cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Erratum: Plasma-screening effects on electron-impact excitation of hydrogenic ions in dense plasmas

Debye-H\"uckel and ion-sphere plasma screening models have been used in a study of inelastic scattering of electrons by one-electron ions in dense, high-temperature plasmas. Cross sections for transitions among the $1s$, $2s$, and $2p$ states have been calculated using close-coupling and distorted-wave descriptions. The optically allowed $1s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2p$ and $2s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2p$ cross sections are substantially reduced at all energies by plasma screening of the long-range dipole coupling. The $1s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2s$ cross section is less sensitive to plasma effects. For an ion of nuclear charge $Z$, the scaled inelastic cross sections ${Z}^{4}Q$ are roughly independent of $Z$ for fixed values of $\frac{E}{{Z}^{2}}$ and $Z\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ or $Z{R}_{z}$, where $E$ is the electron's kinetic energy, $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ is the Debye length, and ${R}_{z}$ is the ion-sphere radius.
Structural and electronic properties of ZrX2 and HfX2 (X = S and Se) from first principles calculations

Early transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC), characterized by their quasi-two-dimensional layered structure, have attracted intensive interest due to their versatile chemical and physical properties, but a comprehensive understanding of their structural and electronic properties from a first-principles point of view is still lacking. In this work, four simple TMDC materials, MX2 (M = Zr and Hf, X = S and Se), are investigated by the Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT) with different local or semilocal exchange-correlation (xc) functionals and many-body perturbation theory in the GW approximation. Although the widely used Perdew-Burke-Ernzelhof (PBE) generalized gradient approximation (GGA) xc functional overestimates the interlayer distance dramatically, two newly developed GGA functionals, PBE-for-solids (PBEsol) and Wu-Cohen 2006 (WC06), can reproduce experimental crystal structures of these TMDC materials very well. The GW method, currently the most accurate first-principles approach for electronic band structures of extended systems, gives the fundamental band gaps of all these materials in good agreement with the experimental values obtained from optical absorption. The minimal direct gaps from GW are systematically larger than those measured from thermoreflectance by about 0.1–0.3 eV, implying that excitonic effects may be stronger than previously estimated. The calculated density of states from GW quasi-particle band energies agrees very well with photo-emission spectroscopy data. Ionization potentials of these materials are also computed by combining PBE calculations based on the slab model and GW quasi-particle corrections. The calculated absolute band energies with respect to the vacuum level indicate that that ZrS2 and HfS2, although having suitable band gaps for visible light absorption, cannot be used for overall water splitting as a result of mismatch of the conduction band minimum with the redox potential of H+/H2.
Using severity measures to predict the likelihood of death for pneumonia inpatients.

OBJECTIVE: To see whether predictions of patients’ likelihood of dying in-hospital differed among severity methods.
Absorption of orally administered bovine prolactin by neonatal rats.

Neonatal rats received by esophageal administration 400 ng bovine prolactin (bPRL) in 0.5 ml of diluent. Blood serum was collected by decapitation at intervals of 15, 30, 45 and 90 min after administration. Pooled samples of rat sera were assayed for the presence of immunoreactive bPRL using radioimmunoassay procedures validated for that purpose. Significant quantities of bPRL were detected in sera from 7- and 8-day-old rats at 30 and 45 min after oral administration. However, there was no bPRL detected in sera from 7-day-old rats at 15 or 90 min after administration. There was also an absence of detectable bPRL at 45 min after administration in rats between 9 and 14 days of age. Rats older than 8 days apparently lose the ability to absorb oral bPRL or become more able to degrade the hormone.
Cobalamin as coenzyme: A twisting trail of research

Abstract Cobalamin derivatives serve as coenzymes for the body's two cobalamin-dependent enzymes--adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl CoA mutase, and methylcobalamin-dependent methionine methyltransferase. This essay reviews, in brief form and in personal terms, the history, beginning in the mid-1950s, of how these enzymes and coenzymes were discovered and what has been learned of their reaction mechanisms. It is clear that because of the fragility of the unique carbon-cobalt bond in cobalamin coenzymes, they serve primarily as free radical formers. This accounts for their efficiency in abstracting hydrogen from substrate molecules and for a subsequent chain of events that results in the isomerization of methylmalonyl CoA, the transfer of methyl groups, and (in certain bacteria) the reduction of ribonucleotides. Some thoughts are offered on the possible evolutionary significance of these facts.
Attitudes toward Women in the Military during the Persian Gulf War

This study describes the development of a scale to measure public attitudes toward women in the military (Women in the Military Scale) and reports its use with a sample of 97 college women surveyed...
End Effects in Laminated Anisotropic Beams—Part II

An analytical method of examining the stress field near the edge of a simply supported, laminated beam was developed in Part 1 of this paper. The result was a system of second-order, ordinary, linear, nonhomogeneous differential equations. A numerical and analytical technique for solving these equations is presented in this paper. The method is a versatile stress analysis procedure which can accommodate any combination of material lay-up and can simulate any prescribed distribution of normal load on the upper and lower surfaces. The reactions at the ends of the beam may be distributed over the surface edges in a fashion most accurately characterizing the physical supports. An all-steel lay-up is examined as a basis for comparison with Bernoulli-Euler and Timoshenko theory; and a two-layered steel/aluminum beam is examined to simply demonstrate the method`s capability of determining the interlaminar transverse shear and normal stresses.
Colorimetric determination of acetaldehyde in the presence of formaldehyde

Abstract A procedure is described that enables use of the p -phenylphenol color reaction to determine acetaldehyde in the presence of formaldehyde. The sample is first treated with an acidic 2,4-pentanedione reagent, which selectively removes formaldehyde. The method is applicable to blochemical reactions using tissue preparations.
Transport-induced abrasion of fossil reptilian teeth: Implications for the existence of Tertiary dinosaurs in the Hell Creek Formation, Montana

The experimental transport-induced abrasion of five fossil teeth from a crocodilian and the tyrannosaurid dinosaur Albertosaurus demonstrates that enamel-coated teeth are minimally affected by abrasion associated with sediment-transport processes. After the equivalent of 360–480 km of transport, two teeth showed slight loss of weight, scratches were developed on the surface of one tooth, there were slight enlargements of the areas between adjacent serrations of one tooth, and a pit in the exposed dentine of one tooth was abraded smooth. These changes would have been difficult to recognize if the teeth had not been examined before the start of the experiment. Our results suggest that dinosaur teeth are abraded so slowly by transport processes that they provide equivocal evidence for limited transport and reworking.
Performance and error analysis of automated external defibrillator use in the out-of-hospital setting

Abstract Study Objective: We determined whether automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can meet the American Heart Association performance criteria to detect and shock unstable cardiac rhythms (ventricular fibrillation [VF], ventricular tachycardia [VT]) in the setting of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods: AED performance was reviewed for cardiac arrests occurring between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 1997. After every cardiac arrest, data regarding each rhythm analyzed and subsequent response (shock or no shock) were downloaded from the AED memory module. The study paramedic and study physician independently reviewed each case and interpreted cardiac rhythms from downloaded AED data. The emergency medical services medical director resolved all discrepancies in a blinded manner. All cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in which an AED was turned on and a rhythm analyzed were included. The primary objective was the correct identification and defibrillation of VF or VT. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Sources of error in AED rhythm management are also described. Results: A total of 3,448 AED rhythms were available for interpretation. Sensitivity and specificity for appropriate AED management of a shockable (VF or VT) rhythm were 81.0% (95% CI 77.9% to 83.8%) and 99.9% (95% CI 99.7% to 100%), respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 99.6% (95% CI 98.7% to 99.9%) and 95.5% (95% CI 94.7% to 96.2%), respectively. There were 132 errors associated with AED management. Two errors resulted in delivery of an inappropriate shock. In the remaining 130 errors, a shockable rhythm was not shocked. Fifty-five (42.3%) errors were AED dependent, 70 (53.9%) were operator dependent, and 5 (3.9%) were unclassified. Conclusion: The AED had high specificity and moderately high sensitivity in detecting and shocking unstable cardiac rhythms in the out-of-hospital setting. Few cardiac rhythms were mismanaged by the AED. Elimination of operator-dependent errors could increase AED sensitivity. [MacDonald RD, Swanson JM, Mottley JL, Weinstein C. Performance and error analysis of automated external defibrillator use in the out-of-hospital setting. Ann Emerg Med. September 2001;38:262-267.]
A Maximum-Likelihood Synchronization Scheme for GPS Positioning in Multipath, Interference, and Weak Signal Environments

In this paper, a novel multipath parameters estimation approach for GPS receivers using the maximum likelihood (ML) principle is proposed. Exploiting the replication property of the GPS C/A code within each symbol, we develop a coherent preprocessing approach based on a sample mean model. This model employs long integration time that improves the SNR and enhances receiver robustness against interference and weak signal effects. It also allows a simplified expression for the likelihood function which facilitates the use of computationally efficient iterative techniques for solving the complex ML optimization problem. In the proposed approach, the ML estimator is iteratively computed using the fast and low-complexity SAGE (Space-Alternating Generalized Expectation Maximization) algorithm. The proposed scheme is a candidate for indoor GPS navigation, as demonstrated by computer simulations.
Big Data, Big Challenges

Big data analytics is the process of examining large amounts of data of a variety of types (big data) to uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations and other useful information. Its revolutionary potential is now universally recognized. Data complexity, heterogeneity, scale, and timeliness make data analysis a clear bottleneck in many biomedical applications, due to the complexity of the patterns and lack of scalability of the underlying algorithms. Advanced machine learning and data mining algorithms are being developed to address one or more challenges listed above. It is typical that the complexity of potential patterns may grow exponentially with respect to the data complexity, and so is the size of the pattern space. To avoid an exhaustive search through the pattern space, machine learning and data mining algorithms usually employ a greedy approach to search for a local optimum in the solution space, or use a branch-and-bound approach to seek optimal solutions, and consequently, are often implemented as iterative or recursive procedures. To improve efficiency, these algorithms often exploit the dependencies between potential patterns to maximize in-memory computation and/or leverage special hardware (such as GPU and FPGA) for acceleration. These lead to strong data dependency, operation dependency, and hardware dependency, and sometimes ad hoc solutions that cannot be generalized to a broader scope. In this talk, I will present some open challenges faced by data scientist in biomedical fields and the current approaches taken to tackle these challenges.
Image computations on meshes with multiple broadcast

The authors consider a mesh-connected processor array with broadcast, in which the processors in each row and in each column can access a shared bus. This computation model is an abstraction of commercially available parallel machines such as the distributed array processor (DAP). The authors show efficient data movement using the buses, which leads to significantly faster solution times for several image problems compared to those on an ordinary mesh-connected array. For several problems, the time performance is comparable to that on the pyramid of corresponding size. Alternate parallel organizations with broadcast feature are also shown. Utilizing the broadcast feature on the arrays can lead to significant improvement of the time performance of many image computations. >
Simulations of Filled Polymers on Multiple Length Scales

We present simulation results of the effect of nanoscopic and micron-sized fillers on the structure, dynamics and mechanical properties of polymer melts and blends. At the smallest length scales, we use molecular dynamics simulations to study the effect of a single nano-filler on the structure and dynamics of the surrounding melt. We find a tendency for polymer chains to be elongated and flattened near the filler surface. Additionally, the simulations show that the dynamics of the polymers can be dramatically altered by the choice of polymer-filler interactions. We use time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations to model the mesoscale phase-separation of an ultra-thin blend film in the presence of an immobilized filler particle. These simulations show the influence of filler particles on the mesoscale blend structure when one component of the blend preferentially wets the filler. Finally, we present some preliminary finite element calculations used to predict the effect of mesoscale structure on macroscopic ultrathin film mechanical properties.
Post‐stack diffraction‐type migration of the signal component of the wavefield

SUMMARY A new noise-suppressing technique for post-stack migration of CDP data is described. The idea of the method in its simplest form is to slide, in time, a diffraction curve along a group of traces of a stacked section, and for each point in time, to check whether there is an interval along the diffraction curve within which this curve is tangent to some coherent energy. If such an interval does exist, its location is found, a penalty function having maximal values within this interval and tending to zero outside it is constructed, and the data samples along the diffraction curve are stacked with weights proportional to the values of the penalty function. The method has been tested on variable fold seismic reflection data from a short seismic line at Cajon Pass in southern California. Results show substantial improvement in the ability to image a set of reflectors in the crystalline basement. The uppermost reflectors were intersected by the Cajon Pass scientific drillhole and found to be related to fracture zones. The source of a prominent reflector at 2.5 s (about 6.2 km depth), with an apparent dip of about 20° to the north, is not known. The northward dip of basement reflectors is common in seismic sections from the Mojave block where it abuts the San Andreas fault, and is probably related to a strong component of compression across the fault.
Basic desert of reactive emotions

In this paper, I explore the idea that someone can deserve resentment or other reactive emotions for what she does by attention to three psychological functions of such emotions – appraisal, communication, and sanction – that I argue ground claims of their desert. I argue that attention to these functions helps to elucidate the moral aims of reactive emotions and to distinguish the distinct claims of desert, as opposed to other moral considerations.
Detection of donor-specific antibodies in kidney transplantation

Introduction: Precise and timely detection of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) is vital for evaluating humoral immune status of patients pre- and post-transplantation. Source of data: Clinically relevant articles on theory, development, methodology and application of HLA-DSA testing in kidney transplantation. Areas of agreement and controversy: The availability of solid phase HLAantibody testing revolutionized our ability to detect HLA-DSA and to appreciate their significance in kidney transplant outcome. The best approach to determine the strength, immunogenicity and pathogenicity of HLA antibodies still remains controversial. Growing points: Assays to identify complement-binding antibodies were developed. Their clinical utilization, pre- and post-transplantation, is currently under investigation. Appreciation of the complexity of HLA-DQ antibodies should lead to better assignment of unacceptable antibodies and cPRA calculation.
Personality Changes from Acting in a Play

(1945). Personality Changes from Acting in a Play. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 247-255.
Interval estimation of population parameters based on environmental data with detection limits.

In this paper, we focus on constructing confidence intervals of normal population parameters based on multiple left-censored samples (singly and doubly censored samples are special cases). In addition to the asymptotic confidence interval, we propose a bootstrap procedure based on type I left censored samples with multiple censoring limits and use it to construct bootstrap confidence intervals for the population parameters of interest. Guidelines of selecting either asymptotic or bootstrap confidence intervals for practitioners are provided. We also provide some illustrative examples using real-life data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relationship of glucose regulation to changes in weight: a systematic review and guide to future research

Although weight gain and obesity are risk factors for poor glucose regulation, the relationship, if any, of glucose regulation to changes in weight is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of research examining the relationship of glucose regulation to changes in weight in human-based studies and to provide guidelines for future research in this area. We searched electronic databases and reference sections of relevant articles, including both diabetic and non-diabetic populations, to locate all the literature published before February 2010, and then conducted a systematic review across studies to compare the research designs and findings. The 22 studies meeting our criteria for review generally supported the relationship of glucose regulation to changes in weight. Three studies reported that poor glucose regulation is associated with weight gain; 12 studies concluded that poor glucose regulation is associated with weight loss; 5 showed complex relationships depending on age, sex, or race/ethnicity; and 2 suggested no relationship. The diverse findings may imply that the direction (negative or positive) of the relationship may depend on specific conditions. More research focused on different subpopulations may provide more definitive information supplemental to the current preliminary findings. Recommendations regarding future research in this particular area are provided in the discussion.
SIZE-SELECTIVE PREDATION BY INLAND SILVERSIDES ON AN EXOTIC CLADOCERAN, DAPHNIA LUMHOLTZI

A BSTRACT The helmet and large spines of zooplankton inhibit predation by small fishes. Daphnia lumholtzi, a long-spined, helmeted cladoceran, has recently invaded Lake Texoma (Oklahoma‐ Texas) and much of southeastern North America. To determine if inland silversides (Menidia beryllina) were size-selective predators on D. lumholtzi, we conducted laboratory experiments using 3 size-classes of fish (22 to 35 mm, 46 to 60 mm, and 67 to 80 mm). Inland silversides were allowed to feed for 80 min on D. lumholtzi of various sizes. Prey selection differed among the 3 silverside size-classes. Small inland silversides ate more small D. lumholtzi (total length 0.99 to 1.75 mm) than did large and medium inland silversides. Large inland silversides ate more large (2.62 to 3.44 mm) and very large (3.5 to 5.25 mm) D. lumholtzi than did smaller inland silversides. To examine if these trends occur in nature, we compared the lengths of D. lumholtzi and native Daphnia species (D. parvula and D. galeata) eaten by large and small inland silversides collected from Lake Texoma. As in the laboratory experiment, small inland silversides ate smaller D. lumholtzi than did large inland silversides. Although small inland silversides ate smaller D. lumholtzi, D. lumholtzi might be an important food source for young-of-the-year inland silversides, because D. lumholtzi reaches peak abundances during summer when native daphnid densities are low in Lake Texoma.
Biodegradation of Hydroxylated Polymers

Both qualitative and quantitative microbial methods have been used to investigate the biodegradability of two hydroxy-lated polyesters and their polyurethane derivatives. Bitritto and Huang reported that poly(hexamethylene tartrate) and poly(octamethylene tartrate), synthesized using paratoluene sulfonic acid as a catalyst, were good substrates for fungal growth.1 In this study it was found that tin chloride could also be used as a catalyst for the polyesterification reactions with no apparent effect on the biodegradability of the polymers. Both polymers, as well as polyurethanes synthesized from the polyesters, supported the growth of Aspergillus nicer on film surfaces. On the other hand, when zinc chloride was either used as a catalyst or incorporated into the polymer matrices, fungal growth was inhibited. Based on these results, further experiments were conducted to test the feasibility of using these biodegradable polymers as controlled release matrices for fungicidal agents. In these experiments, zinc chloride was incorporated into polymer tablets, the release profile examined, and the effect on fungal growth observed.
Effect of Axial Flow on Perforated Pipe Outflow

There has been considerable past study, mostly of a theoretical nature concerning the flow of fluids in conduits with perforated or porous walls. This technical note deals primarily with an experimental study of turbulent water flow in a plastic pipe having many pairs of perforations arranged symmetrically along the pipe axis.
Restoring the Lost Virtue of Prudential Justice to the Life Debate

Can a book about prudence survive in contemporary publication culture? This one will most definitely survive — and may indeed thrive if readers can handle constructive criticism that leads to greater good. Lamenting the loss of public virtue and the sad reality that political action and involvement has grown frustrating for the evangelical Christian community, Clarke Forsythe gently, empathetically, and thoughtfully reminds the prolife public that we are no more virtuous than our progressive proabortion counterparts when it comes to judicial activism, clarifying the need for a wiser solution.
Human Sexuality: Counselling and Treatment in a Family Medicine Practice

Practitioners of family medicine provide “comprehensive medical care with particular emphasis on the family unit, in which the physician’s continuing responsibility for health care is limited neither by the patient’s age nor sex nor a particular organ system or disease entity” (official definition by American Academy of Family Practice). As such, they may be the only type of primary care physician who tend to have an opportunity to encounter patients with a full range of sexual complaints. Yet, family practitioners are inadequately prepared to deal effectively with these patients, since the curriculum in human sexuality is usually a token introduction to sexual anatomy, physiology, and pathology.
Studies on lysyl oxidase of bovine ligamentum nuchae and bovine aorta.

Lysyl oxidase had been purified to near homogeneity from bovine aorta and bovine ligamentum nuchae employing a modification of methods described by Harris et al., and Stassen and his colleagues. The aortic enzyme gives rise to at least three peaks and the ligament enzyme resolves into at least four peaks upon chromatography on DEAE cellulose. The molecular weight of each peak of both enzymes is approximately 30,000 daltons in sodium dodecyl sulfate. The aortic enzyme aggregates to species with molecular weights varying from approximately 60,000 to 1,000,000 daltons upon dialysis out of urea into phosphate-buffered saline. Temperature studies reveal that lysyl oxidase is stable to temperatures as high as 80°C, although the assay optimum is 52°C. Studies in progress suggest the temperature dependency of assay may reflect conformational changes in the elastin substrate.
Comparison of Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium Diffusion Measurements for W(110)p(2x1)-O

The thermodynamic behavior of an overlayer on a surface is a result of its microscopic interatomic interactions. Measurements of microscopic interactions can be made at equilibrium or as the system evolves in time to attain it. The barriers to diffusion can be measured in the two cases and the atomic interactions determined. For the nonequilibrium experiment it is necessary to define a non-equilibrium diffusion coefficient that depends on the mean local environment that a diffusing atom sees. Experiments will be presented on the W(110)p(2x1)-0 system. Although the macroscopic activation energies to diffusion are different in the two cases, the same set of atomic interactions is extracted. The difference is related to the different local environment that an atom “sees” in an equilibrium and a non-equilibrium experiment.
Surgical management of strabismus following vitreo-retinal surgery.

Motility disorders and strabismus after vitreo- retinal surgical intervention have multiple etiologic factors. The main focus here is strabismus following scleral buckling surgery. The preoperative evaluation of these patients must be inclusive for restrictions, redirected muscle forces, adherence syndromes, muscle weakness, and visual sensory disturbance. Restoration of binocular function is generally the goal of surgical intervention, but paramount to surgery is assessing the potential for binocular function. Surgical techniques for overcoming the barriers to fusion are discussed with clinical vignettes to illustrate the principal. Surgery, which is appropriately planned, based on these principals can be highly successful in restoring visual functioning.
EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF TRANSCATHETER LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE LIGATION WITH LARIAT: A META-ANALYSIS

LARIAT is an endo-epicardial transcatheter left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion technique that is increasingly being used for LAA exclusion. We searched for studies that reported the safety and outcomes of LAA exclusion using the LARIAT technique in PubMed, EBSCO and Google Scholar databases. Data
Privacy-Preserving and Efficient Friend Recommendation in Online Social Networks

The popularity of online social networks (OSNs) is on constant rise due to various advantages, including online communication and sharing information of interest among friends. It is often that users want to make new friends to expand their social connections as well as to obtain information from a broad range of people. Friend recommendation is a very important application in many OSNs and has been studied extensively in the recent past. However,with the growing concerns about user privacy, there is a strong need to develop privacy-preserving friend recommendation methods for social networks. In this paper, we propose two novel methods to recommend friends for a given user by using the common neighbors proximity measure in a privacy-preserving manner. The first method is based on the properties of an additive homomorphic encryption scheme and also utilizes a universal hash function for efficiency purpose. The second method utilizes the concept of protecting the source privacy through anonymousmessage routing and recommends friends accurately and efficiently. In addition, we empirically compare the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed protocols, and address the implementation details of the two methods in practice. The proposed protocols provide a trade-off among security, accuracy, and efficiency; thus, users or the network provider can choose between these two protocols depending on the underlying requirements.
Spatial determinants of the mandibular curve of Spee in modern and archaic Homo

1 Objectives The curve of Spee (COS) is a mesio-distally curved alignment of the canine through distal molar cusp tips in certain mammals including modern humans and some fossil hominins. In humans, the alignment varies from concave to flat, and previous studies have suggested that this difference reflects craniofacial morphology, including the degree of alveolar prognathism. However, the relationship between prognathism and concavity of the COS has not been tested in craniofacially variant populations. We tested the hypothesis that greater alveolar prognathism covaries with a flatter COS in African-American and European-American populations. We further examined this relationship in fossil Homo including Homo neanderthalensis and early anatomically modern Homo sapiens, which are expected to extend the amount of variation in the COS from the extant sample. 2 Methods and Materials These hypotheses were tested using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Landmarks were recorded from the skulls of 166 African-Americans, 123 European-Americans, and 10 fossil hominin mandible casts. Landmarks were subjected to generalized Procrustes analysis, principal components analysis, and two-block partial least squares analysis. 3 Results We documented covariation between the COS and alveolar prognathism such that relatively prognathic individuals have a flatter COS. Mandibular data from the fossil hominin taxa generally confirm and extend this correlation across a greater range of facial size and morphology in Homo. 4 Discussion Our results suggest that the magnitude of the COS is related to a suite of features associated with alveolar prognathism in modern humans and across anthropoids. We also discuss the implications for spatial interactions between the dental arches.
Microwave Drying of Latex Carpet Backing

AbstractMicrowave heating was applied to the drying and curing of latex backing on carpet. An experimental procedure was used to investigate micro-wave drying times and product quality as compared to conventional hot air drying. The results indicate that with proper power setting of the micro-wave heater, drying times may be substantially reduced for a wide range of carpet types with no resultant loss of product quality.
Direct comparison of a pulse-driven Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer and a programmable Josephson voltage standard at 1 volt

We have performed direct ac comparisons between two types of quantum voltage standards, a pulse-driven Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer and a programmable Josephson voltage standard, at 1 V rms amplitude and a frequency of 100 Hz. The system architectures for these two Josephson technologies are quite different. However, in the range where their capabilities overlap, they should produce identical results. This comparison under various test conditions is a powerful method for verifying ideal performance of the systems, and exploring a number of potential systematic errors in both measurement methods and system operations.
Ultrasound Small Vessel Imaging With Block-Wise Adaptive Local Clutter Filtering

Robust clutter filtering is essential for ultrasound small vessel imaging. Eigen-based clutter filtering techniques have recently shown great improvement in clutter rejection over conventional clutter filters in small animals. However, for in vivo human imaging, eigen-based clutter filtering can be challenging due to the complex spatially-varying tissue and noise characteristics. To address this challenge, we present a novel block-wise adaptive singular value decomposition (SVD) based clutter filtering technique. The proposed method divides the global plane wave data into overlapped local spatial segments, within which tissue signals are assumed to be locally coherent and noise locally stationary. This, in turn, enables effective separation of tissue, blood and noise via SVD. For each block, the proposed method adaptively determines the singular value cutoff thresholds based on local data statistics. Processing results from each block are redundantly combined to improve both the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and the contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) of the small vessel perfusion image. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieved more than two-fold increase in SNR and more than three-fold increase in CNR in dB scale over the conventional global SVD filtering technique for an in vivo human native kidney study. The proposed method also showed substantial improvement in suppression of the depth-dependent background noise and better rejection of near field tissue clutter. The effects of different processing block size and block overlap percentage were systematically investigated as well as the tradeoff between imaging quality and computational cost.
Random forest and leaf multispectral reflectance data to differentiate three soybean varieties from two pigweeds

We tested random forest to distinguish two pigweeds from three soybean varieties.We used leaf multispectral data as input variables for the random forest algorithm.Classification accuracies ranged from 93.8% to 100%.Random forest can use leaf multispectral data to distinguish pigweeds from soybean. Accurate weed identification is a prerequisite for implementing site-specific weed management in crop production. Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) are two common pigweeds that reduce soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr. yields in the southeastern United States. The objective of this study was to evaluate leaf multispectral reflectance data as input into the random forest machine learning algorithm to differentiate three soybean varieties (Progeny 4928, Progeny 5160, and Progeny 5460) from Palmer amaranth and redroot pigweed. Leaf reflectance measurements of soybean, Palmer amaranth, and redroot pigweed plants grown in a greenhouse were collected with a plant contact probe attached to a hyperspectral spectroradiometer. Data were obtained at the vegetative growth stage of the plants on two dates, June 30, 2014, and September 17, 2014. The hyperspectral data were aggregated to sixteen multispectral bands (viz. coastal, blue, green, yellow, red, red-edge, near-infrared 1 and 2, and shortwave-infrared 1-8) mimicking those recorded by the WorldView-3 satellite sensor. Classifications were binary, meaning one soybean variety versus one weed tested per classification. Random forest classification accuracies were determined with a confusion matrix, incorporating user's, producer's, and overall accuracies and the kappa coefficient. User's, producer's, and overall accuracies of the soybean weed classifications ranged from 93.8% to 100%. Kappa results (values of 0.93-0.97) indicated an excellent agreement between the classes predicted by the models and the actual reference data. Shortwave-infrared bands were ranked the most important variables for distinguishing the pigweeds from the soybean varieties. These results suggest that random forest and leaf multispectral reflectance data could be used as tools to differentiate soybean from two pigweeds with a potential application of this technology in site-specific weed management programs.
Social media processes in disasters: Implications of emergent technology use

This article seeks to extend social science scholarship on social media technology use during disruptive events. Though social media's role in times of crisis has been previously studied, much of this work tends to focus on first-responders and relief organizations. However, social media use during disasters tends to be decentralized and this organizational structure can promote different types of messages to top-down information systems. Using 142,786 geo-tagged tweets collected before and after Hurricane Sandy's US landfall as a case study, this article seeks to explore shifts in social media behavior during disruptive events and highlights that though Sandy disrupted routine life within Twitter, users responded to the disaster by employing humor, sharing photos, and checking into locations. We conclude that social media use during disruptive events is complex and understanding these nuanced behaviors is important across the social sciences.
Interactive Multi-Consumer Power Cooperatives with Learning and Axiomatic Cost and Risk Disaggregation

This paper introduces a novel autonomous interactive learning cooperative (ILCP) who receives expected value and variance of load from consumers and participates in the electricity market on their behalf. Using an axiomatic approach, the share of each consumer’s payment as well as its weight in calculating the modification of total day-ahead load are formulated. This scheme applies double-seasonal smoothing exponential, a recent load forecasting technique, and a classifier for real-time to day-ahead price direction forecasting (Gaussian Nave Bayes). In addition to this, the ILCP employs interactive cooperative algorithms for both trading cooperative and consumer side. The ILCP scheme is investigated and its performance is compared to those of non-cooperative real-time pricing (RTP), LCP (non-interactive learning cooperative) and CP (non-interactive non-learning cooperative). The developed system was implemented using PJM(world’s largest wholesale electricity market) real-time and dayahead data for 2013 and half of 2014; real load profiles were selected from a set of 579 residential and commercial consumers, and weather data were applied to forecasting electricity price direction. We demonstrate the advantages of ILCP to lower the average electricity cost and to reduce unit price variations.
Pinyin or no pinyin: does access to word pronunciation matter in the assessment of Chinese learners’ vocabulary knowledge?

This study examined the impact of providing access to word pronunciation on the assessment of L2 Chinese learners’ vocabulary knowledge. Chinese heritage learners (HLs) and foreign language learners (FLs) studying in American universities undertook a computer-based test in which they had first to select a picture that represented the meaning of a target word presented in characters only, and then answer the same item presented in both characters and pinyin (i.e. the alphabetic system to facilitate the pronunciation of characters). The provision of pinyin substantially increased the test reliability for both groups of learners but the differences between the no-pinyin and pinyin conditions were less marked for FLs than HLs. In the no-pinyin condition, the groups showed no significant score difference, whereas in the pinyin condition, HLs significantly outperformed FLs. The proportion of HLs who successfully corrected their original choices following provision of pinyin was also notably higher. Thes...
Effect of Boundary Layer Roll Vortices on the Development of an Axisymmetric Tropical Cyclone

AbstractIn this study, the authors numerically investigate the response of an axisymmetric tropical cyclone (TC) vortex to the vertical fluxes of momentum, heat, and moisture induced by roll vortices (rolls) in the boundary layer. To represent the vertical fluxes induced by rolls, a two-dimensional high-resolution Single-Grid Roll-Resolving Model (SRM) is embedded at multiple horizontal grid points in the mesoscale COAMPS for Tropical Cyclones (COAMPS-TC) model domain. Idealized experiments are conducted with the SRM embedded within 3 times the radius of maximum wind of an axisymmetric TC. The results indicate that the rolls induce changes in the boundary layer wind distribution and cause a moderate (approximately 15%) increase in the TC intensification rate by increasing the boundary layer convergence in the eyewall region and induce more active eyewall convection. The numerical experiments also suggest that the roll-induced tangential momentum flux is most important in contributing to the TC intensifica...
Exploiting induced and natural epigenetic variation for crop improvement

Plant breeding has traditionally relied on combining the genetic diversity present within a species to develop combinations of alleles that provide desired traits. Epigenetic diversity may provide additional sources of variation within a species that could be captured or created for crop improvement. It will be important to understand the sources of epigenetic variation and the stability of newly formed epigenetic variants over generations to fully use the potential of epigenetic variation to improve crops. The development and application of methods for widespread epigenome profiling and engineering may generate new avenues for using the full potential of epigenetics in crop improvement.
Stability of liquid bridges with elastic interface

Low salinity waterflooding (LSWF) has been proposed as way to increase oil recovery. Albeit various proposed mechanisms for LSWF improved oil recovery, no consensus exists currently. Alvarado et al. showed that a strong correlation between incremental oil recovery and high interfacial viscoelasticity exists. This interfacial response to LSWF has been proposed to hinder snap-off. Our work provides compelling evidence that snap-off suppression correlates with crude oil–water interfacial elasticity (IFE) and interfacial tension (IFT). The proposed mechanisms is tested using a novel fluid bridge setup. IFT and IFE were measured in deionized water containing either sodium chloride or/and sodium sulfate. Bridge experiments were conducted with the same oil-aqueous phase combinations as those used in IFT experiments. The bridge geometry was tracked while the oil was pumped out until bridge failure. The critical neck diameter (CND), corresponding to the minimum neck diameter before snap-off, represents our stability proxy. Results show that as the interfacial elasticity increases over time, the bridge becomes more resilient against deformation. This behavior is explained by adducing that a decreasing local interfacial area produces a larger IFT drop, if the IFE increases. The smaller IFT lowers the bridge fluid's pressure gradient, consequently decreasing the fluid pump-out action. This is the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that a fluid bridge has been used to evaluate the stability of an elastic interface. The technique has potential broader impacts, including the understanding of biological membranes and enhanced oil recovery, among others.
Paresthesia from N2: Report of a case

Abstract Several cases of paresthesia following the use of N2 or other root canal filling material containing paraformaldehyde have been reported. Another case of paresthesia following the use of N2 is recorded here.
Systematic defect detection methodology for volume diagnosis: A data mining perspective

This work studies a data-driven methodology for detecting systematic defects using layout-aware scan diagnosis data. As part of volume diagnosis, this methodology focuses on ranking the most systematic defective signatures, while possible random defects are also present in the wafer. The main analysis components utilize χ2 Independence Tests to establish systematic relationships between reported defective signatures and defects, while data clustering and net repeating signals are used to amplify these systematic defective signals. Based on consensus results from the analysis components, the methodology provides physical candidates to facilitate the discovery of potential yield limiters. Finally, methodology effectiveness and evaluations are presented through application on production wafers from three 14nm products.
Novel Role of IL (Interleukin)-1β in Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Objective—Neutrophils promote experimental abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation via a mechanism that is independent from MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases). Recently, we reported a dominant role...
Mischief in Masculinity: Gender in John Lydgate's Troy Book

or medieval authors, the Trojan War narrative offered a safe space within which the role of gender—and more specifically masculinity—might be explored. Christopher Baswell has suggested that the Roman d’Eneas (ca. 1160) “created a space in which its aristocratic readership could examine manhood and heroism for its own time and imagine the old dangers and new pressures under which its concept of manhood labored.” 1 The complex representation of the masculine war hero in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde (ca. 1385) has been much debated by recent scholars. 2 Although Chaucer’s Troilus might be the most obvious and intricate consideration of medieval masculinity, the heroes of John Lydgate’s Troy Book (1412-20) further complicate our understanding of that masculinity and its role in the perpetuation of patriarchal authority. 3 In Troy Book, Lydgate portrays stable gender performances as foundational to the structural stability of the Trojan world, emphasizing a rigid binary of gender performances. He then challenges that foundation by demonstrating the illusory nature of such performances by highlighting the frequent incursions of feminine characteristics on the gender performances of his many classic heroes. What results is the deconstruction of a hetero-normative gender binary in favor of a more fluid system of gendered performances. Born, in many ways, out of Carolyn Walker Bynum’s analyses of gender in medieval Christian texts, recent scholars have canvassed the many ways gender was constructed, idealized, imagined, and performed in the Middle Ages. 4 What may have begun on the margins has now become central to our understanding of medieval literature in the western world and beyond. This study would not have been possible without the work of scholars like those represented in Thelma S. Fenster and F
Biodegradation of oil hydrocarbons and its implications for source identification

Biodegradation puts a major impact on the composition of petroleum products and crude oils. This chapter discusses the fundamentals of hydrocarbon biodegradation, especially of liquid fossil fuels, and attempts to bring together the conclusions from two rather disparate areas of research. One is from the community of microbiologists and environmental scientists studying biodegradation in the laboratory and the field. The other is from the community of geochemists studying petroleum in reservoirs. Significant routes for hydrocarbons to leave the biosphere are combustion and photochemical oxidation. Photo oxidation is a very important process in the atmosphere, and while it does convert aromatic compounds in slicks to oxygenated species, it accounts for relatively little loss of nonvolatile hydrocarbons. Oxygen is both an essential reactant in the initial activation of hydrocarbons under aerobic conditions and the terminal electron acceptor for microbial growth. Most natural petroleum contains only trace amounts of alkenes. A few crude oils contain minor amounts from radiolysis, but alkenes can be quite abundant in refined products such as gasoline.