cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recruitment of myeloid cells into mycobacterial granulomas.

Granuloma formation is a hallmark of mycobacterial infection. The dominant cell types in granuloma are the blood monocyte derived macrophages and inflammatory dendritic cells that represent up to 80% of cells in these lesions. Using granuloma transplantation we demonstrated that in a week more than the third of these cells are replaced. Innate and cognate immunity against the bacteria induces a battery of chemokines that are important in this recruitment and MCP1-CCR2 is one of the main representatives of these pathways. We have also shown that cell death and death-induced extracellular ATP through P2X7R promote VEGF production in a subpopulation of granuloma macrophages and that is also important for myeloid cell recruitment through VEGFR1 displayed by blood monocytes. These factors affect granuloma size, numbers and the number of extravasated monocytes in the tissue around granulomas. We further compare BCG-induced liver and Mtb-induced lung granulomas in wild type, hypoVEGF, macrophage VEGF production ablated, selective macrophage P2X7R deficient, and CCR2 deficient mice. Additionally to the size and frequency of granulomas we compare cell composition, the cytokines present and bacterial load in the lesions. These data clarify the role of immune response and cell death driven cell recruitment pathways in the granuloma maintenance.
Issues in Measurement of Pubertal Development

Teenagers mature along several areas, including social, cognitive, and biologic realms. The biologic changes called “puberty” can be defined by stage, timing, and tempo. The pubertal stage traditionally has been called “Tanner stages”, and more recently as “Sexual Maturity Rating” (SMR). These stages describe changes in breast tissue, pubic hair, and external genitals. There are several approaches to pubertal staging in research projects, including questionnaires and rating by self, parent or trained professional. Rating by a trained professional is considered the most accurate approach, but the research setting may limit the choice available. This chapter discusses historical perspectives in maturation assessment, provides current approaches with practical guidelines, and presents recent data about the timing of pubertal onset and the potential impact of early or late maturation timing.
Retrospective analysis of phase 1 study duration and symptom burden among patients at a comprehensive cancer center.

e14058Background: Phase I clinical trials are a critical first step in the development of new cancer therapeutics. While the average duration on study is reported to be approximately 2 months, many...
A parameter estimation method for stiff ordinary differential equations using particle swarm optimisation

We propose a two-step method for fitting stiff ordinary differential equation (ODE) models to experimental data. The first step avoids integrating stiff ODEs during the unbounded search for initial estimates of model parameters. To avoid integration, a polynomial approximation of experimental data is generated, differentiated and compared directly to the ODE model, obtaining crude but physically plausible estimates for model parameters. Particle swarm optimisation (PSO) is used for the parameter search to overlook combinations of model parameters leading to undefined solutions of the stiff ODE. After initial estimates are determined, the second step numerically solves the ODE. This refines model parameter values through a bounded search. We demonstrate this method by fitting the model parameters (activation energies and pre-exponential factors) of the Arrhenius-based temperature-dependent kinetic coefficients in the shrinking core solid-state chemical kinetics model for the reduction of Cobalt (II, III) Oxide (Co\(_3\)O\(_4\)) particles to Cobalt (II) Oxide (CoO).
Nonelective Orthopedic Procedures and Circumstances in Pregnant Patients

Management of orthopedic conditions in the pregnant population is a balance of the risks and benefits associated with operative vs. nonoperative management of an orthopedic injury or condition with the risk and benefits the chosen care will have on both the mother and the fetus. This chapter addresses the orthopedic conditions that have strong recommendations for urgent interventions and those that can be delayed until postpartum as well as orthopedic topics that are unique to and important for decision-making in the pregnant population. Being a challenging population to study, most recommendations are based on case reports and retrospective studies.
Epidemiological trends of oropharyngeal and oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas in Northern New England, 2000–2013

This study examines the epidemiological trends of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) in Northern New England. Data were obtained from the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont cancer registries. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR), age-specific incidence rates, and annual percentage changes (APC) for OPSCC and OCSCC were calculated using Joinpoint regression. The overall ASIR for OPSCC in Northern New England increased by 54.2% from 2000 to 2013 with an increase of 61.5% and 27.3% in men and women, respectively. Overall ASIR for OCSCC, on the other hand, declined throughout 2000 to 2013 by 6% and among men by 11%. In joinpoint analyses, the overall ASIRs for OPSCC significantly increased at an APC of 3.15 from 2000 to 2013, whereas the ASIRs for OCSCC remained stable at an APC of − 0.26. In men, ASIRs for OPSCC significantly increased (APC: 3.46), while that of OCSCC remained stable at an APC of − 0.87. In women, the ASIRs remained stable for both OPSCC and OCSCC at an APC of 1.97 and 0.49, respectively. For patients in the 6th decade of life, the age-specific incidence rates for OPSCC increased significantly at an APC of 3.06, also among those in the 7th and 8th decade with a significant increase at an APC of 4.98 and 3.51 per year, respectively. There were no significant changes in the APC of patients with OCSCC with respect to age group. The overall incidence of OPSCC is increasing in Northern New England, specifically among men. Given the etiological association between OPSCC and HPV, vaccination against HPV should be effectively encouraged among the populace. The efforts on tobacco cessation, abstinence, and alcohol abuse control should be continually expanded in order to bring about a decreasing trend in OCSCC.
Carrier Dynamics Between the Ordered and Disordered Orthorhombic Lattice Domains in Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite

The carrier dynamics between the ordered and disordered orthorhombic lattice domains in methylammonium lead iodide perovskite are measured. Emission from disordered domain is visible within 250fs, accessing intermediate states inbetween and coupling to coherent phonon. © 2019 The Author(s)
Trends in U.S. Gender Attitudes, 1977 to 2018: Gender and Educational Disparities:

These figures display gender- and education-related gaps in U.S. gender attitudes from 1977 to 2018. The authors use data from the General Social Survey (N = 57,224) to estimate the historical traj...
Rapid and durable photochemical bonding of cartilage using the porphyrin photosensitizer verteporfin.

Summary Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of verteporfin as a photosensitizer to photochemically bond articular cartilage tissues and determine bond durability in vitro. Design Bond strength induced by verteporfin over a range of concentrations and light exposure conditions was investigated using a disk-annulus model and a pushout test. Exposure was parameterized by varying either irradiance or irradiation time. Bond robustness in a cell-mediated degeneration environment was examined by exposing newly bonded samples to interleukin-1 alpha for the first 4 days of a 7-day culture period, followed by mechanical testing and biochemical and cellular viability assays. Results Photochemical bonding using verteporfin produced high bonding shear strengths at relatively low photosensitizer concentrations. Low exposures produced by either low irradiance or short irradiation time were sufficient to produce shear strengths comparable to those previously produced with phthalocyanine photosensitizers with substantially higher light exposure. Photochemically produced bonds were resistant to cell-mediated degeneration in vitro with no evident differences in cell viability among treatments. Conclusions Verteporfin offers distinct advantages as a photosensitizer for photochemical bonding of articular cartilage due to the production of strong, durable bonds at relatively low light exposures. Further exploration may lead to clinically feasible strategies to augment cartilage repair techniques.
Technical Strategies and Anatomic Considerations for an Extrapedicular Modified Inferior Endplate Access to Thoracic and Lumbar Vertebral Bodies.

Background Percutaneous access to the vertebral bodies is commonly done via the transpedicular approach for both diagnoses and treatment of spinal pathology. While this approach is effective in most cases, it is difficult in certain situations such as a patient with obstructing hardware from prior surgery. Objectives To investigate and illustrate an alternative to the typical percutaneous access to the vertebral body via an extrapedicular approach and to determine the complications associated with this approach. Study design Description of a novel percutaneous vertebral body access technique developed during cadaver dissection and a report of complication rates in cases that were performed using this technique. Setting Radiology department at a private institution. Methods An effective extrapedicular access technique that could safely and consistently allow the needle tip to be placed in the center of the vertebral body was developed from cadaver dissection observations for the purpose of clinical use. A total of 96 vertebral compression fractures from T5 to L5 were treated via the extrapedicular technique at our institution between July 2008 and August 2012. There were 72 patients between ages 27 and 98 (mean age 73.2 years) who underwent treatment. Results Cadaver dissection revealed a relatively avascular and aneural portion of the inferior vertebral body just anterior to the pedicle. A total of 96 vertebral fractures were treated using the extrapedicular technique without any recognized clinical complications from the needle access or the instrumentation. Limitations The trial included a relatively small sample size, representing 7.4 percent of total patients treated at our institution. This was likely the result of a smaller patient population with contraindications to typical transpedicular access. Conclusions The thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies may be accessed using a percutaneous extrapedicular access technique which represents a relatively avascular and aneural approach to the vertebral body. The technique presented allows access to the vertebral body around existing hardware and can accommodate the placement of large instruments. This technique was not associated with any known complications in our series of patients.Key words: Vertebral body, spine, extrapedicular, kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, paraspinal, thoracic, lumbar.
Clarifying the Boundaries of Sexual Harassment and Employer Liability: Judicial Application of Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc.

Many had anticipated that Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc., the first significant Supreme Court ruling on sexual harassment since 1986, would clarify the boundary between “merely offensive” conduct and unlawful conduct, and would offer greater guidance on when an employer is liable for the creation of an abusive (or hostile) work environment. However, the Harris court handed down only a short, narrow decision that left these areas largely unresolved, and, accordingly, it was widely criticized for circumventing contentious issues and for perpetuating the vague framework under which abusive work environment claims are now analyzed. This article examines a representative cross-section of federal and state decisions that have interpreted and applied Harris to evaluate whether courts have achieved any consensus on what constitutes an “abusive” work environment and on when an employer is liable for this type of sexual harassment.
Health and Life Satisfaction Among Parents of Children with Physical Disabilities

The current study examined patterns of self-reported health and life satisfaction among parents of children with and without physical disabilities. Although research has shown that parents of children with disabilities face numerous challenges, no studies to date have exclusively focused on samples comprised entirely of families at risk for poverty and dissolution. The present study examines potential impacts of child disability on parent well-being above and beyond economic and social factors. The current study used data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Statistical analyses compared self-reported physical health and life satisfaction between parents of children with and without disabilities, controlling for numerous demographic and financial factors. The resulting sample was families of 4324 children, including 115 children with physical disabilities. Although parents of children with disabilities reported lower levels of health and life satisfaction over time, these differences did not exist for mothers when controlling for demographic and financial factors. However, child disability still significantly predicted fathers’ health beyond measures of poverty, education, and race. Even among at-risk populations, the presence of a child disability can have an impact on parents’ health and well-being. Parents of children with disabilities at risk for poverty and dissolution likely need additional, specialized supports and services to promote family health.
Mapping the frontiers of the nuclear mass surface

Nuclear masses play a central role in nuclear astrophysics, significantly impacting the origin of the elements and observables used to constrain ultradense matter. A variety of techniques are available to meet this need, varying in their emphasis on precision and reach from stability. Here I briefly summarize the status of and near-future for the time-of-flight magnetic-rigidity (TOF-$B\rho$) mass measurement technique, emphasizing the complementary and interconnectedness with higher-precision mass measurement methods. This includes of recent examples from TOF-$B\rho$ mass measurements that map the evolution of nuclear structure across the nuclear landscape and significantly impact the results and interpretation of astrophysical model calculations. I also forecast expected expansion in the known nuclear mass surface from future measurement at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
Algal pathway for nutrient recovery from urban sewage

Abstract Currently, about 20% of all the nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) in manufactured fertilizers end up in urban sewage and are wastefully dissipated in the sewage treatment plants. To conserve the limited natural reserves of P and the energy used in the fertilizer manufacturing process, dedicated technologies for recovering N- and P-contents of sewage are being tendered. A review of the recent developments in this area revealed a common trend of appending downstream and side-stream recovery processes to the traditional treatment train composed of aerobic oxidation and anaerobic digestion. Most of these processes aim to recover N and P from the end-products of anaerobic digestion. In a counter perspective, we hypothesize that algal processes could be stoichiometrically more efficient in removing and accumulating N and P than the traditional bacterial processes which suffer from carbon-deficiency and imbalance in the carbon:N:P ratio. Long term performance of an algal-based sewage treatment system developed on this premise has been previously demonstrated at pilot scale. Results from this pilot-scale system are reviewed to evaluate the potential for nutrient recovery by integrating algal systems with downstream biomass processing technologies. Recoveries recorded in this integrated system are presented and compared with literature data on emerging nutrient recovery processes. This algal sewage treatment and resource recovery (STaRR) system has the potential to yield ~1.7 kg of ammonium sulfate and ~2.5 kg of struvite from 100 m3 of settled sewage, both, high-value crop fertilizers. This algal pathway offers unique opportunities for greening the sewage treatment practice, capable of recovering ~31% of N and ~74% of P from settled sewage for beneficial reuse with low energy demands.
Reactions of nitrite with goethite and surface Fe(II)-goethite complexes.

Abstract Chemodenitrification-the abiotic (chemical) reduction of nitrite (NO2−) by iron (II)-plays an important role in nitrogen cycling due in part to this process serving as a source of nitrous oxide (N2O). Questions remain about the fate of NO2− in the presence of mineral surfaces formed during chemodenitrification, such as iron(III) (hydr) oxides, particularly relative to dissolved iron(II). In this study, stirred-batch kinetic experiments were conducted under anoxic conditions (to mimic iron(III)-reducing conditions) from pH 5.5–8 to investigate NO2− reactivity with goethite (FeOOH(s)) and Fe(II)-treated goethite using wet chemical and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Nitrite removal from solution by goethite was more rapid at pH 5.5 than at pH 7 and 8. Spectral changes upon nitrite adsorption imply an inner-sphere surface interaction (monodentate and bidentate) at pH 5.5 based on ATR-FTIR spectra of the nitrite-goethite interface over time. In iron(II)-amended experiments at pH 5.5 with high aqueous Fe(II) in equilibrium with goethite, nitrous oxide was generated, indicating that nitrite removal involved a combination of sorption and reduction processes. The presence of a surface complex resembling protonated nitrite (HONO) with an IR peak near ~1258 cm−1 was observed in goethite-only and iron(II)-goethite experiments, with a greater abundance of this species observed in the latter treatment. These results might help explain gaseous losses of nitrogen where nitrite and iron(II)/goethite coexist, with implications for nutrient cycling and release of atmospheric air pollutants.
Single-nucleotide-level mapping of DNA regulatory elements that control fetal hemoglobin expression

Pinpointing functional noncoding DNA sequences and defining their contributions to health-related traits is a major challenge for modern genetics. We developed a high-throughput framework to map noncoding DNA functions with single-nucleotide resolution in four loci that control erythroid fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression, a genetically determined trait that modifies sickle cell disease (SCD) phenotypes. Specifically, we used the adenine base editor ABEmax to introduce 10,156 separate A•T to G•C conversions in 307 predicted regulatory elements and quantified the effects on erythroid HbF expression. We identified numerous regulatory elements, defined their epigenomic structures and linked them to low-frequency variants associated with HbF expression in an SCD cohort. Targeting a newly discovered γ-globin gene repressor element in SCD donor CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors raised HbF levels in the erythroid progeny, inhibiting hypoxia-induced sickling. Our findings reveal previously unappreciated genetic complexities of HbF regulation and provide potentially therapeutic insights into SCD.
The Effect of Medical Home on Shared Decision-Making for Caregivers of Children with Emotional, Developmental, or Behavioral Health Conditions.

Known as the “pinnacle of patient-centered care,” shared decision-making (SDM) is the process that enables and encourages the health care provider, the patient, and/or their caregiver (parent or guardian) to participate collaboratively in medical decisions. Prior research indicates that children with emotional, developmental, or behavioral health conditions (EDB) are less likely to attain SDM than children with other special health care needs (SHCNs). This study investigates whether the presence of a medical home reduces disparities in SDM among children with EDB when compared to children with other SHCNs and the general pediatric population. Using the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, we conducted weighted descriptive statistics to investigate the prevalence of medical home and SDM for children with (1) EDB, (2) other SHCNs, and (3) no SHCNs. We then employed a nested multivariate logistic regression model to examine whether the presence of a medical home reduced the disparity between children with EDB and their counterparts. Nationally, 21% of children with EDB (n = 647,274), 14.0% of children with other SHCNs (n = 1,086,068), and 13% of children with no SHCNs (n = 883,969) did not attain caregiver-reported SDM in medical care. In each of the health condition groups, the presence of a medical home significantly improved the odds of SDM (p < 0.001). Presence of a medical home also reduced the disparities observed in caregiver-reported SDM among children with EDB as compared to those with other SHCNs and no SHCNs. Ongoing investment in medical homes may reduce disparities in SDM experienced by children with EDB.
'Face the Bullet, Spare the Rod?' Evidence from the Aftermath of the Shining Path Insurgency

We investigate whether violence occurring outside the confines of a home can alter intra-household violence inter-generationally. This paper is the first to explore whether exposure to violence from an armed conflict affects the later use of physical punishment as a child discipline method. Our identification strategy relies on the spatial and temporal variation of the Peruvian civil conflict that occurred between 1980 and 2000.We find that a mother exposed to an additional one hundred violent conflict-related events in her district is 3.4-3.8 percentage points less likely to physically punish her children. This effect is equivalent in magnitude to an additional 10 years of education. We find suggestive evidence that the conflict could have increased parenting knowledge and support. Communities that experienced higher levels of conflict violence saw greater increases in social spending and had more health resources in the post-conflict period. Additionally, we find women's conflict exposure is associated with a higher likelihood of accessing these resources.
Spatial Heterogeneity in the Borrowers' Mortgage Termination Decision – a Nonparametric Approach

This paper attempts to address the issue of borrower heterogeneity when modelling a borrower’s mortgage loan termination behaviors (default and prepayment) by applying a nonparametric spatial model to a traditional competing-risks loan hazard model. In this spatial competing-risks hazard model, all of the parameters are allowed but not forced to vary across space. Using a sample of 30-year fixed-rate subprime mortgage loans for home purchase, this study finds a substantial level of spatial variation in a borrower’s responsiveness to interest rate change and housing equity change in exercising the default or prepayment option. Further analysis indicates that the observed spatial variation is associated with different levels of resistance to negative shocks, financial literacy, and financial constraints.
Hodgepodge Historiography: Documents, Itineraries, and the Absence of Archives

African historians frequently argue that it is almost impossible to research postcolonial history because of the absence or haphazard nature of African archives. I argue that this is not so much an obstacle to writing the history of Africa after 1960s as it is a complement to it: incomplete and chaotic archives and documents scattered around the globe reveal some of the sloppiness of governmentality and how hit-and-miss statecraft has been in the recent past.
Adenauer as Chancellor and Party Leader (1950–9)

The outcome of the elections left a number of possibilities for the formation of the government and permitted, theoretically, a choice between a “grand coalition” of CDU and SPD or a “right-wing coalition” of the CDU and the FDP and DP. In practice the number of alternatives was severely limited by the hostility which had developed between the two large parties, and particularly between their leaders. Adenauer could hardly have looked forward to sitting in the same cabinet with Schumacher. On the other hand, he had many reasons to prefer the alternative, especially since a coalition on the Economic Council model, with the CDU trade union wing on his left and the FDP and DP on his right, would give him the chance to organize a cabinet whose wings could not unite against him, but would be dependent on him to arbitrate their differences. The formation of a right-wing government would also allow him to strengthen his control over the CDU, since it would be a demonstration of his power to overcome the resistance of various dissident groups within the party, particularly the Land chairmen.
Early History of Particle Accelerators

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the early history of particle accelerators. Particle accelerators are devices for giving kinetic energy to ions or electrons. They are used to study the properties of atomic nuclei by producing nuclear disintegrations and other interactions. This rapid increase in the energy of particle accelerators has also opened a new field of research that of “particle physics.” The accelerator field has been characterized by a sequence of new concepts or inventions, each leading to a new type of machine capable of still higher energies and stimulating the development of a new generation of machines. At times, these developments have come so fast that it was difficult to determine which laboratory or machine held the current voltage record. There are several examples of the simultaneous and independent development of the same new concept by scientists in different laboratories. The speed of development of accelerators and the rapid increase in energy has been due in large part to the rapid development of other engineering technologies. As the accelerator field has developed, it has paralleled the progress in the electronics industry and in other branches of engineering, and has quickly utilized new materials and new technologies as they have become available.
Automation and High-Throughput Technologies in Biopharmaceutical Drug Product Development with QbD Approaches

Quality by Design (QbD) of biopharmaceuticals assumes that desired properties of the final drug product can be predicted with the help of various analytical and characterization methods during the development process. This should be translated into a sound, scientific understanding of drug behavior to design a stability space with clearly defined parameters that produce acceptable product quality attributes. In the QbD framework, the combination and interaction of multiple input variables that have been demonstrated to provide assurance of quality is called the design space. Approaches for identifying the design space in the biopharmaceutical industry generally rely on statistical design of experiments (DOEs) which can be resource intensive (Horvath et al., Mol Biotechnol 45(3):203–206, 2010; Ng and Rajagopalan, Quality by design for biopharmaceuticals: perspectives and case studies, Wiley, Hoboken, 2009). In cases where the number of variables is large, performing a full factorial DOE may be resource intensive. The automated high-throughput methods have been found to be useful in exploration of multiple conditions, defined by so many variables. In this chapter, we describe the use of QbD for applications of automation and high-throughput technology in biopharmaceutical processes from early molecular assessment to the late stages of commercial drug development. High-throughput techniques reinforce the QbD approach not only by providing a large pool of data points using minimal resources but also by obtaining comparable and structural results, which allow thorough statistical analysis.
Developing Measures of Complexity for Engineering Design

Developing objective measures for evaluating the complexity of the design problems would facilitate empirical studies that require use of “equivalent” but different design problems, development of design curriculums, and comparison of computer aided design automation tools. This paper discusses the similarities and differences between design problem complexity, design process complexity, and design artifact complexity. Three fundamental aspects to complexity are identified: the size, the degree of coupling, and the solvability. Alternative methods for measuring these characteristics of the design are discussed based upon computational views of complexity, information based views of complexity, and traditional design views of complexity. A method of measuring size as it relates to complexity is proposed for measuring the information content of design. A second method is proposed for decomposing a graph-based representation of design that provides a measure of the interconnectedness as it relates to complexity. Finally, two methods are proposed for determining the solvability complexity of design based upon the effort involved and the degree of freedom of design. These measures are developed specifically for parametric and geometric problems as found in embodiment design.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
The Principle of Sufficient Reason: A Reassessment

1 Introduction 2. Reflection on some historical episodes 3. The CP and the PSR objections to the PSR 4. A modern version of the Hume objection 5. The anti-theological argument: 'There are no necessary beings' 6. Modal fatalism 7. Free will 8. Quantum mechanics 9. Turning Leibniz against the PSR 10. What survives the criticisms of the PSR? justification of the PSR 11. Self-evidence 12. Three Thomistic arguments 13. Modal arguments 14. Is the universe reasonable? 15. Explanation of negative states of affairs 16. The puzzle of the everyday applicability of the PSR 17. Inference to the best or only explanation 18. Inductive scepticism 19. The nature of possibility 20. Conclusions.
Search: A survey of recent results

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the literature of search in artificial intelligence (AI), with a focus on recent results in the field. The best reference for the state-of-the-art as of 1984 is Judea Pearl's book Heuristics. A more recent survey of the field is an article in Annual Review of Computer Science [Pearl and Korf, 1987]. Search has a long and distinguished history in AI. The earliest AI programs were search programs. The reason behind this is that higher-level problem solving was the first aspect of intelligence to receive the attention of AI researchers. Problems such as theorem proving and playing chess were thought to embody the essence of intelligence. Problems, such as vision and natural language, did not seem very difficult at first, because young children could solve them. Paradoxically, there are a situation where in certain domains, such as chess or symbolic mathematics, the best computer programs perform comparably to human experts, yet in areas, such as language and vision, the best programs cannot even reproduce the behavior of two-year-old children. This paradox becomes less surprising when one observes that problems, such as vision, have been attacked by evolution and natural selection over millions of years, while games, such as chess, are relatively recent inventions and performance in that domain does not convey any particular survival value.
Modular multilevel converter based medium voltage DC amplifier for ship board power system

In this paper, the Modular Multilevel Cascaded Converter based on Double-Star Bridge Cells(MMCC-DSBC) for Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) amplifier is proposed. The medium voltage DC (MVDC) amplifier system is required to validate new technologies, new high power non-linear loads based on power electronics, in all electric ships as part of the proposed medium voltage (MVDC) ship power system. Thyristor based medium voltage DC amplifier (6 kV to 24 kV DC from 4.2 kV (L-L) AC three phase system) with Series Active Inverter (SAI) and DC side transformer in series with DC bus has been reported in the literature, where the series active Inverter compensates the slow dynamics of the Thyristor converter and facilitates fast dynamic response for step changing loads. However, this system has disadvantages as shown in Table III. This paper first shows a control method for AC to DC operation of MMCC-DSBC converter to control the wide DC output voltage in both buck and boost modes from fixed AC source. The simulation results show that the MMCC-DSBC converter provides a variable DC voltage from 6 kV to 24 kV DC and also the extended wide range of output DC voltage — 1 kV to 24 kV — from fixed 4.2 kV (L-L) AC three phase system. It is also shown that this topology will provide fast dynamic response compared to Thyristor based Line Commutated Converter (LCC) without the need of Series Active Inverter, DC side transformer in series with DC bus. This paper also shown the the control method to operate the MMCC-DSBC converter in STATCOM mode-to provide reactive power support to the AC side grid-during DC side pole to pole fault. Simulation results are presented on EMTDC/PSCAD platform to validate the controls.
Decisions in resource management

AbstractThis study examines management of microforms at libraries and institutions maintaining an active interest in their own microform collections, defined for the purpose of this study as those not only holding, but still acquiring microforms. Survey results presented here, which identify factors that contribute to retention and discard decisions – including holdings of the same content in different formats – are considered in the context of decision theory. Findings could inform current and future decisions relating to the microforms discussed here as well as to holdings in formats dependent on other technologies that will eventually change.
WHY LABOR IMPERIALISM? AFL–CIO'S FOREIGN POLICY LEADERS AND THE DEVELOPING WORLD

Arguing that the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and then after 1955, the American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), have sought to dominate labor organizations globally, this article establishes this theoretically as “labor imperialism.” The essay then asks: why do labor leaders engage in labor imperialism? This essay examines past efforts to explain labor imperialism, and finds none of them sufficient. It suggests that this labor imperialism is based on an ideological approach. To test this hypothesis, it examines Labor's foreign policy under AFL and then AFL–CIO presidents Gompers, Meany, Kirkland, and Sweeney, and argues that the hypothesis that Labor's imperialism is based on an ideological construct is confirmed. Further, it identifies the ideological construct on which it is based as American Nationalism. It argues that efforts to challenge labor's imperialism must specifically challenge the American nationalism upon which it is based.
Analysis of local delaminations and their influence on composite laminate behavior

An equation was derived for the strain energy release rate, G, associated with local delamination growth from a matrix ply crack. The critical GC for edge delamination onset in 25/902s graphite epoxy laminates was measured and used in this equation to predict local delamination onset strains in 25/90ns, n = 4, 6, 8 laminates. A simple technique for predicting strain concentrations in the primary load bearing plies near local delaminations was developed. These strain concentrations were responsible for reduced laminate nominal failure strains in laminates containing local delaminations. The influence of edge delamination and matrix crack tip delamination on laminate stiffness and strength was compared.
Tales from the Real Side: The Implications of Urban Research for Real Estate Finance in Developing and Transition Economies

The Real Economy and the Financial System Every modern economydeveloped, developing, and in-transitionhas real assets and financial assets. What is the distinction, what are the differences and similarities, and how do the two sides of the economy fit together? Real assets (or capital) are the things used to make other things. They comprise tangible capital (equipment and machinery, infrastructure, and real estate) and human capital. Financial assets (or capital) assign claims on the output of the tangible and human capital.
Atomistic Glimpse of the Orderly Chaos of One Protein.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are a fascinating class of newly recognized proteins that can exist as dynamic and heterogeneous ensembles of disordered structures under physiological conditions (1). They are highly prevalent in biology, frequently play crucial roles in cell signaling and regulation, and are associated with numerous human diseases (2). Many concepts have been proposed on how intrinsic conformational disorder may offer functional advantages, such as structural plasticity for binding multiple partners and inducibility by posttranslational modifications (3).
Gender and U. S. Supreme Court Oral Argument on the Roberts Court: An Empirical Examination

The nomination and confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the U. S. Supreme Court rekindled the debate surrounding gender and judicial behavior and decision making. While numerous studies have looked at the potential influence of a judge’s gender on voting patterns, there has been no scholarship to date investigating how the interaction of a Justice’s gender and an attorney’s gender, after controlling for other factors, influences judicial behavior during oral argument. This study empirically explores gender and oral argument by content analyzing over 13,000 sentences from 57 oral arguments during 2004-2009, measuring Justices’ levels of information-seeking and word counts. Statistical analysis of the individual Justices showed that having the same gender as the arguing attorney did influence judicial behavior for some of the Court. Furthermore, ideology also interacted with gender matching in a fairly consistent partisan divide.
The Evolution of Mind

The Evolution of Mind. Steven W. Gangestad and Jeffry A. Simpson, eds. New York: Guilford Press 2007; 448 pp.
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis

Ressenya de l'obra d'E. O. Wilson apareguda el 1975, Sociobiology. The New Synthesis .The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Handling uncertainty in finance applications using soft computing

We identify applications of soft computing techniques to finance applications. The disadvantages and advantages of techniques used in these applications are outlined and a novel approach is proposed. The proposed system focuses on the issue of learning representations and adaptive learning algorithms through the combination of neural, fuzzy, and evolutionary algorithm techniques.
Assessing the Accuracy and Power of Population Genetic Inference from Low-Pass Next-Generation Sequencing Data

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have made it possible to address population genetic questions in almost any system, but high error rates associated with such data can introduce significant biases into downstream analyses, necessitating careful experimental design and interpretation in studies based on short-read sequencing. Exploration of population genetic analyses based on NGS has revealed some of the potential biases, but previous work has emphasized parameters relevant to human population genetics and further examination of parameters relevant to other systems is necessary, including situations where sample sizes are small and genetic variation is high. To assess experimental power to address several principal objectives of population genetic studies under these conditions, we simulated population samples under selective sweep, population growth, and population subdivision models and tested the power to accurately infer population genetic parameters from sequence polymorphism data obtained through simulated 4×, 8×, and 15× read depth sequence data. We found that estimates of population genetic differentiation and population growth parameters were systematically biased when inference was based on 4× sequencing, but biases were markedly reduced at even 8× read depth. We also found that the power to identify footprints of positive selection depends on an interaction between read depth and the strength of selection, with strong selection being recovered consistently at all read depths, but weak selection requiring deeper read depths for reliable detection. Although we have explored only a small subset of the many possible experimental designs and population genetic models, using only one SNP-calling approach, our results reveal some general patterns and provide some assessment of what biases could be expected under similar experimental structures.
Profiling of impurities in heroin by capillary electrochromatography and laser-induced fluorescence detection

Abstract Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection was investigated for the analysis of acidic and neutral impurities in heroin. The phenanthrene-like heroin impurities exhibit high native fluorescence when excited with a doubled argon ion laser (operating at 257 nm). The limit of detection for acetylthebaol is 66 pg ml −1 . CEC–LIF analysis of heroin samples of different geographical origin gave distinguishable peak-enriched chromatograms. A sulfonic acid C 12 polymer monolith column provided similar resolving power to a 1.5 mm non-porous ODS column for the isocratic analysis of a refined heroin sample. Analysis of a crude heroin sample via a multi-step gradient CEC resolved a significantly higher number of peaks than gradient high-performance liquid chromatography or micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography.
Carbon molecular sieve dense film membranes derived from Matrimid® for ethylene/ethane separation

Abstract Development of dense film carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes for ethylene/ethane (C2H4/C2H6) separation is reported. A commercial polyimide, Matrimid®, was pyrolyzed under vacuum and inert argon atmosphere, and the resultant CMS films were characterized using pure C2H4 and C2H6 permeation at 35 °C, 50 psia feed pressure. The effects on C2H4/C2H6 separation caused by different final vacuum pyrolysis temperatures from 500 to 800 °C are reported. For all pyrolysis temperatures separation surpassed the estimated ‘upper bound’ solution processable polymer line for C2H4 permeability vs. C2H4/C2H6 selectivity. C2H4 permeability decreased and selectivity increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature until 650–675 °C where an optimum combination of C2H4 permeability ∼14–15 Barrer with C2H4/C2H6 selectivity ∼12 was observed. A modified heating rate protocol for 675 °C showed further increase in permeability with no selectivity loss. CMS films produced from argon pyrolysis showed results comparable to vacuum pyrolysis. Further, mixed gas (63.2 mol% C2H4 + 36.8 mol% C2H6) permeation showed a slightly lower C2H4 permeability with C2H4/C2H6 selectivity increase rather than a decrease that is often seen with polymers. The high selectivity of these membranes was shown to arise from a high ‘entropic selection’ indicating that the ‘slimmer’ ethylene molecule has significant advantage over ethane in passing through the rigid ‘slit-shaped’ CMS pore structure.
What's Fair is Fair: A Case Study in Affirmative Action on the Global Scene

With the increase in globalization, more expatriate managers confront on-the-job problems for which their U.S. training and experience have not prepared them. This case study addresses issues of af...
Browsing large digital library collections using classification hierarchies

Summarization of intermediary query result sets plays an important role when users browse through digital library collections. Summarization enables users to quickly digest the results of their queries, and provides users with important information they can use to narrow their search interactively. Techniques from the field of data analysis may be applied to the problem of generating summaries of query results efficiently. Such techniques should permit the incorporation of classification hierarchies in order to provide powerful browsing environments for digital library users.
Phase behavior of triolein and tripalmitin detected by differential scanning calorimetry

The thermotropic behavior of triolein, tripalmitin and their mixtues was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. Polymorphic behavior was noted for the triglycerides but the triglycerides were converted to a single form after 4 to 5 successive heating scans. Melting points for each triglyceride were determined for the pure samples and mixtures, and plotted as a phase diagram. The phase diagrams indicate that a phase separation of triglycerides occurred at all concentrations of triolein and tripalmitin. However, the melting peak onset temperature of tripalmitin was shifted by triolein from 56 C at 100 mol % tripalmitin to 37 C at 15 mol % tripalmitin. Similarly, the peak onset temperature of triolein was shifted by tripalmitin from −2.5 C at 100% triolein to −4 C at 95% triolein. Enthalpies were also determined for pure samples and mixtures. These data indicated that when either triolein or tripalmitin were present as the minor component of the mixture, the enthalpy of the minor component was reduced whereas that of the major component was not greatly altered.
Stochastic Stability of a Prioritized Control Policy for Scheduling Failure-Prone Machines with Setups

Abstract This paper deals with our previously introduced Hedging Zone Policy (HZP), which is a simple-to-implement, well-behaved heuristic for scheduling machine setup changes in real time. In the HZP, a pair of parameters for each product type defines a set in surplus space called the hedging zone, and a different changeover rule is implemented depending on the location of the production surplus state with respect to this zone. When the surplus state lies outside of the hedging zone, a fixed rank ordering or prioritization is used for deciding which item to produce next. When the surplus state is inside the hedging zone, the policy may either produce the current part type at its demand rate until more demand builds up, or change over to the item that is furthest behind (in an appropriate sense). After providing some background and overview of the HZP, we present new results concerning its stability properties. In particular, we show that if a deterministic counterpart of the stochastic system satisfies an easy-to-evaluate condition, the stochastic system with exponentially distributed failure and repair times is rate stable.