cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 13 Molecular Modification of Renal Brush Border Maltase with Age: Monoclonal Antibody-Specific Forms of the Enzyme

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the molecular modification of renal brush border maltase with age. Maltase (α-D-glucoside glucohydrolase) is the major disaccharidase in rat renal brush border membranes. Maltase-specific activities in renal cortex homogenates and brush border membranes prepared from senescent 24-month-old rats are decreased 30–40% relative to the activities of the enzyme from 6-month-old mature adults. This decrement is not attributable to a change in the affinity of the enzyme for substrate, a difference in the stability of the enzyme in homogenates, or the presence of an activator in the young or an inhibitor in the aged. The chapter discusses whether the decrease in the membrane-bound maltase activity with age results from an alteration in the enzyme protein per se or from a change in the enzyme's membrane environment, which is reflected secondarily as a loss in enzyme activity. The results exhibit that the antigenicity of renal brush border membrane maltase is altered during the aging process. These findings indicate that young and old maltase has different epitopes and, thus, the data are consistent with and may reflect the age-dependent conformational change of the enzyme, suggested by the alteration in its circular dichroism spectrum.
Culturally sanctioned suicide: Euthanasia, seppuku, and terrorist martyrdom.

Suicide is one of the greatest concerns in psychiatric practice, with considerable efforts devoted to prevention. The psychiatric view of suicide tends to equate it with depression or other forms of mental illness. However, some forms of suicide occur independently of mental illness and within a framework of cultural sanctioning such that they aren’t regarded as suicide at all. Despite persistent taboos against suicide, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the context of terminal illness is increasingly accepted as a way to preserve autonomy and dignity in the West. Seppuku, the ancient samurai ritual of suicide by self-stabbing, was long considered an honorable act of self-resolve such that despite the removal of cultural sanctioning, the rate of suicide in Japan remains high with suicide masquerading as seppuku still carried out both there and abroad. Suicide as an act of murder and terrorism is a practice currently popular with Islamic militants who regard it as martyrdom in the context of war. The absence of mental illness and the presence of cultural sanctioning do not mean that suicide should not be prevented. Culturally sanctioned suicide must be understood in terms of the specific motivations that underlie the choice of death over life. Efforts to prevent culturally sanctioned suicide must focus on alternatives to achieve similar ends and must ultimately be implemented within cultures to remove the sanctioning of self-destructive acts.
A New Type of Microelectrode

Several types of microelectrodes have already been devised by different investigators.1 In all these electrodes the conducting medium, whether of metal or of KCl-agar, is enclosed in a micropipette of glass or quartz. It is possible to make electrodes of similar fineness from metallic wires, but they are too flexible for use.In the new type of microelectrodes described here, the conducting medium is a continuous film of silver, gold or platinum for stimulating electrodes and silver-silver chloride for non-polarizable electrodes, on the outer surface of glass or quartz micro-needles. The advantages are: (1) they can be easily made and in large numbers at one time, (2) many pure metals can be used, (3) electric contacts of any geometrical shape and fineness can be easily made, (4) the non-polarizable electrode can be made sterile, and (5) their electric resistance is low.The best way to deposit films of metal on glass and quartz is by spattering, i. e., by placing them in the dark space of high voltage vacu...
20 years of Tm:Ho:YLF and LuLF Laser Development for Global Winds Measurements

NASA Langley Research Center has a long history of developing 2 micron lasers. From fundamental spectroscopy research, theoretical prediction of new materials, laser demonstration and engineering of lidar systems, it has been a very successful program spanning around two decades. This article covers the program development from the early research to the present instrumentation. A brief historical perspective of Tm:Ho work by early researchers is also given.
Reimagining a University for the 21st Century: The Kanbar College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce

Philadelphia University has an enrollment of 2,600 undergraduate students and 750 graduate students. The University consists of 39 academic programs recently organized into three colleges with an overall matrix structure: the College of Science Health and the Liberal Arts, the College of Architecture and the Built Environment, and the subject of this section, the Kanbar College of Design Engineering and Commerce (hereafter the College). The University encourages and supports pedagogies that it refers to as Nexus Learning, “active, engaged, real world, and infused with the liberal arts” (Philadelphia University, 2010).
Do Republicans Have Different Views on Homosexuality than Democrats? An Empirical Study of Opinion in the United States

Homosexuality is generally viewed negatively. That is certainly the case in the Jewish and Christian holy books as well as the Quran, although opinions differ as to interpretation. The practice has been condemned by these religions. An Imam in Orlando, Florida, the site of the mass murder of homosexuals, has gone so far as to say that killing homosexuals would be the compassionate thing to do.It is not the purpose of this paper to review the history of homosexuality, or the pros and cons or moral standing of the practice. Readers can obtain that information by reading the items listed in the reference section of this paper. The goal of this study is more limited, to determine whether Democrats and Republicans hold different views on homosexuality.The present study is part of a series on homosexuality. Other studies in the series look at trends on the acceptance of homosexuality and examine specific demographic variables such as gender, age, social class, level of education, religion and region to see whether these variables are significant. One study ranks the acceptance of homosexuality for 98 countries. Citations to some of those studies (with links) are listed in the reference section of the present paper.
Choreoathetosis with Gabapentin

A 37-year-old man with severe mental retardation since birth and intractable epilepsy treated with AED polytherapy developed choreoathetosis and orofacial dyskinesia within 5 days of introducing gabapentin (GBP) at the Department of Neurology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.
Inhibition of Sp1 prevents ER homeostasis and causes cell death by lysosomal membrane permeabilization in pancreatic cancer

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress initiates an important mechanism for cell adaptation and survival, named the unfolded protein response (UPR). Severe or chronic/prolonged UPR can breach the threshold for survival and lead to cell death. There is a fundamental gap in knowledge on the molecular mechanism of how chronic ER stress is stimulated and leads to cell death in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Our study shows that downregulating specificity protein 1 (Sp1), a transcription factor that is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, activates UPR and results in chronic ER stress. In addition, downregulation of Sp1 results in its decreased binding to the ER stress response element present in the promoter region of Grp78, the master regulator of ER stress, thereby preventing homeostasis. We further show that inhibition of Sp1, as well as induction of ER stress, leads to lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP), a sustained accumulation of cytosolic calcium, and eventually cell death in pancreatic cancer.
Integration of swimming kinematics and ram suspension feeding in a model American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula.

Ram suspension-feeding fishes swim with an open mouth to force water through the oral cavity and extract prey items that are too small to be pursued individually. Recent research has indicated that, rather than using a dead-end mechanical sieve, American paddlefish ( Polyodon spathula Walbaum) employ vortical cross-step filtration. In this filtration mechanism, vortical flow that is generated posterior to the branchial arches organizes crossflow filtration processes into a spatial structure across the gill rakers. Despite the known impact of locomotor kinematics on fluid flow around the bodies of swimming fish, the effects of locomotor kinematics on filtration mechanisms in ram suspension feeders are unknown. Potential temporal organization of filtration mechanisms in ram suspension-feeding fish has not been studied previously. We investigated the effects of locomotor kinematics associated with undulatory swimming on intra-oral flow patterns and food particle transport. A mechanized model of the oral cavity was used to simulate the swimming kinematics of suspension-feeding paddlefish. We recorded fluctuations of flow speed and pressure within the model, which occurred at a frequency that corresponded with the frequency of the model9s strides. Using the mechanized model in a flow tank seeded with Artemia cysts, we also showed that swimming kinematics aided the transport of this simulated food to the posterior margins of the gill slots, although the time scale of this transport is expected to vary with prey parameters such as size and concentration. Dye stream experiments revealed that, while stable vortical flow formed due to flow separation downstream of backward-facing steps in control trials, vortical flow structures in mechanized trials repeatedly formed and shed. These findings suggest strong integration between locomotor and feeding systems in ram suspension-feeding fishes.
Unraveling the electrolyte properties of Na 3 SbS 4 through computation and experiment

Solid-state sodium electrolytes are expected to improve next-generation batteries on the basis of favorable energy density and reduced cost. ${\mathrm{Na}}_{3}{\mathrm{SbS}}_{4}$ represents a new solid-state ion conductor with high ionic conductivities in the mS/cm range. Here, we explore the tetragonal phase of ${\mathrm{Na}}_{3}{\mathrm{SbS}}_{4}$ and its interface with metallic sodium anode using a combination of experiments and first-principles calculations. The computed Na-ion vacancy migration energies of 0.1 eV are smaller than the value inferred from experiment, suggesting that grain boundaries or other factors dominate the experimental systems. Analysis of symmetric cells of the electrolyte---${\mathrm{Na}/\mathrm{Na}}_{3}{\mathrm{SbS}}_{4}/\mathrm{Na}$---show that a conductive solid electrolyte interphase forms. Computer simulations infer that the interface is likely to be related to ${\mathrm{Na}}_{3}{\mathrm{SbS}}_{3}$, involving the conversion of the tetrahedral ${\mathrm{SbS}}_{4}^{3\ensuremath{-}}$ ions of the bulk electrolyte into trigonal pyramidal ${\mathrm{SbS}}_{3}^{3\ensuremath{-}}$ ions at the interface.
Desorption of superabsorbent hydrogels with varied chemical compositions in cementitious materials

This paper examines the desorption of hydrogels synthesized with varied chemical compositions in cementitious materials. The absorption, chemical structure and mechanical response of hydrogels swollen in a cement mixture were studied. The effect of the capillary forces on the desorption of hydrogels was investigated in relation to the chemical composition of the hydrogels. In the second set of experiments, the behavior of the hydrogels in a hydrating cement paste was monitored by tracking the size and morphology evolution of hydrogels interacting with the cement paste matrix. It was shown that the changes on the surface characteristics of hydrogels as a result of interactions with the pore solution and cement particles can affect the desorption rate of hydrogels in contact with porous cementitious materials. Scanning electron microscopic examination demonstrated two different desorption modes with distinct morphologies of hydrogels depending on the chemical composition of hydrogels. The effect of the interfacial bonding between the hydrogels and the cementitious matrix and its relation to the desorption is illustrated.
Multi-muscle electrical stimulation and stand training: Effects on standing.

Objective: To examine the biomechanical and neuromuscular effects of a longitudinal multi-muscle electrical stimulation (submaximal intensities) training of the lower limbs combined with/without ac...
Compact midwave imaging system (CMIS) for weather satellite applications

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) has created a unique design for a compact, lightweight, and low-power instrument called the Compact Midwave Imaging Sensor (CMIS). Funded by the NASA ESTO Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), the goal of this CMIS development project is to increase the technical readiness of CMIS for retrieval of cloud heights and atmospheric motion vectors using stereo-photometric methods. The low-cost, low size, weight and power (SWaP) CMIS solution will include high operating temperature (HOT) MWIR detectors and a very low power cooler to enable spaceflight in a 6U CubeSat. This paper will provide an overview of the CMIS project to include the high-level sensor design.
Applications of XPS in the characterization of Battery materials

Abstract Technological development requires reliable power sources where energy storage devices are emerging as a critical component. Wide range of energy storage devices, Redox-flow batteries (RFB), Lithium ion based batteries (LIB), and Lithium-sulfur (LSB) batteries are being developed for various applications ranging from grid-scale level storage to mobile electronics. Material complexities associated with these energy storage devices with unique electrochemistry are formidable challenge which needs to be address for transformative progress in this field. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) - a powerful surface analysis tool - has been widely used to study these energy storage materials because of its ability to identify, quantify and image the chemical distribution of redox active species. However, accessing the deeply buried solid-electrolyte interfaces (which dictates the performance of energy storage devices) has been a challenge in XPS usage. Herein we report our recent efforts to utilize the XPS to gain deep insight about these interfaces under realistic conditions with varying electrochemistry involving RFB, LIB and LSB.
Effects of cake thickness and pressure on the filtration of coal refuse slurry

The effects of pressure and cake thickness were studied using a split-plot design for pressure filtration of a fine refuse slurry obtained from a bituminous coal preparation facility. Pressure filtration offers the potential to significantly reduce the moisture content of the fine refuse stream with the addition of little to no flocculants, thereby minimizing the volume of refuse stored in impoundments and providing a recycle water stream for use within the plant. Experimental results showed that the final cake moisture decreased with increase in pressure and decrease in cake thickness. In addition, specific cake resistances calculated for the various tests indicated an increasing trend with increasing pressure and decreasing cake thickness. With increase in cake thickness, an increase in cake moisture and the weight of solids deposited in the cake was observed. An ANOVA analysis indicated that both cake thickness and pressure significantly affected the cake moisture, while only cake thickness statistically influenced the weight of solids in the cake. A regression model was developed with an R2 value of about 0.99 to relate cake thickness, the single largest statistically significant factor, with the weight of solids in the cake. Filter capacities were calculated in terms of the solids deposited per unit time based on a product specification of 25 percent cake moisture, and it was observed that the thinnest cake had the highest filter capacity.
Students’ quantitative reasoning about an absolute extrema optimization problem in a profit maximization context

ABSTRACTA relative extrema optimization problem is one in which the domain of the objective function (i.e. the function whose maximum or minimum value is to be found) is an open interval. An absolu...
Interactive Evaluation of Classifiers Under Limited Resources

In this paper, we propose strategies to estimate the accuracy of classifiers on a dataset when resource limitations restrict the number of instances for which true labels can be obtained. Our target scenarios include situations where the classifier output labels, but no scores, e.g. when the "classifier" is not an automated classifier but an inexpert human labeller who only outputs labels. Our objective is to optimally select a subset of the data to obtain true labels for, such that they provide the best estimate of classifier accuracy. We use techniques based on stratified sampling to address this problem. However, stratified sampling poses two challenges: i) how best to stratify the data, and ii) how to allocate samples among the strata. We propose a method of stratifying data and then present two novel interactive algorithms to approximate optimal allocation of samples to the strata. Our proposed methods for stratification and allocation are seen to outperform other popular approaches to the problem.
Collective Hallucinations and Inefficient Markets: The British Railway Mania of the 1840s

The British Railway Mania of the 1840s was by many measures the greatest technology mania in history, and its collapse was one of the greatest financial crashes. It has attracted surprisingly little scholarly interest. In particular, it has not been noted that it provides a convincing demonstration of market inefficiency. There were trustworthy quantitative measures to show investors (who included Charles Darwin, John Stuart Mill, and the Bronte sisters) that there would not be enough demand for railway transport to provide the expected revenues and profits. But the power of the revolutionary new technology, assisted by artful manipulation of public perception by interested parties, induced a collective hallucination that made investors ignore such considerations.They persisted in ignoring them for several years, until the lines were placed in service and the inevitable disaster struck. In contrast to many other bubbles, the British Railway Mania had many powerful, vocal, and insightful critics. But the most influential of them suffered from another delusion, which misled them about the threat the Mania posed. As a result, their warnings were not persuasive, and were likely even counterproductive, as they may have stimulated increased investments.The delusions that led to the financial disaster of the Railway Mania arose from experience with the railway mania of the mid-1830s. Seldom even mentioned in the literature, it was about half the size of the big Railway Mania of the 1840s (and thus still far larger than the Internet bubble). The initial financially exuberant phase of it did collapse. But it appears to have been unique among large manias in that a few years later it was seen as having collapsed prematurely, as projects started during its exuberant phase became successful. That mania demonstrates the difficulty in identifying bubbles that are truly irrational. Both railway manias provide a variety of other lessons about the interaction of technology and financial markets.
Comparison of Expectations and Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis Versus Osteoarthritis Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background We hypothesized that patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) would have different preoperative expectations compared to osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and that postoperative satisfaction would correlate with specific postoperative pain and functional domains. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of RA patients matched based on age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and Charlson Comorbidity Index score 1:2 with OA patients (76 RA, 152 OA) who underwent primary TKA. The Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Replacement Expectations Survey, Visual Analogue Scale for Pain (VAS), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and the Short Form-12 (SF-12) were compared at baseline and at 2 years postoperatively. Minimum clinically important differences (MCIDs) were calculated for KOOS and SF-12 subdomains. Results Preoperatively, RA patients had lower expectations, worse VAS Pain, and worse KOOS Pain, Symptoms, and Activities of Daily Living (P Conclusion RA patients had lower baseline expectations compared to OA patients. However, RA patients had greater improvements in KOOS and SF-12 subdomains, and there was no difference in satisfaction compared to OA patients after TKA.
Geometric algorithms for predicting resilience and recovering damage in neural networks.

Biological neural networks have evolved to maintain performance despite significant circuit damage. To survive damage, biological network architectures have both intrinsic resilience to component loss and also activate recovery programs that adjust network weights through plasticity to stabilize performance. Despite the importance of resilience in technology applications, the resilience of artificial neural networks is poorly understood, and autonomous recovery algorithms have yet to be developed. In this paper, we establish a mathematical framework to analyze the resilience of artificial neural networks through the lens of differential geometry. Our geometric language provides natural algorithms that identify local vulnerabilities in trained networks as well as recovery algorithms that dynamically adjust networks to compensate for damage. We reveal striking vulnerabilities in commonly used image analysis networks, like MLP's and CNN's trained on MNIST and CIFAR10 respectively. We also uncover high-performance recovery paths that enable the same networks to dynamically re-adjust their parameters to compensate for damage. Broadly, our work provides procedures that endow artificial systems with resilience and rapid-recovery routines to enhance their integration with IoT devices as well as enable their deployment for critical applications.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor induced autoimmune encephalitis in a patient with metastatic melanoma

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have changed the therapeutic milieu for patients with metastatic melanoma. However, their use may promote autoimmunity in virtually any organ in the body due to the blockade of intrinsic immune down regulators such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen- 4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death 1 (PD1) or its ligand (PDL1). Immune mediated adverse neurological events are rare with these agents, however, and are seen in < 1% of treated patients. We report a patient with immune checkpoint inhibitor associated autoimmune encephalitis, with complete clinical recovery after treatment. Case Report: A 49-year-old female with metastatic melanoma currently on nivolumab therapy but recently on ipilimumab/nivolumab combined therapy presented with a new headache. She also reported associated confusion, loss of balance, personality changes and language difficulty. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain did not reveal any evidence of metastasis, infarct, meningitis, or encephalitis. Lumbar puncture revealed an elevated protein level and pleocytosis, with a normal glucose level. She was started on empiric glucocorticoid therapy with a presumptive diagnosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor associated autoimmune encephalitis. She improved considerably by day 3 of treatment with complete resolution of neurological symptoms by day 5. Conclusion: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are increasingly important in cancer immunotherapy as they can cause sustained remissions in patients with metastatic melanoma and other malignancies. Because these drugs block immune-regulatory targets, they can lead to enhanced activation of immune system resulting in immune-related adverse events. Autoimmune encephalitis is a rare immune-related adverse event associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The incidence of autoimmune encephalitis is higher with combination or sequential CTLA-4 (ipilimumab) and PD1(nivolumab) inhibitor therapy than with monotherapy. With more widespread use of immunotherapy, it is important for clinicians to be aware of this rare and reversible cause of encephalitis. Early recognition and prompt initiation of immunosuppressive therapy with glucocorticoids is essential to enhance neurological recovery.
Children With ADHD Are at Risk for a Broad Array of Adverse Adult Outcomes That Cross Functional Domains: Results From a Population-Based Birth Cohort Study:

Objective:To identify patterns (“classes”) of outcomes for adults with and without childhood ADHD.Method:Subjects were 232 childhood ADHD cases and 335 non-ADHD referents from a 1976 to 1982 birth ...
Clarity of Shoe Impressions in Different Soil Types

Forensic science is a vastly expanding field as many different types of evidence and methods of analysis are being developed. One key type of evidence is impression evidence, and this experiment focused on shoe impressions made in soil. The research was based on how different types of soil at different moisture levels affects the clarity of shoe impressions. Shoe impressions were made in four various “types” of soil and three different impressions were made in each type. Molds were taken in plaster and then analyzed to see the clarity at which the shoe impressions could be made out. It was noted that none of the molds displayed individual characteristics and it was very different to observe even the basic tread of the shoe. The results show that the soil with the higher moisture levels made it overall easier to see and analyze the tread of the shoe and that soil that is more malleable, but not muddy, allows for shoe impressions to be more easily read.
Behavioral Indicators of Dominance in an Adversarial Group Negotiation Game

Adversarial group negotiations often involve contentious strategies such as deception and dominance. Understanding characteristics of language and voice associated with deception and dominance helps negotiators identify the use of these strategies and achieve higher self-interests in various use cases, including business negotiations and law enforcement. We aim to expand traditional research on these characteristics from dyadic interactions to group communication. This study follows the same group experiment, a modified Mafia game, as described in the other chapters. Linguistic and vocalic features were extracted from the recorded audio files, and several models were built to examine the predictors of perceived dominance and deceptive cues. Our results show that some features are significantly correlated with dominance as suggested by the existing research, such as lower fundamental frequency, greater variability in loudness, higher voice quality, longer turn-at-talk duration, larger dominance ratio and a greater number of words. However, some features turn out not to be significantly correlated with dominance, such as mean level of loudness, polarity of emotions, hedging ratio and disfluency ratio, though the existing research predicts these relationships. Among our explored features, only turn-at-talk duration is significantly correlated with deceptive status. Our research shows preliminary evidence for the similarities and differences of signals of dominance and deception in dyads and groups and has implications for negotiators in real life.
Critical Review of Wake Vortex Mitigation Concepts in Human Factors.

To increase capacity, the air transportation industry has shown interest in wake mitigation, with the goal of reducing the in-trail separation between leading and trailing aircraft operations. Wake vortex separation is a major impediment to this goal. Replacing the current, static wake separations with dynamic separations, based on airport fleet mix or environmental and aircraft factors, could increase airport and airspace capacity. This paper describes a research effort to locate, review, and summarize already developed or currently proposed dynamic wake mitigation separation concepts. This study also discusses the technical feasibility and implementation challenges of each concept, identifies possible research gaps, and proposes future research recommendations.
State Estimator and Machine Learning Analysis of Residual Differences to Detect and Identify FDI and Parameter Errors in Smart Grids

In the modern Smart Grid (SG), cyber-security is an increasingly important topic of research. An attacker can mislead the State Estimation (SE) process through a False Data Injection (FDI) on real-time measurement values or they can attack the parameters of the network that represent the system topology. While research has been done in SE bad data analysis, parameter attacks have proven to be difficult to distinguish from FDI attacks using physics-based techniques. Machine learning (ML) techniques have recently been used to enhance the detection of FDI attacks in an algorithm called Ensemble CorrDet with Adaptive Statistics (ECD-AS). ECD-AS, as developed, analyzes the real-time measurement values throughout the SG to detect FDI attacks. Parameter attacks, on the other hand, don't impact the measurements. Instead, the estimate of state variables of SE will be affected. This paper presents a collaborative framework of ML and SE for detection and identification of errors in system measurements and parameters. The residual difference space is introduced, created from the physics-based SE and ML-based measurement estimation processes, and analyzed by ECD-AS. A case study on the IEEE 118-bus system is presented. Numerical results show that the presented framework outperforms state-of-the-art method in detecting and identifying both FDI and parameter attacks.
Spin wave logic circuits: progress update

We provide a comprehensive progress update on spin wave logic circuits. First, we will present experimental data on magnetic bit readout using spin waves. The data are collected for Y3Fe2(FeO4)3 waveguide matrix with cobalt magnets placed on top of the waveguides. The magnetization direction of the magnets is recognized by the level of the inductive voltage produced by the spin waves. This approach allows us to retrieve information from a number of bits in parallel. Second, we will present experimental data on magnetic database search using spin wave superposition. The data are collected for the multi-port YIG devices. The applying of wave superposition makes it possible to speed up the search procedure compared to conventional magnetic memory. Finally, we will present experimental data on prime factorization using spin wave multi-port interferometers. The shortcomings and physical limits of spin wave logic devices will be also discussed.
Urban Sustainability Observatories: Leveraging Urban Experimentation for Sustainability Science and Policy

Humanity is experiencing revolutionary changes in the 21st century, including accelerating urbanization, the introduction of disruptive mobility technology services, and new sources of data generated and consumed by urban and mobility processes. However, the environmental, social and economic sustainability implications of these new mobility services are unclear given the complex nature of urban systems and the multifaceted, contested nature of sustainability goals. In this article, we discuss the concept of urban sustainability observatories that leverage urban experimentation through ongoing data collection and analysis capabilities to generate new scientific insights and design effective policies to meet sustainability goals for cities. We outline their functional requirements and related research challenges. We also discuss challenges in building and sustaining these observatories and how university, community and industry partnerships may establish successful observatories that serve as critical drivers of research, technology transfer and commercialization.
Toxic and Essential Metal Loss during Chelation Therapy of Lead-Poisoned Children

Pb poisoning in children is a serious public health problem in the United States. Chelating agents are commonly used to reduce the body burden of Pb. Calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate (Ca disodium EDTA) and 2,3-dimercapto- l -propanol (British antilewisite, BAL) are commonly used to treat Pb poisoning in children (Piomelli et al., 1984). A number of new chelating agents are under evaluation for use in the treatment of Pb poisoning. 2, 3-Dimercaptopropane- l - sulfonate (DMPS) is a water soluble analog of BAL which has been used to treat Pb, methyl Hg and inorganic Hg poisoning (Aposhian, 1983). In the work reported here, the decorporation of Pb and the essential metals, Zn and Cu, has been examined in Pb-poisoned children treated with Ca disodium EDTA or with DMPS.
Diffeomorphism Groups And Local Symmetries: Some Applications In Quantum Physics

This paper reviews results about unitary representations of diffeomorphism groups. Such groups occur naturally in a number of different physical contexts. Their areas of application include quantum mechanics and quantization methods, quantum field theory and local current algebra, general relativity and quantum gravity, and hydrodynamics and the quantization of fluids. In the case when the underlying manifold is a circle, they are related to Kac-Moody algebras, the Virasoro algebra, and the quantum mechanics of strings.
Congenital vascular defect associated with platelet abnormality and antihemophilic factor deficiency.

1. A kindred of 311 individuals, many members of which are affected by a hemorrhagic diathesis, has been described. 2. The variability in the manifestations of this diathesis is extreme. In its fullest expression the disease is characterized by a prolonged bleeding time with evidence of a morphologic defect in the platelets, and a deficiency in antihemophilic globulin. Some possibly affected individuals exhibit only a prolonged bleeding time, while, on the other hand, the clinically most severely affected individual, with AHF levels on several occasions of 5 to 10 per cent, has not been observed by us to have a prolonged bleeding time, although his platelets are morphologically abnormal. 3. Genetic analysis suggests that the hemorrhagic tendency is determined by a single dominant gene of variable penetrance and expressivity. 4. No satisfactory explanation can be developed on the basis of these studies for the association between platelet abnormality and AHF deficiency. More specifically, it is impossible to conclude whether the platelet defect is precursor to the AHF deficiency, or whether—as on a priori grounds seems less likely—this is an example of true genetic pleiotropy. 5. The terminologic chaos which afflicts the literature on hemorrhagic diatheses characterized by a prolonged bleeding time is discussed in the light of the findings in this one large kindred, and suggestions are advanced for minimizing confusion based on terminology alone.
The Shade Man

A STREET LIGHT shining in your window affects your word-count, even with an entrance consuetude, page 32 harsh scrutiny day and night diminishes see also battle lantern program Mozart, the rays from the sodium-vapor arc in the street lamp pick out dithyrambic gesticulative oh, a guttural voice bellows lyrics extolling arcane sex acts; the treacherous blood ignoramus waltz your shadow the garish green of an LED hook swinging cover the craunch, latakia, mittler, reciprocate, page 94 shift tectonic plates in your wiping rod, ibid., "You will pass a difficult test that will"
Stabilizing Client/Server Protocols without the Tears

We identify a rich class of client/server protocols. Each protocol in this class consists of a client and a server that engage in an infinite sequence of sessions. Each session consists of a bounded number of phases. In each even phase, the client sends a bounded number of messages to the server, and in each odd phase, the server sends a bounded number of messages to the client. We discuss a simple method for making each protocol in this class stabilizing. The method consists of three steps: session identification, session abortion, and session restart. The resulting protocols, thanks to their stabilizing properties, possess a high degree of fault tolerance.
Extrapineal amine N-acetylation in rat brain. Regional and subcellular distribution and enzyme kinetics.

Analysis by thin-layer chromatography showed that [14C]N-acetyltryptamine and [14C]N-acetyl-β-phenylethylamine are formed from the incubation of [14C]acetyl-CoA with tryptamine or β-phenylethylamine. respectively, in the presence of rat brain extracts. The specific activity of the N-acetyltransferase in fifteen discrete regions of rat CNS ranged from 1.64 ± 0.05 nmoles of product formed/mg of protein/hr in cerebellum to 0.57 ± 0.05 nmole in occipital cortex with tryptamine as substrate, and from 2.80 ± 0.30 nmoles in cerebellum to 0.91 ± 0.13 nmole in cervical cord with β- phenylethylamine as substrate. Comparison of the regional specific activities in the presence of the respective substrates yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.83 (P < 0.01). In cerebellum N-acetyltransferase activity appears exclusively in cytosol. At two stages of purification (i.e. after Bio-Gel fractionation as well as after ammonium sulfate precipitation), the enzyme exhibited biphasic kinetics with respect to acetyl-CoA in the presence of tryptamine or β-phenylelhylamine and with respect to either substrate in the presence of acetyl-CoA.
Increased Reduction of Nitroblue Tetrazolium by Neutrophils of Newborn Infants

The spontaneous reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) was found to be significantly elevated in phagocytes of normal newborn in fants in the absence of infection. This was evident using both a simple histochemical test and a more elalborate quantitative test for NBT reduction. During phagocytosis of latex particles, the expected rise in NBT reduction was significantly greater in neonatal phagocytes than in phagocytes of control subjects. The increased NBT reducing activity of neonatal neutrophils makes it impossible to use the NBT histochemical test for tile detection of bacterial infection in that age group. However, NBT-reduction tests can be used with profit in the neonatal period to diagnose chronic granulomatous disease when a positive family history warrants such an investigation. [See pdf for the Figure]
Multiple feature representations from multi-layer geometric shape for hand gesture analysis

Research on hand gesture recognition has been intensified in the last decade. There has been successful work on gesture recognition by using shape and texture features from 2D images and videos. However, it is still a challenging task in handling various conditions with hand scale variations, hand rotations, and hand ambiguity due to finger occlusions. Recent work has started using depth images for such study. However, the low quality of the depth data increases the difficulty for geometric feature extraction and representation. In this paper, we analyze multiple types of features of hand gestures (or hand postures), and propose a novel scale-invariant representation which encodes topological features and shape features both locally and globally. Our approach is applicable to depth images as well as to regular 2D images. We evaluate the new descriptor in terms of rotation robustness, person independence, and modality independence, and further compare it to the existing four state-of-art feature representations. The results demonstrate the robustness and reliability of our proposed descriptor in recognizing sixteen types of hand gestures.
A Guide to Experimental Algorithmics

Computational experiments on algorithms can supplement theoretical analysis by showing what algorithms, implementations, and speed-up methods work best for specific machines or problems. This book guides the reader through the nuts and bolts of the major experimental questions: What should I measure? What inputs should I test? How do I analyze the data? To answer these questions the book draws on ideas from algorithm design and analysis, computer systems, and statistics and data analysis. The wide-ranging discussion includes a tutorial on system clocks and CPU timers, a survey of strategies for tuning algorithms and data structures, a cookbook of methods for generating random combinatorial inputs, and a demonstration of variance reduction techniques. Numerous case studies and examples show how to apply these concepts. All the necessary concepts in computer architecture and data analysis are covered so that the book can be used by anyone who has taken a course or two in data structures and algorithms. A companion website, AlgLab (www.cs.amherst.edu/alglab) contains downloadable files, programs, and tools for use in experimental projects.
Entwicklungstendenzen in der Informationsverarbeitung

Alle Anzeichen aus dem wissenschaftlichen und technischen Raum weisen darauf hin, das auch in Zukunft die technologische Entwicklung der Daten- und Informationsverarbeitung durch weitere Miniaturisierung ihrer Bauteile gekennzeichnet sein wird. Dieser Weg fuhrte vom Relais als Bauelement uber Elektronenrohre, Transistor und integrierte Schaltkreise zur Siliziumtechnologie, die unter dem Schlagwort „VLSI“(= Very Large Scale Integration) die Computerelektronik bestimmt. Wenn man im Rahmen dieser Technologie heute auf dem beruhmten Silizium-Chip ein Volumen von 64 Tausend Informationseinheiten auf einem viertel Quadratzentimeter unterbringt und diese Technologie in der Massenfertigung beherrscht, so gibt es bereits Laborberichte uber das vierfache Volumen auf etwa derselben Flache. Ernstzunehmende technische Prognosen halten es fur moglich, das es in diesem Jahrhundert noch gelingt, dieses Speichervolumen auf 16 Millionen Informationseinheiten pro Chip zu steigern. Ahnliche Zahlen gibt es fur Chips, auf denen verknupfende logische Schaltungen untergebracht sind und auch fur den Entwicklungszweig der Mikroelektronik, der einen kompletten Prozessor auf dem Siliziumchip verfugbar macht. Das Wort „Josephson Technologie“ schlieslich bezieht sich auf technologische Forschungen, die moglicherweise uber die heutige Siliziumtechnologie hinausweisen und wesentliche Impulse auf den Computerbau der Zukunft versprechen. So wird auch in der Zukunft die Miniaturisierung der Bauteile des Computers weitergehen und die beherrschende, technologische Herausforderung dieser Industrie sein. Sie steht mit kurzeren Schaltwegen, groserer Bitdichte und einer wesentlich geringeren Energiemenge je Informationseinheit nach wie vor auch fur eine weitere Leistungssteigerung der Aggregate.
Almost Pioneers: One Couple’s Homesteading Adventure in the West

Review of: "Almost Pioneers: One Couple’s Homesteading Adventure in the West," by Laura Gibson Smith, edited by John J. Fry.
The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of high aspect-ratio SiC nanofibers/epoxy composites

This paper presents the measured electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness of silicon carbide nanofibers (SiCNFs)/epoxy composites and the associated shielding mechanism. After obtaining silicon carbide nano-fibers, with an aspect ratio up to 300, SiCNFs/epoxy composites were prepared using an effective dispersion method. The relative complex permittivity, permeability, and EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of the composites were measured in the frequency range of 26.5–40.0 GHz. The addition of SiCNFs was found to improve the EMI SE at a low threshold value of 10 wt% concentration. At this concentration, the EMI SE was larger than 10 dB over the entire range of 26.5–40.0 GHz, and had a maximum value of 22.9 dB at 40.0 GHz, corresponding to a more than 99% reduction of EMI radiation. The increased polarization interface/boundary and the formed effective conductive network were believed to be responsible for the enhancement of EMI SE, due to the addition of high aspect ratio SiCNFs. Shielding mechanism was studied by resolving the total SE into absorption and reflection portions. Absorption was found to be the major shielding mechanism and reflection had a secondary shielding effect for the threshold SiCNFs concentration case.
Formal solution to the electromagnetic scattering by buried dielectric and metallic spheres

[1] The canonical problem of electromagnetic scattering by a buried dielectric or metallic sphere is studied in this paper. Two expansions are presented, of which one is the expansion of the vector plane waves into the vector spherical waves. The other is its converse, the expansion of the vector spherical waves into the vector plane waves. The use of two expansions is to facilitate matching the boundary conditions at the planar ground surface and the sphere surface. A general full-wave analytic solution is given in which not only the high-order multipoles but also the multiple reflections between the sphere and the ground surface are considered. Oblique plane wave and vertical magnetic dipole are considered as sources, though the illumination can be of arbitrary form with the use of Weyl identity.
Alternative structural solutions to resource dilemmas

Abstract Groups of six undergraduates were given a resource management task in which they were to harvest points from a regenerating resource pool. Their objective was to maximize individual harvests while maintaining the common resource pool. Following the trials, subjects were asked to vote on how to conduct a second session. The 2 × 2 × 3 between-subjects factorial design crossed two levels of resource use (overuse, optimal use) with two levels of variance of others' purported harvests (low, high) and three levels of type of alternative to free access (leader, equal division, proportional division). As predicted, overuse subjects voted to give up free access to the resource and change the decision structure more frequently than subjects in the optimal use condition. Electing a group leader was the most popular structural solution, followed by proportional division of the resource pool, with equal division being the least acceptable change. As expected, high variance among group members' harvests was found to increase subjects' preferences for structural change in the leader and equal division conditions, while decreasing preferences for change in the proportional division conditions.