cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soldier's radio: innovative communication and networking technologies for the individual warrior

Research at InterDigital Communications Corp. on a distributed control wireless broadband-code division multiple access (B-CDMA) mobile multimedia cellular network (MMC-NET) using an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell based architecture and connected to various backbone networks, such as ATM/SONET, is discussed. The main objective of the MMC-NET architecture is to provide secure, seamless, theater-wide, multimedia communications. Some attributes of this wireless B-CDMA based MMC-NET are: mobility, multimedia capabilities, distributed control, B-CDMA, security, scalability, interoperability, reconfigurability, LPI/LPJ, ability to work as part of the global grid system and capable in being incorporated into the synthetic theater of war (STW) mobile defense simulation internet (DSI). The design specifications of the network along with its interface to ATM/SONETs are based on the OSI model. Some system characteristics and strategies in meeting the above objectives are discussed. >
A new low-voltage full adder circuit

A new circuit based on combining XOR gates and double pass-transistor logic has been developed for implementing a full adder. The main design objectives for these new circuits are low power consumption and full-voltage swing at a low supply voltage. The proposed full adder circuit is compared with previously known circuits and is shown to provide superior performance. The new and previous full adder circuits have been fully simulated using HSPICE with 0.4 /spl mu/m CMOS technology at a 2.0 V supply voltage. An extensive analysis of a 8-bit carry-select adder establishes the superiority of the proposed circuit in that application.
Low Temperature Kinetics for the Growth and Decay of Band-Tallcarriers and Dangling Bonds in Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

In hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), the kinetics of the light induced production of silicon dangling bonds and long-lived band-tail electrons and holes has been measured at temperatures between 65 and 340 K using light induced electron spin resonance (LESR). Below about 150 K the measurement of Si dangling bonds is masked by the accumulation of long-lived band-tail carriers. The kinetics of the growth and decay of these long-lived, trapped band-tail carriers consists of very fast components (τ h). Optical quenching of these long-lived carriers is not efficient at quenching energies of 0.6 eV. Afler removal of these long-lived band tail carriers by annealing at about 250 K we find that the total production of silicon dangling bonds at 65 K after 10 h of illumination is about a factor of five less than at 340 K. The dangling bond production resulting from 10 h of illumination is well fit to an underlying mechanism that, if thermally activated, exhibits an activation energy of approximately 10 meV.
Synthesis of Well‐Defined Bicapped Octahedral Iron Clusters [(trenL)2Fe8(PMe2Ph)2]n (n=0, −1)

The synthesis of polynuclear clusters with control over size and cluster geometry remains an unsolved challenge. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of open-shell octairon clusters supported by two heptaamine ligands [o-H2NC6H4NH(CH2)2]3N (trenLH9). The crystal structure of the all-ferrous species ([trenL)2Fe8(PMe2Ph)2] (1) displays a bicapped octahedral geometry with FeFe distances ranging from 2.4071(6) to 2.8236(5) A, where the ligand amine units are formally in amine, amide, and imide oxidation states. Several redox states of the octairon cluster are accessible, as ascertained using cyclic voltammetry. The one-electron-reduced clusters [M]+[(trenL)2Fe8(PMe2Ph)2]− (M=Bu4N (2 a); (15-crown-5)Na(thf) (2 b)) were isolated and characterized. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility data indicates that the exchange coupling within the [Fe8] core is antiferromagnetic which is attenuated upon reduction to the mixed valent anion.
Energetic N,N'-ethylene-bridged bis(nitropyrazoles): diversified functionalities and properties.

A new class of N,N'-ethylene-bridged bis(nitropyrazoles) was synthesized and fully characterized. The highly efficient formation of the N,N'-ethylene bridge was accomplished using dibromoethane and ammonium or potassium pyrazolate. Further functional-group transformations of diaminobis(pyrazole) and dichlorobis(pyrazole) gave rise to diversified derivatives, including dinitramino-, diazido- and hexanitrobis(pyrazole). Single-crystal X-ray diffractions were obtained for hexanitro and diazido derivatives to illustrate the structural characteristics. Heats of formation and detonation performance were calculated by using Gaussian 03 and EXPLO5 v6.01 programs, respectively. Because of the different functionalized groups, the impact and friction sensitivities of these new compounds range from insensitive to sensitive. Among them, the hexanitro derivative displays the most promising overall energetic properties (density (ρ)=1.84 g cm(-3) ; decomposition temperature (Td )=250 °C; detonation pressure (P)=34.1 GPa; detonation velocity (vD )=8759 m s(-1) ; impact sensitivity (IS)=25 J; friction sensitivity (FS)=160 N), which is competitive with those of 1,3,5-trinitrotriazacyclohexane (ρ=1.80 g cm(-3) ; Td =205 °C; P=35.0 GPa; vD =8762 m s(-1) ; IS=7 J; FS=120 N).
Tribal Constitutions and Native Sovereignty

More than 565 Indigenous tribal governments exercise extensive sovereign and political powers within the United States today. Only about 230 of the native communities that created these governments, however, have chosen to adopt written constitutions to define and control the political powers of their governments. Many observers would no doubt ask how a government can function without a written constitution to guide its formation and operation, and how the rights of citizens can be defined and protected without a written constitution. This essay addresses these questions and many more concerning American Indian and Alaska Native tribal constitutions. It is clear that constitutionalism is nothing new to Indigenous peoples in North America. This fact is demonstrated by the Iroquois Confederacy of the Haudenosaunee people who have governed themselves under an unwritten constitution for many hundreds of years, by the Cherokee Nation who apparently created the first written tribal constitution in 1827, by the many dozens of tribal governments who adopted written constitutions from 1837-1930, and by the hundreds of Indigenous governments who adopted constitutions under the federal Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. This essay examines these facts and more, and addresses whether modern day tribal constitutions adequately serve the needs of native communities and help these communities and their political entities to exercise and protect their sovereignty.
Dual use of E-cadherin and D2-40 immunostaining in unusual meningioma subtypes.

Objectives Meningiomas usually can be readily diagnosed on H&E alone, although occasionally immunohistochemistry (IHC) confirmation is desirable. Studies exploring the diagnostic utility of either podoplanin (D2-40) or E-cadherin IHC in meningiomas have conflicted, and no studies exist in which the two IHCs have been used in combination for diagnosis. Methods E-cadherin and D2-40 IHC was performed on 77 meningiomas (31 ordinary; eight microcystic; four rare myxoid; six metaplastic; six invasive of orbit, muscle, and/or soft tissue; two metastatic; six brain-invasive World Health Organization [WHO] grade II, nine non–brain-invasive WHO grade II; and five anaplastic WHO grade III), with semi-quantitative scoring on a three-tier scale (0, focal [1+], strong/diffuse [2+]). Results All meningiomas were either E-cadherin or D2-40 IHC+, with 69 of 77 showing dual immunostaining, most at the 2+ level. No downregulation of E-cadherin IHC was found in invasive or high-grade meningiomas. Conclusions Dual E-cadherin/D2-40 IHC can supplement diagnosis of meningioma.
Withholding Tax on Total Return Equity Swaps: Navigating in Turbulent Waters

This article gives historical perspective as to how U.S. tax authorities struggled to fit a sophisticated financial product like Total Return Equity Swaps into the existing tax “cubbyholes”, and suggests that the current methodology used by U.S. tax authorities to analyze sophisticated financial products needs to be reconsidered.
The hollow university: Disaster capitalism befalls American higher education:

Over the last 40 years, American institutions of higher education have been encouraged to align with the private sector by policymakers, think tank experts and businessmen in order to become more efficient and more accountable. In a wider sense, this new partnership may be evidence of what has been termed “disaster capitalism.” In disaster capitalism, crises are treated as economic opportunities. Governing bodies become “hollow states” which serve only to regulate contracts and provide further opportunities to entrepreneurs. The supposed crisis of accountability in American higher education may be such an opportunity. This paper argues for the emergence of the “hollow university” in American higher education. In the hollow university, state legislatures, think tank experts, leaders from the private sector and higher education administrators help to create a climate where institutions are more amendable to private sector partnerships. In order to determine this, I examine the desired inputs, processes, out...
Digitization and Recorded Music Sales: Whither the ‘Long Tail’?

Recently, business models have reformed in the recorded music industry. Many have seen promise in the leveling of the playing field referred to as the ‘long tail effect’. Others predict a scaled-up presence of pop stars with an enhanced ‘superstar effect’. So which effect is evident in the data? In this research, point of sale data is tested during a transitional period from 2004 to 2008 for a ‘superstar’, ‘long-tail’, and combined effect. It is evident there is a superstar effect in digital formats, a long tail effect in non-digital formats, and a shrinking middle class of artists.
Offshore Medical System Design Based on Queuing System Simulation Technology

Objective To improve the service capabilities of medical systems on offshore platforms using queuing system simulation analysis technology.Methods The performance indicators of offshore medical systems were analyzed quantitatively using queuing system simulation techniques.Results The performances of offshore platforms were improved by optimum design.Conclusion Queuing system simulation analysis techniques can be used in designing offshore platform medical system.
Van Allen Probe measurements of the electric drift E × B/B2 at Arecibo's L = 1.4 field line coordinate

We have used electric and magnetic measurements by Van Allen Probe B from 2013 to 2014 to examine the equatorial electric drift ExB/B2 at one field-line coordinate set to Arecibo's incoherent scatter radar location (L = 1.43). We report on departures from the traditional picture of corotational motion with the Earth in two ways: (1) the rotational angular speed is found to be 10% smaller than the rotational angular speed of the Earth, in agreement with previous works on plasmaspheric notches, and (2) the equatorial electric drift displays a dependence in magnetic local time, with a pattern consistent with the mapping of the Arecibo ionosphere dynamo electric fields along equipotential magnetic field lines. The electric fields due to the ionosphere dynamo are therefore expected to play a significant role when discussing for instance the structure and dynamics of the plasmasphere or the transport of trapped particles in the inner belt.
Mechanical versus electrodynamical world views

Science, to the ordinary reader of newspapers, is represented by a varying selection of sensational triumphs, such as wireless telegraphy and aeroplanes, radioactivity and the marvels of modern alchemy. It is not of this aspect of science that I wish to speak. Science, in this aspect, consists of detached up-to-date fragments, interesting only until they are replaced by something newer and more up-to-date, displaying nothing of the systems of patiently constructed knowledge out of which, almost as a casual incident, have come the practically useful results which interest the man in the street. The increased command over the forces of nature which is derived from science is undoubtedly an amply sufficient reason for encouraging scientific research, but this reason has been so often urged and is so easily appreciated that other reasons, to my mind quite as important, are apt to be overlooked. It is with these other reasons, especially with the intrinsic value of a scientific habit of mind in forming our outlook on the world, that I shall be concerned in what follows. The instance of wireless telegraphy will serve to illustrate the difference between the two points of view. Almost all the serious intellectual labour required for the possibility of this invention is due to three men – Faraday, Maxwell, and Hertz. In alternating layers of experiment and theory these three men built up the modern theory of electromagnetism, and demonstrated the identity of light with electromagnetic waves.
Experimental and Husbandry Procedures: Their Impact on Development

This chapter will review a number of studies concerning the effects of varied rearing experiences on the development of monkeys born both in the wild and in colony or laboratory environments. Studies have been chosen which have implications for using monkeys produced in captive colonies as subjects in biomedical and behavioral research. Although common sense tells us that experiences during infancy must be important for normal development in primates, actual practice in nonhuman primate colony stiuations often fails to reflect common sense in toto with respect to the social and environmental stimulation afforded growing infants. This chapter will briefly discuss effects of social deprivation rearing, but more importantly, will describe some less well-known but potentially important effects of variations in specific types of social experience among infant monkeys.
Sci‐Thur AM: YIS – 10: Modeling Metastasis after Lung SBRT Using Bayesian Network Averaging

Purpose: The prediction of metastasis after a patient receives lung SBRT has proven to be challenging, due to the complex interactions between an individual's biology and dose-volume metrics. The aim of this study is to use a Bayesian network approach to uncover possible interactions between an individual patient's characteristics and generate a robust model capable of predicting metastasis. Methods: We investigated a cohort of 32 prospective patients from multiple institutions whom had received curative SBRT to the lung. The number of patients exhibiting metastasis within 6 months of treatment was observed to be 6 (event rate of 19%). The serum concentration of 5 relevant biomarkers was measured pre-treatment. A total of 21 variables were analyzed including: dose-volume metrics with BED (biologically effective dose) correction and clinical variables. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique estimated the posterior probability distribution of the potential graphical structures. The probability of metastasis was then estimated by averaging the top 100 graphs and applying Baye's rule. Results: The optimal Bayesian model generated throughout this study incorporated the PTV volume, the serum concentration of the biomarker EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) and prescription BED. This predictive model recorded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.94(1), providing better performance compared to competing methods in the literature. Conclusion: The use of biomarkers in conjunction with dose-volume metrics allows for the generation of a robust predictive model. The results of this report demonstrate that it is possible to accurately model whether a patient will develop metastasis within 6 months of treatment.
A meta-analytic framework for detection of genetic interactions

With varying, but substantial, proportions of heritability remaining unexplained by summaries of single-SNP genetic variation, there is a demand for methods that extract maximal information from genetic association studies. One source of variation that is difficult to assess is genetic interactions. A major challenge for naive detection methods is the large number of possible combinations, with a requisite need to correct for multiple testing. Assumptions of large marginal effects, to reduce the search space, may be restrictive and miss higher order interactions with modest marginal effects. In this paper, we propose a new procedure for detecting gene-by-gene interactions through heterogeneity in estimated low-order (e.g., marginal) effect sizes by leveraging population structure, or ancestral differences, among studies in which the same phenotypes were measured. We implement this approach in a meta-analytic framework, which offers numerous advantages, such as robustness and computational efficiency, and is necessary when data-sharing limitations restrict joint analysis. We effectively apply a dimension reduction procedure that scales to allow searches for higher order interactions. For comparison to our method, which we term phylogenY-aware Effect-size Tests for Interactions (YETI), we adapt an existing method that assumes interacting loci will exhibit strong marginal effects to our meta-analytic framework. As expected, YETI excels when multiple studies are from highly differentiated populations and maintains its superiority in these conditions even when marginal effects are small. When these conditions are less extreme, the advantage of our method wanes. We assess the Type-I error and power characteristics of complementary approaches to evaluate their strengths and limitations.
Introduction: Towards A Theory of Spacetime Theories

The title of this book—Towards a Theory of Spacetime Theories—is an attempt at false modesty. Or, rather, maybe: an act of an unreasonable raising of the chin in the face of a task supposedly impossible to master. After all, we do not even have a comprehensive map of the solution space of general relativity; by far the most established and most investigated spacetime theory; how then are we supposed to draw a map of the space of spacetime theories in which general relativity itself is but one little point? It seems a daunting and impossible task. And still, we cannot afford not to take it on.
Using Emotional Intelligence to Drive Enrollment Performance: An Integrative Review of the Literature

This article explores the use of emotional intelligence (EQ) as a leadership characteristic to drive enrollment performance at colleges and universities in the United States. The next decade of higher education will present continuous, dramatic, and transformational change in higher education. New paradigms and educational delivery systems will become commonplace. Federal legislation may strongly influence admission practices, tuition increases, and mandates for standard retention and graduation rates. Changing demographics and an uncertain international climate will alter the population of future university classes. Resources that assist college students in paying for their education will likely decrease. Technology will continue to make higher education available to students of all ages and at all times of the day and night. In short, change will be constant, and effective leadership among educational administrators, such as enrollment managers, will be imperative. The relationship between EQ, leadership effectiveness, and enrollment performance are examined. The article concludes with a review of emotional intelligence research in higher education and a discussion of the implication of enrollment performance for EQ research and practice.
The scientific method of Sir William Petty

An understanding of the precise nature of the scientific method of Sir William Petty has proved elusive to historians of economic thought, in no small part because of a lack of Petty's own characterization of his scientific approach. This research clarifies the nature of Petty's method, as to whether it was primarily inductive or deductive, and to what extent it relied on empirical foundations. The paper employs a two-pronged analysis. First, it examines the main sources of Petty's method: the works of Sir Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes, and the synergistic influences of the Hartlib Circle, the Royal Society, the Dublin Philosophical Society, and the Mersenne group. Second, four of Petty's most noted contributions to political economy are deconstructed in order to identify his scientific method. This research concludes that Petty relied almost exclusively on deduction in his scientific approach and that his analysis does not reveal any inductive reasoning. When data was available, Petty constructed his economic theories on empirical foundations.
Ideology and the 2016 Election

Romance identifies three distinct strains of conservatism found within the Republican Party and discusses how these strains manifested in the battle for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. The chapter also draws clear distinctions between Donald Trump’s campaign and traditional forms of Republican conservatism. In addition, Romance investigates the differences in ideological perspectives of the 2016 Democratic Party candidates for the nomination about what it means to be liberal. He identifies common threads of disempowerment present in the narratives of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders and discusses what the 2016 election may mean for ideology within both major parties moving forward.
Smart Built Environments and Independent Living: A Public Health Perspective

To address the projected global shortfall of gerontological health care workers, we outline a research approach that is informed by the past successes of public health toward the goal of developing and implementing smart homes at the community-level to support independent living. Specifically, we discuss the epidemiologic triad consisting of host, environment, and agent factors in relation to other person-environment fit models. We propose this model as the underlying framework for a smart homes development approach that focuses on creating task advantages to support independence at home. We provide recommendations to implement the approach by including community-level stakeholders and policy makers in research that uses a model well-recognized by public health professionals.
Agincourt. By Anne Curry. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2015. Pp. xvi, 256. $29.95.)

No one is better qualified to write about Agincourt than the author of this book, one of the foremost scholars of the Hundred Years’ War. This is not a military history but rather a holistic accoun...
Governance of Maritime Activities: Legal, Policy and Institutional Aspects

This chapter considers legal, institutional and policy aspects concerning maritime activities. Following the Introduction, the chapter considers the legal and institutional framework established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Then, it discusses the activities of the United Nations relating to maritime activities, in particular the work of the General Assembly, which is at the centre of policy-making relating to any activities in the oceans and seas, and the outcome of summits and conferences on sustainable development. This is followed by the discussion of other legal instruments and institutions related to the governance of maritime activities, as well as cooperation and coordination between relevant institutions. The chapter concludes with brief concluding remarks.
Performance- and cost-based robust design optimization procedure for typical foundations for wind turbine

A cost- and performance-based robust design optimisation procedure considering the uncertainties in soil properties and wind speed for three typical foundations (raft, pile group and piled raft) fo...
Behind the scenes of cardiopulmonary exercise testing

The benefits and advantages of automated systems for cardiopulmonary exercise testing are well appreciated. Overenthusiasm and overconfidence in computer "black box" generated information, however, has resulted in inadequate attention to important issues related to quality control. The objective of this article is to provide basic and practical information related to equipment, methodology, conduct of the test, and quality control that will help assure clinically reliable results. The authors elaborate on the most widely applied methodologies and current criteria and guidelines of exercise testing.
Historical Conceptions of Creativity

There have been three distinct historical periods in which human understanding of the concept of creativity has differed substantially. From earliest times until the Renaissance, it was widely believed that all desirable innovations were inspired by the gods or by God. Then, sometime during the Renaissance, this view began to give way to the idea that creativity is a matter of genetic inheritance. In the beginning of this century, the debate turned to an argument over the relative contributions of nature versus nurture. In recent decades, there has been growing acceptance of biopsychosocial theory, that is, the belief that all creative acts result from a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social forces. How these changes in the popular conception of creativity emerged, however, is far from simple and not without controversy.
The Dai and the ‘Friends of New Germany’

Nothing seemed to excite the American people quite like the public activities of an apparently Hitler-sponsored organization in the United States. The reactions to the discovery of a Nazi group on American soil — really almost ten years in existence by that time — tended to run from one extreme to another. Attitudes ranging from complete indifference to hysteria helped to properly obscure an accurate evaluation. Actually most people were probably unaware that the German-American Bund that gained such a nefarious reputation in the later 1930’s had antecedents in two other Nazi-inspired organizations called the “Friends of New Germany,” and the National Association of Teutonia going back to 1924.
Emergence of For-profit Higher Education

According to literature, for-profit higher education is an understudied area in spite of its rapid development in recent years. Utilizing the theory of academic capitalism, this article examines the driving forces for such a rapid growth, focusing on degree-granting higher education institutions in the United States. Among such forces, permeation of globalization, technology advancement, decreased federal and state funding, market factors, as well as for-profit institutions’ unique methods of catering to the special needs of adult learners are discussed. Their similarities to and differences from nonprofit sectors are also presented. The article concludes with a discussion of potential directions and developments for this sector.
Effects of Pack Ice on the Composition of Micronektonic Communities in the Weddell Sea

Using seabirds as sampling devices on two cruises in the northwestern Weddell Sea, we investigated the species and lengthfrequency distribution of micronekton in surface waters. Our micronekton samples are among the first ever collected simultaneously in both ice-covered and adjacent ice-free waters in the Antarctic using the same technique. Changes in the abundance or presence of certain crustacean, squid, and fish species were related to the presence of ice, and to distance from the ice edge. Length-frequency distributions representing age- or sex-classes of fish and krill were also affected by proximity to the ice edge. Our data indicate that the proximity of sampling to pack ice may affect our perception of the composition of micronektonic communities, and that the marginal ice zone is an important area for juvenile age-classes of pelagic fish and krill.
Nanocrystals of CuMSnS4 (M = In or Ga) for solar energy conversion applications

Quaternary MIMIIIMIVXVI4 (I-III-IV-VI4) chalcogenides obtained by cross-substitution of binary and ternary compounds remain relatively unexplored. We have for the first-time synthesized wurtzite and defect chalcopyrite phases of CuMSnS4 (M = In or Ga) in the form of nanocrystals. Optical measurements show that the CuMSnS4 (M = In or Ga) nanocrystals exhibit strong visible light absorption with band gap values between 1.15 and 1.4 eV, suitable for solar energy conversion applications.
Pre-Conference Workshop—What Educators and Engineers Need to Know about Patents

In business and entrepreneurship, patents are used to gain a competitive advantage. Accordingly, engineers and educators should understand basic rules and standard operating procedures relating to patents. In research and development, patents may be used as sources of scientific literature. Patents could help identify technology landscapes and the state-of-the-art in a specific field. Importantly, patents can help inform product and manufacturing design by identifying what has already been done, and what is possible for future improvements and innovations. Accordingly, engineers and educators should understand how to use patents in their R&D work. From a career perspective, knowledge of patents and how to find them can distinguish individuals from their peers and aid them in going beyond the classroom or the lab. In this workshop, attendees will learn some basics about patents, and gain some hands on experience in how to search and identify patents, in order to accelerate their research or design projects. Attendees can expect an interactive workshop where they will learn patent basics and apply knowledge by searching patents using powerful free online search tools.
Adding time to social movement diffusion

There is now a substantial literature on the diffusion of protest events, tactics, identities, and frames between locations and among movements. This paper asks how the patterns identified in this ...
Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (TRNDi008-A) from a Hunter syndrome patient carrying a hemizygous 208insC mutation in the IDS gene

Abstract Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II (MPS II), also known as Hunter syndrome, is a rare X-linked genetic disease caused by mutations in the IDS gene encoding iduronate 2-sulfatase (I2S). This is a multisystem disorder with significant variation in symptoms. Here, we document a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line generated from dermal fibroblasts of a patient with Hunter syndrome containing a hemizygous mutation of a 1 bp insertion at nucleotide 208 in exon 2 of the IDS gene. The generation of this line will allow development of cell-based models for drug development, as well as the study of disease pathophysiology.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease upper airway microbiota alpha diversity is associated with exacerbation phenotype: a case-control observational study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequent exacerbators (FE) suffer increased morbidity and mortality compared to infrequent exacerbators (IE). The association between the oral and sputum microbiota and exacerbation phenotype is not well defined. The objective of this study was to determine key features that differentiate the oral and sputum microbiota of FEs from the microbiota of IEs during periods of clinical stability. We recruited 11 FE and 11 IE who had not used antibiotics or systemic corticosteroids in the last 1 month. Subjects provided oral wash and sputum samples, which underwent 16S V4 MiSeq sequencing and qPCR of 16S rRNA. Data were analyzed using Dada2 and R. FE and IE were similar in terms of age, FEV1 percent predicted (FEV1pp), pack-years of tobacco exposure, and St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire score. 16S copy numbers were significantly greater in sputum vs. oral wash (p = 0.01), but phenotype was not associated with copy number. Shannon diversity was significantly greater in oral samples compared to sputum (p = 0.001), and IE samples were more diverse than FE samples (p < 0.001). Sputum samples from FE had more Haemophilus and Moraxella compared to IE sputum samples, due to dominance of these COPD-associated taxa in three FE sputum samples. Amplicon sequencing variant (ASV)-level analysis of sputum samples revealed one ASV (Actinomyces) was significantly more abundant in IE vs. FE sputum (padj = 0.048, Wilcoxon rank-sum test), and this persisted after controlling for FEV1pp. Principal coordinate analysis using Bray-Curtis distance with PERMANOVA analyses demonstrated clustering by anatomic site, phenotype, inhaled corticosteroid use, current tobacco use, COPD severity, and last professional dental cleaning. FE have less diverse oral and sputum microbiota than IE. Actinomyces was significantly more abundant in IE sputum than FE sputum. The oral and sputum microbiota of COPD subjects cluster based on multiple clinical factors, including exacerbation phenotype. Even during periods of clinical stability, the frequent exacerbator phenotype is associated with decreased alpha diversity, beta-diversity clustering, and changes in taxonomic abundance.
An Integrated Study of Pt/WO3/SiO2 Catalysts for the NO-CO Reaction. Part 1. Catalyst Characterization by XRD, Chemisorption, and XPS.

It is demonstrated that the presence of WO3 in Pt/SiO2 catalysts decreases the final Pt crystallite size, in part by reducing the formation of bulk PtCl2 precursor.
Cloud based telemedicine in Neurology Clinics: A new horizon

Telemedicine, the provision of medical services remotely is a growing reality. With the advancement in communications and technology telemedicine can be expanded to outpatient neurology settings. This will help neuromuscular patients reduce physical travel for follow-ups and will help improve overall disease management. In this paper, we discuss the importance of telemedicine for neuro-muscular clinics and leveraging the cloud technology to implement the telemedicine platform. First, we discuss the broad categories of telemedicine--store and forward method and live telemedicine methods. We elaborate how cloud technologies have advanced over the past decade, and how they can be leveraged for effective and secure implementation. Finally, we also discuss how future developments can be seamlessly integrated to the existing platforms.
Trajectories of Frailty and Cognitive Decline Among Older Mexican Americans.

Background Progressive physical frailty and cognitive decline in older adults is associated with increased risk of falls, disability, institutionalization, and mortality; however, there is considerable heterogeneity in progression over time. We identified heterogeneous frailty and cognitive decline trajectory groups and examined the specific contribution of health conditions to these trajectories among older Mexican origin adults. Methods We use a sample from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (HEPESE) with at least two measures of frailty criteria during 18 years follow-up: slow gait, weak handgrip strength, exhaustion, and unexplained weight loss (n = 1362, mean age 72). Cognition was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results Using group-based trajectory models we identified three frailty groups-non-frail (n = 331), moderate progressive (n = 855), and progressive high (n = 149)-and three cognitive decline groups-non-cognitively impaired (476), moderate decline (677) and rapid decline (n = 209). The probability of membership in a high-frailty group given membership in a progressive cognitive decline group was 63%, while the probability of being in a non-frail group given membership in a non-cognitively impaired group was 68%. Predictors of membership into both the progressive high frailty and rapid cognitive decline groups combined were low education and diabetes. Weekly church attendance was associated with a 66% reduction in the odds of being in the combined groups. Conclusions Interventions to reduce frailty rates and cognitive decline might focus on the management of underlying chronic disease and on increasing participation in activities outside the home.
Chapter 16 – In Vivo Biofluid Mechanics

In this chapter, we discuss a handful of techniques that can be used during in vivo biofluid mechanics experiments. These include intravital microscopy, ultrasound technology, and magnetic resonance imaging. The experimental setups of each of these measurement techniques are described along with some of the mathematics that are salient to the design of these systems. Limitations of each of these techniques are presented.
How to Delete the Dead: Honoring Negative Affective Experiences with Postmortem Data

Formative experiences in human lives are often unpleasant. Yet social technologies today are designed to presume positive experiences; 'design for delight' is even a principle in user interface development. So when humans have negative life experiences like the loss of a loved one, which often include technology-related tasks, the designs of their technologies can exacerbate that negativity. It is these negative experiences---interactions that trigger negative affects related to human sadness or distress---that design and engineering can and must honor. My dissertation will frame death as a key example of a difficult life experience that often requires digital interactions and digital tasks, yet currently lacks adequate tools to facilitate compassionate and meaningful interactions in a digital context. Incorporating empirical work in human-computer interaction with roots in cultural anthropology, I propose a project that will examine the role of ritual in technologically mediated human interactions during times of grief. Through interviews, participant observation, and tech support, I will create ritual-based practices around postmortem data that will honor the experiences people have of the presence of the deceased within that data, while maintaining the necessary control or closure of accounts that may be preferred.
Vocal Traditions: Vocal Combat Technique

Vocal Traditions is a series in the Voice and Speech Review that highlights both historically important and contemporary voice teachers and schools of thought in the world of vocal pedagogy. This e...
Comparative Investigation of System-Level Optimized Power Conversion System Architectures to Reduce LCOE for Large-Scale PV-Plus-Storage Farms

PV-plus-storage (PVS) has become a prevalent configuration for newly commissioned large-scale solar projects. However, the optimal power conversion system (PCS) architecture has not been investigated yet. This paper first validates the limited impact of inverter cost on LCOE and then explores a system-level optimized PCS architecture with extended LCOE reduction to proliferate large-scale dispatchable solar energy. Two state-of-the-art architectures including central inverters (CI), traditional 480/600 V string inverters (SI) are compared with newly proposed medium voltage string inverters (MVSI) and multiport DC transformer (MDCT). With verified layouts and single line diagrams (SLDs) of 20 MW PVS plants, the losses and costs breakdown of different architectures are extracted and the PCS related LCOEs are derived. In this analysis, all electrical bill of materials (EBOS) elements, inverters, battery storage and its associated components, are included, whose losses and costs are obtained from markets, manufacturers, and literature. Besides, the sensitivities of PCS-related LCOEs to Inverter-Loading-Ratio (ILR) are also investigated. The results show that compared with CI and SI with 1.5 kV PV, 4 kV MVSI and 34 kV MDCT present an extended LCOE reduction across all ILR from 1.0 to 3.0, making them economically favorable candidates for PVS farms.
Studies of fluoride metabolism in man. A review and report of original data.

Abstract The dietary intake of fluoride and the fluoride excretions in urine and stool were determined under controlled conditions in man. Fluoride balance studies have shown that the urinary fluoride corresponds to 50–60% of the intake, the fecal fluoride was very low, corresponding to 6% of the intake, and approximately 1 mg fluoride was retained per day during an average fluoride intake of 4.3 mg/day. The fluoride intake depended on the amount of fluoridated water consumed. The dietary fluoride content ranged from 1.2 to 1.5 mg/day. During the intake of supplemental fluoride the fluroide excretions increased but the ratio of the urinary/fecal fluoride was similar. Added fluoride is well retained. Following its discontinuation, very small amounts of the retained fluoride are excreted for several days. Inorganic elements, such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, which have been shown to decrease the intestinal absorption of fluoride in animals were ineffective in man, while aluminum, given as aluminum-containing antacids, markedly decreased the intestinal absorption of fluoride and thereby decreased the retention of fluoride.
Chinese rural women: production and reproduction.

The author considers how the Chinese governments policies since 1979 have affected the interplay between rural womens productive and reproductive roles and how those changing roles have affected the social status of rural women. While the privatization of agricultural production has intensified womens productive roles the one-child population policy has reduced womens reproductive roles. Womens extended productive roles may have enhanced their intrafamilial status but those roles have not resulted in a higher social status for women outside of the family. These factors are presented as significant: the privatization of production has eliminated rural womens collective power such that the level of womens status has been reduced; the absence or underrepresentation of women in the higher reaches in the economic and political spheres can be partially attributed to the continued existence of the domestic/public dichotomy in rural areas; farmers continue to want more children especially sons; and changes in family structure in rural China in recent years toward nuclear families have reduced extended kinship ties which tend to uphold traditions. The author notes that other forces may influence productive and reproductive roles affecting womens social status.
Naloxone and its possible relationship to fetal endorphin levels and fetal distress

This case report of fetal asphyxia and related studies suggest that fetal endorphins play a role in fetal pain tolerance and cardiovascular asphyctic responses. Elevated fetal endorphin levels may, like narcotics, produce abnormally "flat" fetal heart rate patterns intrapartum and fetal tolerance to pain. Although naloxone hydrochloride was used with some success to return flat fetal heart rate patterns to "normal," the unopposed antagonism of fetal endorphins by naloxone in times of fetal distress may be detrimental.
Isocitrate Dehydrogenase and Glutamate Synthesis in Acetobacter suboxydans

Acetobacter suboxydans is an obligate aerobe for which an operative tricarboxylic acid cycle has not been demonstrated. Glutamate synthesis has been reported to occur by mechanisms other than those utilizing isocitrate dehydrogenase, a tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme not previously detected in this organism. We have recovered α-ketoglutarate and glutamate from a system containing citrate, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a divalent cation, pyridoxal phosphate, an amino donor, and dialyzed, cell-free extract. Aconitase activity was readily detected in these extracts, but isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, measured by NAD reduction, was masked by a cyanide-resistant, particulate, reduced NAD oxidase. Isocitrate dehydrogenase activity could be demonstrated after centrifuging the extracts at 150,000 × g for 3 hr and treating the supernatant fluid with 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N -oxide. It is concluded that A. suboxydans can utilize the conventional tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes to convert citrate to α-ketoglutarate which can then undergo a transamination to glutamate. Images
Public education financing, earnings inequality, and intergenerational mobility ☆

Abstract Among developed countries there are large differences in earnings inequality and intergenerational earnings persistence. This paper investigates public education and tax policies as a possible source for these differences. Empirical and quantitative policy experiments focus on the case of the U.S. and Norway. An overlapping generations model is developed and calibrated to match U.S. data. Functions for labor taxes and public education spending are estimated for each country and incorporated into the model. The benchmark exercise finds that taxes and public education spending account for about one-third of differences in earnings inequality and 14 percent of differences in intergenerational earnings persistence between the U.S. and Norway. Furthermore, public intervention in early childhood education more than doubles the impact of these policy changes.
High-temperature properties of fermionic alkaline-earth-metal atoms in optical lattices

We calculate experimentally relevant properties of trapped fermionic alkaline-earth-metal atoms in an optical lattice, modeled by the SU$(N)$ Hubbard model. We employ a high-temperature expansion that is accurate when the temperature is larger than the tunneling rate, similar to current regimes in ultracold atom experiments. In addition to exploring the Mott insulator-metal crossover, we calculate final temperatures achieved by the standard experimental protocol of adiabatically ramping from a noninteracting gas, as a function of initial gas temperature. Of particular experimental interest, we find that increasing $N$ for fixed particle numbers and initial temperatures gives substantially colder Mott insulators after the adiabatic ramping, up to more than a factor of 5 for relevant parameters. This cooling happens for all $N$, fixing the initial entropy, or for all $N\ensuremath{\lesssim}20$ (the exact value depends on dimensionality), at fixed, experimentally relevant initial temperatures.
Ground Reaction Forces Generated by Twenty-eight Hatha Yoga Postures

Adherents claim many benefits from the practice of yoga, including promotion of bone health and prevention of osteoporosis. However, no known studies have investigated whether yoga enhances bone mineral density. Furthermore, none have estimated reaction forces applied by yoga practitioners. The purpose of this study was to collect ground reaction force (GRF) data on a variety of hatha yoga postures that would commonly be practiced in fitness centers or private studios. Twelve female and eight male volunteers performed a sequence of 28 hatha yoga postures while GRF data were collected with an AMTI strain-gauge force platform. The sequence was repeated six times by each study subject. Four dependent variables were studied: peak vertical GRF, mean vertical GRF, peak resultant GRF, and mean resultant GRF. Univariate analysis was used to identify mean values and standard deviations for the dependent variables. Peak vertical and resultant values of each posture were similar for all subjects, and standard deviations were small. Similarly, mean vertical and resultant values were similar for all subjects. This 28 posture yoga sequence produced low impact GRF applied to upper and lower extremities. Further research is warranted to determine whether these forces are sufficient to promote osteogenesis or maintain current bone health in yoga practitioners.