cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expressiveness of languages

Specialized languages are often a good choice for expressing a set of facts. However, many specialized languages are limited in their expressive power. This paper presents methods for determining when a set of facts is expressible in a language. Some specialized languages have the property that when some collections of facts are stated explicitly, additional facts are stated implicitly. A set of facts should not be stated in such a language unless these implicit facts are correct. This paper presents an algorithm for identifying implicit facts so that they can be checked for correctness. Criteria are also presented for choosing between languages that are sufficiently expressible for a set of facts. This research is being used to build a system that automatically determines when a specialized language is appropriate. It is also relevant to system designers who wish to use specialized languages.
Aerodynamic Characteristics of Syllable and Sentence Productions in Normal Speakers.

Summary Background Aerodynamic measures of subglottic air pressure (Ps) and airflow rate (AFR) are used to select behavioral voice therapy versus surgical treatment for voice disorders. However, these measures are usually taken during a series of syllables, which differs from conversational speech. Repeated syllables do not share the variation found in even simple sentences, and patients may use their best rather than typical voice unless specifically instructed otherwise. This study examined the potential differences in estimated Ps and AFR in syllable and sentence production and their effects on a measure of vocal efficiency in normal speakers. Methods Prospective study. Measures of estimated Ps, AFR, and aerodynamic vocal efficiency (AVE) were obtained from 19 female and four male speakers ages 22–44 years with no history of voice disorders. Subjects repeated a series of /pa/ syllables and a sentence at comfortable effort level into a face mask with a pressure-sensing tube between the lips. Results AVE varies as a function of the speech material in normal subjects. Ps measures were significantly higher for the sentence-production samples than for the syllable-production samples. AFR was higher during sentence production than syllable production, but the difference was not statistically significant. AVE values were significantly higher for syllable versus sentence productions. Conclusions The results suggest that subjects increase Ps and AFR in sentence compared with syllable production. Speaking task is a critical factor when considering measures of AVE, and this preliminary study provides a basis for further aerodynamic studies of patient populations.
An empirical assessment of impact based tornado warnings on shelter in place decisions

Abstract In the spring of 2012, the United States’ National Weather Service implemented new impact based tornado warnings (IBWs) that include information about predicted storm impacts to improve the likelihood of one taking protective action. In addition to including more extreme language, IBWs for especially intense tornadoes include threat tags labeling the impact as “considerable” or “catastrophic.” Research by the author Casteel (2016) [3] showed that, when compared to non-IBWs, IBWs for low intensity tornadoes produced higher intentions of sheltering in place. The research reported here builds upon that earlier work. In four experiments, IBWs for stronger tornadoes are compared to those for weaker tornadoes, to assess whether the severe language used in the higher impact IBWs motivates higher sheltering intentions. Participants adopted the role of a plant manager tasked with keeping employees safe and read IBWs containing differing impact and severity language. At three decision points, the participants stated their likelihood of having employees shelter in place. In three of four experiments, the results show that any warning containing impact language stronger than a low intensity IBW, regardless of the presence of threat tags or extreme language, produced higher sheltering intentions. Additionally, sheltering decisions to “considerable” or “catastrophic” warnings did not differ in two experiments involving adult samples. These results suggest that the heightened risk transmitted by the stronger impact statements does communicate increased risk and that extreme language is not necessary to craft an effective tornado warning.
Analytics with smart arrays: adaptive and efficient language-independent data

This paper introduces smart arrays, an abstraction for providing adaptive and efficient language-independent data storage. Their smart functionalities include NUMA-aware data placement across sockets and bit compression. We show how our single C++ implementation can be used efficiently from both native C++ and compiled Java code. We experimentally evaluate smart arrays on a diverse set of C++ and Java analytics workloads. Further, we show how their smart functionalities affect performance and lead to differences in hardware resource demands on multicore machines, motivating the need for adaptivity. We observe that smart arrays can significantly decrease the memory space requirements of analytics workloads, and improve their performance by up to 4x. Smart arrays are the first step towards general smart collections with various smart functionalities that enable the consumption of hardware resources to be traded-off against one another.
Ureteroscopy. Development and instrumentation.

Ureteroscopy is still a relatively new urologic procedure. It first was shown in 1912 but not performed routinely until the late 1970s. Cooperation between urologists active in this field and the endoscope manufacturers has led to rapid improvements in ureteroscope design. With the development of flexible fiberoptics, rigid, semirigid, and flexible ureteroscopes have been miniaturized to allow even safer access to the upper urinary tract. Each ureteroscope design has different advantages and limitations. Knowledge of these allows the urologist to select the best tool for each endoscopic task.
Talpa europaea (European mole)

Identification of the X can be ascertained by H3-thymidine autoradiography. Identification of the Y is unequivocal by morphology. One pair of the large submetacentrics has a deep secondary constriction on the short arm near the centromere.
Horror “After Theory”

Building on accounts offered by Judith Ryan and Nicholas Dames, Enright explores the ways in which Paul Tremblay’s novel, A Head Full of Ghosts, helps situate the horror genre within conversations about literature “after” literary theory. This chapter demonstrates that Tremblay comes alongside a number of other authors included in what Dames terms the “theory generation,” authors who make theory part of the content of their novels and thus comment on the still-evolving relationship between literature and literary studies. Enright shows that Tremblay uniquely implicates horror fiction as part of this conversation, drawing renewed attention to the historical relationship between the horror genre and postmodernism.
2-Deoxy-D-glucose reduces epileptiform activity by presynaptic mechanisms

2-Deoxy-d-glucose (2DG) is a glycolytic inhibitor and suppresses epileptiform activity acutely and has chronic antiepileptic effects. The mechanisms of the acute effects are not well delineated. In...
The Evolution of Professionalism in the Field of Election Administration

As the pressures on election administration have changed over the years, so has the need for a more professionalized workforce. In this chapter, the authors discuss the trajectory of professionalism in election administration. They begin with a history of professionalism in the field, provide an overview of extant training and education, and analyze differences in professionalism across the states and covariates to these differences. They conclude with a discussion of how the professionalism of the field should move forward to better support the future of election administration.
The potential impact of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion on reducing colorectal cancer screening disparities in African American males

Few investigations have explored the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act on health disparity outcomes in states that chose to forgo Medicaid expansion. Filling this evidence gap is pressing as Congress grapples with controversial healthcare legislation that could phase out Medicaid expansion. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a commonly diagnosed, preventable cancer in the US that disproportionately burdens African American men and has substantial potential to be impacted by improved healthcare insurance coverage. Our objective was to estimate the impact of the Affordable Care Act (increasing insurance through health exchanges alone or with Medicaid expansion) on colorectal cancer outcomes and economic costs among African American and White males in North Carolina (NC), a state that did not expand Medicaid. We used an individual-based simulation model to estimate the impact of ACA (increasing insurance through health exchanges alone or with Medicaid expansion) on three CRC outcomes (screening, stage-specific incidence, and deaths) and economic costs among African American and White males in NC who were age-eligible for screening (between ages 50 and 75) during the study period, years of 2013-2023. Health exchanges and Medicaid expansion improved simulated CRC outcomes overall, though the impact was more substantial among AAs. Relative to health exchanges alone, Medicaid expansion would prevent between 7.1 to 25.5 CRC cases and 4.1 to 16.4 per 100,000 CRC cases among AA and White males, respectively. Our findings suggest policies that expanding affordable, quality healthcare coverage could have a demonstrable, cost-saving impact while reducing cancer disparities.
Using feedback to enhance motivation and performance

Giving your team feedback on their performance is your most important job as a supervisory leader. Your team won’t know how they are doing unless you give them feedback that they can understand and use. Even worse, without good feedback, employees who are performing badly might think they are doing great, and employees who are excelling might think they are failing. In either case, feedback is powerfully connected with motivation, either to improve substandard performance or to continue improving already strong performance.
Field-programable-gate-array-based distributed coincidence processor for high count-rate online positron emission tomography coincidence data acquisition.

For PET online data acquisition, a centralized coincidence processor (CCP) with a single-thread data processing has been used to select coincidence events for many PET scanners. CCP has the advantage of highly integrated circuit, compact connection between detector front-end and system electronics, and centralized control of data process and decision making. However, it also has the drawbacks of data process delay, difficult to handle very high count-rates of singles and coincidence events, and complicated algorithms to implement. These problems exacerbated when to implement CCP on a field-programable-gate-array (FPGA) due to increased routing congestion and reduced data throughput. Industry companies have applied non-centralized or distributed data processing to solve these problems, but those solutions remain either proprietary or without full disclosure of technical details that make the techniques unclear and difficult for adapting to most research communities. In this study, we investigated the use of a set of distributed coincidence processors (DCP) that can address the CCP problems and be implemented relatively easily. Each coincidence processor exclusively connects one detector pair and selects coincidence events from this detector pair only, which breaks a centralized coincidence process to a collection of independent and parallel processes. DCP can significantly minimize the data process delay, maximize count-rates of coincidence events, and simplify its implementation by implementing a single coincidence processor with one detector pair and replicating it to the rest. A prototype DCP with 42 coincidence processors was implemented on an off-the-shelf FPGA development board for a small PET with 12 detectors configured with 42 detector pairs. DCP performances were tested with both pulsed signals and gamma ray interactions. There was no coincidence data loss up to the detector's maximum singles count-rate (250 k/s). Approximately 1.2k registers was utilized for each coincidence processor, and the FPGA resource utilization was proportional to the number of coincidence processors. Coincidence timing spectra showed the results from accurately acquired coincidence events. In conclusion: complementary to CCP, DCP can provide high count-rate capability, simplified algorithm for implementation, and potentially a practical solution for online acquisition of a PET with a larger number of detector pairs or for ultrahigh-throughput imaging.
Examining reporting and representation of patients with cancer in COVID-19 clinical trials.

Background Patients with cancer are particularly vulnerable in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging evidence suggests that patients with a cancer diagnosis are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 compared to non-cancer patients. Due to these observed risks, it is critical that emerging COVID-19 therapies demonstrate safety and efficacy among patients with cancer. Aim This study sought to examine reporting and representation of patients with cancer among published COVID-19 treatment-related research studies. Methods and results All published COVID-19 treatment-related clinical research studies published from March 1 to August 20, 2020 recruiting from North America and Europe were identified. The date published, study design, therapeutics studied, and study population were evaluated. Of the 343 studies identified through initial search and researcher knowledge, 55 (16%) reported on COVID-19 treatments. Twenty-one COVID-19 therapeutic studies (n = 15, prospective; n = 6, retrospective) that recruited from the United States and Europe were identified. Among these studies, eight (38%) reported on the number of trial participants with a cancer diagnosis in the publication and two (10%) specified tumor type. Four of the studies (19%) did not collect cancer history. Among studies where cancer history was available, patients with a cancer diagnosis participated at a proportion higher than overall cancer prevalence and greater than the known proportion of COVID-19 patients with cancer. Conclusion This study observed that cancer history was not uniformly collected or reported among published COVID-19 therapeutic studies. Among reported publications, we observed that patients with a cancer diagnosis were generally overrepresented. However, patients with a cancer diagnosis were notably underrepresented in outpatient COVID-19 therapeutic studies.
Loss of H2R Signaling Disrupts Neutrophil Homeostasis and Promotes Inflammation-Associated Colonic Tumorigenesis in Mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS We previously showed that histamine suppressed inflammation-associated colonic tumorigenesis through histamine type 2 receptor (H2R) signaling in mice. This study aimed to precisely elucidate the downstream effects of H2R activation in innate immune cells. METHODS Analyses using online databases of single-cell RNA sequencing of intestinal epithelial cells in mice and RNA sequencing of mouse immune cells were performed to determine the relative abundances of 4 histamine receptors among different cell types. Mouse neutrophils, which expressed greater amounts of H2R, were collected from the peritoneum of wild-type and H2R-deficient mice, of which low-density and high-density neutrophils were extracted by centrifugation and were subjected to RNA sequencing. The effects of H2R activation on neutrophil differentiation and its functions in colitis and inflammation-associated colon tumors were investigated in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. RESULTS Data analysis of RNA sequencing and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that Hrh2 is highly expressed in neutrophils, but barely detectable in intestinal epithelial cells. In mice, the absence of H2R activation promoted infiltration of neutrophils into both sites of inflammation and colonic tumors. H2R-deficient high-density neutrophils yielded proinflammatory features via nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways, and suppressed T-cell proliferation. On the other hand, low-density neutrophils, which totally lack H2R activation, showed an immature phenotype compared with wild-type low-density neutrophils, with enhanced MYC pathway signaling and reduced expression of the maturation marker Toll-like receptor 4. CONCLUSIONS Blocking H2R signaling enhanced proinflammatory responses of mature neutrophils and suppressed neutrophil maturation, leading to accelerated progression of inflammation-associated colonic tumorigenesis.
Linear Immigration-Death-Migration Models

Consider now the stochastic LIDM model, which generalizes the basic single-population LID model introduced in Chapter 4. A simple case of this LIDM model is considered in Chapter 9 to illustrate the basic methodology for multiple populations. This chapter develops a more general case, specifically the case with multiple inputs and two-way migration between compartments. The corresponding deterministic model is given in (8.4) of Chapter 8, with its solution in (8.5) and (8.6), and with the illustration of mercury uptake by fish in Section 8.3.1.
Model Evaluation and Performance

Whether the behavior of a model matches the behavior of the (real) system–sufficiently well–has always been a matter of great interest. In lay terms, these are the essential questions one would like to have answered in seeking to evaluate a model: (i) has the model been constructed of approved materials, i.e. approved constituent hypotheses (in scientific terms)? (ii) does its behavior approximate well that observed in respect of the real thing? (iii) does it work, i.e. does it fulfill its designated task, or serve its intended purpose?
DNA sequence amplification in human prostate cancer identified by chromosome microdissection: potential prognostic implications

The primary aim of this report was to examine the significance of increased DNA sequence copy number (gene amplification) in human prostate cancers. Three methodologies (chromosome microdissection, comparative genomic hybridization, and fluorescence in situ hybridization) were combined to (a) identify a common region of gene amplification in human prostate cells and (b) evaluate in patient samples the prevalence of this genetic change in both primary and recurrent prostate samples. The results of chromosome microdissection revealed a common amplified band region (8q24.1-24. 2) in two prostate cases with cytological evidence of gene amplification (double minutes). Fluorescence in situ hybridization using the 8q microdissection probe was performed on fresh tumor touch preparations from 44 randomly selected prostatectomy specimens. Amplification of DNA sequences from 8q24 was observed in 4 (9%) of 44 cases. Four of the 44 patients in this series presented with a positive lymph node at initial diagnosis and 3 of these 4 patients showed 8q amplification. Because of this finding, comparative genomic hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed on tumor cells from nine prostate cancer patients with recurrent disease. In eight of nine cases a gain of DNA sequences encompassing 8q24 was observed. Taken together with other evidence implicating 8q gain in prostate cancer progression, these results suggest that the analysis of this genetic change may have diagnostic utility as a marker of prostate cancer progression.
Men's reactions to their partners' elective abortions

Sixty men who accompanied their wives or girlfriends when the latter came for elective abortions were surveyed to explore, broadly, men's experience of abortion. Portions of the survey relevant to health care revealed that most men felt involved in the abortion experience. They initially wished to play an active, but circumscribed, role in matters related to abortion; they wanted to accompany their partners in order to be supportive and considered themselves responsible, along with their partners, for preventing unwanted pregnancies and choosing abortion. In contrast, there was initially a lack of interest in participation in clinic functions or learning about abortion and contraception despite inadequate knowledge. However, as information and comfort with the setting were gained, it became apparent that greater responsiveness was there to be tapped. Permitting men increased participation in abortion services, both educational and psychological, is discussed as advantageous.
Specializing Cache Structures for High Performance and Energy Conservation in Embedded Systems

Increasingly tight energy design goals require processor architects to rethink the organizational structure of microarchitectural resources. We examine a new multilateral cache organization, replacing a conventional data cache with a set of smaller region caches that significantly reduces energy consumption with little performance impact. This is achieved by tailoring the cache resources to the specific reference characteristics of each application. In applications with small heap footprints, we save about 85% of the total cache energy. In the remaining applications, we employ a small cache for frequently accessed heap data and a larger cache for low locality data, achieving an energy savings of 80%.
The NLN responds to emerging trends in nursing education.

Throughout 2013, the NLN convened a series of think tanks and roundtables to address significant issues that currently influence nursing education nationally and inter- nationally. The work is ongoing. The NLN is grateful to the participants, nursing and health care leaders who contribute their time and expertise to the NLN mission: to promote ex- cellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the nation's health.Doctoral Preparation for the Educator Role (March 2013)This invitational think tank was designed to promote a gen- erative dialogue to consider an inclusive way forward for educator role preparation within PhD and DNP programs nationally. Outcomes of the gathering offer a conceptual approach to link educational preparation to health care re- form. Participants are working with the NLN to strengthen the advocacy of evidence-based teaching and nurse edu- cator preparation at the doctoral level in ways that embody the League's core values of caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence. Led by Dr. Judith Halstead, NLN president, the group is developing an NLN vision statement to:* Identify why doctoral preparation for the educator role is essential to educate nursing students to achieve better health outcomes through improved patient care and en- hanced quality and safety.* Explore ways to reframe the current dialogue, away from thinking in solos (education vs. practice) to promoting the practice of expert clinicians translating their knowl- edge and skills for nursing students at all levels through evidence-based teaching.* Make recommendations to position nurse educator preparation as essential for educational reform to ad- vance the nation's health.Members: Marsha Howell Adams, president-elect, NLN; Teresa Shellenbarger, governor-at-large, NLN; Diane M. Billings, Jan Boller, W. Richard Cowling III, Cheryl Woods Giscombe, Versie Johnson-Mallard, Karen H. Morin, Bar- bara J. Patterson, Nancy C. Sharts-Hopko.NLN Invitational Think Tank to Develop a National LPN/LVN Curriculum (April 2013)While the United States moves toward the redesign of both nursing education and clinical practice, the NLN deter- mined that it is necessary to more fully support the LPN/ LVN workforce to secure a vital role within a reformed health care system. This invitational think tank was de- signed to explore and define an inclusive approach to position LPN/LVN nurse graduates to play a vital role in providing quality, patient-centered, evidence-based care. Participants began the work of structuring a transformative curriculum model that is informed by current health care trends and creates a foundation for academic progression to RN and APRN roles, building on the diversity of the LPN/LVN workforce and its commitment to quality care for older adults in both acute and long-term care settings. …
Volatility Skew, Earnings Announcements, and the Predictability of Crashes

This paper examines the relation between firm-level implied volatility skew and the likelihood of extreme negative events, or crash risk. I show that volatility skew identifies which firms are likely to experience crashes, but only in short-window earnings announcement periods. The predictive power is incremental to the information in historical volatility, financial reporting opacity, and even the current period’s earnings surprise. In contrast, volatility skew does not predict crashes outside of earnings periods, even in regressions with few independent variables, and even when those periods include management earnings forecasts. At best, volatility skew contains modest information about future price declines, but only when looking at cumulative returns over several months. While prior research concludes that volatility skew contains information about future earnings shocks, these results indicate that, outside of quarterly earnings announcements, option investors have difficulty predicting when the adverse earnings news will be revealed.
Accelerated partial breast irradiation using TARGIT: the pros, cons and the need for long-term results.

Evaluation of: Vaidya JS, Joseph DJ, Tobias JS et al. Targeted intraoperative radiotherapy versus whole breast radiotherapy for breast cancer (TARGIT-A trial): an international, prospective, randomised, non-inferiority Phase 3 trial. Lancet 376(9735), 91–102 (2010).The Targeted Intraoperative Radiotherapy A (TARGIT-A) trial comparing accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) using targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT) versus whole-breast irradiation in early-stage breast cancer reports noninferiority of local failure rates at 4-year follow-up. These promising early results will be followed closely in coming years by results from additional randomized clinical trials comparing whole-breast irradiation with APBI. Validation of APBI by these trials as a safe and effective treatment for a select group of early-stage breast cancers will usher in a new era and a welcome advance in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. APBI has the potential to significantly decrease treatment time and cost, al...
Site-bond percolation problems

We study a percolation process in which both sites and bonds are randomly blocked, independent of each other. In the Bethe lattice, the exact solution for the percolation threshold is found to be a hyperbola in thex-p plane, wherex andp are the respective probabilities of each site and bond being unblocked. Percolation threshold for a square and a simple cubic lattice is obtained by computer simulation. We also present a result obtained by a real-space renormalization group technique for the square lattice.
Proposed cause of marked vasopressin resistance in a female with an X-linked recessive V2 receptor abnormality.

Almost all cases of congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) are transmitted in an X-linked recessive manner by an asymptomatic carrier female to her affected son. Severe symptomatic NDI has not previously been reported in a female with X-linked recessive NDI. Each of the three members of this family has an abnormal V2 receptor gene, which results in truncation of the V2 receptor beginning at arginine-337. This prematurely terminates the receptor at the carboxy-terminal tail and very likely disrupts receptor function. The son has an abnormal V2 receptor gene on his X-chromosome, whereas the mother and daughter have one normal and one abnormal gene for the V2 receptor. The infusion of desmopressin into the mother and son reveals a total lack of antidiuretic response, whereas the daughter increases urinary osmolality normally. The plasma factor VIII concentration after the infusion of desmopressin in the son does not rise, whereas the mother and daughter have half of the normal factor VIII response, ...
Analysis of the 1980 Heat Wave in Memphis

During the heat wave of 1980, average daily temperatures in Memphis first rose above the mean on June 25 and remained elevated for 26 consecutive days. In July, 1980, 83 heat-related deaths were recorded as compared to non in July 1979. Most of these deaths occurred in elderly, poor, black, inner-city residents. There was a statistically significant increase in total mortality rates, death from natural causes, cardiovascular mortality rates, and the rate for persons dead on arrival. Virtually all the excess mortality was in persons over the age of 60. The rise in heat-related emergency room visits occurred three days prior to the rise in heat-related deaths. Local planning for future heat waves should focus on the inner-city black elderly. Heat-related deaths and emergency room visits should be reported to public health officials.
Dichlorvos space treatment for protection of packaged flour against insect infestation

Abstract Dichlorvos vapor was applied weekly from dichlorvos-impregnated resin pellets into 42·5 m3 (1500 ft3) chambers. The chambers contained insect-free flour packaged in cotton sheeting, and in multiwall paper bags stacked at various distances from similar bags of infested flour. The dichlorvos concentration attained in the chambers from the weekly application of vapor was about 3 μg/1. After 5 months of storage, the number of insects found in the flour indicated that the dichlorvos applications retarded the infestation of flour in cotton bags and prevented the infestation of flour in the multiwall paper bags. Chemical analysis showed that dichlorvos residues were less than 0·1 ppm in the flour and, in general, less than 1·1 μg/dm2 (10 μg/ft2) on the packaging materials.
The Virtual Command & Control Center: 3D Visualization For Situational Awareness

High performance, low-cost, collaborative applications have enabled access to large amounts of situational awareness information suitable for the creation of the Battlespace picture. The Virtual Command Post provides decision makers with a perspective display of a command center's environment into which multiple information screens are mapped onto virtual walls. A prototype virtual command post, the VirtRoom application, is described.
Building design principles for hot humid regions

Abstract The paper discusses objectives and principles for building design, from the human comfort aspects, in regions with hot humid summers and mild winters . The issues discussed are: Building layout; Openings and ventilation; Orientation with respect to the sun and the wind; Thermal mass; Special problems in Hurricane regions.
Ethanol Steam Reforming on Co/CeO2: The Effect of ZnO Promoter

A series of ZnO promoted Co/CeO2 catalysts were synthesized and characterized using XRD, TEM, H2-TPR, CO chemisorption, O2-TPO, IR-Py, and CO2-TPD. The effects of ZnO on the catalytic performances of Co/CeO2 were studied in ethanol steam reforming. It was found that the addition of ZnO facilitated the oxidation of Co0 via enhanced oxygen mobility of the CeO2 support which decreased the activity of Co/CeO2 in C–C bond cleavage of ethanol. 3 wt% ZnO promoted Co/CeO2 exhibited minimum CO and CH4 selectivity and maximum CO2 selectivity. This resulted from the combined effects of the following factors with increasing ZnO loading: (1) enhanced oxygen mobility of CeO2 facilitated the oxidation of CH x and CO to form CO2; (2) increased ZnO coverage on CeO2 surface reduced the interaction between CH x /CO and Co/CeO2; and (3) suppressed CO adsorption on Co0 reduced CO oxidation rate to form CO2. In addition, the addition of ZnO also modified the surface acidity and basicity of CeO2, which consequently affected the C2–C4 product distributions.
Specific heat of URu2Si2: Effect of pressure and magnetic field on the magnetic and superconducting transitions

Abstract Specific heats were measured in the range 0.3 ⩽T⩽30 K for 0⩽H⩽7T and P=0, and for H=0 and 0⩽P⩽6.3 kbar. For H=0 and P=0, the measurements were extended to 0.15K. Above the superconducting transition the H=0 and 7T data can be superimposed. For the magnetic transition near T0 = 18K, T0 increased with increasing P accompanied by a broadening and attenuation of the specific heat anomally. The superconducting transition near Tc = 1.5 K was broadened, attenuated and shifted to lower temperatures for both increasing P and H. The superconducting transition is similar to that of UPt3, and both the temperature dependence of the superconducting state specific heat and the derived parameters are consistent with an unconventional polar-type pairing.
Micro-slotted whispering gallery mode resonators for optomechanical applications

We present a study of augmented whispering gallery mode optical resonators that contain one or more narrow slots, through which the optical field exits the resonator's dielectric material and propagates in free space. We developed a theoretical model describing the micro-slotted resonator mode spectrum, and we find the theoretical results of the single-slot case are in close agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, we examine a double-slot configuration that forms a cantilever-like partition within the circulating high-Q optical modes. The system exhibits high displacement sensitivity that could lead to optomechanical sensing applications.
Pad and Chaff: secure approximate string matching in private record linkage

The promise of high-quality, integrated data sets for policy analysis is great. However, significant impediments remain that make the creation of such data sets very difficult. The identification of processes and algorithms for carrying out approximate string matching on personal-level information while at the same time keeping that information unknown (private linkage) is quickly growing in importance. Without these processes and algorithms, the creation of high-quality data sets integrated from multiple public agencies remains difficult. In this paper, a method for carrying out secure, private string-matching between data sets using standard string similarity measures is presented.
Feasibility of quantitative separation of the threo- and erythro-forms of amino-acids by column chromatography.

THE methods that are at present available for the separation of the diastereoisomeric forms of amino-acids are subject to several limitations. In the usual fractionation procedures only one of the isomers, at most, is obtained pure, the other remaining contaminated. A high degree of purity is realized only at the expense of yield. The difficulties inherent in isotopic synthesis make the above operations increasingly wasteful, thus further limiting the practicability of these methods.
Incisional negative pressure therapy to prevent wound complications following cesarean section in morbidly obese women: a pilot study.

Objective. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of incisional negative pressure therapy in decreasing postoperative wound complications when placed prophylactically over clean, closed incisions following cesarean section in obese patients. Study design. This was a retrospective cohort study comparing rates of wound complications following cesarean sections in morbidly obese women prior to and following the institution of standard use of prophylactic incisional negative pressure therapy. All women with a body mass index greater than 45 kg/m2 undergoing cesarean section in a 2-year period in a single institution were included. The exposure was incisional negative pressure therapy, which began in September 2009, versus standard wound dressing used in the previous year. The main outcome was wound complication identified by ICD-9 codes. Demographic and wound outcomes were compared with χ2 and t tests. Stata version 11.0 was used for all analysis. Results. A total of 63 women met the inclusion criteria, 21 of who...
Left ventricular assist device improves survival in children with left ventricular dysfunction after repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery.

Background. Repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) in infants carries a high operative risk, particularly in infants with myocardial infarction and poor left ventricular function. The marked recovery of left ventricular function reported late after repair, however, suggests that an aggressive approach to repair should be undertaken. Methods. Of 31 children undergoing primary repair of ALCAPA at our institution from 1987 to 1996, 26 were infants (6 weeks to 9 months old). All but 2 had severe left ventricular dysfunction, and 8 had moderate to severe mitral regurgitation. Seven children were unable to be weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass because of poor left ventricular function and elevated left atrial pressure. These 7 children were placed on mechanical left ventricular support using a centrifugal pump, with support ranging from 2.2 to 70.6 hours. Results. One child died shortly after the start of left ventricular assist (2.2 hours), and another died of arrhythmia within 24 hours after successful decannulation. All 5 survivors had significant improvement in left ventricular function, with 2 requiring late mitral valve repair. Conclusions. Infants with ALCAPA who have severe left ventricular dysfunction represent a higher risk group for repair. However, with use of mechanical circulatory support in those unable to be weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass, a high survival rate can be achieved with good long-term recovery. We conclude that an aggressive approach to early repair in all children with ALCAPA is warranted, regardless of the degree of left ventricular dysfunction.
Is the share of agricultural maintenance research rising in the United States

Abstract Public research is a major contributor to agricultural productivity growth, but if research investments are not maintained, agricultural productivity can decline over time. Maintenance research replaces deteriorated research knowledge to forestall a productivity decline. Knowledge of the magnitude of maintenance research can facilitate a more complete assessment of the value of agricultural research programs. Trends in maintenance research and sources of change in those trends are investigated. Results indicate that overall, about 40% of US agricultural research is devoted to maintenance, up from about a third 25 years ago. A model is developed and estimated to explain maintenance research expenditures. Research funding, climatic conditions, insect and pathogen control, and agricultural production choices influence maintenance research expenditures. Increased reliance on out-of-state funding sources may skew agricultural research away from maintenance research, while climate change may increase the need for such research.
IR vision system for the estimation of gait phase of the MIT-Skywalker

The MIT-Skywalker is a robotic device intended to promote gait rehabilitation. It makes use of the concept of passive walkers, using gravity to actuate the leg during the swing phase. The timing and profile of the robot actuation relies on gait phases triggered by the subject's leg position. We employ a vision system to determine these phases. In this paper, we present this novel vision system employed to determine the two-dimensional gait kinematics in the sagittal plane. The system uses a single high resolution camera running at a high frame rate to enable human-in-the-loop control of the robot. Operating solely in the infrared spectrum, the vision system is able to be used in cluttered clinical environments. Here we characterize the performance of this vision system, showing angle errors of less Than 1° with a loop time smaller than 10 msec Such accuracy and speed allow smooth motion control of the MIT-Skywalker and can also log high resolution gait data.
A new species of Boletus section Luridi from Colombia

Boletus pyrrhosceles (sectionLuridi) is newly described from Dept. Narino, where it is associated withQuercus humboldtii. This is the first report of a red-pored bolete from Colombia.
A Functional Model of Flightdeck Agenda Management

Our research represents an effort to understand and facilitate the management of flightdeck activities by pilots. We developed a preliminary, normative theory of Cockpit Task Management (CTM) and from it defined an error taxonomy. Based on analyses using this error taxonomy we found CTM errors in 76 (23 per cent) of 324 aircraft accident reports and 231 (49 per cent) of 470 aircraft incident reports. Concluding that CTM is a significant factor in flight safety and recognizing the need to broaden as well as refine the concept, we developed a model of Agenda Management, which includes management not only of tasks, but goals, functions, actor assignments, and resource allocations as well. Major components of the functional model include maintaining situation awareness, managing goals (recognizing, inferring, and prioritizing), managing functions (activating, assessing status, and prioritizing), assigning actors (pilots and flightdeck automation) to functions, and allocating resources (such as displays and co...
SU‐D‐16A‐03: A Radiation Pneumonitis Dose‐Response Model Incorporating Non‐ Local Radiation‐Induced Bystander Effect

Purpose: Dose-response models that can reliably predict radiation pneumonitis (RP) to guide radiation therapy (RT) for lung cancer presently do not exist. A model is proposed that incorporates non-local radiationinduced bystander effect (RIBE). Methods: A single sigmoid response function, derived from published data for whole lung irradiation, relates RP probability to cumulative lung damage, regardless of fractionation scheme. Lung damage is assumed to be caused by direct local radiation damage, quantified via the linear-quadratic (LQ) model, and RIBE. Based on published data, RIBE is assumed to be activated when per-fraction dose rises above ∼0.6 Gy, but is constant with dose above that threshold. Integral RIBE damage is assumed proportional to lung volume irradiated above ∼0.6 Gy per fraction. Key model parameters include LQ α and β, and two RIBE parameters: the single-fraction probability δ of damage, and a proportionality parameter κ that relates the potential for RIBE damage to irradiated lung volume. All parameters are tentatively fitted from published data, the RIBE parameters from published RP rates for conventionally fractionated RT (CFRT) and stereotactic body RT (SBRT). Results: The model predicts dose-response curves that are consistent with clinical experience. It provides a tentative explanation for why V20 (33 fractions), V13 (20 fractions) and V5 (<10 fractions) are observed to be correlated with RP. It also provides a plausible explanation for the success of SBRT — RIBE damage increases with the number of fractions, so penalizes CFRT relative to SBRT. Conclusion: The proposed model is relatively simple, extrapolates from published data, plausibly explains several clinical observations, and produces dose-response curves that are consistent with clinical experience. While capable of elaboration, its ability to explain doseresponse experience with different fractionation schemes using a small number of assumptions and parameters is an advantage.
Chemistry Is in the News: assessing intra‐group peer review

Interdisciplinarity is rapidly becoming a norm within both the professional and academic worlds, and the ability to collaborate is becoming an essential skill for all graduates. Chemistry Is in the News (CIITN) is a curriculum that aims to teach students this skill by engaging student collaborative groups in a project that ties real world events and topics to the content taught in the classroom. While the collaborative activity has been successful in many ways, the challenge of maintaining individual accountability within the collaborative activity has persisted. The need to balance the tension between promoting collaboration and maintaining individual performance standards drove the development of an intra‐group peer review system. In developing this peer review system, four goals guide the design: the desire to promote collaboration, to produce a differentiated score among group members reflecting the contribution each person made, to improve student perception of fairness and accuracy in the assessment...
Concentration dependence of superconductivity in rubidium tungsten bronzes

Rubidium tungsten bronzes of compositionRbxWO3 (0.20 < x < 0.33) have been prepared in well-defined crystalline form and examined for superconductivity by flux-expulsion techniques. An unusual double maximum with peak values in the critical temperature of 4.35°K atx = 0.20 and 2.90°K atx = 0.30 is observed. One possible explanation would be enhanced electron-phonon coupling associated with ordering of rubidium occupancy in the hexagonal tunnels. The effect of acid etching was also examined; it was concluded that an observed increase in critical temperature is not due to hydrogen replacement for rubidium as was postulated. Critical magnetic field studies indicate type II behavior consistent with the Abrikosov-Ginzburg equation.
Limited basement involvement in Caledonian deformation, Hinnøy, Nnorth Norway, and tectonic implications

Abstract Structural and petrographic relationships on east Hinnoy, north Norway, indicate that the Caledonian nappes which are exposed directly to the east were emplaced over an older Precambrian crystalline terrane (Lofoten terrane) while at amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions. Caledonian structural and metamorphic effects disappear structurally downward away from the basal thrust of the nappe stack. The limited involvement of the basement in Caledonian deformation is explained by the limited availability of water which was introduced from external sources. The external water source is hypothetically the autochthonous and allochthonous cover, and the Precambrian Austerfjord Group metasedimentary rocks within the basement, which underwent prograde metamorphic dehydration during Caledonian orogenesis. The mechanisms by which addition of water concentrated strain in the basement probably include reaction-induced ductility-and hydrolytic weakening of the constituent silicate minerals. There are two main tectonic implications: (1) in collisional metamorphic belts, the lithosphere of the underthrusted plate may remain rigid below 15–25 km depth; and (2) the common phenomenon of detachment of crystalline thrust sheets at mid-crustal levels may be controlled in some cases by the limited access of water to pre-existing crystalline rocks, rather than by thermal structure.
Wrongful termination: Balancing employer and employee rights—A summary with recommendations

The employer's right to terminate for any cause has been seriously constrained. Recent court rulings and discrimination legislation make employee termination a hazardous undertaking. The prevailing logic is based on the concept of “just cause.” This concept attempts to balance employer, employee, and society's rights and fit action to the situation. Recommended management action involves little more than careful management of human resources as practiced by well managed firms for many years.