cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of time-frequency analysis and Kalman filter to range estimation of targets in enclosed structures

Accurate range estimation and tracking of moving targets are important tasks in urban sensing. A dual-frequency radar, which estimate the range of a target based on the phase difference between two closely spaced frequencies, has been shown to be a cost-effective method to accomplish both tasks. When the data is processed using time-frequency analysis, phase difference and Doppler frequency signatures can be simultaneously obtained with noise resistance and target discrimination capability. In this paper, we consider robust range estimation based on Kalman filter that inherently fuses the phase difference and Doppler frequency information. Significant performance improvement is observed through simulation and real measurement examples.
Phase-conjugation properties of two-photon-pumped backward-stimulated emission. I. Experimental studies

Optical phase-conjugation properties of the backward-stimulated radiation from a two-photon-pumped frequency-upconversion lasing medium are studied. The gain medium is a new dye solution pumped with ∼11-ns and ∼1064-nm laser pulses; a highly directional and phase-conjugate backward-stimulated emission at ∼616-nm wavelength could be obtained with a net conversion efficiency of ∼10%. The spectral, temporal, and output–input characteristics of this kind of stimulated emission are presented in detail. The phase-conjugation properties of the backward-stimulated emission have been demonstrated by both the far-field (beam-divergence) measurement and the near-field (image-reconstruction) measurement. The wave-front reconstruction behavior is not perfect, especially under a larger aberration influence.
Fatty Acids in Dandelion Pollen Gathered by Honey Bees, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Pollen from the dandelion, Taraxacum officinale ( T. vulgare (Lam.) Schrank), collected by honey bees was saponified with ethanolic potassium hydroxide, and the saponifiable lipid fraction was isolated from the reflux mixture by solvent extraction. Fatty acids in the saponifiable material were esterified with 2,2-dimethoxypropane. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of the methyl esters demonstrated that 8 saturated and 3 unsaturated fatty acids were present in the samples as follows: caproic, capric, and myristic acid, 1.7%; caprylic and oleic acid, 7.4%; stearic and behenic acid, 17.9%; lauric and linoleic acid, 27.5%; and palmitic and linolenic acid, 45.5%.
Mobilization of Microspheres from a Fractured Soil during Intermittent Infiltration Events

The vadose zone filters pathogenic microbes from infiltrating water and con sequently protects the groundwater from possible contamination. In some cases, however, the deposited microbes may be mobilized during rainfall and migrate into the groundwater. We examined the mobilization of microspheres, surrogates for microbes, in an intact core of a fractured soil by intermittent simulated rainfall. Fluorescent polystyrene microspheres of two sizes (0.5 and 1.8 o m) and Br − were first applied to the core to deposit the micr ospheres, and then the core was subjected to three intermittent infil tration events to mobilize the deposited microspheres. Collecting effluent samples through a 19-port sampler at the base of the core, we found that water flowed through only five ports, and the flow rates varied among the ports by a factor of 12. These results suggest that flow paths leading to the ports had different permeabilities, partly due to macropores. Although 40 to 69% of injected microspheres were retained in the core during their application, 12 to 30% of the retained microspheres were mobilized during three intermittent infiltration events. The extent of microsphere mobilization was greater in flow paths with greater permeability, which indicates that mac ropores could enhance colloid mobilization during intermittent infiltration events. In all ports, the 1.8-o m microspheres were mobilized to a greater extent than the 0.5-o m microspheres, suggesting that larger colloids are more likely to mobilize. These results are useful in assessing the potential of pathogen mobilization and colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants in the subsurface under natural infiltration events.
Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy: comparison of clinical Stage T1 and T2 renal tumors.

Abstract Objectives To compare the outcomes after laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) at our institution to treat Stage T1 and T2 renal tumors. LRN for Stage T1 renal tumors (less than 7 cm) has become the standard of care at many institutions. The feasibility of performing more complex LRNs on higher stage tumors is continually evolving. Methods A retrospective review was performed of a prospective database of patients undergoing LRN at the University of Chicago from October 2002 to January 2006. The data on 141 unilateral LRNs, 98 for clinical Stage T1 tumors and 43 for clinical Stage T2 tumors, were analyzed. The demographic, operative, and postoperative data were compared between the two groups. Results The demographic data between the two groups was comparable. Operatively, patients with larger tumors had significantly greater blood loss, a longer operative time, and a longer surgical incision. Open conversions (1% versus 12%, P = 0.013) and intraoperative complications (5% versus 19%, P = 0.006) were more likely in patients with clinical Stage T2 tumors. Most intraoperative complications were hemorrhage requiring transfusion. However, the postoperative complication rates (25% versus 21%, P = 0.646) and hospital stay (2.0 versus 2.4 days, P = 0.134) were similar between the two groups. Conclusions In experienced centers, clinical Stage T2 renal tumors can be managed efficiently with laparoscopy. LRN for larger tumors demonstrated equivalent perioperative safety compared with LRN for smaller tumors.
Shout out: integrating news and reader comments

A useful approach for enabling computers to automatically create new content is utilizing the text, media, and information already present on the World Wide Web. The newly created content is known as "machine-generated content". For example, a machine-generated content system may create a multimedia news show with two animated anchors presenting a news story; one anchor reads the news story with text taken from an existing news article, and the other anchor regularly interrupts with his or her own opinion about the story. In this paper, we present such a system, and describe in detail its strategy for autonomously extracting and selecting the opinions given by the second anchor.
Response of ovule development and post-pollen production processes in male-sterile tomatoes to chronic, sub-acute high temperature stress

In order to determine the effects of high temperature on ovule development and reproductive processes subsequent to pollen production, nine day/night temperature combinations were imposed over a 9 month period as four separate experiments, each with three treatments, including one common treatment. In order to eliminate known effects of high temperatures on pollen production and stylar position, high temperature treatments were applied only to male-sterile tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Pollen was obtained from male-fertile plants given optimal growth conditions. This allowed comparison of mean daily temperatures from 25-29 °C; day/night temperature differentials (DIFs) of 2, 6, and 10 °C; day temperatures of 28, 30 and 32 °C at night temperatures of 22, 24, and 26 C; and night temperatures of 22, 24 and 26 °C at day temperatures of 28, 30 and 32 °C. Average weight per fruit and flower number did not demonstrate a consistent pattern of response to high temperature. Other reproductive characteristics (% fruitset, total number and weight of fruit per plant, and seediness index) decreased as mean daily temperature rose from 25 °C to 26 °C and from 28 °C to 29 °C. The primary parameter affecting these variables was mean daily temperature, with day temperature having a secondary role. Thus, in determining reproductive responses of tomato to temperatures within this range, day temperature, night temperature and DIFs do not need to be considered independently of their effect on mean daily temperature. If this relationship holds true in other species, and for pre-pollen production processes as well, modelling the effects of projected climate change should be simplified.
Effects of simulated weightlessness on bone properties in rats

Abstract This paper addresses two questions: (1) are reductions in bone apposition rate during disuse due to increased periods of ‘resting’ during bone formation? and (2) are diaphyseal strength changes due to disuse caused by changes in the quality as well as the quantity of the bone matrix? These problems were studied using the tail-suspended rat model. Seventy 210 g female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and suspended groups and studied for 1 or 2 weeks. Tetracycline labels at varying intervals were used to measure bone formation rates and to assess the duration of rest periods. The mechanical properties of the femoral midshaft, neck, and distal metaphysis, and of the proximal tibia, were studied. The composition of the entire femur and the geometry of the femoral midshaft were also analyzed, and beam theory was used to compare changes in these variables with those in bending strength. Contrary to previous findings in the tibia, suspension did not result in a decrease in the mean mineral apposition rate at the femur midshaft. Neither was there an effect on rest periods, so the answer to the first question was no, at least for the femur. Femur composition, cross-sectional geometry, and strength were significantly altered by disuse after 2 weeks, but not after 1 week. Femur mineralization was affected by time, but not by suspension, and bending yield stress was affected by suspension but not by time. Thus, the answer to the second question remains unclear, but is probably yes.
Perspectives and limits of optical information processing

Summary form only given. . In this talk we will compare the development of the analog optical signal processing approaches to the Moore's law exponential growth of digital microelectronic techniques and show an example in array processing where optics will continue to have a substantial advantage in computational throughput for the foreseeable future.
Judgments of differences and ratios of numerals

Each subject performed two tasks, dividing a line segment so that either (a) theratio of subjective lengths corresponded to the ratio of the magnitudes of two numerals or (b) thedifference in length was proportional to the numerical difference. Had subjects actually performed two operations on the same scale, the responses would have been nonmonotonically related. Instead, data for the two tasks were nearly identical and ordinally compatible with either a ratio or a subtractive model. The ratio model implied scale values for numerals that were a positively accelerated function of numerical value, inconsistent with previous results. With a nonlinear response function for graphic length, the subtractive model fit well, yielding scale values that were a negatively accelerated function of numerical value and a linear function of previously obtained scales. These results, together with other recent findings, suggest that subjects may perform the same operation in spite of instructions to judge “ratios” or “differences” and that this operation can be best represented by a subtractive model.
Species-specific trajectories of nitrogen isotopes in Indiana hardwood forests, USA

Abstract. Humans have drastically altered the global nitrogen (N) cycle, and these alterations have begun to affect a variety of ecosystems. In North America, N deposition rates are highest in the central US, yet there are few studies that examine whether N availability has been increasing to different tree species in the forests of the region. To determine the species-specific trajectories of N availability in secondary temperate forests experiencing high N deposition, we measured the N concentrations and composition of stable N isotopes in wood of four tree species from six hardwood forest remnants in northern Indiana, USA. Annual nitrogen deposition rates averaged 5.8 kg ha−1 from 2000 to 2008 in this region. On average, wood δ15N values in Quercus alba have been increasing steadily over the past 100 years. In contrast, wood δ15N values have been declining in three other hardwood species – Acer saccharum, Carya ovata, and Fagus grandifolia – over the same time period. The species-specific trends suggest a change in the partitioning of ammonium and nitrate among species, due to an increase in nitrification rates over time. With no apparent net change in wood δ15N over the past century at the stand level, there is currently little evidence for consistent trends in stand-level N availability over time in the Indiana forests.
Cycle-Based Decomposition of Markov Chains With Applications to Low-Power Synthesis and Sequence Compaction for Finite State Machines

This paper advances the state of the art by presenting a well-founded mathematical framework for modeling and manipulating Markov processes. The key idea is based on the fact that a Markov process can be decomposed into a collection of directed cycles with positive weights, which are proportional to the probability of the cycle traversals in a random walk. Two applications of this new formalism in the computer-aided design area are studied. In the first application, the authors present a new state assignment technique to reduce dynamic power consumption in finite state machines. The technique comprises of first decomposing the state machine into a set of cycles and then performing a state assignment by using Gray codes. The proposed encoding algorithm reduces power consumption by an average of 15%. The second application is sequence compaction for improving the efficiency of dynamic power simulators. The proposed method is based on the cycle decomposition of the Markov process representing the given input sequence and then selecting a subset of these cycles to construct the compacted sequence
Occupational Socialization and the Physical Education Student Teacher

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the physical education student teacher's Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) prior to and after student teaching and to examine the cooperating teacher's role as a socialization agent. PCI was examined by the Pupil Control Ideology Form which assesses the ideology on a continuum from custodialism to humanism. In addition, observational and interview data were collected in order to make further comparisons with PCI data. The results indicate that the subjects (N = 28) became significantly more custodial in their PCI during student teaching. When compared to cooperating teacher scores, student teachers' mean PCI scores were significantly different on pretest analyses (in a humanistic direction), but not on posttest analyses. Furthermore, PCI results from subjects selected for field observation indicated that the humanistic group moved in a custodial direction, while the custodial group moved in a humanistic direction. Finally, observation and interview data support ...
Normalization of Dialysis Dose for Daily Dialysis

The equilibrated Kt/V (eKtV) is widely used in hemodialysis (HD) as a measure of the intensity (magnitude) of an individual dialysis treatment. Adequate eKt/V for thrice-weekly hemodialysis (twHD) has been extensively studied, and a value in the range 1.0 - 1.1 per treatment (3.0 - 3.3 weekly) is generally considered to represent adequate therapy for this specific frequency of dialysis. However, for other schedules, summing eKt/V's and time-averaging the clearance is not appropriate. This was first demonstrated several years ago by the observation that a weekly eKt/V of 2.0 in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is therapeutically equal to a weekly eKt/V of 3.0 in twHD. That paradox has been resolved by the standard Kt/V (stdKt/V), which accounts for the first order nature of solute removal by dialysis, and which correctly predicts a normalized weekly stdKt/V of 2.0 for both CAPD and twHD. The equivalent renal clearance (EKR) has also been advanced as a method to normalize dose for varying treatment schedules. However, mathematical consideration shows that EKR is an exact time-averaged clearance. Analysis of data reported for daily dialysis by Piccoli et al. in the present issue of Hemodialysis International shows that the EKRc t/V calculated for daily dialysis is identical to the sum of eKt/V's for the individual dialyses. We therefore conclude that EKR is not a suitable parameter for normalizing the dialysis dose, because it fails to reflect the effect of dialysis frequency in HD therapy.
Geographic variation, null hypotheses, and subspecies limits in the California Gnatcatcher: A response to McCormack and Maley

ABSTRACT We interpreted the results of nuclear DNA sequencing to be inconsistent with the recognition of California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) subspecies. McCormack and Maley (2015) suggested that our data did support 2 taxa, one of which was P. c. californica, listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We summarize here how 2 sets of researchers with access to the same data reached different conclusions by including different analyses. We included the southern subspecies' boundary from the taxonomy of Atwood (1991), the taxonomic basis for the ESA listing, which resulted in an Analysis of Molecular Variance that provided no support for subspecies. In contrast, using a novel taxonomic hypothesis without precedent in the literature, McCormack and Maley (2015) found statistically significant FST values for 2 loci, which they suggested supports P. c. californica. We propose that our mitochondrial and nuclear data had sufficient power to capture geographical structure at either the...
The biologic therapy of prostate cancer using plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)

14596 Background: Treating prostate cancer through the expression of intrinsic biologic modifiers is a relatively unexplored aspect of prostate cancer therapy. Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (PA...
Emergent Economies for Role Playing Games

We present a novel application of economics to the problem of determining prices for goods and services within computer role playing games, particularly those with persistent worlds. These games typically determineprices \textit{a priori}, and leave them fixed for the game's duration. Unlike the real world, games arejudged by the amount of interest they generate within players, and we believe that allowing prices to bechanged in response to player actions adds interesting gameplay elements. The field of economicsprovides a rich body of literature discussing how prices may be determined, and we have adapted theseideas into an economic model suitable for use with role playing games. Our price update algorithms provideinteresting behaviour, while preserving stability under a range of conditions. Our experiments simulatedaily trading over 5 year intervals in order to produce evidence of short-term and long-term behavior.Our results indicate that the novel economic model we present is sufficiently stable, resilient, and consistent with behaviorsof real world economies to merit implementation in role playing games.
Langmuir-Blodgett Films of Potential Unidimensional Organic Rectifiers

The progress of the Organic Rectifier Project (ORP) is reviewed. Several molecules of the type D-σ-A (D=organic one-electron donor, σ = covalent saturated bridge, A = organic one-electron acceptor) have been synthesized, to test the Aviram-Ratner Ansatz that they could be one-molecule thick rectifiers of electrical current. Many of these molecules (σ= urethane) self-assemble as Langmuir-Blodgett films; the cyclic voltammetry peaks confirm that these molecules preserve the good D and A characteristics. Calculations confirm that the zwitterionic state D+-σ-A- is much below the state D-σ-A+, as expected. Preliminary tests of electrical rectification have failed. With the installation of a new scanning electron microscope, the Aviram-Ratner Ansatz will soon be put to a final and definitive test
Examination of three methods of loads recovery from a coupled loads analysis on Space Shuttle payloads

Three different loads recovery methods used in coupled loads analyses by the Structural Dynamics and Loads Branch of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) are the mode-displacement method, the mode-acceleration with recursive equations (MARE) method, and the mode-acceleration method. The loads due to the displacement terms may be a source of error. This error is caused when a mode retention frequency of 35 Hz is imposed on the payload model when its interfaces are indeterminate. The imposed frequency cutoff is due to the forcing function frequency cutoff of 35 Hz used in a coupled loads analysis of the Shuttle configuration. The International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) with mass simulators coupled in the Mini Pressurized Logistics Module (MPLM) is the payload used in this study. The mode-acceleration method, which is the most accurate, makes a substitution for the displacement terms and is used as the base line. The mode-displacement method has the largest percent error as expected. The percent error of ARE method turned out to be negligible. This was due to the MPLM having only one additional DOF above being determinate. (Author)
Investigation on the Knowledge of Preventing AIDS and Reproductive Health of Railway Construction workers

Objectives To learn the knowledge and awareness and behavior of preventing AIDS and reproductive health of railway construction workers and to evaluate the education accessibility and effect.Methods The construction workers of Bengbu railway station were anonymously investigated their knowledge and attitude towards AIDS and reproductive health,the way of access to public education.Results 3.55%respondents did not hear of AIDS. 3.55%respondents were afraid of working with AIDS.29.41%respondents expressed they did not make love without their wives and girl-friends.Watching TV,reading books and journals,listening to radio were major way to gain AIDS/STD message.Conclusions The propaganda strategy and measures of AIDS and reproductive health should be targeted according to the features of railway construction workers in order to raise the education accessibility and effect.
Early Fault Diagnosis of Complex Rotor Systems by EMD-ICA

In order to extract the weak fault information of complex rotor system,and then make predict and diagnosis for early failure,aiming at the crack fault of gear hub which occurred repeatedly in reducers of one type of turboprop engines,several acceleration sensors on the engine for collecting the vibration signal in the state of both normal and prefabricated early fault gear hubs under engine test are arranged.First decompose the test signal into several IMF components using EMD method,then select appropriate IMF components and mixed-separate themusing ICA method which based on maximum non-Gaussian and Fixed-point,doing this is got the independent feature components.The modulated signal information could be got which can clear indicate the fault by doing demodulation of the independent feature components.The results shows that the characteristic signal separation and extraction technologies which based on combined EMD-ICA and envelope demodulation additional can effectively identify early fault information of complex rotor system.
Nutrient regulation of insulin-like growth factor-I.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) is a nutrient-regulated growth factor. In malnutrition, serum IGF-I levels fall despite normal or elevated growth hormone (GH) levels and this is caused by resistance to GH, defects in IGF-I gene transcription and translation, and mRNA instability. Because IGF-I production is sensitive to protein and energy deficiencies, serum IGF-I levels may be valuable in the assessment of the nutritional status of patients with wasting diseases. including advanced renal failure. It should be recognized, however, that serum or tissue IGF-I peptide levels do not always reflect IGF-I gene expression. For example, in the K-deficient rat, kidney IGF-l levels are increased even though IGF-I mRNA levels are low. This appears to be due in part to increased sequestration by IGF-binding proteins and by decreased kidney IGF-I degradation. The increase in kidney IGF-I may contribute to the exaggerated renal growth that occurs in hypokalemia.
Real-Time Bidirectional Traffic Flow Parameter Estimation From Aerial Videos

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are gaining popularity in traffic monitoring due to their low cost, high flexibility, and wide view range. Traffic flow parameters such as speed, density, and volume extracted from UAV-based traffic videos are critical for traffic state estimation and traffic control and have recently received much attention from researchers. However, different from stationary surveillance videos, the camera platforms move with UAVs, and the background motion in aerial videos makes it very challenging to process for data extraction. To address this problem, a novel framework for real-time traffic flow parameter estimation from aerial videos is proposed. The proposed system identifies the directions of traffic streams and extracts traffic flow parameters of each traffic stream separately. Our method incorporates four steps that make use of the Kanade–Lucas–Tomasi (KLT) tracker, k-means clustering, connected graphs, and traffic flow theory. The KLT tracker and k-means clustering are used for interest-point-based motion analysis; then, four constraints are proposed to further determine the connectivity of interest points belonging to one traffic stream cluster. Finally, the average speed of a traffic stream as well as density and volume can be estimated using outputs from previous steps and reference markings. Our method was tested on five videos taken in very different scenarios. The experimental results show that in our case studies, the proposed method achieves about 96% and 87% accuracy in estimating average traffic stream speed and vehicle count, respectively. The method also achieves a fast processing speed that enables real-time traffic information estimation.
Floristics and avian community structure: Implications for regional changes in eastern forest composition

Because many forest stands are increasingly dominated by maple (Acerspp.) in eastern North America, there will likely be a relative scarcity of mature oak (Quercus spp.) forests within the next several decades. In an effort to understand how avian communities may be affected by a regional change in forest composition from oak to maple dominance, we compared bird communities in both oak- and maple-dominated forest stands in three seasons (winter, spring, and fall). In 1998 and 1999, birds were surveyed and habitat characteristics were measured in six mature forest woodlots in central Pennsylvania. Total abundance of birds was greater within oak- than maple-dominated stands in all seasons, whereas species richness was greater in oak stands only in the spring. Resident species, long-distance migrants, woodpeckers, bark-gleaners, and 11 individual species were more abundant within oak than maple stands in at least one season. Differences in avian community structure between oak and maple stands were greatest in the fall when oaks produced hard mast and in the spring when insectivorous birds gleaned arthropods from tree substrates. This pattern was consistent with our expectations based on mast characteristics and tree physiognomy of maples and oaks as well as the diet and foraging behavior of birds. Our results suggest that a regional change from oak- to maple-dominated forests may strongly affect avian community structure and populations of some common bird species associated with eastern deciduous forests.
INCREASING ORAL HEALTH PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN TWO PRIMARY CARE PEDIATRIC PRACTICES

Background 28% of US children aged 2 to 5 years old have early childhood caries (ECC), a disease that is largely preventable if children receive early and consistent oral health interventions. Yet, strategies ensuring timely delivery of these services remain unclear. Objectives To describe efforts in two primary care centers to increase rates of oral health education (OHE) and fluoride varnish (FV) applications during well-child visits. Methods In accordance with American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines (released September 2015), we implemented universal OHE and FV applications in children under 5 years of age. Nurses entered patient caries risk assessment responses into electronic medical records (EMR). The frequency of FV applications and billing were assessed through monthly automated EMR data extraction. Key PDSA intervention cycles included implementation of nursing-driven protocols to allow independent abbreviated OHE and FV applications, daily automated data reports on completed and eligible OHE and FV, reminder signage and email newsletters, in-person communications, and redesign of the billing sheet layout. Results Over a 20 month period, in Center 1, FV orders increased from 57% to 80% and FV billing increased from 10% to 70%, while OHE was largely maintained above the target of 80%. In Center 2, FV orders and billing increased from 42% to 67% and 10% to 36% respectively, while OHE currently averages 59%. Conclusions Revision of processes and protocols contributed to increased rates of FV orders, FV billing and OHE completed. We anticipate continued improvement leading to reduced dental caries rates among our patient populations.
×86 computer architecture simulators: A comparative study

The significance of computer architecture simulators in advancing computer architecture research is widely acknowledged. Computer architects have developed numerous simulators in the past few decades and their number continues to rise. This paper explores different simulation techniques and surveys many ×86 simulators. Comparing simulators with each other and validating their correctness has been a challenging task. In this paper, we compare and contrast ×86 simulators in terms of flexibility, level of details, user friendliness and simulation models. In addition, we measure the experimental error and compare the speed of four contemporary ×86 simulators: gem5, Multi2sim, PTLsim and Sniper. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of these simulators. We believe that this paper provides insights into different simulation strategies and aims to help computer architects understand the differences among existing simulation tools.
Hybrid Jury Strikes

Modern jury selection is pulled in two directions. Equal protection prohibits racial discrimination, but the traditional peremptory strike permits exclusion of a juror without explanation. To reconcile this tension, the Court developed the Batson framework, requiring lawyers to articulate ex post race-neutral justifications for suspicious strikes. But many doubt Batson’s efficacy at uncovering latent discrimination. Last term, while recognizing a Batson violation in Foster v. Chatman, the Supreme Court counter-intuitively reinforced this concern. Foster is the rare case in which prosecutors documented in writing their reliance on race. A framework that depends on such transparency is weak and ineffective. And the systemic persistence of discrimination, three decades after Batson was decided, has convinced many that the only solution is to eliminate peremptory strikes in their entirety.In this article, I offer an alternative strategy. I introduce a new mechanism to reform – but not entirely eliminate – the system of peremptory challenges: the “hybrid jury strike.” Hybrid strikes would fall in between traditional peremptory challenges, which may be exercised at the party’s discretion, and challenges for cause, which may be granted only upon an adequate showing of the juror’s bias or other basis for disqualification. Hybrid strikes would require ex ante justification but not a conclusive showing of bias; they could be used to exclude a set number of jurors who survived non-pretextual and meaningful cause challenges. Hybrid strikes could replace traditional peremptories wholesale or could be leveraged asymmetrically – such as by preserving traditional peremptories for the defense while permitting only hybrid strikes for the prosecution.Hybrid strikes offer an intermediate approach between the status quo and complete abolition of peremptory challenges. They would meaningfully curtail discrimination while preserving the most legitimate function of peremptory challenges: to foster jury impartiality by providing a buffer zone for cause challenges when evidence of bias is credible but insufficient or when judges erroneously reject them.
Models of Embedded Systems

This chapter covers models of embedded systems. First, it describes and demonstrates the simple super-loop system model and points out its shortcomings. Next, it explains the event-driven system model and demonstrates both periodic and asynchronous event-driven systems by example programs. It justifies the needs for processes or tasks in embedded systems. Then it defines and describes the various process models. Lastly, it presents the formal methodologies for embedded systems design, and it illustrates the finite state machine (FSM) system model by a complete design and implementation example in detail.
Relaxed Decidability and the Robust Semantics of Metric Temporal Logic

Relaxed notions of decidability widen the scope of automatic verification of hybrid systems. In quasi-decidability and delta-decidability, the fundamental compromise is that if we are willing to accept a slight error in the algorithm's answer, or a slight restriction on the class of problems we verify, then it is possible to obtain practically useful answers. This paper explores the connections between relaxed decidability and the robust semantics of Metric Temporal Logic formulas. It establishes a formal equivalence between the robustness degree of MTL specifications, and the imprecision parameter delta used in delta-decidability when it is used to verify MTL properties. We present an application of this result in the form of an algorithm that generates new constraints to the delta-decision procedure from falsification runs, which can speed up the verification run. We then establish new conditions under which robust testing, based on the robust semantics of MTL, is in fact a quasi-semidecision procedure. These results allow us to delimit what is possible with fast, robustness-based methods, accelerate (near-)exhaustive verification, and further bridge the gap between verification and simulation.
Characterization of Free Phenytoin Concentrations in End-Stage Renal Disease Using the Winter-Tozer Equation

Background: The Winter-Tozer (WT) equation has been shown to reliably predict free phenytoin levels in healthy patients. In patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), phenytoin-albumin binding i...
Shame: Developmental, cultural and clinical realms

The dynamic of shame has been receiving increasing attention over the past few decades. The text Shame: Developmental, Cultural and Clinical Realms is another contribution to the literature. In pro...
Efficient stochastic wake modeling for wind farm control

Recent research into wind farm control promises the ability to create more densely populated wind farms and improved power production of existing wind farms by controlling for wake interactions between turbines. In this paper, a computationally efficient Discrete time Stochastic and Dynamic model (DStoDyn) is developed using of a wide sense stationary random variable with deterministic mean to model wind direction uncertainties in a wind farm. Comparisons to results obtained from the large eddy simulation software SOWFA show that general wake displacement trends may be represented by DStoDyn.
Enhanced Bimolecular Reaction in a Two-Component Fluid under Pyrolytic Conditions: In Situ Probing of the Pyrolysis of Jet Fuel Surrogates Using a Supersonic Expansion Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometer

In situ mass spectrometry is demonstrated as a technique to study the pyrolysis of neat fluids at supercritical conditions. These fluids included pure hexane, benzene, and binary mixtures of the two, which were sampled in a supersonic expansion to cool and trap reactants, intermediates, and products in a molecular beam. To identify the reacting species, the molecular beam was subjected to electron impact ionization prior to analysis in a quadrupole mass filter. In addition to the previously reported gas-phase pyrolysis products for hexane and benzene, we observe the enhanced production of biphenyl in the binary mixture, which can be attributed to an energetically favored pathway by which the initial production of alkyl radicals seeds the formation of phenyl radicals via H atom abstraction reactions. These phenyl radicals quickly react to form biphenyl because of the proximity of solvent reaction partners and high collision frequency in the fluid. Our results illustrate a simple model system that highlight...
Subjective value representations during effort, probability and time discounting across adulthood.

Every day, humans make countless decisions that require the integration of information about potential benefits (i.e. rewards) with other decision features (i.e. effort required, probability of an outcome or time delays). Here, we examine the overlap and dissociation of behavioral preferences and neural representations of subjective value in the context of three different decision features (physical effort, probability and time delays) in a healthy adult life span sample. While undergoing functional neuroimaging, participants (N = 75) made incentive compatible choices between a smaller monetary reward with lower physical effort, higher probability, or a shorter time delay versus a larger monetary reward with higher physical effort, lower probability, or a longer time delay. Behavioral preferences were estimated from observed choices, and subjective values were computed using individual hyperbolic discount functions. We found that discount rates were uncorrelated across tasks. Despite this apparent behavioral dissociation between preferences, we found overlapping subjective value-related activity in the medial prefrontal cortex across all three tasks. We found no consistent evidence for age differences in either preferences or the neural representations of subjective value across adulthood. These results suggest that while the tolerance of decision features is behaviorally dissociable, subjective value signals share a common representation across adulthood.
Coyote Brush as Facilitator of Native California Plant Recovery in the Santa Monica Mountains

Exotic annual grasses now cover large areas of southern California that were once stands of native California sage scrub (CSS), or a mixture of native grasses, forbs, and CSS. Both CSS and California grasslands are threatened habitats, where restorations of type-converted landscapes are often burdened by the persistent dominance of non-native annual grasses. Research finds that once exotic grasses take hold in these areas, native plant communities are extremely slow to recover, if they recover at all. Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis DC) is a native shrub common to CSS habitat and often appears in a complex mosaic with other vegetation types including grasslands. Coyote brush has been documented invading grasslands, resulting in a change of state from grassland to shrubland in northern California. This study investigates the long-term consequences of coyote brush invasion in a type-converted landscape of southern California. Stands of expanding coyote brush were transected to identify species composition along a spatial and temporal continuum. Results show that, following initial invasion, non-native species are gradually replaced by, not only coyote brush, but also several other noteworthy native species. This study finds that over the 37 yr timeframe, exotic grasses gradually decline while native plant cover increases in landscapes invaded by coyote brush. We conclude that in the Santa Monica Mountain areas studied, coyote brush invasion of type-converted landscapes leads to increased native plant diversity that includes native grasses and a variety of shrubs.
Extending paraconsistent SROIQ

The four-valued paraconsistent logic SROIQ4, originally presented by Ma and Hitzler, is extended to incorporate additional elements of SROIQ. It is shown that the modified logic is classically sound and that its embedding into classical SROIQ is consequence preserving. Furthermore, inserting special axioms into a SROIQ4 knowledge base allows additional nontrivial conclusions to be drawn, without affecting paraconsistency. It is also shown that the interaction of nominals and cardinality restrictions prevents some SROIQ4 knowledge bases from having models. For such knowledge bases, the logic remains explosive.
Case of Silvia: A Schema-Focused Approach

This case study systematically addresses the components and sequence of a Schema-Focused cognitive therapy approach to the assessment, formulation, and treatment of Silvia's anxious and depressive symptoms and enduring life problems. Following a description of the major tools and procedures involved in collecting the evidence that is required to generate a Schema-Focused case conceptualization, a comprehensive formulation of this case is presented as a guide for treatment intervention. A Schema-Focused Therapy approach is then applied to this case, highlighting the four essential strategies—cognitive, experiential, behavioral, and the therapy relationship—used to change Silvia's maladaptive schemas. Adjunctive interventions and potential problems with this therapy approach are also proposed for consideration.
The Total, Elastic and Inelastic Scattering Fast Neutron Cross Sections of Natural Chromium

Neutron total cross sections of natural chromium were measured from 1.0 to 4.5 MeV with intermediate energy resolution at intervals of ≲50 keV. Elastic and inelastic differential scattering cross s...
Stereoregular Polymers from Substituted β-Lactones and β-Lactams

The mechanism of Stereoregulation in the polymerization of β-lactones and lactams is a subject in which very little definitive information is available and, consequently, many unanswered questions exist. Little is known about the molecular basis for the apparent Stereoregulation in these ring-opening polymerization reactions, and unfortunately there is even very little quantitative information on tacticity in these families of polymers. Because of this lack of reliable tacticity information (as a result of the insensitivity of NMR spectra to differences in configurational sequences), stereoregularity is often inferred from crystallinity measurements. Unfortunately, however, there are many anomalies in the relationships between polymer crystallinity and apparent stereoregularity in the polyesters and polyamides obtained from β-lactones and lactams.
National Population and Cost Implications of Treatment with Icosapentyl Ethyl in the United States: An Assessment Based on the REDUCE-IT trial

Icosapent ethyl, an omega-3-fatty acid, was associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with elevated levels of serum triglycerides and at a high-risk of adverse cardiovascular events in the recently completed REDUCE-IT trial. We applied the eligibility criteria of the REDUCE-IT trial to a nationally representative sample of individuals in the United States captured in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for a 6-year period (2009-2014) and estimated the number of individuals nationally that would be potentially eligible for treatment with icosapentyl ethyl. We found that nearly 3 million US adults would potentially be candidates for this therapy. Further, based on the list cost of the drug, if all eligible individuals are treated, the additional cost to the US healthcare system will be almost $9 billion a year.
Questioning the Problematic Nature of School Culture in Elementary Teacher Education

This essay seeks to serve as both commentary and plea to elementary teacher educators and gatekeepers. It first asks us to consider that the culture of elementary teacher education, while characteristically an honorable and moral vocation, can indeed function as an oppressive and marginalizing force in the development, humanization, and growth of aspiring new teachers. Second, it entreats those who work in teacher education to foster, seek out, and support those individuals who find themselves at the diverse, intellectual, creative, and aesthetic margins of traditional elementary teacher preparation norms. To its detriment, the cultural disenfranchisement of these seemingly unconventional new teachers limits the richness of curriculum possibilities, pedagogy, and identity development towards humanization (Freire, 2000). As Danielewicz (2001) suggests and this essay endeavors to make a central thesis, “Teaching is a moral act. A teacher education program should recognize, celebrate, and honor the intentions of prospective teachers who so often feel committed to improving the lives of others, alleviating social inequalities, and eradicating discrimination” (p. 194).
A high-content in vivo screen to identify microRNA epistasis in the repopulating mouse liver

ABSTRACT Liver regeneration is impaired in mice with hepatocyte-specific deficiencies in microRNA (miRNA) processing; yet the roles of individual miRNAs or their combinatorial effects in this process are largely unknown. In this study, we sought to identify miRNAs that regulate hepatocyte repopulation following toxic liver injury in a high-throughput manner using the Fah−/− mouse. We constructed plasmid pools encoding over 30,000 tough decoy (TuD) miRNA inhibitors designed to target hepatocyte miRNAs in a pairwise manner. Plasmid libraries were delivered to hepatocytes of Fah−/− mice at the time of liver injury via hydrodynamic tail vein injection and integrated transgene-containing transposons were quantified following repopulation via high-throughput sequencing. Changes in polysome-bound transcripts following miRNA inhibition were determined using translating ribosome affinity purification followed by high-throughput sequencing. Analysis of TuD abundance in hepatocyte genomic DNA and input plasmid pools identified several thousand miRNA inhibitors that were significantly altered following repopulation. We classified a subset of miRNA-binding sites (MBSs) as having strong effect on liver repopulation, thus implicating the targeted hepatocyte miRNAs as regulators of this process. Furthermore, we generated a high-content map of pairwise interactions between 171 MBSs and identified both synergistic and redundant effects. Our study highlights the power of higher-order screens to uncover miRNA functions that would go undetected by individual miRNA perturbations, and provides a new paradigm for the study of epistasis of miRNA activities.