cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knowedge-based policy conflict analysis for collabrative workspace

In collaborative workspace, collaborations are constrained by different requirements between different participants. Since policy-based management can be used to simplify collaboration management, administrators and users can use policies to define control rules and configurations of collaborative workspaces. These control rules and restrictions actually reflect management needs and business contracts. When collaboration is necessary between participants for a specific task, various management requirements from individuals may have conflicts. The situation is even worse when the collaboration is a one-time event. To detect and resolve potential conflicts within a collaborative workspace, a knowledge-based agent framework is proposed and used in this paper to analyze potential policy conflicts. Experiments in a sensor network environment confirm several advantages of the proposed framework.
Electronic structure of doping in organic semiconductor

We investigated the electronic structure of organic thin films doped with alkali metal using photoemission and inverse photoemission spectroscopy (UPS, XPS and IPES). We found that doping induces energy level shift, which can be seen as in two different stages. The first stage is predominantly due to the Fermi level moving in the energy gap as a result of the doping of electrons from the alkaline metal to the organic, and the second stage is characterized by the significant modification of organic energy levels such as the introduction of a new gap state, new core level components, and change of binding energies with respect to the frontier orbital. In addition, we observed that the energy level shift in the first stage depended approximately in a semi-logarithmic fashion on the doping concentration, whose slope could not be explained by the conventional model used in inorganic semiconductors. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is observed to diminish as doping progresses. Furthermore, we observed that the doping induced modification can be compensated by depositing Au or O 2 on alkali metal doped organic films. The modification of the electronic structure by other inorganic or organic dopants will also be discussed.
Improving operations performance in a small company: a case study

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in modern economies because of their flexibility and ability to innovate. In nearly every country, SMEs play a significant role in providing employment opportunities and supporting large scale manufacturing firms. However, there are not many studies reported in the literature that deal with productivity problems in SMEs. Considering the importance of SMEs, the experiences of a small company engaged in continuous improvement and a related conceptual model are discussed here to highlight how productivity can be improved with limited resources. The case study presented in this paper was conducted at Valeo; a French company located in England that produces wiper systems for the automotive industry in the UK. The wiper systems include containers, pumps, jets and hoses. Valeo produces a wide variety of low volume parts for various customers in a job shop environment. The objective of the project was to improve productivity in two cells of the company, namely the Honda/Rover cell and the headlamp cleaning cell. Next, the aim was to identify potential areas for cost savings resulting from productivity gains. Finally, implementation issues associated with productivity improvement strategies in a small company are discussed.
Measurement of ice growth during simulated and natural icing conditions using ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques

Results of tests to measure ice accretion in real-time using ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques are presented. Tests conducted on a 10.2 cm diameter cylinder exposed to simulated icing conditions in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel and on an 11.4 cm diameter cylinder exposed to natural icing conditions in flight are described. An accuracy of + or - 0.5 mm is achieved for real-time ice thickness measurements. Ice accretion rate is determined by differentiating ice thickness with respect to time. Icing rates measured during simulated and natural icing conditions are compared and related to icing cloud parameters. The ultrasonic signal characteristics are used to detect the presence of surface water on the accreting ice shape and thus to distinguish between dry ice growth and wet growth. The surface roughness of the accreted ice is shown to be related to the width of the echo signal received from the ice surface.
Older men's health: motivation, self-ratings, and behaviors.

BACKGROUND There is a documented need to examine the complex motivational systems that lead individuals to adopt health-promoting behaviors and to evaluate the psychosocial aspects of male health. A study focused on health motivation as a determinant of self-rated health and health behaviors among older men was therefore undertaken. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to explore the relations among health motivation, self-rated health, and health behaviors in community-dwelling older men. METHODS A descriptive, correlational survey design was used for this study of 135 community-dwelling men ages 55 years and older. The questionnaire packet included a demographic tool, the Older Men's Health Program and Screening Inventory, the Health-Promotion Activities of Older Adults Measure, and the Health Self-Determinism Index. RESULTS Older men with more intrinsic motivation rated their health as better (p <or=.001) and assessed their lifestyles as more healthy (p <or=.001) than did their counterparts with more extrinsic motivation. Whereas anticipated benefits (a potential motivator) were significantly related to health-promoting behaviors (p <or=.001), health program attendance (p <or=.001), and health screening participation (p <or=.01), the Health Self-Determinism Index score did not demonstrate significant relations with any of these three variables. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that promoting self-motivation may be key to increasing older men's perceptions of health and well-being. Further exploration of anticipated benefits as a motivator of health-promotion activities is warranted, as well as intervention studies to promote older men's health screening and program attendance.
Spliced leader RNA trans-splicing in metazoa

Abstract Spliced leader trans -splicing is a form of RNA processing originally described and studied in parasitic kinetoplastida. This mechanism of gene expression also occurs in parasitic and free-living metazoa. In this review, Dick Davis describes current knowledge of the distribution, substrates, specificity and functional significance of rans -splicing in metazoa.
Thietanium Ion Formation from the Food Mutagen 2-Chloro-4-(methylthio)butanoic Acid

2-Chloro-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid (1) is a direct-acting mutagen and suspected gastric carcinogen isolated from fish preserved with salt and nitrite. The reactive intermediates formed from acid 1 that may be associated with its mutagenicity have not been identified. A candidate reactive intermediate is proposed in this work. 1-Methyl-2-thietaniumcarboxylic acid may result from internal displacement of chloride by neighboring-group participation of sulfide sulfur in the solvolysis of acid 1. Evidence for the formation of 1-methyl-2-thietaniumcarboxylic acid was derived from experiments in which 4-chlorophenol and aniline were included to react with electrophilic intermediates formed from acid 1. Incubation of acid 1 in the absence of the aniline or 4-chlorophenol resulted in the formation of 2,4-bis(methylthio)butanoic acid. Incubation of acid 1 with 4-chlorophenol or aniline gave adducts that were identified by 1H NMR spectroscopy and GC/MS as 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid and 4-(4-chlorophenoxy)-2-(methylthio)butanoic acid or 2-anilino-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid and 4-anilino-2-(methylthio)butanoic acid, respectively. The structures of these adducts indicate the intermediate formation of 1-methyl-2-thietaniumcarboxylic acid as a reactive intermediate derived from acid 1 that may be associated with its observed mutagenicity.
Geometric factors affecting the internal stress distribution and high temperature creep rate of discontinuous fiber reinforced metals

Abstract The creep deformation behavior of metal-matrix composites has been studied by a continuum mechanics treatment utilizing finite element techniques. The objective of the work has been to understand the underlying mechanisms of fiber reinforcement at high temperatures and to quantify the importance of reinforcement phase geometry on the overall deformation rate. Internal stress distributions are presented for a material that consists of stiff elastic fibers in an elastic, power law creeping matrix. Results indicate that large triaxial stresses develop in the matrix, and that these stresses have a strong effect on reducing the creep rate of the composite. Reinforcement phase geometry, as measured by the fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio, separation, and overlap, greatly influences the degree of constraint on the flowing matrix material and the overall deformation rate. Theoretical predictions from this modeling are compared to experimental results of creep deformation in metal-matrix composite systems with varying degrees of agreement.
Chinese Medicine for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B

Contemporary Western medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), although available in China, have high costs, or major side effects and limited effectiveness. Research efforts have focused on looking for natural products as alternative medicines with low cost and good safety for CHB treatment. Chinese medicine (CM) has ancient, time-honored theories about methods of diagnosis and treatment for liver diseases. In recent decades, a large number of clinical trials and pre-clinical studies, which were performed in China and other countries, indicated that CM has potential benefit in several aspects of the treatment of CHB, e.g., anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, immunomodulating, antifibrosis, and antiviral. However, there are many concerns regarding the study design and the quality of clinical trials. Further larger, stringently designed, double-blind, placebo control, randomized clinical trials and long-term follow-up are needed to provide conclusive evidence of their efficacy and safety. Components of CM deserve further study in pre-clinical models of HBV infection and in clinical trials world-wide.
The ant larvae of the subfamily Formicinae. Part II.

Sausage-shaped; slightly curved ventrally; terete; diameter nearly uniform, greatest at the fourth abdominal somite, diminishing slightly toward either end. Head on the anterior end.; no neck. Anus posteroventral. Segmentation indistinct. Integumentary spinules coarse and isolated or in short rows. Body hairs very few, minute, simple, acute. Cranium subtrapezoidal in anterior view, slightly narrowed ventrally, dorsal corners broadly rounded. Antennae minute. Head hairs few, very short, simple, acute. Labrum small, bilobed, with only two hairs on the anterior surface. Mandibles very small and feebly sclerotized; basal three-fifths broad and subtrapezoidal in anterior view; apical two-fifths forming a long straight slender sharp-pointed conical tooth; ridges few. Maxillae broad and apparently adnate; integument granular; palp a very small skewed peg; galea a very small knob. Labium a small frustrum; palp a very small irregular projection; opening of sericteries narrow and salient.
Forensic cultures in historical perspective: technologies of witness, testimony, judgment (and justice?).

Abstract This article explores the history of forensic science in terms of ideologies and institutions rather than developing technique. It presents an analytical framework for characterising forensic institutions and practices, past and present. That framework highlights the distinct issues of means of witness, accredited testimony, and the reaching of juridical decisions. The article applies the framework by comparing four forensic ‘formations,’ (or ‘cultures’) which have been prominent at various times and places in the western world from the early modern period onward: these are the central European heritage of the Caroline code, a eugenically-oriented forensic enterprise of late nineteenth-century America, the forensic perspective in nineteenth-century British India, and the representation of forensic certainty in contemporary American popular culture. The article concludes with a critique of what seems an increasingly common expectation: that forensic science evolves independently of legal institutions, and can ultimately displace them.
Walrasian equilibria as limits of noncooperative equilibria. Part II: Pure strategies

Abstract We examine the connection between Walrasian equilibria of a limit economy (with infinitesimal firms) and noncooperative (Cournot) equilibria of approximating finite economies (with significant firms). Nonconvex production sets, decreasing returns in the aggregate, and endogenous determination of the number of active firms are allowed. A Walrasian equilibrium is a limit of pure strategy noncooperative equilibria only if a condition (loosely analogous to downward sloping demand in the partial equilibrium constant returns to scale case) holds. The condition is also sufficient to guarantee the existence of a robust sequence of pure strategy noncooperative equilibria which converges to the Walrasian equilibrium.
Preparation of esters of styrene sulfonic acid and their emulsion copolymerization with isoprene

Sulfonate-containing rubbers were prepared by emulsion copolymerization of isoprene and the secondary butyl ester of styrene sulfonic acid. Substantially gel-free copolymers of relatively high sulfonate content were prepared. It was shown that hydrolysis of the ester copolymers with a suitable base can lead to the formation of ionically crosslinked elastomers.
Single Carrier Initiated Low Excess Noise Mid-Wavelength Infrared Avalanche Photodiode using InAs-GaSb Strained Layer Superlattice

Mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) avalanche photodiodes (APDs) were fabricated using Indium Arsenide- Gallium Antimonide (InAs-GaSb) based strain layer superlattice (SLS) structures. They were engineered specifically to have either electron or hole dominated ionization. The gain characteristics and the excess noise factors were measured for both devices. The electron dominated p+-n−-n APD with a cut-off wavelength of 4.13 μm at 77 K had a maximum multiplication gain of 1800 measured at -20 V while that of the hole dominated n+-p--p structure with a cut-off wavelength of 4.98 μm at 77 K was 21.1 at -5 V at 77 K. Excess noise factors were measured between 1-1.2 up to a gain of 800 and between 1-1.18 up to a gain of 7 for electron and hole dominated APDs respectively.
Determinants of expert judgement of research performance

The relationship between indicators of and expert judgement of, research performance were compared in the context of mission oriented pharmaceutical research. Expert judgment is very highly correlated with measures of publication activity, much more so than with very plausible measures of research output and research quality. Furthermore, expert judgement appears to be an additive function of publication size (another name for which might be visibility) and publication quality, with the principal component being size/visibility. These results are very similar to those found byAnderson, Narin, andMcAllister in the context of academic research, but these findings emerge from a context which allows other variables to compete in predicting expert judgement, and are therefore to that degree more robuts. In addition this study finds a clear pattern of subject specificity, which implies that visibility is a function of the judge's subject field.
Complexity, conflict resolution, and how the mind works

Western thought has changed considerably over the centuries. As assumptions about knowledge shifts, fields of practice are affected. This article reviews critical epistemological developments and the implications for the field of ADR.
Learning the Basics with Calculus

A critical issue related to the use of simulation environments in school-based learning is the relationship between the use of these environments and the structure of traditional curricula. Teachers are often caught in the bind of attempting to address signifi cantly raised standards for what all students should know, yet receiving very little support to innovate in their use of simulations in their approaches to teaching. Particularly challenging for practitioners and school-based researchers alike is the expectation that students should fi rst master “the basics” before engaging innovation related to learning advanced content such as calculus. This paper summarizes years of work related to the early learning of the mathematics of change. The goal is to resolve this tension by suggesting that advanced mathematics, embodied in an accessible simulation environment, helps situate and deepen students’ understanding of the basics as they typically are encountered in the traditional mathematics curriculum. Selected episodes transcribed from work in economically challenged schools in the United States are used to illustrate the practical potential of this reconsideration of the relationships between basic and advanced topics. The delta-blocks approach to the mathematics of change, making use of widely available forms of technology and the MathWorlds simulation software, is introduced and illustrated.
Molecular and Metabolic Characterization of Cold-Tolerant Alpine Soil Pseudomonas Sensu Stricto

Alpine soils undergo dramatic temporal changes in their microclimatic properties, suggesting that the bacteria there encounter uncommon shifting selection gradients. Pseudomonads constitute important members of the alpine soil community. In order to characterize the alpine Pseudomonas community and to assess the impact of shifting selection on this community, we examined the ability of cold-tolerant Pseudomonas isolates to grow on a variety of carbon sources, and we determined their phylogenetic relationships based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. We found a high prevalence of Pseudomonas in our soil samples, and isolates from these soils exhibited extensive metabolic diversity. In addition, our data revealed that many of our isolates form a unique cold-adapted clade, representatives of which are also found in the Swedish tundra and Antarctica. Our data also show a lack of concordance between the metabolic properties and 16S phylogeny, indicating that the metabolic diversity of these organisms cannot be predicted by phylogeny.
Viscoelastic Behaviour and Wet Supercontraction of Major Ampullate Silk Fibres of Certain Orb-Web-Building Spiders (Araneae)

1. The axial retractive stresses that cause the supercontraction of wetted major ampullate silk fibres and the stresses developed upon reextension from the supercontracted condition are quantified and illustrated. 2. The viscoelastic behaviour of major ampullate silk fibres, subjected to the amounts of elongation that would be produced by a spider on its dragline, is described and illustrated. 3. When major ampullate silk fibres are either wet elongated from supercontraction or when dry from initial lengths, viscoelastic stress relaxations are found to be functions of the logarithms of time. Regression curves illustrate these relationships and normalized results are subjected to statistical analyses. 4. Viscoelastic memory of major ampullate silk fibres is illustrated. 5. The characteristics of viscoelastic stress relaxation and viscoelastic memory of major ampullate silk fibres appear not to be associable with taxonomy. 6. Examples are suggested in which supercontraction and stress relaxation act in the formation and placement of major apipullate silk fibres as structural elements of the orb web.
Sustainably unpersuaded: how persuasion narrows our vision of sustainability

In this paper we provide a critical analysis of persuasive sustainability research from 2009-2011. Drawing on critical sociological theory of modernism, we argue that persuasion is based on a limited framing of sustainability, human behavior, and their interrelationship. This makes supporting sustainability easier, but leads to characteristic patterns of breakdown. We then detail problems that emerge from this narrowing of vision, such as how the framing of sustainability as the optimization of a simple metrics places technologies incorrectly as objective arbiters over complex issues of sustainability. We conclude by suggesting alternative approaches to move beyond these problems.
Formulation of a general imaging algorithm for high-resolution synthetic aperture radar

We consider the application of an alternative imaging algorithm to the inversion of strip-mapping synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The algorithm was originally developed and successfully applied in the area of geophysics to estimate the conductivity distribution from wellbore induction measurements. The SAR measurement relation satisfies the same form of integral equation describing the wellbore problem. By exploiting the form of the measurement kernel, we derive a SAR image formation algorithm involving deconvolution-backprojection. Unlike correlation-based SAR image formation, our approach is more general, without simplifying assumptions on the range function, and is robust to measurement noise, at the expense of increased computational complexity. Simulation results are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Telomeres and telomerase in normal and cancer stem cells

Differences between normal adult tissue stem cells and cancer stem/initiating cells remain poorly defined. For example, it is controversial if cancer stem cells can become fully quiescent, require a stem cell niche, are better at repairing DNA damage than the bulk of the cancer cells, and if and how they regulate symmetric versus asymmetric cell divisions. This minireview will not only provide our personal views to address some of these outstanding questions, but also present evidence that an understanding of telomere dynamics and telomerase activity in normal and cancer stem cells may provide additional insights into how tumors are initiated, and how they should be monitored and treated.
Behavioural studies of strategic thinking in games

Game theory is a mathematical language for describing strategic interactions, in which each player's choice affects the payoff of other players (where players can be genes, people, companies, nation-states, etc.). The impact of game theory in psychology has been limited by the lack of cognitive mechanisms underlying game-theoretic predictions. ‘Behavioural game theory’ is a recent approach linking game theory to cognitive science by adding cognitive details about ‘social utility functions’, theories of limits on iterated thinking, and statistical theories of how players learn and influence others. New directions include the effects of game descriptions on choice (‘framing’), strategic heuristics, and mental representation. These ideas will help root game theory more deeply in cognitive science and extend the scope of both enterprises.
University of Maryland surgical experience with the Jarvik 2000 axial flow ventricular assist device.

Background The Jarvik 2000, an axial flow ventricular assist device (VAD), is currently under investigation for bridge to transplant (BTT) indications. The principal advantage of the Jarvik device is intraventricular pump placement. This eliminates the inflow cannula and pump pocket and allows for uncomplicated left ventricular implantation without sternotomy. Here we describe the evolution of our surgical implantation and explantation technique. Methods Data for all patients undergoing implantation of a left VAD (LVAD) (n = 35) at the University of Maryland between September 2002 and September 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative patient demographics and clinical status and operative technique and outcomes were reviewed. Results A simple technique for enclosing the pump and outflow graft greatly simplifies the explantation procedure and reduces the risk of lung adhesions and injury. Off-pump implantation reduces operative time and intraoperative red cell transfusions but carries a risk of incomplete ventricular coring, which may precipitate pump thrombosis. The benefits of the left thoracotomy approach were seen in the reduced need for intraoperative red cell transfusion and reduced total intensive care unit (ICU) stay for patients who had undergone previous sternotomy. Conclusions The Jarvik 2000 has several distinctive features that simplify surgical management and permit flexible application in an expanded range of candidates for LVAD implantation, particularly in patients who have undergone previous sternotomy.
Trust breaks down in electronic contexts but can be repaired by some initial face-to-face contact

Trust is the prerequisite for success when a collaborative task involves risk of individualistic or deceitful behaviors of others. Can trust emerge in electronic contexts? This issue is explored in an experiment in which trust emergence is measured in both face-to-face (l-t-F) and electronic contexts. In this experiment trust is revealed by the degree of cooperation the group is able to reach in solving a social dilemma, i.e. a situation in which advantages for individualistic behavior make group cooperation highly vulnerable. The experiment consists of two stages. The first stage analyzes the effects of F-t-F and electronic communication on trust Trust succeeds only with F-t-F communication. The second stage investigates whether a pre-meeting F-t-F can promote trust in electronic contextsResults are positive. Examination of how people converse in these two contexts sheds some light on the effects of technical characteristics and social circumstances on the emergence of trust.
Measurement and interpretation of stress in copper films as a function of thermal history

Since copper has some advantages relative to aluminum as an interconnection material, it is appropriate to investigate its mechanical properties in order to be prepared in advance for possible problems, such as the cracks and voids that have plagued aluminum interconnect systems. A model previously used to interpret the behavior of aluminum films proves to be, with minor modification, also applicable to copper. Although the thermal expansion of copper is closer to that of silicon and, consequently, the thermally induced strains are smaller, the much larger elastic modulus of copper results in substantially higher stresses. This has implications for the interaction of copper lines with dielectrics.
Inhibition of activity-dependent arc protein expression in the rat hippocampus impairs the maintenance of long-term potentiation and the consolidation of long-term memory

It is widely believed that the brain processes information and stores memories by modifying and stabilizing synaptic connections between neurons. In experimental models of synaptic plasticity, such as long-term potentiation (LTP), the stabilization of changes in synaptic strength requires rapid de novo RNA and protein synthesis. Candidate genes, which could underlie activity-dependent plasticity, have been identified on the basis of their rapid induction in brain neurons. Immediate-early genes (IEGs) are induced in hippocampal neurons by high-frequency electrical stimulation that induces LTP and by behavioral training that results in long-term memory (LTM) formation. Here, we investigated the role of the IEGArc (also termed Arg3.1) in hippocampal plasticity. Arc protein is known to be enriched in dendrites of hippocampal neurons where it associates with cytoskeletal proteins (Lyford et al., 1995).Arc is also notable in that its mRNA and protein accumulate in dendrites at sites of recent synaptic activity (Steward et al., 1998). We used intrahippocampal infusions of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to inhibit Arc protein expression and examined the effect of this treatment on both LTP and spatial learning. Our studies show that disruption of Arc protein expression impairs the maintenance phase of LTP without affecting its induction and impairs consolidation of LTM for spatial water task training without affecting task acquisition or short-term memory. Thus, Arc appears to play a fundamental role in the stabilization of activity-dependent hippocampal plasticity.
PROGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF THE PROVENTRICULUS: KEEL RATIO FOR SHORT‐TERM SURVIVAL IN PSITTACINES WITH PROVENTRICULAR DISEASE

The proventriculus:keel ratio was evaluated as a prognostic indicator for short-term survival in parrots with proventricular disease. Measurements were made from right lateral radiographs of 41 parrots with proventricular disease. Results were compared with the previously described abnormal proventriculus:keel ratio range and to short-term clinical outcome at 1-month postdiagnosis. The ratio in all parrots was 40.52, and 39% of parrots succumbed to their disease within 1 month of diagnosis. There was no significant association between the proventriculus:keel ratio and survival duration (P ¼ 0.9). The proventriculus:keel ratio is a sensitive indicator of proventricular disease in parrots but is insensitive as a prognostic indicator. Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, Vol. 50, No. 5, 2009, pp 483–486.
Heavy-ion fusion injector experiments

We report on three experiments performed in connection with the 2MV electrostatic quadrupole (ESQ) injector under construction at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Scaled experiments have been conducted to study possible beam emittance growth due to beam aberrations in an ESQ injector. The experiment uses the SBTE (Single Beam Transport Experiment) accelerator system, quarter-scale ESQ set-up and a potassium ion diode source. Measured emittance growth changes significantly with variations in current and diode energy, in good agreement with theoretical predictions. In addition, beam transport experiments were performed in a 1MV axisymmetric electrostatic aperture column using a zeolite 1″ diameter potassium ion source. Experimental measurements in good agreement with 2-1/2D simulations showed that low-emittance beams can be produced in axisymmetric structures. Finally, ESQ breakdown voltage tests without beam were performed at up to two times the quadrupole working voltage.
Varieties of Visual Working Memory Representation in Infancy and Beyond

Research on the developmental origins of visual working memory in infants has largely progressed along two separate branches. One branch is rooted in the classic work on adult visual working memory, while the other is rooted in the classic work on the object concept in infancy. Both lines of research have yielded some converging results but also some surprisingly different patterns. In this review, I show that these different patterns are evidence for two distinct types of representations, which I term feature-based and object-based. I then show that there is evidence for both representation types beyond infancy.
Systematics of strength function sum rules

Sum rules provide useful insights into transition strength functions and are often expressed as expectation values of an operator. In this letter I demonstrate that non-energy-weighted transition sum rules have strong secular dependences on the energy of the initial state. Such non-trivial systematics have consequences: the simplification suggested by the generalized Brink–Axel hypothesis, for example, does not hold for most cases, though it weakly holds in at least some cases for electric dipole transitions. Furthermore, I show the systematics can be understood through spectral distribution theory, calculated via traces of operators and of products of operators. Seen through this lens, violation of the generalized Brink–Axel hypothesis is unsurprising: one expectssum rules to evolve with excitation energy. Moreover, to lowest order the slope of the secular evolution can be traced to a component of the Hamiltonian being positive (repulsive) or negative (attractive).
Shifting Perception: Photographing Disabled People During the Civil Rights Era

During the American Civil Rights Era, photographic perception of disabled people shifted from constructs that empowered the abled “normal” to an empathetic awareness of social isolation and enfreakment. Through rhetorics of the stare, photographers demonstrated increased cognizance of what it meant to be an “other” in a society that valued homogeneity. Figure 1: Figure 2: Figure 3: Figure 4: Image Credits Figure 1 - Elliott Erwitt, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , 1950. © Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos, New York, New York Figure 2 - Elliott Erwitt, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , 1950. © Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos, New York, New York Figure 3 - Garry Winogrand, Los Angeles , 1969. © The Estate of Garry Winogrand, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Figure 4 - Garry Winogrand, London , 1967. © The Estate of Garry Winogrand, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Engaging People of the Mountains and Hollows: A Role for the Community and Public Health Preparedness Workforce

Two basic assumptions are made by national disaster planners and policy makers: public health workers are prepared to render public health care and population-based health care services during any natural or man-made disaster, and individuals and their families are aware of and engaged in personal preparedness and response planning (Chertoff, 2008). This study had two principal goals: (1) to analyze the results of a rural health survey that sought to identify perceived vulnerability and preparedness for natural or man-made disasters among local residents in Hawkins County, Tennessee, which lies in the heart of rural southern Appalachia, and (2) to consider the results in the broader context of rural health preparedness and suggest mechanisms for improving public awareness and preparedness for all-hazards disaster situations in rural settings. A major limitation of the study was the study sample, which was a convenience sample of attendees at an all-hazards preparedness health fair. The study responses demonstrated a lack of perceived vulnerability, which may reflect the fact that living memory does not recall major local disasters affecting the community. The authors suggest that local poverty among county residents may also play a role in local preparedness and response. Despite the readiness or availability of public health professionals, rural areas may be especially vulnerable to natural or man-made disasters due to a lack of public awareness and understanding of recommended preparedness plans and responses. The authors suggest that Community Health Educators (CHEs) and Community/Public Health Nurses (CPHNs) in the public health workforce can formally and informally be valuable sources of emergency preparedness and response planning, training, and education in rural communities.
Analysis on awareness rate and influencing factors of TB-related knowledge among diabetics in communities of Kunming

Objectives Analyzes awareness rate and influencing factors of TB-related knowledge among diabetics in communities of Kunming. The study provides helpful evidence for tuberculosis- diabetes mellitus bidirectional screening, and offeres scientific basis for further improvement of tuberculosis prevention education and health promotion. Methods Selected 10 communities health service centers in Kunming, and the diabetics who was in treatment from February to April 2014 were interviewed. The investigation included basic information, diabetes conditions and 6 TB key questions. Results 439 diabetics were investigated. The general awareness rate of TB was 61.47%, all awareness rate was 12.07%. The single factor and multielement regression analysis showed that main influence factors of TB awareness to diabetics were medical insurance, history of tuberculosis, occupation, place of residence, history of close contact tuberculosis, the annual per capita net income, age and time diagnosed diabetes. Conclusions The awareness rate of key TB messages among diabetics was still low in Kunming communities, and with lower full awareness rate. Therefore, we need to strengthen the knowledge of tuberculosis prevention and control and the relationship education between two disease to diabetes. Pay more attention to the diabetes who are poor, old, housework, unemployed and diagnosed in short time.
Study on the characteristics of second life LiFePO_4 batteries

With the rapid development of electric vehicle, there will be a large number of retired power batteries in the future. These retired batteries have considerable remaining capacity and lifetime, and can be used for energy storage. In order to improve the safety and output performances, the retired cells should be re-sorting and assembling in series/parallel. To study their performance of a battery using cells with distributed internal resistance, capacity, and initial SOC helps to the realization of the reuse of lithium iron phosphate power battery for energy storage.
A Preliminary Research on the Management Information System of Visual Enterprises

Visual enterprises are created when intellectual economy calls for enterprises to have the capability of adjusting their industrial structure and types of products. The management information system is the technological basis of the existence and development of visual enterprises. The paper states that the system should be open, compatible, flexible and robust and devises the systematic information structure and management model under the technological support of Intranet, Extranet, and Internet and analyzes the methods to ensure system safety by making use of OODB and fire wall.
Maclurina manitobensis (Whiteaves) (Ordovician Gastropoda); the largest known Paleozoic gastropod

The concept of the Ordovician gastropod genus Maclurites Le Sueur, 1818, at present includes much variation. Maclurina Ulrich in Ulrich and Scofield, 1897, is removed as a subjective synonym of Maclurites and reestablished as a separate genus. Species of Maclurites with spiral grooves on the outer whorl surface and a relatively small umbilicus are transferred to Maclurina. Maclurina manitobensis (Whiteaves, 1890) forms a distinctive part of the Late Ordovician-age “Arctic Ordovician fauna.” An unusually large specimen (25 cm in diameter) from the Bighorn Dolomite (Upper Ordovician), Wyoming, is illustrated; this Wyoming specimen is the volumetrically largest Paleozoic gastropod ever reported.
Physical Activity and Hypertension: Knowing Is Not Enough; We Must Apply. Willing Is Not Enough; We Must Do-von Goethe.

See related article, pp 421–427 In the United States, the prevalence of hypertension is ≈50% higher among individuals of African than Euro-Caucasian or Hispanic Latino descent.1 Moreover, the transition from prehypertension to hypertension is faster in African than Caucasian Americans.2 Although treatment and control of hypertension reduce the excess risk of cardiovascular disease, the risk remains higher than in race- age-, and sex-matched normotensive individuals.3 Thus, cardiovascular health equity will require implementation of effective strategies that reduce the excess incidence and, ultimately, the greater prevalence of hypertension in African Americans than in other racial and ethnic groups. In this context, the report by Diaz et al4 is the first study to provide clear evidence that recommended levels of moderate–vigorous physical activity reduce incident hypertension in African American adults by an estimated 24% (95% confidence interval 1%–42%). This estimate was obtained in a fully adjusted multivariate model, including blood pressure and body mass index. Unfortunately, <1 in 4 African American adults in the Jackson Heart Study met recommended levels of moderate–vigorous physical activity, which is consistent with long-established evidence that this demographic group is less likely than their Caucasian counterparts to meet recommended levels of physical activity.5 For example, in 2005 to 2006, ≈63% of white, 48% of black, and 41% of Hispanic Americans self-reported at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate–vigorous physical activity. By accelerometry, only 8.2% of white, 7.7% of black, and 9.1% of Hispanic Americans met this recommended level of physical activity. The percentages of adults attaining recommended levels of physical activity fell with increasing body mass index from 10.3% at <25 kg/m2 to 3.5% at ≥35 kg/m2 and with increasing age from 10.8% at 20 to 29 years to 6.3% at ≥70 years.5 In the Jackson Heart Study, African …
Exploring the Validity of a Second Language Intercultural Pragmatics Assessment Tool

Pragmatics has been a key component of language competence frameworks. While the majority of second/foreign language (L2) pragmatics tests have targeted productive skills, the assessment of recepti...
Hardware design of parallel switch setting algorithm for Benes networks

Benes/Clos networks have been used in many areas, such as interconnection network in parallel computers, multiprocessors system, and networks-on-chip. The parallel switch setting algorithm is the key to satisfy the requirements of high performance switching networks. The Lee's routing algorithm is by far the most efficient parallel routing algorithm for Benes networks. However, there is no hardware implementation for this algorithm. In this paper, the Lee's routing algorithm is fully implemented in RTL and synthesised. We have refined the algorithm in data structure and initialisation/updating of relation values to make it suitable for hardware implementation. The simulation and synthesis results of the switching setting circuits for 4 × 4 to 64 × 64 Benes networks confirm that the timing, area, and power consumption of the circuit is consistent with the complexity of the Lee's algorithm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first complete hardware implementation of the parallel switch setting algorithm which can handle all types of permutations including partial ones.
Pilot study: Assessing the effect of continual position monitoring technology on compliance with patient turning protocols.

Aim The study aim was to evaluate if continual patient position monitoring, taking into account self-turns and clinician-assisted turns, would increase the percentage of time a patient's position changed at least every 2 hr. Background While patient turning has clinical benefits, current models to help staff remember to turn patients, such as “turn clocks” and timers, have not resulted in high compliance with turning protocols. In addition, reminders are based on arbitrary 2-hr windows (such as turning on “even” hours) rather than on individual patient activity, including self-turns. Design This is a first inpatient, non-randomized, pre-/postintervention study. Methods Data collection occurred from May 2013–February 2014 on a 39-bed medical unit in a community hospital. Baseline patient turning data were recorded by a sensor; however, the patient data were not displayed at the nurses’ station to establish compliance with the hospital's turning protocol. Postintervention, patient position information was wirelessly displayed on nurses’ station computer monitors in real time. A Student t test was used to compare baseline to postintervention “mean time in compliance.” Results Data from 138 patients (N = 7,854 hr of monitoring) were collected. The baseline phase yielded 4,322 hr of position monitoring data and the postintervention phase yielded 3,532 hr of data. Statistically significant improvement was demonstrated in the percentage of time a patient's position changed at least every 2 hr from baseline to postintervention.
Turning a pyroelectric infrared motion sensor into a high-accuracy presence detector by using a narrow semi-transparent chopper

Pyroelectric infrared (PIR) sensors are the most popular presence detectors. However, their applications are limited to motion detection only, as the pyroelectric sensing element is only sensitive to radiated heat power fluctuation. This letter reports a chopped PIR (C-PIR) presence sensor, capable of detecting both the stationary and the moving occupants at high accuracy by introducing a narrow semi-transparent optical chopper to shutter the incident radiation periodically. More importantly, even though the narrow chopper can efficiently shutter the unidirectional infrared (IR) power radiated by stationary occupants, it has near-zero influence on the omnidirectional power radiated from the ambient environment. Therefore, the voltage difference generated by the C-PIR sensor between occupied and unoccupied scenarios can be directly used for identifying the presence of stationary occupants with high-accuracy. For moving occupant detection, the optical chopper can barely affect the variation of the radiated ...
Tenuous Inhibitory GABAergic Signaling in the Reticular Thalamus

Maintenance of a low intracellular Cl- concentration ([Cl-]i) is critical for enabling inhibitory neuronal responses to GABAA receptor-mediated signaling. Cl- transporters, including KCC2, and extracellular impermeant anions ([A]o) of the extracellular matrix are both proposed to be important regulators of [Cl-]i Neurons of the reticular thalamic (RT) nucleus express reduced levels of KCC2, indicating that GABAergic signaling may produce excitation in RT neurons. However, by performing perforated patch recordings and calcium imaging experiments in rats (male and female), we find that [Cl-]i remains relatively low in RT neurons. Although we identify a small contribution of [A]o to a low [Cl-]i in RT neurons, our results also demonstrate that reduced levels of KCC2 remain sufficient to maintain low levels of Cl- Reduced KCC2 levels, however, restrict the capacity of RT neurons to rapidly extrude Cl- following periods of elevated GABAergic signaling. In a computational model of a local RT network featuring slow Cl- extrusion kinetics, similar to those we found experimentally, model RT neurons are predisposed to an activity-dependent switch from GABA-mediated inhibition to excitation. By decreasing the activity threshold required to produce excitatory GABAergic signaling, weaker stimuli are able to propagate activity within the model RT nucleus. Our results indicate the importance of even diminished levels of KCC2 in maintaining inhibitory signaling within the RT nucleus and suggest how this important activity choke point may be easily overcome in disorders such as epilepsy.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Precise regulation of intracellular Cl- levels ([Cl-]i) preserves appropriate, often inhibitory, GABAergic signaling within the brain. However, there is disagreement over the relative contribution of various mechanisms that maintain low [Cl-]i We found that the Cl- transporter KCC2 is an important Cl- extruder in the reticular thalamic (RT) nucleus, despite this nucleus having remarkably low KCC2 immunoreactivity relative to other regions of the adult brain. We also identified a smaller contribution of fixed, impermeant anions ([A]o) to lowering [Cl-]i in RT neurons. Inhibitory signaling among RT neurons is important for preventing excessive activation of RT neurons, which can be responsible for generating seizures. Our work suggests that KCC2 critically restricts the spread of activity within the RT nucleus.