cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interference effects in Schwinger vacuum pair production for time-dependent laser pulses

We present simple new approximate formulas, for both scalar and spinor QED, for the number of particles produced from vacuum by a time-dependent electric field, incorporating the interference effects that arise from an arbitrary number of distinct semiclassical turning points. Such interference effects are important when the temporal profile of the laser pulse has subcycle structure. We show how the resulting semiclassical intuition may be used to guide the design of temporal profiles that enhance the momentum spectrum due to interference effects. The result is easy to implement and generally applicable to time-dependent tunneling problems, such as those that appear in many other contexts in particle and nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, atomic physics, chemical physics, and gravitational physics.
The role of cancer rehabilitation in the maintenance of functional integrity and quality of life

Rehabilitation too often remains clinically marginalized in the care of cancer patients. The perception that only patients capable of full community and vocational pursuits with unrestricted life spans stand to benefit from rehabilitation is inaccurate. Although physical medicine and rehabilitation, or physiatry, was initially dedicated to transitioning individuals with anatomically devastating injuries back to productive lives, the field has broadened considerably. This increased scope is a response to medical advances that have radically altered the prognoses of many formerly fatal diseases. Integration of rehabilitation services in the care of patients with far-advanced pulmonary and cardiac disease is standard. Comparable services are rarely offered to cancer patients, even in the early stages of disease. The purpose of rehabilitation as outlined in this chapter is to improve the quality of life irrespective of etiology or anticipated survival. The number and severity of functional impairments correlate with disability among cancer patients (Cheville, 2002). As disease progresses, impairments become increasingly common. Most patients develop multiple deficits in the advanced stages of cancer. For example, patients with advanced breast cancer develop conjointly chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathies, lymphedema and steroid myopathies, referring to injury to peripheral nerves, edema or swelling secondary to injury in lymphatic channels, and muscle injury associated with use of steroids, respectively. Also plexopathies, or injury to the nerve plexus or network of nerve fibers that pass from one peripheral nerve to
MEMS integrated metamaterials with variable resonance operating at RF frequencies

Metamaterials are engineered materials with integrated structures designed to produce a resonant response at specific frequencies. The capacitive and inductive properties of metamaterials effect the overall refractive index of the media in which an RF signal propagates by generating a resonant frequency response. Incorporating microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) into the structure adds the ability to tune metamaterials and generate a variable resonance. In this investigation, a resonant response is achieved for the 1 – 4 GHz range with tuning. Employing processing techniques to create microelectronic devices, different metamaterial designs are fabricated on quartz substrates. Using these modifications, a design which provides the ideal shift in resonance is selected to incorporate into future RF systems. This paper reports on the modeling, design, fabrication and testing of various designs of metamaterials incorporated with MEMS.
Congress Fiddles While Middle America Burns: Amending the AMT (and Regular Tax)

Several features of the budgetary context and the interaction of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and the regular tax system suggest that the AMT will increasingly reach into the pool of ordinary taxpayers over the next few years. Taxpayers with incomes of less than $100,000 may in fact constitute the majority of AMT payers. The increase in taxpayers subject to the AMT over time creates a quandary - the longer Congress waits to reform the AMT, the more it will cost to do so, as the AMT becomes an increasingly important source of revenues. Many commentators have nonetheless called for outright repeal of the AMT. This article, however, urges that the appropriate response to these challenges should be AMT reform, not repeal. The article first explores the economic context in which any AMT changes must be considered, including the substantial tax cuts enacted from 2001-2003 and the related economic environment of rapid growth in both federal deficits and the federal debt burden, increasing income inequality, and the increasing number of consumption-base features in the income tax system. The article then briefly sets out the normative perspective that I believe should guide tax policymakers in making the difficult choices among possible AMT changes. The article next evaluates common criticisms of the AMT made by those favoring repeal and finds the arguments for repeal unconvincing. There are strong normative, and practical, reasons to retain the AMT despite its flaws. As an alternative to repeal, the article proposes a solution to the AMT quandary that addresses the most blameworthy features of the current AMT system while continuing to use the AMT to target taxpayers who benefit from aggregation of substantial preferences under the regular tax. Reforms include protections for what might be called "ordinary" taxpayers and additional preferences that should be taken into account in the AMT system to appropriately target higher-income taxpayers. To further limit the harmful growth of inequality among taxpayers, the article also argues for related, concurrent changes to the regular tax system. Finally, the article suggests that Congress should consider withdrawing some of the 2001-2003 tax cuts for taxpayers in the highest income brackets, to the extent necessary to fund needed AMT changes and at the same time ensure overall progressivity of the federal tax system.
Association of Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Musculoskeletal Symptoms with Ultrasonographic Changes at the Wrist.

Background: About 40% of aromatase inhibitor (AI)-treated women develop AI-associated musculoskeletal symptoms (AIMSS) such as arthralgias, but the etiology is unclear. Tendon sheath fluid and tenosynovial changes have been demonstrated by imaging in symptomatic AI-treated patients. It is unclear if these changes correlate with development of AIMSS.Methods: Thirty consecutive patients (pts) initiating therapy with letrozole or exemestane on a prospective clinical trial were enrolled to this substudy. Pts with prior wrist trauma or who declined to provide informed consent were excluded. Pts underwent high resolution ultrasonography (US) of the wrists bilaterally and completed the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire at baseline (BL) and after 3 mo of AI. AIMSS was defined as increase in HAQ or pain VAS score during AI therapy that exceeded a predefined cutoff. Analysis of US images was performed in a blinded manner. Imaging abnormalities included the following: presence of fluid, synovitis, and/or hyperemia in the tendon sheath or joint recess. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses.Results: Of the 30 enrolled subjects, 25 completed both BL and 3 mo assessments. Eight of 30 (27%) discontinued therapy because of AIMSS (2 before and 6 after the 3 mo timepoint), and 3 patients discontinued therapy for unrelated reasons. All patients have been followed for at least 6 mo. We observed a significant association between early treatment discontinuation and change in HAQ (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.525, p=0.0006) and VAS (OR 1.307, p=0.0096) but not DASH (OR 1.001, p=0.96) scores between BL and 3 mo. The proportion of pts with abnormalities on US at BL or that developed during therapy is given in tables 1 and 2, respectively. We did not observe a statistically significant correlation between objective abnormalities on US at BL or following initiation of AI therapy and the development of AIMSS or early treatment discontinuation because of AIMSS.Conclusions: Clinically relevant musculoskeletal symptoms develop in AI-treated women, leading to treatment discontinuation in a substantial percentage. However, patient-reported symptoms were not associated with inflammatory changes visible on wrist US in this pilot study. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 802.
Power and the Vote: Elections and Electricity in the Developing World

How do developing states decide who gets access to public goods like electricity, water, and education? Power and the Vote breaks new ground by showing that the provision of seemingly universal public goods is intricately shaped by electoral priorities. In doing so, this book introduces new methods using high-resolution satellite imagery to study the distribution of electricity across and within the developing world. Combining cross-national evidence with detailed sub-national analysis and village-level data from India, Power and the Vote affirms the power of electoral incentives in shaping the distribution of public goods and challenges the view that democracy is a luxury of the rich with little relevance to the world's poor.
Automated Assessment of Paragraph Quality: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion Paragraphs

Natural language processing and statistical methods were used to identify linguistic features associated with the quality of student-generated paragraphs. Linguistic features were assessed using Coh-Metrix. The resulting computational models demonstrated small to medium effect sizes for predicting paragraph quality: introduction quality r2 = .25, body quality r2 = .10, and conclusion quality r2 = .11. Although the variance explained was somewhat low, the linguistic features identified were consistent with the rhetorical goals of paragraph types. Avenues for bolstering this approach by considering individual writing styles and techniques are considered.
Being Critical About Security: What Critical Political Economy Says About Security and Identity

The field of critical security studies (CSS) emerged in the late 1980s as a self-declared emancipatory project in opposition to mainstream realism. The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in a period of seeming glasnost among security scholars who long had felt sidelined by overly militarized, strategic and state-centric approaches. During the past few decades a number of diverse strands of CSS have developed. Indeed, the field has become so varied that arguably its unity is based only by self-proclaimed criticism of “traditional” approaches to security.
Visible light photoredox and Polonovski-Potier cyclizations for the synthesis of (±)-5-epi-cermizine C and (±)-epimyrtine

Quinolizidine alkaloids epi-cermizine C and epimyrtine were synthesized from a common intermediate in 5–6 steps from commercially available materials. The key step involved an allylsilane cyclization with an iminium ion formed by oxidation of a tertiary amine. Oxidative annulation was promoted either catalytically by visible light photoredox catalysis or by stoichiometric Polonovski-Potier conditions. There was a modest difference in diastereoselectivity between the two methods, with photoredox providing the key quinolizidine intermediate in 4.7:1 dr versus 2:1 dr for the Polonovski route.
A Qualitative Comparison of Conventional Soil Survey and Digital Soil Mapping Approaches

Research in digital soil mapping has indicated that its methodologies could be successfully extended to a field setting where it could enhance the quality and scientific foundation of soil surveys, as well as save time and money. These assumptions are being put to the test in the Mojave Desert of California as part of a continuing effort within ongoing soil surveys. One of the questions being posed in this study is how comparable is a third-order soil map created by the conventional soil survey approach to one created via digital soil mapping. To compare the two mapping approaches the subgroup level of Soil Taxonomy was chosen as the response variable and the map unit as the unit of comparison. Within each map unit the proportion and number of subgroups predicted by each mapping approach was qualitatively compared. Within the intermontane basins the predictive model used for digital soil mapping, estimated a smaller proportion and number of soil subgroups associated with fan remnants. Whereas within the mountains the conventional approach predicted fewer soil subgroups, and a different composition of soil subgroups.
The presentation, diagnosis and treatment of mast cell activation syndrome : review article

Only recently recognised, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) is a large, prevalent collection of illnesses resulting from mast cells (MCs) which are inappropriately activated but which, in contrast to the (collectively rare) forms of mastocytosis, are not significantly proliferating. Due to the diversity of direct and indirect, local and remote effects of the menagerie of mediators released by MCs, likely due to highly heterogeneous sets of mutations in MC regulatory elements, MCAS typically presents as chronic, persistent or recurrent, waxing/waning or slowly progressive, generally inflammatory multisystem polymorbidity. Initial manifestations often occur in childhood but are non-specific; in fact, virtually all of the syndrome's manifestations are non-specific, leading to decades of mysterious illness complicated by incorrect or superficial diagnoses often poorly responsive to empiric therapies. Diagnosis is further challenged in detecting specific biomarkers of MC activation other than serum tryptase levels, which usually are elevated in systemic mastocytosis but normal in MCAS. MCAS therapy aims to inhibit mediator production/release and block/ameliorate mediator action. Although patient-specific optimal therapy is not presently predictable, a methodical, persistent, trial-and-error approach usually finds helpful therapy. Lifespan with MCAS approximates normal, but quality of life can be significantly impaired without correct diagnosis and effective treatment.
Comparative Study of the Crystallization Behavior of Fe-Cr-B-Si in Bulk and Thin Film Forms

A pulsed laser deposition technique was used to obtain Fe-Cr-B-Si metallic glass in a thin film form using the amorphous Fe77Cr2B16Si5 ribbon as a target. Subsequently the as-deposited films were annealed at the same conditions as the ribbon samples in order to compare their crystallization behaviors. The structure and magnetic properties of the bulk and the surface layer of the samples were characterized by transmission and conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy, respectively. Significantly different crystallization behavior was observed for the ribbon and thin film samples.
Improving Medical Student Education about Preventive Services

AbstractBackground: The majority of clinical preventive services are underused in primary care contributing to premature death and illness. Educational gaps on the topics of wellness and prevention in medical schools may lead to less use of preventive services among medical students as they start to practice medicine. Research suggests that incorporation of prevention education interventions into medical schools core curriculum leads to increased use of clinical preventive services in primary care. Purpose: The purpose of the project was to develop an innovative prevention education module for third-year medical students and evaluate its impact on their knowledge, attitudes, behavior and self-efficacy regarding clinical preventive services. Methods: Sixty-three medical students were recruited when they started their rotation in family medicine during their third year of Jefferson Medical College. The project employed a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design in which we compared students who received the educational intervention and those who did not receive the intervention within the same rotation period. Descriptive analysis was conducted for all outcome variables and participant characteristics. A two-way (2x2) repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze all outcome variables. Results: Thirty-three medical students in the intervention group were compared with thirty medical students in the comparison group. All completed the pre and post education questionnaire. The mean age of subjects was 25.6 (SD=2.3, range=22-33) with no difference between the groups. Students in the intervention group showed greater change in knowledge and improvement in self-efficacy compared to the control group. Conclusion: Since increased knowledge and self-efficacy are known determinants of behaviour change, this approach may result in behavior and practice change among medical students with regard to use of preventive services.
Antibiotic Prophylaxis with Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole versus No Treatment after Mid-to-Distal Hypospadias Repair: A Prospective, Randomized Study

Purpose. To evaluate the impact of prophylactic antibiotics after distal hypospadias repair on postoperative bacteriuria, symptomatic urinary tract infection, and postoperative complications in a prospective, randomized trial. Materials and Methods. Consecutive patients aged 6 months to 2 years were enrolled at our institution between June 2013 and May 2017. Consenting patients were randomized to antibiotic prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole versus no antibiotic. Patients had catheterized urine samples obtained at surgery and 6–10 days postoperatively. The primary outcome was bacteriuria and pyuria at postoperative urine collection. Secondary outcomes included symptomatic urinary tract infection and postoperative complications. Results. 70 patients consented to the study, of which 35 were randomized to receive antibiotics compared to 32 who did not. Demographics, severity of hypospadias, and type of repair were similar between the groups. Patients in the treatment group had significantly less pyuria (18%) and bacteriuria (11%) present at stent removal compared to the nontreatment group (55% and 63%; and , resp.). No patient had a symptomatic urinary tract infection. There were 11 postoperative complications. Conclusions. Routine antibiotic prophylaxis appears to significantly decrease bacteriuria and pyuria in the immediate postoperative period; however, no difference was observed in symptomatic urinary tract infection or postoperative complications. Clinical Trial Registration Number NCT02593903 .
A topological characterization of the products arising from site-specific recombination on $$T(2,n) \# C(2,r)$$ DNA substrates

A mathematical knot is a simple closed curve in 3-space. Following work of Buck, Flapan, and others, we model circular DNA as a knot to classify the possible knotted or linked products which can arise as a result of site-specific recombination on DNA substrates of the topological form \(T(2,n) \# C(2,r)\). We show that, given some reasonable biological assumptions, all of the possible products are contained in one of two families.
Novel application of an old technique: the use of external to internal carotid artery transposition in trauma.

A 27-year-old male patient presented to the Trauma Center with multiple gunshot wounds, including a wound to right zone II of the neck, three wounds to the posterior neck and intraoral wounds to the left soft palate. There was an associated expanding hematoma with pulsatile bleeding of the zone II neck wound and the patient was demonstrating lateralizing signs. Pressure was held to control bleeding and after completion of primary and secondary surveys the patient was transported to the operating room for exploration. On induction of general anesthesia, an incision was made along the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and carried down to the common carotid artery, and the vessel loop was encircled around it. There was active arterial and venous bleeding distally so the incision was extended and dissection was carried down to the internal jugular vein, which had an approximately 1 cm, near-circumferential defect in it and was ligated. The internal carotid artery (ICA) was then further dissected up to the level of the injury, which was approximately 1.5 cm distal to the carotid bifurcation. Arterial bleeding from the ICA was temporarily controlled by digital pressure while distal control was obtained of the ICA and external carotid …
Flaxseed Bioactive Compounds and Colorectal Cancer Prevention.

Flaxseed and its bioactive components have been associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer incidence and progression. This review aims to summarize recent research regarding the role of flaxseed and each of its major dietary bioactive components in reducing colorectal cancer. In both human and animal model experiments, flaxseed consumption had beneficial effects on colon physiology associated with reduction in colorectal cancer risk or occurrence. Considered separately, each of flaxseed’s major bioactive components, including fiber, alpha-linolenic acid, lignans, and other phytochemicals, is also associated with decreased risk of colonic neoplasms and regulation of cell growth through several potential mechanisms. Collectively, experimental data suggests that consumption of flaxseed and/or its bioactive components may reduce colorectal cancer risk by a variety of mechanisms. Future studies should focus on the mechanisms by which whole flaxseed can prevent colorectal cancer.
Bifurcation of Periodic Planar Equations

In the previous chapter, we have given a rather complete discussion of the behavior of solutions near a periodic orbit or a homoclinic orbit of a two dimensional autonomous system subjected to an autonomous perturbation. In this case, new periodic orbits could occur or old periodic orbits could disappear at bifurcation points.
Anxiety and the Voice of Unreason: Reading Foucault with Freud

The paper focuses on Michel Foucault's early monograph, Maladie Mentale et Psychologie (1954/62); specifically the focus is on the issue of anxiety, which Foucault treats as central to pathological signification. Through a close reading of the text of Maladie Mentale and a comparison of the work to interpretive trends in French psychoanalytic theory in the 1950s and 1960s, the paper argues that anxiety as a discursive phenomenon overruns psychological discourse as well as Foucault's own theoretical engagement of such discourse. In conclusion, the paper finds that the voice of unreason Foucault detects in psychological discourse is the anxiety of theory confined within the limits of individual psychology.
Ordinary Differentiation Equations

In this chapter, we investigate the computational complexity of the solutions y of an ordinary differential equation with initial condition $$\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {y\prime (x) = f(x,y(x)),} & {y(0) = 0} \\ \end{array}$$ (7.1) defined by a polynomial-time computable function f on the rectangle [0,1] × [-1,1]. We consider only ordinary differential equations of the first order, and only equations with initial conditions. The complexity of the solutions y of equation (7.1) depends on certain properties of the function f. First, if equation (7.1) does not have a unique solution, then it is possible that all of its solutions y are noncomputable. If, on the other hand, equation (7.1) has a unique solution, then its solution y must be computable but the complexity could be arbitrarily high. This suggests that we consider those equations (7.1) where the function f satisfies the Lipschitz condition. The Lipschitz condition provides immediately an upper bound of polynomial space on the solution y (for example, by the use of the Euler method). The main result of this chapter proves that polynomial space is also a lower bound for the solution y of equation (7.1) if the function f is polynomial-time computable and satisfies a weak form of local Lipschitz condition in the neighborhood of the solution y.
Prognostic Value of Serial Echocardiography in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Smaller Hearts, Better Results.

See Article by Son and James et al Despite advances in surgical management and postoperative follow up, hypoplastic left heart (HLHS) syndrome remains a complex disease that carries substantial morbidity and mortality.1–4 Well-described risk factors for worse survival to Fontan include prematurity, genetic syndromes, and restrictive atrial septum, with some centers suggesting that anatomic subtype is an additional risk factor.5–8 Functional integrity of the right ventricle and tricuspid valve are additional important components of successfully navigating the single ventricle palliative pathway, although identifying subtle changes in function over time can be a challenge.9–11 The development of echocardiographic tools to carefully phenotype the right ventricle could help risk stratify patients and inform outcomes. Few prior studies have focused on longitudinal quantitative assessment of right ventricular geometry, size, and function in this population, and clinical practice often relies on qualitative assessment by the trained echocardiographer. In addition, the impact of a globular and dysfunctional left ventricle on right ventricular function needs attention. In an era of improved imaging techniques, attempts at detailing structural and functional aspects of the heart in HLHS can help better risk stratify patients and contribute to management and outcome. In this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging , Son et al12 from the Hospital for Sick Children report on the use of serial echocardiographic parameters in children with HLHS. The authors studied 67 survivors of the stage 1 palliation and retrospectively examined outcome to stage …
Underutilization of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Among 3-Year-Old Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Funding for early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorder is rapidly expanding. Yet we know little about children’s utilization, and research on inequities in utilization is lacking. We examined the relationship between utilization during the first year of EIBI and (a) child race-ethnicity and (b) neighborhood characteristics. Using a sample of children eligible for a Medicaid waiver through a novel policy of presumptive eligibility (N = 108), we estimated a series of two-level growth curve models. Children’s average utilization ranged between 24 and 48% of weekly hours, and utilization did not differ by race-ethnicity or neighborhood during the first year. Findings underscore the need to monitor utilization of EIBI and warrant research on the feasibility of EIBI provision in the general population.
Some Microenvironmental Influences on Attachment Behavior of The Planula of Cyanea Capillata (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)

The selective value of prudent settlement by larval stages is important for the persistence of sedentary species. The factors influencing larval behavior of marine invertebrates are reviewed by Crisp (1974). In many species reversal of taxes occurs prior to attachment on a suitable substrate; thus, the larva may be initially geonegative and/or photopositive, but as development proceeds changes occur in its response to the environmental factors so that the larva attaches upside-down in a shaded location (Crisp, 1974).
Enhancement of 3D Capture of Room-Sized Dynamic Scenes with Pan-Tilt-Zoom Cameras

We present a method for augmenting the 3D reconstruction of a dynamic indoor scene using Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras. The system combines Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras with static wide field-of-view depth cameras within a networked platform. Traditionally, Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras have been extensively used in surveillance applications, since their ability to pan, tilt and zoom in on an object allows them to cover a large area with a reduced number of cameras. However, most of the existing work with PTZ cameras deals with scanning or tracking objects in large outdoor environments, where objects are typically large distances away from the cameras. We use PTZ cameras in an indoor setting to zoom in on relevant and interesting objects to get fine visual details. The fine details and high resolution imagery enables us to augment and refine the room’s 3D surface as constructed from off-the-shelf depth cameras statically mounted around the room. We show significant improvements in both texture quality and geometry when high-resolution imagery from multiple PTZ cameras is used to supplement the 3D model built from fixed commodity depth cameras.
Linear Quadratic Regulator for Autonomous Oscillation

A recent result on eigenstructure assignment allows for a linear feedback control to achieve desired autonomous periodic behavior for linear plants, where the oscillation pattern is characterized by a frequency and mode shape (relative amplitudes and phase-offsets). We develop an optimal control theory based on the general result that parametrizes such controllers solving the eigenstructure assignment problem. The resulting controller represents an extension of the linear quadratic regulator, where the cost is a function of the transient portions of the state and control input, i.e. the portions that exponentially converge to zero as the state converges to the specified oscillation pattern. The optimal controller has a feedback structure that distinguishes it from a standard regulator about a fixed trajectory, achieving the oscillation pattern autonomously, with the absolute amplitude and phase timing adjusted by sensory feedback. A design example is presented to demonstrate the performance of the controller.
Temperature dependence of collisional broadening and shift for the Kr 4 p 6 S 01→5 p [3/2] 2 electronic transition

Temperature scaling of collisional broadening parameters for krypton (absorber) 4p6S01→5p[3/2]2 electronic transition centered at 107.3 nm in the presence of major combustion species (perturber) is investigated. The absorption spectrum in the vicinity of the transition is obtained from the fluorescence due to the two-photon excitation scan of krypton. Krypton was added in small amounts to major combustion species such as CH4, CO2, N2, and air, which then heated to elevated temperatures when flowed through a set of heated coils. In a separate experimental campaign, laminar premixed flat flame product mixtures of methane combustion were employed to extend the investigations to higher temperature ranges relevant to combustion. Collisional full width half maximum (FWHM) (wC) and shift (δC) were computed from the absorption spectrum by synthetically fitting Voigt profiles to the excitation scans, and their corresponding temperature scaling was determined by fitting power-law temperature dependencies to the wC and δC data for each perturber species. The temperature exponents of wC and δC for all considered combustion species (perturbers) were −0.73 and −0.6, respectively. Whereas the temperature exponents of wC are closer to the value (−0.7) predicted by the dispersive interaction collision theory, the corresponding exponents of δC are in between the dispersive interaction theory and the kinetic theory of hard-sphere collisions. Comparison with existing literature on broadening parameters of NO, OH, and CO laser-induced fluorescence spectra reveal interesting contributions from non-dispersive interactions on the temperature exponent.
Expected Stock Returns and Firms’ Perceived Cost of Capital

Using data from a decade of surveys of corporate managers, I find evidence that firms with higher expected stock returns have a higher perceived cost of equity and use higher discount rates in capital budgeting. Variation in expected stock returns, as measured by exposure to equity risk factors, is reflected in the perceived cost of equity with implied risk premia close to those observed in financial markets. The equity risk factors are also reflected in hurdle premia and explain up to 26% of the cross-sectional variation in the hurdle rates. The results support the hypothesis that discount rates in financial markets influence corporate discount rates and thereby corporate investment.
High-Performance Computing Comparison of Implicit and Explicit Nonlinear Finite Element Simulations of Trabecular Bone.

Abstract Background and objective Finite element models built from micro-computed tomography scans have become a powerful tool to investigate the mechanical properties of trabecular bone. There are two types of solving algorithms in the finite element method: implicit and explicit. Both of these methods have been utilized to study the trabecular bone. However, an investigation comparing the results obtained using the implicit and explicit solvers is lacking. Thus, in this paper, we contrast implicit and explicit procedures by analyzing trabecular bone samples as a case study. Methods Micro-computed tomography-based finite element analysis of trabecular bone under a direct quasi-static compression was done using implicit and explicit methods. The differences in the predictions of mechanical properties and computational time of the two methods were studied using high-performance computing. Results Our findings indicate that the results using implicit and explicit solvers are well comparable, given that similar problem set up is carefully utilized. Also, the parallel scalability of the two methods was similar, while the explicit solver performed about five times faster than the implicit method. Along with faster performance, the explicit method utilized significantly less memory for the analysis, which shows another benefit of using an explicit solver for this case study. Conclusions The comparison of the implicit and explicit methods for the simulation of trabecular bone samples should be highly valuable to the bone modeling community and researchers studying complex cellular and architectured materials.
Correlation between Color and Elasticity in Anomia ephippium Shells: Biological Design to Enhance the Mechanical Properties

Anomia ephippium (Oyster) shell has an inorganic “pseudo nacre” microstructure that is colored (white, yellow, orange, and red) with varying concentrations of organic polyene pigments. Using Brillo...
Inequalities and STI policies: impact analysis

As inequality rises around the world, practitioners of science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy need to consider their roles in exacerbating or mitigating it. Unless they are specifically d...
SUBCRITICAL CRACK GROWTH AND SHIP STRUCTURAL DESIGN

A review is made of the factors which influence subcritical crack growth in conventional and high-strength, low-alloy steels of the type used in primary and secondary welded ship structures. The types of influencing factors considered are the metallurgical parameters, the fracture mechanics of the crack tip processes, the loading state, and the mechanisms of environmental attack. The fatigue process is separated into the crack initiation and (subcritical) crack propagation stages, and the relative influence of the above factors is discussed for each of these stages. Following this review, a basis for a design criterion is established for safe-life design of welded cargo ship structure. Two specific criteria are advanced: one which utilizes only the endurance strengths of the weldment types employed for constant-amplitude cyclic loading, and the other which sums the initiation and propagation lives each as governed by a spectral load distribution. These two criteria are compared, and existing gaps which need to be closed to elevate the confidence in the criteria are pointed out.
Optical mode confinement in three-dimensional Al/SiO 2 nano-cavities with hyperbolic dispersion

Today’s technological needs are demanding for faster and smaller optical components. Optical microcavities offer a high confinement of electromagnetic field in a small volume, with dimensions comparable to the wavelength of light, which provides a unique system for the enhancement of light-matter interactions on the nanoscale. However, further reducing the size of the optical cavity (from microcavity to nanocavity) is limited to the fundamental diffraction limit. In hyperbolic metamaterials, large wave vectors can be achieved. Therefore, optical cavities, created from hyperbolic metamaterials, allow the confinement of the electromagnetic field to an extremely small volume with dimensions significantly smaller than the wavelength of light. This paper presents the results of numerical study of the optical mode confinement in nanocavities with hyperbolic dispersion using nanolayered Al/SiO2 hyperbolic metamaterial with different Al fill fractions. The fundamental properties of the optical modes and resonance frequencies for the nanocavities are studied using the finite-elementmethod numerical technique. Numerical simulations show that the light can be well confined in a disk with radius up to λ/65. This paper will also focus on other variables such as Q-factor and Al fill fraction. Potential future applications for three-dimensional nanocavities with hyperbolic dispersion include: silicon photonics optical communications networks, ultrafast LEDs and biological nanoparticles sensing.
The Gut Microbiome and Childhood Obesity: Connecting the Dots

T he field of study on the gut and the microorganisms living there could reshape what we know about human health. A seminal article on the topic describes it thusly: Human health can be thought of as a collective property of the human-associated microbiota. Noel Mueller, PhD, MPH, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, here describes the known landscape of the microbiota in infants and children and how these microorganisms can affect obesity risk.
The development and deployment of a quality forecasting system for surface mount assembly of portable wireless products

This paper outlines a quality forecasting system developed by Motorola which is used to proactively generate a detailed surface mount assembly manufacturing quality report for a new product design even before the first prototype has been fabricated. The quality forecasting system uses a combination of historical quality data from previous products as well as dynamic component quality modeling to estimate quality levels for every component in the assembly. In order to simulate new component technologies, estimation factors are generated based on historical data of parametrically similar parts extrapolated to account for defined differences. The models used have been demonstrated to proactively predict defects per unit to within 3 % of production levels, and to proactively drive quality improvements for a new product by as much as 25%. This paper will focus on the development, deployment, and impact this tool set has had on Motorola assembly quality levels.
Polymorphic Sites Away From the Bw4 Epitope that Affect Interaction of Bw4+ HLA-B with KIR3DL1

KIR3DL1 is a polymorphic, inhibitory NK cell receptor specific for the Bw4 epitope carried by subsets of HLA-A and HLA-B allotypes. The Bw4 epitope of HLA-B*5101 and HLA-B*1513 is determined by the NIALR sequence motif at positions 77, 80, 81, 82, and 83 in the alpha(1) helix. Mutation of these positions to the residues present in the alternative and nonfunctional Bw6 motif showed that the functional activity of the Bw4 epitopes of B*5101 and B*1513 is retained after substitution at positions 77, 80, and 81, but lost after substitution of position 83. Mutation of leucine to arginine at position 82 led to loss of function for B*5101 but not for B*1513. Further mutagenesis, in which B*1513 residues were replaced by their B*5101 counterparts, showed that polymorphisms in all three extracellular domains contribute to this functional difference. Prominent were positions 67 in the alpha(1) domain, 116 in the alpha(2) domain, and 194 in the alpha(3) domain. Lesser contributions were made by additional positions in the alpha(2) domain. These positions are not part of the Bw4 epitope and include residues shaping the B and F pockets that determine the sequence and conformation of the peptides bound by HLA class I molecules. This analysis shows how polymorphism at sites throughout the HLA class I molecule can influence the interaction of the Bw4 epitope with KIR3DL1. This influence is likely mediated by changes in the peptides bound, which alter the conformation of the Bw4 epitope.
Rules of professional responsibility in digital forensics: A comparative analysis

The Committee on Identifying the Needs of Forensic Sciences Community (2009) accentuates the establishment of a uniform code of ethics emphasizing the importance of enforceability in strengthening the role that the forensic science plays within the criminal justice system. Equally pertinent to the domain of digital forensics, this imperative entails a research commitment in comparing and contrasting the respective codes of ethics to illustrate their variety, specificity and enforceability to inform the discussion on the associated regulative aspects. Accordingly, this paper reviews the professional regulation inaugurated in both the US and international digital forensics arena giving a detailed perspective on the consolidation of the practice.
The Escherichia coli hemL gene encodes glutamate 1-semialdehyde aminotransferase.

Abstract delta-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), the first committed precursor of porphyrin biosynthesis, is formed in Escherichia coli by the C5 pathway in a three-step, tRNA-dependent transformation from glutamate. The first two enzymes of this pathway, glutamyl-tRNA synthetase and Glu-tRNA reductase, are known in E. coli (J. Lapointe and D. Soll, J. Biol. Chem. 247:4966-4974, 1972; D. Jahn, U. Michelsen, and D. Soll, J. Biol. Chem. 266:2542-2548, 1991). Here we present the mapping and cloning of the gene for the third enzyme, glutamate 1-semialdehyde (GSA) aminotransferase, and an initial characterization of the purified enzyme. Ethylmethane sulfonate-induced mutants of E. coli AB354 which required ALA for growth were isolated by selection for respiration-defective strains resistant to the aminoglycoside antibiotic kanamycin. Two mutations were mapped to min 4 at a locus named hemL. Map positions and resulting phenotypes suggest that hemL may be identical with the earlier described porphyrin biosynthesis mutation popC. Complementation of the auxotrophic phenotype by wild-type DNA from the corresponding clone pLC4-43 of the Clarke-Carbon bank (L. Clarke and J. Carbon, Cell 9:91-99, 1976) allowed the isolation of the gene. Physical mapping showed that hemL mapped clockwise next to fhuB. The hemL gene product was overexpressed and purified to apparent homogeneity. The pure protein efficiently converted GSA to ALA. The reaction was stimulated by the addition of pyridoxal 5' -phosphate or pyridoxamine 5' -phosphate and inhibited by gabaculine or aminooxyacetic acid. The molecular mass of the purified GSA aminotransferase under denaturing conditions was 40,000 Da, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has apparent native molecular mass of approximately 80,000 Da, as determined by rate zonal sedimentation on glycerol gradients and molecular sieving through Superose 12, which indicates a homodimeric alpha2, structure of the protein.
School-Linked Services: Practice, Policy, and Constructing Sustainable Collaboration

In Saskatchewan, many of the provincial practices and policies addressing health and social issues including, poverty and social exclusion in multi-service schools are informed by an integrated services policy called School PLUS . This study explores how School PLUS discourse has shaped and continues to produce the collaborative integrated services landscape and impact wider social strategies even though it is no longer considered government policy. Three factors are suggested as reasons for School PLUS ’s decline. First, School PLUS practice became edu-centric and marginalized other professions in blatant and subtle ways. Second, the level of collaborative competencies needed to perform collaboration is often underestimated—for School PLUS too much might have been expected too fast—and finally, there was a daunting complexity factor at the macro level. Data was collected by analysing academic publications and public documents, including government newsletters and the provincial teacher’s newspaper. A practice policy paradox is revealed, suggesting that the concept of School PLUS emerged organically from the vernacular of practice and continues to produce, and be reproduced, in this domain regardless of the current, official interprofessional policy. Keywords : multi-service schools; policy; integrated services
Effects of dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei lesions on intake of an imbalanced amino acid diet

Within 3 h of ingesting an imbalanced amino acid diet (Imb), rats show attenuated intake, which can be ameliorated by prior administration of the serotonin receptor antagonist tropisetron (Trop). Earlier work in which the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMN) was electrolytically lesioned (DMNL) determined that this structure plays a role in the early detection of and subsequent adaptation to Imb. However, that study did not address whether cell bodies in the DMN, fibers of passage, or both were involved in the DMNL response to Imb. In the present investigation in experiment 1, rats were given electrolytic DMNL or a sham operation (Sham). The rats were injected with saline (Sal) or Trop just before introduction of Imb. By 3 h Sal-DMNL rats consumed more Imb than did the Sal-Sham rats; intake was normal by 12 h. Trop enhanced Imb intake, with Trop and DMNL being additive. By day 4 the DMNL rats were eating and gaining weight less than were Sham rats. In experiment 2, DMN cell bodies were destroyed by ibotenic acid (Ibo). Sal-injected Ibo-lesioned and Sham rats showed similar food intake depression on Imb; Trop similarly increased Imb intake in both groups. By day 4 both Ibo-L rats were eating and gaining weight less than were Sham rats. In experiment 3, groups of rats were given knife cuts posterior, lateral, ventral, dorsal, or anterior to the DMN. During the first 3 h of consuming Imb, all cuts except posterior enhanced the intake of Imb. Over the next 24 h the anterior cut group continued to eat more Imb than did the Sham rats. In experiment 4 DMNL rats were given novel diets; the DMNL rats did not display a neophilic response. The data suggest that fiber tracts that pass through the DMN may be involved in the early detection of Imb. DMN cell bodies, or fibers of passage, are not involved in the Trop effect. Finally, DMN cell bodies are necessary for proper long-term adaptation to Imb.
Electrophoretic Characteristics of Staphylococcal Hyaluronate Lyase

Partially purified staphylococcal hyaluronidase was studied with respect to its electrophoretic properties by the use of starch slurry or semisolid Noble agar as a matrix. The polarity of enzyme activity was found to be cathodal on starch and anodal on agar gel. The electrophoretic migration of the partially purified enzyme on starch, as a function of p H, suggested that the enzyme has an isoelectric point of p H 9.5 to 10. Images
Clinical trial designs for the early clinical development of therapeutic cancer vaccines

There are major differences between therapeutic tumor vaccines and chemotherapeutic agents that have important implications for the design of early clinical trials. Many vaccines are inherently safe and do not require phase I dose finding trials. Patients with advanced cancers and compromised immune systems are not good candidates for assessing either the toxicity or efficacy of therapeutic cancer vaccines. The rapid pace of development of new vaccine candidates and the variety of possible adjuvants and modifications in method of administration makes it important to use efficient designs for clinical screening and evaluation of vaccine regimens. We review the potential advantages of a wide range of clinical trial designs for the development of tumor vaccines. We address the role of immunological endpoints in early clinical trials of tumor vaccines, investigate the design implications of attempting to use disease stabilization as an end point and discuss the difficulties of reliably utilizing historical control data. Several conclusions for expediting the clinical development of effective cancer vaccines are proposed.