cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stability of Steady Frictional Slipping

Assistant Professor, Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 The shear resistance of slipping surfaces at fixed normal stress is given by r = r( v,state). Here V = slip velocity, dependence on «state" is equivalent to functional dependence with fading memory on prior V(t), and ar( v,state) /iJV>O. We establish linear stability conditions for steadY'slipstates (V(t), r(t) constant). For single degree-of-freedom elastic or viscoelastic dynamical systems, instability occurs, if at all, by a flutter mode when the spring stiffness (or appropriate viscoelastic generalization) .reduces to a critical value. Similar conclusions are reached for slipping continua with spatially periodic perturbations along their interface, and in this case the existence of propagating frictional creep waves is established at critical conditions. Increases in inertia of the slipping systems are found to be destabilizing, in that they increase the critical stiffness level requiredfor stability.
Comparison of PM2.5 and PM10 monitors.

An extensive PM monitoring study was conducted during the 1998 Baltimore PM Epidemiology-Exposure Study of the Elderly. One goal was to investigate the mass concentration comparability between various monitoring instrumentation located across residential indoor, residential outdoor, and ambient sites. Filter-based (24-h integrated) samplers included Federal Reference Method Monitors (PM2.5-FRMs), Personal Environmental Monitors (PEMs), Versatile Air Pollution Samplers (VAPS), and cyclone-based instruments. Tapered element oscillating microbalances (TEOMs) collected real-time data. Measurements were collected on a near-daily basis over a 28-day period during July–August, 1998. The selected monitors had individual sampling completeness percentages ranging from 64% to 100%. Quantitation limits varied from 0.2 to 5.0 µg/m3. Results from matched days indicated that mean individual PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations differed by less than 3 µg/m3 across the instrumentation and within each respective size fraction. PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentration regression coefficients of determination between the monitors often exceeded 0.90 with coarse (PM10–2.5) comparisons revealing coefficients typically well below 0.40. Only one of the outdoor collocated PM2.5 monitors (PEM) provided mass concentration data that were statistically different from that produced by a protoype PM2.5 FRM sampler. The PEM had a positive mass concentration bias ranging up to 18% relative to the FRM prototype.
How to win friends and influence people: climate scientists’ perspectives on their relationship with and influence on government officials

The use of scientific information in the policy-making process is prevalent in today’s society, and political figures frequently consult scientists and experts when considering complex issues like climate change. While policy process literature concerning agenda setting and policy networks, such as epistemic communities and advocacy coalitions, considers the role of scientists in policymaking, very little work has provided insight into the relative influence and perceived relationships between scientists and policymakers. The ability of scientists and policymakers to work together has important implications for policy outcomes. We explore individual scientist’s perceptions of the collective influence the scientific community has on policymaking, in addition to perceptions of relationships between scientists and policymakers. We suggest that a number of factors are relevant including trust, contact, attitudes, specialisation and demographics. Our findings indicate that, from scientists’ perspectives, contact with policymakers, trust and attitudes about climate change play a significant role in shaping their relationship with policymakers.
Improving kernel-energy trade-offs for machine learning in implantable and wearable biomedical applications

Emerging biomedical sensors and stimulators offer unprecedented modalities for delivering therapy and acquiring physiological signals (e.g., deep brain stimulators). Exploiting these in intelligent, closed-loop systems requires detecting specific physiological states using very low power (i.e., 1–10mW for wearable devices, 10–100µW for implantable devices). Machine learning is a powerful tool for modeling correlations in physiological signals, but model complexity in typical biomedical applications makes detection too computationally intensive.
Painlevé formulas of the limiting distributions for nonnull complex sample covariance matrices

In a recent study of large non-null sample covariance matrices, a new sequence of functions gener- alizing the GUE Tracy-Widom distribution of random matrix theory was obtained. This paper derives Painleve formulas of these functions and use them to prove that they are indeed distribution functions. Applications of these new distribution functions to last passage percolation, queues in tandem and to- tally asymmetric simple exclusion process are also discussed. As a part of the proof, a representation of orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle in terms of an operator on a discrete set is presented.
Movements and diving behavior of weaned Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii ) pups

Between 1993 and 1995, the diving behavior and movement patterns of 23 weaned Weddell seal pups (Leptonychotes weddellii) were tracked in the Ross Sea. Antarctica, using satellite-linked time-depth recorders. Regression analyses revealed that for seals of between 8 and 27 weeks old, age was poorly correlated with the dive depth, duration, or frequency. However, changes in dive parameters suggested that Weddell seal pups were attempting to maximize dive time, but the manner in which this was done depended on age and time of day. Movement patterns indicated that most Weddell seal pups left their natal area by the end of February, and traveled north along the Antarctic continent coastline. Several individuals returned to McMurdo Sound, but others were last located more than 400 km from McMurdo. Routes followed suggest that pups can use the pack ice habitat, but prefer to remain closer to the coastline than do adults.
Vasopressin Antagonists in the Treatment of Water-Retaining Disorders

The tools available to physicians for the treatment of hyponatremia, the most common of electrolyte disorders, are limited by lack of effectiveness, compliance difficulties, and toxicity problems. For this reason the development of novel oral antagonists of vasopressin provide a new approach to the management of these disorders. Since vasopressin plays a central role in the pathogenesis of most hyponatremic disorders, the inhibition of binding of the hormone to its receptors is likely to provide a most reliable and reproducible response leading to increases in free water excretion. This article reviews many of the studies that have been undertaken with this new class of agents, both in hypovolemic and hypervolemic settings.
Life without definitions

The question ‘what is life?’ has long been a source of philosophical debate and in recent years has taken on increasing scientific importance. The most popular approach among both philosophers and scientists for answering this question is to provide a “definition” of life. In this article I explore a variety of different definitional approaches, both traditional and non-traditional, that have been used to “define” life. I argue that all of them are deeply flawed. It is my contention that a scientifically compelling understanding of the nature of life presupposes an empirically adequate scientific theory (vs. definition) of life; as I argue, scientific theories are not the sort of thing that can be encapsulated in definitions. Unfortunately, as I also discuss, scientists are currently in no position to formulate even a tentative version of such a theory. Recent discoveries in biology and biochemistry have revealed that familiar Earth life represents a single example that may not be representative of life. If this is the case, life on Earth today provides an empirically inadequate foundation for theorizing about life considered generally. I sketch a strategy for procuring the needed additional examples of life without the guidance of a definition or theory of life, and close with an application to NASA’s fledgling search for extraterrestrial life.
Current advances in theory and practice relating to postpartum syndromes.

The present paper provides a brief review of the medical and psychiatric literature concerning the incidence, symptomatology, and etiology of the postpartum psychoses and less severe emotional disturbances. A highlight of recent sleep EEG research achievements, a summary of original work performed in our laboratory concerning sleep EEG characteristics of normal females during late and early pregnancy, and a discussion of the possible relevance of these sleep studies to postpartum emotional disturbance is also provided.
Sharp gradients in phytoplankton community structure across a frontal zone in the California Current Ecosystem

Spatial variability of plankton biomass, community composition and size structurewas investigated across a strong frontal transition (A-Front) in the southernCalifornia Current Ecosystem in October 2008. Depth proﬁles were taken across a25-km transect of nine stations sampled semi-synoptically during one night andfor 3 days following drifter arrays in the adjacent water masses. Community com-positions are compared based on analyses by digital epiﬂuorescence microscopy,ﬂow cytometry and pigment composition by high-pressure liquid chromatography.Our results show three assemblages sharply delineated in space, with plankton atthe front being compositionally distinct and biomass elevated relative to either ofthe adjacent water masses. Depth-averaged chlorophyll a (Chl a) varied by a factorof 2.3 (0.35–0.81 mg Chl a L
Lion and man game in the presence of a circular obstacle

In the lion and man game, a lion tries to capture a man who is as fast as the lion. We study a new version of this game which takes place in a Euclidean environment with a circular obstacle. We present a complete characterization of the game: for each player, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for winning the game. Their (continuous time) strategies are constructed using techniques from differential games and arguments from geometry. Our main result is a decision algorithm which takes arbitrary initial positions as input, declares one of the players as the winner of the game and outputs a winning strategy for that player. We extend our approach to explicitly construct, in closed form, the decision boundary that partitions the arena into win and lose regions.
Three-Year Follow-Up of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)

The long-term effectiveness of D.A.R.E. was assessed by contrasting 9th-grade students who received the program in the 6th grade with others who did not receive the program. Of 38 elementary schools eligible for D.A.R.E. programs, 21 received the program and 17 did not. A follow-up survey assessed central D.A.R.E. concepts such as self-esteem, resistance to peer pressure, delay of experimentation with drugs, and drug use. Employing latent variables to represent the concepts, no significant differences were found between D.A.R.E. participants and controls. The authors discuss attenuation of effects and the generally antidrug context of schools.
High power X-Band microwave amplifiers and their application for particle acceleration

We report results from experiments studying X-Band amplification in both cylindrical traveling wave tube (TWT) and coaxial drift tube geometries. In the TWT geometry 800–900 kV, 1–2 kA, 50–100 ns electron beams are injected into cylindrical guides containing slow wave structures. The amplifiers operate in the TM 01 mode. With single stage ripple wall slow wave structures gains of order 30 dB have been obtained with output powers of 100 MW. Using a dielectric loaded TWT amplifier gains of 30 dB have also been measured, although at lower output powers of 35 MW. In the coaxial geometry a 9 cm diameter annular, 400 kV, 7 kA, 50 ns electron beam is injected through a 16 cm dielectrically loaded cavity, and an X-Band magnetron provides frequency locking of the interaction. The interaction processes involved in these devices have been studied analytically and also simulated with the MAGIC code. These studies show significant electron energy spreads result from the amplification process in the TWT devices. A magnetic spectrometer has been built to analyze the output energy spectrum of the accelerated electrons. Preliminary results from this experiment show evidence of a change in the electron distribution at the amplifier output when the r.f. power is present.
Christopher Dyer Saudek, MD: diabetes expert and implantable insulin pump pioneer.

Christopher Dyer Saudek, MD Christopher Dyer Saudek, MD, was a pioneer in the development of implantable insulin pumps, which brought freedom and flexibility to the field of diabetes. Saudek was born to Robert and Elizabeth Saudek in 1942. (Robert Saudek was the creator of the 1950s critically acclaimed television series Omnibus .) The young Saudek grew up in Bronxville, New York, and, along with his siblings, would often accompany his father on Sunday mornings to New York City. Standing just off camera, the youngsters would watch dress rehearsals of performances for Omnibus , which in turn kindled Christopher’s lifelong interest in theater and music. (It is a surprising twist that he chose medicine as his career, but it is no surprise that he was highly successful in his choice.) Throughout his public school years, Saudek excelled in academics, sports, orchestra, and student government. After graduating from Bronxville High School in 1959, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in 1963 and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical School in 1966. He subsequently trained in internal medicine at Chicago’s Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital and in endocrinology and metabolism at Harvard Medical School and Boston City Hospital. Dr. Saudek was a fellow at the National Institutes of Health and was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow (1979–1980). He taught at Cornell Medical School for 8 years before arriving at Johns Hopkins University in 1980. He was part of a group of researchers that described the early use of hemoglobin A1c as a measure of glycemia in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1976 (1). The academic experiences from his early years as a young faculty member provided the physiological, health policy, and teaching expertise that would be the foundation for a stellar career as a diabetes …
Wrinkling and Edge Buckling in Orthotropic Sandwich Beams

A sandwich beam buckling problem is studied here using two-dimensional elasticity to model the beam constituents. The global and local instability of such a beam with orthotropic constituents under various boundary conditions are investigated. The face sheet and the core are assumed to be linear elastic orthotropic continua. General buckling deformation modes of the sandwich beam subjected to uniaxial compressive loading are considered. The appropriate incremental stress and conjugate incremental finite-strain measure for the instability problem of the sandwich beam, and the corresponding constitutive model are addressed. It is shown that a sandwich beam having a core with a negligible stiffness compared to the face sheets is prone to fail by edge buckling. The present analysis is compared with several previous analytical studies and corresponding experimental results. Finite-element analyses are carried out for comparison against the theoretical predictions. The formulation used in the finite-element code is discussed in relation to the formulation adopted in the theoretical derivation.
The Applicability of cGMP to Cord Blood Cell Banking

The Food and Drug Administration will regulate cord blood cells stringently as a distinct category of somatic cells. The FDA has declared that cord blood cell products are subject to licensure and will require a claimed exemption for an investigational new drug (IND) to undertake clinical trials. This regulatory approach will require both establishment and product licenses, requirements that will pose significant difficulties for regulated establishments. The manufacture of cord blood cell products will be divided between delivery rooms or attached laboratories and regional cord cell processing laboratories. It is possible that cooperative manufacturing arrangements, perhaps using a short supply agreement model, will be the most practical way for FDA to regulate cord blood cell product manufacture. Without regard to regulatory or business arrangements for providing cord blood cell products, it is clear that current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) will be required in both the delivery suite and the processing laboratory. The concepts of cGMP will be foreign to many medical practitioners, but embracing them will be crucial to comply with FDA regulatory expectations and will concomitantly ensure uniform product quality.
Internet banking diffusion

Graphical abstractDisplay Omitted This study examines country-level factors that influence Internet banking diffusion.Direct and mediating effects of economic and technological factors are modeled.National culture is used to explain diffusion levels across different country groups.PLS and cluster analysis provide support for mediating and moderating relationships.Findings yield implications on how to promote Internet banking for policy makers. In the last decade, Internet banking technology has made remarkable progress. However, there is a huge disparity across different nations all over the world in the diffusion of Internet banking services. This leads to the research question of this study: why different countries exhibit different levels of Internet banking adoption? Previous studies provide limited insight as they were mostly conducted at the individual user level with single-country samples. At the country level, this study proposes an Internet banking diffusion model that examines the impact of economical, technological and cultural factors on Internet banking diffusion. The hypothesized relationships in the research model were statistically tested with the secondary data collected from a sample of 33 European countries. The results indicate that the effects of socio-economic and technology-related factors on Internet banking diffusion are fully mediated by Internet access. Furthermore, the findings suggest that national culture is an important moderator as it make differences in Internet banking diffusion as well as Internet access across different country groups. The country-level analysis contributes to the advancement of Internet banking theory and practice, and provides some useful insights to researchers, practitioners and policy makers on how to enhance Internet banking diffusion.
Transfer of the Brachioradialis for Hands Deformed by Cerebral Palsy

Some patients with cerebral palsy can be helped by surgical reconstruction of the hand and forearm. These patients require careful evaluation and a trial of conservative therapy before undertaking the reconstructive procedure. In selected cases appropriate tendon transfers can be extremely beneficial to the patient. The brachioradialis has been found to be strong and under voluntary control in a high proportion of patients with spastic paralysis. Thorough mobilization of the muscle gives it sufficient amplitude for use as a transfer. The use of the brachioradialis as a motor has been described in thirty-three tendon transfers in patients with cerebral palsy. Twenty-eight hands were improved and five showed no improvement in hand and forearm function.
Role of Articular Surface Design in Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Sacrificing Total Knee Arthroplasty Implants

INTRODUCTION Contemporary PCL sacrificing Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) implants (CS) consist of symmetric medial and lateral tibial articular surfaces with high anterior lips designed to substitute for the stability of the native PCL. However, designs vary significantly across implant systems in the level of anteroposterior constraint provided. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate kinematics of two CS designs with substantially different constraint levels. The hypothesis was that dynamic knee simulations could show the effect of implant constraint on kinematics of CS implants. METHODS LifeModeler KneeSIM software was used to analyze contemporary CS TKA (X) with a symmetric and highly dished tibia and contemporary CS TKA (Y) with a symmetric tibia having flat sections bounded by high anterior and posterior lips, during simulated deep knee bend and chair sit. The flat sections of CS-Y implant are designed to allow freedom prior to motion restriction by the implant lips. Components were mounted on an average knee model created from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data of 40 normal knees. Relevant ligament/tendon insertions were obtained from the MRI based 3D models and tissue properties were based on literature values. The condyle center motions relative to the tibia were used to compare the different implant designs. In vivo knee kinematics of healthy subjects from published literature was used for reference. RESULTS Prior publications on in vivo kinematics of healthy knees showed that normal knee motion is characterized by an overall medial pivot. This includes greater, consistent posterior rollback of the lateral condyle than medial (Fig 3). In contrast, CS implant X showed symmetric motion including paradoxical anterior sliding until 120° flexion. This caused a more anterior location for both femoral condyles in flexion as opposed to the posterior location seen in healthy knees. CS implant Y with flat sections showed even greater anterior sliding than CS-X. These trends were seen for chair sit activity as well. Thus, while CS-X showed less paradoxical sliding, both implants suffered from kinematic deficits due to absence of the PCL (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). CONCLUSION The two CS implants showed different kinematic performance confirming the hypothesis that implant design affects kinematics of CS TKA. Absence of the PCL in contemporary CS implants resulted in kinematic deficits. In particular, a symmetric implant with flat sections connecting the anteroposterior implant lips showed excessive paradoxical anterior sliding. These data showed both the need and opportunity for novel designs to address the limitations of contemporary CS implants.
Women’s Equality, Candidate Difference, and the Vote

ABSTRACTThis article argues that the status of women continues to be a major issue in the ongoing culture wars over morality politics. While more scholarly and media attention has focused on abortion and gay marriage, since the 1970s the Democratic and Republican Parties have also taken divergent positions on the status of women. Data from the American National Election Studies show that while the general public has become more supportive of equal roles for women, the presidential candidates are perceived to differ considerably on gender roles and positions on abortion. Since the 1970s perceptions of candidate differences on gender equity have been strong predictors of the presidential vote, even after controlling for party identification, abortion attitudes, religiosity, retrospective assessments of the economy, and perceived candidate differences on other issues, including abortion.
The role of imaging in the management of primary pleural malignancies

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare tumour, but its incidence is increasing. Imaging is invariably involved in its diagnosis, staging, and follow-up. Although there are some characteristic radiological signs, none are pathognomonic. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) have similar local staging accuracies, but have distinct limitations; MR has marginal superiority in specific areas and should probably be offered to surgical candidates. The capabilities of multidector CT await evaluation. The role of positron emission tomography (PET), and PET-CT is undefined, but will likely have a major contribution. The challenges in imaging are matched by controversies in staging and treatment, which require future close multidisciplinary and multicentre collaboration.
Maximum magnitude estimations of induced earthquakes at Paradox Valley, Colorado, from cumulative injection volume and geometry of seismicity clusters

The Paradox Valley Unit (PVU), a salinity control project in southwest Colorado, disposes of brine in a single deep injection well. Since the initiation of injection at the PVU in 1991, earthquakes have been repeatedly induced. PVU closely monitors all seismicity in the Paradox Valley region with a dense surface seismic network. A key factor for understanding the seismic hazard from PVU injection is the maximum magnitude earthquake that can be induced. The estimate of maximum magnitude of induced earthquakes is difficult to constrain as, unlike naturally occurring earthquakes, the maximum magnitude of induced earthquakes changes over time and is affected by injection parameters. We investigate temporal variations in maximum magnitudes of induced earthquakes at the PVU using two methods. First, we consider the relationship between the total cumulative injected volume and the history of observed largest earthquakes at the PVU. Second, we explore the relationship between maximum magnitude and the geometry of individual seismicity clusters. Under the assumptions that: (i) elevated pore pressures must be distributed over an entire fault surface to initiate rupture and (ii) the location of induced events delineates volumes of sufficiently high pore-pressure to induce rupture, we calculate the largest allowable vertical penny-shaped faults, and investigate the potential earthquake magnitudes represented by their rupture. Results from both the injection volume and geometrical methods suggest that the PVU has the potential to induce events up to roughly MW 5 in the region directly surrounding the well; however, the largest observed earthquake to date has been about a magnitude unit smaller than this predicted maximum. In the seismicity cluster surrounding the injection well, the maximum potential earthquake size estimated by these methods and the observed maximum magnitudes have remained steady since the mid­ 2000s. These observations suggest that either these methods overpredict maximum magnitude for this area or that long time delays are required for sufficient pore-pressure diffusion to occur to cause rupture along an entire fault segment. We note that earthquake clusters can initiate and grow rapidly over the course of 1 or 2 yr, thus making it difficult to predict maximum earthquake magnitudes far into the future. The abrupt onset of seismicity with injection indicates that pore-pressure increases near the well have been sufficient to trigger earthquakes under pre-existing tectonic stresses. However, we do not observe remote triggering from large teleseismic earthquakes, which suggests that the stress perturbations generated from those events are too small to trigger rupture, even with the increased pore pressures.
The conditions and strategies for success of local currency movements

This study investigates the successful conditions and implementation strategies of local currency movements. Data for this study were collected using semi-structured interviews with six presidents ...
A Synopsis of the Petiolate Wasps of the Family Eumenidae (Hymenoptera), Found in America North of Mexico

The wasps of the family Eumenidae with petiolate abdomens, found in America north of Mexico are included in two genera, Eumenes Latreille and Zethus Fabricius. The following synopsis is based on specimens contained in the U.S. National Museum. Of the genus Eumenes the Museum contains 11 of the 13 hitherto described species and has large series of specimens of several of these. Of the genus Zethus it contains specimens of all of the five described species, but the number of specimens in all species is comparatively small. In addition to the descriptions of new species included in this paper there are redescriptions of the Say and Haldeman species and of a number of other species which it seemed desirable to compare with their allies.
Foveated object recognition by corner search

Here we describe a gray scale object recognition system based on foveated corner finding, the computation of sequential fixation points, and elements of Lowe's SIFT transform. The system achieves rotational, transformational, and limited scale invariant object recognition that produces recognition decisions using data extracted from sequential fixation points. It is broken into two logical steps. The first is to develop principles of foveated visual search and automated fixation selection to accomplish corner search. The result is a new algorithm for finding corners which is also a corner-based algorithm for aiming computed foveated visual fixations. In the algorithm, long saccades move the fovea to previously unexplored areas of the image, while short saccades improve the accuracy of putative corner locations. The system is tested on two natural scenes. As an interesting comparison study we compare fixations generated by the algorithm with those of subjects viewing the same images, whose eye movements are being recorded by an eyetracker. The comparison of fixation patterns is made using an information-theoretic measure. Results show that the algorithm is a good locator of corners, but does not correlate particularly well with human visual fixations. The second step is to use the corners located, which meet certain goodness criteria, as keypoints in a modified version of the SIFT algorithm. Two scales are implemented. This implementation creates a database of SIFT features of known objects. To recognize an unknown object, a corner is located and a feature vector created. The feature vector is compared with those in the database of known objects. The process is continued for each corner in the unknown object until enough information has been accumulated to reach a decision. The system was tested on 78 gray scale objects, hand tools and airplanes, and shown to perform well.
Three Dyes as Markers for Corn Earworm Moths

The dyes rhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, and Helecon® 2267 were evaluated as markers for adult Heliothis zea (Boddie). Rhodamine B and Helecon had adverse effects on longevity and flight performance, but none of the dyes had any apparent effect on respiration.
192 TOBACCO USE CESSATION IN MILES CITY, MT.

Purpose of Study Miles City, MT has a very high rate of tobacco use and, subsequently, there is a high rate of tobacco use-related illnesses in the community. Custer County, the county in which Miles City is located, is one of only two counties in Montana that does not receive federal or state grant money to fund tobacco cessation. A community medicine project was designed to identify resources for tobacco cessation to both physicians and community members. Methods Used Local health care providers were contacted to inquire about their knowledge of tobacco cessation resources currently available to members of the community. A further search for resources was done on the World Wide Web. Additionally, a literature search was conducted using PubMed to determine the most effective tobacco cessation interventions. Summary of Results After community tobacco cessation resources were inventoried, two different brochures were produced highlighting the resources most applicable for Miles City residents. One brochure targeted health care providers and included recently added Medicare codes for tobacco cessation and counseling. The second brochure targeted the general public. Both brochures included previously unknown resources for free nicotine replacement therapy, information about insurance coverage, free resources, and how to quit for life. Both of these brochures were distributed to the health care providers. An article was written in the local newspaper about tobacco cessation in the community. A letter to the editor was included in the same issue listing the tobacco cessation resources available to the community members. Conclusions Reached Efforts to increase tobacco cessation can be aided by an evaluation and enumeration of local, state, and national resources. Cooperation with local health care providers and communication with local media sources can be useful ways to disseminate health improvement information to community members and to encourage healthy lifestyle changes.
Face Verification Using Boosted Cross-Image Features.

This paper proposes a new approach for face verification, where a pair of images needs to be classified as belonging to the same person or not. This problem is relatively new and not well-explored in the literature. Current methods mostly adopt techniques borrowed from face recognition, and process each of the images in the pair independently, which is counter intuitive. In contrast, we propose to extract cross-image features, i.e. features across the pair of images, which, as we demonstrate, is more discriminative to the similarity and the dissimilarity of faces. Our features are derived from the popular Haar-like features, however, extended to handle the face verification problem instead of face detection. We collect a large bank of cross-image features using filters of different sizes, locations, and orientations. Consequently, we use AdaBoost to select and weight the most discriminative features. We carried out extensive experiments on the proposed ideas using three standard face verification datasets, and obtained promising results outperforming state-of-the-art.
The Cloning of the cDNA and the Gene for Human Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase: Status on the Biological Function(s) Using Recombinant Probes

In March, 1987, our laboratory was the initial group to report on the isolation and expression of a full-length cDNA encoding poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (1, 2). The focus of this chapter will be to review some of the evidence leading up to the cloning of this cDNA as well as to provide a progress report on the various approaches presently underway (Spring, 1987) using the cDNA for various projects directed at elucidation of the function of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in cells.
The role of schematic support in age-related associative deficits in short-term and long-term memory.

Abstract Older, relative to younger adults, exhibit an associative memory deficit in short-term and long-term memory, characterized by difficulty in binding distinct components to form associations, while item memory remains largely intact. Reduced performance emerges mostly due to high false alarm rates in older adults’ associative memory. One factor that could increase older adult false alarm rates during associative recognition memory tests is a decreased use of recollection processes that allow the rejection of recombined components from the study phase. The current experiments assessed the degree to which an increase in the use of semantic memory (schematic) support, by changing the patterns of support from study to test, can help older adults reduce their associative false alarms using recollection. In two experiments, face–name pairs were presented to younger and older adults. During a continuous recognition task assessing memory performance at short-term and long-term memory retention intervals, younger and older adults were tested on individual faces, names, and face–name pairs that either remained intact or were recombined within the same (e.g., old-face, old-name) or between two different age categories (e.g., old-face, young-name). In Experiment 2, we also collected “remember–know” judgments after responses to recognition test events. In both experiments, the results indicated benefits to older adults’ associative memory when changes in schematic support occurred from study to test at long-term but not short-term memory retention intervals. The results of Experiment 2 indicate that these increases in performance were mediated by the availability of recollection processes during retrieval.
Comparison of TITAN Hybrid Deterministic Transport Code and MCNP5 for Simulation of SPECT

Traditionally, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) simulations use Monte Carlo methods. The hybrid deterministic transport code TITAN has recently been applied to the simulation of a SPECT myocardial perfusion scan. The TITAN SPECT simulation uses the discrete ordinates formulation in the phantom region and a simplified ray-tracing formulation outside of the phantom. This paper seeks to validate the TITAN code’s methodology for SPECT simulation by comparing projection images with the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. In MCNP5 the collimator is directly modeled, but TITAN instead simulates the effect of collimator blur using a circular ordinate splitting technique. Projection images created using the TITAN code are compared to results using MCNP5 for three collimator acceptance angles. Visually the images are in good agreement, but maximum relative differences of up to 21.3% are observed. Profiles through the projection images revealed that the TITAN results followed the shape of the MCNP5 results with some differences in magnitude. A timing comparison on 16 processors found that the TITAN code completed the calculation two to three orders of magnitude faster than MCNP5, depending on the collimator acceptance angle being simulated. Both codes exhibit good parallel performance.
Modelling, simulation and analysis of three phase five level NPC inverter for induction motor drive

This paper is devoted to the study and the simulate a five level inverter NPC for induction motor drive. To improve the preference of this inverter, the control strategy adopted is the PWM pulse with modulation. Several simulations were proposed by changing the PWM parameters m and r. To study the FFT harmonic spectrum several curves are plotted of the current, voltage and the calculation of THD distortions rates voltages and current. For study the inverter performance, the three phase five-level NPC inverter is simulation using PSIM and Matlab its performance is studied for induction motor load. The simulation results are analyzed and interpreted.
Biochemical evaluation of the effects of storage on feline erythrocytes

Objective To describe the biochemical changes that occur during storage of feline packed red blood cells. Methods Feline packed red blood cells were obtained from the manufacturer via overnight delivery immediately following collection. Bag spikes were placed using aseptic technique and samples were drawn on days 1, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. Sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, lactate, pH and ammonia were measured at each time point. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial cultures were submitted following collection on day 35. Results There were statistically significant increases in the median concentrations of lactate and ammonia within the first 2 weeks of storage to a concentration of 12·38 mmol/L and 447·96 µmol/L, respectively. Glucose concentrations decreased significantly by day 28 to a mean of 1·86 mmol/L. Median sodium and chloride concentrations increased throughout the course of storage to a concentration of 158·20 and 131·00 mmol/L, respectively. Mean potassium concentrations decreased to a concentration of 2·40 mmol/L. Clinical significance These results show that biochemical derangements within feline packed red blood cells are progressive, with some alterations, such as lactate and ammonia, occurring early within the storage periods, while others, including glucose and electrolytes, are slower to develop. Additional prospective research evaluating the clinical effects of these biochemical alterations is required.
Detection of QTLs for Yield Heterosis in Rice Using a RIL Population and Its Testcross Population

Analysis of the genetic basis of yield heterosis in rice was conducted by quantitative trait locus mapping using a set of 204 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), its testcross population, and mid-parent heterosis dataset (HMP). A total of 39 QTLs for six yield traits were detected, of which three were detected in all the datasets, ten were common to the RIL and testcross populations, six were common to the testcross and HMP, and 17, 2, and 1 were detected for RILs, testcrosses, and HMP, respectively. When a QTL was detected in both the RIL and testcross populations, the difference between TQ and IR24 and that between Zh9A/TQ and Zh9A/IR24 were always in the same direction, providing the potential to increase the yield of hybrids by increasing the yield of parental lines. Genetic action mode of the 39 QTLs was inferred by comparing their performances in RILs, testcrosses, and HMP. The genetic modes were additive for 17 QTLs, dominance for 12 QTLs, and overdominance for 10 QTLs. These results suggest that dominance and overdominance are the most important contributor to yield heterosis in rice, in which the accumulative effects of yield components play an important role.
A Smart Decision Making System for Managing Patient Database

A decision support method is developed to capture the classification patterns from the doctor, to establish a new global classification schema, and to classify the new patient cases into facet categories. The proposed system provides valuable recommendations to healthcare providers, and helps them gain more transparent information from patients so as to make better scheduling decisions that minimize the gap between patient demand and the provided services.
Xi Jinping and Continuing Political Reform in China

When Xi Jinping became General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012 he faced the major tasks of fighting corruption, getting beyond the stymied collective leadership of Hu Yaobang, structural reform of the economy, and promoting the rule of law. In his first term Xi has made significant progress in all these areas through his presidential style of leadership, though not without problems. The key task of his likely second term (the 19th Central Committee (CC), 2017–2022) will be to establish a “new normal” of leadership structure and habits that will provide political continuity for a moderately prosperous China and a CPC entering its second century. The changes are foreshadowed in the documents of the Sixth Plenum of the 18th CC released in November 2016.
Hysterectomy for the Transgender Man

Purpose of Review Our objective is to summarize the most recent, high-quality data regarding perioperative recommendations for hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy in transgender and gender nonconforming individuals.
Automated Selection of Robust Individual-Level Structural Equation Models for Time Series Data

In order to analyze intensive longitudinal data collected across multiple individuals, researchers frequently have to decide between aggregating all individuals or analyzing each individual separately. This paper presents an R package, gimme, which allows for the automatic specification of individual-level structural equation models that combine group-, subgroup-, and individual-level information. This R package is a complement of the GIMME program currently available via a combination of MATLAB and LISREL. By capitalizing on the flexibility of R and the capabilities of the existing structural equation modeling package lavaan, gimme allows for the automated specification and estimation of group-, subgroup-, and individual-level relations in time series data from within a structural equation modeling framework. Applications include daily diary data as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging data.
Survival by HER2 receptor status in stage IV breast cancer: SEER 2010-2012.

1032Background: Therapeutic advances have altered the course of once highly lethal HER2+ breast cancer (BC). We report survival in a recent population-based cohort by HER2 status, overall, and within hormone receptor(HR)+ BC. Methods: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data were queried to identify women diagnosed 2010-2012 with Stage IV BC as first cancer. Patients were grouped by HER2 and HR status. Kaplan Meier estimates of 3-yr observed survival (OS) were compared with log-rank tests. A multivariate cox model was fitted for the HER2+ cohort. Results: 3-yr OS for HER2+(any HR), HR+/HER- and triple-negative (TN) BC was 52.3%, 48.4% and 16.0% respectively (p<0.01 HER2+(any HR) vs TNBC; p=0.20 HER2+(any HR) vs HR+/HER2-). Across registries, OS for HER2+(any HR) BC ranged from 29.2% to 61.7% (p=0.05). On Cox model, survival in HER2+(any HR) BC was associated with age 50+ (Hazard ratio (HR) 1.84, 95% CI 1.45-2.34), HR+ status (HR 0.70, 0.58-0.84), high histologic grade (HR 1.30, 0.58-0.84),...
The unique immunological and microbial aspects of pregnancy

The comparison of the immunological state of pregnancy to an immunosuppressed host-graft model continues to lead research and clinical practice to ill-defined approaches. This Review discusses recent evidence that supports the idea that immunological responses at the receptive maternal-fetal interface are not simply suppressed but are instead highly dynamic. We discuss the crucial role of trophoblast cells in shaping not only the way in which immune cells respond to the invading blastocyst but also how they collectively react to external stimuli. We also discuss the role of the microbiota in promoting a tolerogenic maternal immune system and highlight how subclinical viral infections can disrupt this status quo, leading to pregnancy complications.
The Geriatrician’s Perspective on Surgery in the Geriatric Population

Older patients considering surgery should undergo a preoperative assessment that includes goal setting, identifying medical conditions and geriatric syndromes, and prognosticating life expectancy. Preoperative optimization strategies are aimed at maximizing medical, functional, cognitive, and nutritional status. Interdisciplinary care and multimodal interventions are integral in caring for older adults. Frailty is associated with functional decline and disability. Interventions that impact upon frailty are a rapidly developing area of basic and clinical research.
Relative economic competitiveness of light-duty battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles

Abstract This paper estimates battery electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) costs from today through 2040 to explore the potential market size of each vehicle type. Two main tasks are performed. First, the total cost of ownership (TCO) – including vehicle purchase, fuel, maintenance, resale, and refueling inconvenience – is estimated for 77 light-duty vehicle (LDV) segments, defined by driving range and size class. Second, data on individual travel behavior is used to estimate the fraction of vehicle owners within each of the 77 segments. In 2020, BEVs are estimated to be the cheaper vehicle option in 79–97 percent of the LDV fleet and have a weighted average cost advantage of $0.41 per mile below FCEVs across all vehicle segments and drivers. However, costs of the two powertrains quickly converge between 2025 and 2030. By 2040, FCEVs are estimated to be less expensive than BEVs per mile in approximately 71–88 percent of the LDV fleet and have notable cost advantages within larger vehicle size classes and for drivers with longer daily driving ranges. This analysis demonstrates a competitive market space for both FCEVs and BEVs to meet the different needs of LDV consumers.