cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The erosion of Abresist

Abstract The erosion behavior of Abresist fusedcast basalt is compared with that of three other wear-resistant ceramic materials: Danto Koruntz (an as-quarried quartzo-feldspathic gneiss), Durafrax 1542 (an SiO2 glass-bonded alumina containing 96 wt.% Al2O3) and KT-SiC (a silicon-bonded silicon carbide containing 89 wt.% SiC). It is shown that the available theoretical models of erosion seriously overestimate the resistance of the gneiss and the basalt relative to the alumina and siliconized silicon carbide materials.
Assessing palpation thresholds of osteopathic medical students using static models of the lumbar spine.

Context Although spinal somatic dysfunction diagnosis is taught at all colleges of osteopathic medicine, few objective measures have been used to evaluate student accuracy. Objective To assess the palpatory skills of osteopathic medical students in evaluating positional asymmetry in the transverse plane using static block transverse process and lumbar spine models. Methods For this observational study, first-year osteopathic medical students completed 3 palpatory assessments using uncovered and covered block transverse process and lumbar spine models to simulate a range of positional asymmetries of the transverse processes. With use of logistic regression, 80%, 90%, and 95% thresholds were defined as the magnitude of asymmetry for which the predicted probability of students correctly determining the direction of asymmetry exceeded a specified amount (.80, .90, or .95). Results A total of 346 students completed the assessments. For the uncovered block transverse process model (assessment 1), students correctly identified the direction of asymmetry with .89 probability at 1 mm of asymmetry (80% threshold), .94 probability at 2 mm (90% threshold), and .95 probability at 3 mm (95% threshold). For the covered block transverse process model, students correctly identified the direction of asymmetry with .80 probability at 1 mm (80% threshold), .92 probability at 2 mm (90% threshold), and .98 probability at 3 mm (95% threshold) by the third assessment. For the uncovered lumbar spine model (assessment 2), students correctly identified the direction of asymmetry with .93 probability at 2 mm (80% and 90% thresholds) and .95 probability at 3 mm (95% threshold). For the covered lumbar spine model (assessments 2 and 3), students correctly identified the direction of asymmetry with .87 probability at 4 mm (80% threshold); 90% and 95% thresholds were not reached with the range of asymmetries tested. Conclusion Most first-year osteopathic medical students were able to discern the direction of positional asymmetry of transverse processes on static models. Depending on the model type, student performance improved (block transverse process models) or declined (lumbar spine models) over time. Future studies should evaluate whether accuracy of palpating lumbar spine models translates to accuracy of palpating human lumbar spines.
Anglo-American Relations in the 1920s: The Struggle for Supremacy

The struggle for supremacy in anglo-American relations in the 1930s idealogogy and diplomacy - Wilsonism and the league of nations in anglo-American relations, 1918-1920, George W.Egerton the symbol and the substance of sea power - Great Britain, the United States and the one power standard 1919-1921, John R.Forris between two giants - Canada, the coolidge conference and anglo-American relations in 1927, B.I.C.McKercher the house of morgan in financial diplomacy, 1920-1930, Kathleen Burk anglo-American monetary policy and rivalry in Europe and the far east, 1919-1931, Roberto Allbert Dayer the image of Britain in the United States, 1919-1929 - a contentious relative and rival, Benjamin D.Rhodes "the drop and latent distrust" - the British official mind and the United States, 1919-1929, B.J.C.McKercher.
Hydractinia antonii sp. nov.: a new, partially calcified hydractiniid (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Hydractiniidae) from Alaska

A new partially calcified hydroid species of the family Hydractiniidae, was found in offshore waters of the Aleutian Islands (Alaska), dredged from the bottom at 139-145 m depth. This is the third known species of extant calcified Hydractiniidae, and it shows a unique colony structure. The base is heavily calcified and the distal parts are ramified and have a solid chitinous structure. Branches are all in one plane and the colony reaches up to 18 cm in height.
How ACORN Was Framed: Political Controversy and Media Agenda Setting

Using the news controversy over the community group ACORN, we illustrate the way that the media help set the agenda for public debate and frame the way that debate is shaped. Opinion entrepreneurs (primarily business and conservative groups and individuals, often working through web sites) set the story in motion as early as 2006, the conservative echo chamber orchestrated an anti-ACORN campaign in 2008, the Republican presidential campaign repeated the allegations with a more prominent platform, and the mainstream media reported the allegations without investigating their veracity. As a result, the little-known community organization became the subject of great controversy in the 2008 US presidential campaign, and was recognizable by 82 percent of respondents in a national survey. We analyze 2007–2008 coverage of ACORN by 15 major news media organizations and the narrative frames of their 647 stories during that period. Voter fraud was the dominant story frame, with 55 percent of the stories analyzed using it. We demonstrate that the national news media agenda is easily permeated by a persistent media campaign by opinion entrepreneurs alleging controversy, even when there is little or no truth to the story. Conversely, local news media, working outside of elite national news media sources to verify the most essential facts of the story, were the least likely to latch onto the “voter fraud” bandwagon.
A Further Assessment of Winter Temperature Predictions Using Objective Methods

Abstract Various statistical models were tested for their reliability in predicting mean winter temperatures in the eastern and central United States. This study was designed td extend, and improve upon, a previous study, which also used statistical methods to formulate and test models for forecasting winter temperatures. In the current study, principal component analysis was performed separately on various predictor fields, which were selected mainly on the basis of physical-statistical relationships proposed in the literature. These predictor fields included the mean monthly sea-surface-temperature (SST) distribution for November in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and in the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as the November 700 mb heights for a portion of the Northern Hemisphere. The time-varying amplitudes. which are derived by applying principal component analysis, were the predictors used as input for screening multiple linear regression. A Southern Oscillation (SO)...
A survey of liquid chromatographic–mass spectrometric analysis of mercapturic acid biomarkers in occupational and environmental exposure monitoring

High-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) is sensitive and specific for targeted quantitative analysis and is readily utilized for small molecules from biological matrices. This brief review describes recent selected HPLC/MS methods for the determination of urinary mercapturic acids (mercapturates) which are useful as biomarkers in characterizing human exposure to electrophilic industrial chemicals in occupational and environmental studies. Electrophilic compounds owing to their reactivity are used in chemical and industrial processes. They are present in industrial emissions, are combustion products of fossil fuels, and are components in tobacco smoke. Their presence in both the industrial and general environments are of concern for human and environmental health. Urinary mercapturates which are the products of metabolic detoxification of reactive chemicals provide a non-invasive tool to investigate human exposure to electrophilic toxicants. Selected recent mercapturate quantification methods are summarized and specific cases are presented. The biological formation of mercapturates is introduced and their use as biomarkers of metabolic processing of electrophilic compounds is discussed. Also, the use of liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry in simultaneous determinations of the mercapturates of multiple parent compounds in a single determination is considered, as well as future trends and limitations in this area of research.
Corrigendum to “A novel approach for in vivo screening of toxins using the drosophila giant fiber circuit”

Corrigendum to “A novel approach for in vivo screening of toxins using the drosophila giant fiber circuit” Monica Mejia , Mari D. Heghinian , Alexandra Busch , Chris J. Armishaw, Frank Mari , Tanja A. Godenschwege a,* Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton Fl 33431, USA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton Fl 33431, USA c Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, 11350 SW Village Parkway, Port Saint Lucie FL 34987, USA
Comparison of supervised pattern recognition techniques and unsupervised methods for MRI segmentation

The use of image intensity based segmentation techniques are proposed to improve MRI contrast and provide greater confidence levels in 3-D visualization of pathology. Pattern recognition methods are proposed using both supervised and unsupervised methods. This paper emphasizes the practical problems in the selection of training data sets for supervised methods that result in instability in segmentation. An unsupervised method, namely fuzzy c- means, that does not require training data sets and produces comparable results is proposed.
Hunger in California: What interventions are needed?

Abstract Objective Although research exists on the nutritional status of individuals and families who seek emergency food, there is little guidance on what to do about it. Our purpose was to develop effective nutrition interventions to assist individuals and families seeking emergency food. Design and subjects Two survey instruments were used to collect data on 697 emergency food providers and 3,365 emergency food clients in 20 California counties between 1986 and 1990. Statistical analyses performed Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results Information from the food providers who staff the emergency food sites revealed insufficient food to meet the growing demand, client difficulties in using the donated food, and the need for information to improve the safety and nutritional quality of the donated food. Information from the emergency food clients documented that 70.4% of them were families with children, 84% had incomes below the poverty level, and 20% reported no income at all. In addition, most clients (70%) were not enrolled in the food stamp program. Applications/conclusions In response to the surveys, counties initiated a variety of interventions, including public awareness campaigns, community development activities, and nutrition education programs. Important strategies are to teach recipients ways to optimize food resources, encourage eligible individuals to enroll in federal nutrition programs, and link individuals with agencies that offer assistance.
Does the Privatization of Social security Make Sense for Developing Nations

We discuss the privatization schemes of Chile and Argentina following a review of three alternatives to privatization. Our major conclusions are as follows: (1) the Chilean scheme has performed very well during much of the past 15 years, but it is not yet clear what will happen during an extended period of economic stagnation and declining financial markets; (2) for many countries it would make more sense to reform existing public pension schemes than to replace them with privatized schemes, at least until one has a better idea how privatized schemes perform in adverse financial environments; (3) privatized schemes have important distributional effects that deserve more attention.
Communication Training and Assessment Using Webcams

Background: Communication training is a necessary and valuable component of the education of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Video recording students during communication exercises provides a basis for providing feedback that allows the students to improve their skills. Objective: To describe how webcams and notebook computers were used as an alternative method for recording students during communication exercises in a professional practice development laboratory in a PharmD program. Methods: P-2 pharmacy students participated weekly in 3-hour laboratory sessions in a professional practice development course and engaged in interviewing and counseling activities. This article describes the transition from VHS camcorders to webcams. Surveys were distributed to 107 students, 8 teaching assistants, and the laboratory instructor. Student perspectives, teaching assistant perspectives, and faculty perspectives for the VHS method and webcam method were evaluated and compared. Results: The majority (75%) of teaching assistants reported a perceived time savings with the webcams, and all teaching assistants and faculty perceived a benefit in providing the students with a digital recording for immediate feedback as compared with a 2-week delay in distributing VHS recordings of patient counseling sessions. More students reported having access to a computer capable of playing the digital video recording as compared with access to a VHS player (96.1% vs 39.8%; p < 0.001). Furthermore, 61.2% of students reported watching the recorded counseling session outside of class. Conclusions: Using webcams for recording pharmacy communication exercises in a pharmacy practice laboratory was demonstrated to provide a useful means for self-assessment and constructive feedback. Additionally, the technique may be useful in other laboratory courses for PharmD students.
Shaping a VLSI wire to minimize delay using transmission line model

We consider continuous wire sizing optimization for non uniform wires. Our objective is to find the shape function of a wire which minimizes delay. This problem has been studied recently under the Elmore delay model (W.C. Elmore, 1948). However, it is well known that Elmore delay is only a rough estimate of the actual delay and thus more accurate models should be used to determine the wire shape function. Our study uses the transmission line model which gives a very accurate estimation of the actual delay. Since previous studies under Elmore delay model suggest that exponential wire shape is effective for delay minimization, we restrict the wire shape function to be of the form f(x)=ae/sup -bx/. By solving the diffusion equation, we derive the transient response in the time domain as a function of a and b for both step and ramp input. The coefficients a and b are then determined so that the actual delay (50% delay) is minimized. Our algorithm is very efficient; in all the experiments we performed, the wire shape functions can be determined in less than 1 second.
Effects of ferric iron reduction and regeneration on nitrous oxide and methane emissions in a rice soil

Abstract A laboratory soil slurry experiment and an outdoor pot experiment were conducted to study effects of ferric iron (Fe(III)) reduction and regeneration on nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions in a rice (Oryza sativa L.) soil. The anoxic slurry experiment showed that enhancing microbial Fe(III) reduction by ferrihydrite amendment (40 mol Fe g−1) transitionally stimulated N2O production and lowered CH4 production by 16% during an initial 33-day incubation. Increased regeneration of Fe(III) through a 4-day aeration period in the Fe-amended slurry compared to the control slurry reduced CH4 emission by 30% in the subsequent 15-day anaerobic incubation. The pot experiment showed that ferrihydrite amendment (63 μmol Fe g−1) stimulated N2O fluxes in the days following flooding. The Fe amendment suppression on CH4 emission was obscured in the early season but became significant upon reflooding in the mid- and late-seasons. As a result, seasonal CH4 emission in Fe-amended pots was 26% lower than the control with a single 2-day drainage and 69% lower with a double 2-day drainage. The reduction in CH4 emission upon reflooding from the Fe-amended pots was mainly attributed to the increased Fe(III) regeneration during drainage showing a mechanism of Fe(III) regeneration in mitigating CH4 emission by short-term drainage in flooded soils.
Protein Kinase C (PKC) δ Regulates PKCα Activity in a Syndecan-4-dependent Manner

The phosphorylation state of Ser(183) in the cytoplasmic tail of syndecan-4 determines the binding affinity of the cytoplasmic tail to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)), the capacity of the tail to multimerize, and its ability to activate protein kinase C (PKC) alpha. We sought to identify the kinase responsible for this phosphorylation and to determine its downstream effects on PKCalpha activity and on endothelial cell function. Among several PKC isoenzymes tested, only PKCalpha and -delta were able to specifically phosphorylate Ser(183) in vitro. However, studies in cultured endothelial cells showed that the phosphorylation level of syndecan-4 was significantly reduced in endothelial cells expressing a dominant negative (DN) PKCdelta but not a DN PKCalpha mutant. Syndecan-4/PIP(2)-dependent PKCalpha activity was significantly increased in PKCdelta DN cells, while PKCdelta overexpression was accompanied by decreased PKCalpha activity. PKCdelta-overexpressing cells exhibited a significantly lower proliferation rate and an impaired tube formation in response to FGF2, which were mirrored by similar observations in PKCalpha DN endothelial cells. These findings suggest that PKCdelta is the kinase responsible for syndecan-4 phosphorylation, which, in turn, attenuates the cellular response to FGF2 by reducing PKCalpha activity. The reduced PKCalpha activity then leads to impaired endothelial cell function. We conclude that PKCdelta regulates PKCalpha activity in a syndecan-4-dependent manner.
Integrated pest management of forest defoliators in the southeastern United States.

Abstract A multitude of defoliating insect species occur in the temperate and sub-tropical forests of the southeastern U.S. Two groups, however, stand out as persistent, annual problems that demand the attention of forest pest managers. These are the tent caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) and the pine sawflies (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae). Pest-management tactics developed to date have involved population dynamics and modeling as well as biological and cultural controls. Sampling schemes using pheromone-baited traps provide an indication of relative population density for several important defoliator species. The use of traditional chemical controls has been inhibited by the diversity of forest fauna, economics, and environmental sensitivity. New pest problems are emerging and are a major focus of research efforts. This has been a result of shifts in resource usage as well as tree stress and subsequent predisposition to previously unimportant pest species.
Voltage clamp characterization of a calcium-dependent chloride conductance in a putative invertebrate motoneuron

1. The properties of a Ca-activated Cl-current ICl(Ca) were investigated with the two electrode voltage clamp technique in the AL1 cell of the leechHaementeria ghilianii. 2. ICl(Ca) was revealed after Cl-loading of the cells, with outward K-currents eliminated by replacement of intra- and extracellular K with Cs, and with Na currents blocked by 1μM TTX. CsCl-containing electrodes were used for recording and current passing. 3. In response to depolarizing voltage steps the cells exhibited sustained Cl-dependent currents the size and polarity of which varied with [Cl]0. The reversal potentials of tail currents of this conductance varied with [Cl]0 as predicted for the equilibrium potential of Cl by the Nernst equation and were unaffected by changes in extracellular cation concentration. 4. The decay of the Cl-dependent tail-currents followed a process which could be described by the sum of two exponentials with time constantsτ1 andτ2 on the order of about 100 ms and 800 ms, respectively. No voltage-dependence of the time constants was apparent; however,τ1 varied with the amount of Ca-influx. 5. The Cl-current required Ca for its activation. All current flow was abolished in Mn-containing Ringer solutions and when Ba was substituted for Ca. However, Sr could partially substitute for Ca as an activator of the current. 6. The activation curve for Cl-dependent tail currents was U-shaped directly paralleling the amount of Ca-influx, and no Cl-current flow could be induced at depolarizations below the activation threshold or beyond the apparent reversal potential for the Ca-current. 7. ICl(Ca) was impermeable to large anions such as proprionate and acetate, but was permeable to both Br and Cl ions.
Weathering, plants, and the long-term carbon cycle

The chemical weathering of Ca-Mg silicate rocks is the principal process whereby CO2 is removed from the atmosphere on long or multimillion-year time scales. At present vascular land plants exert an important influence on weathering by recycling water and by bringing about the secretion of acids and the buildup of high levels of CO2 in soils. Before the spread of vascular plants on the continents during the mid-Paleozoic, chemical weathering must have been achieved by higher levels of atmospheric CO2 and/or by the intercession of primitive land biota such as lichens and cyanobacteria. From examination of several pre-vascular weathering scenarios, it is concluded that in order to prohibit unreasonably high levels of atmospheric CO2, weathering during the Precambrian and early Paleozoic must have taken place under essentially closed-system abiotic conditions (linear feedback) or via strong regulation by primitive biota. Preliminary examination of modern weathering by lichens over tens to thousands of years militates against the latter possibility. However, much more work needs to be done on the quantitative effect of both primitive biota and vascular plants on the rate of weathering (and their response to changes in atmospheric CO2) before anything more definitive can be said.
Assessing atrazine pollution potential to a drinking water reservoir using remote sensing and geographic information system modeling

Water quality monitoring by the City of Dallas, Texas (US) and the Institute of Applied Science, University of North Texas, has recently shown elevated atrazine concentrations in the watershed of a large drinking water reservoir in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area serving over 3,000,000 people. Atrazine is under investigation by numerous researchers as an environmental estrogen that may be involved in increasing breast cancer incidence in humans and impacting health and reproductive systems in wildlife. Since treatment technologies for atrazine removal from finished drinking water can be expensive and provide no protection to aquatic ecosystem health, watershed managers are currently seeking proactive methods to reduce the amount of atrazine entering water supply systems. The most viable approach for reducing atrazine in a drinking water reservoir begins with understanding the distribution and extent of landuse in the watershed where atrazine may be applied. Understanding the spatial distribution o...
Early pulmonary disease in cystic fibrosis

In cystic fibrosis, airway infection and inflammation lead to chronic progressive lung disease. The pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis is still not completely understood, but increasing evidence indicates that the disease process occurs in young patients. Treatment of respiratory symptoms in young pati
Challenges and solutions with augmented cognition technologies: precursor issues to successful integration

Today's combat environment requires increasingly complex interactions between human operators and their systems. Whereas in the past, the roles of human and system were clearly delineated, with the integration of advanced technologies into the C4ISR toolkit, the distinct parsing of tasks has given way to paradigms in which the human operator's roles and responsibilities must dynamically change according to task and context. Yet, current methodologies for integrating the human into the system have not kept pace with this shift. An important consequence of this mismatch between human operator and system is that failures often lead to catastrophic and unrecoverable accidents (O'Connor & Cohn, 2010). In order to reintegrate the human element back into the system, new approaches for representing operator performance, in terms of their individual cognitive and behavioral capacities, limitations and changing needs are required.
UPTAKE OF AMINO ACIDS BY MARINE INVERTEBRATES1

The capacity for removal of amino acids from solution by marine animals was studied by following the concentration of an acid added to the ambient sea water. Thirty-five genera representing 11 phyla were examined. The representatives of 10 of the phyla removed significant quantities of glycine from solution during an observation period of from 16 to 24 hr. This capacity for uptake of glycine was not limited to filter-feeding animals. Observations using representatives of 3 phyla and various amino acids indicated that uptake could occur whether the acid concerned behaved as a cation or an anion at the pH of sea water. Comparison of the amino acid concentrations at the incurrent and excurrent siphons of the clam, Spisula, indicated that removal of glycine took place in the mantle cavity of this animal. Differences as great as 14% were observed. Disappearance of glycine at ambient concentrations as low as 1.5 mg/L could be demonstrated.
Quantitative Approaches to Solute-Solvent Interactions

The interactions between solutes and solvents are noncovalent in nature (barring the occurrence of chemical reactions), and therefore fall into the same category as those that govern molecular recognition processes, the formation and properties of liquids and solids, physical adsorption, etc. Hydrogen bonding, in its many manifestations, is a particularly prominent and important example. It follows from the Hellmann-Feynman theorem that these interactions are essentially Coulombic, and hence can be described accurately in terms of classical electrostatics, given the correct charge distributions. This has been discussed by Hirschfelder et al. The problem, with regard to solute-solvent interactions, is one of scale, i.e., the large number of molecules of the solvent that must be taken into account in order to realistically represent its effects. Thus, whereas interaction energies of relatively small noncovalently-bound complexes are
Immunomodulation for prion and prion-related diseases

Prion diseases are a unique category of illness, affecting both animals and humans, where the underlying pathogenesis is related to a conformational change of a normal self protein called cellular prion protein to a pathological and infectious conformer known as scrapie prion protein (PrP(Sc)). Currently, all prion diseases lack effective treatment and are universally fatal. Past experiences with bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease mainly in Europe, as well as the current epidemic of chronic wasting disease in North America, have highlighted the need to develop prophylactic and/or therapeutic approaches. In Alzheimer's disease that, like prion disease, is a conformational neurodegenerative disorder, both passive and active immunization has been shown to be highly effective in model animals at preventing disease and cognitive deficits, with emerging data from human trials suggesting that this approach is able to reduce amyloid-related pathology. However, any immunomodulatory approach aimed at a self-antigen has to finely balance an effective humoral immune response with potential autoimmune toxicity. The prion diseases most commonly acquired by infection typically have the alimentary tract as a portal of infectious agent entry. This makes mucosal immunization a potentially attractive method to produce a local immune response that partially or completely prevents prion entry across the gut barrier, while at the same time producing modulated systemic immunity that is unlikely to be associated with toxicity. Our results using an attenuated Salmonella vaccine strain expressing the prion protein showed that mucosal vaccination can protect against prion infection from a peripheral source, suggesting the feasibility of this approach. It is also possible to develop active and/or passive immunomodulatory approaches that more specifically target PrP(Sc) or target the shared pathological conformer found in numerous conformational disorders. Such approaches could have a significant impact on many of the common age-associated dementias.
Response-reinforcer relations and the maintenance of behavior.

Abstract The effects on pigeons' key pecking of unsignaled delays of reinforcement and response-independent reinforcement were compared after either variable-interval or differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate baseline schedules. One 30-min session arranging delayed reinforcement and one 30-min session arranging response-independent reinforcement were conducted daily, 6 hr apart. A within-subject yoked-control procedure equated reinforcer frequency and distribution across the two sessions. Response rates usually were reduced more by response-independent than by delayed but response-contingent delivery of reinforcers. Under both schedules, response rates were lower when obtained delays were greater. These results bear upon methodological and conceptual issues regarding comparisons of contingencies that change the temporal response–reinforcer relations.
Reframing the Conversation on College Student Mental Health

The expression “mental health” has become ubiquitous when discussing college students’ lived experiences. While effective, this expression has not, problematically, been deconstructed. In this article, we explore what “mental health” means. Through doing so we identify three unintended effects embedded within its usage: (a) symptoms should be relieved and not understood as meaningful; (b) health refers to objective functioning alone; and (c) expert authority should be emphasized at the cost of local communities. Accordingly, we argue for the importance of resisting the unreflective usage of this term and creating spaces to reframe the conversations, which engages complexity, subjective meaning, and ambiguity.
An Extended Cultural Consensus Theory Model to Account for Cognitive Processes in Decision Making in Social Surveys

In recent decades, cultural consensus theory (CCT) models have been extensively applied across research domains to explore shared cultural knowledge and beliefs. These models are parameterized in terms of person-specific cognitive parameters such as abilities and guessing biases as well as item difficulties. Although psychometric test theory is also formalized in terms of abilities and item difficulties, a quality that clearly sets CCT models apart from other test theory models is their specification to operate on data in which the answer key is latent. In doing so, CCT models specify the answer key as parameters of the model, and also involved with this specification are procedures to verify the integrity of the answer key that is estimated. In this article, the authors develop the following methods to propagate the application of these CCT models in the field of social surveys: (1) by extending the
Impact of Source Inductance on Synchronous Buck Regulator FET Shoot Through Performance

Shoot through is a common design consideration for the synchronous buck regulator. Several papers have been published that show how shoot through is influenced by FET silicon parameters such as RG or CGd/(Cgd+Cgs) (Kocon, 2006), But only limited work has been done on the influence of source inductance on shoot through. In this paper, we will present a detailed analysis of how source inductance impacts shoot through.
Mainstreaming children's vulnerabilities and capacities into community-based adaptation to enhance impact

Children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Despite this, relatively little attention is paid to building their capacity to manage the impacts of climate change they experience now and those they will experience in future. While child-centred approaches are starting to emerge in the field of community-based adaptation, these approaches are almost exclusively used by child-focused organizations. This article argues that mainstreaming children's needs and capacities into broader adaptation efforts can lead to more sustainable outcomes that can help to build long-term community-level adaptive capacity. A series of short examples from the field are used to highlight the different contexts in which child-centred approaches to community-based adaptation are taking place and some outcomes achieved to date. The article concludes that while there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence that taking a child-centred approach to community-based adaptation can build the adaptive capacity of c...
Influence of shell morphology on distributions of unionids in the upper Mississippi River

Attempts to predict the distribution of unionids from readily measurable microhabitat descriptors (i.e. water depth, current velocity, stream size, sediment type) have been largely unsuccessful, but certain biological and calculated hydraulic variables have recently shown some predictive power. We used historic and recent data on unionids (from 1987 to 2003) and hydraulic conditions at 438 sample locations over a 38-km reach of the Upper Mississippi River (Navigation Pool 8) to compare the distribution of unionids with different shell morphologies. We evaluated whether sculptured, thick-shelled (STK) species would be found in areas with higher velocity and shear stress, compared to nonsculptured, thin-shelled (NSTN) species. We used classification trees to model the presence and absence of STK and NSTN species to determine which variables were most likely to predict their distribution. Candidate predictor variables included sampling gear, field substrate, water depth (bathymetry), slope, velocity, shear stress and Froude number under low, moderate and high discharges. Our models predicted that STK mussels would occupy a larger portion of the total aquatic area in this reach of the river than NSTN mussels. However, our data demonstrated that NSTN species used areas of higher shear stress and velocity than STK species, but were also present in backwaters with low energy, thus rejecting our hypothesis. The presence of NSTN species over a wide range of shear stress and velocity was probably due to the wide array of life histories displayed within this guild. Overall, these results are consistent with the flow refuge concept in which unionids are more prevalent in areas with low to moderate hydraulic stresses, regardless of shell morphology, and demonstrate the importance of incorporating abiotic and biotic variables into predictive models.
Mapping the Landscape of Fear of the Cape Ground Squirrel (Xerus inauris)

The suitability of a habitat to an animal includes food availability, physical and climatic factors, population interactions, and safety from predators. Mappings of vegetation, soils, and microclimates across ecological landscapes have become standard and important tools for assessing an animal's habitat. More elusive to the researcher, yet of equal importance to the animal, has been the ability to map the predation risk perceived by an animal. Laundreet al., in developing the concept, defined the landscape of fear as the spatial map of the animal's predation cost of foraging. We mapped this landscape of predation costs by measuring the use of depletable food patches (yielding giving up densities (GUDs)) arranged as a grid across the landscape of interest. The landscapes of fear for 3 colonies of Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris) in Augrabies Falls National Park, South Africa, revealed large and distinct spatial variation in predation costs that appeared to be governed primarily by proximity to burrows and open sight lines. By converting the GUDs into quitting harvest rates (joules per minute), we believe we have translated the animals' perceptions of risk into a physical map whose contours across the landscape represent lines of equal foraging costs. Among the 3 colonies only 3-22% of the space resulted in low foraging costs (,2,500 J/min), whereas 31-92% of the sampled areas represented very high foraging costs (.5,000 J/min).
Correlates and Predictors of Conflict at the End of Life Among Families Enrolled in Hospice

Abstract Context Despite the palliative care mandate to view family as the unit of care, and the high prevalence and detrimental consequences of conflict at the end of life, little research has been conducted with hospice families to understand what contributes to family conflict. Objectives Using a recently generated explanatory matrix of family conflict at the end of life, this study sought to identify the correlates and predictors of family conflict. Methods As part of a larger mixed methods cross-sectional study, a 100-item survey was administered to 161 hospice family caregivers enrolled in a Medicare/Medicaid certified non-profit hospice organization located in the Midwest U.S. Results Although overall levels of conflict were relatively low, 57% of hospice caregivers reported experiencing some family conflict at the end of life. Contextual variables associated with family conflict included a history of family conflict, female gender, younger caregiver age, presence of children in the home, and less advance care planning discussions. Significant main effects in the prediction of family conflict in the final hierarchical multiple regression model included prior family conflict, caregiver age, caregiver gender, advance care planning discussions, family "coming out of the woodwork," communication constraints, and family members asserting control. The model explained 59% of the variance in family conflict. Conclusion Results support the multidimensional theoretical model of family conflict specifying the importance of the family context, key conditions that set the stage for conflict, and essential contributing factors. Implications for routine assessment and screening to identify families at risk and recommendations for future research are highlighted.
Solvent effects on the viscosity of moderately concentrated polymer solutions

Viscosity η o and osmotic pressure π were measured for polymer solutions at 25°C, for concentrations up to 30 g/dl. To elucidate the effects of polymer-solvent interactions of various types, the systems chosen were polystyrene in toluene (good solvent) and decalin (poor solvent), and poly(methylmethacrylate) in chlorobenzene (good) and m-xylene (poor). The surprising result was the generalization that η o for poor-solvent systems increases with concentration faster than for good-solvent systems, so that eventually η o becomes far greater with poor solvents. This behavior is enhanced with polar polymers, and is not explainable on the basis of entanglements in the usual sense. It is believed that polymer aggregation occurs in poor solvents, independent of molecular weight effects. Data were correlated with both the powerlaw and the Simha methods. Characteristic shapes of such curves were related to polymer-solvent effects. Theories for the Huggins constant were found to be inadequate, as was a model proposed earlier (by MCW) for concentrated solutions. The latter was modified by adopting an ad hoc friction constant, which proved successful with good solvents and could be correlated with p to incorporate the poor-solvent data as well.
Inside Earth Runs Hot and Cold

The global mid-ocean ridge system is an interconnected network of volcanoes that produces the oceanic crust, which covers 70% of Earth's surface. The physical and chemical attributes of mid-ocean ridges, such as the depth of the volcanic ridge axis below the sea surface, the thickness of the oceanic crust created there, the composition of the erupted lava, and the way seismic waves interact with the mantle beneath the ridge, collectively reflect the properties of the mantle that melts to form the oceanic crust. On page 80 of this issue, Dalton et al. ( 1 ) explore relationships between global seismic wave velocities in the mantle beneath mid-ocean ridges and a global data set of ridge depth and lava chemistry ( 2 ). They find strong correlations between these three factors, ultimately linking the trends to a global mantle temperature variation of ∼250°C.
Medical image processing utilizing neural networks trained on a massively parallel computer

While finding many applications in science, engineering, and medicine, artificial neural networks (ANNs) have typically been limited to small architectures. In this paper, we demonstrate how very large architecture neural networks can be trained for medical image processing utilizing a massively parallel, single-instruction multiple data (SIMD) computer. The two- to three-orders of magnitude improvement in processing time attainable using a parallel computer makes it practical to train very large architecture ANNs. As an example we have trained several ANNs to demonstrate the tomographic reconstruction of 64 x 64 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images from 64 planar views of the images. The potential for these large architecture ANNs lies in the fact that once the neural network is properly trained on the parallel computer the corresponding interconnection weight file can be loaded on a serial computer. Subsequently, relatively fast processing of all novel images can be performed on a PC or workstation.
Capacitor voltage balancing of a five-level Diode-Clamped Converter based on a predictive current control strategy

Dc-capacitor voltage drift phenomenon is the main technical issue of an n-level (n>3) Diode-Clamped Converter (DCC). This paper presents a predictive current control strategy for a three-phase five-level DCC which enables simultaneous control of ac-side currents and balance of capacitor voltages. The paper derives a discrete-time dynamic model of a five-level DCC. Based on the derived model, a predictive current control strategy is proposed. The proposed control strategy provides prominent features of ac-side current control and capacitor voltage balancing by using a simple and straightforward procedure. The performance of a five-level DCC with the proposed control method, under various operating conditions, is evaluated based on time-domain simulation studies in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The simulation results demonstrate the capability of the proposed predictive current control to control the currents and to maintain voltage balance of the dc capacitors, simultaneously, without any requirement to complicated calculations.
Design of gradient index (GRIN) lens using photonic non-crystals

We use analytical and numerical techniques to design a cylindrical lens with a gradient index of refraction. In our device, we design the desired index distribution by using a photonic crystal with slowly-varying lattice parameters.
Planar Cable-Suspended Haptic Interface: Design for Wrench Exertion

Cable-suspended robots and haptics interfaces are appealing because of their structural simplicity, high stiffness, and high exerted wrench-to-weight ratio. A major drawback is that cables cannot push but can only exert tension. Therefore, actuation redundancy is required; even so, certain configurations and wrenches will fail since they would require one or more cables to push. The objective of this paper is to present the best design for a planar cable-suspended haptic interface with regard to largest workspace with general wrench exertion in light of this cable tension problem. There are infinite designs with infinite wrenches to apply; therefore, the best and worst designs are found by extensive computer simulation given a reasonable quantification of the problem parameters.
Multiobjective Optimization in Transportation: The Case of Equilibrium Network Design

In this paper we offer a statement of the continuous multiobjective equilibrium network design problem and discuss how it may be solved by an adaptation of Geoffrion’s interactive method. The formulation is fully multimodal and employs no symmetry restrictions.
A Tube Seepage Meter for In Situ Measurement of Seepage Rate and Groundwater Sampling

We designed and evaluated a "tube seepage meter" for point measurements of vertical seepage rates (q), collecting groundwater samples, and estimating vertical hydraulic conductivity (K) in streambeds. Laboratory testing in artificial streambeds show that seepage rates from the tube seepage meter agreed well with expected values. Results of field testing of the tube seepage meter in a sandy-bottom stream with a mean seepage rate of about 0.5 m/day agreed well with Darcian estimates (vertical hydraulic conductivity times head gradient) when averaged over multiple measurements. The uncertainties in q and K were evaluated with a Monte Carlo method and are typically 20% and 60%, respectively, for field data, and depend on the magnitude of the hydraulic gradient and the uncertainty in head measurements. The primary advantages of the tube seepage meter are its small footprint, concurrent and colocated assessments of q and K, and that it can also be configured as a self-purging groundwater-sampling device.
Pope Francis and the Economy: Evangelii Gaudium, New Institutional Economics, and the Search for Consistency Across Disciplines

This paper examines the political economy of Pope Francis. Extending the work of Maciej Zieba we attempt to provide context to the pope's statements on economics made within his most recent apostolic exhortation, Evangelii gaudium (Joy of the Gospel), by placing it within the larger spectrum of papal teachings on democracy, economy and society. We also attempt to fill gaps within his analysis by applying lessons drawn from an application of new institutional economics, as well as an extension of this theoretical framework to the economic performance of Argentina. We conclude by providing some comments on the language Pope Francis uses and the need for consistency across disciplines.
Gypsy Moth Eradication in Pacific Coast States: History and Evaluation

No forest insect in the United States has been the target of more research and control than the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.). Eradication of this pest was last attempted in the northeastern United States in the late 1950s (Dunlap 1980). Management efforts there now seek to provide foliage protection of high-value trees. Some states more distant from the general infestation, most notably the Pacific Coast states, are pursuing a policy of total elimination of sparse infestations as they are identified. This eradication policy is controversial because of its failure in the eastern United States and because of citizen opposition to repeated applications of the broad-spectrum insecticides typically used in eradication programs.
Electrodeposited films

This investigation covers: a) control of characteristics of electrodeposited vs. vacuum deposited Permalloy films; b) the preparation of substrates for electrodeposition; c) aging kinetics of electrodeposited NiFeS x films from 60° to 90°C; and d) comparison of aging of NiFeS x films with electrodeposited films containing other impurities, e.g., NiFeP, and with films made by other techniques, e.g., vacuum deposition. The concluding discussion is principally concerned with aging effects.