cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
System Reliability at the Crossroads

This paper surveys the current state of research related to the modeling and prediction of failures of engineering systems. It is argued that while greater understanding of the physics of failure has led to significant progress at the component level, there are significant challenges remaining at the system level. System reliability, a field of applied mathematics that addresses the latter challenges, is at a juncture where fundamental changes are likely. On the one hand, the traditional part of the field entered a phase of diminishing returns, largely having followed the trajectory of the Cold-War era technology development: golden years of rapid growth in the 1950s and 1960s, followed by maturation and slowing down in the ensuing decades. On the other hand, the convergence of several technologies related to data collection and processing, combined with important changes in engineering business and government priorities, has created the potential for a perfect storm that can revive and fundamentally transform the field; however, for this transformation to occur, some serious obstacles need to be overcome. The paper examines these obstacles along with several key areas of research that can provide enabling tools for this transformation.
Platinum embedded within carbon nanospheres for shape selective liquid phase hydrogenation

Abstract Reactant shape selective catalysis occurs when substrates of different sizes and shapes are consumed at different rates over catalysts that combine molecular sieving transport processes with reaction. By contrast the same substrates react at nearly equivalent rates over catalysts that have large, open pores that do not induce any form of molecular sieving. Here we describe the design and synthesis of reactant shape selective catalysts for liquid phase hydrogenation reactions. Using an emulsion polymerization of furfuryl alcohol, we have made catalysts that consist of microporous carbon nanospheres within which are embedded platinum nanoparticles. The porosity of the carbon spheres was found to be a key parameter affecting catalyst activity and selectivity; porosity was varied by adding pore forming agents, such as polyethylene glycol with different molecular weights, during synthesis, or by mild oxidation of the as-synthesized catalyst using carbon dioxide. In addition to increasing porosity to reduce mass transfer limitations, a synthesis of smaller carbon spheres (
Energy-transfer and exciton-state relaxation processes in allophycocyanin

The authors have employed picosecond spectroscopic techniques to characterize the photophysics of the phycocyanobilin chromophores in linker-free allophycocyanin isolated from the cyanobactrium Synechococcus PCC 6301 (AN112 mutant). In analogy with the known structure of the related phycobiliprotein C-phycocyanin, allophycocyanin is probably organized as a ringlike homotrimer; the monomeric units are composed of an {alpha} and a {beta} subunit, each of which binds a phycocyanobilin chromophore via a thioether linkage to a cysteine residue at amino acid position 84. The authors observe bidirectional excitation transfer in the {alpha}{beta} monomer between the {alpha}84 and {beta}84 chromophores with a 140-ps time constant. The authors assign an ultrafast (<2-ps time constant) anisotropy and photobleaching transient observed only in ({alpha}{beta}){sub 3} trimers to an interexciton level transition; the transient occurs with a polarization change that is consistent with a transition between the orthogonal upper and lower exciton states. The upper exciton state also relaxes directly to the ground state through a decay process with a 45-ps time constant. They attribute the heterogeneous relaxation of the upper exciton state through these two paths to an inhomogeneous broadening due to site heterogeneity, which was previously observed in C-phycocyanin in hole-burning experiments at low temperature. Excitation transfer amongmore » the degenerate lower exciton states is detected in terms of a 70-ps anisotropy decay observed in the photobleaching and stimulated emission. The interexcition level transition rapidly concentrates excitation in the lower exciton state of allophycocyanin ({alpha}{beta}){sub 3} trimers; this kind of spectral relaxation process may be important in facilitating directional excitation transfer in reaction center/light-harvesting protein assemblies. 47 refs., 8 figs.« less
Best practices, standards and techniques for digitizing library materials: a snapshot of library digitization practices in the USA

This study investigates current practice in digitizing library materials in the USA. Building a good digital collection has been a common task, pervasive in all types of libraries. Digitization becomes more and more crucial, affecting libraries while they work towards becoming digital. Researchers and practitioners would like to know what practices have been developed to deal with the challenges that pose the most significant problems or concerns for libraries in digitization. Through probing some widespread issues on what materials to digitize, and the associated standards and technologies in digitization in US libraries, this survey of current literature reveals a number of prominent library digitization practices, methods and challenges, and highlights the best practices, trends and interests in library digitization pertaining to both policy and technology marketplace issues.
In vitro Corrosion and Tarnish Analysis of the Ag-Pd Binary System

Binary compositions over the entire range of compositions of the Ag-Pd system are characterized by anodic polarization in Ringer's solution and alternate immersion in 0.5% Na 2S solution. The results show that a wide range of protection and passivation tendencies are introduced with Pd alloying of Ag.
Urgent therapy for stroke. Part II. Pilot study of tissue plasminogen activator administered 91-180 minutes from onset.

Renewed interest in thrombolytic therapy as potential treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke prompted a dose-escalation safety study of tissue plasminogen activator in patients with very early (less than or equal to 90 minutes; see Part I) neurological symptoms. To test whether this stringent entry window might be safely lengthened, a second study was organized to test tissue plasminogen activator in patients with symptoms of 91-180 minutes' duration before treatment.An open-label, dose-escalation design was chosen. Eligible patients had pretreatment head computerized tomographic scanning and treatment begun 91-180 minutes from stroke onset. End points examined included the incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, other bleeding, and clinical outcome at 2 hours, 24 hours, and 3 months after treatment.Twenty patients were treated at three hospitals in 13 months. Three doses were tested: 0.6 mg/kg (n = 8), 0.85 mg/kg (n = 6), and 0.95 mg/kg (n = 6). Two patients, one eac...
Perception beyond Inference

Perception beyond inference is an excellent book. The editors are to be commended for assembling work that so exemplifies the fruit of an excellent research project. Because the book is well writte...
Monitoring the safety of annual and pandemic influenza vaccines: lessons from the US experience.

Annual use of influenza vaccines represents the largest vaccine campaign conducted in the USA. Recent expansions in influenza vaccine recommendations suggest a move toward 'universal' vaccination strategies. Although a great deal of safety data has been accumulated, concerns remain regarding rare, serious adverse events following immunization. A proven association between the 1976-1977 swine influenza vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome halted that particular national vaccination campaign. Recently, annual influenza vaccines have been associated with novel adverse events, for example, oculorespiratory syndrome in Canada. Any vaccine used against an influenza strain of pandemic potential will have an incompletely described safety profile. Thus, the challenge of influenza vaccine safety is to detect new safety concerns that may arise during seasonal campaigns, while preparing vaccine safety systems for the timely detection of adverse events in the setting of a pandemic.
Virtual Phase Charge Coupled Device Imager Operated In Frontside Electron-Bombarded Mode

The Texas Instruments virtual phase CCD imager has been successfully operated in the frontside electron-bombarded mode. The entire active area of the imager was covered with 130 nm of thermally grown gate oxide while only the clocked half of each pixel was additionally covered with a 500 nm polysilicon electrode. No protective overcoat was grown over the imager. A 20 kV electron beam was focused onto the imager to a total dose in excess of 120,000 primary electrons per pixel. Both the parallel and serial clocks were operated between -15 V and +2 V throughout, and no adjustment in any of the operating parameters was required. However, flat band shifts on the order of 2 V were detected. Single primary electron events were clearly detected with a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 10. In excess of 90% of the secondary charge generated by a primary event was collected in a single pixel. The standard virtual phase imager with only the protective overcoat deleted can be used with a photocathode in the electron-bombarded mode for observing low to moderate light levels and can act as a true photon counter.
Raman scattering studies of biochemical changes associated with carcinogenesis using tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells

Analysis of Raman spectra from a pair of tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells derived from rat embryo fibroblast (REF) cells will be presented. M1 cells are an immortalized but non-tumorigenic cell line made by stable transfection with the myc oncogene. MR1 cells are a tumorigenic line derived from MI cells by stable transfection with a mutated ras oncogene. Using these two cell lines, biochemical changes caused by tumorigenesis may be characterized without spectral interference from intercellular components, such as collagen, that may change as a result of tumorigenic transformation. We will present our current results from Raman studies covering spectroscopic differences between the two cell lines, sampling the cells in both the plateau and exponential phases of growth. Raman data from isolated nuclei of the two cell lines are also presented. Where possible, differences in the Raman spectra will be correlated with biochemical differences observed using other techniques. For example, changes in nucleic acid content, which can be monitored by flow cytometry, are also observed in the Raman spectra. Changes in the relative amounts of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids are also determined. Such abilities will be important in distinguishing between tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells in vivo.
Factor Analysis in Counseling Psychology Research, Training, and Practice Principles, Advances, and Applications

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have contributed to test development and validation in counseling psychology, but additional applications have not been fully realized. The author presents an overview of the goals, terminology, and procedures of factor analysis; reviews best practices for extracting, retaining, and rotating factors in EFA; describes issues related to CFA, including potential hypotheses, how parameters are estimated, and current guidelines regarding sample size and the use of fit indices; and reviews more sophisticated applications of CFA, including multiple-groups analysis and testing of hierarchical models. Finally, the author recommends how to increase the application of factor analysis to counseling psychologists’ work in research, training, and practice settings.
Propagation, Attenuation, and Dispersion Characteristics of Inhomogeneous Dielectric Slab Waveguides

A numerical method based upon invariant imbedding and the transverse impedahce concept is applied to the problem of calculating various properties of inhomogeneous slab waveguides. The approach appears not only to be rapidly convergent but is also capable of giving arbitrary accuracy for any given mode. In particular, some interesting properties of a class of asymmetric profiles are pointed out, relating to discussions of lossy structures, temporal pulse distortion, and spatial broadening.
Polyphasic characterization of xanthomonas strains from onion.

ABSTRACT Xanthomonas leaf blight has become an increasingly important disease of onion, but the diversity among Xanthomonas strains isolated from onion is unknown, as is their relationship to other species and pathovars of Xanthomonas. Forty-nine Xanthomonas strains isolated from onion over 27 years from 10 diverse geographic regions were characterized by pathogenicity to onion and dry bean, fatty acid profiles, substrate utilization patterns (Biolog), bactericide resistance, repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting, rDNA internally transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and hrp b6 gene sequencing. Multiplication of onion Xanthomonas strain R-O177 was not different from X. axonopodis pv. phaseoli in dry bean, but typical common bacterial blight disease symptoms were absent in dry bean. Populations from each geographical region were uniformly sensitive to 100 μg of CuSO4, 100 μg of ZnSO4, and 100 μg of streptomycin sulfate per ml. Biolog substrate utilization and fatty acid profiles rev...
Context-based tracking of object features

In this work, we present a context-based model for tracking object features. More specifically, the context is defined as a collection of features within the local region that surrounds the feature that is being tracked. The model does not rely on any knowledge about the object, and therefore the collection of contextual features in one frame is just a hypothesis that is then reconfirmed or rejected in subsequent frames. We applied the model to tracking horizontal and vertical edges extracted from real-time video streams that contain moving vehicles. Our results show that the performance of the system improves as the number of the contextual features increases.
Plasma Flow Control of Cylinders in a Tandem Configuration

The tandem cylinder in cross flow represents a canonical flow field geometry that is relevant to the landing gear noise generation process. In this paper, plasma flow control in the form of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators is use to control the tandem cylinder flow field with the objective of reducing unsteady pressure fluctuations on the downstream cylinder. Two types of plasma actuators are applied to the upstream cylinder. These include spanwise-oriented plasma actuators and plasma streamwise vortex generators. Flow control experiments were performed over the Reynolds number range 22,000 € ≤ Re D € ≤ 172,000 and the results obtained at both the lowest and highest Reynolds numbers are reported in this paper. In each case, baseline flow field measurements are compared with those using plasma flow control. Results include, global flow visualization, unsteady pressure measurements on the downstream cylinder and nonintrusive near wake surveys using laser Doppler velocimetry. Both methods of plasma flow control are demonstrated to dramatically reduce pressure fluctuations on the downstream cylinder. Nomenclature C p = pressure coefficient D = Cylinder diameter L = Cylinder streamwise separation distance P s = Surface pressure
Handling time variability in bioacoustic transient detection

Methods are presented for handling the variability in timing that occurs within animal calls. Using as inputs the result of a process for detecting frequency sweeps in a call, plus a set of probability distribution functions for the time intervals between successive sweeps, the methods each find the global maximum of a scoring function that combines the inputs to produce a detection score. The methods are tested on a set of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) calls recorded in a noisy Arctic environment. Output of the methods' operation on the data set are presented and the results are discussed. >
Mutation processes at the protein level: is Lamarck back?

The experimental evidence accumulated for the last half of the century clearly suggests that inherited variation is not restricted to the changes in genomic sequences. The prion model, originally based on unusual transmission of certain neurodegenerative diseases in mammals, provides a molecular mechanism for the template-like reproduction of alternative protein conformations. Recent data extend this model to protein-based genetic elements in yeast and other fungi. Reproduction and transmission of yeast protein-based genetic elements is controlled by the “prion replication” machinery of the cell, composed of the protein helpers responsible for the processes of assembly and disassembly of protein structures and multiprotein complexes. Among these, the stress-related chaperones of Hsp100 and Hsp70 groups play an important role. Alterations of levels or activity of these proteins result in “mutator” or “antimutator” affects in regard to protein-based genetic elements. “Protein mutagens” have also been identified that affect formation and/or propagation of the alternative protein conformations. Prion-forming abilities appear to be conserved in evolution, despite the divergence of the corresponding amino acid sequences. Moreover, a wide variety of proteins of different origins appear to possess the ability to form amyloid-like aggregates, that in certain conditions might potentially result in prion-like switches. This suggests a possible mechanism for the inheritance of acquired traits, postulated in the Lamarckian theory of evolution. The prion model also puts in doubt the notion that cloned animals are genetically identical to their genome donors, and suggests that genome sequence would not provide a complete information about the genetic makeup of an organism. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Competition through the introduction of new products

A systematic review of the economic problems connected with innovations is given in the introduction. Attention is then focused on inter-firm relations in oligopolistic markets into which new products are introduced.
Changes in Cardiovascular Risk Factors During the Perimenopause and Postmenopause and Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis in Healthy Women

Background and Purpose—The objectives of this study were to describe the changes in cardiovascular risk factors during the perimenopausal and early postmenopausal years and correlate those changes in risk factors with carotid intimal-medial thickness (IMT) and plaque index measured 5 to 8 years after menopause. Methods—Participants were women (n=372) from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, enrolled in the Healthy Women Study who had been postmenopausal for at least 5 years. Risk factor changes were measured during the perimenopause, ie, between the premenopausal and first year postmenopausal examinations, and during the early postmenopause, ie, between the first and fifth year postmenopausal examinations. Carotid ultrasound scans measured IMT and plaque at examinations 5 to 8 years after menopause among 314 of the women. Results—Increases in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and declines in HDL cholesterol were greater during perimenopause than postmenopause, whereas increases in blood pressure and fasting g...
Ramist Concepts of Testimony, Judicial Analogies, and the Puritan Conversion Narrative

he Puritans believed that as much as possible a church should be constituted of saints—regenerate persons who had experienced an infusion of God's saving grace. Their desire was to make the visible church a near reflection of the invisible church; a church body made of those elected by God and predestined for salvation. In connection with the congregational underpinnings of their brand of Protestantism, the seventeenth-century New England Puritans also believed that the members of the congregation should play a role in deciding who was to be admitted to the visible church and who was to be excommunicated from it. In the early 1630s a controversy erupted over exactly what kind of testimony should be required at the "trial" of candidates when they came before the congregation to seek membership in the church. In the Puritan concepts of experiential faith and church polity, it was expected that candidates would be able to testify to their experiences of conversion in a way that would provide the congregation with appropriate grounds for judging whether they were visible saints. To this end, in contrast to the earlier policy of requiring pious and civil behavior, apparent knowledge of church doctiine, and a public declaration of faith, in New England John Cotton and his followers added what was termed a "church relation" or a conversion narrative.
Facile and Effective Synthesis of Siloxane‐Based Polyamines

Linear and cyclic polysiloxanes with pendant amine moieties have been synthesized via the [(C 6 H 5 ) 3 P] 3 RbCl-catalyzed dehydrogenative alcoholysis of poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS) or cyclotetra(methylthydrosiloxane) (D4H) with hydroxyalkylamines.
Serum Amyloid A Facilitates Early Lesion Development in Ldlr−/− Mice

Background Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder, and several studies have demonstrated a positive association between plasma serum amyloid A (SAA) levels and cardiovascular disease risk. The aim of the study was to examine whether SAA has a role in atherogenesis, the underlying basis of most cardiovascular disease. Methods and Results Mice globally deficient in acute‐phase isoforms Saa1 and Saa2 ( Saa −/− ) were crossed to Ldlr −/− mice ( Saa −/− Ldlr −/− ). Saa −/− Ldlr −/− mice demonstrated a 31% reduction in lesional area in the ascending aorta but not in the aortic root or innominate artery after consuming a high‐fat, high‐cholesterol Western‐type diet for 6 weeks. The lesions were predominantly macrophage foam cells. The phenotype was lost in more mature lesions in mice fed a Western‐type diet for 12 weeks, suggesting that SAA is involved in early lesion development. The decreased atherosclerosis in the Saa −/− Ldlr −/− mice occurred despite increased levels of blood monocytes and was independent of plasma lipid levels. SAA is produced predominantly by hepatocytes and macrophages. To determine which source of SAA may have a dominant role in lesion development, bone marrow transplantation was performed. Ldlr −/− mice that received bone marrow from Saa −/− Ldlr −/− mice had slightly reduced ascending aorta atherosclerosis compared with Saa −/− Ldlr −/− mice receiving bone marrow from Ldlr −/− mice, indicating that the expression of SAA by macrophages may have an important influence on atherogenesis. Conclusions The results indicate that SAA produced by macrophages promotes early lesion formation in the ascending aorta.
Cartografías acústicas para una Fantasía lusa: reconfiguraciones Simbólicas del "Auto da barca do inferno" de Gil Vicente desde la propuesta Musical de Madredeus

Este ensayo analiza el drama teatral Auto da Barca do Inferno del dramaturgo y musico portugues Gil Vicente (1465-1536?) a la luz de la propuesta acustico-literaria del tema O Pastor de la banda musical portuguesa Madredeus (1985- ). Con enfasis en el analisis de la figura pastoril, de la doble alegorizacion de la trama del drama, de la ambiguedad de sus tonalidades acusticas y de la incansable recurrencia a un tercer imaginario poetico presentado al lectoroyente en forma de barca, se intentara mostrar como dicha cancion cuestiona el rigido tabique divisorio insuflado por el dogmatico e imperialista maniqueismo del drama vicentino
Remote Sensing and Reflectance Profiling in Entomology

Remote sensing describes the characterization of the status of objects and/or the classification of their identity based on a combination of spectral features extracted from reflectance or transmission profiles of radiometric energy. Remote sensing can be benchtop based, and therefore acquired at a high spatial resolution, or airborne at lower spatial resolution to cover large areas. Despite important challenges, airborne remote sensing technologies will undoubtedly be of major importance in optimized management of agricultural systems in the twenty-first century. Benchtop remote sensing applications are becoming important in insect systematics and in phenomics studies of insect behavior and physiology. This review highlights how remote sensing influences entomological research by enabling scientists to nondestructively monitor how individual insects respond to treatments and ambient conditions. Furthermore, novel remote sensing technologies are creating intriguing interdisciplinary bridges between entomology and disciplines such as informatics and electrical engineering.
Fostering Further Successes in Vaccinology

Vaccination—preparing or harnessing the power of the human immune system to prevent infectious diseases—is one of the most impactful developments in the history of public health. In more than two centuries of clinical use, vaccines have been responsible for preserving the health and preventing the deaths of millions of children and adults annually. There are several examples in which the widespread and routine use of vaccines has greatly reduced or eliminated infectious diseases from selected geographic regions or hemispheres of the globe. Vaccines enabled the eradication of naturally occurring smallpox from the world—a remarkable achievement with neither precedent nor peer in the realm of medicine. Yet despite the proven track record of vaccine safety and effectiveness, there remain several significant barriers that impede their further development, acceptance, and broader implementation. There is clear evidence that vaccines prevent illness, hospitalization, and death and that their use promotes economic savings through medical and social costs avoided. However, their favorable impact has made vaccine-preventable diseases less common and thus, less visible. The commonly applied outcome metrics used when making the case for investments in vaccines become far less important to policy-makers, the public, and to parents when the preventive measures work and over time, the benefits provided by vaccines become less visible and compelling. For many in the developed world, including physicians, the vaccine-preventable, classic scourges of childhood such as polio, pertussis, diphtheria, measles, and mumps primarily represent historical footnotes. But before the advent of safe and effective vaccines, these infectious diseases caused significant morbidity, mortality, and lingering fear in communities.
The Role of Insulin Dysregulation in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease

Our knowledge of the multifaceted role of insulin in the central nervous system has expanded rapidly in recent years. It is now apparent that perturbation of this role by insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia can increase the risk for aging-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through a number of mechanistic pathways, delineated in elegant in vitro and animal studies. We have investigated these pathways in humans using models of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. We will present results suggesting that insulin-associated effects on Aβ regulation and inflammation contribute to AD pathophysiology. This premise raises the possibility that treatments aimed at improving insulin resistance will benefit patients with AD. We will review data testing this possibility in pilot therapeutic trials using insulin sensitizers and intranasal insulin.
The role of BRCA1 in DNA repair and chemosensitivity

10606 Introduction: The BRCA1 tumor suppressor protein has been implicated in many cellular processes, including several different DNA repair pathways. Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 gene result ...
Abstract A098: Contribution of macrophages to FGFR-dependent breast cancer

Genomic profiling studies have demonstrated that a number of potentially targetable pathways are capable of contributing to breast cancer, including the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) pathway. Our studies focus on understanding the mechanisms through which FGFR1 activation in tumor cells leads to pro-tumorigenic changes in the microenvironment. Specifically, using an in an in vivo model of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1)-induced mammary tumorigenesis, we have found that following FGFR1 activation in mammary epithelial cells, macrophages are recruited to the hyperplastic regions where they are required for angiogenesis and epithelial cell proliferation. To identify the factors that contribute to the pro-tumorigenic microenvironment, we have developed two- and three-dimensional co-culture in vitro models to mimic what is observed in vivo. Using these in vitro models, we have identified that soluble factors derived from FGFR1-activated epithelial cells lead to the upregulation of target genes in macrophages that promote tumor formation, invasion, and migration. Findings from the in vitro studies are further assessed using a mouse mammary tumor model utilizing orthotopic transplants into immunocompetent mice. These model systems will help us identify novel regulators of mammary tumorigenesis and provide new insight into the mechanisms by which macrophages promote tumor formation. Citation Format: Nicholas J. Brady, Mariya Farooqui, Laura Bohrer, Kaylee Schwertfeger. Contribution of macrophages to FGFR-dependent breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Genetics, Biology, and Clinical Applications; Oct 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2013;11(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A098.
The Bold Synopsis: A Way to Improve Your Motions

This article introduces the bold synopsis, a technique for providing an up-front summary in a trial motion. It offers two before-and-after examples.
Serum Antibody Responses of High-Risk Children and Adults to Vaccination with Capsular Polysaccharides of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Pneumococcal antibody was measured in the sera of splenectomized children, children with nephrotic syndrome, adults with chronic renal failure, adults maintained on hemodialysis, adult recipients of renal allografts, and normal children and adults before and after vaccination with a polyvalent vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae. The medical conditions of these patients are associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to pneumococcal disease. Nonimmunosuppressed splenectomized children, children with steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome, and adults maintained on hemodialysis had normal concentrations of antibody in serum and normal antibody responses to pneumococcal vaccine. Children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome and adult recipients of renal allografts had low concentrations of antibody in serum before and after vaccination but showed an antibody increase after vaccination. During the first year after vaccination of the splenectomized patients, serum antibody concentrations declined linearly by 24%-32% from the peak antibody level. These results suggest that immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharides may reduce the incidence of pneumococcal disease in some high-risk patients but not in others.
Role of absorbed solvent in polymer pen lithography.

We report on the dynamic role of solvents in molecular printing and show that material transport can be mediated by both environmental solvent (i.e., humidity) and solvent absorbed in the pen. To explore the transport of materials in the absence of environmental solvent, a hydrophobic polymer was patterned using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pen array that had been soaked in undecane, a nonpolar solvent that readily absorbs into PDMS. We also explored the patterning of the hydrophilic polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) and found that, even though PDMS only absorbs trace amounts of water, soaking a PDMS pen array in water enables PEG deposition in completely dry environments for over 2 h. We find that the length of time one can pattern in a dry environment is determined by the availability of absorbed solvent, a relationship that we elucidate by comparing the performance of pens with varying ability to absorb water. Furthermore, a calculation accounting for the dynamics of retained water captures these effe...
Detection of brucellosis among different groups of population with dot-immunogold filtration assay

The distribution of antibodies against brucella among various groups of population with different occupation and different types of Brucella infection was detected with dot-immunogold assay(DIGFA) and the results were compared with those obtained by test tube agglutination test(SAT).The results showed that the total coincidence rate between DIGFA and SAT and the coincidence on positive rate of detection were 99.88%(4003/4008) and 94.25%(82/87).respectively,and the sensitivity of DIGFA appeared to be higher in population with brucellosis and in high-titered serum samples.The detection rates of anti-brucella antibodies in individuals contacted with goat and milk cow were 6.40%(39/609)and 1.32%(45/3399) respectively.These results demonstrate that the dot-immunogold assay shows its practical value to monitor the Brucella infections among the epidemic area and individuals with different occupations in the un-epdemic area,and this method can also be applied for the clinical investigation and epidemiological survey of brucellosis.
Analysis of Vehicle Trajectory Characteristic Parameters for Red-light-running Prediction in Arterial Intersections

By comparing the performance of red-light-running(RLR) prediction algorithm,the vehicle trajectory characteristic parameters for distinguishing the go/stop behaviors were selected.In order to predict the RLR at signalized arterial intersections,based on the definition of RLR,which is a vehicle going through the stop bar after red light onset,two main functions of the RLR predicting algorithm were proposed.They are the estimator of the arrival time at the stop bar,and the predictor of the go/stop behavior after arriving the stop bar.Comparing four variables of the subject vehicle: speed,acceleration,travel time and time headway,the results show that(1) the speed is the most useful parameter in distinguishing the go/stop behaviors;(2) when speed is associated with the other three variables respectively in distinguishing the go/stop behaviors,the performances of the RLR prediction are better than using speed only,but the improvement is not very significant;(3) the performance of the RLR prediction based on the vehicle trajectory parameter set with speed and time headway is better than the set with speed and acceleration which were originally used in the existing work.
Ultra High-Speed Radio Frequency Switch Based on Photonics

Microwave switches, or Radio Frequency (RF) switches have been intensively used in microwave systems for signal routing. Compared with the fast development of microwave and wireless systems, RF switches have been underdeveloped particularly in terms of switching speed and operating bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a photonics based RF switch that is capable of switching at tens of picoseconds speed, which is hundreds of times faster than any existing RF switch technologies. The high-speed switching property is achieved with the use of a rapidly tunable microwave photonic filter with tens of gigahertz frequency tuning speed, where the tuning mechanism is based on the ultra-fast electro-optics Pockels effect. The RF switch has a wide operation bandwidth of 12 GHz and can go up to 40 GHz, depending on the bandwidth of the modulator used in the scheme. The proposed RF switch can either work as an ON/OFF switch or a two-channel switch, tens of picoseconds switching speed is experimentally observed for both type of switches.
The George Washington University Emergency Medicine Telemedicine and Digital Health Fellowship

Medical schools should integrate health IT and biomedical informatics into their formal curricula. The George Washington University Emergency Medicine Telemedicine and Digital Health Fellowship was designed to train graduate physicians to use telemedicine in their clinical and research work.
Multiple Testing and the False Discovery Rate

Here is an introduction to the theory of the false discovery rates (FDR) developed by Benjamini and Hochberg (Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B, 57, 289–300, 1995), Benjamini and Yekatieli (Annals of Statistics, 29(4), 1165–1188, 2001) and others, dealing with the problem of testing a large number of hypotheses often based on relatively small or moderate sample sizes.
Insights from the Application of Genetics on Pocillopora-Symbiodinium Associations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

As one of the most widely distributed and most studied scleractinian genera in the world, Pocillopora encompasses an important group of corals. In the eastern tropical Pacific, Pocillopora species thrive and are the major reef-building scleractinian taxon, even though conditions are considered suboptimal for coral growth and reef development. Early observations on reproduction and species distributions appear to be complicated by high phenotypic diversity and often inaccurate species identifications. New genetic-based evidence reorganizes species classifications within Pocillopora by delimiting boundaries to genetic recombination. Such improvements toward a natural and accurate taxonomy have further revealed important patterns in Symbiodinium diversity and distribution associated with Pocillopora in the eastern Pacific. Here, I review work on genetic connectivity and symbiosis ecology that may explain physiological, ecological and evolutionary characteristics that account for the differential success of this coral genus in the marginal eastern tropical Pacific.
WAYFINDER: parallel virtual machine reallocation through A* search

Modern virtual machine (VM) management software enables consolidation of VMs for power savings or load-balancing for performance. While existing literature provides various methods for computing a better load-balanced, or consolidated goal state, it fails to adequately suggest the best path from the system’s current state to the desired goal allocation. This paper discusses an approach to efficient path finding in VM placement problems for cloud computing environments of moderate scale with results indicating the solution is reasonable for managing hundreds of VMs. We present an overview of known approaches to dynamic VM placement and discuss their shortcomings with respect to dynamic reallocation. We then describe a novel design and implementation of a heuristic search algorithm to determine optimal sequential migration plans to transition from a given VM-to-host allocation to an arbitrary desired allocation state. We then elaborate nuances of A* application to this domain along with our simulation-based validation approach. Finally, this work demonstrates a novel and highly effective technique for exploiting migration parallelism in order to rapidly achieving VM reallocation convergence suitable for continual workload rebalancing in cloud data centers.
Coherent Control of Total Transmission of Light through Disordered Media

We used wavefront shaping to enhance/suppress the transmission of coherent light through open highly scattering media. The total transmission was varied by one order of magnitude as a result of mesoscopic correlations of coherent transport.
Das monarchische arcana imperii Prinzip versus das demokratische Transparenzprinzip

In seinem zuerst 1937 publizierten Buch Power: A New Social Analysis beschreibt Bertrand Russel „power behind the scenes“ als die Ausubung politischer Gewalt im Geheimen, die in seinen Augen dem Gemeinwohl abtraglich ist.
Interorganizational networks in urban society: initial perspectives and comparative research.

The activity levels and complexity of new interorganizational networks are observable consequents of prior degrees of social integration defined in organizational terms. This proposition was specified and tested in terms of the flow of poverty funds from Federal agencies to and among organizations within the 130 largest American cities. The city's extralocal integration was measured by the number of national associational headquarters it contained, and integration among its local units by the incidence of communitywide civic associations as well as degree of control by its municipal government. With some exceptions, the extralocal variable predicted the level of interorganizational activity, while local integration predicted complexity within a portion of the interorganizational network. Expedient or normative demand, inferred from poverty rates and other forms of deprivation, only made positive contributions to such prediction where the prior levels of integration were high. The study provides empirical support of an interorganizational level of analysis; it outlines directions for further research in urbanized social systems; and it demonstrates the need to employ both additive and multiplicative models of social organization.
Spin dynamics of ZnSe-ZnTe nanostructures grown by migration enhanced molecular beam epitaxy

We study the spin dynamics of ZnSe layers with embedded type-II ZnTe quantum dots using time resolved Kerr rotation (TRKR). Three samples were grown with an increasing amount of Te, which correlates with increased quantum dot (QD) density. Samples with a higher quantum dot density exhibit longer electron spin lifetimes, up to ∼1 ns at low temperatures. Tellurium isoelectronic centers, which form in the ZnSe spacer regions as a result of the growth conditions, were probed via spectrally dependent TRKR. Temperature dependent TRKR results show that samples with high QD density are not affected by an electron-hole exchange dephasing mechanism.
What Is Time

ABSTRACT In this paper, I answer the question of what time is. First, however, I consider why one might ask this question and what exactly it is asking. The latter consideration reveals that in order to answer the question, one must first engage in a more basic investigation of what a thing, anything at all, is. Such radical investigation requires a special methodology. After briefly characterizing this methodology, I show how it can be employed to answer the titular question. This answer is significant not merely because it illuminates something of perennial interest, but because it is essential to a comprehensive and fully satisfactory metaphysics of time and, hence, to a view of the full structure in reality.
The Crime of Being Black in Public

Beginning in 1790, the US made white skin a prerequisite for citizenship. This hateful pigment bias established white skin as the norm for US citizens. By making whiteness the norm, the founders categorized non-white skin as a type of deviance. This means that, for people of color, even the simple act of appearing in public constitutes a form of criminal deviance. People of color have often paid with their lives for committing no greater crime than being themselves in public.
Simulation and Optimization of a Soft Gamma-Ray Concentrator Using Thin-Film Multilayer Structures

We are reporting the investigation result of using multilayer thin film structures for channeling and concentrating soft gamma rays with energies greater than 100 keV, beyond the reach of current grazing-incidence hard X-ray mirrors. This will enable future telescopes for higher energies with same mission parameters already proven by NuSTAR. A suitable arrangement of bent multilayer structures of alternating low and high-density materials will channel soft gamma-ray photons via total external reflection and then concentrate the incident radiation to a point. We present the latest results of producing Ir/Si and W/Si multilayers with the required thicknesses and smoothness by using magnetron sputter technique. In addition to experimental works, we have been working on gamma-ray tracking model of the concentrator by IDL, making use of optical properties calculated by the IMD software. This modeling allows us to calculate efficiency and track photon for different energy bands and materials and compare them with experimental result. Also, we describe combine concentrator modeling result and detector simulation by MEGAlib to archive a complete package of gamma-ray telescope simulation. This technology offers the potential for soft gamma-ray telescopes with focal lengths of less than 10 m, removing the need for formation flying spacecraft and providing greatly increased sensitivity for modest cost and complexity and opening the field up to balloon-borne instruments.
Leadership Selection and Cooperative Behavior in Social Dilemmas: An Empirical Exploration of Assigned versus Group‐Chosen Leadership

This research explores the leadership selection process as an antecedent to group cooperation. We compare group‐chosen and assigned leaders and explore their resulting influence upon the group process and outcome in a social dilemma context. In three empirical studies, we predict and provide support for the idea that group‐chosen leaders will attend more to the social aspects of the group's interaction as opposed to the economic (bottom‐line) ones than will assigned leaders. Additionally, we found that those groups with group‐chosen leaders had more overall group cooperation (i.e., less economic self‐interest), greater trust in one another and in the leader, and had leaders who displayed more socially oriented leadership behaviors.
The Gospel of Reform: The Social Gospel and Health Care Reform Attitudes

Most research on the social gospel, a religious interpretation that obliges people to care for the less fortunate and correct social inequalities, has focused on elite rhetoric. However, it is not clear the extent to which members of the public also adhere to this socioreligious philosophy. The moralistic tone of the 2010 health care reform debate has led many to argue that there is a revival of the social gospel. To what extent has this debate gained traction among citizens writ large? Which individuals will be most likely to be influenced by elite discourse that draws social gospel? Using two unique surveys and an experiment, we demonstrate that Social Gospel adherents have distinctive political attitudes. Specifically, they are more attentive to social policy issues and are more supportive of expanding the social safety net. Second, we demonstrate that elite rhetoric that draws from the Social Gospel tradition can influence policy preferences.
Combined effect of oxidative treatment and residual alcohol on the mechanics of a multiwalled carbon nanotube laden interface

Abstract Single and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT & MWCNT) have been investigated over the past three decades because of their excellent properties, including their mechanical strength and large electrical and thermal conductivities. Incorporating CNTs into consumer and industrial products is challenging because of strong attractive interactions, heterogeneity, and lack of separation techniques for these nanomaterials. Further challenges include those associated with CNT interaction and adsorption to interfaces. In the present work, the properties of an air/water interface laden with industrial grade MWCNTs with systematically varied oxidative treatment in nitric acid were measured. The duration of treatment was varied and the surface pressure of the nanotube laden interfaces was measured. Results suggested that film stiffness increased with treatment duration in the presence of residual isopropyl alcohol. However, these measurements revealed that stiffness increased with compression number, suggesting that treatment duration had an indirect effect and compressive history was primarily responsible for changes in interfacial mechanics. Additionally, optical micrographs showed evidence of buckling in the films at low modification times. Relaxation of a compressed interface showed that MWCNTs with longer oxidative treatments induced longer relaxation times. These data suggest MWCNT films densify particle-particle contacts at higher modification times, with relaxation occurring through diffusive microstructural changes. One potential physical mechanism for such behavior is that MWCNT aggregate due to capillary interactions brought on by stronger adsorption to the interface in the presence of residual alcohol and longer oxidative treatment.