cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Text Difficulty on Second Graders' Fluency Development

In this study, two groups of second graders participated in Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction (FORI) but their repeated reading experiences used different kinds of texts. One group—the Literature group—read texts from the district's literature-based, basal reading program. The second group—the Content group—read from a set of science and social studies texts that were written to have few rare, multisyllabic, single-appearing words. Control-group students read from the district's literature-based program. Both intervention groups made greater gains in reading rate than Control group students and Content students made greater gains in reading rate than Literature students. Content and Literature groups outperformed Control students on the comprehension measure but did not perform significantly differently from one another. The gains made by the Content classrooms were made in approximately half the amount of time allocated to reading instruction as by Literature classrooms.
Intelligent Workload Factoring for a Hybrid Cloud Computing Model

We present an intelligent workload factoring service for enterprise customers to make the best use of public cloud services along with their privately-owned (legacy) data centers.It enables federation between on- and off-premise infrastructures for hosting Internet-based applications,and the intelligence lies in the explicit segregation of {\em base} workload and {\em trespassing} workload,the two naturally different components composing the application workload and distribution into two separate resource zones with specialized management optimization techniques.The core technology of the intelligent workload factoring service is a fast frequent data item detection algorithm,which enables factoring incoming requests not only on volume but also on data content,upon {\em changing} application data popularity.
Penicillin susceptibility testing of gonococci by disc diffusion

This study investigated the use of various beta-lactam discs in the detection of penicillin sensitive, intermediate resistant and resistant strains (minimal inhibitory concentrations of penicillin G of less than 0.06, 0.06 to 0.25, and greater than 0.25 mg/l respectively). Discs containing 0.15 and 0.6 microgram of penicillin G, and 5 microgram of methicillin were the most useful in separating the three groups. Cut-off zones between sensitive, intermediate resistant and resistant strains are 12 and 24 mm for 0.15 microgram penicillin discs; 24 and 32 mm for 0.6 microgram penicillin discs; and 20 and 30 mm for 5 microgram methicillin discs. Oxacillin discs (1 microgram) were useful in separating resistant from both sensitive and intermediate resistant strains at a cut-off zone of 8 mm. Use of a combination of discs provides the best index of susceptibility group, and at least two should be used
An adaptive performance modeling tool for GPU architectures

This paper presents an analytical model to predict the performance ofgeneral-purpose applications on a GPU architecture. The model is designed to provide performance information to an auto-tuning compiler and assist it in narrowing down the search to the more promising implementations. It can also be incorporated into a tool to help programmers better assess the performance bottlenecks in their code. We analyze each GPU kernel and identify how the kernel exercises major GPU microarchitecture features. To identify the performance bottlenecks accurately, we introduce an abstract interpretation of a GPU kernel, work flow graph, based on which we estimate the execution time of a GPU kernel. We validated our performance model on the NVIDIA GPUs using CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture). For this purpose, we used data parallel benchmarks that stress different GPU microarchitecture events such as uncoalesced memory accesses, scratch-pad memory bank conflicts, and control flow divergence, which must be accurately modeled but represent challenges to the analytical performance models. The proposed model captures full system complexity and shows high accuracy in predicting the performance trends of different optimized kernel implementations. We also describe our approach to extracting the performance model automatically from a kernel code.
Folate usage in MTX-treated juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients is inconsistent and highly variable

Folate supplementation is widely accepted and utilized for the prevention of adverse events in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients who are treated with methotrexate. Despite the widespread use of folate supplementation, there is a lack of convincing evidence to support the role of folate in the enhancement of methotrexate efficacy and the prevention of methotrexate-related adverse events. In order to understand current practices used by experts, we surveyed 214 pediatric rheumatologists around the globe. Seventy-one unique folate supplementation regimens were reported for this study. Results indicated that folate supplementation (either in the form of folic acid or folinic acid) is inconsistent and highly variable within the United States as well as between the United States and other countries. This level of variability is often associated with lack of evidence and emphasizes the need for well-designed clinical trials to support a rational folate supplementation regimen in patients with JIA who are treated with methotrexate.
Burrow Availability and Desiccation Risk of Mole Salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) in Harvested versus Unharvested Forest Stands

Clearcutting and other forest management practices that remove canopy and disturb ground cover may exacerbate the risk of desiccation, particularly for newly metamorphosed amphibians. We exam- ined dehydration rates of juvenile Mole Salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) in relation to burrow avail- ability in four experimental forest management treatments. Juvenile salamanders (N 5 41) were confined to small enclosures in four treatments representing a range of habitat disturbance: clearcut with coarse woody debris (CWD) removed; clearcut with CWD retained; thinning; and an unharvested control of second-growth, mature loblolly pine. Half of the salamanders in each habitat treatment were provided with artificial burrows. Water loss over 72 h was significantly higher in the clearcut with CWD retained than in the other three treatments. Most water loss occurred during the first two nights, when salamanders may have been most active. Only 40% of salamanders without burrows survived in the clearcuts, versus 90% in the thinned stand and 100% in the control. Ninety percent of the salamanders with access to a burrow survived in the clearcuts versus 100% in the thinning and control. We found no correlation between soil moisture and water loss and attribute higher desiccation rates in the clearcuts to high temperatures (> 448C). Although habitat changes resulting from thinning did not lead to increased desiccation, complete canopy removal greatly increased risk of mortality caused by desiccation. Our results also demonstrate that this risk is strongly mediated by the availability of burrows.
Encouraging civic participation through local news aggregation

Traditional sources of information for small and rural communities have been disappearing over the past decade. A lot of the information and discussion related to such local geographic areas is now scattered across websites of numerous local organizations, individual blogs, social media and other user-generated media (YouTube, Flickr). It is important to capture this information and make it easily accessible to local citizens to facilitate citizen engagement and social interaction. Furthermore, a system that has location-based support can provide local citizens with an engaging way to interact with this information and identify the local issues most relevant to them. A location-based interface for a local geographic area enables people to identify and discuss local issues related to specific locations such as a particular street or a road construction site. We created an information aggregator, called the Virtual Town Square (VTS), to support and facilitate local discussion and interaction. We created a location-based interface for users to access the information collected by VTS. In this paper, we discuss focus group interviews with local citizens that motivated our design of a local news and information aggregator to facilitate civic participation. We then discuss the unique design challenges in creating such a local news aggregator and our design approach to create a local information ecosystem. We describe VTS and the initial evaluation and feedback we received from local users and through weekly meetings with community partners.
The magnetic moment of Venus - Venera-4 measurements reinterpreted

Venera-4 magnetic-field measurements made during that spacecraft's descent through the atmosphere of Venus are reexamined using three models for the interaction of the solar-wind with the planet. The first model assumes the existence of just the interplanetary and planetary magnetic fields; the second admits the presence of a magnetosheath and a current layer, but assumes that the magnetosheath field is spatially uniform between the planet and the bow shock; the third assumes shielding of the planetary field from the magnetosheath field by a current layer. All three models are found to yield a strong altitude dependence for the magnitude of the planetary field, suggesting that the intrinsic magnetic dipole moment of Venus may exceed that of both Mars and Mercury. It is concluded that a Venusian surface field of 30 gammas is a plausible interpretation of the Venera-4 measurements.-
Whispering Speaker Identification

This paper describes a study of automatically identifying whispering speakers. People usually whisper in order to avoid being identified or overheard by lowering their voices. The study compares performances between normal and whispered speech mode in clean and noisy environment under matched and mismatched training conditions, and describes the impact of feature warping and throat microphone on noise reduction. Score combination strategies are used when only little whisper data is available to improve performance. In sum, we achieved 8% to 33% relative improvements in identification accuracy with only 5 to 10 seconds noisy whispered speech data per speaker.
Cyclotron Internal Ion Source with DC Extraction

This paper describes a method for increasing the intensities for heavy ion beams accelerated in isochronous cyclotrons at high harmonics (h?5) of the orbit frequency. Normally, only small intensities are obtained at high harmonics because of the low effective accelerating voltage between the ion source and the puller electrode. We have developed and tested a dc ion extraction system for the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC). Use of the dc extraction system has increased beams of 4OAr3+ on the 5th harmonic and 2ONel+ on the 7th harmonic from nanoamperes to microamperes.
Characteristics of youth sexual and reproductive health and risky behaviors in two rural provinces of Cambodia.

Background The global number of youths has risen with a majority living in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, rural youths often face difficult barriers to health, which include lack of sexual and reproductive health knowledge, information, and services. Risky behaviors are a threat to the health of many young people in Cambodia.
The Nurse and the Terminally Ill Patient: Some Perspectives and Projected Actions

The views of health professionals on death and dying are of the utmost significance to all members of our society. In the present study nurses in seven specialties offered their outlooks in this area. Descriptive and inferential data are reported on twenty items. Relative to terminality, questions are raised on the adequacy of nursing education in this realm, the feelings of capability of nurses of varying experience when working with dying patients, the desirability of employing heroic measures to sustain life and many other considerations. Variation in specialty perspectives are also evidenced.
PET Measurements of Organ Metabolism: The Devil Is in the Details.

Abnormalities in myocardial fatty acid (FA) metabolism, which are primarily driven by an increase in plasma FAs delivered to the heart, play a central role in the pathogenesis of the cardiomyopathic processes associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes (1). Moreover, the prevalence and magnitude of the cardiovascular complications of these diseases, such as left ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease, are typically more pronounced in women compared with men (2,3). Thus, it is tempting to speculate that the sex differences in myocardial FA metabolism may be contributory to this interaction. Evidence to support this notion has come from studies using positron emission tomography (PET), which because of its inherent quantitative capabilities and diversity of metabolic radiotracers is the most commonly used imaging method to measure organ metabolism. PET studies using the FA radiotracer 1-11C-palmitate have recently shown that myocardial FA uptake and oxidation are higher in obese women compared with men and that this sex disparity appears to become more pronounced when one transitions to obesity with concurrent type 2 diabetes (4,5). However, myocardial FA metabolism is dependent on the plasma delivery of FA from nonesterified FA (NEFA) bound to albumin as well as those incorporated into triglyceride (TG), either as chylomicrons (CM-TG) or VLDLs (VLDL-TG). Fatty acids bound to TGs are made available to the myocardium via their release by lipoprotein lipase located on the capillary endothelium. Measuring this contribution of TG-extracted FAs destined for metabolism is important because it represents a major source of FAs from dietary intake (DFA) and evidence suggesting that the source of extracted FAs may impact their metabolic fate in tissue (6,7). To date, the PET method described above to measure myocardial FA metabolism relies on intravenous administration of FA radiotracers and …
pH-Dependent Superoxide Dismutase-Mimetic Reactivity of Copper(II)Ethylenediaminetetraacetate

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic activity of Copper(II)ethylenediaminetetraacetate [Cu(II)EDTA] was studied in the pH range of 6.0 to 8.0 using the xanthine/ xanthine oxidase superoxide generating system with nitro-blue tetrazolium. Cu(II)EDTA disproportionated superoxide within the pH range studied without affecting the synthesis of uric acid. This disproportionation by Cu(II)EDTA without inhibition of xanthine oxidase is offered as evidence that the addition of EDTA to biological preparations for the purpose of complexing copper and preventing copper mediated disproportionation is not a valid practice.
An interactive source commenter for Prolog programs

Prolog meta-circular interpreters, i.e., interpreters for Prolog written in Prolog, perform at least two operations on an object program - they parse it and execute its instructions. There is a useful variant of the meta-circular interpreter, the meta-circular parser, which as its name suggests, parses an object program without executing its instructions. The value of such a parser is that it provides an elegant means to modify Prolog source code. As the object program is parsed, new information in the form of additional instructions, comments, etc., can be selectively inserted.The Prolog source code commenter we describe is a meta-circular parser with facilities added to allow a user to interactively enter comments. As a Prolog program is parsed into its basic components, the user is allowed to view that component and enter an appropriate comment. The result is a new fully commented (and formatted) source program.
The effects of detrimental drinking patterns and drug use on female homicide victimization rates across Europe

This study examines the extent to which drinking patterns and drug use can explain cross-national variations in female homicide victimization across Europe. Given the limitations in measuring femicide consistently across a large number of countries, this study uses mortality data on recorded female deaths as a proxy to explain differences in levels of this kind of violence against women across Europe. In particular, it focuses on national-level patterns of alcohol and drug use as predictors, controlling for other known structural correlates. Contrary to findings of previous studies, cultural drinking patterns were not significantly related to female homicide victimization in this sample of countries, but detrimental drug use was. Language: en
A better MoUSE Trap detector

We are developing trapezoidal slat crystal (TSC) PET detectors for use in ultra-compact, high-spatial-resolution PET systems for preclinical mouse imaging. In this work, we report on a new TSC detector design that we refer to as the Monolithic Unique Slat Element Trapezoidal (MoUSE Trap) design. This design improves upon the previous TSC concept by allowing for either decoding of thinner slats for better spatial resolution or taller slats for better detection efficiency. The key to the approach is a unique construction of the trapezoidal slat detector unit that supports practical fabrication. Two versions of the MoUSE Trap detector were evaluated. The first consisted of six slats each 8 mm tall and 40 mm long. The thickness of the slats ranged from 0.44 mm (front) to 0.64 mm (back). The second array consisted for four slats each 10 mm tall and 40-mm long. The thickness of the slats ranged from 0.71 mm to 1.11 mm. Mirror film of varying lengths was used to control light sharing within the crystal array. The MoUSE Trap arrays were coupled to a 2-by-12 array of MPPC elements. A statistics-based method was used for event positioning. Data were collected to calibrate the detector and to test its intrinsic spatial resolution, energy resolution, and DOI decoding performance. Results for the 6-slat detector were as follows. The average peak to valley ratio of the crystal map for slat decoding was better than 8. The average intrinsic spatial resolution along the long axis of the crystal was ∼1.05-mm FWHM after correcting for source size. The average energy resolution for the detector was < 14 % at 511 keV. The DOI positioning was < 3-mm FWHM. Two new trapezoidal slat crystal, PET detectors have been designed and evaluated. The main improvements of the designs are to either support decoding thinner slats (i.e., intrinsic spatial resolution) or taller slats (i.e., better detection efficiency).
A theoretical cause of nasal obstruction in patients with repaired cleft palate.

BACKGROUND During cleft palate repair, mucoperiosteal flaps are elevated from the palatal shelves and the nasal septum to accomplish tension-free closure of the nasal floor. This study was designed to geometrically describe how palate repair inherently limits airflow by decreasing nasal cavity cross-sectional area and increasing nasal airflow resistance. In addition, this study investigates whether the width of the repaired cleft palate directly affects the degree of postoperative airflow resistance. METHODS A simplified geometric model of normal nasal cavity anatomy was compared with an equivalent schematic representing an individual with an unrepaired palatal cleft. Mathematical equations approximating the cross-sectional areas of normal and cleft nasal cavities were created. The theoretical postoperative loss of nasal cavity cross-sectional area was then considered for both unilateral and bilateral palatal clefts. RESULTS According to this geometric model, the cross-sectional area of the nasal cavity is decreased in patients who undergo cleft repair. Repaired bilateral clefts experience a greater area loss than their unilateral counterparts. CONCLUSION Nasal cavity resistance is higher in patients who have undergone cleft repair than in individuals who have not undergone cleft repair. because tension-free closure of the nasal floor inherently reduces cross-sectional breathing area. The wider the cleft, the higher the resistance to nasal airflow postoperatively. This iatrogenic source of nasal resistance is likely additive to other anatomic contributors to airflow resistance observed in individuals with cleft nasal deformities.
Effect of Carbon Chain Length on the Dynamics of Heat Transfer at a Gold/Hydrocarbon Interface: Comparison of Simulation with Experiment

In a previous article (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.2010, 12, 4435), nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of heat transfer from a hot Au{111} substrate to an alkylthiolate self-assembled mo...
Design and optimisation of an aerofoil with active continuous trailing-edge flap

This paper presents the design and optimisation of an aerofoil with active continuous trailing-edge flap (CTEF) investigated as a potential rotorcraft active control device. Several structural cross-section models are developed: high-fidelity NASA STRucture ANalysis (NASTRAN) and University of Michigan/Variational Asymptotic Beam Section Code (UM/VABS) models and a reduced-order analysis model. The validation of the reduced-order model is established by comparing its predictions of CTEF deformations with those of NASTRAN and UM/VABS analyses, which both show good agreement. The 2D aerodynamic characteristics of the CTEF aerofoil are evaluated using XFOIL and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses: FUN3D and Overset Transonic Unsteady Rotor Navier-Stokes (OVERTURNS). XFOIL, coupled with the reduced-order structure model, is adopted for optimisation study. The accuracy of XFOIL in predicting the aerodynamic pressure of the CTEF aerofoil is verified using CFD simulations, which shows sufficient fidelity. The predicted variations of aerodynamic coefficients with a CTEF angle are compared among the aerodynamic analyses. The optimisation process is developed and applied to two bimorph bender configurations: a Macro-Fibre Composite (MFC) solid bender and an MFC stack bender. The solid bender is used to confirm the functioning of the optimisation procedure and to use its optimal layout as a reference to the stack design, the primary design object. A linear tapered shape is found to be the optimum for a MFC solid bender, which generates an average of 63% more CTEF angles than those of an optimal rectangular bender. An optimised MFC stack bender is shown to resemble the shape of the solid bender. A four-ply bimorph is considered the best choice among the stack layouts because of its large output of CTEF angles and relatively less plies required. The CTEF angle produced by the four-ply optimal layout ranges from 7.6° to 5.3° with speeds from 0 to 200m/s at an angle of attack (AoA) of 6°. The reduction in the CTEF angle with AoA is less steep than that with speed, ranging from 6.5° to 5.8° with AoA from 0 to 8° at speed of 166m/s. An average of 14% increase in CTEF angles is achieved through optimisation for the four-ply bimorph.
Conditions of Entry and the Emergence of Monopoly

AN economist’s inquiry into the ‘forces making for and against monopoly ’ might reasonably involve a search for answers to the following questions with respect to enterprise economies: (1) What are the ‘ forces,’ whether tendencies of human behaviour or environmental circumstances, which favour or discourage the establishment and stable maintenance of monopoly? (2) Why and in what way do these ‘forces’ affect the prospect of monopoly, and is the character of any of them strategic to its emergence? (3) What is the relative importance of the various forces identified — both in a priori logic and in fact? (4) Are there strategic controllable forces affecting the emergence of monopoly, through the manipulation of which public authority can limit the extent of monopoly?
The Structure of Aesthetic Concepts

In 7.0 we presented a review of aesthetic critical concepts and in 8.0 of the unique characterizations employed especially by musical composers to direct performance of their works. As we have seen, these areas of characterization are similar in several instances such as elemental quality, temper, emotion and feeling, style and expression, and some others. We must now consider the structure of such characterizing concepts in more detail, particularly to apply to them the qualification—creditation distinction already applied to moral concepts. Because of the often unique aspects of musical characterization this has in part already been done in 8.0, rather than waiting for the more comprehensive discussion of 9.0.
Digitizing flat media: Principles and practices

As more organizations are seeing the necessity to begin or expand their digitization efforts, the need for comprehensive literature in regards to flat media is keenly felt. This is a leading ration...
An improved quadrant-sharing BGO detector for a low cost rodent-research PET (RRPET)

This is a study to improve the detector engineering of a low-cost high-sensitivity rodent-research PET camera (RRPET). The detector system is a solid ring of BGO made of tapered-pentagon blocks, each with 8/spl times/8 crystals and an average crystal pitch of 2.0 mm. The detector system used a variation of the photomultiplier-quadrant-sharing design (PQS). The first version of the RRPET blocks used white-paint reflectors of different shapes/sizes to control light distribution to the 4 decoding PMT. In this improved version, the white paint was replaced by a new ESR-mirror film. The film is 0.06 mm thick and mechanically robust. The construction provides a very high crystal-packing fraction (96% linearly) with a gap of only 0.08 mm between crystals. The film construction is more suitable for the slab-sandwich-slice construction we developed to make PQS blocks as the film reduces construction time. Average light output increased by 32% compared to the painted version. The light-output ratio (signal uniformity) between the worst crystal group (in the gap between 4 round PMTs) and the best crystal group (near the middle of a PMT) improved from 53% from 63%. The crystal-decoding resolution has also improved. The detection-efficiency uniformity has improved as well. The energy resolution for individual crystals has improved from 24% to 19% for the corner crystals and from 30% to 22% for the central crystals. The film also has better mechanical precision than paint, thereby positioning the small crystals more accurately relative to each other.
Offline Pulse-Shape Discrimination Algorithms for Neutron Spectrum Unfolding

An optimized fast pulse-shape discrimination algorithm is used to discriminate neutrons from gamma rays with high accuracy, in a mixed radiation field. The discriminated data is subsequently used to identify the source. Experimental pulse-height distributions from discriminated data are shown for Cf-252 and Am-Be sources and are compared with simulations performed with the MCNP-PoliMi code. In all cases, very good agreement between simulations and measurements was achieved. In addition, several source-shielding configurations are presented to assess the influence of the potential source shielding on the measured neutron pulse-height distribution.
The Worlds the Shawnees Made: Migration and Violence in Early America. By Stephen Warren. (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2014. Pp. ix, 320. $39.95.)

In the Eastern Woodlands of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the spread of disease, slave raiding, European trade goods, and Iroquois expansionism proved to be powerful factors that led ma...
Dancing for Human Rights: Engaging Labor Rights and Social Remembrance in Poor Mouth

There is a tradition of dance artists developing work for the concert stage in order to engage pressing social justice issues and, more specifically, the abuse of human rights. Anna Sokolow's Strange American Funeral (1935), Pearl Primus' Strange Fruit (1945), Katherine Dunham's Southland (1951), Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage (1969), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's Womb Wars (1992), William Forsythe's Human Writes (2005), and Douglas Wright's Black Milk (2006) are examples of acclaimed dances that address the manner in which marginalized individuals and social groups have not been granted equal ethical or political consideration.1 In this essay I consider how dance enacts secular rituals of remembrance for victims of human rights abuses characteristic of a particular community's or nation's historical legacy. This entails discussion of aesthetic strategies used to portray human rights abuse, a consideration of the ethics of memory, and analysis of specific dance work. I discuss my site-adaptive work Poor Mouth ...
Tensile Superplasticity in Nanocrystalline Materials Produced by Severe Plastic Deformation

Tensile superplasticity has been observed in a number of severe plastic deformation (SePD) processed alloys with nanocrystalline microstructure. The observations of superplasticity in nanocrystalline materials are briefly reviewed with emphasis on the aspects that are different from superplasticity in microcrystalline materials. The temperature for onset of superplastic elongation coincides with microstructural instability. The important features include, high strain rate superplasticity in an aluminum alloy, low temperature superplasticity, extensive strain hardening and high flow stresses. A comparison of the experimental results with existing models shows the difference in superplastic deformation kinetics. The deformation mechanisms for microcrystalline materials are not simply scaleable to nanocrystalline range. It is difficult to establish the parameters for deformation mechanism because of grain growth. The observations of low temperature and high strain rate superplasticity in nanocrystalline materials with some unique features opens up new possibilities for scientific and technological advancements.
Attenuated Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation In the Absence of RORγt.

Abstract 3742 CD4 + T helper (Th) cells play a critical role in the development of Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD). The relative contributions of particular Th subsets to GVHD pathogenesis, however, are incompletely understood. In order to clarify the contribution of the Th17 subset to GVHD induction, we made use of mice knocked out at the RORgt locus (RORgt −/− ), a transcription factor crucial for Th17 polarization. Methods: Haplotype matched and complete MHC mismatched murine HSCT models were used. For the haploidentical model C57BL/6 (H-2 b , B6) mice served as donors while C57BL/6 × DBA2 F1 (H-2 bxd , B6D2) mice functioned as recipients. Effector T cells (T effs ) were isolated from the spleens of wild type (WT) B6 and RORgt knockout mice backcrossed 7–8 generations onto a B6 background. B6D2 mice were lethally irradiated with 900 rads on day -1 and injected intravenously with 4 × 10 6 T effs from WT or RORgt −/− mice supplemented with 3 × 10 6 WT T cell depleted bone marrow cells (TCD BM) on day 0. For the completely MHC mismatched model, BALB/c mice (H-2 d ) were lethally irradiated with 800 rads on day -1 and administered 5 × 10 5 WT or RORgt −/− T effs supplemented with 5 × 10 6 B6 TCD BM on day 0. Results: B6D2 mice that received RORgt −/− T effs displayed significantly attenuated GvHD, recovering from weight loss by day +31 and demonstrating 100% survival on day +60. Conversely, mice that received WT T effs showed intense disease progression with 100% mortality by day +31 (Figure A, p −/− recipients using Fisher9s exact test). Similar results were seen using the completely MHC mismatched model, with superior overall survival noted in those animals receiving RORgt −/− T effs (put in p value here). Recipients of RORgt −/− T cells demonstrated statistically significant decreased TNF in serum compared to WT recipients (Figure B, p=0.001 comparing WT and RORgt −/− recipients using student9s t test). Interestingly, despite the decreased severity of GvHD, serum concentrations of IFN-g were increased in recipients transplanted with RORgt −/− T cells. Chimerism studies post-transplant revealed complete donor reconstitution in recipients of both RORgt −/− and WT T effs . Donor T effs isolated from recipient livers post-transplant consistently demonstrated an activated phenotype, with low L selectin and high CD25 expression. Conclusions: T cell expression of the Th17 transcription factor, RORgt, is critical for the development of lethal GvHD following allogeneic stem cell transplantation in both the haploidentical and MHC complete mismatch models. GvHD attenuation in the absence of RORgt is not the result of an inability for donor T cells to undergo activation or to engraft in vivo . Interestingly, the absence of RORgt from donor T cells led to enhanced IFN-g in serum. Thus, in vivo, the Th17 pathway is critical for the induction of GvHD. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Strongyloides Hyperinfection in a Renal Transplant Patient: Always Be on the Lookout

We present a case of a 71-year-old Vietnamese man with chronic kidney disease secondary to adult polycystic kidney disease. He had been a prisoner of war before undergoing a successful cadaveric renal transplant in the United States. He presented to clinic one year after the transplant with gross hematuria, productive cough, intermittent chills, and weight loss. Long standing peripheral eosinophilia of 600–1200/μL triggered further evaluation. A wet mount of stool revealed Strongyloides stercoralis larvae. A computed tomography (CT) of chest showed findings suggestive of extension of the infection to the lungs. The patient was treated with a three-week course of ivermectin with complete resolution of signs, symptoms, peripheral eosinophilia, and the positive IgG serology. Strongyloides infection in renal transplant patient is very rare and often presents with hyperinfection, associated with high mortality rates. The American Transplant Society recommends pretransplant screening with stool examination and Strongyloides stercoralis antibody in recipients and donors from endemic areas or with eosinophilia. It is imperative that healthcare professionals involved in the care of these individuals be cognizant of these recommendations as it is a very preventable and treatable entity.
Flexible monomer-based covalent organic frameworks: design, structure and functions

The design and synthesis of flexible monomer-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been considered a challenge. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a new flexible monomer-based COF, termed PPN-30 (PPN meaning porous polymer network), by the use of a flexible alkyl amine, 1,4-cyclohexanediamine, combined with 1,3,5-triformylbenzene. The structure and gas adsorption properties of PPN-30 were carefully investigated.
MMAPS: Missing-Mass A-Prime Search

An experiment is proposed to search for dark photons via electron-positron annihilation into photon plus dark photon. The dark photon would be reconstructed in a missing-mass technique, thus ensuring complete model independent. The Cornell University synchrotron can provide a positron beam suitable to probe the interesting mass range for dark photons. A detector based on CsI calorimetry is proposed, and the potential experimental reach in coupling constant and dark photon mass is shown.
Enabling Airspace Integration for High-Density On-Demand Mobility Operations

Aviation technologies and concepts have reached a level of maturity that may soon enable an era of on-demand mobility (ODM) fueled by quiet, efficient, and largely automated air taxis. However, successfully bringing such a system to fruition will require introducing orders of magnitude more aircraft to a given airspace volume than can be accommodated by the traditional air traffic control system, among other important technical challenges. The airspace integration problem is further compounded by requirements to set aside appropriate ground infrastructure for take-off and landing areas and ensuring these new aircraft types and their operations do not burden traditional airspace users and air traffic control. This airspace integration challenge may be significantly reduced by extending the concepts and technologies developed to manage small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at low altitude - the UAS traffic management (UTM) system - to higher altitudes and new aircraft types, or by equipping ODM aircraft with advanced sensors, algorithms, and interfaces. The precedent of operational freedom inherent in visual flight rules and the technologies developed for large UAS and commercial aircraft automation will contribute to the evolution of an ODM system enabled by UTM. This paper describes the set of air traffic services, normally provided by the traditional air traffic system, that an ODM system would implement to achieve the high densities needed for ODM's economic viability. Finally, the paper proposes a framework for integrating, evaluating, and deploying low-, medium-, and high-density ODM concepts that build on each other to ensure operational and economic feasibility at every step.
PARTNERSHIP ACCOUNTING IN A NINETEENTH CENTURY MERCHANT BANKING HOUSE

This article focuses on the contents of two nineteenth-century letters which discuss the allocation of income among the partners of a leading Anglo-American merchant banking firm, the House of Brow...
Disrupted Gamma Synchrony after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Correlation with White Matter Abnormality.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has been firmly associated with disrupted white matter integrity due to induced white matter damage and degeneration. However, comparatively less is known about the changes of the intrinsic functional connectivity mediated via neural synchronization in the brain after mTBI. Moreover, despite the presumed link between structural and functional connectivity, no existing studies in mTBI have demonstrated clear association between the structural abnormality of white matter axons and the disruption of neural synchronization. To investigate these questions, we recorded resting state EEG and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) from a cohort of military service members. A newly developed synchronization measure, the weighted phase lag index (WPLI) was applied on the EEG data for estimating neural synchronization. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was computed from the DTI data for estimating white matter integrity. Fifteen service members with a history of mTBI within the past 3 years were compared to twenty-two demographically similar controls who reported no history of head injury. We observed that synchronization at low-gamma frequency band (25-40 Hz) across scalp regions was significantly decreased in mTBI cases compared with controls. The synchronization in theta (4-7 Hz), alpha (8-13 Hz), and beta (15-23 Hz) frequency bands were not significantly different between the two groups. In addition, we found that across mTBI subjects, the disrupted synchronization at low-gamma frequency was significantly correlated with the white matter integrity of the inferior cerebellar peduncle, which was also significantly reduced in the mTBI group. These findings demonstrate an initial correlation between the impairment of white matter integrity and alterations in EEG synchronization in the brain after mTBI. The results also suggest that disruption of intrinsic neural synchronization at low-gamma frequency may be a characteristic functional pathology following mTBI and may prove useful for developing better methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Applications of quantitative time lapse holographic imaging to the development of complex pharmaceutical nano formulations

We rely on in vitro cellular cultures to evaluate the effects of the components of multifunctional nano-based formulations under development. We employ an incubator-adapted, label-free holographic imaging cytometer HoloMonitor M4® (Phase Holographic Imaging, Lund, Sweden) to obtain multi-day time-lapse sequences at 5- minute intervals. An automated stage allows hand-free acquisition of multiple fields of view. Our system is based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometry principle to create interference patterns which are deconvolved to produce images of the optical thickness of the field of view. These images are automatically segmented resulting in a full complement of quantitative morphological features, such as optical volume, thickness, and area amongst many others. Precise XY cell locations and the time of acquisition are also recorded. Visualization is best achieved by novel 4-Dimensional plots, where XY position is plotted overtime time (Z-directions) and cell-thickness is coded as color or gray scale brightness. Fundamental events of interest, i.e., cells undergoing mitosis or mitotic dysfunction, cell death, cell-to-cell interactions, motility are discernable. We use both 2D and 3D models of the tumor microenvironment. We report our new analysis method to track feature changes over time based on a 4-sample version of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Feature A is compared to Control A, and Feature B is compared to Control B to give a 2D probability plot of the feature changes over time. As a result, we efficiently obtain vectors quantifying feature changes over time in various sample conditions, i.e., changing compound concentrations or multi-compound combinations.
Robust design and optimization procedure for piled-raft foundation to support tall wind turbine in clay and sand

Abstract A geotechnical design and optimization procedure for piled-raft foundations to support tall wind turbines in clayey and sandy soil are presented in this paper. From the conventional geotechnical design, it was found that the differential settlement controlled the final design and was considered as the response of concern in the optimization procedure. A parametric study was subsequently conducted to examine the effect of the soil shear strength parameters and wind speed (random variables) on the design parameters (number and length of piles and radius of raft). Finally, a robust design optimization procedure was conducted using a Genetic Algorithm coupled with a Monte Carlo simulation considering the total cost of the foundation and the standard deviation of differential settlement as the objectives. This procedure resulted in a set of acceptable designs forming a Pareto front which can be readily used to select the best design for given performance requirements and cost limitations.
INFINITE SERIES OF FUNCTIONS

This chapter highlights the infinite series of functions. An infinite series of the form Σ ∞ n =0 c n x n or Σ ∞ n =0 c n ( x−a ) n is called a power series. Although, power series assume their most important role in the study of functions of complex variables; several results have useful applications to power series of real variables. Under appropriate conditions, algebraic operations, differentiation, integration, and Taylor's formula may all be used to obtain convergent power series. The chapter presents the examples, theory, theorems with their proofs and unsolved problems give a detail explanation of all the topics.
The thermodynamics of a liquid-solid interface at extreme conditions: A model close-packed system up to 100 GPa.

The first experimental insight into the nature of the liquid-solid interface occurred with the pioneering experiments of Turnbull, which simultaneously demonstrated both that metals could be deeply undercooled (and therefore had relatively large barriers to nucleation) and that the inferred interfacial free energy γ was linearly proportional to the enthalpy of fusion [D. Turnbull, J. Appl. Phys. 21, 1022 (1950)]. By an atomistic simulation of a model face-centered cubic system via adiabatic free energy dynamics, we extend Turnbull’s result to the realm of high pressure and demonstrate that the interfacial free energy, evaluated along the melting curve, remains linear with the bulk enthalpy of fusion, even up to 100 GPa. This linear dependence of γ on pressure is shown to be a consequence of the entropy dominating the free energy of the interface in conjunction with the fact that the entropy of fusion does not vary greatly along the melting curve for simple monoatomic metals. Based on this observation, it appears that large undercoolings in liquid metals can be achieved even at very high pressure. Therefore, nucleation rates at high pressure are expected to be non-negligible, resulting in observable solidification kinetics.The first experimental insight into the nature of the liquid-solid interface occurred with the pioneering experiments of Turnbull, which simultaneously demonstrated both that metals could be deeply undercooled (and therefore had relatively large barriers to nucleation) and that the inferred interfacial free energy γ was linearly proportional to the enthalpy of fusion [D. Turnbull, J. Appl. Phys. 21, 1022 (1950)]. By an atomistic simulation of a model face-centered cubic system via adiabatic free energy dynamics, we extend Turnbull’s result to the realm of high pressure and demonstrate that the interfacial free energy, evaluated along the melting curve, remains linear with the bulk enthalpy of fusion, even up to 100 GPa. This linear dependence of γ on pressure is shown to be a consequence of the entropy dominating the free energy of the interface in conjunction with the fact that the entropy of fusion does not vary greatly along the melting curve for simple monoatomic metals. Based on this observation, it ...
Accuracy of Targeting Under the Rural Employment Guarantee Programme: A Comparison Between West Bengal and Rest of India

One major success indicator of any welfare programme is accuracy of targeting of the benefits to the intended population. Using data from 2009–2010 and 2011–2012, this paper assesses targeting in terms of participation of the poorer households in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in the Indian state of West Bengal and compares it with rest of the country. Although implementation of the programme in the state has been poor, the targeting performance is found to be fair in comparison to other parts. The findings lay emphasis on improvement in other dimensions of the programme to realise the optimal benefits. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
36% Scandium-Doped Aluminum Nitride Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs)using 36% Scandium-doped aluminum nitride (ScAIN)thin-film are presented in this work. ScAIN is known to exhibit higher piezoelectric properties compared to pure AIN leading to significant improvements in various MEMS applications including PMUTs. Here, the concentration of Sc in the actual sputtered 1 um thick ScA1N film was 36% that is slightly below the phase boundary. The piezoelectric coefficient is close to maximum at this high concentration leading to significant improvement in the PMUT performance. The ScA1N film quality was verified via X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and d33 meter. The operation frequency was designed to around 80 kHz to achieve long range detection, where the air absorption loss is low. The displacement sensitivity of 1 mm diameter ScA1N PMUT was 806 nm/V at 84 kHz resonant frequency. A large displacement of 4.8 um was achieved at 20 V pp input at the fixed frequency of 84 kHz. This represents a factor of 9 increase in transmit amplitude compared to prior art air-coupled A1N PMUTs.
“New Diaspora Philanthropy”? The Philanthropy of the UJA-Federation of New York Toward Israel:

This article explores the ways in which new philanthropic practices and grant-making patterns changed Jewish diaspora philanthropy. Based on an in-depth exploration of the philanthropy of the UJA-F...