cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rasch analysis of the Central Life Interest measure

Rasch item analyses were conducted and esti mates of item residuals correlated with various demographic or person variables to investigate item bias in an attitude scale. Analysis revealed that the model fit the data well and that none of the demo graphic variables accounted for greater than 7% of the residual variance. Similar analyses of other atti tude scales as well as aptitude tests should be use ful.
A structural and morphological comparative study between chemically synthesized and photopolymerized poly(pyrrole)

Electrochemical and chemical oxidation methods are the two common methods used for the preparation of poly(pyrrole). The two methods have been acknowledged greatly and extensively studied because of their feasibility in manipulating the properties of poly(pyrrole) according to the desired application. However, chemical oxidation method is considered the best method for the preparation of poly(pyrrole) in larger quantities. There are other methods through which poly(pyrrole) can be synthesized such as plasma polymerization and photopolymerization, which have so far received less attention in the literature. For this paper, chemical oxidation was used to prepare poly(pyrrole) by oxidizing pyrrole with CuCl2 under different emulsifying conditions. The surfactants used were sodium dodecyl sulfate and/or p-toluenesulfonic acid. Additionally, photopolymerization was also exploited to prepare poly(pyrrole) under similar emulsifying conditions. In this method, poly(pyrrole) was synthesized with the oxidizing ability of AgNO3 under UV radiation. All samples were investigated by Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscope was used to compare the morphological differences, which occurred due to different experimental conditions. The thermal stability was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
Application-Specific Bit Technology Leads to Improved Performance in Unconventional Gas-Shale Plays

Unconventional gas plays in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana have become increasingly important. Operators have been able to produce unconventional gas in these shale formations through better well profiles and completion/fracture technology. One key to the continued success of these fields is reducing the cost to drill these wells with the current depressed pricing of natural gas. Two general types of drilling programs are vertical/curve/horizontal profiles and more complex wells drilled from a pad. Each of these types of wells brings their own challenge to the bit design. A new applicationspecific bit design package has been developed for these applications. This new design comprises features that include improved stability, steerability, optimized hydraulics, depth of cut control, diamond volume management, and cutters optimized for wear and durability.
Attenuation of virulence of a bunyavirus involving an L RNA defect and isolation of LAC/SSH/LAC and LAC/SSH/SSH reassortants.

Abstract Unlike wild-type La Crosse (LAC), or snowshoe hare (SSH) viruses, or the reassortants SSH/SSH/LAC, LAC/SSH/SSH, LAC/SSH/LAC, SSH/LAC/LAC, and SSH/LAC/SSH (large/medium/small, L/M/S, RNA genotypes), LAC /LAC/LAC and LAC /LAC/SSH reassortant bunyaviruses recovered from mixed virus infections involving Group II temperature-sensitive ( ts ) mutants of SSH/LAC/SSH and a LAC virus Group I ts 16 mutant were found to be significantly less virulent after intracerebral (ic) inoculation into 4-week-old mice. Mixed virus infections involving the same SSH/LAC/SSH ts mutants and an alternate LAC Group I ts mutant (LAC I-20) gave reassortants that were almost as virulent as wild-type LAC virus. It has previously been shown that bunyavirus Group II ts mutants have defects in their L RNA gene products, while Group I ts mutants have defects in their M RNA gene products (Gentsch et al. , 1977b, J. Virol. 24 , 893–902). In the analyses reported in this paper it has been determined that, in addition to a ts lesion in its M RNA species, the L RNA segment of LAC I ts 16 has a defect that is responsible for attenuation of the derived LAC /LAC/LAC and LAC /LAC/SSH reassortant progeny. The attenuated viruses were found to have lower ic LD 50 to PFU ratios than nonattenuated viruses. Two new SSH-LAC reassortant viruses used in this study (namely LAC/SSH/LAC and LAC/SSH/SSH), which had previously eluded detection by standard recombination analyses with unconcentrated viruses, have been obtained from SSH II-22 × LAC I-20 ts mutant virus crosses using polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG) concentrated virus preparations. The difficulties encountered in obtaining these reassortants using unconcentrated viruses is in contrast to the ease of recovery of other SSH-LAC reassortants from their parental ts mutant virus crosses in standard recombination assays.
Flavor-diagonal horizontal interactions

We consider flavor-diagonal horizontal interactions at an energy scale far below that of their flavor-changing counterparts. We find three possible solutions and discuss their phenomenological and theoretical implications. Present data allow the effective coupling to be as large as ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}{G}_{F}$ in all cases.
Are Academic Medical Societies Needed in a Changing Healthcare Arena

Medical research has been demonstrated to increase the quality of life for all Americans and to be a sound investment with clear financial savings. However, academic health centers, which are the major source of medical research, have experienced continued erosion of their financial base of support. The author reviews some of the elements which have precipitated the current crisis for many academic health centers and proposes short- and long-term goals that should be endorsed by academic medical societies as a means of reducing these institutions' financial dependence on clinical income and restoring to them their primary social mission: to train the highest caliber of practicing physicians and to be centers of fundamental, not technological, research. Such research has been demonstrated to reduce, not increase, health care costs. Academic medical societies must work together to educate the public and Congress about the needs of academic health care centers, and to provide a cohesive and constructive set of practical recommendations that can strengthen their future financial stability.
A framework for adaptive scale space tracking solutions to problems in computational vision

A unified framework is developed for efficiently solving a wide range of computational vision problems by performing adaptive scale space tracking (where a solution at a coarse resolution is tracked to solutions at ever increasing resolution). This approach is motivated by physical smoothness models, deformable sheets, based on thin elastic membranes and plates. The inherent smoothness properties of the deformable sheets act against externally applied, problem specific forces derived from images. The authors also developed the necessary relations for quantitative control of scale based parameters so that the scale space tracking process can be completely automated. Finally, they present solutions to different problems in computational vision using the framework applied to real images. >
Spirometric predictors of lung function decline and mortality in early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Rationale: The course of lung function decline for smokers with early airflow obstruction remains undefined. It is also unclear which early spirometric characteristics identify individuals at risk for rapid decline and increased mortality.Objectives: To determine the association between spirometric measures and 5-year decline in FEV1 and 12-year mortality.Methods: We analyzed longitudinal data from the Lung Health Study, a clinical trial of intensive smoking cessation intervention with or without bronchodilator therapy in 5,887 smokers with mild to moderate airflow obstruction. Participants were stratified into bins of baseline FEV1 to FVC ratio, using bins of 5%, and separately into bins of Z-score (difference between actual and predicted FEV1/FVC, normalized to SD of predicted FEV1/FVC). Associations between spirometric measures and FEV1 decline and mortality were determined after adjusting for baseline characteristics and time-varying smoking status.Measurements and Main Results: The cohort was approxi...
Temporal sequence processing based on the biological reaction-diffusion process

Temporal (spatiotemporal) sequences are a fundamental form of information and communication both in natural and engineered systems. The biological control process which directs the generation of iterative structures from undifferentiated tissue is a type of temporal sequential process. A quantitative explanation of this temporal process is reaction-diffusion, initially proposed by Taring in 1952 and later widely studied and elaborated. We have adapted the reaction-diffusion mechanism to create a novel network and algorithm based on a chemical "neuron" model, which performs storage, associative retrieval and prediction for temporal sequences. Experiments demonstrate the ability of the device to achieve any desired depth to resolution ratio, limited only by storage capacity, to remember and predict on the basis of count to any length, and to learn an embedded Reber grammar to arbitrary accuracy and permit retrieval with controllable redundancy. >
DIOPHANTINE APPROXIMATION IN $\mathbf{Q}(\sqrt{-5})$ AND $\mathbf{Q}(\sqrt{-6})$

The complete description of the discrete part of the Lagrange and Markov spectra of the imaginary quadratic fields with discriminants -20 and -24 are given. Farey polygons associated with the extended Bianchi groups Bd, d = 5, 6, are used to reduce the problem of finding the discrete part of the Markov spectrum for the group Bd to the corresponding problem for one of its maximal Fuchsian subgroup. Hermitian points in the Markov spectrum of Bd are introduced for any d. Let H3 be the upper half-space model of the three-dimensional hyperbolic space. If ν is a hermitian point in the spectrum, then there is a set of extremal geodesics in H3 with diameter 1/ν, which depends on one continuous parameter. This phenomenon does not take place in the hyperbolic plane.
Evaluating the Quality of Instruction in Art: A Social Judgment Analysis:

This study applied the methods and analytical procedures of social judgment theory to the study of teaching effectiveness in the arts. Four groups of judges, with varying levels of experience in art, rated the quality of 35 hypothetical art teachers on a series of seven dimensions relating to effectiveness of teaching. Results indicated that subjects in all groups displayed very similar strategies, giving most weight to the teachers' enthusiasm, knowledge, supportiveness, and communication skills in the evaluation of instructional quality. Subjects also showed little awareness of the dimensions they employed in making such judgments.
Issue Convergence Is Nothing More Than Issue Convergence

It is widely assumed that candidate issue convergence or "dialogue" is beneficial for voters in campaigns. Using a lagged weekly measure of issue convergence in political advertising about specific campaign issues from the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns, I show that dialogue, as it is currently defined by campaigns and elections scholars, is as likely to harm voters as it is to help them. These findings require scholars to think more deeply about what role, if any, issue convergence plays in deliberative campaigns.
Effects of humidity and other factors on the generation and sampling of a coronavirus aerosol

Suspensions of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), a porcine coronavirus, were nebulized at rates of 0.1-0.2 ml/min into moving air using a Collison nebulizer or a plastic medical nebulizer operating at pressures ranging from 7 to 15 psi. The airborne viruses were collected on heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) filters in an experimental apparatus and also sampled upstream of these test filters using AGI-30 and BioSampler impinger samplers. To study the effects of relative humidity (RH) on TGEV collection by the filters and samplers, the virus was nebulized into air at 30, 50, 70, and 90% RH. There were no significant changes in virus titer in the nebulizer suspension before and after nebulization for either nebulizer at any of the pressures utilized. Aerosolization efficiency - the ratio of viable virus sampled with impingers to the quantity of viable virus nebulized - decreased with increasing humidity. BioSamplers detected more airborne virus than AGI-30 samplers at all RH levels. This difference was statistically significant at 30 and 50% RH. Nebulizer type and pressure did not significantly affect the viability of the airborne virus. Virus recovery from test filters relative to the concentration of virus in the nebulizer suspension was less than 10%. The most and the least virus were recovered from filter media at 30% and 90% RH, respectively. The results suggest that TGEV, and perhaps other coronaviruses, remain viable longer in an airborne state and are sampled more effectively at low RH than at high humidity.
Bedside Lung Ultrasound in Emergency (BLUE) Protocol: A Suggestion to Modify

1the authors describe the use of lung ultrasound in evaluating patients with acute respiratory failure. The algorithmic approach Bedside Lung Ultrasound in Emergency, the BLUE protocol, is described with a diagnostic accuracy of 90.5%. Three hundred and one consecutive patients with acute respiratory failure were assessed; 260 were included (cardiogenic pulmonary edema, 64; pneumonia, 83; decompensated COPD, 49; acute asthma, 34; pulmonary embolism, 21; and pneumothorax, 9) and 41 were excluded from the study (rare causes, 9; no fi nal diagnosis, 16; and several fi nal diagnoses, 16). Among all the patients with a fi nal diagnosis, there was not a single patient with diaphragm paralysis. This could be because of the design of the BLUE protocol, as it does not have assessment of diaphragm function as a step in the algorithm. Diaphragm paralysis, although not a common cause of acute respiratory failure, is likely underdiagnosed, and it is not unusual for an intensivist to come across such a case. Diaphragm paralysis can be diagnosed with the use of bedside ultrasound. 2 , 3 Unilateral diaphragm dysfunction is easier to diagnose than bilateral and, in the presence of comorbid conditions, can be a cause of acute respiratory failure. Trauma (surgical or nonsurgical) and malignancy involving the phrenic nerve are common causes of diaphragm paralysis. 4 The assessment of diaphragm function in patients with these conditions and respiratory distress is important. I came across two cases with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure who had unilateral diaphragm paralysis (one left and one right), as seen on ultrasound and fl uoroscopy examination. In both cases, unilateral diaphragm paralysis was considered to be the main reason for respiratory failure, but comorbid conditions were believed to be contributory. I have been using the BLUE protocol in my clinical practice and have found it be helpful in bedside evaluation of patients with acute respiratory distress. I suggest that the addition of diaphragm function assessment, a simple technique, as a step in the BLUE protocol will enhance its diagnostic accuracy.
Common and uncommon ground: Social and structural factors in codeswitching

The social forces affecting the performance of codeswitching (CS) may be distinguished from those factors controlling its basic structure, with which they interact. The constraints on possible patterns in CS are largely under innately based controls. These constraints are presented here in a model of intrasentential CS, and their validity is tested against findings of CS practices in a number of communities; all options can be accounted for under the model. Thus the options for CS structures seem universally set; but community-specific or group-specific social forces may determine which permissible patterns are preferred. In addition, micro-level, discourse-based factors may prompt individuals to produce certain CS structures. A second model of the social motivations for CS helps explain both the macro- and micro-level preferences. (Bilingualism, codeswitching, language contact, socio-pragmatics)* At first glance, the structural "mix" of languages in codeswitching (hereafter CS) seems very diverse. Furthermore, many speakers who frequently engage in CS become rugged individualists when they report on their own CS performance, insisting that their form of CS is a law unto itself. Yet a search for universally valid constraints marks much of the extensive research on CS in the last 10 years. Nevertheless, counterexamples to far-reaching claims, rather than support, prevailed at the end of the 1980s. This state of affairs has stimulated two types of responses. Bentahila & Davies (1992:444) argue that the effects of social and psychological factors on structural patterns have been neglected: The reason why the search for universal constraints has not been more successful, we suspect, is that it has tended to focus almost exclusively on the syntactic dimension of code-switching, treating switching patterns as purely structural phenomena rather than setting them within a social and psychological context . . . In particular, we feel that more attention should be
Study of the correlation dimension of ECG signals based on MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Data Base ECGs

The correlation dimensions of random noise and electrocardiograms of both normal and sick subjects have been analyzed and compared. The noisy signal has been obtained by using the random function of a DEC VAX computer; ECG data have been obtained from the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Data Base. It was expected that a lower dimensionality of the ECG signal would be obtained with respect to the noisy one. This hypothesis has been confirmed by the analysis. An attempt was made to evaluate differences in the dimensionality of sick and normal subjects. The complexity and time-consuming aspects of the computations made it possible to examine only four patients. Up to now, there has not been enough evidence of significant differences between sick and normal subjects, and thus it is necessary to increase the number of analyzed cases. In order to obtain a good saturation of the correlation dimension, the embedding space has been spanned from 2 to 50. >
The prionoses and other conformational disorders

The basic pathogenesis of numerous neurodegenerative disorders is now thought to be related to abnormal protein conformation. The common theme in all these diseases is the conversion of a normal cellular andor circulating protein into an insoluble, aggregated, β-sheet rich form which is deposited in the brain, sometimes in the form of amyloid. These deposits are toxic and produce neuronal dysfunction and death. The most common of these illnesses is Alzheimer's disease (AD), in which a central event is the conversion of the normal soluble amyloid p (SAP) peptide to amyloid p (AP) within neuritic plaques and cerebral vessels. A unique category of the conformational conditions areprion related diseases (or prionoses), where the etiology is thought to be related to conversion of the normal prion protein, PrPC, into an infectious and pathogenic form, PrPSc. In the case of AD and the prionoses, the conformational change can be influenced by the presence of mutations in various gene products, as well as by chape...
Effect of body mass index on risk of long-term mortality following coronary artery bypass grafting.

The effect of obesity on long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains inconclusive, partly due to methodologic issues in previous studies. We examined the effect of obesity on long-term mortality (up to a 6-year follow-up) in adult patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 kg/m 2 who underwent CABG at Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, Texas) between January 1998 and August 1999 (n = 1,209). Unadjusted analysis indicated a strong association between BMI and long-term mortality (p = 0.001), with a decreased risk of mortality associated with increasing BMI. After adjusting for factors shown to be confounders of this relation (age, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive lung disease, renal failure, ejection fraction, and left main disease), the estimated association was no longer significant (p = 0.425). In conclusion, the apparent survival benefit associated with higher BMI became nonsignificant when the relation between mortality and BMI was adjusted, first for age and then for diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive lung disease, renal failure, ejection fraction, and left main disease. This relation was masked in the crude analysis primarily by the effect of age. Patients with a high BMI were typically younger than patients with a lower BMI, suggesting that physicians and surgeons may only recommend/perform CABG for patients with a high BMI with an otherwise lower risk profile.
Comparison of Fish Toxicity Screening Data and QSAR Predictions for 48 Aniline Derivatives

A comparison was made of the predicted fish LC50 values for 48 aniline derivatives with literature 24-hr screening data. The predictions were made based upon the log P and pKA parameters and the QSAR equations of Hermens. The required log P and pKA values were obtained from experimental measurements, and also calculated directly from chemical structures. Twenty-four of the tested compounds produced sickness or lethality in at least one test. For seven of these compounds, tests had been performed at more than one concentration with effects observed only at the higher concentration, from which an approximate toxicity threshold could be estimated. In general, the QSAR predictions agreed semi-quantitatively with the available screening data. A lack of observed effect for compounds predicted to show toxicity at the tested concentrations was ascribed to inadequate time to achieve a steady state equilibrium, limiting water solubility, or a combination of both of these factors. Several compounds exhibited toxicity at concentrations significantly below those predicted; these results were interpreted in terms of electrophile or proelectrophile mechanisms.
The Impact of Medicare Part D on Emergency Department Visits

The Medicare Part D program introduced prescription drug coverage for seniors in 2006. We examine the impact of this program on the use of emergency department (ED) care. Using a difference-in-differences model, we find declines in the number of ED visits for non-emergency care but not for emergency care, suggesting that Part D may have led to better management of health and reduced unnecessary use of EDs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Renal Tubular Dysfunction in Pediatric Urolithiasis: Proteomic Evidence

Experimental and animal studies have shown crystal-induced oxidative stress and tubular injury in kidney cells (1, 2). Crystals interact with renal epithelial tubular cells causing oxidative stress and inflammation. Indeed, stone patients have significantly higher urinary concentration of malondialdehyde, a product of lipid peroxidation (3). Total oxidant and antioxidant status is elevated in children with stones, and the former correlates with urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosoaminidase, a marker of renal tubular injury (4). Oxidative stress causes release of various cytokines and growth factors maintaining inflammation (5). This is followed by fibrosis and collagen deposition (5). Crystal-induced tubular injury leads to crystal attachment and further renal epithelial damage (6). Markers of inflammation and tubulointerstitial damage were found in adults with calcium oxalate (CaOx), calcium phosphate (CaP), and uric acid stones (7). Impaired tubular cells alter reabsorption of low molecular weight (LMW) proteins. Higher urinary excretion of mucoproteins including lysozyme and beta2 microglobulin, and enzymes such as beta-galactosidase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase were found in patients with stones (8). However, there is little evidence of tubular dysfunction in pediatric nephrolithiasis. We aimed to investigate whether inflammation, oxidation and tubular injury is present in children with stones (RS) compared to healthy controls (HC) by measuring urinary proteins involved in these processes. We hypothesized that children with kidney stones have a higher urinary excretion of inflammatory, oxidative and tubular proteins compared to controls.
A Dynamic Data-Driven Approach to Optimal Offline Learning for Online Flight Capability Estimation

In this paper a data-driven approach to producing rapid, online estimates of aircraft capability by associating offline learned scenarios with the current aircraft state is presented. This association is carried out via an online Bayesian classification process that dynamically incorporates online sensed data by incorporating a novel confidence mapping approach that enables rapid online quantification of uncertainty in capability estimates. The problem of optimal offline learning for library construction for given online stochastic mission scenarios is formulated and a demonstration of an exhaustive search solution, as well as a greedy approach is presented. Our methodology and demonstrations are developed in the context of a high altitude, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle.
Towards Heterogeneous Biodegradable Nanorods for Controlled Drug Delivery

Heterogeneous, one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials, such as nanorods and nanowires, have been utilized for a variety of different biomedical applications because they offer a unique combination of properties and provide a material platform for integrating multiple functions. In this paper, we propose a template-assisted wetting approach to fabricate segmented polymer nanorods using biodegradable polymers for controlled drug delivery. Our previous work with polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) heterogeneous, segmented nanorods is described briefly to introduce our current preliminary work with the fabrication of homogeneous biodegradable nanorods and drug release from polymer thin films. Since the template-assisted fabrication approach provides us unprecedented control over the size, spacing, and length of the heterogeneous polymer nanorods, this technique will provide for the opportunity to evaluate drug release kinetics as a function of the segment spacing, size of the nanorods, and aspect ratio in the future.
Solution-based synthesis and low-temperature transport properties of CsBi4Te6.

The thermoelectric material CsBi4Te6 was synthesized in nanometer thin flake-like form by a low temperature solvothermal approach. The crystals were then densified by spark plasma sintering (SPS), resulting in a polycrystalline specimen with layered and partially orientated grains. The orientation of the CsBi4Te6 flakes reflects the anisotropic crystal structure of the material aided by the unidirectional pressure during SPS. Hall, resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity was measured on the polycrystalline specimen in evaluating the potential of this approach for thermoelectric applications.
A Test of Cross-National Event Reliability: Global Versus Regional Data Sources

It is known in cross-national research that as one shifts from globally to regionally oriented data sources, the number and distribution of events change. Unanswered, however, is the question whether political conclusions are dependent upon the nature of the sources from which the data have been derived.' The apparent issues are these. (1) How serious is the disparity between the data drawn from the two kinds of sources? (2) Which data source is the more reliable? As cross-national research faces adolescence, a resolution of these issues appears imperative. Over the last decade or so the proliferation of data banks has been impressive: Sorokin (1937); Wright (1942); Richardson (1960); Banks and Textor (1963); Russett (1966); Feierabend and Feierabend (1965); Nesvold (1969); Singer and Small (1 972); Gurr (1 968); Leiden et al. (1 970); Cady (1 970); Taylor and Hudson (1972) are a few of the contributors. Analysts have
Group Selection and Team Sports

Team sports offer direct analogies with evolutionary explanations of the conflict between individual and group objectives. These analogies are discussed, and falsifiable hypotheses are suggested.
Discussion of Smart HV Equipment and Online Monitoring Technology

In the paper,the development procedure of online monitoring of HV equipment is reviewed,of which the problems and bottleneck for further development are pointed out.Furthermore,the concept and goal of smart HV equipment is discussed in details,which is compared with the traditional online monitoring.Based on this,the suggestions of converting online monitoring to smart HV equipment are proposed aiming at present construction of smart grid.
Reliability and performance trade-offs for 3D NoC-enabled multicore chips

Three-dimensional (3D) integration provides the benefits of better performance, lower power consumption, and increased bandwidth through the use of vertical interconnects and 3D stacking. The vertical interconnects enable the design of a high-bandwidth and energy-efficient small-world (SW) network-based 3D network-on-Chip (3D SWNoC) for massive multicore platforms. However, the anticipated performance gain of a 3D SWNoC-enabled multicore chip may be compromised due to the potential failures of through-silicon-vias (TSVs) that are predominantly employed as vertical interconnects. In particular, due to the non-homogeneous traffic patterns, heavily used TSVs may wear-out quickly and can also contribute to the wear-out of neighboring TSVs. As a result, the mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) of those TSVs will decrease, which will adversely affect the overall lifetime of the chip. In this paper, we address this traffic-dependent TSV wear-out problem in 3D SWNoC. We demonstrate that by employing an adaptive routing mechanism, we can improve the MTTF of 3D SWNoC significantly while still providing 21% lower energy-delay-product (EDP) compared to a conventional 3D MESH.
High Power Microwave of the Crossed-Field Type

ABSTRACTThe proposal to obtain electrical energy from the sun by means of an enormous solar cell array positioned in space at synchronous orbit altitude places a challenging requirement upon the means of converting this energy info microwave\orm so that it can be relayed to the earth’s surface. Crossed-field device technology is con-sistent with the needs for high efficiency, long life, and for either modest or very high power levels in the dc to rf energy conversion process. A dc to rf energy conversion efficiency of 93% and an overall efficiency of 86% have been demonstrated in a high power magnetron. Continuous power over 400 kW at 3000 MHz and an efficiency of 76% has been obtained from the Amplifron, a crossed-field amplifier device. The development of a pure-metal, secondary emitter cathode provides long life capability. Newly developed permanent magnet material provides the high magnetic fields needed for high efficiency with low resulting weight.
From Zymes to Germs: Discarding the Realist/Anti-Realist Framework

I argue that neither realist nor anti-realist accounts of theory-change can account for the transition from zymotic views of disease to germ views. The trouble with realism is its focus on stable and continuous elements that get retained in the transition from one theory to the next; the trouble with anti-realism is its focus on the radical discontinuity between theories and their successors. I show that neither of these approaches works for the transition from zymes to germs: there is neither continuity nor discontinuity, but, instead, a gradual evolution from zyme to germ views, during which germ elements are slowly incorporated into zymotic views until, eventually, none of the original zymotic constituents are left. I argue that the problem with both realism and anti-realism is that they rest on the unwarranted assumption that there are clearly delineated zymotic and germ theories as well as arguments for and against these theories, an assumption that does not hold.
CELLULAR TENSEGRITY MODELS AND CELL-SUBSTRATE INTERACTIONS

Mammalian cells control their shape and function by altering their mechanical properties through structural rearrangements and changes in molecular biochemistry at the nanometer scale. Yet, little is known about the molecular and biophysical basis of cell mechanics. Most of the existing engineering models of cells are ad hoc descriptions based on measurements obtained under particular experimental conditions, and these continuum models usually ignore contributions of subcellular structures and molecular components. More than 20 years ago, we introduced an alternative model of the cell based on tensegrity architecture which proposes that isometric tension in the cytoskeleton is critical for cell shape stability. Key to this model is the concept that this stabilizing tensile “prestress” results from a complementary force balance between multiple, discrete, molecular support elements, including microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules in the cytoskeleton, as well as external adhesions to extracellular matrix and to neighboring cells. In this chapter, we review progress in the area of cellular tensegrity, including development of theoretical formulations of the tensegrity model that have led to multiple a priori predictions relating to both static and dynamic cell mechanical behaviors that have now been confirmed in experimental studies with living cells. We describe how the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix form a single, tensionally integrated structural system as predicted by tensegrity, and how distinct molecular biopolymers (e.g., microfilaments vs microtubules) may bear either tensile or compressive loads inside the cell. The tensegrity model is also compared and contrasted with other models of cell mechanics. Taken together, these recent theoretical and experimental studies confirm that the cellular tensegrity model is a useful model because it provides a mechanism to link mechanics to structure at the molecular level, in addition to helping to explain how mechanical signals are transduced into biochemical responses within living cells and tissues.
An integrated moral obligation model for landowner conservation norms

ABSTRACTThis study applies an integrated moral obligation model to examine the role of environmental and cultural values, and beliefs in the activation of landowner conservation norms. Data for this study were collected through a self-administered survey of riparian landowners in two Minnesota watersheds: Sand Creek and Vermillion River watersheds. Study findings suggest that collectivistic and biospheric–altruistic values form the bases for the activation of personal norms. Further, beliefs about local responsibility and ability to act influence personal norms to protect water resources. Findings suggest that landowners’ personal norms of water conservation are more likely to be activated by conservation strategies that appeal to biospheric–altruistic and collectivistic values, emphasize adverse consequences of water pollution, highlight water resource protection as a local responsibility, and provide the resources needed to protect water resources.
Applications of Intraoperative Endoscopy

Intraoperative endoscopy is an important tool in colorectal surgery with applications well beyond localizing a small tumor during laparoscopic colorectal resection. It is useful in assessing the integrity and perfusion of fresh left-sided anastomoses, stopping staple line bleeding and determining the distal margin in low anterior resection.
Luther, learning, and the liberal arts

The learning goals of a well-designed course in the liberal arts include not only the imparting of knowledge but also the development of critical thinking and disciplinary expertise. A class on Luther can help students acquire those intellectual skills associated with the discipline of history and the liberal arts more generally as they consider broader questions about institutional religion, spirituality, moral choices, and human agency. Current scholarship on how people learn highlights the importance of adequate mental frameworks for the acquisition, retention, and retrieval of new ideas and information. This scholarship underlies the choice of specific strategies used to teach about Luther and the Reformation. Assignments provide “scaffolding,” which begins with modeling and then moves from simpler to more complex assignments. Students practice the specific intellectual skills of critical reading and textual analysis over the course of the semester.
Generating biocrude from partially defatted Cryptococcus curvatus yeast residues through catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction

Abstract Research and development on hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of wet microbial biomass have been on a dramatic rise. Although microalgae have been the main feedstocks, investigations of HTL of yeast species were few, not to mention yeast biomass cultivated on cellulosic hydrolysates. In this study, six catalysts were tested regarding their effects on yields of biocrude and biochar from partially defatted Cryptococcus curvatus. Among the six, K2CO3 at 350 and 300 °C and KOH at 350 °C led to the highest yield of biocrude, 68.9%, 63.9% and 67.0%, respectively. These biocrudes had low content of sulfur and nitrogen but high HHVs in the range of 36.9 and 39.0 MJ/kg. The biocrudes from the top three running conditions were dominated by fatty acids and fatty acid esters based on GC/MS identification. The corresponding aqueous phase samples contained high concentrations of fatty acids among all that were identifiable. The successful HTL of the partially defatted yeast cell residues promises a platform where lignocellulosic sugars can be converted to biodiesel from yeast cell lipids and biocrude from the remaining yeast cells.
Development of a Model for DNA Supercoiling

The supercoiling of closed circular DNA in vivo is regulated by a class of enzymes called topoisomerases, and it is known to play an important role in gene expression. Negative supercoiling can be induced in vitro by DNA gyrase, or by unwinding the double helix with intercalating drugs, followed by relaxation with topoisomerase and then removal of the intercalator. Supercoiling pressure is often used to promote the formation of unusual DNA structures, for example, Z-DNA and cruciforms. The study of DNA supercoiling is thus an important problem biologically and because of its use as an agent for inducing other structures. The topological issues surrounding DNA supercoiling have been extensively studied (Benham, 1985; 1986; White and Bauer, 1986), and they have been applied to the explanation of a number of events in recombination (Wasserman et al, 1985; Cozzarelli et al, 1985; Geliert and Nash, 1987).
A novel chemical looping partial oxidation process for thermochemical conversion of biomass to syngas

Abstract The Biomass-to-Syngas (BTS) chemical looping process is an advanced thermochemical biomass conversion process for the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals. The BTS process is novel in that it converts biomass feedstock to high purity syngas with adjustable H2:CO molar ratio without needing an air separation unit (ASU), a tar reformer, a steam reformer, or a water-gas-shift (WGS) reactor. In the BTS process, biomass feedstock is partially oxidized to produce syngas by oxygen carriers in a reducer that is operated in a co-current gas-solid moving bed contact mode. The reduced oxygen carriers are regenerated in a fluidized bed combustor via the oxidation reaction with air. The BTS process uses the iron-titanium composite metal oxide (ITCMO) material as the oxygen carrier, which is capable of cracking the volatiles produced in biomass pyrolysis as well as regulating the syngas composition. The co-current moving bed reducer eliminates back-mixing, channeling, or bypassing of solid and gas reactants, resulting in a syngas composition that is close to the thermodynamic equilibrium. In this paper, the rationale of a successful BTS process is discussed along with the thermodynamic characteristics of the ITCMO oxygen carrier, that can effectively react with a woody biomass feedstock, analyzed based on an ASPEN Plus model. Bench scale moving bed reducer experiments are presented, indicating the conversion of wood pellets to syngas with a H2:CO ratio of 2, which is suitable for methanol or liquid fuel synthesis. The gas and solid composition produced in the bench scale reducer matches the prediction from the ASPEN Plus thermodynamic model. This model is further used to analyze the performance of the BTS process under autothermal conditions for methanol production, with a comparison with a baseline indirectly heated gasification process. The results indicate that the BTS process significantly reduces the biomass and steam consumption and appreciably improves the biomass conversion efficiency over that obtained from the baseline process.
Making the Outsiders-Welfare Connection: How the Otherization of Welfare Affects Public Opinion on Social Assistance in the US and UK

This paper addresses the relationship between diversity and public support for welfare, with the question: is support for the welfare state in the US and UK dependent upon who the perceived recipients are? I specifically examine whether negative attitudes towards out-groups (minorities) coupled with the belief that these groups disproportionately and undeservedly receive welfare benefits leads to a decrease in public support for welfare. This is done through the use of ANES and ESS survey data. I further argue that this is a message that citizens are receiving from the media and entrepreneurial politicians. This finding is reinforced by previously conducted content analysis of newspapers and tabloids. I refer to this coupling of welfare with out-groups, or Others, as the Otherization of Welfare. This paper examines not only race, but ethnicity, religion, and citizenship status as well.
Iterative Algorithms for Maximum Likelihood Sequence Detection

The success of iterative decoding algorithms for turbo codes, for low density parity check codes, and for related codes has motivated studying connections to other potentially related iterative algorithms in information theory and in estimation theory. Important iterative algorithms in information theory include the Blahut-Arimoto algorithm for computing the distribution that achieves channel capacity and Blahut’s algorithm for computing the rate-distortion function. In estimation theory, the expectation-maximization algorithm is widely used, especially in high-dimensional inference problems such as in image estimation. A study of these algorithms as alternating minimization algorithms lays the foundation for deriving new alternating minimization algorithms for a variety of problems. One family of such algorithms includes iterative algorithms for maximum-likelihood sequence detection. These algorithms and some of their properties are presented.
Introduction to Neuroevolutionary Methods

Neuroevolution is the machine learning approach through neural networks and evolutionary computation. Before a neural network can do something useful, before it can learn, or be applied to some problem, its topology and the synaptic weights and other parameters of every neuron in the neural network must be set to just the right values to produce the final functional system. Both, the topology and the synaptic weights can be set using the evolutionary process. In this chapter we discuss what Neuroevolution is, what Topology and Weight Evolving Artificial Neural Network (TWEANN) systems are, and how they function. We also discuss how this highly advanced approach to computational intelligence can be implemented, and what some of the problems that the evolved neural network based agents can be applied to.
Infantile autism and parental socioeconomic status: A case of bimodal distribution

Kanner, in his 1943 article, reported that parents of autistic children tended to be of high socioeconomic status (SES). According to Schopler, Andrews and Strupp (1979), subsequent studies did not reveal similar findings. However, a careful analysis of these studies will show that in all instances the SES distributions of the parents were bimodal. The evidence shows that when Kanner's strict criteria are used, parents of autistic children are of higher SES. However, when children withautistic features are included in the first group, bimodal distributions are obtained. It is suggested that the question of upper SES of parents of autistic children is still open.
Connecting brain and learning sciences: an optical brain imaging approach to monitoring development of expertise in UAV piloting

In this paper we present our ongoing research project on UAV operator training and cognitive workload assessment for safe piloting to exemplify the potential for conducting interdisciplinary research that incorporates insights from learning sciences and cognitive neuroscience. The goal of the project is to devise cognitive neuromarkers to assess the cognitive workload experienced by UAV operators and to monitor their development of expertise through analysis of optical brain imaging data and flight-training videos.
Assessing Effort and Malingering with the Asian Client

The use of measures for the assessment of malingering with culturally diverse populations for whom validation data do not exist must be taken into consideration. In this chapter the most commonly used and/or researched measures that strive to assess for malingering are explored and research on these measures with Asians is discussed. Specifically, the Test of Memory Malingering; the Medical Symptom Validity Test and Nonverbal Medical Symptom Validity Test; Digit Memory Test; MMPI and its Chinese version and MMPI-2 and its Korean version; the Rey 15 Items; the Digit Span; the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms; and the Miller-Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test are reviewed. Finally, evidence-based recommendations are provided for the assessment of malingering with the Asian client.
Auditory Outcomes in Patients Who Received Proton Radiotherapy for Craniopharyngioma

Purpose Compared to photon-based radiotherapy, protons deliver less radiation to healthy tissue resulting in the potential reduction of late complications such as sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)....