cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward a Theory of Macromarketing

Macromarketing has not received the pedagogical attention and support it deserves because it lacks a well accepted theory. This paper attempts a theory of macromarketing based on the concept that purpose of macromarketing is, or ought to be, the development and maintenance of a harmonious relationship between marketing and society. A harmonious relationship requires both goal convergence (the what aspect) and process convergence (the how aspect) in any relationship. The paper suggests five determinants of goal convergence between marketing and society: sharedvision, convergent policy, cultural unity, mutual education, and common cause. It also suggests five determinants of process convergence between marketing and society: win-win value creation, networked organization, mutual interdependence, mutually accepted practices, and frontline information systems. The role of macromarketing as a bridge between marketing and society is to research and practice goal and process convergence. Resume Le macromarketing n'a pas recu l'attention pedagogique et le soutien qu'il merite parce qu'il n'est pas defini dans une theorie bien acceptee. L'article propose une theorie du macromarketing fondee sur le concept voulant que le macromarketing a ou doit avoir pour objet le developpement et le maintien de relations harmonieuses entre le marketing et la societe. Toute relation harmonieuse exige a la fois une convergence de buts (l'aspect “definition”) et une convergence de procedes (l'aspect “methode”). Entre le marketing et la societe, l'article denombre cinq facteurs determinants de convergence de buts: vision partagee, politique de convergence, unite culturelle, education mutuelle et cause commune. Il definit aussi cinq determinants de convergence de procedes: creation d'une valeur gagnang-gagnant, organisation en reseau, interdependance, pratiques reciproquement acceptees et systemes d'information de premier plan. Le role du macromarketing en tant que passerelle entre le marketing et la societe reside dans la recherche et la pratique de la convergence des buts et de la convergence des procedes.
Lidar range profile reconstruction by using chaotic signals and compressive sensing

Full waveform lidar systems are capable of recording the complete return signal from the laser illuminated target. By making use of the return full waveform, one can obtain more detailed information about the target of interest than the simple target range. The development of better methods to extract information from the return signal can lead to better target characterization. Several methods have been proposed in the literature to obtain the complete range profile or radar cross section of the target. 1, 2 In a previous work, we proposed to use a compressive sensing scheme to acquire and compress the received signal, and at a post-processing stage reconstruct the signal to obtain the range profile of the target. We extend this previous work on full waveform lidar using chaotic signal by including additive white Gaussian noise into the acquisition stage of the lidar system. The objective is to test the robustness of the previously developed approach based on compressive sensing to different noise level intensities. The simulation software Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) was used to simulate the range profile corresponding to a three-dimensional scene. The simulation results indicate that the full range profile can be reconstructed with a compressive sensing acquisition as low as 25 percent of the total number of samples and with low root-mean-square error (RMSE). The proposed lidar system with compressive sensing can be used to sense with compression and recover the range target profile.
Passive equalization of semiconductor diode laser frequency modulation

Optical heterodyne communication systems using direct-frequency-modulated (FM) semiconductor diode lasers often exhibit system degradation because of the nonuniform injection-current-to-FM transfer function present in most semiconductor diode lasers. In a FSK system, a nonuniform FM transfer function causes tone drift which results in increased crosstalk between time slots and a corresponding degradation in system bit-error rate (BER). Using simple passive electrical networks it is possible to equalize the nonuniform FM response and substantially reduce this transfer-function-induced BER degradation. The theory, computer optimation, construction, and test of various equalization networks and their use in realizing an FM-equalized transmitter for a 100-Mb/s binary FSK communication system is described. >
Variation in the surface lipids of the grasshopper, Schistocerca americana (Drury)

Abstract Cuticular lipids of adult Schistocerca americana from a number of different localities were analysed. The most abundant n -alkanes had chain lengths of C 25 , C 27 , C 29 and C 3 . The principal methyl-branched alkanes had 33, 35 and 37 carbon atoms in the backbone. There was greater variation in the overall patterns of components between populations than within populations. Insects reared in the laboratory on three different species of plant exhibited the same ranges of components, but the pattern differed according to the food plant. No differences were observed in the cuticular hydrocarbons of the two sexes. The variation in the hydrocarbon patterns of laboratory-reared insects was generally within the range of that observed in the field-collected insects, but the effects of food plant show that for taxonomic studies the use of laboratory-reared insects must be viewed with caution.
Arterial Smooth Muscle

The prime function of the arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) in adult individuals is to contract and relax, thereby regulating blood flow to target tissues. However, in several vascular diseases, arterial SMCs in the adult vessel undergo major changes in structure and function. For example, SMCs can take on properties that allow them to proliferate and migrate, to promote calcification, to undergo apoptosis, and to orchestrate other cell types to take on different properties. These altered SMCs are often viewed as vascular troublemakers. However, these responses can also be seen as an attempt of the SMC to mend a diseased blood vessel. The plasticity and diversity of SMC populations and the presence of SMC progenitor cells contribute to the growing complexity of SMC biology. In the past couple of years, several new mechanisms that allow SMCs to proliferate, migrate, promote calcification, and communicate with and respond to other cell types have been discovered. Much of this work has been published in ATVB , and some of that body of work is highlighted in this article. We emphasize areas that have generated substantial interest, including novel mechanisms governing SMC phenotypic switching, SMC progenitor cells, noncoding RNAs as regulators of SMC function and phenotype, novel mechanisms of cross talk between SMCs and other cells and differences in regulation of SMCs and other vascular cells. The arterial SMC exhibits an impressive potential for plasticity. SMCs have been known to exist in different phenotypic states for decades, and the switch from a quiescent contractile phenotype to a synthetic proliferative phenotype is thought to play an important role in cardiovascular disease (for a historical perspective1). Thus, switching to a synthetic phenotype is generally thought to enable SMCs to migrate and proliferate in atherosclerotic lesions,2 thereby forming a fibrous cap covering a core of …
Awareness of Alzheimer's disease: A study in three rural Ohio counties

A random sample of respondents from 370 householis was interviewed in a telephone survey. Questions focused on: • Variability of awareness about Alzheimer's disease• How awareness is established, and• Family experience with the disease.
MES-1, a protein required for unequal divisions of the germline in early C. elegans embryos, resembles receptor tyrosine kinases and is localized to the boundary between the germline and gut cells

During Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis the primordial germ cell, P(4), is generated via a series of unequal divisions. These divisions produce germline blastomeres (P(1), P(2), P(3), P(4)) that differ from their somatic sisters in their size, fate and cytoplasmic content (e.g. germ granules). mes-1 mutant embryos display the striking phenotype of transformation of P(4) into a muscle precursor, like its somatic sister. A loss of polarity in P(2) and P(3) cell-specific events underlies the Mes-1 phenotype. In mes-1 embryos, P(2) and P(3) undergo symmetric divisions and partition germ granules to both daughters. This paper shows that mes-1 encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase-like protein, though it lacks several residues conserved in all kinases and therefore is predicted not to have kinase activity. Immunolocalization analysis shows that MES-1 is present in four- to 24-cell embryos, where it is localized in a crescent at the junction between the germline cell and its neighboring gut cell. This is the region of P(2) and P(3) to which the spindle and P granules must move to ensure normal division asymmetry and cytoplasmic partitioning. Indeed, during early stages of mitosis in P(2) and P(3), one centrosome is positioned adjacent to the MES-1 crescent. Staining of isolated blastomeres demonstrated that MES-1 was present in the membrane of the germline blastomeres, consistent with a cell-autonomous function. Analysis of MES-1 distribution in various cell-fate and patterning mutants suggests that its localization is not dependent on the correct fate of either the germline or the gut blastomere but is dependent upon correct spatial organization of the embryo. Our results suggest that MES-1 directly positions the developing mitotic spindle and its associated P granules within P(2) and P(3), or provides an orientation signal for P(2)- and P(3)-specific events.
Guardian map approach to robust stability of linear systems with constant real parameter uncertainty

New sufficient conditions are derived for stability robustness of linear time-invariant state-space systems with constant real parameter uncertainty. These bounds are obtained by applying a guardian map to the uncertain system matrices. Since this approach is only valid for constant real parameter uncertainty, these bounds do not imply quadratic stability, which guarantees robust stability with respect to time-varying uncertainty but is often conservative with respect to constant real parameter uncertainty. Numerical results are given to compare the new bounds with bounds obtained previously by means of Lyapunov methods. >
Restructuring Protein Interaction Networks to Reveal Structural Hubs and Functional Organizations

Protein interaction networks are significant resources for functional knowledge discovery. However, efficient analysis of the networks has been challenging because of complex connectivity. Protein interaction networks have been characterized by intrinsic features, such as modularity and existence of hubs. The concepts of modules and hubs, extending from specific (local) to general (global), suggest hierarchical structures hidden in the complex networks. Retrieving a protein interaction network into the hierarchical structure is thus a crucial process for better understanding of functional organizations. We present a novel approach for restructuring a protein interaction network to reveal hierarchically organized functional modules and hubs. Our algorithm measures functional similarity between proteins based on the path strength model, and dynamically convert a protein interaction network into a hub-oriented tree structure using the definition of centrality. We identify structural hubs and potential functional modules from the tree structure generated by our algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that the proteins selected as structural hubs are essential for performing functions. In network topology, they have a role in bridging different modules. Furthermore, our approach has higher accuracy in identifying functional modules than other hierarchical clustering methods.
Performance evaluation of the self‐organizing map for feature extraction

[1] Despite its wide applications as a tool for feature extraction, the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) remains a black box to most meteorologists and oceanographers. This paper evaluates the feature extraction performance of the SOM by using artificial data representative of known patterns. The SOM is shown to extract the patterns of a linear progressive sine wave. Sensitivity studies are performed to ascertain the effects of the SOM tunable parameters. By adding random noise to the linear progressive wave data, it is demonstrated that the SOM extracts essential patterns from noisy data. Moreover, the SOM technique successfully chooses among multiple sets of patterns in contrast with an Empirical Orthogonal Function method that fails to do this. A practical way to apply the SOM is proposed and demonstrated using several examples, including long time series of coastal ocean currents from the West Florida Shelf. With improved SOM parameter choices, strong current patterns associated with severe weather forcing are extracted separate from previously identified asymmetric upwelling/downwelling and transitional patterns associated with more typical weather forcing.
Service Delivery to the Handicapped: The Role of the Federal Procurement Process Part II. Selecting Contractors by Competitive Award

Subdivisions of the federal government, acting as the implementation agents of Congress, have proliferated beyond the expectations of most knowledgeable persons. As this growth in numbers has taken place, a corresponding increase in the amount of tax dollars required has been experienced. An impressive portion of these support dollars are partitioned by agencies to fund programs that have been approved at the agency's discretion. Competition among bidders for these funds reflects the widespread interest competing institutions have in federal programs and in the various other benefits coming to the successful institution.The process for competing is well documented, and readers of this formidable set of rules and regulations would be correct in assuming that the process is both widely known and accepted. Relying only on this documentation, offerors for federal contracts should conclude that they are entering into a truly competitive arena, one best characterized under the “best contract” maxim. Here, caref...
Structure and expression of propanediol utilization microcompartments in Acetonema longum

Numerous bacteria assemble proteinaceous microcompartments to isolate certain biochemical reactions within the cytoplasm. The assembly, structure, contents, and functions of these microcompartments are active areas of research. Here we show that the Gram-negative sporulating bacterium Acetonema longum synthesizes propanediol utilization (PDU) microcompartments when starved or grown on 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) or rhamnose. Electron cryotomography of intact cells revealed that PDU microcompartments are highly irregular in shape and size, similar to purified PDU microcompartments from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 that were imaged previously. Homology searches identified a 20-gene operon in A. longum that contains most of the structural, enzymatic, and regulatory genes thought to be involved in PDU microcompartment assembly and function. Transcriptional data on PduU and PduC, which are major structural and enzymatic proteins, respectively, as well as imaging, indicate that PDU microcompartment synthesis is induced within 24 h of growth on 1,2-PD and after 48 h of growth on rhamnose.
Policing the progressive city: The racialized geography of drug law enforcement

This article is a post-print copy of the final article, which can be accessed at DOI: 10.1177/1362480613476986.
Protective effect of ramipril, inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme on radiation-induced normal tissue damage without tumor protection

Purpose/Objective: The effectiveness of radiation therapy (RT) is limited by inadvertent acute and late tissue injury. One strategy being investigated in animal models is the use of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to reduce normal tissue injury. The present study was designed to investigate the possible reduction in radiation induced damage of acute and late responding tissues by the ACE inhibitor, ramipril. Ramiprils effectiveness on damage was evaluated in a mouse model along with an assessment whether the reduction in radiation injury was just limited to normal tissue or would also reduce effectiveness of radiation on tumor response.
Millimeter-wave AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum well power MISFET

State-of-the-art millimeter-wave power transistors using quantum-well MISFET structures have been developed. Single- and double-quantum-well devices have been built, with maximum currents of 700 mA/mm for the single-well and 900 mA/mm for the double-well devices. The single-well devices delivered a power density of 0.76 W/mm with 3.6-dB gain and 19% efficiency at 60 GHz. The double well MISFETs had a power density of 0.96 W/mm with 3-dB gain and 24% power-added efficiency at 55 GHz. The highest power-added efficiency was 31% with 0.68 W/mm power density and 4-dB gain. The power performance of the double-well device was better than that of the single-well device. >
Clinical and laboratory aspects of filariasis.

Human filarial infections afflict over 150 million persons worldwide and are major causes of morbidity in many developing countries. Onchocerca volvulus infection is a leading preventable cause of blindness, while bancroftian and brugian filariasis may produce lymphatic obstruction of the genitalia and extremities (elephantiasis). Definitive diagnosis of these helminthic infections currently depends on demonstration of microfilariae in host tissues, i.e., the skin in the case of O. volvulus and the bloodstream in the cases of Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi. Many investigations are now directed at developing specific and sensitive serum antigen assays that will allow diagnosis of active infection (i.e., presence of adult-stage parasites) in the absence of detectable microfilariae. With respect to the immunology of these parasitic infections, efforts are being directed at elucidating the role of T- and B-cell responses in the development of pathologic lesions and resistance to reinfection. These data as well as molecular biologic approaches to identify and study filarial molecules which are immunogenic are discussed. Finally, since treatment of filariases at present depends on antiparasitic drugs, the clinical indications and dosages of diethylcarbamazine and ivermectin are summarized.
Comparison of an improved polymerase chain reaction protocol and the indirect hemagglutination assay in the detection of Eperythrozoon suis infection

The ability of an improved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol to detect Eperythrozoon suis DNA in the blood of experimentally infected nonsplenectomized pigs was evaluated. The protocol utilizes previously described E. suis-specific primers and a proprietary DNA-releasing reagent in a 2-step amplification cycle followed by visualization of the 492-bp amplification product on agarose gels. This PCR protocol successfully amplified E. suis DNA in blood from all postinfection samples and from the preinfection samples of 2 pigs, indicating preexisting natural infections. Results of the indirect hemagglutination test on serum samples from these pigs revealed that only 1 pig developed detectable antibody titers to E. suis infection during the 43-day study; that pig was determined by PCR to have been infected naturally with E. suis prior to experimental inoculation. These results confirm previous reports of poor antibody response of young pigs to E. suis infection and demonstrate the potential of PCR as a valuable tool for the diagnosis and study of E. suis infection in pigs.
A Neural Network Simulation of the Outgroup Homogeneity Effect

This article presents a neural network simulation of the out-group homogeneity effect (OHE). The model is a feedback network with delta-rule learning that has been previously used to simulate other aspects of stereotype learning, as well as causal learning and reasoning, and human memory. This simulation achieves 2 goals: First, we show that the model could successfully simulate the OHE. We argue that this is due to the error-correcting nature of delta-rule learning. Second, we show that each of 5 aspects of the simulation influences the size of the OHE: (a) the ratio of in-group to out-group size, (b) the overall population size, (c) the learning rate, (d) the decay rate for weights, and (e) increased learning for extreme cases. The psychological relevance of these parameters and ways to study them are presented. Advantages of the model in terms of breadth of coverage for studying social cognitive phenomena are discussed.
Chemical reactivity, cytotoxicity, and mutagenicity of chloropropanones☆

Abstract Studies were conducted to assess the in vitro toxicity of three chloropropanones: monochloropropanone (MCP), 1,1-dichloropropanone (1,1-DCP), and 1,3-dichloropropanone (1,3-DCP). Chloropropanones reacted directly with reduced glutathione (GSH) in sodium phosphate buffer at pH 7.4. All chloropropanones were cytotoxic to suspensions of male rat hepatocytes in a concentration range of 0.5–10 m M . Cytotoxicity was preceded by rapid decline in cellular GSH levels. Mutagenic potencies among the chloropropanones in Salmonella typhimurium bacteria differed greatly. 1,3-DCP was mutagenic in the nanomole range, 1,1-DCP was weakly mutagenic in the micromole range, and MCP was not mutagenic. Mutagenicity of the dichloropropanones was evident without metabolic activation. These results suggest that the three chloropropanones may, in part, be directly cytotoxic but only 1,3-DCP and 1,1-DCP are directly mutagenic.
A stage-matched smoking cessation program for pregnant smokers.

Pregnancy may be an optimal opportunity for targeting smoking in women, since this may be the only time in a woman’s life she receives frequent contacts with health care providers with a primary focus on initiating or maintaining health-enhancing behavior in herself. Therefore, prenatal health care may serve as a natural opportunity or powerful "teachable moment" to decrease cigarette smoking, especially in underserved women. An innovative stage-matched intervention program based on the Transtheoretical model is currently being implemented in six public maternity clinics in a southern New England city. These prenatal settings serve culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged individuals.
Shell-model calculation of neutrinoless double- β decay of Ge 76

In this article we present an extension of our recent Rapid Communication [Phys. Rev. C 90, 051301(R) (2014)] where we calculate the nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of $^{76}\mathrm{Ge}$. For the calculations we use a novel method that has perfect convergence properties and allows one to obtain the nonclosure nuclear matrix elements for $^{76}\mathrm{Ge}$ with a 1% accuracy. We present a new way to calculate the optimal closure energy; using this energy with the closure approximation provides the most accurate closure nuclear matrix elements. In addition, we present a new analysis of the heavy-neutrino-exchange nuclear matrix elements, and we compare occupation probabilities and Gamow-Teller strength with experimental data.
Different pathways mediate cholecystokinin actions in cholelithiasis

Smooth muscle from gallbladders with cholesterol stones exhibits impaired response to cholecystokinin (CCK). This study investigated whether the impaired response is mediated by different signal-transduction pathways responsible for CCK-induced contraction in prairie dog and human gallbladders with cholesterol stones. Gallbladder muscle cells were isolated enzymatically to study contraction. Protein kinase C (PKC) activity was measured by examining the phosphorylation of a specific substrate peptide from myelin basic protein Ac-MBP-(4-14). Gallbladder muscle cells from high-cholesterol-fed prairie dogs contracted less in response to CCK octapeptide (CCK-8) than those from the control group. However, inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), diacylglycerol, and guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) induced the same magnitudes of contraction in these two groups. In control prairie dog and human gallbladders, the maximal contraction caused by 10(-8) M CCK-8 was blocked by the calmodulin antagonist CGS9343B but not by the PKC inhibitor H-7. Conversely, in gallbladders with cholesterol stones from prairie dogs or human patients, the maximal contraction induced by 10(-8) M CCK-8 was blocked by H-7 and chelerythrine but not by CGS9343B. In these gallbladders CCK-8 caused a significant PKC translocation from the cytosol to the membrane. High CCK concentrations may activate the calmodulin-dependent pathway in functionally normal gallbladder muscle and the PKC-dependent pathway in muscle from gallbladders with cholesterol stones. The defect of gallbladder muscle after cholesterol feeding and stones might reside in the steps before G protein activation.
Modeling of low illuminance road lighting condition using road temporal profile

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)%%%%Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB) system for avoiding/mitigating pedestrian crashes have been equipped on some passenger vehicles. At present, there are many e orts for the development of common standard for the performance evaluation of PAEB. The Transportation Active Safety Institute (TASI) at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis has been studying the problems and ad- dressing the concerns related to the establishment of such a standard with support from Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC). One of the important components in the PAEB evaluation is the development of standard testing facili- ties at night, in which 70% pedestrian crash social costs occurs [1]. The test facility should include representative low-illuminance environment to enable the examination of sensing and control functions of di erent PAEB systems. This thesis work focuses on modeling low-illuminance driving environment and describes an approach to recon- struct the lighting conditions. The goal of this research is to characterize and model light sources at a potential collision case at low-illuminance environment and deter- mine possible recreation of such environment for PAEB evaluation. This research is conducted in ve steps. The rst step is to identify lighting components that ap- pear frequently on a low-illuminance environment that a ect the performance of the PAEB. The identi ed lighting components include ambient light, same side/opposite side light poles, opposite side car headlight. Next step is to collect all potential pedes- trian collision cases at night with GPS coordinate information from TASI 110 CAR naturalistic driving study video database. Thirdly, since ambient lighting is relatively random and lack of a certain pattern, ambient light intensity for each potential col- lision case is de ned and processed as the average value of a region of interest on all video frames in this case. Fourth step is to classify interested light sources from the selected videos. The temporal pro le method, which compressing region of interest in video data (x,y,t) to image data (x,y), is introduced to scan certain prede ned region on the video. Due to the fact that light sources (except ambient light) impose distinct light patterns on the road, image patterns corresponding to speci c light sources can be recognized and classi ed. All light sources obtained are stamped with GPS coordinates and time information which are provided in corresponding data les along with the video. Lastly, by grouping all light source information of each repre- sentative street category, representative light description of each street category can be generated. Such light description can be used for lighting construction of PAEB test facility.
Distinct prion-like strains of amyloid beta implicated in phenotypic diversity of Alzheimer's disease

Vast evidence on human prions demonstrates that variable disease phenotypes, rates of propagation, and targeting of distinct brain structures are determined by unique conformers (strains) of pathogenic prion protein (PrP(Sc)). Recent progress in the development of advanced biophysical tools that inventory structural characteristics of amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain cortex of phenotypically diverse Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, revealed unique spectrum of oligomeric particles in the cortex of rapidly progressive cases, implicating these structures in variable rates of propagation in the brain, and in distict disease manifestation. Since only ∼30% of phenotypic diversity of AD can be explained by polymorphisms in risk genes, these and transgenic bioassay data argue that structurally distinct Aβ particles play a major role in the diverse pathogenesis of AD, and may behave as distinct prion-like strains encoding diverse phenotypes. From these observations and our growing understanding of prions, there is a critical need for new strain-specific diagnostic strategies for misfolded proteins causing these elusive disorders. Since targeted drug therapy can induce mutation and evolution of prions into new strains, effective treatments of AD will require drugs that enhance clearance of pathogenic conformers, reduce the precursor protein, or inhibit the conversion of precursors into prion-like states.
The effects of suspended ‘red mud’ on mortality, body weight, and growth of the marine planktonic copepod,Calanus helgolandicus

The effect of ‘red mud’ at a dilution of 1:105 to 1:106 on growth, body weight and mortality of juvenile stages of the planktonic copepodCalanus helgolandicus were investigated. In the presence of phytoplanktonC. helgolandicus ingested large amounts of ‘red mud’. In comparison to control copepods growth of ‘red mud’ animals was delayed. Mortality of ‘red mud’ animals was 5 to 8 times higher than that of control animals. The dry body weight of C III, C v, and adults raised from N v/NVI on in ‘red mud’ was far lower than the dry weight of the control animals. All results show that ‘red mud’ at the above mentioned dilutions affects negatively juvenile stages and adults ofCalanus helgolandicus.
Numerical power output predictions for low-bandgap thermophotovoltaic cells coupled with a latent-heat energy storage system

Abstract The thermal energy storage and thermal-to-electric conversion components of a satellite power system were analyzed computationally. A phase- change material provided the energy storage while thermophotovoltaic cells converted the thermal energy to electrical. The phase-change mechanics were modeled and the associated system temperatures determined throughout the orbit. Using an equivalent circuit model for low-bandgap thermophotovoltaic diodes, those temperatures were then used to predict the maximum power output of the thermophotovoltaic cells. The system was modeled at five different altitudes. Two different thermophotovoltaic cells, gallium antimonide (GaSb) and gallium indium arsenide antimonide (GaInAsSb), were evaluated, and the system was analyzed when there were no voids in the phase-change material and when there were voids present. For all situations evaluated, the GaInAsSb cell produced significantly more power, but experienced greater variation in performance. The presence of voids in the phase-change material significantly lowered the power available during eclipse.
Evaluation of Intervention on Typhoon Related Knowledge and Skills of Residents in a County of Wenzhou City

[Objective] To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program that provide knowledge and skills to cope with typhoon disaster for urban and rural residents in a county of Wenzhou city, and to explore new ideas and approaches for typhoon related health education. [Methods] With multiple-stage random sampling technique, a questionnaire survey was carried out among residents from 2 urban communities and 2 rural villages in Cangnan county, Wenzhou, to evaluate the intervention effect by comparison of selected indicators before and after a one-year typhoon disaster education intervention program. [Results] After the intervention program, the overall consciousness of typhoon defense in the selected residents increased from the baseline 74.96% to 85.09%, and the total awareness rate of typhoon disaster related knowledge and skills increased from 73.94% to 83.88%(χ2=76.45 and 317.63 respectively, P 0.01). In addition, compared with the urban residents' awareness rate which increased by 4.58%, the rate in the rural residents increased by 15.15% and significant differences in the awareness rate between the urban and rural residents were found both before and after the intervention(χ2=32.84 and 379.23 respectively, P 0.01). [Conclusion] This intervention program proves effective in general, and the effect in rural villages is apparently better than that in urban communities. Health education on typhoon disaster, therefore, should continue.
Synthesis of halogenated 1,3-dialkyl imidazolium ionic liquids by microwave irradiation

A series of halogenated 1-alkyl-3-methyl imidazolium compounds were synthesized in an unmodified microwave oven under the organic-solvent-free condition.At the same time,the microwave power,the heating time,the heating mode and the ratio of reactants were studied.The structure of products was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy.The molecular weights of the series of halogenated 1-alkyl-3-methyl imidazolium compounds were obtained by the precipitation and titration method.The method for the preparation of ionic liquids using microwave irradiation as the energy source is practical and efficient in open containers without using a large excess of organic solvents as the reaction medium to greatly shorten the reaction time.
A Hypoxia-Targeted Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Agent for the Treatment of Glioma.

Purpose Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has the potential to become a viable cancer treatment modality, but its clinical translation has been limited by the poor tumor selectivity of agents. To address this unmet need, a boronated 2-nitroimidazole derivative (B-381) was synthesized and evaluated for its capability of targeting hypoxic glioma cells.
Treatment with an orally bioavailable prodrug of 17β-estradiol alleviates hot flushes without hormonal effects in the periphery

Estrogen deprivation has a profound effect on the female brain. One of the most obvious examples of this condition is hot flushes. Although estrogens relieve these typical climacteric symptoms, many women do not want to take them owing to unwanted side-effects impacting, for example, the uterus, breast and blood. Therefore, there is a need for developing safer estrogen therapies. We show here that treatment with 10β,17β-dihydroxyestra-1,4-dien-3-one (DHED), a novel brain-targeting bioprecursor prodrug of the main human estrogen, 17β-estradiol, alleviates hot flushes in rat models of thermoregulatory dysfunction of the brain. Oral administration of DHED elicits a significant reduction of tail skin temperature (TST) rise representing hot flushes in the morphine-dependent ovariectomized rat model and results in the restoration of estrogen deprivation-induced loss of diurnal rhythm in TST. These beneficial effects occur without detrimental peripheral hormonal exposure; thus, the treatment avoids potentially harmful stimulation of estrogen-sensitive peripheral organs, including the uterus and the anterior pituitary, or the proliferation of MCF-7a breast cancer cell xenografts. Our promising preclinical assessments warrant further considerations of DHED for the development of a brain-selective 17β-estradiol therapy to relieve hot flushes without undesirable peripheral side-effects.
Cangrelor: Pharmacology, Clinical Data, and Role in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

In clinical trials that assessed the safety and efficacy of cangrelor during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), cangrelor was administered as a 30-μg/kg bolus followed by a 4-μg/kg/min infusion for at least 2 hours or the duration of the PCI, whichever was longer. Cangrelor is currently indicated as an adjunct to PCI to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, repeat coronary revascularization, and stent thrombosis in patients who have not been treated with a P2Y12 platelet inhibitor and are not being given a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.
Performance Comparison of Ka-Band Cross-Aperture Coupled Circularly Polarized Microstrip Patch Antenna with Single Feed

The presentation slides for the above paper are attached. The paper presents the results of an ongoing study comparing the performance of three circularly polarized microstrip patch antennas.
Do Psychosocial Factors Have Any Impact on Outcomes After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Psychosocial factors have been show to impact survival and outcomes in a number of different diseases, including heart failure and patients receiving heart transplantation. With the increasing utilization of these devices, it is important to identify risk factors that could impact post-left ventricular assist device (LVAD) outcomes. This study was a single center, retrospective analysis of 238 patients who underwent implantation of a LVAD between July 27, 2004, and July 21, 2016, at The University of Nebraska Medical Center. Data collected include length of stay, number of readmission, alive status at 30 days, 180 days, and 1 year, as well as multiple psychosocial factors including history of drug abuse, history of alcohol abuse, history of noncompliance, history of anxiety, and history of depression, among others. Outcomes were calculated using univariate and multivariate analyses with SAS Version 9.4. None of the psychosocial factors assessed in this study showed statistical significance in predicting 30 day or 6 month mortality, but patients who smoked at the time of admission for LVAD implantation had higher mortality at 1 year (odds ratio 4.6, 95% confidence interval, 1.226-15.898, p = 0.011.) Patients with a diagnosis of depression had higher numbers of readmissions compared with those without depression (p = 0.048) with the number of readmissions further increased in patients with a diagnosis of both depression and anxiety (p = 0.0074). Psychosocial determinants do not appear to have a significant effect on mortality, but can result in increased risk of readmission if not adequately addressed before implantation and continually monitored postimplantation.
Predicting defect resolution time using cosine similarity

Defect resolution on time is one of the overriding project goals which cannot be neglected. Often projects suffer from missed deadlines due to open critical defects. This negatively impacts successful delivery of a product, resulting in loss of revenue and customer dissatisfaction. Predicting defect resolution time, though a daunting task, can alleviate this risk of missing targeted milestones. In this paper, the authors propose three supervised learning approaches leveraging cosine similarity measure, progressively improving the prediction for days to resolve (DTR) a defect. The prediction model uses historical defect data to estimate DTR for new similar defects. The first prediction approach leverages Naive Bayes Classifier (NBC) to assess project risks by answering: Is quicker defect resolution feasible? The outcome of this analysis gives preliminary information on the resolution duration. To gain deeper insights on DTR, second approach utilizes similarity score between two defect summaries to predict DTR. To improve the prediction accuracy further, a third approach is shown, where predictions are based on statistical analysis on DTR of defects having same similarity scores. This approach yields lower error rates in predicting DTR for P2-High and P3-Medium defects, as compared to the second approach. Both the approaches however outperforms the simple approach, not involving supervised learning. These approaches can be applied over both open and closed source projects to reduce defect DTR.
Modeling the physical properties of two-dimensional nanomaterials for optoelectronic applications

In our presentation, I will review work done in enabling the development of two-dimensional nanomaterials for optoelectronic applications. The focus will be on the materials and the theories available for modeling them. I will start with a survey of the nanomaterials fabricated and predicted to exist, together with a discussion of their physical properties. This will be followed by a few examples of optoelectronic devices designed using these materials. Finally, we will present an overview of the theoretical tools developed to study electrons and phonons in these materials.
Toward Disclosure Choice in Securities Offerings

Federal regulation of securities offerings has become less mandatory. Over the last twenty years, Congress, the courts and the SEC have been rethinking the Securities Act of 1933 and its regulatory tenets of manager informational shirking and investor helplessness. No longer is the prototypical investor our guileless grandmother, but is now our savvy rich uncle. This article asserts, as a positive matter, that federal regulation of securities offerings has come to accept party choice far more than acknowledged. Issuers can choose from richly-layered disclosure levels, offering methods, and even warranty-liability standards--all avoiding the strict disclosure/liability regime imagined by the Securities Act. Yet, despite this choice, there is strong evidence that investor informational demands in securities offerings often compel issuers to disclose at levels beyond that mandated--as a private, contractual matter. As a normative matter, this article proposes that the SEC exercise its rulemaking powers to adopt an enabling legal structure so firms can choose the disclosure level appropriate for their securities offerings. (The proposal is limited to offering transactions, not ongoing disclosure by publicly-traded companies to trading markets.) Intermediated by markets and securities professionals, the disclosure aspects of the issuer-investor relationship in securities offerings (like other relational aspects subject to state-based corporate law) should be a matter of choice, giving issuers the latitude to supply the firm-specific information that investors demand and that they are willing to pay for. The federal disclosure regime would evolve as a set of options in which issuers choose disclosure and liability levels sought by investors--ranging from full-fledged "SEC certified" mandatory disclosure plus warranty-like antifraud liability to "non-certified" disclosure subject only to minimal antifraud liability. The article considers the advantages of the SEC as form-giver and the viability of disclosure choice resting on a mandatory informational floor of Rule 10b-5 fraud liability. Investors rely on a rich variety of non-prospectus signaling devices--principally from securities professionals and markets--in making investment decisions. Disclosure choice in securities offerings would shine the spotlight, even more brightly, on those who provide securities intermediation.
Law and Indirect Reports: Citation and Precedent

In this chapter Alessandro Capone’s claim as the intimate relationship between legal reasoning and indirect reports is investigated through looking at legal citation practices, use of case law, and statutory and constitutional interpretation. Capone’s thought is informed in the chapter through a reference to the work of Ronald Dworkin and Edward H. Levi. The conclusion of the chapter is that Capone is correct that use of indirect reporting in law is ubiquitous and therefore warrants careful study. Further, and opposite of Dworkin’s hope for a univocal use of indirect reports, Levi’s analysis emphasizes the bottom-up, conversational and polyvocal aspects of legal reasoning as is noted by Capone. This in turn requires eliminating the hope for finding or imposing a determinate and univocal meaning on legal citation, case law, and statutory and constitutional interpretation. Instead, continuing dialogue is required. Indeed, legal process should try to include as many voices in the construction of meaning as possible.
Trans-Splicing of RNA

Trans-splicing is a recently discovered phenomenon defined as the splicing together of two discrete RNA molecules to give a single hybrid RNA product. There are two distinct types of physiological trans-splicing. The first is found in organelles of eukaryotes. Very little is known of the mechanism or machinery involved in this process but so far it bears little resemblance to the cis-splicing of nuclear-encoded mRNAs (in terms of the sequences involved). The second process occurs in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells and is clearly related to the well-studied cis-splicing occurring on spliceosomes in these nuclei. “Nuclear” trans-splicing will be the major focus of this review. In it, I will attempt to cover the structures involved, as well as the possible mechanism, function and evolutionary significance of this unusual but important process.
Political Parties and Good Governance in Romania

Variables related to political competition, such as party system institutionalization, polarization, and robust political competition are favorite explanations for governance reforms in post-communism. In this paper, I investigate to what extent party-based theories, which often focus on the experience of Central European countries, can also explain the evolution of political governance further east, in the case of Romania. I argue that robust competition and orther measures of inter-party competition do not adequately explain the evolution of Romanian institutions of state monitoring and oversight, such as anti-corruption, audit courts, and civil service laws. I then explore the incentives of politicians for engaging in such refoms, with special attention to the President-Parliament conflict that can arise in a semi-presidential republic.
Choice Flowers and Well-Ordered Tables: Struggling Over Gender in a Nineteenth-Century Household

Historical archaeologists have generally considered households as isolated,bounded entities, and not as sets of social relations. Consequently, the household has gone unrecognized as an arena of struggle. Analysis of documents associated with the household of nineteenth-century reformer Gerrit Smith challenges this approach. At his Peterboro, New York estate, a struggle ensued between family members because of conflicting ideologies of self-presentation, and between worker and employer on account of the period's shifting gender ideology. In order to access the meanings of objects excavated, the material remains associated with the Smith household must be considered in light of these struggles.
CATALYSIS IN CORRELATION WITH THE DETAILED ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF THE SURFACE

The earliest suggesions of an inter-relationship between the electronic constitution of solids and the adsorption, desorption, and reaction processes which occur at their surfaces came in the work of Pisarzheveskii1 and Langmuir2. These relationships are also implicit in the work of Roginski3 and were in some measure amplified by Wagner4 and Nyrop5. Formulation of a correlation between electronic structure and catalysis was simultaneously developed by Garner and coworkers6 and by Volkenshtein7 which, in association with the rapid advances made in solid state theory, particularly as applied to semiconductors, has led to the almost universal acceptance of a general correlation between the electronic constitution of a catalyst and the adsorption and reaction processes which occur at its surface. Nevertheless, the oversimplified model adopted by many authors mitigates against a wider utilization of the general concepts in endeavouring to tailor catalysts for specific applications. There is a marked reluctance to accept the complexity of a realistic model deriving from modern concepts of the solid state. It has been repeatedly emphasized that in many particulars the minority electronic defects have greater significance than the majority defects as the rate-controlling species. Drawing on classical terminology they may be regarded as the “promoters”.