cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Jitter Control of Space and Airborne Laser Beams

Acquisition, Tracking and Pointing (ATP) of space and airborne laser beams is fast becoming an important research topic as requirements for the pointing and control of the optical beam is increasing. Arc-second accuracy, nano-radian jitter and large flexible structures combine to require stringent pointing requirements testing the limits of control systems. Solar arrays, reaction wheels, control-moment-gyros for spacecraft and airframe, engine, and payload configuration for aircraft result in narrowband as well as random structural interactions that further complicate the control method. Additionally, the effect of the atmosphere on the laser adds a broadband disturbance, resulting in a laser beam that has been corrupted by "colored noise". This paper will focus on the control techniques that may be used to remove the disturbances. A Laser Beam Jitter Control test bed (LJC) has been developed at the Naval Post Graduate School and is used to investigate different control algorithms for Fast Steering Mirrors (FSM). The test bed consists of two FSMs, three position sensing detectors (PSD), one diode laser, and several beam splitters and mirrors, all sitting on a vibrationally isolated Newport optical bench. The control mirror, along with beam splitters and folding mirrors, is mounted on a platform isolated from the optical bench. The platform is shaken by a CSA SAS-5 (5 lb.) inertial actuator. Colored noise is injected with one FSM and the other FSM is used to control it. The disturbance spectrum contains not only narrow band noise from the shaken platform simulating rotating devices onboard such as reaction wheels but also broadband noise from a disturbance FSM, separate from the platform. Several adaptive feedforward and feedback control algorithms are tested with this disturbance on the LJC and are compared.
Frequency and Outcomes of Hyperlactatemia After Neurosurgery A Retrospective Analysis

Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and significance of elevated serum lactate and its impact on outcome in postoperative neurosurgical patients admitted to neurosurgica...
Photovoltaic Module Qualification Plus Testing

Reliability is a critical element in the continued growth of the photovoltaic (PV) industry. Design qualification tests such as IEC 61215 and IEC 61646 have been key to mitigating infant mortality, but do not address many of the module failures now observed in the field. Qualification Plus has been created to fill an immediate need by providing a well-defined set of accelerated stress tests that correlate with the field performance of PV modules. The tests in Qualification Plus include module-level tests like those in the qualification test sequences, as well as material and component level tests like those in the module safety standard. This paper will describe the details of Qualification Plus including the rationale for the required tests, the selection of samples, and the requirements for the Quality Management System.
Sociocultural source of thinking and its relevance for second language acquisition

Second language acquisition research is coming to recognize the influence of the sociocultural environment in the L2 learning. For example, beginning with the early work of Frawley and Lantolf (1985), a group of L2 researchers have been exploring the implications of L. S. Vygotsky's (1978, 1986) sociocultural theory of mind (henceforth, SCT) for the learning and teaching of languages beyond the first. Similarly, scholars working within the Conversational Analysis tradition, stimulated in large part by the seminal article of Firth and Wagner (1997), have also been investigating the impact of conversation on L2 development. It should come as no real surprise that researchers interested in dynamic systems theory (henceforth DST), and its variants (emergentism, chaos and complexity theory) have also shown an interest in the implications of their theoretical stance for SLA. Larsen-Freeman (1997, 2002), to my knowledge, the first researcher to make a case for the potential relevance of chaos and complexity theory for L2 acquisition, argues for the need to expand the scope of factors impacting on L2 learning to consider more than what goes on inside of a learner's head. In addition to Larsen-Freeman's publications, a special issue of Applied Linguistics (N. Ellis and Larsen-Freeman, 2006) and an invited colloquium at the 2006 Annual Conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (De Bot, 2006) have been devoted to the topic. The contribution by De Bot, Lowie and Verspoor (henceforth, DBL&V) represents a significant continuation of this trend.
Data Acquisition and Preprocessing in Studies on Humans: What Is Not Taught in Statistics Classes?

The aim of this article is to address issues in research that may be missing from statistics classes and important for (bio-) statistics students. In the context of a case study, we discuss data acquisition and preprocessing steps that fill the gap between research questions posed by subject matter scientists and statistical methodology for formal inference. Issues include participant recruitment, data collection training and standardization, variable coding, data review and verification, data cleaning and editing, and documentation. Despite the critical importance of these details in research, most of these issues are rarely discussed in an applied statistics program. One reason for the lack of more formal training is the difficulty in addressing the many challenges that can possibly arise in the course of a study in a systematic way. This article can help to bridge the gap between research questions and formal statistical inference by using an illustrative case study for a discussion. We hope that readi...
Tumor Percent Involvement Predicts Prostate Specific Antigen Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy Only in Men With Smaller Prostate

Purpose: We determined the predictive power of tumor percent involvement on prostate specific antigen recurrence in patients when stratified by prostate weight.Materials and Methods: Data on 3,057 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 1988 and 2008 was retrieved from our institutional prostate cancer database. Patients with data on tumor percent involvement, prostate volume and prostate specific antigen recurrence were included in analysis. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on prostate volume less than 35, 35 to 45 and greater than 45 cc. The variables tumor percent involvement, age at surgery, race, prostate specific antigen, pathological Gleason score, positive surgical margins, extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion and surgery year were analyzed using the chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests to determine individual effects on prostate specific antigen recurrence. Tumor percent involvement and prostate specific antigen were evaluated as continuous variables. Significant ...
Bilateral calcaneal epiphysiolysis in a dog

Ununited epiphyses were seen in the calcanei of a 13-month-old Rottweiler with abnormal rear limb conformation. Histologic examination of the tissues showed a nonunion with neoarthrosis formation. Surgical management included use of tension band and lag screw techniques to achieve epiphysiodesis that was radiographically evident 12 weeks postsurgery. There was no sign of lameness when examined 8 months after surgery. Similarities exist between this case and that of osteochondrosis in other domestic species, and with Osgood-Schlatters disease in humans. Osteochondrosis and/or abnormal angulation of the hocks were suspected as the underlying cause of the epiphyseal separations.
Digital PWM/PFM controller with input voltage feed-forward for synchronous buck converters

This paper describes a digital pulse-width modulation/pulse-frequency modulation (PWM/PFM) controller with input voltage feed-forward for synchronous buck DC-DC converters. The controller includes automatic PWM/PFM mode switching and effective synchronous operation with a minimum number of active components and without the need for current sensing in PFM mode of operation. Input-voltage feed-forward improves efficiency and dynamic performance over a wide range of input voltages. Controller parameters, including the PWM switching frequency, the PFM pulse period, and the mode transition point are programmable, which enables efficiency optimization. Experimental results are shown for a synchronous buck converter with 5-to-12 V input voltage, and 1.3 V, 0 - 10 A output.
Influence of Cultural Conditions on Mitomycin C-Mediated Bacteriophage Induction and Release of Salmonella Toxin

Several isolates of Salmonella were examined for the capacity to synthesize and release a cholera toxin-like toxin that exerted a biological effect on Chinese hamster ovary cells. Measurements of this Salmonella toxin, which was contained in cell sonic extracts and culture filtrates, were expressed in cholera toxin equivalents (nanograms), since the Chinese hamster ovary cell responses of the cholera toxin and the Salmonella toxin were indistinguishable. Comparative titrations of Salmonella preparations were also performed by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for cholera toxin antigen. The amount of Salmonella toxin synthesized was low (nanogram levels), but the toxin was detectable in cell sonic extracts as early as 6 h after culture inoculation and reached maximal levels by 12 h. Salmonella toxin antigen was not detectable in control culture filtrates until 48 h, but the addition of mitomycin C at 8.5 h resulted in the sudden appearance of toxin antigen at 10 to 12 h, and the toxin antigen level reached a maximum at 14 h. A large peak of Chinese hamster ovary cell activity was observed at 48 h in the control culture, but significant Chinese hamster ovary cell activity was detected as early as 14 h. A larger amount of Chinese hamster ovary cell-reactive material was observed as early as 10 h in cultures grown with mitomycin C. The mechanism of the mitomycin-mediated phenomenon that yielded more toxin in culture filtrates was associated with bacteriophage induction. A bacteriophage plaque assay with a susceptible Salmonella strain revealed that there were free bacteriophage in mitomycin-treated culture filtrates (but not control culture filtrates) at 12 h. Toxin production was greatest when cultures were grown at 30 to 37°C and lowest when cultures were grown at 25°C. The inoculum size and degree of culture aeration (agitation) had little effect on synthesis of the toxin, and toxin production occurred during anaerobic growth. Images
Ophthalmologic Findings as Predictors of Carotid Artery Disease

Vascular events that occur in the brain also occur in the eye, giving rise to different ophthalmologic manifestations that range from amaurosis fugax to complete blindness due to central retinal artery occlusion. The objective of this study was to ascertain the relative frequency and predictive value of ocular findings suggestive of carotid occlusive disease in patients being investigated for carotid endarterectomy. The charts of 366 patients undergoing carotid angiography for evaluation of cerebrovascular or visual symptoms over a 5-year period were reviewed. The presence of eye symptoms, neurologic symptoms, cervical bruits, and ophthalmologic findings on admission was recorded and correlated with the presence of significant carotid artery stenosis (>or=50%). Positive eye findings included retinal plaques, rubeosis iridis, neovascular glaucoma, venous stasis retinopathy, central and branch retinal artery occlusion, ischemic optic neuropathy, and asymmetric hypertensive retinopathy. Seventy-five patients (21%) presented with amaurosis fugax; 41 patients (11%) were found to have one or more ocular findings consistent with carotid artery disease. All patients with positive eye findings were diagnosed by ophthalmologists, who were consulted in 94 cases. Of these 41 patients, 29 (70.3%) were subsequently shown to have greater than 50% stenosis of the common or internal carotid artery. Ten patients had amaurosis fugax, a carotid bruit, and positive eye findings. All were shown to have a significant carotid stenosis. This study shows that ocular pathology, if diagnosed, is correlated with carotid stenosis, especially if other contributing history and physical findings are also considered.
Narrow resonances and short-range interactions

Narrow resonances in systems with short-range interactions are discussed in an effective field theory (EFT) framework. An effective Lagrangian is formulated in the form of a combined expansion in powers of a momentum Q<<{lambda}--a short-distance scale--and an energy difference {delta}{epsilon}=|E-{epsilon}{sub 0}|<<{epsilon}{sub 0}--a resonance peak energy. At leading order in the combined expansion, a two-body scattering amplitude is the sum of a smooth background term of order Q{sup 0} and a Breit-Wigner term of order Q{sup 2}({delta}{epsilon}){sup -1} which becomes dominant for {delta}{epsilon} < or approx. Q{sup 3}. Such an EFT is applicable to systems in which short-distance dynamics generates a low-lying quasistationary state. The EFT is generalized to describe a narrow low-lying resonance in a system of charged particles. It is shown that in the case of Coulomb repulsion, a two-body scattering amplitude at leading order in a combined expansion is the sum of a Coulomb-modified background term and a Breit-Wigner amplitude with parameters renormalized by Coulomb interactions.
Credible Causal Inference for Empirical Legal Studies

We review advances toward credible causal inference that have wide application for empirical legal studies. Our chief point is simple: Research design trumps methods of analysis. We explain matching and regression discontinuity approaches in intuitive (nontechnical) terms. To illustrate, we apply these to existing data on the impact of prison facilities on inmate misconduct, which we compare to experimental evidence. What unifies modern approaches to causal inference is the prioritization of research design to create—without reference to any outcome data—subsets of comparable units. Within those subsets, outcome differences may then be plausibly attributed to exposure to the treatment rather than control condition. Traditional methods of analysis play a small role in this venture. Credible causal inference in law turns on substantive legal, not mathematical, knowledge.
Inequality in America: Challenges for Tax and Spending Policies

The goal of this article is to provide a guide to addressing tax and spending policies in an era of increasing inequality of income and wealth. This is challenging because it requires a good understanding of inequality and economic mobility, the changing role of taxes and government social spending, the constraints on policy options, and the possible misconceptions that may influence tax and spending policies.Inequality in the United States has increased dramatically over the last 30 years. Perhaps even more troubling than the rise in inequality may be the persistence of high levels of poverty and the decline in economic mobility. The same thirty-year period during which inequality has increased, poverty levels have not declined, and economic mobility has decreased has seen major changes in fiscal policy. Tax law changes have altered the relative tax rates, the relative revenue contributions from different tax instruments, and the tax burdens of different income groups. Government spending on social programs has increased substantially, but perhaps not in ways one might expect. The United States likely has a smaller percentage of government social spending going to the needy than other developed countries. In recent decades, an increasingly larger percentage of social spending has been directed to the elderly (without regard to need) and to the upper-half of the income distribution through tax subsidies for healthcare, education, housing, and retirement savings.The essential first step in shaping fiscal policy is to identify clearly the relative priorities among reducing inequality, reducing poverty, and increasing economic mobility. Tax and spending policies will differ depending on the weight given each of these objectives, and especially in a world of relatively limited resources, the government needs to make difficult choices. Perhaps the most significant implication of this reality is that it may be time to stop thinking about increasing the income tax burden on the wealthy as the only, or perhaps even the primary, way to increase funding for social spending programs. The United States may need less progressive (or even regressive) taxes to fund more progressive spending programs.
An fMRI investigation of cerebellar function during verbal working memory in methadone maintenance patients.

Working memory is impaired in opioid-dependent individuals, yet the neural underpinnings of working memory in this population are largely unknown. Previous studies in healthy adults have demonstrated that working memory is supported by a network of brain regions that includes a cerebro-cerebellar circuit. The cerebellum, in particular, may be important for inner speech mechanisms that assist verbal working memory. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain activity associated with working memory in five opioid-dependent, methadone-maintained patients and five matched, healthy controls. An item recognition task was administered in two conditions: (1) a low working memory load “match” condition in which participants determined whether target letters presented at the beginning of the trial matched a probe item, and (2) a high working memory load “manipulation” condition in which participants counted two alphabetical letters forward of each of the targets and determined whether either of these new items matched a probe item. Response times and accuracy scores were not significantly different between the groups. FMRI analyses indicated that, in association with higher working memory load (“manipulation” condition), the patient group exhibited hyperactivity in the superior and inferior cerebellum and amygdala relative to that of controls. At a more liberal statistical threshold, patients exhibited hypoactivity in the left prefrontal and medial frontal/pre-SMA regions. These results indicate that verbal working memory in opioid-dependent individuals involves a disrupted cerebro-cerebellar circuit and shed light on the neuroanatomical basis of working memory impairments in this population.
The Use of Chemicals in Forest Fire Suppression

Early in history man discovered that fire can be controlled in three ways: cooling it with the application of water depriving it of oxygen by covering it with a noncombustible such as dirt removing the fuel which feeds it.
Thiazide-Induced Hyperglycemia in a 6 Years Old Girl: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Various factors may affect glucose homeostasis in children resulting in rare clinical scenarios. Alterations in glucose regulation and hyperglycemia may result from pharmacologic interventions and the introduction of new medications. Although used most commonly to control fluid balance, an uncommon adverse effect of the thiazide diuretics is hyperglycemia. We present a 6-year-old girl with congenital heart disease who developed clinically significant hyperglycemia when a thiazide diuretic was added to her medication regimen. Previous reports of similar responses are reviewed, physiologic mechanisms are postulated, and treatment strategies are proposed. J Med Cases. 2016;7(2):49-51 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2403w
Modeling of the actomyosin ATPase activity. Origin of the initial phosphate burst and implications of the phosphate release kinetics.

In the rapid “quench” kientics of myosin, the “initial phosphate burst” is the excess inorganic phosphate that is produced during the early time-course of ATP hydrolysis by myosin subfragment-1 (S-1) or HMM. In general, the existence of a Pi burst implies a rapid (i.e., generally an order of magnitude faster than the steady-state hydrolysis rate) lysis of the phospho-anhydride bond within the ATP molecule, followed by one or more slower steps that are rate limiting for the process. Thus, the presence of a Pi burst can provide an important clue to the mechanism of the reaction. However, in the case of actomyosin, this clue as long been the subject of controversy and misunderstanding. To measure the (initial) Pi burst, myosin S-1 (or HMM) is rapidly mixed with ATP and then the mixture is acid quenched after a specific time period. The medium produced contains free Pi generated from hydrolysis of the ATP. The quantitative measure of the phosphate generated in this way has always been significantly greater than that expected by steady-state “release” of Pi alone, and it is that very difference between this measured Pi after the quench and that amount of Pi expected to be released by steady-state considerations in that same time period that has been referred to as the “initial Pi burst”. Recent investigations of the kinetics of Pi release have used an entirely new method that directly measures the release of Pi from the enzyme-product complex. These studies have made reference to the properties of the “initial Pi burst” in the presence of actin, as well as to a new kinetic entity: the “burst of Pi release”, and have been often vague concerning the true nature of the initial Pi burst, as well as the properties of Pi release as predicted by the current models of the actin activation of the myosin ATPase activity. The purpose of the current article is to correct this oversight, to discuss the “burst” in some detail, and to display the kinetics predicted by the current models for the actin activation of myosin. Furthermore, predictions for the kinetics of the new “burst of Pi release” are discussed in terms of its ability to discriminate between the two current competing models for actin activation of the myosin ATPase activity.
Structure of Fe–Nx–C Defects in Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysts from First-Principles Modeling

The structure of active sites in Fe-based nonprecious metal oxygen reduction reaction catalysts remains unknown, limiting the ability to follow a rational design paradigm for catalyst improvement. Previous studies indicate that N-coordinated Fe defects at graphene edges are the most stable such sites. Density functional theory is used for determination of stable potential oxygen reduction reaction active sites. Clusters of Fe–Nx defects are found to have N-coordination-dependent stability. Previously reported interedge structures are found to be significantly less stable than in-edge defect structures under relevant synthesis conditions. Clusters that include Fe–N3 defects are found to spontaneously cleave the O–O bond.
Prayer and the Registered Nurse (PRN): nurses' reports of ease and dis-ease with patient-initiated prayer request.

Aims To explore nurse comfort with patient-initiated prayer request scenarios. Background Spiritual care is fundamental to patient care evidenced by Joint Commission requirement of a spiritual assessment on a patient's hospital admission. Prayer is an assessment component. Patients may seek solace and support by requesting prayer from the bedside nurse, the nurse may lack confidence in responding. Absent in the literature are reports specific to nurses' comfort when patients initiate prayer requests. Design Cross-sectional mixed methods study. Methods Data were collected in early 2014 from 134 nurses in the USA via an online survey using QuestionPro. The qualitative results reported here were collated by scenario and analysed using thematic analysis. Results/findings The scenario responses revealed patterns of ease and dis-ease in response to patient requests for prayer. The pattern of ease of prayer with patients revealed three themes: open to voice of calm or silence; physical or spiritual; can I call the chaplain. For these nurses, prayer is a natural component of nursing care, as the majority of responses to all scenarios demonstrated an overwhelming ease in response and capacity to pray with patients on request. The pattern of dis-ease of prayer with patients distinguished two themes: cautious hesitancy and whose God. These nurses experienced dis-ease with the patient's request no matter the situation. Conclusion Educators and administrators must nurture opportunities for students and nurses to learn about and engage in the reflective preparation needed to respond to patient prayer requests.
Power control of superconducting magnetic energy storage system

A strategy of SPWM switching is discussed,which can be applied to effectively control the amplitude and phase of current at AC side of current source converter or voltage source converter,and a method of power control is studied,which can be applied to regulate the active power and reactive power according to the requirements of system for two kinds of superconducting magnetic energy storage system.Simulative results show that,with the studied method of power regulation,the rapid decoupled control of the input/output active power and reactive power of superconducting magnetic energy storage system can be realized in four quadrants,verifying the correctness and feasibility of the proposed strategy.
Smart urban signal networks: initial application of the SURTRAC adaptive traffic signal control system

In this paper, we describe a pilot implementation and field test of a recently developed approach to real-time adaptive traffic signal control. The pilot system, called SURTRAC (Scalable Urban Traffic Control), follows the perspective of recent work in multi-agent planning and implements a decentralized, schedule-driven approach to traffic signal control. Under this approach, each intersection independently (and asynchronously) computes a schedule that optimizes the flow of currently approaching traffic through that intersection, and uses this schedule to decide when to switch green phases. The traffic outflows projected by this schedule are then communicated to the intersection's downstream neighbors, to increase visibility of vehicles entering their respective planning horizons. This process is repeated as frequently as once per second in rolling horizon fashion, to provide real-time responsiveness to changing traffic conditions and coordinated signal network behavior. After summarizing this basic approach to adaptive traffic signal control and the domain challenges it is intended to address, we describe the pilot implementation of SURTRAC and its application to a nine-intersection road network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Both the SURTRAC architecture for interfacing with the detection equipment, hardware controller and communication network at a given intersection and the extensions required to account for unreliable sensor data are discussed. Finally, we present the results of a pilot test of the system, where SURTRAC is seen to achieve major reductions in travel times and vehicle emissions over pre-existing signal timings.
Tolerability of Repeated Application of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation with Limited Outputs to Healthy Subjects.

Abstract Background The safety and tolerability of limited output transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) in clinical populations support a non-significant risk designation. The tolerability of long-term use in a healthy population had remained untested. Objective We tested the tolerability and compliance of two tES waveforms, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and modulated high frequency transcranial pulsed current stimulation (MHF-tPCS) compared to sham-tDCS, applied to healthy subjects for three to five days (17–20 minutes per day) per week for up to six weeks in a communal setting. MHF-tPCS consisted of asymmetric high-frequency pulses (7–11 kHz) having a peak amplitude of 10–20 mA peak, adjusted by subject, resulting in an average current of 5–7 mA. Method A total of 100 treatment blind healthy subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: tDCS (n = 33), MHF-tPCS (n = 30), or sham-tDCS (n = 37). In order to test the role of waveform, electrode type and montage were fixed across tES and sham-tDCS arms: high-capacity self-adhering electrodes on the right lateral forehead and back of the neck. We conducted 1905 sessions (636 sham-tDCS, 623 tDCS, and 646 MHF-tPCS sessions) on study volunteers over a period of six weeks. Results Common adverse events were primarily restricted to influences upon the skin and included skin tingling, itching, and mild burning sensations. The incidence of these events in the active tES treatment arms (MHF-tPCS, tDCS) was equivalent or significantly lower than their incidence in the sham-tDCS treatment arm. Other adverse events had a rarity ( Conclusion We conclude that repeated application of limited output tES across extended periods, limited to the hardware, electrodes, and protocols tested here, is well tolerated in healthy subjects, as previously observed in clinical populations.
Testing Aspect-Oriented Programs With State Models

The new constructs in aspect-oriented programming can cause hazards to quality assurance. To detect aspect defects, this dissertation presents a state-based approach to systematic modeling and testing of aspects. We extend finite state machines with notations for specifying incremental modification aspects, integration aspects, and combination aspects. We have defined the transition-overriding rule, removal rule, overloading rule, and integration rule in terms of the impacts that aspects impose on the state transitions of base class objects. Using these rules, we can compose aspect models with their base class models through an explicit weaving mechanism. We adapt the round-trip path testing of object-oriented programs to the generation of test sequences from woven-state models. An incremental testing process is exploited to determine whether failures, if revealed, have to do with aspects. We have conducted a series of experiments based on three applications; two of them have multiple working versions that imply alternatives of aspect design and implementation. To further evaluate the fault-detection ability, we have created a significant number of mutants (or variation versions) by seeding one or more aspect variations (i.e., potential faults) and exploited multi-variation mutants to investigate the effect of interaction between aspect variations. The seeding of aspect variations is based on a comprehensive fault model, including eight types of aspect faults in three categories (incorrect pointcut, advice, and aspect precedence). Our experiments show that 92% of total mutants have been killed, and the experimental results indicate that our model-based testing approach is highly effective in the detection of the seeded aspect faults.
Success story of collaboration between Intel and Malaysian universities to establish and enhance teaching and research in Electronic Packaging

The Intel Malaysia Electronic Packaging Higher Education Program Team is proudly one of the teams to benchmark among the industry for their engagement with Malaysian universities. This team was formed with the objective of collaborating with Malaysian universities to accelerate the advancement of research and curriculum to meet rapid technology changes in the area of electronic packaging materials whilst developing a pipeline of technical expertise (Master and PhDs post graduates) relevant to industry requirements. The team comprising of employees from Materials, Assembly Test Technology Development (ATTD-M) and Corporate Affairs has 4 focus areas/sub-teams: University Research, University Curriculum, University Technical Lecture Program & Center of Research and Teaching (CORT). The University Research Team has engaged with 3 leading university faculties and has so far awarded ∼ RM 4.9 Million in research grants focusing on various areas including nanotechnology, novel solder material, material surface modification & new methodology in solder joint analysis. Research work in the recent years has produced over 40 international journals/conferences papers. Through the Technical Lecture Program, Intel delivered total of 150 technical lectures benefiting 8500 university students from 5 universities to promote the field of electronics packaging among university students, post graduates and academician. This program has encouraged university lecturers to initiate research in electronic packaging and also spurred interest in students to consider a career opportunity in Intel or the electronics industry in general. To take these university collaboration efforts to the next stage, Intel has selected Universiti Sains Malaysia's Material Engineering Faculty to be established and recognized as the region's center of research and training in electronic packaging. To kick-off these efforts, Intel has contributed RM 380,000 in grants to purchase equipment and capabilities to conduct very specific research in nano-materials and solder material whilst developing local research and academic talents in this area. Overall, these efforts have clearly helped the Malaysian universities to establish research in the electronic packaging area whilst collaborating to incorporate electronic packaging subjects into the current undergraduate and post graduate syllabus. These efforts in university collaborations have clearly paid-off and there will be continued focused as it is essential in supporting the continuous growth of electronic packaging industry in Malaysia.
Molecular Simulation and Experimental Characterization of Ionic-Liquid-Based Cosolvent Extraction Solvents

The use of ionic liquid (IL)/polar covalent molecule (PCM) cosolvent mixtures is a significant new pathway to extract and separate oils and other high-value components from algae and other bio-oil-bearing biomasses. In this work, light-scattering and steady-state fluorescence polarization techniques were utilized to characterize cosolvent behavior at the micro- and macroscales, and their measurements correlated to lipid extraction yields. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations were employed to probe the fundamental interactions between IL and PCMs in solution. Both experimental and computational (radial distribution functions and clustering analysis) data confirmed the increased aggregation between IL cations and anions with increasing methanol concentration. For the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulfate/methanol (MeOH) system, this ion aggregation appears to correlate with experimentally observed decreases in the maximum lipid extraction yields for MeOH concentrations above 80 vol %. At these c...
Integrating the UPRmt into the mitochondrial maintenance network

AbstractMitochondrial function is central to many different processes in the cell, from oxidative phosphorylation to the synthesis of iron–sulfur clusters. Therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction underlies a diverse array of diseases, from neurodegenerative diseases to cancer. Stress can be communicated to the cytosol and nucleus from the mitochondria through many different signals, and in response the cell can effect everything from transcriptional to post-transcriptional responses to protect the mitochondrial network. How these responses are coordinated have only recently begun to be understood. In this review, we explore how the cell maintains mitochondrial function, focusing on the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), a transcriptional response that can activate a wide array of programs to repair and restore mitochondrial function.
Bias temperature instability and its correlation to flicker (1/f) noise in FinFETs

Flicker noise is used as a diagnostic tool to analyze the degradation mechanism before and after BTI in thin and thick gate oxide FinFETs. Although nFETs show lower BTI than pFETs for thick gate oxides, comparable BTI degradation is noticed between thin gate oxide nFETs and pFETs. Analyses of noise spectra reveal that: the degradation of oxide occurs closer to metal gate rather than channel during BTI. The distance between the defect location and channel plays an important role in noise mechanism for nMOS. As the defects are closer to the channel and coulombic scattering is enhanced, the noise in nFETs is modified from carrier number fluctuation to mobility fluctuation model.
Late small bowel toxicity after aggressive abdominopelvic intensity modulated radiation therapy

Abstract Purpose We retrospectively analyzed late small bowel toxicity in patients who received abdominal or pelvic intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to the small bowel with a maximum dose greater than the generally accepted maximal tolerable dose of 45 Gy. Methods and materials All patients (N = 94) who received IMRT with a point dose of at least 45 Gy to tightly contoured small bowel between 2005 and 2014 at our institution were included. The median prescribed treatment dose was 70.2 Gy. The median follow-up was 20.1 months. Late small bowel toxicity was assessed using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 3.0. Dosimetric variables and clinical factors were assessed for their relationship to small bowel toxicity. Results The median maximal small bowel point dose (D max ) was 6546.5 cGy. The estimated 5-year rates of freedom from at least grade 1, at least grade 2, and at least grade 3 late small bowel toxicity were 72.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 60.7%-86.5%), 91.9% (95% CI, 84.1%-100%), and 93.6% (95% CI, 86.2%-100%), respectively. One patient (1.1%) developed grade 3 late toxicity, and 2 patients (2.1%) developed grade 4 late toxicity. Use of capecitabine/5-fluorouracil treatment was a significant predictor ( P 0.001) of at least grade 1 and at least grade 2 small bowel toxicity. No other clinical factors were associated with toxicity. None of the dose-volume parameters were significant predictors of small bowel toxicity. Conclusion It may be possible with IMRT to deliver high doses to small volumes of small bowel with low rates of significant long-term complications. Further studies should explore tolerable dose-volume relationships in cases in which aggressive abdominal or pelvic treatment may be warranted to treat the underlying malignancy.
Obesity—Findings from the Bogalusa Heart Study

Findings from the Bogalusa Heart Study have furthered the understanding of the natural history of obesity, as well as its short- and long-term consequences. Although the limitations of BMI (kg/m2) as an indicator of body fatness are widely recognized, this simple index appears to be able to identify metabolic risk as accurately as do methods that are more expensive and laborius.
Picking Friends Before Picking (Proxy) Fights: How Mutual Fund Voting Shapes Proxy Contests

This paper provides the first comprehensive study of mutual fund voting in proxy contests. Funds tend to vote against incumbent management at firms with weak operating and financial performance, and in favor of dissidents with credible track records. Passive funds are active monitors although they are more supportive of incumbent management than active funds. We document a positive selection effect: dissidents are more likely to initiate contests and proceed to voting when shareholders are expected to be more supportive based on observable and unobservable event characteristics as well as inherent pro-activist investor stance. Overall, institutional investors play a pivotal role in shaping the initiation and outcomes of proxy contests.
Characterising overload in inertial flywheel devices for use in exercise training.

AbstractThe purposes of this investigation were to: (1) assess kinetic characteristics of overload, (2) examine eccentric and concentric muscle activations and (3) explore velocity measurement as a...
Modeling functional behaviors of DDS

Distributed real-time systems such as internet of things (IoT) systems and smart grid systems have been dramatically pervasive during the last several years. Many technologies have emerged accordingly to support their development. One of prominent technologies is Data Distribution Service (DDS) which is a publish-subscribe middleware standard that aims at improving the scalability and communication aspects in distributed and large-scale applications. DDS has been gaining increasing attentions due to its support for scalability and various quality of service (QoS) policies which are important for reliable communication. The DDS standard provides static and dynamic models of DDS entities. However, the dynamic models absent some important behaviors that are often assumed well understood, but have distinct semantics for which without their definitions, the dynamic models are left incomplete. Consequently, their absence hinders the understanding of DDS behaviors and their implementation. In this work, we define absent functional behaviors in DDS dynamic models including defining new operations that are necessary to complete the intended behaviors. We use the Object Constraint Language (OCL) to define the semantics of new operations.
Putting prevention into practice. Screening of infants for hyperbilirubinemia to prevent chronic bilirubin encephalopathy.

Case study: K.J. is a full-term newborn male who was born 24 hours ago after an uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal delivery. His parents, who are Asian American, have been attending your practice for five years. K.J. does not appear jaundiced on examination.
Identifying and Implementing the Underlying Operators for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance based Metabolomics Data Analysis

The science of metabolomics is a relatively young field that requires intensive signal processing and multivariate data analysis for interpretation of experimental results. The lack of integration and standardization for metabolomics compounded by the complexity of the experimental data has lead to a fragmented research community. While efforts have been undertaken to approach these problems, the efforts to develop a set of standards for reporting processing and analysis procedures has stalled. In this paper, we propose a set of fundamental operators for nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) based metabolomics. These operators are implementation independent, and can be used to easily and precisely describe the processing and analysis steps that led to research conclusions. This formalization can facilitate inter-lab communication, and due to its simplicity, it is easily adapted by the metabolomics community. A Domain Specific Language (DSL) is also included to demonstrate an implementation of these operators. The DSL is simple, convenient for a domain scientist, and can be easily transformed into multiple target platforms.
Micro Computed Tomography as an Accessible Imaging Platform for Exploring Organism Development and Human Disease Modeling

Understanding how events at the molecular and cellular scales contribute to tissue form and function is key to uncovering mechanisms driving animal development, physiology and disease. Elucidating these mechanisms has been enhanced through the study of model organisms and the use of sophisticated genetic, biochemical and imaging tools. Here we present an optimized method for non-invasive imaging of Drosophila melanogaster at high resolution using micro computed tomography (μ-CT). Our method allows for rapid processing of intact animals at any developmental stage, provides precise quantitative assessment of tissue size and morphology, and permits analysis of inter-organ relationships. We then use the power of μ-CT imaging to model human diseases through the characterization of microcephaly in the fly. Our work demonstrates that μ-CT is a versatile and accessible tool that complements standard imaging techniques, capable of uncovering novel biological mechanisms that have remained undocumented due to limitations of current methods.
Ferutinin directs dental pulp-derived stem cells towards the osteogenic lineage by epigenetically regulating canonical Wnt signaling

Osteoporosis is a silent systemic disease that causes bone deterioration, and affects over 10 million people in the US alone. This study was undertaken to develop a potential stem cell therapy for osteoporosis. We have isolated and expanded human dental pulp-derived stem cells (DPSCs), characterized them, and confirmed their multipotential differentiation abilities. Stem cells often remain quiescent and require activation to differentiate and function. Herein, we show that ferutinin activates DPSCs by modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and key osteoblast-secreted proteins osteocalcin and collagen 1A1 both mRNA and protein levels. To confirm that ferutinin modulates the Wnt pathway, we inhibited glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) and found that protein expression patterns were similar to those found in ferutinin-treated DPSCs. To evaluate the role of ferutinin in epigenetic regulation of canonical Wnt signaling, the pathway molecules Wnt3a and Dvl3 were analyzed using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-quantitative PCR approaches. We confirmed that active marks of both H3K9 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylation were significantly enhanced in the promoter sites of the WNT3A and DVL3 genes in DPSCs after addition of ferutinin. These data provide evidence that ferutinin activates and promotes osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs, and could be used as an inducer as a potentially effective stem cell therapy for osteoporosis.
Triangular flow of negative pions emitted in PbAu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = $ 17.3~GeV

Differential triangular flow, $v_3(p_T)$, of negative pions is measured at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 17.3 GeV around midrapidity by the CERES/NA45 experiment at CERN in central PbAu collisions in the range 0-30\% with a mean centrality of 5.5\%. This is the first measurement as a function of transverse momentum of the triangular flow at SPS energies. The $p_T$ range extends from about 0.05 GeV/c to more than 2 GeV/c. The triangular flow magnitude, corrected for the HBT effects, is smaller by a factor of about 2 than the one measured by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC and the ALICE experiment at the LHC. Within the analyzed range of central collisions no significant centrality dependence is observed. The data are found to be well described by a viscous hydrodynamic calculation combined with an UrQMD cascade model for the late stages.
Human Rights to Culture, Family, and Self-Determination: The Case of Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl

The well-being of indigenous children is a subject of major concern for indigenous peoples and human rights advocates alike. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl that the Indian Child Welfare Act did not prevent the adoption of a Cherokee child by a non-Indian couple. This occurred over the objections of her Cherokee biological father, extended family, and Tribal Nation. After the decision, Baby Girl’s father and the adoptive couple contested the matter in a number of proceedings, none of which considered the child’s best interests as an Indian child. The tribally-appointed attorney for Baby Girl, as well as the National Indian Child Welfare Association and National Congress for American Indians, began examining additional venues for advocacy. Believing that the human rights of Baby Girl, much like those of other similarly situated indigenous children, were being violated in contravention of the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Rights, and other instruments of international law, they asked us to bring the matter to the attention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples Rights (“UNSR”). We prepared a “statement of information” to alert the UNSR of the human rights violations occurring in the case. With the permission of the attorneys and organizations involved, this chapter introduces the Baby Girl case, contextualizes the claims in international human rights law, and then reproduces the statement of information and portions of the UNSR’s subsequent public statement. It concludes with an update on the Baby Girl case and broader discussion about the potential for using international law and legal forums to protect the human rights of indigenous children.
Water Quality and Hydrologic Performance of Two Dry Detention Basins Receiving Highway Stormwater Runoff in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina

AbstractDry detention basins (DDBs) are a stormwater control measure (SCM) designed to provide flood storage, peak discharge abatement, and some water quality improvement through sedimentation; how...