cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Femtosecond laser micromachining of a single-crystal superalloy

Abstract Femtosecond laser micromachining of a single crystal superalloy has been investigated. Laser-induced ablation and associated damage was examined by means of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. These studies indicate a complete absence of conventional processing defects in the vicinity of machining area. The residual roughness of the machined surface was in the sub-micron range.
Constellation Design via Capacity Maximization

Traditional constellations are uniformally spaced. By giving up uniform spacing, constellations can be designed to have larger joint (i.e. overall) capacity or parallel decoding capacity. In this paper non-uniformally spaced (i.e. 'geometrically' shaped) constellations are designed to maximize either of these quantities. By way of numerical capacity computations we show that except in special cases, there are no universally optimal geometrically shaped constellations across all code rates, and that the optimization of a constellation has to target a specific code rate. Unlike joint capacity, optimizing for parallel decoding capacity is label dependent. For PAM and PSK constellations, we found the maximum parallel decoding capacity to be achieved using gray (not necessarily binary reflective gray) labels. However, for PAM constellations, not all gray labels can yield the highest parallel decoding capacity. Besides the conventional use of a (log2 (M) -1) /log2 (M) code rate with an M-point constellation for bandwidth efficient communications, the optimized constellations could offer further non-trivial gains at lower code rates (unlike traditional constellations). An optimized constellation is used with a state-of-the-art LDPC code and simulation results are presented. This paper also draws a distinction between probabilistic shaping and geometric shaping and in fact proves under broad conditions, that any gain in capacity which can be found via probabilistic shaping can also be achieved or exceeded solely through geometric shaping.
Speciesism and the argument from misfortune

Is there a morally relevant difference between a brain-damaged human being and a nonhuman animal at the same cognitive and emotional level to justify, say, performing medical experiments on the animal but not the human being? Some hold that the misfortune of the human being allows us to distinguish between them. I consider the nature of misfortunate and argue that an appeal to misfortune fails to distinguish between the human being and the nonhuman animal when the treatment at issue is equally morally serious, since the source of the limitation taken advantage of by performing the medical experiment, whether misfortunate or natural vulnerability, is irrelevant.
Factors associated with hospitalization costs for patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Abstract Combined mortality rates for pneumonia and influenza suggest that the 2 conditions represent the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. The total cost of pneumonia, including indirect costs, was estimated to be approximately $23 billion per year in 1994. The objective of this study was to assess variables that may be significantly associated with the cost of treating patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We also assessed the impact of treatment guidelines for management of CAP (developed by managed care plans) on total costs. Patients in 3 managed care plans who were hospitalized with a primary or secondary diagnosis of CAP in Maryland and Washington, DC, between January 1, 1997, and April 30, 1997, or between January 1, 1998, and April 30, 1998, were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Clinical data were abstracted from patients' medical charts by nurses, and billing data were acquired from these plans. A retrospective data analysis was carried out using billing data from 3 managed care plans and clinical data from hospitals associated with the plans. A multivariate regression model was developed using the natural logarithm of cost as the dependent variable. Independent variables that were studied included severity of illness, days in the intensive care unit (ICU), triage per guidelines, drug therapy per guidelines, mortality, and managed care plan identifiers. The charts of 569 patients were assessed. The mean age of the study sample was 75.3 years. ICU days ( P P P = 0.001). The findings of this study suggest that guidelines for CAP management, such as those developed by managed care plans, may help reduce costs by minimizing unnecessary ICU admissions and appropriately managing patients with CAP.
Time-bounded lattice for efficient planning in dynamic environments

For vehicles navigating initially unknown cluttered environments, current state-of-the-art planning algorithms are able to plan and re-plan dynamically-feasible paths efficiently and robustly. It is still a challenge, however, to deal well with the surroundings that are both cluttered and highly dynamic. Planning under these conditions is more difficult for two reasons. First, tracking and predicting the trajectories of moving objects (i.e., cars, humans) is very noisy. Second, the planning process is computationally more expensive because of the increased dimensionality of the state-space, with time as an additional variable. Moreover, re-planning needs to be invoked more often since the trajectories of moving obstacles need to be constantly re-estimated. In this paper, we develop a path planning algorithm that addresses these challenges. First, we choose a representation of dynamic obstacles that efficiently models their predicted trajectories and the uncertainty associated with the predictions. Second, to provide real-time guarantees on the performance of planning with dynamic obstacles, we propose to utilize a novel data structure for planning - a time-bounded lattice - that merges together short-term planning in time with longterm planning without time. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in both simulations with up to 30 dynamic obstacles and on real robots.
An economic analysis of ecological agricultural technologies among peasant farmers in Honduras

Abstract The economic costs and benefits of chemical and low-purchased-input ecological technologies are compared in two Honduran rural development projects. Surveys of 20 farmers in each project indicate that both approaches have tripled average corn yields from a baseline of roughly 700 kg per hectare to the present level of 2000 kg per hectare. However, the farmers utilizing the ecological technologies have achieved this yield increase with one-fifth the chemical fertilizer, and substantially lower overall costs. The study suggests that cover cropping with velvet bean ( Macuna pruriens ) is a promising ecological farming practice. Based on statistical analysis of the survey data, this nitrogen-fixing crop reduced costs by 22%.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus: new concepts on etiology and diagnosis.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is remarkable for two reasons: 1) it is one of the few treatable causes of dementia, and 2) neuroradiologists are usually involved in making the diagnosis. Hakim and Adams [(1)][1] are generally credited with the initial description of NPH, although it may
Trends in Income Insecurity Among U.S. Children, 1984–2010

Has income insecurity increased among U.S. children with the emergence of an employment-based safety net and the polarization of labor markets and family structure? We study the trend in insecurity from 1984-2010 by analyzing fluctuations in children's monthly family incomes in the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Going beyond earlier research on income volatility, we examine income insecurity more directly by analyzing income gains and losses separately and by relating them to changes in family composition and employment. The analysis provides new evidence of increased income insecurity by showing that large income losses increased more than large income gains for low-income children. Nearly one-half the increase in extreme income losses is related to trends in single parenthood and parental employment. Large income losses proliferated with the increased incidence of very low incomes (less than $150 per month). Extreme income losses and very low monthly incomes became more common particularly for U.S. children of nonworking single parents from the mid-1990s.
Resistance of Strawberries to the Twospotted Spider Mite

Eighty-five strawberry cultivars and clones were evaluated for resistance to Tetranychus urticae Koch in greenhouse trials. The Del Norte clone of Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Duchesne was the most resistant, based on ratings of visible leaf damage. Of commercial-type cultivars, ‘Blakemore,’ ‘Siletz,’ ‘Stelemaster,’ and ‘WSU 1019’ showed the least damage. There were differences in mite populations on the cultivars but mite populations and leaf damage were poorly correlated. In field trials, Siletz, WSU 1019, and ‘BC 25’ showed resistance to damage. All cultivars observed were capable of supporting high populations of mites. The resistance of Del Norte was inherted by its progeny when crossed with Siletz, WSU 1019, and ‘Olympus.’
Surveillance of adverse events following immunization in Futian district of Shenzhen in 2009~2013

Objective To analyze the characteristics of adverse events following immunization(AEFI)in Futian district of Shenzhen from 2009 to 2013 and evaluate the implementation of AEFI surveillance system,the safety of vaccines and the quality of immunization services.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis of the surveillance data of AEFI was conducted.Results During 2009~2013,1 557 AEFI cases were reported with an incidence rate of 39.64/105 and the integrity rate and timely report rate reached more than 99%involving 32 kinds of vaccines.The AEFI incidence of leprosy vaccine was the highest(202.92/105),followed by 7-valent pneumovax(187.04/105).Most of the cases(74.50%)occurred at age group of less than two years and during May to September(54.34%)and 76.50%of episodes occurred within one day after vaccination.In all AEFI cases,73.47%presented general reactions,18.62%presented abnormal reactions,and coincidental illness(7.84%).The major clinical manifestations were fever,redness and nodule(73.22%),allergic eruption(13.81%).Of all AEFIs,99.87%were recovered or improved.Conclusion The AEFI surveillance system in Futian district was good and the sensitivity of AEFI surveillance was improved year by year.The safety of vaccines and the quality of immunization services were also good.
Research on the performance of biological ceramic in domestic sewage treatment

In this work,the static parameters including adsorption value of methylene blue,water absorption,surface area,pore volume,pore size distribution and zeta potential are analyzed.Domestic wastewater being a substrate,three kinds of ceramic(ceramic-C2,ceramic-Huaqi,super lightweight ceramic) being the carriers,the removal rates of COD(chemical oxygen demand) and ammonia nitrogen of the sewage are investigated in the ceramic reactor.Particularly the relationship between static parameters and dynamic performance is discussed.Results show that if Zeta potential closes to 0 mV and the values of water absorption,pore volume,the most probable pore size are relatively large,the ceramic has a better performance on sewage treatment.
An Operant Conditioning Method for Managing Chronic Pain

Pain behavior may be disproportionate to the pathologic stimulus or persist after the stimulus disappears. New technics based on principles of operant conditioning are being used in such cases, with encouraging results.
Secreted Human CLCA1 Activates Calcium-Dependent Chloride Currents through Direct Binding of Its VWA Domain with an Extracellular Loop of TMEM16A/Anoctamin 1

The calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC) regulator (CLCA) proteins were so named because their expression leads to generation of calcium-dependent chloride currents (ICaCC) in mammalian cells; however, the molecular identity of the channel(s) mediating these currents, and the mechanisms through which CLCA1 regulates their activity, have remained unknown. Previously, we showed that 1) human CLCA1 is a secreted self-cleaving zincin metalloprotease, 2) the resulting N-terminal fragment increases ICaCC density in HEK293T cells in a paracrine fashion, 3) these ICaCC are carried by TMEM16A/Anoctamin 1, and 4) CLCA1 physically interacts with, and drives the surface expression of, TMEM16A (J. Biol. Chem. 2012;287:42138, and eLife 2015;4:e05875). Here, we demonstrate that a Von Willebrand factor type A (VWA) domain within the CLCA1 N-terminus is the minimum requirement for activation of TMEM16A-mediated currents. Thus, ICaCC with the biophysical hallmarks of TMEM16A were measured in HEK293T cells transfected with N-terminal CLCA1 (N-CLCA1) protein constructs containing the VWA domain, and in the same cells the surface expression of TMEM16A was notably increased. Those effects were not observed in mock-transfected cells, or in cells transfected with VWA-less N-CLCA1 constructs. Our live-cell flow cytometry binding assays, confocal microscopy data and whole-cell patch clamp recordings indicate that there is a rapid, direct interaction between the VWA domain of CLCA1 and the last extracellular loop of TMEM16A, and that the conserved metal-ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) motif within the VWA domain, usually responsible for stabilizing protein-protein interactions, is not involved in CLCA1-TMEM16A interactions. CLCA1 is the first secreted direct mediator of TMEM16A activity, and our studies suggest that CLCA1 and TMEM16A operate together to generate ICaCC in multiple tissues.
Myosin light chain kinase steady-state kinetics: comparison of smooth muscle myosin II and nonmuscle myosin IIB as substrates.

Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) phosphorylates S19 of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC), which is required to activate myosin's ATPase activity and contraction. Smooth muscles are known to display plasticity in response to factors such as inflammation, developmental stage, or stress, which lead to differential expression of nonmuscle and smooth muscle isoforms. Here, we compare steady-state kinetics parameters for phosphorylation of different MLCK substrates: (1) nonmuscle RLC, (2) smooth muscle RLC, and heavy meromyosin subfragments of (3) nonmuscle myosin IIB, and (4) smooth muscle myosin II. We show that MLCK has a ~2-fold higher kcat for both smooth muscle myosin II substrates compared with nonmuscle myosin IIB substrates, whereas Km values were very similar. Myosin light chain kinase has a 1.6-fold and 1.5-fold higher specificity (kcat /Km ) for smooth versus nonmuscle-free RLC and heavy meromyosin, respectively, suggesting that differences in specificity are dictated by RLC sequences. Of the 10 non-identical RLC residues, we ruled out 7 as possible underlying causes of different MLCK kinetics. The remaining 3 residues were found to be surface exposed in the N-terminal half of the RLC, consistent with their importance in substrate recognition. These data are consistent with prior deletion/chimera studies and significantly add to understanding of MLCK myosin interactions. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Phosphorylation of nonmuscle and smooth muscle myosin by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is required for activation of myosin's ATPase activity. In smooth muscles, nonmuscle myosin coexists with smooth muscle myosin, but the two myosins have very different chemo-mechanical properties relating to their ability to maintain force. Differences in specificity of MLCK for different myosin isoforms had not been previously investigated. We show that the MLCK prefers smooth muscle myosin by a significant factor. These data suggest that nonmuscle myosin is phosphorylated more slowly than smooth muscle myosin during a contraction cycle.
Leon Henkin and Cylindric Algebras

This is a description of the contributions of Leon Henkin to the theory of cylindric algebras.
Validity of the Electrodiffusion Model for Calculating Conductance of Simple Ion Channels

We examine the validity and utility of the electrodiffusion (ED) equation, i.e., the generalized Nernst–Planck equation, to characterize, in combination with molecular dynamics, the electrophysiological behavior of simple ion channels. As models, we consider three systems—two naturally occurring channels formed by α-helical bundles of peptaibols, trichotoxin, and alamethicin, and a synthetic, hexameric channel, formed by a peptide that contains only leucine and serine. All these channels mediate transport of potassium and chloride ions. Starting with equilibrium properties, such as the potential of mean force experienced by an ion traversing the channel and diffusivity, obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, the ED equation can be used to determine the full current–voltage dependence with modest or no additional effort. The potential of mean force can be obtained not only from equilibrium simulations, but also, with comparable accuracy, from nonequilibrium simulations at a single voltage. The main ...
Can I have cheese on my ham sandwich

“Can I have cheese on my ham sandwich?” My patient asked me this question several times during the first few weeks of my employment at a state hospital. Although dieticians provided recommendations, I was ultimately responsible for entering dietary orders. Like most patients on the ward, my patient was prescribed psychotropic drugs that resulted in metabolic complications. As a result, she …
Intuitive biological thought: Developmental changes and effects of biology education in late adolescence

A large body of cognitive research has shown that people intuitively and effortlessly reason about the biological world in complex and systematic ways. We addressed two questions about the nature of intuitive biological reasoning: How does intuitive biological thinking change during adolescence and early adulthood? How does increasing biology education influence intuitive biological thinking? To do so, we developed a battery of measures to systematically test three components of intuitive biological thought: anthropocentric thinking, teleological thinking and essentialist thinking, and tested 8th graders and university students (both biology majors, and non-biology majors). Results reveal clear evidence of persistent intuitive reasoning among all populations studied, consistent but surprisingly small differences between 8th graders and college students on measures of intuitive biological thought, and consistent but again surprisingly small influence of increasing biology education on intuitive biological reasoning. Results speak to the persistence of intuitive reasoning, the importance of taking intuitive knowledge into account in science classrooms, and the necessity of interdisciplinary research to advance biology education. Further studies are necessary to investigate how cultural context and continued acquisition of expertise impact intuitive biology thinking.
Legal jurisdiction, director liability law, and venture capitalists’ equity stakes in Africa

Abstract This article empirically investigates whether shareholder protection features of countries’ legal jurisdictions influence portfolio companies’ venture capital and private equity stakes purchased by general partner firms in Africa. Results indicate general partners purchase lower equity stakes in French civil law, relative to Common law systems, when director liability laws are weak and higher equity stakes in the former when laws are stronger. This supports theory arguing firm level monitoring and shareholder protection, measured by director liability laws, are substitutes on the continent. Results also indicate private benefit extraction gains influence general partner monitoring and portfolio company owners’ effort incentives.
Russia–Syria Internal Threat Alliance (2010–2016)

This chapter is the final case study portion and applies the framework onto the Russia-Syria internal threat alliance. It traces Russia’s cooperation with the Assad regime in Syria to defeat anti-government rebels. It shows that the Assad regime sought Russian assistance in order to thwart anti-government rebels seeking to overthrow his government, while Russia provided military capabilities to the embattled regime in order to safeguard its single military base outside the former Soviet Union as well as preserve access to oil and gas fields and other economic interests including Russian companies involved in natural gas extraction. Concerning bandwagoning, the chapter shows that some elements of Syria’s military colluded (bandwagoned) with rebels, but the majority followed central orders and worked to defeat (balance) them. Finally, the chapter demonstrates that the Russia-Syria alliance has been effective due to its accumulation of sufficient resources to weaken rebels as well as the Assad regime’s ability to prevent its various bureaucratic actors from colluding with the belligerents.
Nucleation and growth process of atomic layer deposition platinum nanoparticles on strontium titanate nanocuboids

Uniform, well-dispersed platinum nanoparticles were grown on SrTiO3 nanocuboids via atomic layer deposition (ALD) using (methylcyclopentadienyl)trimethylplatinum (MeCpPt(Me)3) and water. For the first half-cycle of the deposition particles formed through two sequential processes: initial nucleation and growth. The final particle size after a single complete ALD cycle was dependent on the reaction temperature which alters the net Pt deposition per cycle. Additional cycles resulted in further growth of previously formed particles. However, the increase in size per cycle during additional ALD cycles, beyond the first, was significantly lower as less Pt was deposited due to carbonaceous material that partially covers the surface and prevents further MeCpPt(Me)3 adsorption and reaction. The increase in particle size was also temperature dependent due to changes in the net Pt deposition. Pt nanoparticles increased in size by 59% and 76% after 15 ALD cycles for reaction temperatures of 200 °C and 300 °C, respectively. There was minimal change in the number of particles per unit area as a function of reaction time, indicating that there was minimal Ostwald ripening or secondary nucleation for the reaction conditions.
High-sensitivity contrast-enhanced in vivo imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT)

We developed custom spectral detection algorithms and highly-scattering large gold nanorods for sub-nanomolar sensitivity contrast-enhanced optical coherence tomography (OCT). We used this approach for noninvasive 3D imaging of blood and lymph vessels in living mice.
Longitudinal Analysis Technique to Assist School Leaders in Making Critical Curriculum and Instruction Decisions for School Improvement.

To meet the constantly changing needs of schools and diverse learners, educators must frequently monitor student learning, revise curricula, and improve instruction. Consequently, it is critical that careful analyses of student performance data are ongoing components of curriculum decision-making processes. The primary purpose of this study is to demonstrate the application of panel study longitudinal analysis techniques to inform curricula and instructional improvement efforts using actual data retrieved from state accountability reports of a Texas school district.
COASTAL MODELING FOR REGIONAL SEDIMENT BUDGET IN WEST MAUI, HAWAII

The West Maui Region incorporates a thin coastal margin backed by steep mountainous terrain that has been vastly altered by agricultural and urbanized development. Coastline includes headlands and reefs with a very limited supply of sediment. Shoreline was found to be erosional chronically based on average rates. The dynamics of the area are complex with a wave climate affected by intricate bathymetry, wind, and island sheltering. Longshore currents vary locally and temporally from nearshore to offshore. Wave and current modeling indicates that large waves in the summer and winter have driven the majority of sediment transport along the coast. The littoral transport is essentially northward in summer and southward in winter. The net transport of longshore sediment is overall small. The nearshore eddy formation with wave breaking nearshore over narrow sandy bed and wide reefs may increase the complexity of sediment movement within the region.
Infusing the National Standards into Business Language Curricula

This article attempts to promote business language instruction at K–12 levels, particularly in high school settings, by discussing business language education in light of principles and guidelines of world language education addressed in Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century (1999; hereafter, National Standards). It highlights the correspondence between the National Standards, which provide a foundation for language class curricula especially in grades K–12, and business language instruction, examining how principles of language learning proposed in the National Standards can be applied to business language instruction. It further provides suggestions as to how business language instruction can be adapted in high school settings and introduces case studies of business Japanese lesson plans implemented by high school teachers. In conclusion, the article encourages more empirical studies of teaching business language in high school settings.
Courtly Literature: “Yesterday” is Today

Any specialist in courtly literature who has been the captive audience of an easy listening program in a waiting room or an oldies radio station in a car can attest that the art of the troubadour and the trouvere remains with us today. Jongleurs of recent decades have followed closely in the footsteps of their medieval forebears by exploiting, with greater or lesser success, the language of amorous obsession and lamentation that has been the focus of abundant scholarly analysis since the late nineteenth century. This chapter—“Courtly Literature: ‘Yesterday’ is Today”—examines how, whether in Kenny Rogers’s crooning “Lady, I’m your knight in shining armor and I love you,” Elvis’s begging “Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true,” the Temptations’ rejoicing “When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May,” or Percy Sledge’s reminder that “When a man loves a woman, can’t keep his mind on nothing else,” courtly conventions can be discerned in abundance. The “power of love” is extolled in more than one recent song of that title, and “the book of love will open up and let us in” if only we “take these broken wings and learn to fly again.” Bette Midler consoles the despairing that “far beneath the bitter snows lies the seed that … becomes the rose,” while Seal, in “Kiss from a Rose,” admits “you remain my power, my pleasure, my pain.” It goes without saying that nobody expresses love and loss more plaintively than country music artists. Given the multitude of contemporary examples, there can be little denying that the voice of “yesterday” lives on today, as reflected in Paul McCartney’s ballad of that title. We, too, are inclined to ask, as he does in another of his compositions, “You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs, but … I see it isn’t so. And what’s wrong with that?”
A comparison of the impact of metal-ion containing and metal-ion free photoresist developers on graphene field-effect transistors

Heterogeneous integration of graphene with different technologies necessitates the understanding of the impact photoresist developers have on its performance. We statistically evaluate the impact of metal-ion containing (MIC) and metal-ion free (MIF) developers on graphene field-effect transistors (GFETS). We compare the performance of GFETs fabricated using MIC and MIF developers. We find that GFETs fabricated using MIF developers have lower charged impurity concentration, leading to a lower Dirac point shift and charge carrier mobility 2 to 4 times higher than those fabricated using MIC developers. We also empirically identified the scaling factor between charge carrier mobility (μ) and charged impurity concentration (n 0 ) as μ ≅ 4.24q/(hn 0 ).
Monkey Visual and Auditory Memory

One of the earliest studies of memory (Ebbinghaus, 1895) showed that list memory, when plotted according to the list’s serial position, was U-shaped. Memory was best at the beginning (primacy effect) and the end (recency effect) of the list, and poorest in the middle. In the late ‘50s, researchers showed that the recency effect, thought to be the short-term memory (STM) component, could be selectively eliminated from the primacy effect and middle portion, thought to be the long-term memory (LTM) component, by delaying recall and filling the delay with distracter activity (e.g., Brown, 1958; Peterson and Peterson, 1959). This manipulation was the beginning of the modern study of short-term memory and helped bring about the so-called cognitive revolution. There has been considerable emphasis on the discovery of dissociable memory processes and development of theories to explain them. Some memory processes (e.g., language based) may be unique to humans, but general theories of memory should also apply, at least in part, to animals as well as humans.
Virtual Doppelgangers: Psychological Effects of Avatars Who Ignore Their Owners

For a decade, the Virtual Human Interaction Lab has been creating doppelgangers, virtual versions of the self, for research purposes. This chapter considers how humans may be affected by confrontation with virtual versions of themselves, on the basis of well-established psychological theories, including social cognitive theory (social learning theory), media richness theory (information richness theory), and self-perception theory. Experiments carried out in the Lab, and informed by these theories, have explored such notable topics as health communication, marketing, and false memories. The findings of one series of studies suggest that doppelgangerscan show the rewards of exercise and proper eating habits, changing people’s health-related behavior as a result. Other studies showed that doppelgangers are powerful marketing agents and can be used in advertisements to create favorable brand impressions among consumers. Other research documented that children have difficulty in distinguishing between an actual memory elicited by a physical world event and a false memory elicited by mental image or doppelganger.
The emission of corrosive vapours by wood. Hot - water - extracted O - acetylated hemicelluloses from sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) and wych elm (Ulmus glabrau) and a discussion of O-acetyl-group changes occurring in these woods during incubation at 48° and 100% relative humidity

1. O -Acetylated polysaccharides were obtained from green wood of both sweet chestnut and wych elm by treatment of the residue remaining after dimethyl sulphoxide extraction with water at 98°. This gives a mixture of polysaccharides containing xylose, galactose, glucose and uronic acids. Analysis of these and their fractionated products suggest that only xylans in green sweet chestnut and green wych elm are O -acetylated. 2. The isolated O -acetylated xylans are not representative of the total O -acetylated xylans occurring in sweet chestnut and wych elm. 3. Application of the method developed by Bouveng for the location of O -acetyl groups to all four O -acetylated xylans obtained in this series of investigations by dimethyl sulphoxide extraction showed that those from sweet chestnut and wych elm, under the same conditions of incubation, lost: 74·2 and 43·4% of acetyl groups respectively, at C-2; 58·0 and 28·5% of acetyl groups respectively at C-3; 41·8 and 82·2% of acetyl groups respectively at C-2 and C-3. 4. A consideration of electronic and steric factors indicates that there does not appear to be a purely chemical reason for the difference in loss of O -acetyl groups between sweet chestnut and wych elm. It is suggested that the location of O -acetylated xylans in the wood cell walls and the presence of extractive may play some part in this difference.
Optimal Ventilation of Critically Ill Patients

The intent of this research was to provide a theoretical approach for the optimal adjustment of controlled ventilators used in treating respiratory insufficiency in critically ill patients who have undergone major thoracic or abdominal surgery. In order to solve the optimization problem, it was necessary to develop a mathematical description of the process. The number of interactions involved, as well as the changing nature of the actual system, has been represented by an extremely complex model which may defy solution (Guyton 1973, Grodins 1967). It was therefore decided to describe the respiratory plant by a simple mathematical model that includes the pertinent information regarding the performance of the actual gas transport process. Variations in plant parameters were taken into account by providing an adaptive control philosophy that involves resolving the optimization problem (Sage 1966) to determine the following optimal ventilator settings: 1) tidal volume, 2) respiratory frequency and 3) fraction of inspired oxygen.
Model-Driven Software Development

Software development is a complex and difficult task that requires the investment of significant resources and carries major risk of failure. For decades now, researchers have proposed “model-driven” approaches to improve the state of the art in software engineering. Software models are intended to improve communication among stakeholders and aid in the overall understanding both of a problem space and a proposed software solution that satisfies given requirements. As with architectural blueprints or miniature 3D models, software models make it possible to explore and test a design and its ramifications before investing in the actual build-out. The traditional approach to software development involves a modeling process – analysis, requirements specification, design – followed by an implementation process. In the traditional approach, programmers manually write software that conforms (more or less) to specifications described in software models; this process involves transformations that are often incomplete, awkward, and informal. The essence of model-driven software development is the idea that software models can go further than being mere blueprints, and constitute the basis for automatically or semiautomatically generating the software system itself. In this chapter, we survey various major approaches to model-driven software construction and illustrate how model-driven development works in practice.
Acceptability of Mobile Health Technology for Promoting Fluid Consumption in Patients With Nephrolithiasis

Abstract Objective To evaluate kidney stone patients’ interest in lifestyle behavior modification and a variety of mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve adherence to fluid consumption recommendations for the prevention of nephrolithiasis. Of particular interest was the acceptability of various intervention components for the design of a stone-specific mHealth technology. Materials and Methods Using a cross-sectional design, adult patients with a diagnosis of kidney stones (n = 94) were recruited from outpatient clinics to complete a three-part questionnaire. Results Patients reported being willing to make lifestyle changes to prevent kidney stones (97%). The majority of the patients recalled the recommendation to increase fluid intake (93%) but few monitored their daily fluid intake (30%). Most patients had never installed an app (95%) or owned a device (100%) to help with increasing fluid consumption, but believed an app or device could improve their adherence (72%) and would be interested in using an app or device (86%). The mHealth intervention components most widely perceived as useful included automated lapse detection with notifications, educational materials, self-monitoring tools, scheduler with prompts and/or reminders and/or notifications, connected water bottles and text message reminders to drink. Conclusion Patients are interested in lifestyle behavior change to prevent stones but technology has not been widely adopted to improve adherence to fluid intake recommendations for stone prevention. This study identified a number of viable mHealth intervention components that should be considered when designing a stone-specific mHealth technology to support adherence to increased fluid consumption recommendations.
Determining progression of scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease:

Interstitial lung disease occurs in the majority of patients with systemic sclerosis. Although interstitial lung disease is the number one cause of death in systemic sclerosis, interstitial lung di...
Exploring the promise of assessing dynamic characteristics of the family for predicting adolescent risk outcomes.

Background Family-based assessments of risk factors for adolescent emotional, behavioral, and substance use problems can be used to identify adolescents who are at risk and intervene before problems cause clinically significant impairment. Expanding traditional methods for assessing risk, this study evaluates whether lability, referring to the degree to which parent-adolescent relationships and parenting fluctuate from day to day, might offer additional value to assessment protocols aimed at identifying precursor risk factors. Methods This study sampled 151 adolescents and caregivers, collecting data at a baseline assessment, a 21-day daily diary protocol, and a 12-month follow-up assessment. Daily diary data were used to calculate within-family lability scores in parenting practices, parent-adolescent connectedness, and parent-adolescent conflict. Results Regression analyses evaluated whether lability predicted adolescent's depression, anxiety, antisocial behavior (ASB), drunkenness, and marijuana use at 12-month follow-up. Lability in parent-adolescent connectedness, accounting for baseline levels, gender, age, and initial levels of outcomes, was associated with risk for depression, anxiety, ASB, drunkenness, and marijuana use. Lability in parenting practices also was associated with risk for depression, anxiety, and drunkenness. Baseline levels moderated some of these effects. Parent-adolescent conflict lability was only associated with depression. Conclusions These findings provide evidence for substantial value added when including dynamic assessments of family lability in predicting long-term adolescent risk outcomes and call for integration of dynamic methods into assessment practices.
Making caches work for graph analytics

Large-scale applications implemented in today's high performance graph frameworks heavily underutilize modern hardware systems. While many graph frameworks have made substantial progress in optimizing these applications, we show that it is still possible to achieve up to 5× speedups over the fastest frameworks by greatly improving cache utilization. Previous systems have applied out-of-core processing techniques from the memory/disk boundary to the cache/DRAM boundary. However, we find that blindly applying such techniques is ineffective because the much smaller performance gap between cache and DRAM requires new designs for achieving scalable performance and low overhead. We present Cagra, a cache optimized inmemory graph framework. Cagra uses a novel technique, CSR Segmenting, to break the vertices into segments that fit in last level cache, and partitions the graph into subgraphs based on the segments. Random accesses in each subgraph are limited to one segment at a time, eliminating the much slower random accesses to DRAM. The intermediate updates from each subgraph are written into buffers sequentially and later merged using a low overhead parallel cache-aware merge. Cagra achieves speedups of up to 5× for PageRank, Collaborative Filtering, Label Propagation and Betweenness Centrality over the best published results from state-of-the-art graph frameworks, including GraphMat, Ligra and GridGraph.
Is phylogenetic and functional trait diversity a driver or a consequence of grassland community assembly

Community assembly changes fundamentally in response to disturbance following habitat destruction due to extreme events and human activities. There are several important aspects of community assembly that can be measured in response to disturbance or during species establishment. Of these measurable outcomes, metrics of taxonomic or species diversity (SD) are perhaps the most common and logistically the easiest to evaluate. It is increasingly evident that measurements of phylogenetic (PD) and functional trait (FD) diversity can provide more information than traditional measures of diversity and desirable and informative metrics to measure restoration outcomes. However, it is unclear whether FD and PD are drivers or a consequence of community assembly. This Special Feature highlights eight field studies and a review that have investigated how PD diversity and functional trait diversity can be used to better understand grassland community assembly following disturbance or during restoration, and how as potential drivers they can be manipulated experimentally or incorporated into evolutionary models. Topics include: colonizing species as a function of FD and PD; dominant species origin impacts on subordinate species FD; impacts of environmental gradients such as seed mix richness, first‐year precipitation and restoration age on FD and taxonomic diversity; impacts of drought and resource availability; and a synthesis of studies that measured FD and PD to determine if they provide similar or incongruent inferences for ecological and functional processes. The work in this Special Feature indicates that SD, FD and PD can act as drivers and passengers of community assembly, and often yield different insights. Environmental gradients such as soil nutrients, precipitation and environmental drivers like drought can influence FD and PD of assembling communities in predicted and unexpected ways. Synthesis. Results from the studies in this Special Feature highlight the importance of considering a multitude of ecological and evolutionary drivers of community assembly in grassland ecosystems. Studies pushing this field forward will be those that incorporate or study higher trophic levels, realistically incorporate climate change and disentangle the impacts of FD and PD.
Skeletal Muscle and Fat Mass Indexes Predict Discharge Disposition after Radical Cystectomy.

Purpose:Skeletal muscle and fat mass indexes have emerged as easily obtained, objective and useful tools to assess susceptibility to unfavorable postoperative outcomes. We examined the association ...
Importance of surgical expertise in septal myectomy for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

In 2011, a multidisciplinary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) program with a dedicated myectomy surgeon was implemented at our institution. We hypothesized that a dedicated approach allows better identification and management of mitral regurgitation (MR) during septal myectomy (SM) for obstructive HCM with significant mitral regurgitation. Between 2006 and 2018, 181 patients had SM at our institution. This study consists of 53 patients with preoperative moderate or greater MR associated with systolic anterior motion who underwent isolated SM with or without mitral intervention. Patients were divided into those who underwent SM by a dedicated myectomy surgeon (group D, n = 31) or by a non-dedicated surgeon (group ND, n = 22). Primary outcome of interest was rate of mitral valve replacement (MVR) at SM. Secondary outcomes include in-hospital mortality, need for permanent pacemaker, mitral valve reoperation, and residual MR and left ventricular outflow tract gradient on postoperative echocardiography. 12 patients (55%) had a concomitant MVR during septal myectomy in group ND compared to 2 patients (6%) in group D (p < 0.01). Among patients who did not undergo MVR, patients in group D less commonly had residual MR than patients in ND after SM (p < 0.01). Group D had 100% survival with NYHA class I in 94% patients at follow-up visit (p = 0.01). Reoperation for MVR was required in four patients in group ND vs. none in group D (p < 0.01). A dedicated surgeon is able to spare the mitral valve in patients undergoing SM. This study emphasizes the importance of surgical expertise in this cohort.
Safe Zero-Shot Model-Based Learning and Control: A Wasserstein Distributionally Robust Approach.

This paper explores distributionally robust zero-shot model-based learning and control using Wasserstein ambiguity sets. Conventional model-based reinforcement learning algorithms struggle to guarantee feasibility throughout the online learning process. We address this open challenge with the following approach. Using a stochastic model-predictive control (MPC) strategy, we augment safety constraints with affine random variables corresponding to the instantaneous empirical distributions of modeling error. We obtain these distributions by evaluating model residuals in real time throughout the online learning process. By optimizing over the worst case modeling error distribution defined within a Wasserstein ambiguity set centered about our empirical distributions, we can approach the nominal constraint boundary in a provably safe way. We validate the performance of our approach using a case study of lithium-ion battery fast charging, a relevant and safety-critical energy systems control application. Our results demonstrate marked improvements in safety compared to a basic learning model-predictive controller, with constraints satisfied at every instance during online learning and control.
Determining improvements in Landsat spectral sampling for inland water quality monitoring

Abstract Inland waters are optically complex and provide an ongoing challenge to effective water quality monitoring through remote sensing. Imaging satellites with spectral sampling designed for this task often have coarse spatial resolutions, preventing any capture of information from small lakes. Medium resolution satellite systems such as Landsat 8 have the appropriate spatial resolution and sensitivity required to resolve these waterbodies, but the spectral sampling is not optimal. This work uses system simulation to explore potential changes to Landsat spectral sampling to determine if its ability to monitor inland waters could be improved. The HydroLight and MODTRAN radiative transfer models are used for simulation in a Look Up Table and spectrum matching approach to provide maximum flexibility intesting spectral sampling scenarios. To isolate the testing to the impacts of spectral sampling, all simulations were performed based on the known system noise characteristics of Landsat 8. Spectral sampling changes tested include the addition of yellow and red edge spectral bands as well as conversion to an imaging spectrometer. Simulated spectra of inland waters undergoing a cyanobacteria bloom, including atmospheric effects and sensor noise, were implemented with the Look-Up-Table retrieval process to extract estimated concentrations of waterbody components. The retrieval accuracy of each potential system is compared to that of a modeled Landsat 8 baseline. All potential systems show an increase of retrieval accuracy over the baseline. The best performing system design is an imaging spectrometer, followed by the addition of both a yellow and red edge band simultaneously, and the addition of either band individually. Testing also demonstrates that resampling an imaging spectrometer with 20 ​nm spectral resolution to the Landsat 8 band responses produces outputs matching those available from Landsat 8. Our results indicate that future Landsat missions should aim to add as much spectral sampling as is feasible, while maintaining at least the same sensitivity. The minimum change to improve water quality monitoring capability is the addition of a red edge spectral band.