cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Least-squares variational principles and the finite element method: theory, formulations, and models for solid and fluid mechanics

We consider the application of least-squares variational principles and the finite element method to the numerical solution of boundary value problems arising in the fields of solid and fluid mechanics. For many of these problems least-squares principles offer many theoretical and computational advantages in the implementation of the corresponding finite element model that are not present in the traditional weak form Galerkin finite element model. For instance, the use of least-squares principles leads to a variational unconstrained minimization problem where compatibility conditions between approximation spaces never arise. Furthermore, the resulting linear algebraic problem will have a symmetric positive definite coefficient matrix, allowing the use of robust and fast iterative methods for its solution. We find that the use of high p-levels is beneficial in least-squares based finite element models and present guidelines to follow when a low p-level numerical solution is sought. Numerical examples in the context of incompressible and compressible viscous fluid flows, plate bending, and shear-deformable shells are presented to demonstrate the merits of the formulations.
The development of a Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) questionnaire to assess dermatologic symptoms associated with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (FACT-EGFRI-18)

Purpose Dermatologic toxicities from epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) are common, disrupt health-related quality of life (HRQL), and lead to dose reduction or discontinuation of potentially life-saving cancer therapy. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT)-EGFRI was developed to measure HRQL among patients receiving EGFRIs.
Continuing with Microprocessor Education

A program entitled Professional Specialization in Microprocessors has been developed at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI, to update technical oriented personnel in this ever expanding field. The program consists of four, laboratory oriented, courses dealing with topics from microprocessor hardware and software through input/output and interfacing to applications in industry and the consumer market.
Partition and displacement models in reversed-phase liquid chromatography with mixed eluents

Abstract The partition and displacement mechanisms of the solute's retention are reviewed in terms of phenomenological thermodynamics with special emphasis on their use in modeling reversed-phase liquid chromatography with mixed eluents. This review contains some thermodynamic arguments for representing the solute's retention on chemically bonded phases by a combined partition—displacement model. A simplified version of this model, which represents the formation of the solvent—surface stationary phase via a displacement mechanism and the distribution of the solute between the mobile and stationary phases via a partition mechanism, is discussed in order to demonstrate its utility for characterizing RPLC systems. The composition of the solvent—surface stationary phase may be studied on the basis of independent excess sorption measurements for the eluent-bonded phase system. Also, the RPLC data can provide information about the composition of solvents in the stationary phase. Analysis of the solvent sorption effects on the basis of sorption measurements as well as on the basis of the methylene selectivity data show that the presence of solvents in the chemically bonded phases affects significantly the solute's retention in typical RPLC systems.
Implementation and applications of Scott's logic for computable functions

The basis for this paper is a logic designed by Dana Scott [1] in 1969 for formalizing arguments about computable functions of higher type. This logic uses typed combinators, and we give a more or less direct translation into typed l-calculus, which is an easier formalism to use, though not so easy for the metatheory because of the presence of bound variables. We then describe, by example only, a proof-checker program which has been implemented for this logic; the program is fully described in [2]. We relate the induction rule which is central to the logic to two more familiar rules - Recursion Induction and Structural Induction - showing that the former is a theorem of the logic, and that for recursively defined structures the latter is a derived rule of the logic. Finally we show how the syntax and semantics of a simple programming language may be described completely in the logic, and we give an example of a theorem which relates syntactic and semantic properties of programs and which can be stated and proved within the logic.
Local tumor recurrence following “Radical prostatectomy”

Abstract The resurgence of radical retropubic prostatectomy as a commonly employed treatment for organ-confined prostate cancer is largely a result of the reduction in morbidity related to the procedure. One aspect of this reduced morbidity is the potential to preserve potency. The technical points required to perform this procedure must be followed precisely or there is the potential for performing an inadequate cancer operation if these steps are not faithfully followed. We recently encountered a patient with local tumor recurrence because the initial urologist failed to adhere to these principles. A “salvagerd” procedure was performed.
Bleeding esophagogastric varices from extrahepatic portal hypertension: 40 years' experience with portal-systemic shunt.

Abstract Background: This article discusses the largest and longest experience reported to date of the use of portal-systemic shunt (PSS) to treat recurrent bleeding from esophagogastric varices caused by extrahepatic portal hypertension associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Study Design: Two hundred consecutive children and adults with extrahepatic portal hypertension caused by PVT who were referred between 1958 and 1998 after recovering from at least two episodes of bleeding esophagogastric varices requiring blood transfusions were managed according to a well-defined and uniformly applied protocol. All but 14 of the 200 patients were eligible for and received 5 or more years of regular followup (93%); 166 were eligible for and received 10 or more years of regular followup (83%). Results: The etiology of PVT was unknown in 65% of patients. Identifiable causes of PVT were neonatal omphalitis in 30 patients (15%), umbilical vein catheterization in 14 patients (7%), and peritonitis in 14 patients (7%). The mean number of bleeding episodes before PSS was 5.4 (range 2 to 18). Liver biopsies showed normal morphology in all patients. The site of PVT was the portal vein alone in 134 patients (76%), the portal vein and adjacent superior mesenteric vein in 10 patients (5%), and the portal and splenic veins in 56 patients (28%). Postoperative survival to leave the hospital was 100%. Actuarial 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year survival rates were 99%, 97%, and 95%, respectively. Five patients (2.5%), all with central end-to-side splenorenal shunts, developed thrombosis of the PSS, and these were the only patients who had recurrent variceal bleeding. During 10 or more years of followup, 97% of the eligible patients were shown to have a patent shunt and were free of bleeding. No patient developed portal-systemic encephalopathy, liver function tests remained normal, liver biopsies in 100 patients showed normal architecture, hypersplenism was corrected. Conclusion: PSS is the only consistently effective therapy for bleeding esophagogastric varices from PVT and extrahepatic portal hypertension, resulting in many years of survival, freedom from recurrent bleeding, normal liver function, and no encephalopathy.
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AT THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY

This paper describes the rationale, structure and operational concept for implementing an undergraduate systems engineering program at the U.S. Military Academy. The rationale for the program derives from the purpose and vision of the Academy and from the needs of tomorrow's Army. The structure of the program is influenced by leading systems engineering programs in the nation and the constraints of the Academy curriculum. The implementation of the program serves the needs of cadet education, faculty development and linking the Academy to the industry it serves – the U.S. Army.
Maisie: a language for the design of efficient discrete-event simulations

Maisie is a C-based discrete-event simulation language that was designed to cleanly separate a simulation model from the underlying algorithm (sequential or parallel) used for the execution of the model. With few modifications, a Maisie program may be executed by using a sequential simulation algorithm, a parallel conservative algorithm or a parallel optimistic algorithm. The language constructs allow the run-time system to implement optimizations that reduce recomputation and state saving overheads for optimistic simulations and synchronization overheads for conservative implementations. This paper presents the Maisie simulation language, describes a set of optimizations, and illustrates the use of the language in the design of efficient parallel simulations. >
Series-parallel connection of DC-DC converter modules with active sharing of input voltage and load current

This paper proposes a novel control strategy, such that equal rating DC-DC power converter modules, can be connected in series at the input side for higher input voltages and in parallel at the output side for higher output currents. Closed-loop control ensures that each module equally shares the total input voltage and the output current. Analytical discussion is confirmed by a laboratory hardware prototype. Such modular converters may find immediate application in working with various utility voltages around the world.
Between national sovereignty and international power: what external voice for the euro?

Does the creation of the euro imply that the European Union is now speaking with one voice in international monetary matters? Is the EU therefore likely to challenge the hegemony of the United States on the world stage, at least in the realm of international financial diplomacy? This article analyses the current state of external representation of the common currency and asks why the issue of the euro’s single voice has not yet been resolved. Comparing other areas of common policy–making that have an external dimension, such as trade, the authors explore the specificities of monetary and financial affairs that make the conflict between national sovereignty and international efficiency so difficult to settle. In particular, the authors focus on a set of international institutional arrangements regarding economic policy–making within the EU, and external arrangements within international fora (the IMF and the G7), which have so far impeded the ability of the EU to play a coherent role on the international monetary stage. The authors argue that the fact of the euro means there needs to exist a clear system of political representation in the area of monetary and financial governance in the EU, and they explore various options for who the external voice of the euro could be. Finally, the implications of creating the euro’s external voice for transatlantic relations, for EU enlargements, and for the debate about the ‘democratic deficit’ in Europe are analysed.
Response of U-87MG in nude rats in photodynamic therapy

The response of a human glioma cell line (U-87MG) and normal rat brain to photodynamic therapy (PDT) was investigated in athymic nude rats. U-87MG was implanted in the right hemisphere, and allowed to grow for 17 days. The animals were injected IV with PhotofrinR (12.5 mg/kg) 48 h prior to PDT of both normal and tumored brain (35 to 280 J/cm2, 100 mW/cm2). The results were compared with that obtained under identical conditions with 9L gliosarcoma implanted in Fisher 344 rats. No tumor or normal tissue response was evident in the Nude rats at 35 J/cm2. Tumor and normal tissue response was evident at incident optical energy dose levels of 140 and 280 J/cm2. The response of the U-87MG tumor is consistent with that observed with the 9L gliosarcoma, however, the response in the nude rat normal brain was less than that observed in the Fisher 344 animals. These data indicate: (1) a possible contribution of the cellular immune system to the PDT reaction, (2) the human glioma xenograft model may contribute important insights into tumor and normal brain PDT responses.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A multivariate Bernoulli model to predict DNaseI hypersensitivity status from haplotype data

MOTIVATION Haplotype models enjoy a wide range of applications in population inference and disease gene discovery. The hidden Markov models traditionally used for haplotypes are hindered by the dubious assumption that dependencies occur only between consecutive pairs of variants. In this article, we apply the multivariate Bernoulli (MVB) distribution to model haplotype data. The MVB distribution relies on interactions among all sets of variants, thus allowing for the detection and exploitation of long-range and higher-order interactions. We discuss penalized estimation and present an efficient algorithm for fitting sparse versions of the MVB distribution to haplotype data. Finally, we showcase the benefits of the MVB model in predicting DNaseI hypersensitivity (DH) status--an epigenetic mark describing chromatin accessibility--from population-scale haplotype data. RESULTS We fit the MVB model to real data from 59 individuals on whom both haplotypes and DH status in lymphoblastoid cell lines are publicly available. The model allows prediction of DH status from genetic data (prediction R2=0.12 in cross-validations). Comparisons of prediction under the MVB model with prediction under linear regression (best linear unbiased prediction) and logistic regression demonstrate that the MVB model achieves about 10% higher prediction R2 than the two competing methods in empirical data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Software implementing the method described can be downloaded at http://bogdan.bioinformatics.ucla.edu/software/. CONTACT shihuwenbo@ucla.edu or pasaniuc@ucla.edu.
Refractive correction method for digital charge-coupled device-recorded Scheimpflug photographs by means of ray tracing

Our purpose is to correct digital CCD-recorded Scheimpflug photographs, imaging both the anterior and posterior corneal surface, the anterior chamber, and the anterior eye lens surface for optical distortions. In a ray-tracing algorithm the imaging of the posterior corneal surface in a given Scheimpflug photograph is corrected by applying Snell's law on parallel incident rays entering through the anterior corneal surface. Once the posterior corneal surface is corrected, the procedure is repeated, again with parallel incident rays entering through both the anterior and now corrected posterior corneal surface, to correct the imaging of the anterior eye lens surface. The refractive indices necessary for Snell's law are taken from Gullstrand's exact schematic eye model. Due to the optical/refractive correction, the digital Scheimpflug photograph decreases in size perpendicular to the direction of the optical axis. As a consequence the curvature radii of both the posterior corneal surface and the anterior lens surface are reduced significantly, as compared to the original digital Scheimpflug photograph. Furthermore, the corneal thickness and the anterior chamber depth are increased. The presented refractive correction method enables us to extract from Scheimpflug photographs the following quantities rather realistically: structure coordinates and curvature radii of both the posterior corneal surface and the anterior lens surface, corneal thickness, and anterior chamber depth. This method can readily be applied to other imaged quantities, such as the posterior eye lens surface, the lens thickness, and the pupillary opening.
Perinatal Outcomes: A Comparison Between Family Physicians And Obstetricians

Background: This retrospective study compared obstetrician and family physician patient population demographics, obstetric outcomes, delivery methods, and medical risk factors. Methods: Obstetricians and family practice faculty and residents provided delivery services at an urban community hospital. A retrospective case study of all deliveries by obstetrician-gynecologists and family physicians in a 20-month period was analyzed with descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, logistic regression, and power analysis. A modified risk score analysis was completed on all patients to assess comparability between the obstetrician and family physician patients. Results: Risk score analysis of the two patient populations demonstrated no difference in high-risk patients (P=0.102). Family physicians9 patients had a lower incidence of Cesarean section, use of forceps, diagnosis of cephalopelvic disproportion, and low-birth-weight babies. They had a higher incidence of spontaneous vaginal delivery, vaginal birth after previous Cesarean section, and vacuum extraction use. The overall Cesarean section rate for family physicians was 15.4 percent, compared with 26.5 percent for obstetricians. Conclusions: These findings support the high-quality outcomes of perinatal care provided by family physicians. They also provide evidence for training and privileging family physicians to perform their own Cesarean sections.
Using Technology Absorption as an Evaluation Criterion: Case Studies from a State Research and Development Program

State agencies sponsoring local research and development projects often finance the development of technologies in partnership with other organizations. These contracting partners develop and demonstrate the new technology. This study distinguishes between two types of outcomes from such projects. Technology absorption is the adoption of a technology by an organization participating in the project. Technology transfer is the process by which outcomes are adopted by organizations outside the project (i.e., nonparticipants). From an evaluation perspective, research and development projects that result in the absorption of technology, without any subsequent transfer, are difficult to assess. Often these outcomes are counted the same as a transfer even though the process is subsidized by the state. Three case studies of absorption outcomes are presented. Absorption projects tend to be distinctive because: (a) they develop technologies that are very large in scale and very complex; (b) project leadership typically is provided by an end-user who attempts to employ the technology for commercial purposes; (c) success is measured through the technological accomplishment and ongoing commercial venture rather than by the number of adopting organizations; and (d) they produce spillover benefits in the cohesion of the social networks formed among project participants.
Gaming Nonfinancial Performance Measures

This multitask agency model examines the use of nonfinancial performance measures. The first effort affects only current‐period profit. The second effort affects only customer satisfaction, which increases future profits. The third effort (shifting effort) simultaneously affects both performance measures, increasing one and decreasing the other. In some cases, shifting increases the principal's expected surplus. In others, the agent uses it to “arbitrage” the contract by shifting units into the more heavily weighted performance measure. Shifting's dual nature implies that it can either increase or decrease the incremental value of customer satisfaction as a performance measure. The optimal contract may entail a negative weight on customer satisfaction.
The effect of FOMC statements on asset prices

Given their increased importance during recent years, FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) statements can have a significant impact on asset prices. To capture the effect of FOMC statements on asset prices, an indicator variable is created that takes into account the information content of policy statements. Results show that both ‘interest rate surprises’ and ‘FOMC statements’ affect the mean and the volatility of asset prices. The volatility impact is tent-shaped, jumping within the policy announcement interval and declining before and after the release. FOMC statements have a much more pronounced impact on stock returns, intermediate and long-term yields, while short-term rates are largely driven by target rate decisions. We also find that the evolution of the language of the FOMC statements does matter to market participants and, in particular, the ‘forward-looking’ language adopted in mid-2003 has reduced market volatility associated with ‘interest rate surprises’ on announcement days.
Are We Training Our Detectives? A Survey of Large Law Enforcement Agencies Regarding Investigation Training and Training Needs

In this study, a mail survey was conducted of 146 of the largest local, sheriff, and state law enforcement agencies in the United States to assess the extent and type of investigation training they receive, and to identify needs. Twenty-nine agencies (20%) responded regarding extent and training for investigators that provided references for agency training programs. Many agencies reported similar courses, delivery systems, and needs. This indicated similar central investigation tasks across agency types, and suggested standardized training courses and delivery systems would likely fit their training needs. Two promising developments concerning online training were noted.
Beyond Synchronous: New Techniques for External-Memory Graph Connectivity and Minimum Spanning Forest

GraphChi [16] is a recent high-performance system for external memory (disk-based) graph computations. It uses the Parallel Sliding Windows (PSW) algorithm which is based on the so-called Gauss-Seidel type of iterative computation, in which updates to values are immediately visible within the iteration. In contrast, previous external memory graph algorithms are based on the synchronous model where computation can only observe values from previous iterations. In this work, we study implementations of connected components and minimum spanning forest on PSW and show that they have a competitive I/O bound of O(sort(E)log(V/M)) and also work well in practice. We also show that our MSF implementation is competitive with a specialized algorithm proposed by Dementiev et al. [10] while being much simpler.
Tillage and Chlorpyrifos Treatment Effects on Peanut Arthropods—An Incidence of Severe Burrower Bug Injury

Abstract A 2-yr study was conducted on the effects of tillage and soil insecticide (chlorpyrifos) treatment on peanut arthropod pests. A 3 by 2 split-plot experiment with five replications was subj...
Building the Case for Oral Health Care for Prisoners: Presenting the Evidence and Calling for Justice

A clear marker of injustice and social inequality is the poor oral health of incarcerated populations. In this chapter, we document the dire oral health status of incarcerated populations, while noting the lack of systematic assessment and monitoring systems at local, state, and national levels. Similarly, there are major gaps in existing care systems preventing whole-person care from being realized. We note the huge variation in correctional oral health services, as well as the lack of funding and investment in oral health. This under-investment is also reflected by the lack of dental clinicians who are available and willing to serve incarcerated populations. These conditions result in an opportunity for academic dental institutions to address oral health disparities by supporting a diverse workforce and by providing practice-based training opportunities in settings, such as correctional facilities. Ultimately, through practice improvements and policy and systems change, assuring the oral health needs of incarcerated populations can be a marker of an equitable and just health care system.
Hydraulic conductivity of lung venules determined by split-drop technique

The split-drop method has been used to determine filtration rate per unit surface area in the single pulmonary venule. In isolated perfused lungs of nine dogs, blood flow was stopped at different vascular pressures. By means of a double-micropuncture technique under stereomicroscopy, an oil drop was injected in a subpleural venule. The oil drop was then split with a solution of albumin (5.6 g/100 ml) in Ringer lactate. As the Ringer-albumin solution filtered, the distance between the menisci of the split oil drop (split-drop length) decreased. The split-drop geometry and the rate of change of split-drop length were recorded. The calculated venular filtration rate per unit surface area related linearly with vascular pressure (P less than 0.05). The slope of the line equaled venular hydraulic conductivity, which averaged 2.9 +/- 0.02 x 10(-7) ml/(cm2.s.cmH2O). Hydraulic conductivity is lower in lung than in systemic venules.
Ice and Frozen Earth as Construction Materials

The research into the engineering properties of ice and frozen earth began as early as year 1950s during Cold War-era. The study includes freshwater ice engineering that could help in analyzing and investigating the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of Ice and Frozen Soil (IFS). The engineering application of both Ice and Frozen Soil (IFS) are short and long-term usage. The short-term application includes its usage in transportation and drilling systems engineering. The IFS is being used as aircraft runaway in transportation system and platforms for sub-sea drilling operations. While, long-term usage include construction of building foundation and dams. However, to achieve a good result from application of IFS, its mechanical properties must be well known and investigated. The investigation will help to improves on its lagging on dragging force, dislocation, disorderliness due to high strain concepts and good strain structure. However, improved IFS will be a good engineering material.
Abstract P3-12-07: Voyagers and their aids: The role of interactions between tumor and endothelial cells in brain metastasis

Clinically, brain metastases are most commonly observed in breast, lung, and melanoma cancers. When a tumor cell leaves its site of origin, it enters a nearby blood vessel on a voyage to find a new tissue to invade. These circulating tumor cells will act as voyagers and they interact with a endothelial cell. For example, in the case of brain metastasis, tumor cells need to adhere to brain endothelial cells before they can invade into the surrounding brain tissue. Thus, investigating the mechanisms of tumor and endothelial cell interactions can serve as a very powerful tool to inhibit the voyage of these tumor cells and prevent the formation of metastases. In this study, we performed trans-endothelial migration assay using HBMVEC cells to study tumor-endothelial interactions. In general, HBMVEC cells were seeded to BD-Falcon cell culture inserts at a density of 2 × 105 cells and allowed to grow for 24 hours to form a confluent monolayer and GFP expressing tumor cells (MCF-7, Akt3 overexpressing MCF7, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-231-BR) were incubated at suitable interval at 37°C. At the end of incubation period, cells were fixed and number of tumor cells that will penetrate the monolayer of HBMEC were counted using Phase-contrast microscope in 12 different visual fields. Transmigrating tumor cells are thought to be able to overcome the endothelial barrier by inducing changes within endothelial cells. We identified the molecular changes responsible for such adhesion and invasion by cell sorting for gene expression analysis. After co-culturing the HBMEC (after transfecting with Mcherry protein) with GFP expressing tumor cells and Mcherry labeled HBMEC, we used cell sorting to separate tumor and HBMEC cells. After sorting the tumor cells and endothelial cells from co-culture, (MCF-7 monolayer vs MCF-7 co-cultured, MDA-MB-231 monolayer vs MDA-MB-231 co-cultured, HBMEC monolayer vs HBMEC co-cultured) gene expression analysis was performed using SABiosciences cell adhesion assay kit to accurately capture the genetic changes that occured in the tumor and endothelial cells upon co-culture. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-12-07.
Profit, Preservation, and Shifting Definitions of Bison in America

AbstractIn the first decades of the twentieth century, populations of North American bison increased following the creation of several government herds while economic demand for bison decreased. Ea...
Probiotics and Prebiotics: Scientific Aspects

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in probiotics and prebiotics as they relate to gastrointestinal (GI) tract health. Probiotics can be defined as live microorganisms (in particular members of the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) that are ingested as dietary supplements to improve the balance of the GI tract micro-biota. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are dietary supplements that selectively stimulate the growth or activity of certain beneficial gut microbes. Today, the ecology of the GI tract is still not well understood because only a minority (perhaps less than 1%) of all gut microbes have been successfully cultured, thus providing us with an incomplete picture of the microbial diversity present in the GI tract. Studying the composition of microorganisms that are either permanent (autochthonous) or transient (allochthonous), in combination with investigations of the various interactions (symbiotic, opportunistic, competitive, and pathogenic relationships) between gut microbes and host cells is currently a research area of great interest.
The Treatment of Precocious Puberty

Long-acting GnRH agonists are the treatment of choice for central precocious puberty. GnRH agonists are not effective in peripheral precocious puberty, but a number of other agents, including medroxyprogesterone acetate, ketoconazole, testolactone, and androgen antagonists, may be useful.
The Treatment of Burned Children

Burn shock in infants and children is satisfactorily treated by the initial intravenous administration of balanced hypertonic sodium solutions. Cerium nitrate-silver sulfadiazine cream is a highly efficient topical antiseptic agent for both major and minor burn wounds.
New route to electron emission

Devices that extract electrons from materials do not capture the public's imagination in the same way that cloning, string theory or "mad cow disease" do. Nevertheless, advances in electron-source technology may have a large impact on a whole swathe of applications, ranging from flat-panel displays to radar and electric-propulsion systems for spacecraft. Currently most sources "boil" electrons from materials into a 'vacuum, knock them out using photons or other electrons, or rip them out using high electric fields–or a combination of all three. But high temperatures and intense fields come at a heavy price for many devices.
On the Use of Model Error Systems in the Control of Large Scale Linearized Systems

Abstract One of the most critical deficiencies of modern control theory in application to physical problems is the reliance of the theory upon the fidelity of the mathematical model of the physical system. The approach to model synthesis advanced here is the simultaneous evolution of the control design and the construction of the model. Specifically, three linearized models of different fidelity are utilized. The first is a maximum dimension linear system, the “evaluation model.” The second is a truncated version of the first (required to avoid high controller implementation costs associated with the first). The third is obtained by augmenting a “model error system” to the second (to avoid the sensitivity of the second to model errors). The model error system is capable of generating a model error vector which approximately compensates for model errors in parameters and model order. The error system is characterized in such a way that the “measurement residual,” (the difference between the actual measurements and those predicted by the model) is approximated by a set of orthogonal functions over an interval, T. The model error-corrected signal is then used for control. The state of the error system is obtained by standard linear estimation techniques. Such model error estimators with orthogonal functions are labeled “orthogonal filters,” and lend to the closed loop system a certain quality of model error insensitivity. It is also shown that special cases of the “model error system” provide convenient interpretations of several popular control techniques, such as parameter sensitivity, singular perturbation, disturbance accommodation and Kalman filter approaches.
Extended tau theory for robot motion control

Biologists proposed the tau theory to explain how animals control their motion using visual feedback for different tasks including landing and perching. Tau theory is based on a concept called time-to-contact, which is the required time to contact an object if the current velocity is maintained. Recently, tau theory has been applied to control robots' motion for similar tasks such as perching, docking, braking, or landing. However, existing tau theory can only work for the case with zero contact velocity. Some tasks such as perching actually require a non-zero contact velocity to make gripping mechanisms work. To address this problem, we extend the tau theory by proposing a two-stage strategy in one dimensional space to generate the reference trajectory for time-to-contact. Moreover, we propose a new coupling strategy to deal with the motion in three dimensional space. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed two-stage and coupling strategies. Moreover, we leverage a featureless method to estimate the time-to-contact from image sequences and implement it on a mobile robot platform. Experimental results also demonstrate that the non-zero contact velocity can be accomplished using onboard vision feedback. The research presented in this paper can be readily applied to control the motion of flying robots for perching with visual feedback.
The Differential Influence of Drinking, Sensation Seeking, and Impulsivity on the Perpetration of Unwanted Sexual Advances and Sexual Coercion.

There are startling rates of sexual coercion across college campuses, underscoring the importance of identifying risk factors and intervening early to prevent perpetration of these unwanted sexual ...
Filling the Attitude-Behavior Gap in Sustainable Consumption: The Role of ConsumerInvolvement and Shopping Enjoyment

Consumers contribute to sustainability through demanding, choosing and purchasing sustainable products (Knight, 2004). Sustainable products provide both social and environmental benefits derived from production based on fair trade guidelines, ethical principles, and environmentally friendly methods (Fletcher, 2008). Since consumers play a key role in promoting sustainable products, it is critical to understand factors that influence consumers’ decision making toward sustainable products.
Technology-based functional assessment in early childhood intervention: a pilot study

Electronic patient-reported outcomes (e-PROs) may provide valid and feasible options for obtaining family input on their child’s functioning for care planning and outcome monitoring, but they have not been adopted into early intervention (EI). The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing technology-based functional assessment into EI practice and to examine child, family, service, and environmental correlates of caregiver-reported child functioning in the home. In a cross-sectional design, eight individual EI providers participated in a 90-min technology-based functional assessment training to recruit participants and a 60-min semi-structured focus group post data collection. Participants completed the Young Children’s Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM) home section online and Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) via iPad. Participants’ EI service use data were obtained from administrative records. A total of 37 caregivers of children between 6 and 35 months old (mean age = 19.4, SD = 7.7) enrolled, a rate of 44% (37/84) in 2.5 months. Providers suggested expanding staff training, gathering data during scheduled evaluations, and providing caregivers and providers with access to assessment summaries. Caregivers wanted their child’s participation to change in 56% of home activities. Lower caregiver education and higher EI intensity were related to less child involvement in home activities. Implementing technology-based functional assessment is feasible with modifications, and these data can be useful for highlighting child, family, and EI service correlates of caregiver-reported child functioning that merit further study. Feasibility results informed protocol modifications related to EI provider training, timing of data collection, and management of EI service use data extraction, as preparation for a subsequent scale-up study that is underway.
What represents “style” in authorship attribution?

Authorship attribution typically uses all information representing both content and style whereas attribution based only on stylistic aspects may be robust in cross-domain settings. This paper analyzes different linguistic aspects that may help represent style. Specifically, we study the role of syntax and lexical words (nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs) in representing style. We use a purely syntactic language model to study the significance of sentence structures in both single-domain and cross-domain attribution, i.e. cross-topic and cross-genre attribution. We show that syntax may be helpful for cross-genre attribution while cross-topic attribution and single-domain may benefit from additional lexical information. Further, pure syntactic models may not be effective by themselves and need to be used in combination with other robust models. To study the role of word choice, we perform attribution by masking all words or specific topic words corresponding to nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Using a single-domain dataset, IMDB1M reviews, we demonstrate the heavy influence of common nouns and proper nouns in attribution, thereby highlighting topic interference. Using cross-domain Guardian10 dataset, we show that some common nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs may help with stylometric attribution as demonstrated by masking topic words corresponding to these parts-of-speech. As expected, it was observed that proper nouns are heavily influenced by content and cross-domain attribution will benefit from completely masking them.
Abstract 18760: mTOR Regulates Cellular Iron Homeostasis and Modulates Cell Viability In Iron-Deficient Conditions.

Background: Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) is a central sensor of nutrient availability and cellular stress and is implicated in carcinogenesis and acceleration of aging. Since iron is a required nutritional element, we assessed the role of mTOR in regulation of cellular iron homeostasis. Methods and Results: To determine whether mTOR regulates iron homeostasis, we analyzed the expression of genes necessary for cellular iron uptake, storage, mitochondrial handling and export with mTOR modulation. Pharmacologic inhibition of mTOR with rapamycin decreased expression of several iron-regulatory genes in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and led to accumulation of heme and non-heme iron in H9C2 cardiac myoblasts. Constitutive activation of mTOR by genetic ablation of its inhibitor in TSC2−/− MEFs enhanced the expression of the above genes and decreased cellular iron content; both findings were reversible with rapamycin treatment. To study the mechanism of iron regulation by mTOR, we analyzed the effects of mTOR modulation on the expression of Tristetraprolin (TTP), a mammalian homolog of yeast Cth2 tandem zinc finger protein. Cth2 is induced in response to iron deficiency, and functions to destabilize mRNAs of non-essential iron-requiring proteins, securing the limited iron pool for vital processes. Consistent with findings in yeast, we observed a 9-fold increase in TTP mRNA levels in MEFs following iron chelation with Deferoxamine (DFO). Rapamycin treatment also increased, while TSC2 knockout decreased, the expression of TTP in MEFs, implicating a role for TTP in mTOR-mediated iron regulation. Finally, to determine whether mTOR inhibition is protective in iron-limiting conditions, we assessed cell viability in TSC2−/− MEFs treated with DFO. Iron chelation led to a significant increase in cell death, which was completely reversed by pre-incubation of cells with rapamycin. This suggests that mTOR inhibition attenuates the deleterious effects of iron chelation on cells. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that mTOR regulates cellular iron homeostasis by altering gene expression profile and cellular iron content possibly through induction of a mammalian tandem zinc finger protein, TTP.
Strategies of Healthy Sex Role Development in Modernized India

Social modernity is defined by a coherent set of such variables as high achievement orientation, participative decision-making and broad human concern. It is measured by the range of these options available to men and women in different life sectors such as marriage, education and occupation. The present study is designed to identify the role of fathers and mothers in the socialization of adolescent boys and girls in social modernity and to analyze policy implications for healthy sex role development. Nine hundred parents in nine regions of India were interviewed to study marital, educational and occupational options open to them and to their adolescents. Four patterns were identified: the modernized pattern with high options, the traditional pattern with low options and transitional patterns (2) with mixed options. A dynamic policy is suggested to promote healthy sex role development in four patterns.
The Development of Local Anesthetics

Koller’s 1884 report that cocaine induced corneal insensibility enabled ophthalmological procedures and marked the birth of clinical local anesthesia. Soon thereafter, Halsted and Hall produced peripheral nerve blocks while Corning and Bier used cocaine for spinal anesthesia. Toxicity stimulated the search for alternatives. The first new useful local anesthetic was the ester procaine, but its short duration of action limited clinical utility, a limitation overcome by tetracaine. Lidocaine, introduced in 1948, had an amide rather than an ester linkage, imparting greater stability and eliminating concern of allergic reactions from an ester breakdown product. Ironically, chloroprocaine reverted to the ester linkage, as its rapid degradation decreased risk of systemic toxicity. Regrettably, neural injury occurred when a large doses intended for the epidural space was apparently administered intrathecally. Bupivacaine, a longer-acting amide anesthetic was released in 1963. Associated untoward cardiac effects led to modifications in practice, while stereochemical strategies produced levobupivacaine and ropivacaine that have less affinity for cardiac sodium channels. Toxic reactions with spinal lidocaine resulted in its near abandonment as a spinal anesthetic. In 1998, Weinberg suggested that intravenous infusion of lipid could decrease the availability of local anesthetics and thereby treat systemic toxicity. As apparent from this history, toxicity, rather than efficacy, has directed the evolution of these compounds.
Regulation of Brain 1,4-Dihydropyridine Receptors by Drug Treatment

The voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel promotes depolarization-dependent entry of Ca2+ into cells in order to maintain multiple functions such as skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle contraction, glandular secretion, metabolic events, and the release of various neurotransmitters [11, 12,35]. In the brain, three different types of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels have been described: the L, the N, and the T channels [19]. These various channel types differ in terms of their activation and inactivation kinetics [19] and in their sensitivity to l,4-dihydropyridine Ca2+ agonists and antagonists [17, 19]. The use of radio labeled 1,4-dihydropyridines has expanded our understanding of the properties of brain Ca2+ channels. Thus, it has been demonstrated that l,4-dihydropyridine binding sites are differentially localized in the brain [7] Furthermore, these sites are coupled allosterically to two other discrete domains on the Ca2+ channel, namely the verapamil and the diltiazem binding sites [3].
The Study and Use of Natural Air Flow in Buildings

ABSTRACT Many areas of the world can use the natural flow of air for cooling buildings and people and, thus, conserve energy, provided buildings are properly designed. Analytical methods, of questionable accuracy, are available for analysis of thermal exchange between building and air, but are not significantlly useful for the design of buildings. Air movement via temperature differences (the stack effect) is not a viable means for cooling people or buildings. Wind tunels and scale models offer the only viable method for studying maximum air flow control in the design of buildings.
Sub-Monolayer Control of Mixed-Oxide Support Composition in Catalysts via Atomic Layer Deposition: Selective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde Promoted by (SiO2-ALD)-Pt/Al2O3

Alumina-supported platinum catalysts have been modified with silicon oxide thin films grown using atomic layer deposition (ALD) in order to tune the acid–base and electronic properties of the oxide, and their performance has been tested for the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. It was found that the silica layers greatly increase the stability of the platinum nanoparticles, preventing their sintering during high-temperature calcinations without affecting access to the metal surface in any significant way; the extent of CO adsorption, measured by infrared absorption spectroscopy was found to decrease by only one-third after 6 SiO2 ALD cycles. Additional Bronsted and Lewis acid sites were created upon the deposition of submonolayer coverages of silicon oxide, as probed via pyridine adsorption. The addition of the silicon oxide thin films reduced the overall activity of these catalysts but also increased their selectivity toward the production of the unsaturated alcohol. In addition, both turnover frequencies...
Learning to Let Go: Motivating Students Through Fluid Teaching in a Choice-Based Found Object Assemblage Unit

SLIDE ONE: Glistening pockets of color combine to create a plane of glowing amber in Dan Steinhilber's assemblage. My students' eyes roll. Their bodies turn away. “Today, we are going to play a gam...
Turning over a new leaf in Colorado: an exploration of legalized recreational marijuana preferences, leisure interests, and leisure motivations in a sample of young adults.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to explore the cannabis consumption preferences, leisure interests and leisure motivations of cannabis consumers in the context of legalized recreational marij...
Do Vaccines Cause Oculorespiratory Syndrome (ORS)

The Fluviral S/F® and Vaxigrip® vaccines used in Canada between 2000 and 2003 (but never used in the United States) did commonly cause oculorespiratory syndrome (ORS) within 24 hours of vaccination, at an estimated rate of up to 2.9 cases per 100 vaccinations. Changes have been made in the formulation of these vaccines that have resulted in a dramatic decrease in the risk of ORS. There have been reports of ORS-like symptoms after receipt of inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV) in routine use in the United States. However, these reports are rare, and symptoms are generally mild and transient.
Qatar in Egypt: The politics of Al Jazeera:

This article argues that, although Al Jazeera may have been founded with the idea of giving Qatar influence in the Arab world and beyond, it was through a form of slow Islamist takeover within Al J...