cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EXTENDING SERVICE LIFE THROUGH PRE-EMPTIVE RETROFITS

Several hundred bridges are known to have developed one or more types of fatigue cracks. Often several types of fatigue cracks have developed in a single bridge because different details existed on the structure. Increasing demands on the aging infrastructure of the United States has resulted in accelerated deterioration of structural components. During the period between 1960 and 2000, a number of localized failures developed in steel bridge components due to fatigue crack propagation. In a few cases, brittle fracture resulted from crack instability without detectable fatigue cracking. The recent fracture of girder sections in the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is an example of an unexpected failure from a welded web detail.
Analysis of ignition in a diesel particulate filter

Abstract We derive explicit criteria predicting the inlet gas temperature and time needed to ignite the particulate matter (PM) deposit in an initially cold diesel particulate filter (DPF) using a limiting two-phase two-channel model. The criteria predict that the ignition temperature can be lowered without affecting the ignition time by increasing the PM thickness and/or oxygen concentration. The ignition time can be decreased without affecting the ignition temperature by decreasing the filter wall thickness and/or solid volumetric heat capacitance. Increasing the channel aspect ratio ( L / D ) under constant volumetric inlet flow rate and DPF volume has a minor impact on the ignition temperature and time when the effective heat Peclet number is under transverse heat Peclet number control. The ignition temperature (time) decreases (increases) with increasing channel hydraulic diameter and cell density. The explicit predictions are in good agreement with simulations of the full model. Depending on the system design and operating conditions ignition may occur either at the upstream, middle or downstream. When the magnitude of the peak temperature is not a constraint, upstream ignition is the best option as it leads to a more efficient and complete combustion of the deposited PM. The peak temperature and thermal stress generated by a middle or downstream ignition are lower than those following an upstream one, but it may lead to only partial regeneration. The peak regeneration temperature can be reduced with complete PM combustion by use of a two-step ignition (starting with downstream/middle ignition followed by upstream ignition).
Beyond Library Software: New Tools for Electronic Resources Management

The boom in easy-to-use Web-based software has inspired some libraries to adapt tools that were not designed for the library market to meet their needs in new and creative ways. This column will explore three examples of academic libraries that have used mainstream technologies to create new approaches to managing electronic resources acquisitions, workflows, and metadata. Each case study highlights a particular software platform, describes the decision to adopt the software, details the implementation process, and explores strengths and weaknesses of each tool.
Surgical management of resistant mycobacterial tuberculosis and other mycobacterial pulmonary infections

Between August 1983 and October 1990, 42 patients with resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis underwent 44 pulmonary resections. During the same time, 38 patients with mycobacterial infections other than tuberculosis had 41 pulmonary resections. All patients either were poor candidates for medical therapy alone or had existing complications requiring surgical intervention. There was one operative death in each group, both from adult respiratory distress syndrome (postpneumonectomy pulmonary edema). Complications were high, with bronchopleural fistula most commonly occurring after right pneumonectomy in patients infected with Mycobacterium avium with superimposed infection with nonmycobacterial pathogens. In patients undergoing pneumonectomy for resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the left lung was most often resected. It is recommended that if localized disease is present and medical treatment is likely to fail, pulmonary resection should be performed for resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection after 3 months of drug-specific therapy. Muscle flaps were used frequently to avoid residual space and bronchial stump problems. Earlier resection in patients with indolent nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infections is advocated before extensive polymicrobial contamination and right lung destruction.
Mass spectrometry studies of substituted methanes formed from deutero- and fluoromethylcobalamins.

Abstract Replacement of the functional methyl group hydrogens of methylcobalamin with deuterium and tritium has facilitated a study on the mechanism of methyl transfer in extracts of the methanogenic bacterium M.O.H. Mass spectrometry has been used to show that all three hydrogens of the methyl group are conserved during methyl transfer, but the fourth hydrogen which involved in the reductive cleavage to give methane is exchangeable with water. Kinetic experiments with methylcobalamin (CH3cobalamin) and trideuteromethylcobalamin (C2H3cobalamin) show that a secondary isotope effect occurs giving an isotope ratio of kH/k2H = 1.38. Kinetic experiments on the photolysis of CH3cobalamin and C2H3cobalamin under anaerobic conditions, gives an isotope ratio of kH/k2H = 1.26. When difluoromethylcobalamin (CF2Hcobalamin) is used as a substrate for methane formation then methane and monofluoromethane are produced; indicating that fluorine hydrogen exchange reactions occur during catalysis. Mass spectrometry has been used to demonstrate that the hydrogens involved in the fluorine-displacement reactions exchange with solvent. based on these experiments, together with other data which have already been published, cobalamin-dependent methyl transfer in methane synthesis by this enzyme appears to involve a methyl radical.
Optical Properties of Platinum

The optical functions ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{1}$, ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{2}$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, and $\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Im}(\frac{1}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}})$ have been deduced from reflectance data on electron-gun-evaporated Pt samples. They were obtained by two different methods: (1) the Kramers-Kroning analysis of the normal-incidence reflectance data, and (2) the analysis of reflectance at two different incident angles. The absorption coefficient $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ shows small peaks at $h\ensuremath{\nu}=0.4, 7.7, \mathrm{and} 10.5$ eV, and a broad peak centered about 4 eV. The imaginary part of the dielectric function, ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{2}$, has structure at $h\ensuremath{\nu}=6.5$ and about 11 eV.
Specific cell adhesion as potential cause of interactions between hybridoma cells and reactor surfaces

Hybridoma cells grown in the presence of different reactor surfaces were affected by the reactor surface properties. Cell growth rate and cell attachment were affected differently. To explain this observed effect a mechanism involving specific adhesion (mediated by fibronectin) of the cells to the reactor surfaces was proposed and tested.
Estimation of the Transient Surface Temperature and Heat Transfer Coefficient of Convective Cooling for Large Slab and Long Cylinder by Using an Inverse Heat Conduction Method

Inverse heat conduction method is a technique to determine heat flux and surface temperature on an inaccessible surface of wall by measuring the temperature on an accessible boundary. The objective of this paper is to develop a method by which stable prediction of heat transfer on an inaccessible boundary could be obtained without altering the thermal boundary condition that would have existed were sensor not present. In this work, three points backward finite difference applied to the 1-D heat equation for large slab and long cylinder with constant thermophysical properties and uniform initial temperature. The numerical solutions of the heat equations are performed with symbolic Maple software. It is demonstrated that approximate temperature distributions for the three bodies are equivalent to analytical solution using first term series solution. It is also shown that the series solution converge rapidly for long times, and for Fo > 0.2, ony the first term of the series nned to be retained for 2% accuracy.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Differences in how physicians and patients perceive physicians’ relational communication

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between physicians’ self‐perceptions of their “typical” communicative style during medical interactions and the patients’ perception of the physicians’ communicative styles. Three dimensions of communicative style were studied: interpersonal involvement, communicative dominance, and expressiveness. The research participants were 25 physicians and 354 patients of a large, multifaceted medical clinic. There were three major findings of this study: (1) physicians’ self‐perceptions and patients’ perceptions of physicians’ communicative style differed significantly, (2) these perceptual differences were systematically related to the patients’ ages and education levels, and (3) physicians’ self‐perceptions of communication were unrelated to the patients’ satisfaction with medical care. Implications and limitations of this study were discussed.
Clinicians required very high sensitivity of a bacteremia prediction rule

Abstract Background and objective Efforts to improve blood culture practice have focused on developing clincial prediction rules to identify patients at risk for bacteremia. However, no such models have been accepted into general clinical use. The goal of this study was to detemine physicians' criteria for acceptability of a bacteremia clinical prediction rule. Method We conducted a survey of all medical and surgical house officers as well as all infectious diseases physicians at the University of Pennsylvania to identify physician requirements for the sensitivity of a bacteremia clinical prediction rule. Results Of 225 eligible physicians, 149 (66.2%) completed the survey, including 110 house officers and 39 infectious disease physicians. The median (95% confidence interval) sensitivity of a bacteremia prediction rule required by respondents was 95% (95% confidence interval, 95.9%). Furthermore, 29 (19.5%) respondents required the sensitivity of a prediction rule to be at least 99%. The median required sensitivity was significantly higher for infectious diseases physicians than for house officers (98% and 95%, respectively) ( P = .04). Conclusion Our survey of house staff and infectious diseases physicians demonstrates that the sensitivity of any bacteremia prediction rule must be extremely high (i.e., 99% to 100%) to be widely accepted by practicing clinicians. Elucidation of physician criteria for acceptability of clinical predictive models will be invaluable in future efforts to develop such prediction rules.
Concepts of operational software quality metrics

Managers and developers of large software systems need a set of operationally defined measures of software quality. This paper presents metrics that are useful for the estimation of an overall software quality and computation of estimated field values such as the field fault density. The newly-developed algorithms can be applied to estimate the quality of a software whose contents change throughout the period of testing. Moreover, the estimation algorithms characterize major and minor software releases separately. The accuracy and reliability of the estimation algorithms are discussed.
Alternative translation initiation gives rise to two isoforms of Orai1 with distinct plasma membrane mobilities

Store-operated calcium entry is an almost ubiquitous signaling pathway in eukaryotic cells. The plasma membrane store-operated channels are comprised of subunits of the recently discovered Orai proteins, the major one being Orai1.We have discovered that native Orai1, as well as expressed Orai1, exists in two forms in similar quantities: a longer form (Orai1α) of approximately 33 kDa, and a shorter form (Orai1β) of approximately 23 kDa. The Orai1β form arises from alternative translation initiation from a methionine at position 64, and possibly also 71, in the longer Orai1α form. In the sequence upstream of the initiation site of Orai1β, there is a poly-arginine sequence previously suggested to be involved in interaction of Orai1 with plasma membrane phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate. The loss of this phospholipid binding domain would be expected to influence the mobility of Orai1 protein in the plasma membrane. Indeed, experiments utilizing fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) revealed that the recovery half-time for Orai1β was significantly faster than for Orai1α. Since Orai1 must diffuse to sites of interaction with the Ca2+ sensor, STIM1, these two mobilities might provide for efficient recruitment of Orai1 subunits to sites of store-operated Ca2+ entry during agonist-induced Ca2+ signaling.
"Cameroon Is Just Like Bolivia!": Southern Expertise and the Construction of Equivalency in South–South Scientific Collaborations

Focusing on Bolivia and Bolivian researchers, this article discusses the emergence of South–South scientific and technical collaborations in the context of social change. Using ethnographic and historical data, I describe how these are predicated upon and create southern forms of expertise via the construction of equivalency. I define this as how southern experts are recognized on the basis of embodied experience and their production of southern geopolitical, historical, and scientific similarities. This does not erase place from scientific knowledge but valorizes it, making locality a key criterion for expertise, at least in some contexts. This challenges the very histories and legacies of scientific knowledge production in the Global South, how authoritative scientific knowledge is evaluated, and who is defined as a scientific expert.
S-nitrosothiol and nitric oxide reactivity at zinc thiolates.

S-Nitrosothiols undergo reversible transnitrosation reactions at tris(pyrazolyl)boratozinc thiolates iPr2TpZn-SR. These zinc thiolates are unreactive toward anaerobic NO but rapidly react with NO in the presence of O2 or anaerobically with NO2 to release the S-nitrosothiol RSNO with formation of the corresponding zinc nitrate.
Dynamics of intracluster gas and bulk motions in clusters.

: In this paper I briefly discuss progress in recent lines of research on the internal dynamics of clusters of galaxies that have been made possible thanks to improvements in current e-ray spectrometers that enable them to perform detailed spatially resolved spectroscopy. In particular, I focus on the study of bulk motion in intracluster gas and the nature of features called cold fronts.
Scale-setting without the Higgs mechanism; Non-Abelian symmetry

For the non-Abelian Higgs model it is shown that the coupled equations of motion for Aμ, ϕ and ϕ* have nonanalytic singularities which must be removed if the equations are integrable. Current conservation is found to remove the singularities in the vector-field equation and give a mass scale independent of V and the Higgs mechanism. The self-consistent field solutions for Aμ and the ϕ fields give either (1) the Higgs mechanism, zero current and the pure-gauge solution, or (2) nonzero current, a gauge-covariant solution and the mass scale independent of V and the Higgs mechanism.
A heuristic neural network initialization scheme for modeling nonlinear functions in engineering mechanics

This paper introduces a heuristic methodology for designing multilayer feedforward neural networks to model the types of nonlinear functions common to many engineering mechanics applications. It is well known that a perfect way to determine the ideal architecture to initialize neural network training has not yet been established. This could be because this challenging issue can only be properly addressed by looking into the features of the function to be approximated and thus might be hard to tackle in a general sense. In this study, the authors do not presume to provide a universal method approximate an arbitrary function, rather the focus is given to modeling nonlinear hysteretic restoring forces, a significant domain function approximation problem. The governing physics and mathematics of nonlinear hysteretic dynamics as well as the strength of the sigmoidal basis function are exploited to determine both an efficient neural network architecture (e.g., the number of hidden nodes) as well as effective initial weight and bias values for those nodes. Training examples are presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed initial design methodology. Comparisons are made between the proposed methodology and the widely used Nguyen-Widrow Initialization. Future work is also identified.
Matrix isolation spectroscopy of H2O, D2O, and HDO in solid parahydrogen

Abstract We present infrared (IR) absorption spectra over the 800–7800 cm−1 region of cryogenic parahydrogen (pH2) solids doped with H2O, D2O and HDO molecules. Analysis of the rovibrational spectra of the isolated H2O, D2O and HDO monomers reveals their existence as very slightly hindered rotors, typically showing only 2–5% reductions in rotational constants relative to the gas phase. The nuclear spin conversion (NSC) of metastable J=1 ortho-H2O (oH2O) and para-D2O (pD2O) molecules follow first order kinetics, with single exponential decay lifetimes at T=2.4 K of 1900±100 s, and 860±50 s, respectively. We report without discussion some absorptions of water clusters produced during sample annealing. We report and assign a number of absorptions to oH2–water pairs or ‘complexes’. The main features of the oH2–H2O and oH2–D2O spectra are explained qualitatively by assuming a semi-rigid C2v structure with the oH2 acting as a proton donor to the O atom. Surprisingly, NSC of oH2–water complexes proceeds at very nearly the same rate as for the corresponding water monomer. We report unassigned spectra of larger (oH2)n–water clusters, and the even more surprising observation of the prolonged survival of oH2O and pD2O molecules clustered with several oH2 molecules. We report and assign a number of water dopant-induced IR absorption features of the pH2 host, along with cooperative water–pH2 transitions in which the vibrational excitation of the pH2 solid is accompanied by a pure rotational transition of the water dopant.
Improved bounds on maximum size binary radar arrays

The maximum size of binary radar arrays (matrices) with only eight or fewer rows has previously been determined. We determine the maximum size of radar arrays containing 9-16 rows, and for those containing 17 rows we narrow the maximum size down to two values. We also give improved upper and lower asymptotic bounds on the maximum size of radar arrays, which narrow the gap between the existing upper and lower asymptotic bounds by more than 25%.
Douglas Carl Engelbart: developing the underlying concepts for contemporary computing

Currently, the World Wide Web is the hottest topic in contemporary computing and popular culture. The Web's meteoric rise is difficult to escape notice. Web stories are plastered in the popular press, and advertisements now include cryptic strings of letters starting with "http://", but what is missing from the current commercial descriptions of the Web is a discussion about the 30-year history of research and development that created the underlying technologies on which the Web is based. Much of this foundation was laid in the 1960s by Douglas Carl Engelbart. In 1968, at the ACM/IEEE-CS Fall Joint Computer Conference, Engelbart demonstrated his concept of "interactive computing" to a group of computer scientists, and this is now considered a seminal event in the history of computing. The technologies Engelbart originally presented included: windowed screen design, the user interface, hypertextual linking of documents, the mouse, collaborative computing and multimedia. His pioneering work in the 1960s influenced future generations of computer designers and developers. Almost 30 years after Engelbart's initial demonstration, many of his pioneering visions are now commonly found in personal computers and the developing World Wide Web.
Selling Greenland: The Big Picture Television Series and the Army's Bid for Relevance during the Early Cold War

With an increased emphasis on air defense and missile technology at the outset of the Cold War, the role of the US Army's conventional ground forces seemed in doubt. The US Air Force achieved a position of primacy among the armed forces as it expanded its reach into outer space with a new ballistic missile force, while the US Navy set about a project of seafaring exploration and militarization with the submerged trans-polar crossings. To counter this perception, the US Army mounted a campaign to prove its relevance in matters of technology and national defense. The key technical vehicle in this endeavor would prove to be mass media, and the staging area for the effort would be Greenland. Greenland would be the venue for the Army's most audacious appeals to the American people and the Congress to recognize its relevance to Cold War science and technology. Greenland would be called a ‘forward defense system,’ and a ‘cordon against aggression,’ and while the Air Force's bombers would be stationed on the coast at Thule, the Greenland icecap would be the realm of the US Army alone.
Effects of light and darkness on the visual pigments of amphibian tadpoles.

Abstract The effects of light and darkness on the visual pigment composition in the eyes of tadpoles of Rana clamitans, Rana catesbeiana, Ambystoma maculatum and Xenopus laevis have been investigated. Ranid tadpoles have mainly porphyropsin in the light, but in darkness the proportion of rhodopsin gradually increases over a period of several weeks. The process is reversible over several light-dark cycles. The light effect is extremely rapid: exposure to illumination of 85–150 ft-c. can return the system to nearly pure porphyropsin after 24–48 hr. The reaction appears to be the same at all developmental stages examined, i.e. from Taylor-Kollros stage IV–XV (early prometamorphosis). Illumination retards but does not prevent the switch to rhodopsin at natural or thyroxine-induced metamorphic climax (i.e. forelimb emergence). The dark increase of rhodopsin is not prevented by 0.04% thiourea. If tadpoles which have been permitted to increase their rhodopsin in the dark are illuminated after one eye in each specimen has been covered with black vaseline, the exposed eyes synthesize more porphyropsin. The difference is not observed if normal, clear vaseline is used instead, and it is therefore concluded that the light-stimulated formation of porphyropsin is a local response of the ocular tissues and is not mediated by hormones (such as thyroxine) or extraocular receptors (such as the stirnorgan). The quantities of visual pigment molecules appear to be the same in tadpoles kept in light and darkness, irrespective of the composition of the mixture. Like their adult forms, bullfrog tadpoles at or approaching metamorphic climax always had more porphyropsin in the dorsal retina. The premetamorphic tadpoles kept in the light did not show any significant differences between dorsal and ventral retinal areas, but those kept in darkness sometimes did. No porphyropsin was detectable in any part of the retinas of adult R. clamitans, R. pipiens, R. palustris, R. sylvatica, Hyla crucifer and H. versicolor . No dorsoventral gradient of visual pigment composition was found in R. clamitans tadpoles or Xenopus laevis adults. Unlike Rana, Ambystoma tadpoles have pure rhodopsin like the adults. Xenopus tadpoles (stages 58–59) have virtually pure porphyropsin, like the adults. Neither species changes its visual pigments when kept for several weeks in light or darkness. It is suggested that the increase of rhodopsin in the dark occurs because rhodopsin is the major pigment that is incorporated into the outer segment during the renewal process. On the other hand, the rise of porphyropsin in the light is partly a consequence of the interchange of retinol and 3-dehydroretinol between retinal visual pigment and stores in the pigment epithelium, which are composed predominantly of 3-dehydroretinol even in tadpoles kept in the dark. However, ultimately there is total disappearance of retinol and rhodopsin from the eyes of tadpoles kept in continuous light, so it is believed that a further light-driven reaction must be implicated.
The effects of moisture and oxygen availability on rhizomorph generation by Armillaria tabescens in comparison with A. gallica and A. mellea

Compared with other Armillaria species, natural melanized rhizomorphs of A. tabescens are rarely observed. Growing in autoclaved Vitis stem segments, A. tabescens isolates from the Ozark Mountains in the central USA formed fully melanized rhizomorphs, thinner and shorter than those observed for other Armillaria species under field conditions, and only under conditions of both high oxygen availability, ζ2 ug cm −2 min −1 and moisture near saturation. Conducive conditions were used to compare the rhizomorph generation capacities of A. tabescens, A. gallica , and A. mellea , which have overlapping host and geographic ranges in central North America. While the rhizomorphs of A. tabescens were significantly shorter than those of the other two species, A. gallica and A. tabescens produced similar numbers of rhizomorph initials. Finally, we demonstrated the ability of melanized A. tabescens rhizomorphs to span woody food bases and thereby establish viable infections by penetration of intact bark of Vitis stem segments. We hypothesize that A. tabescens rhizomorphs form under conditions of periodic saturation which promote rapid water movement through naturally occurring lacunae in the soil. Thus, the role of A. tabescens rhizomorphs in the spread of the fungus should be re-evaluated.
Rho-GTPase–dependent filamentous actin dynamics coordinate vesicle targeting and exocytosis during tip growth

The dynamic activity of tip-localized filamentous actin (F-actin) in pollen tubes is controlled by counteracting RIC4 and RIC3 pathways downstream of the ROP1 guanosine triphosphatase promoting actin assembly and disassembly, respectively. We show here that ROP1 activation is required for both the polar accumulation and the exocytosis of vesicles at the plasma membrane apex. The apical accumulation of exocytic vesicles oscillated in phase with, but slightly behind, apical actin assembly and was enhanced by overexpression of RIC4. However, RIC4 overexpression inhibited exocytosis, and this inhibition could be suppressed by latrunculin B treatment or RIC3 overexpression. We conclude that RIC4-dependent actin assembly is required for polar vesicle accumulation, whereas RIC3-mediated actin disassembly is required for exocytosis. Thus ROP1-dependent F-actin dynamics control tip growth through spatiotemporal coordination of vesicle targeting and exocytosis.
The demography of range boundaries versus range cores in eastern US tree species

Regional species–climate correlations are well documented, but little is known about the ecological processes responsible for generating these patterns. Using the data from over 690 000 individual trees I estimated five demographic rates—canopy growth, understorey growth, canopy lifespan, understorey lifespan and per capita reproduction—for 19 common eastern US tree species, within the core and the northern and southern boundaries, of the species range. Most species showed statistically significant boundary versus core differences in most rates at both boundary types. Differences in canopy and understorey growth were relatively small in magnitude but consistent among species, being lower at the northern (average −17%) and higher at the southern (average +12%) boundaries. Differences in lifespan were larger in magnitude but highly variable among species, except for a marked trend for reduced canopy lifespan at the northern boundary (average −49%). Differences in per capita reproduction were large and statistically significant for some species, but highly variable among species. The rate estimates were combined to calculate two performance indices: R 0 (a measure of lifetime fitness in the absence of competition) was consistently lower at the northern boundary (average −86%) whereas Z * (a measure of competitive ability in closed forest) showed no sign of a consistent boundary–core difference at either boundary.
Work-arounds, make-work, and kludges

Paradigms are often defined partly in terms of what they are not, or in terms of what they are reacting against. The paradigm of human-centered computing is no exception. We discuss about a user-hostile system. We decided that the terms kludge and work-around, and also the related concept of make-work, has yet to be clearly defined for the intelligent systems community. Human-centered systems are different from user-hostile systems as well as from systems based on a designer-centered approach. We try to clarify the senses of these three terms and suggest ways we might study work-around, make-work, and kludges as an integral part of human-computer systems-rather than as embarrassing necessities that are best swept under the computing research rug.
Ultra-wideband radar using Fourier synthesized waveforms

Traditional methods of ultra-wideband (UWB) radar signal generation suffer from several disadvantages such as low antenna radiation efficiency and lack of accurate control of signal parameters like pulse shape, pulse repetition interval (PRI), and its spectrum. UWB signals can be generated by expanding the desired radar waveform in a Fourier series and then synthesizing the waveform by generating the individual terms in the expansion from harmonically related oscillators. Signals thus produced overcome the disadvantages of traditional methods of UWB signal generation. Fourier series based method for generation of complex amplitude coded waveforms is developed which can be used to generate time domain equivalent of Barker and other codes for application in radar and communication areas. In radar applications, these coded waveforms, with accurate and stable waveform parameters, shall allow pulse compression and coherent integration. The additional processing gain provided by these operations reduces the need for high peak power in radar transmitters which is one of the bottlenecks in the implementation of operational UWB radars. This paper also describes a UWB radar concept which incorporates Fourier synthesized waveforms. Related digital signal processing issues are also discussed.
Frailty and hip osteoarthritis in men in the MrOS cohort

Results. Prevalence of robust, intermediate, and frail status was 50%, 42%, and 8%, respectively. RHOA or THR was associated with increased odds of being frail or intermediate compared with robust (adjusted odds ratio = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18, 1.78). Men with RHOA or THR were 1.27 times more likely to have incident frail or intermediate status compared with robust (95% CI: 1.19, 1.38).
Progesterone and Vitamin D Hormone as a Biologic Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury in the Aged

There is growing recognition that traumatic brain injury is a highly variable and complex systemic disorder that is refractory to therapies that target individual mechanisms. It is even more complex in elderly persons, in whom frailty, previous comorbidities, altered metabolism, and a long history of medication use are likely to complicate the secondary effects of brain trauma. Progesterone, one of the few neuroprotective agents that has shown promise for the treatment of acute brain injury, is now in national and international phase 3 multicenter trials. New findings show that vitamin D hormone (VDH) and VDH deficiency in the aging process (and across the developmental spectrum) may interact with progesterone and treatment for traumatic brain injury. In this article we review the use of progesterone and VDH as biologics-based therapies along with recent studies demonstrating that the combination of progesterone and VDH may promote better functional outcomes than either treatment independently.
Development of Radioimmunoassay for Guanethidine

A radioimmunoassay was developed for measuring plasma concentrations of the antihypertensive agent guanethidine at the nanogram level. Guanethidine was conjugated covalently to human serum albumin by two procedures, and the degree of conjugation was determined using tracer amounts of 3H-guanethidine. Immunization of sheep with various conjugates afforded antiserums with specificity for guanethidine, as determined in competitive binding studies using 3H-guanethidine and a dextran-coated charcoal technique for the separation of free and antibody-bound drug. The major human metabolites, an N-oxide and a ring-opened derivative, were not cross-reactive in antibody binding studies. Constituents of human plasma or serum do not appear to interfere with the assay. Preliminary results from immunoassay of plasma samples from patients receiving guanethidine indicate potential use for assessing dosage regimens and studying pharmacokinetics.
Houseflies Are an Unlikely Reservoir or Vector for Helicobacter pylori

The route of transmission of Helicobacter pylori from individual to individual remains undefined. It has recently been reported that the domestic housefly, Musca domestica, when fed pure cultures of H. pylori, was able to harbor the organism in its midgut for up to 30 h (P. Grubel, S. Hoffman, F. K. Chong, N. A. Barstein, C. Mepani, and D. R. Cave, J. Clin. Microbiol. 35:1300-1303, 1997). Our investigation examined whether houseflies could acquire H. pylori from fresh human feces. Domestic houseflies (40 flies/group) were exposed for 24 h to feces from an H. pylori-positive volunteer, feces from an H. pylori-negative volunteer, or feces from an H. pylori-negative volunteer to which a known amount of viable H. pylori had been added. At various intervals, flies were sacrificed and the midguts were excised, homogenized, and plated in duplicate onto selective horse blood agar plates. All plates were incubated under microaerobic conditions at 37 degreesC for 14 days. Emergent colonies presumptive of H. pylori were picked and tested biochemically to confirm the identity as H. pylori. H. pylori was not recovered from houseflies fed human feces either naturally infected or artificially infected with H. pylori. These results suggest that the domestic housefly is not a vector for transmission or a reservoir for H. pylori infection.
A Case Study in Extended Value Engineering

Extended value engineering techniques provide an efficient, systematic approach to expose unnecessary costs, spur innovation, and direct efforts toward product and process improvement. Extended value engineering involves the comprehensive application of function diagramming, cost/cycle analysis, process diagramming, and competitive cost comparison. The application of these techniques to a mining equipment manufacturer, specifically to an ore haulage vehicle, is described in terms of cost reduction and manufacturing process improvement.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Why Do Some Toddlers Help A Stranger? Origins of Individual Differences in Prosocial Behavior

This study investigated the influence of emotion on toddlers' prosocial behavior in instrumental helping tasks with an unfamiliar adult. The goals were to examine whether early prosocial behavior was affected by (1) the adult's expressions of sadness (in contrast to a neutral expression) as a cue of need and (2) toddlers' emotion understanding. Thirty-five 18- to 20-month-olds participated in eight trials in which an experimenter either indicated need for assistance (experimental condition) or did not (control). In addition, the experimenter expressed either sadness or neutral affect in each trial. Toddlers' emotion understanding was assessed using maternal reports of children's emotion words. The experimenter's emotional expression alone was not associated with prosocial behavior, but toddlers helped more in experimental than control conditions. However, toddlers with larger emotion word vocabularies were marginally more prosocial when the experimenter expressed sadness, and girls provided more assistance than boys in experimental conditions. These findings highlight the complex influences of emotion on early prosocial motivation.
Non-linear capillary instability of a liquid jet

A third-order theory has been developed to study capillary instability of a liquid jet. The result shows that the asymmetrical development of an initially sinusoidal wave is a non-linear effect with generation of higher harmonics as well as feedback into the fundamental. The growth of the surface wave is found to depend explicitly on the dimensionless initial amplitude of the disturbance and the dimensionless wave-number k of the wave. For the same initial disturbance, the wave is found to have a maximum growth rate at k = 0·7 in agreement with the linearized theory. For the same wave-number, the growth is proportional to the initial amplitude of the disturbance. The cut-off wave-number and the fundamental frequency (or growth rate for the unstable case) of the wave for a given k are found to be different from the linearized theory. Furthermore, at the cut-off wave-number, the present theory shows the disturbance experiences a growth which is proportional to t2. The excellent agreement between Donnelly & Glaberson's experiment and Rayleigh's linearized theory is found to be due to their method of measurement.
Assessment of Mitral Valve Adaptation With Gated Cardiac Computed Tomography Validation With Three-Dimensional Echocardiography and Mechanistic Insight to Functional Mitral Regurgitation

Background— Mitral valve (MV) enlargement is a compensatory mechanism capable of preventing functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) in dilated ventricles. Total leaflet area and its relation with closure area measured by 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiography have been related to FMR. Whether these parameters can be assessed with other imaging modalities is not known. Our objectives are to compare cardiac computed tomography (CT)–based measurements of MV leaflets with 3D echocardiography and determine the relationship of these metrics to the presence of FMR. Methods and Results— We used 2 cohorts of patients who had cardiac CT to measure MV total leaflet, closure, and annulus areas. In cohort 1 (26 patients), we validated these CT metrics to 3D echocardiography. In cohort 2 (66 patients), we assessed the relation of MV size with the presence of FMR in 3 populations: heart failure with FMR, heart failure without FMR, and normal controls. Cardiac CT and 3D echocardiography produced similar results for total leaflet ( R 2=0.97), closure ( R 2=0.89), and annulus areas ( R 2=0.84). MV size was the largest in heart failure without FMR compared with controls and patients with FMR (9.1±1.7 versus 7.5±1.0 versus 8.1±0.9 cm2/m2; P <0.01). Patients with FMR had reduced ratios of total leaflet to closure areas and total leaflet to annulus areas when compared with patients without FMR ( P <0.01). Conclusions— MV size measured by CT is comparable with 3D echocardiography. MV enlargement in cardiomyopathy suggests leaflet adaptation. Patients with FMR have inadequate adaptation as reflected by decreased ratios of leaflet area and areas determined by ventricle size (annulus and closure areas). These measurements provide additional insight into the mechanism of FMR.
On centralized composite detection with distributed sensors

For composite hypothesis testing, the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) and the Bayesian approach are two widely used methods. This paper investigates the two methods for signal detection of a known waveform and unknown amplitude with distributed sensors. It is first proved that the performance of the GLRT can be poor. Secondly, a direct way of improving the GLRT is proposed. Thirdly, an approximate Bayesian detector is derived and it is shown to be another way of improving the GLRT. Compared with the exact Bayesian approach, the proposed method always has a closed form and hence is easy to implement. Computer simulation results show that the approximate Bayesian detector outperforms the GLRT when only a few sensors receive a large signal.
Family Interaction and Communication Deviance in Disturbed and Normal Families: A Review of Research†

Recent family interaction studies are reviewed with an emphasis on looking for dimensions along which disturbed and normal families differ. Several areas of consistency in the literature were found, including: family coalition patterns, patterns of conflict, flexibility versus rigidity, family effectiveness and efficiency, and deviant styles of communication. It was concluded that several measures reliably discriminate disturbed from normal families and that one type of measure in particular is a reliable predictor of thought disorder in offspring. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
Silicon-Germanium Nanostructures for Light Emitters and On-Chip Optical Interconnects

In this paper, we review the present status of light emitters based on SiGe nanostructures. In order to be commercially valuable, these light emitters should be efficient, fast, operational at room temperature, and, perhaps most important, compatible with the ldquomainstreamrdquo complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Another important requirement is in the emission wavelength, which should match the optical waveguide low-loss spectral region, i.e., 1.3-1.6 mum. Among other approaches, epitaxially grown Si/SiGe quantum wells and quantum dot/quantum well complexes produce efficient photoluminescence and electroluminescence in the required spectral range. Until recently, the major roadblocks for practical applications of these devices were strong thermal quenching of the luminescence quantum efficiency and a long carrier radiative lifetime. The latest progress in the understanding of physics of carrier recombination in Si/SiGe nanostructures is reviewed, and a new route toward CMOS compatible light emitters for on-chip optical interconnects is proposed.
PESTICINS I. Pesticin-bacterium Interrelationships, and Environmental Factors Influencing Activity

Brubaker, Robert R. (U. S. Army Biological Laboratories, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md.) and Michael J. Surgalla. Pesticins. I. Pesticin-bacterium interrelationships, and environmental factors influencing activity. J. Bacteriol. 82: 940-949. 1961-A second bacteriocin-like substance produced by all tested strains of Pasteurella pestis and P. pseudotuberculosis is described. This activity, termed pesticin II, is active against the two avirulent P. pestis strains, A12 and Java. These strains do not produce pesticin I, which inhibits the growth of type I strains of P. pseudotuberculosis. Pesticin I was also found to be active against certain strains of Escherichia coli, strain A12, but not strain Java, and some P. pestis isolates which also produce pesticin I. A number of E. coli strains produce a substance which also inhibits the growth of strains A12 and Java; the activity of this substance is dependent upon the presence of high concentrations of Ca(++). The activity of both pesticins is inhibited under anaerobic conditions or in the presence of antiserum. The activity of pesticin I, but not pesticin II, is suppressed by Fe(+++), hemin, certain hemin-containing proteins, Mg(++), and inorganic phosphate. Suppression of pesticin I activity by Fe(+++) can be reversed by the addition of either Ca(++) or Sr(++) or by metal chelating agents. All tested strains of P. pestis and P. pseudotuberculosis produce a metabolite which suppresses the activity of pesticin I. The activity of this substance, termed pesticin I inhibitor, is enhanced by Fe(+++), and to a lesser extent by Mg(++) or by inorganic phosphate; its activity is suppressed by Mn(++) and by protamine sulfate.
Evaluation of the hybrid multithreading programming model using image processing transforms

Hybrid chips containing both CPU's and FPGA components promise the potential of providing a unified platform for seamless implementation of hardware and software co-designed components. Realizing the potential of these new hybrid chips requires new high level programming model capabilities that support a far more integrated view of the CPU and FPGA components than is achievable with current methods. The KU hybrid threads project has been investigating extending the familiar multithreaded programming model across this CPU/FPGA boundary to support both FPGA based hardware and CPU based software threads. Adopting this generalized multithreaded model can lead to programming productivity improvement, while at the same time providing the benefit of customized hardware from within a familiar software programming model. In this paper we present an application study of our hybrid multithreaded model. We have implemented several image-processing functions in both hardware and software, but from within the common multithreaded programming model on a XILINX V2P7 FPGA. This example demonstrates hardware and software threads executing concurrently using standard multithreaded synchronization primitives transforming real-time images captured by a camera and display it on a workstation.
Prostate Cancer and Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: Implications for Screening and Therapy

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder associated with mutations in the TP53 gene and characterized by a propensity to develop a variety of malignancies resulting in a shortened lifespan. We report a case of prostate cancer in a 50 year old male with LFS. Experimental studies suggest that TP53 mutations in prostate cancer are associated with therapeutic resistance to radiation, chemotherapy, and anti-androgens, implying that LFS men may experience more aggressive cancer biology with implications for therapeutic decisions. The potential of prostate cancer to develop earlier in LFS favors institution of screening at earlier ages.
The Use of Online Videos in the 2008 U.S. Congressional Elections

In a recent survey, 39% of Americans reported using the Web to access campaign materials for the 2008 primary elections. Assuming they are using popular search engines such as Google, it is important to investigate their search patterns and ensure that standards of fairness and balanced coverage are upheld in the results. In this paper, we offer an exploratory analysis of political online video data. This data was collected in the context of a broader project aimed at studying the effects of politically motivated spamming of webpages to manipulate their rankings within search engine results. Using online video parameters such as the submission date, number of views, ranking position, description keywords, political inclination of the submitter, the political message in the video, and commentsassociated with the video, we construct a picture of how online video medium was used during the last congressional political campaign. Our analysis takes into account three players: video providers (usually the campaigns or other interested parties), video consumers (the users), and search facilitators (Google and YouTube). The results indicate that online video coverage might be susceptible to technological bias that adds to the political biascommon in electoral campaigns. Educating the broader publicabout this inherent bias should be a common effort of the involved players and fairness advocacy groups.