail pheromones probably explains why the myrmicine poison gland extracts lack species specificity.
An analytic solution for barotropic flow along a variable slope topography

An analytic solution is derived for the generic oceanographic situation of a barotropic current flowing along sloping topography. It is shown that the shallow water equations can be reduced to a heat-like equation in which βeffect is balanced by Ekman dissipation. For constant topography, the system is found to admit a well-known similarity solution and this solution is generalized to the case of variable topography. Several properties of the solution are explored, and an example is given for flow along the northern Gulf of Mexico slope, between the De Soto Canyon and the Mississippi Canyon. This “Topographic β-plume” solution may serve as a model for further research concerning the influence exerted by geophysical boundary layers on the interior flow via their structure and stability.
Comparing Conceptualizations of Social Capital

Social work is ideally suited to use social capital to understand societal ills and to conduct a more holistic exploration of power, privilege, and oppression that affects marginalized individuals and groups. To that end, we review how prominent theorists discuss social capital and offer guidance for community practitioners based on these conceptualizations. In opposition to purely micro-level theories of human behavior in the social environment that inadvertently separate micro and macro-level social work, social capital is particularly well suited to be employed at individual, family, community, and societal levels. Our position on the importance of social capital for social work practice is in congruence with social work perspective on the person-in-environment. Although we do not offer a social capital framework for community practice, we hope that our article informs community practitioners' understanding of the place and importance of social capital for communities.
Composition of the upper mantle: Geophysical tests of two petrological models

The elastic properties of candidate mantle phases are used to test the viability of olivine-rich (pyrolitic) and CaO + Al_2O_3-rich (eclogitic) assemblages for the mantle. High temperature adiabats for each phase of interest are constructed and compared to mantle seismic properties. Both pyrolitic and eclogitic assemblages satisfy the seismic properties between ∼ 200 and 400 km. Between 400 and 670 km depth an eclogitic assemblage yields a superior match to velocities and velocity gradients. The 400 km seismic discontinuity may represent a chemical boundary between pyrolite and picritic eclogite (“piclogite”) or phase transformations in the olivine + orthopyroxene components of a piclogitic assemblage containing about 16% olivine. High velocity gradients in the transition zone may be explained by the transformation of Ca-rich cpx to majorite garnet. Seismic properties at the top of the lower mantle are consistent with pyrolite, piclogite or perovskite, implying that the 670 km discontinuity may be a chemical boundary.
Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the liver with F-18 FDG PET imaging.

AbstractEpithelioid hemangioendothelioma is an uncommon vascular tumor of the liver with a low to intermediate degree of malignancy. Radiologic cross-sectional imaging patterns have been reported along with scintigraphic features. The author presents the PET imaging findings of this rare hepatic neo
Television-Mediated Conversation: Coherence in Italian iTV SMS Chat

Text messaging on interactive television in Italy is a media convergence phenomenon involving short message service, traditional television, and the World Wide Web. This study investigates the frequency and coherence of viewer-to-viewer textual exchanges on an Italian iTV SMS program, employing methods of interaction analysis and the visualization tool VisualDTA to represent interactional coherence. The findings show that despite numerous factors that discourage it, some users more-or-less successfully adapt the medium to engage in interpersonal exchanges. Design recommendations are advanced for fostering more coherent viewer-to-viewer interaction via iTV SMS.
Sequence Determinants for Regulated Degradation of Yeast 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-CoA Reductase, an Integral Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane Protein

The degradation rate of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-R), a key enzyme of the mevalonate pathway, is regulated through a feedback mechanism by the mevalonate pathway. To discover the intrinsic determinants involved in the regulated degradation of the yeast HMG-R isozyme Hmg2p, we replaced small regions of the Hmg2p transmembrane domain with the corresponding regions from the other, stable yeast HMG-R isozyme Hmg1p. When the first 26 amino acids of Hmg2p were replaced with the same region from Hmg1p, Hmg2p was stabilized. The stability of this mutant was not due to mislocalization, but rather to an inability to be recognized for degradation. When amino acid residues 27–54 of Hmg2p were replaced with those from Hmg1p, the mutant was still degraded, but its degradation rate was poorly regulated. The degradation of this mutant was still dependent on the first 26 amino acid residues and on the function of the HRD genes. These mutants showed altered ubiquitination levels that were well correlated with their degradative phenotypes. Neither determinant was sufficient to impart regulated degradation to Hmg1p. These studies provide evidence that there are sequence determinants in Hmg2p necessary for degradation and optimal regulation, and that independent processes may be involved in Hmg2p degradation and its regulation.
An expert system for contingency analysis in power systems

An expert system is developed to determine the steady state security of a power system after a contingency. Line, transformer and generator outages are considered. For any load in the system, overloaded branches are determined by comparing the system load to three load levels closest to the actual system load and using generator shift or branch outage distribution factors. The expert system, in conjunction with the DC load flow, is designed to identify the harmless and harmful contingencies as well as the overload branches. If a contingency cannot be determined as harmless or harmful then an AC load flow is suggested. Turbo-Prolog is used for symbolic manipulations and reasoning. The developed system is applied to a 12 bus power system. The results indicate that the expert system can be used in contingency screening as well as online operation to assist the operator. >
Are we testing for true reliability

The relationship between software testing and reliability is discussed. Two kinds of reliability models, reliability-growth models, which are applied during debugging, and reliability models, which are applied after debugging, are described. Several reasons for the failure of conventional reliability theory in software engineering are presented. It is argued that until random testing of a million points becomes practical, testing for quality is only a poor competitor for other heuristic defect-detection methods. >
Differentiation of turfgrass and common weed species using hyperspectral radiometry

Abstract Hand-held hyperspectral reflectance data were collected in the summers of 2002, 2003, and 2004 to differentiate unique spectral characteristics of common turfgrass and weed species. Turfgrass species evaluated were: bermudagrass, ‘Tifway 419’; zoysiagrass, ‘Meyer’; St. Augustinegrass, ‘Raleigh’; common centipedegrass; and creeping bentgrass, ‘Crenshaw’. Weed species evaluated were: dallisgrass, southern crabgrass, eclipta, and Virginia buttonweed. Reflectance data were collected from greenhouse and field locations. An overall classification accuracy of 85% was achieved for all species in the field. A total of 21 spectral bands between 378 and 1,000 nm that were consistent over the three data collection periods were used for analysis. Only centipedegrass, zoysiagrass, and dallisgrass were correctly classified less than 80% of the time. An overall classification accuracy of 69% was achieved for the greenhouse species. Spectral bands used in this analysis ranged from 353 to 799 nm. Creeping bentgras...
A water cloud interpretation of Venus' microwave continuum☆

Abstract Recent microwave brightness determinations of Venus are analyzed in the light of new theoretical results concerning the scattering and absorption properties of typical terrestrial clouds and precipitation. Based on the argument that the analysis of existing data does not conclusively demonstrate the absence of large amounts of water in the lower Venusian atmosphere, it is shown that a 600°K surface temperature and a planet-wide continuous and thick water-cloud veil is consistent with the observed microwave brightness distribution in the millimeter and centimeter range. The total water content of this veil is estimated at 10 gm cm −2 . The surface pressure of the sustaining atmosphere may be as low as 3 atm.
Race and Gender in Immigration: A Continuing Saga With Different Encryptions

The authors examine the U.S. contemporary immigrant and transnational migration phenomena and the historical immigrant experience using a postcolonial theoretical framework. In this chapter, the issues of race and gender and current political positions are discussed.
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis mimicking late CNS relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: case report

Acute encephalomyelopathy occurring after an allogeneic bone marrow transplant for leukaemia is a diagnostic emergency. The diagnosis can be challenging since there is a wide set of alternative diagnoses, including opportunistic infections and relapse of the leukaemia. A 13-year old girl presented with a severe acute myelopathy and encephalopathy. She was in prolonged remission from a central nervous system and bone marrow relapse of an acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, treated with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Neuroimaging showed multifocal grey and white matter lesions of demyelinating appearance in the brain and entire spine. Immunophenotyping and cytogenetic investigations of the girl's cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis excluded a late central nervous system relapse of her leukaemia. The diagnosis was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. With standard immunosuppressive therapy, the girl had early cerebral recovery but a prolonged period of recovery from her myelopathy. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute encephalomyelopathy after bone marrow transplantation for leukaemia. Demyelinating syndromes such as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis may be late sequelae of bone marrow transplantation.
Tradition and Modernity in the Mediterranean: The Wedding as Symbolic Struggle

Tradition and Modernity in the Mediterranean: The Wedding as Symbolic Struggle. Vassos Argyrou. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 210 pp.
Continuous trophic influence of chromatolysed gustatory neurons on taste buds.

Taste buds are believed to be morphologically dependent on a neurohumor that is supplied by the intact gustatory nerve because after nerve transection the buds disappear. Since taste buds regenerate after reinnervation by peripheral or central fibers of the nodose ganglion, the present experiment was performed to determine whether chromatolysed gustatory neurons could support taste buds. The denervated vallate papillae of adult rats was reinnervated by the central fibers of the nodose ganglion and, after a time sufficient to allow for nerve and bud regeneration, the peripheral fibers of the ganglion were cut. Despite undergoing the typical chromatolytic reaction, the gustatory neurons still maintained the taste buds. The number and appearance of the buds found was similar to that seen in control centrally reinnervated papillae, Transection of the central fibers did, however, cause the disappearance of the buds. The results demonstrate that chromatolysed gustatory neurons can support taste buds, and it is concluded that the metabolic changes which occur in chromatolysed gustatory neurons do not interfere with their trophic function.
Reliability of a Group Form of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to obtain needed additional information concerning the reliability of the PPVT. A group testing procedure was utilized by reproducing the plates of the PPVT on 35 millimeter transparent slides and projecting them onto a 60 X 60 inch screen. A sample of 414 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade pupils was tested twice with Form A and twice with Form B. The time required to administer each separate form was one-half hour. The total testing time for both Form A and Form B when combined into one longer test was one hour. Alternate form reliability compared favorably with the manual. Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from .73 to .35. Combining the two forms into a test twice as long yielded test-retest reliability coefficients of .90, .88 and .84 for the fourth, fifth and sixth grades respectively.
Group counseling: Direction and intention

Abstract This article presents a theoretically integrated, eclectic view of a decision making, learning model of group counseling.
Performance comparison of detection methods in magnetic recording

Various detection schemes suitable for magnetic recording are compared in terms of their effective signal-to-noise ratios. It is shown that at high densities the performance of conventional detectors such as a peak detector, a threshold detector with partial response equalization, a decision feedback equalizer, and a Viterbi algorithm detector tuned to a linearly truncated channel fall far below the optimum performance that can be achieved by the maximum-likelihood sequence detector (MLSD). It is shown that while implementing the full MLSD is clearly out of the question for high densities with severe intersymbol interference (ISI), there exists an efficient detection scheme which achieves an excellent compromise between hardware complexity and detection performance. This scheme, which is called the fixed-delay tree search with decision feedback, combines a fast and efficient tree-search algorithm with a decision feedback equalizer to cancel out a portion of ISI without noise enhancement. It is well suited for run-length-limited systems and attains performance close to that of MLSD while maintaining reasonable implementation cost and processing requirements. >
Force Analysis, Mechanical Energy and Laser Heating Evaluation of Scratch Tests on Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC) in Micro-Laser Assisted Machining (µ-LAM) Process

The purpose of applying a laser beam in the micro-laser assisted machining (μ-LAM) process is to preferentially heat and thermally soften the surface layer of the work piece material (4H-SiC) at the interface with a diamond cutting tool. In the μ-LAM process the laser beam (1480 nm and 400 mW) is delivered to the work piece material through a transparent diamond cutting tool. Thus the cutting tool and the laser system are integrated and coupled; in contrast with other LAM processes where the cutting tool and laser are separate and distinct systems. Scratches were made on a 4H-SiC substrate using the μ-LAM process. The characteristics of the scratches, such as depth and width, are principally a function of the cutting tool geometry, applied forces, cutting speed, and laser heating. White light interferometer microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques were used to measure the geometry (depth and width) of the scratches. Force analysis was carried out to evaluate the laser heating effect on the cutting forces and the measured depth of cut. The force analysis included an evaluation of the mechanical work, specific energy, and understanding the effect of laser heating on the cutting process. The scratch tests performed on 4H-SiC with the laser heating showed that there is a greater than 50% reduction in relative calculated hardness values of work piece material, resulting in a significant reduction in cutting forces.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The History of Land-Mobile Radio Communications

This paper on land-mobile radio communications was prepared for the noncommunications and nonmobile radio specialist. The early pioneering work of the police is covered, and after a brief statement about the early use of mobile transmitters, the Connecticut State Police two-way FM system is described. From the introduction of FM into the Connecticut system to the present, engineering efforts have been directed toward the improvement of selectivity, the elimination of spurious responses and spurious radiation of the equipment, and in general, toward technical improvements which would make possible both an increase in spectrum utilization and an increase in channel loading. In the more recent embodiments of equipments, transistors have been used for the power supply, for audio amplifiers, and for complete receiver circuit design. While the use of single-sideband modulation and the general characteristics of random-access systems are under investigation, advantages have not been disclosed which would justify a switch from FM to some other modulation system. The efficiency of frequency utilization must be increased, and any system which offers a substantial improvement over FM will be given careful attention.
Theory into Practice: Applying David Jonassen’s Work in Instructional Design to Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) recently updated the guidelines for instruction programs in academic libraries. This revised document includes the use of active learning techniques and instructional design tools for program development. Research in education currently contains a wealth of theories and strategies in these areas that are useful to instruction librarians. In particular, the work of David H. Jonassen is rich with guidance on designing active learning environments for problem solving and information retrieval. This article outlines how Jonassen’s research can provide a working context for using the ACRL guidelines to create successful instruction programs.
Common drugs and treatments for cancer and age-related diseases: revitalizing answers to NCI’s provocative questions

// Mikhail V. Blagosklonny 1 1 Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY, USA Correspondence: Mikhail V. Blagosklonny, email: // Keywords : cancer, aging, senescence, science Received : December 21, 2012, Accepted : December 30, 2012, Published : December 30, 2012 Abstract In 2011, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has announced 24 provocative questions on cancer. Some of these questions have been already answered in “NCI’s provocative questions on cancer: some answers to ignite discussion” (published in Oncotarget, 2011, 2: 1352.) The questions included “Why do many cancer cells die when suddenly deprived of a protein encoded by an oncogene?” “Can we extend patient survival by using approaches that keep tumors static?” “Why are some disseminated cancers cured by chemotherapy alone?” “Can we develop methods to rapidly test interventions for cancer treatment or prevention?” “Can we use our knowledge of aging to enhance prevention or treatment of cancer?” “What is the mechanism by which some drugs commonly and chronically used for other indications protect against cancer?” “How does obesity contribute to cancer risk?” I devoted a single subchapter to each the answer. As expected, the provocative questions were very diverse and numerous. Now I choose and combine, as a single problem, only three last questions, all related to common mechanisms and treatment of age-related diseases including obesity and cancer. Can we use common existing drugs for cancer prevention and treatment? Can we use some targeted “cancer-selective” agents for other diseases and … aging itself.
Green tea extracts decrease carcinogen‐induced mammary tumor burden in rats and rate of breast cancer cell proliferation in culture

Epidemiological evidence suggests tea (Camellia sinensis L.) has chemopreventive effects against various tumors. Green tea contains many polyphenols, including epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG), which possess anti-oxidant qualities. Reduction of chemically induced mammary gland carcinogenesis by green tea in a carcinogen-induced rat model has been suggested previously, but the results reported were not statistically significant. Here we have tested the effects of green tea on mammary tumorigenesis using the 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rat model. We report that green tea significantly increased mean latency to first tumor, and reduced tumor burden and number of invasive tumors per tumor-bearing animal; although, it did not affect tumor number in the female rats. Furthermore, we show that proliferation and/or viability of cultured Hs578T and MDA-MB-231 estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cell lines was reduced by EGCG treatment. Similar negative effects on proliferation were observed with the DMBA-transformed D3-1 cell line. Growth inhibition of Hs578T cells correlated with induction of p27(Kip1) cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) expression. Hs578T cells expressing elevated levels of p27(Kip1) protein due to stable ectopic expression displayed increased G1 arrest. Thus, green tea had significant chemopreventive effects on carcinogen-induced mammary tumorigenesis in female S-D rats. In culture, inhibition of human breast cancer cell proliferation by EGCG was mediated in part via induction of the p27(Kip1) CKI.
Multicast MIMO enhancement for V2X over LTE

Motivated by recent interest in vehicle-to-vehicle/ infrastructure/pedestrian (V2X) communication over the fourth generation of the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cellular standard, we study the efficiency of the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS), a key enabler for V2X communication, which currently employs only single antenna transmission. We show that by utilizing more transmit antennas at the base station — which are already used for point-to-point communications — and simple space-time coding (STC) techniques, a significant boost in performance can be achieved. To this end, we evaluate the performance of different transmission strategies along with the information theoretic optimal performance. For a fast Rayleigh fading channel, we show that a gain of 1 bit/sec/Hz is achieved for a signal-to-noise ratio of 10dB, and higher gains for higher signalto- noise-ratios for for an outage probability of 0.01. Moreover, we demonstrate that Alamouti STC is near optimum for typical signal-to-noise ratios. However, for more antennas, due to the inherent loss of multiplexing of orthogonal STC schemes, non-orthogonal STC schemes with higher multiplexing need to be considered.
Familial Risk Factors for Substance Use Disorders

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on family risk and protective factors related to the etiology and progression of substance use disorders (SUDs). A positive family history of SUD is a consistent and robust risk factor for substance use outcomes in first-degree relatives. Despite evidence indicating the association of SUDs among family members, the specific mechanisms through which family substance abuse exerts an influence are not clear. The twin and adoption study designs have traditionally been used to differentiate between genetic and environmental influences. Second category of substance-specific family factors refers to the socialization of substance use behaviors. Although it has been well established that parent and sibling substance use is associated with substance use among their relatives, there is a general paucity of literature examining the direct modeling of substance use behaviors among family members. Behavioral control is characterized by parental monitoring and supervision, communication and enforcement of rules, and the use of consistent and inductive discipline. Low behavioral control is consistently associated with behavioral and under control problems among offsprings.
Mesoscale to submesoscale wavenumber spectra in Drake Passage

This study discusses the upper-ocean (0‐200m) horizontal wavenumber spectra in the Drake Passage from 13yr of shipboard ADCP measurements, altimeter data, and a high-resolution numerical simulation. At scales between 10 and 200km, the ADCP kinetic energy spectra approximately follow a k 23 power law. The observedflows are more energetic at the surface, but the shape of the kinetic energy spectra is independent of depth. These characteristics resemble predictions of isotropic interior quasigeostrophic turbulence. The ratio of across-track to along-track kinetic energy spectra, however, significantly departs from the expectation of isotropic interior quasigeostrophic turbulence. The inconsistency is dramatic at scales smaller than 40km. A HelmholtzdecompositionoftheADCPspectraandanalysesofsyntheticandnumericalmodeldatashowthat horizontally divergent, ageostrophic flows account for the discrepancy between the observed spectra and predictions of isotropic interior quasigeostrophic turbulence. In Drake Passage, ageostrophic motions appear to be dominated by inertia‐gravity waves and account for about half of the near-surface kinetic energy at scales between 10 and 40km. Model results indicate that ageostrophic flows imprint on the sea surface, accounting for about half of the sea surface height variance between 10 and 40km.
Column: General Topics

Carbon nanotubes, CNTs, have probably been made in small amounts since the first fires reduced trees and organic material to ashes. It was not until recently, as part of the so-called nano revolution, that we first recognized the existence of these nanotubes. Sumio Iijima, NEC Fundamental Research Laboratory in Japan, first observed carbon nanotubes as by-products of the arc-discharge synthesis of fullerenes. Although there are many different nanotubes, we will focus on only carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are carbon allotropes that have attracted much attention. Some have suggested that carbon nanotubes will be one of the most important twenty-first century materials because of the exceptional properties and ready abundance of the feedstock, carbon.
A Bayesian normal mixture accelerated failure time spatial model and its application to prostate cancer

In the United States, prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in males of all ages, and the most common cause of death from cancer in males over age 75. It has been recognized that the incidence of the prostate cancer is high in African Americans, and its occurrence and progression may be impacted by geographical factors. In order to investigate the spatial effects and racial disparities for prostate cancer in Louisiana, in this article we propose a normal mixture accelerated failure time spatial model, which does not require the proportional hazards assumption and allows the multi-model distribution to be modeled. The proposed model is estimated with a Bayesian approach and it can be easily implemented in WinBUGS. Extensive simulations show that the proposed model provides decent flexibility for a variety of parametric error distributions. The proposed method is applied to 2000–2007 Louisiana prostate cancer data set from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program....
A New Achlya from Mackinac Island, Michigan, with Notes on Other Species

SUMMARYThe results of a preliminary survey of the Saprolegniaceae in the soil and waters of Mackinac Island, Michigan, are reported.The fungi recovered are distributed in four genera, and consist o...
Thermodynamics, morphology, and kinetics of early-stage self-assembly of π-conjugated oligopeptides

Synthetic oligopeptides containing -conjugated cores self-assemble novel materials with attractive electronic and photophysical properties. All-atom, explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations of Asp-Phe-Ala-Gly-OPV3-Gly-Ala-Phe-Asp peptides were used to parameterise an implicit solvent model to simulate early-stage self-assembly. Under low-pH conditions, peptides assemble into -sheet-like stacks with strongly favorable monomer association free energies of . Aggregation at high-pH produces disordered aggregates destabilised by Coulombic repulsion between negatively charged Asp termini (). In simulations of hundreds of monomers over 70 ns we observe the spontaneous formation of up to undecameric aggregates under low-pH conditions. Modeling assembly as a continuous-time Markov process, we infer transition rates between different aggregate sizes and microsecond relaxation times for early-stage assembly. Our data suggests a hierarchical model of assembly in which peptides coalesce into small clusters ove...
Magnetotransport in Epitaxial Trilayer Junctions Fabricated from 90° off-Axis Sputtered Manganite Films

We report studies on La1−xSrxMnO3 /SrTiO3/ La1−xSrxMnO3 (x=0.33) trilayer junctions made using 90° off-axis sputtering. Both (110) NdGaO3 and (001) (LaAlO3)0.3-(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 (LSAT) are used for substrates. Optical lithography is used for junction formation. These sputtered trilayers show improved junction resistance uniformity over trilayers made using laser ablation. A magnetoresistance of ~100% is observed for junctions on LSAT with 30 A barrier at 13 K and around 100 Oe. The shape of junction magnetoresistance vs. field depends both on barrier thickness and on substrate type, suggesting that both inter-layer coupling and substrateinduced-strain play a role in determining the junction’s micromagnetic state. These results indicate better junction interfaces can be obtained for manganite trilayer junctions by 90° off-axis sputtering.
Computational Studies of Electron Affinities, Acidities, and Bond Dissociation Energies of Boron-Containing Species: The CH3(CH2)n-1BH2, CH2F(CH2)n-1BH2, and CH3(CH2)n-1BHF Series

Computational studies of three series of boron-containing compounds, CH3(CH2)n-1BH2, CH2F(CH2)n-1BH2, and CH3(CH2)n-1BHF, have been carried out to probe the structural characteristics of the parent compounds and the radicals and anions derived by loss of their terminal C−H. The energies of these species yield electron affinities, acidities, and bond dissociation energies that are explained in terms of the structural characteristics, which vary with the value of n. One-carbon species are considered in terms of hyperconjugative effects. The radical species with n > 1 reveal important structures with strong tendencies for termini to interact. Carbon 2p radicals and empty 2p boron centers interact to give a cyclic radical species for BH2CH2CH2 and BH2CH2CHF and bent radicals with short distances between the termini for larger values of n. The bent and zigzag BH2(CH2)n-1CH2 radicals for n ≥ 3 are quite close in energy. All anions with n ≥ 2 are cyclic and considerably lower in energy than zigzag species. Singl...
Chiari's syndrome.

CHIARI'S syndrome is a rarely observed clinical entity and is seldom diagnosed during life. It was first adequately described by Budd1 in 1846 but bears the name of Chiari,2 who in 1899 reported mo...
Are Primary Care Physicians Ready to Practice in a Consumer-Driven Environment?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate physicians' readiness to care for patients enrolled in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs), which change the nature of cost sharing and medical decision making in primary care. STUDY DESIGN: Mailed cross-sectional survey of 1500 nationally representative primary care physicians. METHODS: Physicians' knowledge of CDHP benefit design, readiness to advise patients about financial issues, and views regarding the role of quality-of-care information in patient decision making were assessed. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate models. RESULTS: Five hundred twenty-eight of 1076 eligible physicians (49%) responded to the survey. Forty percent of physicians had CDHP enrollees in their practices. Forty-three percent of physicians reported low knowledge of CDHP cost sharing, and approximately one-third reported low knowledge of how medical savings accounts function. Overall, physicians with CDHP enrollees in their practices had higher knowledge than physicians without these patients; however, 1 in 4 of these providers reported low knowledge of CDHP cost sharing. More than two-thirds of all physicians were ready to advise patients on the costs of office visits, medications, and laboratory tests; approximately half or less were ready to advise on the costs of radiologic studies, specialist visits, and hospitalizations. Forty-eight percent were ready to discuss medical budgets with patients. Twenty-one percent of physicians thought that patients could trust quality-of-care information from government Web sites, and 8% thought that patients could trust quality-of-care information from insurance Web sites. CONCLUSION: Many primary care physicians report low knowledge of CDHPs, limited readiness to advise patients on issues of cost and medical budgeting, and minimal trust in quality-of-care information.
Optimizing layer thickness for a TOF-DOI detector to be used in a long axial field-of-view PET scanner

435 Objectives The aim of this study is to optimize the design of a time-of-flight (TOF)-depth-of-interaction (DOI) detector, based on stacked crystal layers, to be used in a long axial field-of-view, whole-body PET scanner. A combination of axial and radial parallax error is encountered when imaging with the proposed geometry, exacerbating the need for a DOI correction. Here we present an optimization framework, based on Monte Carlo simulations and select experimental measurements, to guide the choice of layer thickness in a multi-layer DOI detector with TOF capability. Methods Coincidence timing resolution (CTR) was characterized experimentally using stacks of scintillator pixels (both LaBr3 and LYSO), creating multi-layer DOI designs having layers of different thicknesses. DOI discrimination is performed using signal rise time characteristics. Timing was measured in each layer, and a block CTR estimated using photon detection efficiencies for each layer. Imaging simulations were performed to assess the effect of DOI on image quality. The simulated scanner had an axial length of 72cm and a diameter of 85cm, and used 4 mm wide crystals with DOI having adjustable layer thickness (total thickness fixed at 20mm). Two phantoms were used, measuring lesion contrast and spatial resolution. Results DOI by rise time discrimination allows for identical scintillators to be used in both detector layers. When using layers of different thicknesses CTR can vary significantly between layers, though after accounting for the detection efficiencies of each layer, which is also dependent upon the thickness, the layer depth does not greatly change the average CTR for our DOI design. Imaging simulations show that DOI improves both spatial resolution and image contrast. Conclusions In long axial FOV scanners, a DOI detector can mitigate the large parallax error and improve image quality. A methodology is created, based on TOF capability, and image resolution and contrast, to optimize the layer depth of our dual-layer DOI detector design and can also be applied to other DOI concepts. Research Support NIH R01 CA113941, R21 EB016205, and R01 EB009056.
Health Utility Scores for People With Type 2 Diabetes in U.S. Managed Care Health Plans: Results from Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD)

OBJECTIVE To estimate the health utility scores associated with type 2 diabetes, its treatments, complications, and comorbidities. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed health-related quality-of-life data, collected at baseline during Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes, a multicenter, prospective, observational study of diabetes care in managed care, for 7,327 individuals with type 2 diabetes. We measured quality-of-life using the EuroQol (EQ)-5D, a standardized instrument for which 1.00 indicates perfect health. We used multivariable regression to estimate the independent impact of demographic characteristics, diabetes treatments, complications, and comorbidities on health-related quality-of-life. RESULTS The mean EQ-5D–derived heath utility score for those individuals with diabetes was 0.80. The modeled utility score for a nonobese, non–insulin-treated, non-Asian, non-Hispanic man with type 2 diabetes, with an annual household income of more than $40,000, and with no diabetes complications, risk factors for cardiovascular disease, or comorbidities, was 0.92. Being a woman, being obese, smoking, and having a lower household income were associated with lower utility scores. Arranging complications from least to most severe according to the reduction in health utility scores resulted in the following order: peripheral vascular disease, other heart diseases, transient ischemic attack, cerebral vascular accident, nonpainful diabetic neuropathy, congestive heart failure, dialysis, hemiplegia, painful neuropathy, and amputation. CONCLUSIONS Major diabetes complications and comorbidities are associated with decreased health-related quality-of-life. Utility estimates from our study can be used to assess the impact of diabetes on quality-of-life and conduct cost-utility analyses.
A direct solver for elliptic PDEs in three dimensions based on hierarchical merging of Poincaré-Steklov operators

A numerical method for variable coefficient elliptic PDEs on three dimensional domains is described. The method is designed for problems with smooth solutions, and is based on a multidomain spectral collocation discretization scheme. The resulting system of linear equations can very efficiently be solved using a nested dissection style direct (as opposed to iterative) solver. This makes the scheme particularly well suited to solving problems for which iterative solvers struggle; in particular for problems with oscillatory solutions. A principal feature of the scheme is that once the solution operator has been constructed, the actual solve is extremely fast. An upper bound on the asymptotic cost of the build stage of O ( N 4 / 3 ) is proved (for the case where the PDE is held fixed as N increases). The solve stage has close to linear complexity. The scheme requires a relatively large amount of storage per degree of freedom, but since it is a high order scheme, a small number of degrees of freedom is sufficient to achieve high accuracy. The method is presented for the case where there is no body load present, but it can with little difficulty be generalized to the non-homogeneous case. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the scheme is capable of solving Helmholtz-type equations on a domain of size 20 × 20 × 20 wavelengths to three correct digits on a modest personal workstation, with N ź 2 ź 10 6 .
Analytical calculation of the RMS current stress on the DC link capacitor for a VSI employing reduced common mode voltage PWM

This paper derives a simple analytical expression for the RMS current stress on the DC link capacitor of voltage source inverters which employ the reduced common mode voltage pulse width modulation (RCMPWM) technique. The derivation assumes the DC link voltage is constant and that the PWM switching frequency is high enough such that sinusoidal output currents are achieved. The validity of the derivation is confirmed with numerical simulations. The AC RMS current which must be carried by the DC link capacitor is then a function of the modulation depth and is directly proportional to the output RMS current value. This paper shows that dependant upon power factor, the RMS capacitor current is increased approximately 1.3-2.0 times that obtained with traditional space vector PWM or discontinuous PWM methods.
Modular Invariance of Conformal Field Theory on S 1 × S 3 and Circle Fibrations

I conjecture a high-temperature-low-temperature duality for conformal field theories defined on circle fibrations like S^{3} and its lens space family. The duality is an exchange between the thermal circle and the fiber circle in the limit where both are small. The conjecture is motivated by the fact that π_{1}(S^{3}/Z_{p→∞})=Z=π_{1}(S^{1}×S^{2}) and the Gromov-Hausdorff distance between S^{3}/Z_{p→∞} and S^{1}/Z_{p→∞}×S^{2} vanishes. Several checks of the conjecture are provided: free fields, N=1 theories in four dimensions (which shows that the Di Pietro-Komargodski supersymmetric Cardy formula and its generalizations are given exactly by a supersymmetric Casimir energy), N=4 super Yang-Mills at strong coupling, and the six-dimensional N=(2,0) theory. For all examples considered, the duality is powerful enough to control the high-temperature asymptotics on the unlensed S^{3}, relating it to the Casimir energy on a highly lensed S^{3}. Such large-order quotients are more generally useful for studying quantum field theory on curved spacetimes.
Challenges in patient selection for liver resection or transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma beyond Milan criteria.

We are grateful to Dr. Tanaka (1) and Dr. Kays and his group (2) for their thoughtful comments and questions with respect to our study (3).
Adapting microbial communities to low anode potentials improves performance of MECs at negative potentials

Abstract A unique aspect of microbial electrolysis cells is the use of an applied voltage for H 2 production. A variation on this parameter is the use of a controlled anode potential rather than controlled cell voltage, which can result in a more stable redox environment for the anode microbes. In this study, long-term exposure of anode consortia at −400 mV and 0 mV vs. Ag/AgCl resulted in a gradual divergence of the resulting bioanode midpoint potentials by >100 mV over a 6-month period. Cyclic voltammetry revealed a shift in peak current production to more negative potentials for the reactor poised at −400 mV. Furthermore, chronopotentiometry indicated very different profiles, showing a difference of 500 mV in the potential required to achieve a current of 15 mA (equivalent to 12 A/m 2 ). A 3-fold higher current was observed at a poised potential of −400 mV for the anode enriched at a poised potential of −400 mV, compared to that enriched at 0 mV. The substrate used was a bio-oil aqueous phase (BOAP) derived from switchgrass, making this study unique with potential for biorefinery application in producing hydrogen, fuels or chemicals. Operation at −400 mV resulted in a 1.5-fold higher electrical efficiency reaching 164.9%, while marginally reducing hydrogen recovery by 1.0%. The results provide evidence for adaptation of complex communities to optimize applied potential, while reducing energy input for electrolysis. The community developed here has potential to be explored further to understand complex community-function relationships.
Minoritarian “Marvelous Real”: Enfolding revolution in Alejo Carpentier’s The Kingdom of This World

Alejo Carpentier’s 1949 novel The Kingdom of This World appropriates aesthetic principles of the Baroque and surrealism to re-narrativize the Haitian Revolution from the perspectives of minor figur...