cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Structural Competency Working Group: Lessons from Iterative, Interdisciplinary Development of a Structural Competency Training Module

In the United States and around the world, social, political, and economic structures are hugely determinant of the distribution of illness and health. Structural competency is a promising framework to help clinicians recognize, analyze, ameliorate, and hopefully alter these harmful inequities. To bring this framework to health professionals, the Structural Competency Working Group has developed, operationalized, evaluated, and revised a three hour structural competency training. Encouraging “impractical” innovative thinking, striving to make content “sticky,” and responding to findings from evaluation, the SCWG developed a brief training that we have found to be surprisingly impactful. Our efforts to implement and evaluate this training for a variety of healthcare professions suggest that it can be similarly relevant across a range of fields.We hope our case will inspire others to implement similar trainings in other geographical locations and for professionals in other fields, within and beyond healthcare.
Algorithm 993: Efficient Computation with Kronecker Products

An algorithm for multiplying a chain of Kronecker products by a matrix is described. The algorithm does not require that the Kronecker chain actually be computed and the main computational work is a series of matrix-matrix multiplications. Use of the algorithm can lead to substantial savings in both memory requirements and computational speed. Although similar algorithms have been described before, this article makes two novel contributions. First, it shows how shuffling of data can be (largely) avoided. Second, it provides a simple method to determine the optimal ordering of the workflow.
Stability of individual differences in sucralose taste preference

Outbred rats display variable preferences for bittersweet solutions, expressed as preference or avoidance of high concentrations of artificial sweeteners over water. This may reflect individual differences in appetitive/aversive conflict processing that may have predictive validity for disorders of motivation. Here we use a homecage two-bottle choice procedure to examine the test/retest stability and between-tastant consistency in sucralose preference to determine the reliability of bittersweet taste preference. Sucralose is a non-caloric artificial sweetener that is preferred by some rats and avoided by others. We sought to determine whether sucralose preference is consistent with preference of sucrose/quinine solutions that have known sweet and bitter taste qualities, respectively. We give fluid restricted rats 45-minutes homecage access to water and ascending concentrations of sucralose (SUCRA; 0.0025-10mM) or a compound solution of sucrose (116mM) + quinine (0.002-2mM) (SQ). We use a within-subject counterbalanced design (SUCRA or SQ testing) to determine preference of each bittersweet solution relative to water. We observed individual variability in preference for SUCRA and SQ, such that some rats preferred bittersweet solutions over water (preferring) while other rats preferred water over bittersweet solutions (avoiding). Within tastant, this preference remained stable across repeated testing. Between solutions, SUCRA preference scores correlated with SQ scores, suggesting consistent taste conflict processing for both bittersweet solutions. Population level analyses confirmed that preference generalizes across bittersweet solutions, and that rats' preferences for bittersweet solutions relative to water are stable over time. The test/retest and between-tastant reliability of this taste conflict screening procedure support the potential utility of this model for exploring individual variability in appetitive/aversive conflict processes mediating motivated behavior.
Quality of family planning services in HIV integrated and non-integrated health facilities in Malawi and Tanzania.

The integration of family planning (FP) and HIV-related services is common in sub-Saharan Africa. Little research has examined how FP quality of care differs between integrated and non-integrated facilities. Using nationally representative data from Malawi and Tanzania, we examined how HIV integration was associated with FP quality of care. Data were drawn from Service Provision Assessments (SPAs) from Malawi (2013–2014) and Tanzania (2014–2015). The analytic sample was restricted to lower-level facilities in Malawi (n = 305) and Tanzania (n = 750) that offered FP services. We matched SPA measures to FP quality of care indicators in the Quick Investigation of Quality (QIQ). We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses of 22 QIQ indicators to examine how integration status was related to individual QIQ indicators and overall FP quality of care at the facility- and client-level. The prevalence of HIV integration in Malawi (39%) and Tanzania (38%) was similar. Integration of HIV services was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with QIQ indicators in Malawi (n = 3) and Tanzania (n = 4). Except for one negative association in Tanzania, all other associations were positive. At the facility-level, HIV integration was associated with increased odds of being at or above the median in FP quality of care in Malawi (adjusted odd ratio (OR) = 2.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32, 3.79) and Tanzania (adjusted OR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.37, 3.22). At the client-level, HIV integration was not associated with FP quality of care in either country. Based on samples in Malawi and Tanzania, HIV integration appears to be beneficially associated with FP quality of care. Using a spectrum of FP quality of care indicators, we found little evidence to support concerns that HIV integration may strain facilities and providers, and adversely impact quality outcomes. Rather, it appears to strengthen FP service delivery by increasing the likelihood of stocked FP commodities and achievement of other facility-level quality indicators, potentially through HIV-related supply chains. Further research is needed to assess FP quality of care outcomes across the various platforms of FP integration found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Na12K38Tl48Au2: A Metallic Zintl Phase with Naked Icosahedral Fragments Tl77- and Tl99- Plus Au-

The title compound is synthesized by direct reaction of the elements at 500 C followed by slow cooling. Na{sub 12}K{sub 38}Tl{sub 48}Au{sub 2} crystallizes hexagonal and is constituted (in terms of oxidation states) as (Na{sup +}){sub 12}(K{sup +}){sub 38}(Tl{sub 7}{sup 7{minus}}){sub 3}(Tl{sub 9}{sup 9{minus}}){sub 3}(Au{sup {minus}}){sub 2}. Both clusters have C{sub 2{nu}} symmetry and can be viewed as fragments of a centered icosahedral Tl{sub 13}. The Tl{sub 7}{sup 7{minus}} cluster is an oblate pentagonal bipyramid with an apex-apex bond distance of 3.39 {angstrom}, and Tl{sub 9}{sup 9{minus}} can be best derived from the centered icosahedron by removal of four adjoining vertexes (or as two fused pentagonal bipyramids). The isolated Au{sup {minus}} is bound in a trigonal antiprism of potassium. The compound is structurally electron-precise (Zintl phase), but it shows characteristics of a very poor metal ({rho}{sub 298} {approximately} 760 {mu}{Omega}(cm)) with a Pauli-like susceptibility of {approximately}1.4 {times} 10{sup {minus}3} emu/mol over 50--300 K after correction for Larmor precession of cluster orbitals. EHMO results for the bonding in Tl{sub 7}{sup 7{minus}} and factors that stabilize this compound are presented and discussed.
MAP2K3 and p38 are drivers of in vitro glioma invasion.

290 The early and pervasive tendency of glioma cells to invade into peritumoral normal brain underlies the poor prognosis for patients with glial tumors. This malignant diffusion of glioma prevents complete surgical resection, positions tumor cells behind an intact blood-brain barrier, and sequesters tumor cells outside the fields of focal radiation; each of these leads to heightened (almost certain) tumor recurrence. A three dimensional spheroid invasion assay was employed to determine the transcriptome of invasive glioma cells (U87WT and U87ΔEGFR) compared to their non-invading counterparts from the spheroid center. Cells from invasive rim and spheroid core were collected from three biological replicates representing each cell line by laser capture microdissection. Oligonucleotide microarray analysis resulted in the identification of 90 genes significantly differentially regulated with in vitro invasion, which were further categorized according to molecular function. Mitogen activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MAP2K3), a member of the MAP-kinase family was identified to be significantly up-regulated in invasive cells. MAP2K3 is involved in stress signaling, tumor cell invasion apoptosis resistance and activates p38 by phosphorylation. Immunofluoresence on paraffin embedded invasion assays revealed increased levels of MAP2K3 and phosphorylated p38 in invasive cells. Inhibition of these genes by siRNA and small molecules decreased invasiveness of spheroids in vitro while sensitizing them to apoptosis induction confirming significance of this pathway for glioma invasion. Invasion glioma tissue microarray revealed strong staining intensity for MAP2K3 and phosphorylated p38 in 100% of invasive glioma cells while only few cells from the core exhibited weak staining; non-cancerous brain revealed no staining for MAP2K3. This data demonstrates that this model system can be used as a tool for discovery of candidates such as MAP2K3 and p38 that are potential targets for anti-invasive therapies in combination with cytotoxic agents.
Comments on Macri's Macro by Federico Sturzenegger

Sturzenegger’s paper details Argentina’s transition to an orthodox, center-right government that employed experts like himself to stabilize the economy following 12 years of populist administrations. Four years later, and with inflation twice the level inherited from the populists, there is widespread disappointment with Macri’s handling of the economy. What went wrong? According to Sturzenegger, the key mistake was the change in the inflation target in the middle of a “successful disinflation program.” While this is an intriguing claim, the paper does not explain why Macri and other members of the government failed to appreciate his progress and fired him. It would be ironic if all we could conclude from this episode is that Macri’s Achilles heel was, in the end, just old-style populist short-sightedness.
Cannabis Surveillance With Twitter Data: Emerging Topics and Social Bots

Objectives. To use publicly accessible data from people who post to Twitter to rapidly capture and describe the public's recent experiences with cannabis.Methods. We obtained Twitter posts containing cannabis-related terms from May 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018. We used methods to distinguish between posts from social bots and nonbots. We used text classifiers to identify topics in posts (n = 60 861).Results. Prevalent topics of posts included using cannabis with mentions of cannabis initiation, processed cannabis products, and health and medical with posts suggesting that cannabis could help with cancer, sleep, pain, anxiety, depression, trauma, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Polysubstance use was a common topic with mentions of cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, LSD, meth, mushrooms, and Xanax along with cannabis. Social bots regularly made health claims about cannabis.Conclusions. Findings suggest that processed cannabis products, unsubstantiated health claims about cannabis products, and the co-use of cannabis with legal and illicit substances warrant considerations by public health researchers in the future.
Oncologists’ perceptions of cost and cancer care in India: A comparison of private practice (PPOs) and non-private practice oncologists (NPPOs).

e17562 Background: Cancer incidence is increasing in India, where most patients lack health insurance. Little is known about how out-of-pocket costs affect cancer treatment decision-making by India...
The acoustic near-field measurement of aye-ayes' biological auditory system utilizing a biomimetic robotic tap-scanning.

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is best known for its unique acoustic-based foraging behavior called 'tap-scanning' or 'percussive foraging'. The tap-scanning is a unique behavior allowing aye-aye to locate small cavities beneath tree bark and extract wood-boring larvae from it. The tap-scanning requires the animal auditory system to have exceptional acoustic near-field sensitivity. This paper has experimentally investigated the effects of external pinna in the acoustic sensing and detection capabilities of aye-ayes. To experimentally evaluate the effects of external ear (pinna) of the aye-aye, the tap-scanning process was simulated using a robotic arm. A pinna was 3D printed using a CT scan obtained from a carcass. The pinna's effect on the acoustic near-field has been evaluated in time and frequency domains for simulated tap-scanning with the pinna in upright and cupped positions. The idea comes from the morphological trait of the aye-aye where the animal uses its ears this way. The results suggest that the aye-aye can substantially enhance its acoustic near-field sensitivity through a cupped conformation during tap-scanning. Three phenomena contribute to this substantial enhancement of the acoustic near-field: (i) a considerable increase in the signal-to-noise ratio, (ii) the creation of a focal area and potentially a focal point to increase the spatial resolution, and (iii) an increase in the receiver peak frequency by changing near-field beam pattern for higher frequencies that can result in greater sensitivity due to a smaller wavelength.
Understanding Douglass North in game-theoretic language☆

Abstract By using game-theoretic language, this paper attempts to interpret the North's recent framework for institutional studies. Particularly relying on a foundational study of knowledge and culture in epistemic game theory, it clarifies three subtly different meanings of the beliefs used by North – behavioral, cultural, and elites’ subjective – in the evolutions of institutions. It also suggests the ways to respond to the North's call for interdisciplinary approach by applying analytical tools of strategic complementarities and linked games.
From Post-Mortems to Preventive Medicine: Next Steps for Research on Child Witnesses

We propose five directions for future child witness research, inspired by recognition of the day-to-day realities of the legal system and the opportunities of psychology to react pro-actively to challenges child witnesses face. These directions include 1) the refinement of developmentally sensitive questioning aids that increase completeness without increasing suggestibility, 2) the development of approaches to non-disclosure and recantation, including understanding of the reasons underlying non-disclosure and the potential for building rapport and increasing trust, 3) the construction of interventions that meet mental health needs of child-victim witnesses without creating false memories or tainting testimony, 4) a focus on details of children's narratives that are often lacking, including temporal information and emotional reactions, and 5) expanding our attention beyond child sexual abuse allegations in criminal court and considering the many contexts in which child witnesses are questioned, including areas in which preferences rather than memories are elicited.
Economia Comportamental: um Tutorial para Analistas do Comportamento (R. Freitas- Lemos & F. S. Oda, Trad.)

In recent years, behavioral economics has gained much attention in psychology and public policy. Despite increased interest and continued basic experimental studies, the application of behavioral economics to therapeutic settings remains relatively sparse. Using examples from both basic and applied studies, we provide an overview of the principles comprising behavioral economic perspectives and discuss implications for behavior analysts in practice. A call for further translational research is provided.
Commentary on Kendler's paper: an alternative perspective.

Publisher Summary Kendler's theory represents an important step in researchers' attempt to understand the ontogeny of human learning. If the operational definitions offered for (and assumptions concerning) incremental learning and hypothesis testing is accepted, the data are particularly compelling. Kendler's central thesis is that (a) the absence of win-stay responding to a specified stimulus attribute implies the presence of associative (incremental) learning and (b) hypothesis-testing behavior always implies win-stay responding to a specified attribute. There is, however, some evidence in the developmental literature that contraindicates both assumptions. The stochastic version of hypothesis theory explored by Kendler is, of course, congenial to her assumptions. Other versions of the theory, however, particularly those concerned with the behavior of children and nonhuman primates, question their validity. This chapter demonstrates that when an expanding body of research (and theory) is considered, the basic assumptions of Kendler's revised mediation theory encounter some difficulties.
Susceptibility to Coxsackievirus B3-induced chronic myocarditis maps near the murine Tcr alpha and Myhc alpha loci on chromosome 14.

This study was undertaken to determine the genetic control of host susceptibility to coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced chronic myocarditis in a mouse model. An autosomal recessive autoimmune myocardial disease (amd) gene (possibly more than one gene), which determined susceptibility to CVB3-induced chronic myocarditis in the A/J and DBA/2J inbred mouse strains, was mapped to a segment of chromosome 14. Data from both the AXB/BXA recombinant inbred (RI) strains and the B10.D2(57N) H-8b congenic mice supported this linkage relationship. Analysis of the AXB/BXA RI strain distribution patterns suggested that amd maps distal to the Np-2, Tcr alpha, and Myhc alpha loci.
Studies on the Substrate Specificity of the Phospholipase A1 of the Plasma Membrane of Rat Liver

Abstract The phospholipase A1 from the plasma membranes of the rat liver catalyzes a transacylation between acylglycerols in addition to hydrolysis. Only the acyl group from position 1 can be donated; that in position 2 is not utilized. Compounds which contain either primary or secondary hydroxyls can be utilized as acyl acceptor molecules. The acceptor molecule may not be bulky, however, as shown by the lack of utilization of diglycerides, monoacylglycerophosphorylethanolamine and cholesterol. The addition of mono- and diacylglycerols with acyl chains of different length and unsaturation caused varying degrees of inhibition. Dialkylglycerols did not inhibit the enzyme as well as diacylglycerols which demonstrates that the nature of the bond on the glycerol affects the binding of the lipid to the enzyme. These results substantiate our earlier postulate that the enzyme has separate binding sites for acyl donor and acyl acceptor molecules.
Caste and division of labor in leaf-cutter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Atta)

The size-frequency distributions of workers were followed in A. cephalotes colonies from the beginning brood (collected in Costa Rica) through 4 years of growth in the laboratory to a worker population of up to 64,530. Workers in the founding groups had a nearly uniform distribution, with a range in head width of 0.8–1.6 mm (Figs. 1–3, Table 1). This range is the minimum required both to harvest fresh vegetation and cultivate the symbiotic fungus. Thus in founding the colony the queen produces close to the maximum mumber of individual workers that can collectively perform all of the essential tasks.
Behavioral Spillovers in Coordination Games

Motivated by problems of coordination failure observed in weak-link games, we experimentally investigate behavioral spillovers for order-statistic coordination games. Subjects play the minimum- and median-effort coordination games simultaneously and sequentially. The results show the precedent for cooperative behavior spills over from the median game to the minimum game when the games are played sequentially, but not when they are played simultaneously. Moreover, spillover occurs even when group composition changes, although the effect is not as strong. We also find that the precedent for uncooperative behavior does not spill over from the minimum game to the median game. These findings suggest guidelines for increasing cooperative behavior within organizations.
Loss of Pressure Boundary through Buckling-Induced Fracture in the Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl Pipeline

AbstractA study is presented to investigate the fatigue and local buckling-induced fracture incident of a buried continuous pipeline during the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. Assuming pipeline wrinkling is caused by longitudinal wave propagation, peak ground strains are estimated from recorded velocity time histories near the site of the fractured pipeline and critical buckling strains are calculated from experimentally based empirical relationships. A physics-based model of the postbuckling deformation of the pipeline provides estimated deformation demands on the pipe, whereas a micromechanical fatigue-fracture model is used to determine the potential for fracture considering the estimated axial deformations from the recorded ground motion, plastic strain demands, and stress state at the critical fracture location. The ground motion at the Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl site in Mexico is assumed to have approximately seven cycles of ground deformation large enough to exceed the critical buckling strain of the membe...
Multiscale hierarchical assembly strategy and mechanical prowess in conch shells (Busycon carica).

Abstract Seashells are natural body armors with superior mechanical strength and ultra-high toughness compared with their major constituent counterparts. What building blocks and architecture render seashells such mechanical prowess? In this study, micro/nanoscale structural and mechanical characterization of conch shells ( Busycon carica ) has been carried out. Here we show direct evidence that the previously claimed single-crystal third-order lamellae – the basic building blocks in conch shells are essentially assembled with aragonite nanoparticles of the size ranging from 20 to 45 nm. The nanoparticle-constructed third-order lamellae are not brittle, but ductile. The three-order crossed-lamellar architecture interlocks cracks via crack deflection along the interfaces in a three-dimensional manner, thus confining the damage in a small region. The findings advance the understanding of the mystery of conch shell’s mechanical robustness, provide additional design guidelines for developing bioinspired nanomaterials, and lay a constitutive foundation for modeling the deformation behavior of seashells.
Toward an Understanding of Social Integration: A Special Issue

Whenever I am asked to write or speak about social integration, I am always reminded of an encounter I had with a parent many years ago at the Down Syndrome Congress where I was presenting on the s...
Short strings containing all k-element permutations

Given n and k, we consider the problem of constructing a shortest string over the set @S"n = {1, 2, ..., n} which contains every permutation of each k-element subset of @S"n as a subsequence. Let g(n, k) denote the length of a shortest such string. We show by construction that g(n, k) =< k(n - 2) + 4 for 3 =< k =< n.
Predicting need for hospitalization in acute pediatric asthma.

Objectives:To develop and validate predictive models to determine the need for hospitalization in children treated for acute asthma in the emergency department (ED).Methods:Prospective cohort study of children aged 2 years and older treated at 2 pediatric EDs for acute asthma. The primary outcome wa
Rigid-Plastic Deformation of a Ring-Stiffened Shell Under Blast Loading

An approximate solution for the plastic deformation of a ring-stiffened cylindrical shell in response to a nonaxisymmetric, exponentially decaying pressure load, is presented. The analogy between the ring-stiffened cylindrical shell and a rigid-plastic string-on-foundation with discrete plastic resisting elements is used to find closed-form solutions for the transient and final deformations of the shell. Dynamic equilibrium of the central bay of the shell and the adjacent ring-stiffeners results in an inhomogeneous wave equation with inhomogeneous boundary conditions for the string. The initial-boundary value problem is solved by the method of eigenfunction expansion and a suitable orthogonality condition. The zeroth mode for the string describes rigid-body motion of the bay due to the remaining inertia of adjacent stiffeners. Permanent deformations are obtained using a plastic unloading criterion whereby the velocity and strain rate for each eigenmode vanish simultaneously. In the example problem, higher eigenmodes decay and vanish rapidly and final shell deformations are primarily governed by lower eigenmodes. The structural model gives qualitatively correct transient deflections and would be amenable to fine-tuning with numerical analysis and experimental evidence.
Sonographic Evaluation of the Adult Abdomen

Ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen in the adult horse yields information about the gastrointestinal tract and abdominal organs that is difficult or impossible to obtain through other diagnostic modalities available to the equine practitioner. The majority of the spleen, both kidneys, and part of the liver can be examined ultrasonographically from a percutaneous approach, and the left kidney can be examined transrectally in most adult horses. The portions of the small intestine and large colon adjacent to the body wall can be evaluated ultrasonographically and assessments made about its luminal contents, motility, and wall thickness, helping the surgeon to decide in a colicky horse if surgical intervention is necessary. A portion of the stomach is also imaged along the left body wall in adult horses. Transrectal ultrasonographic examination of the left kidney, cranial mesenteric root and its vessels, bladder, ureters, duodenum, small intestine, and small and large colon is useful if there are palpable abnormalities detected on rectal examination or if the transcutaneous image is of poor quality. Additional diagnostic information can be obtained about the quantity and character of the peritoneal fluid in horses using diagnostic ultrasound.
Experimental Study of Aerosol Filtration in the Transition Flow Regime

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the performance of fibrous filters in the transition flow regime, where the fiber radius is of the same order of magnitude as the mean free path of gas molecules. Filter media with the mean fiber diameter of 0.21–0.72 μm and the packing density of 0.053–0.08 were used in this study. The transition flow conditions were achieved by reducing the gas pressure in the filter test apparatus. Experiments were performed in the pressure range of 0.1–1.0 atm using monodisperse particles of 0.04–0.45-μm diameter range. The particles were generated by the electrostatic classification technique. The particulate penetration through the filter and the corresponding pressure drop were measured at face velocities ranging from 6 to 19 cm/s. Experimental results showed that the penetration decreased by three to four orders of magnitude as the pressure was reduced from 1.0 to 0.1 atm. It was found that the most penetrating particle size increased slightly as the gas pressur...
Exploration of internal service systems using lean principles

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to attempt to provide insight into the management of an internal service system derived from a perspective of Lean management. These internal service systems would exist within professional service units of development, engineering, information technology, human resources, and consumer affairs.Design/methodology/approach – A meta‐analysis of approximately 60 internal service systems was performed. The objectives of the meta‐analysis were: identification of structural similarities; categorization of wasteful activities; tabulation of typical problems; and synthesis and exploration.Findings – Internal service systems have numerous common structural characteristics, including the importance of information, process flows across functions, many hand‐offs of information, hidden costs and benefits, and no explicit motivation for urgency. The wasteful activities can be classified into seven groups: delays, reviews, mistakes, duplication, movement, processing inefficiencies, ...
A distance-based parameter free algorithm for curve reconstruction

In this paper, a simple, efficient, and parameter free algorithm, DISCUR, is proposed to reconstruct curves from unorganized sample points. The proposed algorithm can reconstruct multiple simple curves that may be open, closed, and/or with sharp corners. The criteria for the curve reconstruction are based on two observations we have made concerning the human visual system: (1) two closest neighbors tend to be connected, and (2) sampling points tend to be connected into a smooth curve. To simulate these two observations, we use the neighborhood feature to connect the nearest neighbors and we present a statistical criterion to determine when two sample points should not be connected even if they are the nearest neighbors. Finally, a necessary and sufficient condition is proposed for the sampling of curves so that they can be reconstructed by using the present algorithm. Numerous examples show that this algorithm is effective.
Novel Compressor Using Woven/Wound Composite Impeller

In the design of compressors, typical obstacles arise such as cost, size, weight, manufacturability, and structural integrity. Compression technology has different ways of addressing these challenges. One way to overcome these challenges is a novel multi-stage, axial, counter-rotating turbo compressor with a woven composite impeller. The compressor uses multiple stages to achieve higher pressure ratios. Several configurations are possible including ones with and without guide vanes. Axial compressors are inherently much smaller than radial or mix-flow compressors. A size reduction may result in decreasing costs and help with spatial constraints. The use of counter-rotating impellers allows for no swirl before and after each impeller. This eliminates the need for guide vanes, and thus reduces size, cost, and fluid losses in the compressor. A unique component of this novel compressor technology is the woven composite impeller. Impellers used in high performance compressors are typically required to be of a strong, lightweight material. These impellers are often made from titanium or formed composite sheets and have to be constructed component by component. This in turn is time consuming and incurs very high manufacturing costs. By using a readily available multiple axis winding machine, composite fibers can be wound using computer generated pattern into impellers with a wide variety of shapes. These shapes may include a shroud which can also be cut off if desired. The impellers can be both, rapidly prototyped and mass-produced without the need for expensive dies, molds, tooling or hand crafting. Because of this, the composite impellers are envisioned to reduce the cost of high-performance compressors extensively. The use of composite materials may also include the use of ceramic fiber and matrix material that can withstand high temperatures. In addition, the woven design allows for the interweaving of induction wires or magnetic material for motor, generator and electromagnetic bearing components integrated in the impeller in the same production step. While the paper focuses much on the compressor application especially as needed for compressing water vapor used as refrigerant (R718), this technology can also be adopted for other turbomachinery applications, such as pumps, fans, power generating turbines, in propulsion and more.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Domestic Violence in Paris, 1775

In 1775, 135 wives and 35 husbands filed complaints against their spouses with the Parisian commissioners of police. Most of the wives charged their husbands with verbal and physical violence, and a few of them initiated lawsuits for separation of property and/or persons. In those cases, the depositions of witnesses document conventional expectations about gendered roles in the household as well as the dynamics of communication, representation, and justification in the neighborhood. Against the background of debates about the use and abuse of royal authority in the decades preceding the Revolution, the complaints and lawsuits show that the traditional family/state model not only downplayed accountability in principle but also sanctioned accountability in practice. Language: en
The Price of Nationhood: The American Revolution in Charles County

"A vivid portrait of a country and a region at war, rich with detail of how the prologue to the war and the conduct of it changed the lives of everyone who lived within the country's borders-men, women, slaves, merchants, farmers, financiers." -Wall Street Journal "The price of Nationhood offers us a richly textured portrait of a people struggling to preserve a familiar world even as they created a new one. It is local history as its best." -Journal of American History
Cross-facility management of production and transportation planning problem

This paper studies an integrated production and transportation planning problem in a two-stage supply chain. This supply chain consists of a number of facilities, each capable of producing the final product, and a number of retailers. We assume that retailers' demands are known deterministically and there are no production or transportation capacity constraints. We formulate the problem as a network flow problem with fixed charge costs. This is an NP- hard problem. To solve the problem we propose a primal-dual based heuristic that generates upper and lower bounds and runs in O (FRT2). The quality of the upper and lower bounds is tested on a large set of randomly generated problems. The maximum error reported for these problems is 4.36% and the maximum running time is 7.65 cpu seconds.Scope and purpose Increased competition and increased customers demands drives companies into being part of large and complex supply chains. Coordinating production, inventory and transportation decisions in complex supply chains is a challenging problem. This is the reason that for many years practitioners and academicians have looked at these problems separately. In this paper we propose a mathematical model that takes an integrated view of production and transportation decisions of a supply chain. We propose a solution procedure and show that it produces good quality solutions in a short amount of time.
Energy-Governed Resilient Networked Systems

Connected embedded systems in the realm of smart infrastructures comprise ubiquitous end-point devices supported by a communication infrastructure. Device, energy supply and network failures are a reality and provisioned communications could fail. Self-organization is a process where network devices cooperate with each other to restore network connectivity on detecting network connectivity failures. Self-organized networks are envisioned to be hierarchical, implying that a root device is expected to spend more energy to forward the entire network’s data. This leads to battery exhaustion and therefore a single point of failure in the system. In this paper we address this problem by proposing an energy-governed resilient networking framework. Our framework enforces a policy to throttle upstream network traffic to maintain energy drain at the root device. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed policy, we designed our experiment framework using Nano-RK and FireFly; a lightweight operating system and sensing platform respectively.
Generalized Kac-Moody algebras and the modular function j

The generalized Kac-Moody algebras were introdcued by Borcherds in his study of the vertex algebras and Monstrous Moonshine [B1-B3]. The structure and the representation theory of generalized Kac-Moody algebras are very similar to those of Kac-Moody algebras, and a lot of facts about Kac-Moody algebras can be generalized to generalized Kac-Moody algebras. The main difference is that the generalized Kac-Moody algebras may have imaginm 3, simple roots with norms __ 1. For unitarizable irreducible highest weight modules over symmetrizable generalized Kac-Moody algebras, Borcherds proved a character formula [B2], called the Weyl-Kac-Borcherds formula, which generalizes the WeylKac formula for integrable highest weight modules over symmetrizable Kac-Moody algebras [K]. As in the case of Kac-Moody algebras, the Weyl-Kac-Borcherds formula, when applied to the l-dimensional trivial representation, yields the denominator identio,. In this paper, using the Weyl-Kac-Borcherds formula and the denominator identity, we obtain a closed form root multiplicity formula for all symmetrizable generalized Kac-Moody algebras (Theorem 2.1). Our formula enables us to study the structure of a symmetrizable generalized Kac-Moody algebra 9 as a representation of a Kac-Moody algebra 0o contained in ~. The choice of ~0 gives rise to various expressions of the root multiplicities of 13, which would yield some interesting combinatorial identities. In Sect. 3, we apply this principle to a rank 2 generalized Kac-Moody algebra to obtain a combinatorial identity for the Pascal numbers. In [B3], Borcherds proved the Moonshine conjecture [CNI by constructing the Monster Lie algebra using the Monster vertex algebra [FLM] and the vertex algebra associated with the 2-dimensional even Lorentzian lattice IIl,~ [B 1]. The Monster Lie
Visual P3 findings in Mission Indian youth: relationship to family history of alcohol dependence and behavioral problems.

Abstract Native Americans have some of the highest rates of alcohol abuse and dependence, yet risk factors for problem drinking remain relatively unknown. The amplitude of the P3 component of the event-related potential (ERP) has been suggested to be an index of ‘vulnerability to alcoholism’, especially when it is elicited by visual tasks in younger individuals. Visual P3 tasks, however, have not been previously investigated in Native American youth. One hundred and four Mission Indian youth between the ages of 7 and 13 years participated in the study. ERPs were collected using two visual target paradigms: a facial discrimination and an estimation of line orientation task. Analyses of covariance revealed that participants with a first degree family history of alcoholism had lower P3 component amplitudes in frontal leads to the facial discrimination task. Lower P3 amplitudes, in posterior areas, were found in the line discrimination task in children who scored above the 75th percentile in delinquent behaviors on the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. These findings are consistent with investigations in non-Indian populations demonstrating that the late positive component of the event related potential is sensitive to both familial history of alcohol dependence as well as personal history of externalizing behaviors.
Capillary sample introduction of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products separated in ultrathin slab gels

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified short tandem repeat (STR) samples from the HUMVWF locus have been analyzed using a unique sample introduction and separation technique. A single capillary is used to transfer samples onto an ultrathin slab gel (57 microm thin). This ultrathin nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel is used to separate the amplified fragments, and laser-induced fluorescence with ethidium bromide is used for detection. The feasibility of performing STR analysis using this system has been investigated by examining the reproducibility for repeated samples. Reproducibility is examined by comparing the migration of the 14 and 17 HUMVWF alleles on three consecutive separations on the ultrathin slab gel. Using one locus, separations match in migration time with the two alleles 42 s apart for each of the three consecutive separations. This technique shows potential to increase sample throughput in STR analysis techniques although separation resolution still needs to be improved.
Chain orientation in deformed networks via NMR

We quantitatively simulate the deuterium NMR linshapes that result when labelled poly(dimethyl siloxane)-d6 networks are uniaxially strained. The inferred microscopic reorientational processes that the chain segments exercise in (deformed) networks are indicative of dynamic heterogeneity wherein different parts of the network average the residual quadrupolar interaction to different degrees. The higher the molecular weight between crosslinks, the larger the fraction of slow reorienting species suggesting that chain disinterpersion may be the rate-limiting contribution to segmental motion in long chains. Our depiction of the network at ambient temperature is that of a liquid wherein motionally distinct segmental domains are characterized by different rotational correlation times. However, under uniaxial extention the fluid network is similar to an anisotropic liquid having macroscopically homogeneous (nematic-like) segmental orientational order that is characterized by a single order parameter. Order parameters extracted from the NMR simulation are discussed in terms of classical descriptions of how macroscopic strain induces microscopic orientational order in Gaussian networks.
ZnII and PbII coordination chemistry of 2,6-bis(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridine (clickate) and the metal ion-dependent emission of ‘clickate’–appended anthracene

The effect of metal coordination of 2-(1-(9-anthryl)methyl-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-6-(1-n-octyl-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridine (2) on the emission of the appended anthryl group was investigated in acetonitrile. The tridentate 2,6-bis(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridyl ligand included in 2 is referred herein as ‘clickate’. Titrating zinc(II) perchlorate or zinc(II) chloride into the solution of fluorescent ligand 2 results in quenching, which is attributed to the formation of a dark 1:1 ZnII complex of 2. Frontier molecular orbital analysis and cyclic voltammetric data support the occurrence of photoinduced electron transfer from the excited state of the anthryl group to the ZnII-bound clickate moiety, which relaxes the excited fluorophore non-radiatively, i.e. quenches fluorescence. Fluorescence quenching of clickate 2 upon forming the PbII complex was also observed. The ZnII/PbII-coordination chemistry of clickate was characterised via X-ray crystallography, isothermal titration calorimetry, 1H NMR spectroscopy and abs...
Master of software engineering - a proposed curriculum for practitioners

It is well known that software development projects usually exceed both time and budget projections. Furthermore, many software systems do not meet expectedt performance, are difficult to modify and maintain, and often have unexpectedly short life cycles. These problems exist even when the developers are college graduates with bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees in computer science. Clearly, the problem is not lack of training but rather focuses on the need for a new approach to the software development process.“Software Engineering” is a term coined in 1967 by a computer science study group of the NATO Science Committee as the theme of a workshop on improving the process of software development.
Pore‐forming toxins with built‐in triggers and switches

Pore-forming proteins are being engineered to produce new components for biomolecular materials and devices. The primary target of these studies has been staphylococcal α-haemolysin, which is a 293 amino acid, water soluble polypeptide that self assembles in lipid bilayers to form heptameric pores of 1–2 nm internal diameter. By genetic engineering and targeted chemical modification, we have produced α-haemolysins in which pore activity can be triggered or switched on and off by biochemical, chemical or physical stimuli, including the action of enzymes, non-covalent and covalent modification, and irradiation with near UV light. One application is in sensor technology. The remodelled molecules can be used as components of sensitive, selective, real-time sensors for the stimuli that affect their activities, as demon strated with divalent metal ions as analyte. Now, we are using combinatorial mutagenesis and DNA shuffling, as well as structure-based approaches, to generate homomeric and heteromeric pores with high affinity binding sites for additional analytes.
Rate-dependent fracture modeling of asphalt concrete using the discrete element method

The discrete element method (DEM) represents a convenient and powerful tool for studying effects of material microstructure on fracture mechanisms in asphalt concrete. In this paper, the rate-dependency of asphalt concrete is investigated using a cohesive zone model with bulk viscoelastic properties combined with bilinear post-peak softening. Details of the constitutive models implemented in the DEM, with particular emphasis on the verification of viscoelastic models, are presented. Experimental test results based on a disk-shaped compact tension test are obtained under different loading rates and those are compared to numerical simulations with the help of the rate-dependent model. Homogeneous and heterogeneous model results are compared, where heterogeneous models are constructed to consider aggregate morphology for particles larger than 1.18 mm. The relative importance of time-dependence and the consideration of material heterogeneity in the simulation of monotonic Mode I fracture tests are demonstrated.
Effects of ethanol on carbohydrate metabolism: I. Influence on oral glucose tolerance test.

Abstract To study the effect of ethanol on glucose tolerance test, a series of experiments were performed on Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing 250 g. After 18-hr fast, each rat was given, at random, the following test substances (one test substance at a time) intragastrically in a volume of 0.5 ml 100 g body weight: saline; glucose 0.75 g/kg (3 kcal); ethanol 0.4 g/kg (3 kcal); and ethanol with glucose. Saline or ethanol alone produced no significant changes in blood glucose or plasma insulin concentrations. Addition of ethanol to glucose load resulted in glucose intolerance as well as a lower and sluggish insulin response when compared to these with glucose load alone. The results suggest that ethanol per se has no effect on blood glucose or plasma insulin. However, when given together with glucose load, ethanol produces glucose intolerance as well as inhibition of glucose mediated insulin response.