cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Realistic mobility simulation of urban mesh networks

It is a truism that today's simulations of mobile wireless networks are not realistic. In realistic simulations of urban networks, the mobility of vehicles and pedestrians is greatly influenced by the environment (e.g., the location of buildings) as well as by interaction with other nodes. For example, on a congested street or sidewalk, nodes cannot travel at their desired speed. Furthermore, the location of streets, sidewalks, hallways, etc. restricts the position of nodes, and traffic lights impact the flow of nodes. And finally, people do not wander the simulated region at random, rather, their mobility depends on whether the person is at work, at lunch, etc. In this paper, realistic simulation of mobility for urban wireless networks is addressed. In contrast to most other mobility modeling efforts, most of the aspects of the presented mobility model and model parameters are derived from surveys from urban planning and traffic engineering research. The mobility model discussed here is part of the UDel Models, a suite of tools for realistic simulation of urban wireless networks. The UDel Models simulation tools are available online.
On tools for modeling high-performance embedded systems

Most of the new embedded systems require high performance pro- cessors at low power. To cater to these needs, most semiconductor companies are designing multi-core processors, also known as chip-multiprocessors, while some are developing multi-chip boards with existing multi-core processors. Developing applications on these powerful architectures require specialized tools to obtain the optimum performance. Most applications running on these processors not only require high processing power, but also have tight resource constraints. For both, chip-multiprocessors and multi-chip boards, one faces some common problems while developing applications for them. To meet this end, we have developed tools to model high-performance embedded applications on these complex high-end systems. We have integrated these tools in the modeling framework of MILAN, and have modeled a real application, Mpeg-2 Audio Video Decoder. For validation we have used Cradle Technologies MDSP multi-core chip as the target processor.
Evaluating the impact of job scheduling and power management on processor lifetime for chip multiprocessors

Temperature-induced reliability issues are among the major challenges for multicore architectures. Thermal hot spots and thermal cycles combine to degrade reliability. This research presents new reliability-aware job scheduling and power management approaches for chip multiprocessors. Accurate evaluation of these policies requires a novel simulation framework that can capture architecture-level effects over tens of seconds or longer, while also capturing thermal interactions among cores resulting from dynamic scheduling policies. Using this framework and a set of new thermal management policies, this work shows that techniques that offer similar performance, energy, and even peak temperature can differ significantly in their effects on the expected processor lifetime.
Pricing in vitro fertilization procedures.

SUMMARY This paper examines the economics of pricing practices at artificial reproductive clinics, which have introduced money-back guarantees (MBGs) for in vitro fertilization. We identify incentives for clinics to offer MBGs and evaluate the impact on couples’ choices and on social welfare. Introducing MBGs allows a clinic to (i) segment couples simultaneously on their relative fertility and on risk preferences; (ii) offer quantity discounts to relatively infertile couples; and (iii) offer some risk-sharing to couples for this costly procedure, whose outcome is uncertain. Our results also show how the addition of MBGs can affect the overall social welfare. Copyright r 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Review and Reexamination of Reliability Effects Related to NBTI-Induced Statistical Variations

It is now well established that the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) mechanism alters both the mean and variance of the distribution of the PFET under stress. This effect has reliability implications to balanced analog circuits (e.g., current mirrors, differential pairs, etc.), as well as to SRAM cell stability. This paper presents a brief review of the understanding and models to date of the statistics and impacts of the NBTI-induced variation. This is followed by a critical examination of the actual NBTI-induced distributions and the accuracy of the normal approximations that have been used to date.
The energization of relativistic electrons in the outer Van Allen radiation belt

The origin and dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts is one of the longest-standing questions of the space age, and one that is increasingly important for space applications as satellite systems become more sophisticated, smaller and more susceptible to radiation effects. The precise mechanism by which the Earth’s magnetosphere is able to accelerate electrons from thermal to ultrarelativistic energies (E≫0.5 MeV) has been particularly difficult to definitively resolve. The traditional explanation is that large-scale, fluctuating electric and magnetic fields energize particles through radial diffusion1. More recent theories2,3 and observations4,5 have suggested that gyro-resonant wave–particle interactions may be comparable to or more important than radial diffusion. Using data collected simultaneously by multiple satellites passing through the magnetosphere at different distances from the Earth, we demonstrate that the latter of these is the dominant mechanism responsible for relativistic electron acceleration. Specifically, we identify frequent and persistent peaks in equatorial electron phase space density near or inside geosynchronous orbit that provide unambiguous evidence for local wave–particle acceleration. These observations represent an important step towards a more complete physical understanding of radiation belt dynamics and to the development of space-weather models.
Matrix protein gene nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequence demonstrate that the first US avian pneumovirus isolate is distinct from European strains

Avian pneumovirus (APV) is the etiological agent of turkey rhinotracheitis (TRT). Outbreaks of TRT first occurred in the US during May, 1996 and continued through June, 1997. This is the first report of these virus types in the US that was previously considered exotic to the US and Canada. The US isolate, APV/CO, was replicated in chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) and poly-A RNA from APV/CO infected CEF cells was purified for cDNA synthesis. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify nucleotide sequences coding for the matrix (M) protein gene. Although the type A and B European APV M genes share 75% identity in their coding sequences, they have only 60% identity with the US APV/CO M protein gene. Predicted M proteins of European APV type A and B isolates share 89% identity in their amino acid sequence. However, the predicted M protein of APV/CO has only 78% identity with APV type A and 77% identity with APV type B protein sequences. Phylogenetically the US APV/CO isolate separates as a unique virus relative to European APV type A and B strains that cluster together. Sequence information for the APV/CO M protein gene and predicted amino acids of the M protein confirm the unique nature of this isolate compared to its European counterparts. This correlates with the inability to serologically detect the US APV/CO isolate using diagnostics based on European viruses.
Protocol Family for Optimal and Deterministic Symmetric Key Assignment

Secure pairwise communications for a group of N nodes can require a large number of keys, O(N 2) in the worst case. This work proposes a two-part algorithm for large-scale symmetric key pre-distribution: a key assignment algorithm deterministically assigning O(log2 N) keys to each node, and a key discovery algorithm requiring O(logq N) computations and inter-node messages to find the appropriate secure keys for a pair-wise communication. The lower bound of O(log N) complexity is achieved by novel applications of the Maximum-Distance Separable (MDS) codes. Compare to previous works, our scheme is deterministic, efficient, and has good security properties against collusion. Using (n,k)q Reed-Solomon codes as the MDS codes, we show by analysis that (1) in all practical cases, the lower bound of c log2 N keys per node can be reached within 2 levels of recursions with a multiplicative constant c less than 8; (2) channel resilience against r-collusion is roughly 1 -Rd min, with R = 1 (1 - 1/q)2r and d min = n - k + 1.
Magnesium Hydroxide Dehydroxylation/Carbonation Reaction Processes: Implications for Carbon Dioxide Mineral Sequestration

Gas-phase magnesium hydroxide carbonation processes were investigated at high CO2 pressures to better understand the reaction mechanisms involved. Carbon and hydrogen elemental analysis, secondary ion mass spectrometry, ion beam analysis, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to follow dehydroxylation/rehydroxylation/carbonation reaction processes. Dehydroxylation is found to generally precede carbonation as a distinct but interrelated process. Above the minimum CO2 pressure for brucite carbonation, both carbonation and dehydroxylation reactivity decrease with increasing CO2 pressure. Low-temperature dehydroxylation before carbonation can form porous intermediate materials with enhanced carbonation reactivity at reduced (e.g., ambient) temperature and pressure. Control of dehydroxylation/rehydroxylation reactions before and/or during carbonation can substantially enhance carbonation reactivity.
Optimization of an on-chip active cooling system based on thin-film thermoelectric coolers

In this paper, we explore the design and optimization of an on-chip active cooling system based on thin-film thermoelectric coolers (TEC). We start our investigation by establishing the compact thermal model for the chip package with integrated thin-film TEC devices. We observe that deploying an excessive number of TEC devices and/or providing the TEC devices with an improper supply current might adversely result in the overheating of the chip, rendering the cooling system ineffective. A large amount of supply current could even cause the thermal runaway of the system. Motivated by this observation, we formulate the deployment of the integrated TEC devices and their supply current setting as a system-level design problem. We propose a greedy algorithm to determine the deployment of TEC devices and a convex programming based scheme for setting the supply current levels. Leveraging the theory of inverse-positive matrix, we provide an optimality condition for the current setting algorithm. We have tested our algorithms on various benchmarks. We observe that our algorithms are able to determine the proper deployment and supply current level of the TEC devices which reduces the temperatures of the hot spots by as much as 7.5 °C compared to the cases without integrated TEC devices.
High-Voltage Diamond Vertical Schottky rectifiers

We have designed, simulated and experimentally demonstrated high-voltage vertical diamond Schottky rectifiers. The rectifiers were fabricated on free-standing homo-epi films with remarkably low p-type doping using a lift-off process. Theoretical calculations have been performed to determine the thickness and doping concentration of the drift region. Devices with 20mum epi layer have been shown to block 3.7kV and conduct 0.6 A/cm2 at 20V forward drop at 290degC. A very low hole mobility or doping concentration and a Schottky barrier height of 0.26eV have been estimated
The code orb: supporting contextualized coding via at-a-glance views (NIER track)

While code is typically presented as a flat file to a developer who must change it, this flat file exists within a context that can drastically influence how a developer approaches changing it. While the developer clearly must be careful changing any code, they probably should be yet more careful in changing code that recently saw major changes, is barely covered by test cases, and was the source of a number of bugs. Contextualized coding refers to the ability of the developer to effectively use such contextual information while they work on some changes. In this paper, we introduce the Code Orb, a contextualized coding tool that builds upon existing mining and analysis techniques to warn developers on a line-by-line basis of the volatility of the code they are working on. The key insight underneath the Code Orb is that it is neither desired nor possible to always present a code's context in its entirety; instead, it is necessary to provide an abstracted view of the context that informs the developer of which parts of the code they need to pay more attention to. This paper discusses the principles of and rationale behind contextualized coding, introduces the Code Orb, and illustrates its function with example code and context drawn from the Mylyn [11] project.
Delayed cord clamping in preterm infants.

During the 1960s and 1970s, there were multiple studies of the effects on the neonate of varying the time of umbilical cord clamping. Interest in this area of investigation lay dormant for ∼15 years, but in the past decade there has been renewed investigation of this topic, particularly in the preterm infant. In a recent article, Dr Saroj Saigal and I reviewed the history and implications of early and late umbilical cord clamping in both term and preterm infants,1 noting that definitions have varied widely over the years. More than a century ago, “early” was sometimes considered to be within 1 minute, whereas “late” may have been after 5 minutes. Currently, “early” is generally defined as “immediate,” which may take up to 15 seconds, and “late” as 45 to 60 seconds after delivery of the body, by which time the majority of available blood in the placenta will have been transferred to the infant in the form of a “placental transfusion.” In our article we suggested that lack of interest in the timing of umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants might have been a result of the introduction of surfactant as therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).1 A recent Cochrane review also evaluated the effects of different times of umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants.2 In an earlier era, the possibility that RDS (also … Address correspondence to Alistair G.S. Philip, MD, FRCPE, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 750 Welch Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94304. E-mail: aphilip{at}stanford.edu
Growth Kinetics of Quantum Size ZnO Particles

Colloidal chemistry techniques were used to synthesize ZnO particles in the nanometer size regime. The particle aging kinetics were determined by monitoring the optical band edge absorption and using the effective mass model to approximate the particle size as a function of time. We show that the growth kinetics of the ZnO particles follow the Lifshitz, Slyozov, Wagner theory for Ostwald ripening. In this model, the higher curvature and hence chemical potential of smaller particles provides a driving force for dissolution. The larger particles continue to grow by diffusion limited transport of species dissolved in solution. Thin films were fabricated by constant current electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of the ZnO quantum particles from these colloidal suspensions. All the films exhibited a blue shift relative to the characteristic green emission associated with bulk ZnO. The optical characteristics of the particles in the colloidal suspensions were found to translate to the films.
π-π interaction energies as determinants of the photodimerization of mono-, di-, and triazastilbenes.

We describe the quantitative [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of crystalline trans-2,4-dichloro-6-styrylpyrimidine to produce the corresponding htt r-ctt cyclobutane dimer, and we present 1H NMR analysis of the photolysis of this and six other mono-, di-, and triazastilbenes in solid and solution states. Density functional (M06-2X) and correlated ab initio (MP2) calculations were used to obtain interaction energies between two monomers of each azastilbene. These energies mirror the relative polarization of the stilbene moieties and can be quantitatively correlated with the rate of reaction and selective formation of the htt r-ctt dimers. In the solid state, poor correlation is observed between interaction energy and reactivity/selectivity. This lack of correlation is explained through X-ray analysis of the azastilbene monomers and is shown to be in accordance with the principles of Schmidt’s topochemical postulate. Conversely, in solution there is a strong positive correlation (R2 = 0.96) between interaction en...
A Self-Immolative Spacer That Enables Tunable Controlled Release of Phenols under Neutral Conditions

A current challenge in the area of responsive materials is the design of reagents and polymers that provide controlled release of phenols in environments that are less polar than water. In these contexts, a molecular strategy that enables release of nearly any phenol with predictable and tunable rates and without complication from background hydrolysis would substantially increase the precision with which materials can be designed to respond to a particular signal. This Article addresses this problem at the fundamental level by describing the design, synthesis, and physical-organic characterization of two small molecule self-immolative spacers that are capable of releasing phenols in organic and mixed organic–aqueous solutions. The rate of release from these small molecule model systems is predictable and tunable, such that nearly any type of phenol, regardless of pKa value, can be released in neutral solutions without complications from nonspecific background release due to hydrolysis. Furthermore, the r...
Image Analysis Applications in the Laboratory

In the laboratory, image analysis is used to obtain objective, quantitative information from a histologic specimen. Quantitative measurements complement qualitative assessments to provide diagnostic information about the patient. This article provides information for the reader to understand how computer-assisted image analysis works and explores some applications of image analysis in the laboratory. It will present steps for processing and measuring images by computerized image analysis systems. Some applications of image analysis also will be discussed.
A Gutenberg moment: the do-it-yourself world of online literary publishing

The Internet has changed the publishing industry irrevocably; this phenomenon has affected the print-centric sphere of literary publishing as well as those fields that have typically accepted change more readily. This poster presents findings from a study of the opinions and practices of editors and publishers of literary journals published online either in part or exclusively. In a survey and follow-up interviews, we asked respondents to describe the benefits and drawbacks of publishing literature using web-based platforms as well as their perceptions of the larger impact online publishing is having on literature. This study represents a unique attempt to explore the creative field of literature through the theoretical lens of information science.
Does RAID Improve Lifetime of SSD Arrays

Parity protection at the system level is typically employed to compose reliable storage systems. However, careful consideration is required when SSD-based systems employ parity protection. First, additional writes are required for parity updates. Second, parity consumes space on the device, which results in write amplification from less efficient garbage collection at higher space utilization. This article analyzes the effectiveness of SSD-based RAID and discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks in terms of reliability. A Markov model is presented to estimate the lifetime of SSD-based RAID systems in different environments. In a small array, our results show that parity protection provides benefit only with considerably low space utilizations and low data access rates. However, in a large system, RAID improves data lifetime even when we take write amplification into account.
The Expression of MMP -3 and TIMP -2 in the Kidney of Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction( UUO) Model Rats

Objective: To investigate the distribution,expression and variation of MMP -3 and TIMP - 2 in renal tissue of young rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction. Methods: 72 Wistar female young rats were used to establish the UUO model,and then they were divided randomly into control group and UUO group. At different time points of treated for 1、2、3、4 weeks,we measured proteinuria in 24 hours of rats,blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine,detected the protein distribution and expression of MMP - 3、 TIMP - 2 in remnant renal tissues by the way of immunohistochemical technique. Results: The expression of MMP - 3 was at a low lev- el in sham group rats. In UUO rats the expression of MMP - 3 was significantly increased at 1th week,mainly in tubular epithelial cells and interstitial cells,attenuated at 2th week and reached its peak at 4th week. TIMP - 2 was only slightly expressed in the tubular ep- ithelial cells in sham group rats. TIMP - 2 expression was increased notably in tubular epithelial cells and interstitial cell and in- creased gradually with the progression of disease ( P 0. 05) in UUO rats and was decreased significantly following treated with Mono- pril and Diovan( P 0. 05) . Conclusion: The misbalance expressions of MMP - 3 and TIMP - 2 may contribute to renal tubulointer- stitial fibrosis.
Testing on the Adaptability of Maize Growth Model MCSODS to Climate Change

Taking Wenxian country of Henan province for example,the parameters of MCSODS were modified using local years maize cultivated data,then the adaptability of MCSODS for climate change was tested through maize cultivated data of different model years,normal autumn,cool autumn and warm autumn.The results indicated that for growth and development period,in normal autumn the simulation fitness was the best,RMSE=2.06,as in the warm autumn and cool autumn,RMSE were 2.32 and 3.45,respectively.The simulation error for yield under different model years RMSE=494.8 kg/ha,which indicated the better consistence.The test was done for LAI and aboveground biomass employing the measured maize data in 2006 and 2007.The results showed that RMSE for LAI of Zhengdan958 and Xundan20 were 0.441 0 and 0.402 2,respectively,for aboveground biomass was 1 683.0 kg/ha and 898.5 kg/ha,respectively,which was excellent.MCSODS could simulate maize growth and development and yield under different types of climate in Henan.
Investigation of infectious disease outbreak and management in kindergartens in Futian District of Shenzhen City

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of outbreaks of infectious diseases and related factors in public and private kindergartens so as to provide scientific evidence for prevention and control of infectious disease.Methods The reported outbreak data of infectious diseases of kindergartens in Futian District of Shenzhen City during 2005~2013 was statistically analyzed with descriptive epidemiological methods.Results There were 88 outbreaks of infectious diseases and 37 events occurred in public kindergarten of Futian District in Shenzhen from 2005 to 2013 with the attack rate of8.05%,another 51 outbreaks in private kindergarten with the attack rate of 10.05%,showing statistically significant difference(χ~2=8.44,P0.05).The majority of outbreaks were mainly category C infectious disease.The private kindergartens outbreak duration was longer than public kindergartens(t=-3.09,P0.05).The management of infectious disease in private kindergarten was also inferior to public kindergarten;especially in the health personnel allocation and the disinfection in the outbreak classes.Conclusion The management and prevention of infectious disease in private kindergarten were poorer than public kindergarten,investment and effective management measures be strengthened in private kindergarten.
Exploring tilt for no-touch, wrist-only interactions on smartwatches

Because smartwatches are worn on the wrist, they do not require users to hold the device, leaving at least one hand free to engage in other activities. Unfortunately, this benefit is thwarted by the typical interaction model of smartwatches; for interactions beyond glancing at information or using speech, users must utilize their other hand to manipulate a touchscreen and/or hardware buttons. In order to enable no-touch, wrist-only smartwatch interactions so that users can, for example, hold a cup of coffee while controlling their device, we explore two tilt-based interaction techniques for menu selection and navigation: AnglePoint, which directly maps the position of a virtual pointer to the tilt angle of the smartwatch, and ObjectPoint, which objectifies the underlying virtual pointer as an object imbued with a physics model. In a user study, we found that participants were able to perform menu selection and continuous selection of menu items as well as navigation through a menu hierarchy more quickly and accurately with ObjectPoint, even though previous research on tilt for other mobile devices suggested that AnglePoint would be more effective. We provide an explanation of our results and discuss the implications for more "hands-free" smartwatch interactions.
Loss of intratumoral macroscopic fat in renal angiomyolipoma following chemoradiation therapy for pancreatic cancer

Angiomyolipoma (AML) is the most common benign mesenchymal tumour of the kidney. Classically, AML can readily be diagnosed by identifying the negatively attenuating intratumoral macroscopic fat component on non-enhanced CT scans. However, intratumoral macroscopic fat may not be visible on CT scans, mimicking renal cell carcinoma. We report a case of renal AML with CT scan evidence of macroscopic intratumoral fat that was not readily visible on subsequent CT or MRI, presumably owing to a generalized rapid loss of adipose tissue due to cachexia in a patient with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Radiologists should be aware that AML may lose its intratumoral fat on follow-up imaging and may simulate renal cell carcinoma.
Imaging Pulmonary Inflammation

Lung inflammatory diseases contribute significantly to the socioeconomic burden of disease. Yet very few new, effective therapies for respiratory disease have been approved for use. A major contributing factor is the lack of biomarkers that can accurately quantify the lung inflammatory burden and can be used to understand the contribution of lung inflammation to loss in lung function. Molecular imaging approaches can detect and quantify the recruitment and activation of specific immune cells in lung inflammation. We review the clinical techniques used to image lung inflammation, provide an overview of clinical and emerging PET techniques for quantifying lung inflammation, and discuss potential clinical applications.
Victimization of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Across the Lifespan

Abstract Compared to those without disabilities, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at increased risk of experiencing victimization across the lifespan. In this chapter, we discuss the progression of victimization from child abuse in early childhood, to bullying during the school-age years, and finally to criminal victimization in adulthood. We begin with a discussion of the notion that victimization is a lifelong concern for individuals with IDD. We then describe the methodological difficulties in establishing reliable definitions and prevalence rates for specific forms of victimization. After noting these limitations, we discuss three types of victimization in greater detail. In terms of child abuse, we discuss the prevalence of abuse among children with disabilities, while also discussing risk factors and potential prevention and intervention strategies. Next, we discuss the experiences of bullying of adolescents with IDD, while providing information on why these students are at increased risk and which prevention and intervention strategies might be implemented to reduce bullying of students with IDD. Finally, we discuss criminal forms of victimization experienced by adults with IDD, while noting specific risk factors that increase risk and the importance of prevention and intervention strategies. We end this chapter with a call for additional longitudinal victimization investigations to better understand the lifespan perspective of victimization and the relation between risk factors and experiences; an emphasis on the relation between disability etiology and experiences of victimization; and a focus on resilience and well-being of individuals with IDD who experience victimization.
Review: Clearings in a Concrete Jungle

Clearings in a Concrete Jungle . Television documentary by the Street Farmers (Peter Crump, Bruce Haggart, and Grahame Caine), first aired 18 June 1973 on BBC 2 (BFI archives, British Film Institute, London) Most revolutions start from the streets. The one, however, called for by the British anarchist, activist architectural group Street Farmers in their 1973 documentary Clearings in a Concrete Jungle , did not begin in the streets nor in public demonstration, but from the inner city: the interior of the urban fabric.1 To battle what the documentary diagnosed as the “highly structured detritus of metropolitan imagination,” the social and political revolution should start from the house and the way of inhabiting the land. The TV program envisioned a change of the city as a whole, achieved through tactical changes in small pieces—islands of habitation taken “off the grid” of energy supply. The main theme of the documentary was one of the earliest ecological houses, the Eco-House, or Street Farmhouse, built in 1972 as a laboratory and living experiment by Grahame Caine, a member of the Street Farmers, which was originally formed by Peter Crump and Bruce Haggart. The Eco-House was a fully functional, integrated system that converted human waste to methane for cooking, as well as included a hydroponic greenhouse that produced radishes, tomatoes, and even bananas. Caine, then a twenty-six-year-old fourth-year student at the Architectural Association of London, designed and built the house on land borrowed from Thames Polytechnic in Eltham, South London, as part of his diploma thesis at the AA. He received a provisional two-year permit from the borough of Woolwich district surveyor with the promise to build an “inhabitable housing laboratory” that would grow vegetables out of household effluents and fertilize the land with reprocessed organic waste. With the help of the Street Farmers, Caine was able to start construction in September 1972, during his fifth year, and to inhabit the house by Christmas. After having lived in the house for two years with his family, …
Comparison of oxygen transfer parameters and oxygen demands in bioreactors operated at low and high dissolved oxygen levels.

ABSTRACTThe proper design of aeration systems for bioreactors is critical since it can represent up to 50% of the operational and capital cost at water reclamation facilities. Transferring the actual amount of oxygen needed to meet the oxygen demand of the wastewater requires α- and β-factors, which are used for calculating the actual oxygen transfer rate (AOTR) under process conditions based on the standard oxygen transfer rate (SOTR). The SOTR is measured in tap water at 20°C, 1 atmospheric pressure, and 0 mg L−1 of dissolved oxygen (DO). In this investigation, two 11.4-L bench-scale completely mixed activated process (CMAS) reactors were operated at various solid retention times (SRTs) to ascertain the relationship between the α-factor and SRT, and between the β-factor and SRT. The second goal was to determine if actual oxygen uptake rates (AOURs) are equal to calculated oxygen uptake rates (COURs) based on mass balances. Each reactor was supplied with 0.84 L m−1 of air resulting in SOTRs of 14.3 and 1...
Forest biodiversity of Georgia and endangered plant species

Abstract Biodiversity is the contraction of the phrase “biological diversity” and refers to the variability of life within a species, an ecosystem, a region and across the planet. Georgia is distinguished by its biodiversity, about 400 trees and bushes of various species grow in forests of different climatic zones, from humid-subtropical to temperate, sub-alpine and alpine zones. Local temperature and edaphic factors of each zone, such as soil moisture and depth, are all of importance in determining the composition of vegetation and ecological biodiversity that leads to the establishment of different sub-communities. These and other questions concerning biodiversity of forests of Georgia and the threat of extinction of some species are discussed in the article.
Urgent Need for Improved Mental Health Care and a More Collaborative Model of Care

Current treatments and the dominant model of mental health care do not adequately address the complex challenges of mental illness, which accounts for roughly one-third of adult disability globally. These circumstances call for radical change in the paradigm and practices of mental health care, including improving standards of clinician training, developing new research methods, and re-envisioning current models of mental health care delivery. Because of its dominant position in the US health care marketplace and its commitment to research and innovation, Kaiser Permanente (KP) is strategically positioned to make important contributions that will shape the future of mental health care nationally and globally.This article reviews challenges facing mental health care and proposes an agenda for developing a collaborative care model in primary care settings that incorporates conventional biomedical therapies and complementary and alternative medicine approaches. By moving beyond treatment delivery via telephone and secure video and providing earlier interventions through primary care clinics, KP is shifting the paradigm of mental health care to a collaborative care model focusing on prevention. Recommendations are to expand current practices to include integrative treatment strategies incorporating evidence-based biomedical and complementary and alternative medicine modalities that can be provided to patients using a collaborative care model. Recommendations also are made for an internal research program aimed at investigating the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of promising complementary and alternative medicine and integrative treatments addressing the complex needs of patients with severe psychiatric disorders, many of whom respond poorly to treatments available in KP mental health clinics.
Organic–inorganic hybrid electrolytes from ionic liquid-functionalized octasilsesquioxane for lithium metal batteries

The use of highly conductive solid-state electrolytes to replace conventional liquid organic electrolytes enables radical improvements in the reliability, safety and performance of lithium batteries. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a new class of nonflammable solid electrolytes based on the grafting of ionic liquids onto octa-silsesquioxane. The electrolyte exhibits outstanding room-temperature ionic conductivity (∼4.8 × 10−4 S cm−1), excellent electrochemical stability (up to 5 V relative to Li+/Li) and high thermal stability. All-solid-state Li metal batteries using the prepared electrolyte membrane are successfully cycled with high coulombic efficiencies at ambient temperature. The good cycling stability of the electrolyte against lithium has been demonstrated. This work provides a new platform for the development of solid polymer electrolytes for application in room-temperature lithium batteries.
Bariatric surgery and pregnancy

Sixty percent of reproductive aged women are overweight or obese. Overweight is defined as having a BMI of more than 25, obesity is defined as a BMI of greater than 30, and class 3 obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 40. Pregnant women who have undergone bariatric surgery should be monitored for nutritional deficiencies [1].
Assessment and Strengthening of Buncer Lane Bridge, Blackburn, United Kingdom

One of the most important responsibilities of a civil engineer is to maintain the existing infrastructure in a good and serviceable condition. Sometimes the cost of rehabilitation and repair of inf...
Ways forward for resilience research in agroecosystems

Abstract Agroecosystems are on both the receiving and contributing ends of increasingly demanding climatic and environmental conditions. Maintaining productive systems under resource scarcity and multiplicative stresses requires precise monitoring and systems-scale planning. By incorporating ecological resilience into agroecosystems research we can gain valuable insight into agroecosystem identity, change, responsivity, and performance under stress, but only if we move away from resilience as a mere touchstone concept. Using the productivity, stability, resistance, and recovery of system processes as a basic framework for resilience monitoring, we propose quantitative research approaches to tackle the continuing lack of biophysical, field-scale indicators needed to lend insight into dynamic resilience variables and mechanisms. We emphasize the importance of considering productive functions, sources of system regulation and disturbance, and cross-scale interactions when applying resilience theory to agroecosystems. Agroecosystem resilience research requires understanding of multiple scales and speeds of influence both above and below the focal scale. When these considerations are addressed, resilience theory can add tangible value to agroecosystems research, both for the purposes of monitoring current systems and of planning future systems that can reconcile productivity and sustainability goals.
Papiloma Invertido Nasossinusal com Malignização: A Propósito de um Caso Clínico: Sinonasal Inverted Papilloma with Malignancy: A Case Report

Inverted papilloma is a benign neoplasm of the sinonasal epithelium characterized by its capacity of local invasion, high recurrence rates and malignancy risk. We present the case of a 37-year-old male patient, with history of previous nasal sur-geries, presenting with symptoms of nasal obstruction and foreign body sensation of prolonged evolution. It was performed endoscopic nasal surgery and the histopathological analysis revealed an inverted papilloma pattern with carcinoma in situ. We discuss the differential diagnosis of this pathology, as well as its malignancy relation and treatment.
Bone marrow transplants may cure patients with acute leukemia never achieving remission with chemotherapy

About 30% of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 20% to 40% of children and adults with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) never achieve remission, even with intensive chemotherapy. Most die of resistant leukemia, often within 6 months or less. In this study of 126 patients with resistant ALL or AML, allogeneic bone marrow transplants from HLA-identical siblings produced remissions in 113 of 115 (98%) evaluable patients. The 3-year probability of leukemia-free survival was 21% (95% confidence interval, 15% to 29%). Leukemia-free survival was similar in ALL (23%, 12% to 40%) and AML (21%, 14% to 31%). Only 3 of 27 patients at risk relapsed more than 2 years posttransplant.
2 – Regulation of Nerve Fiber Elongation during Embryogenesis

Publisher Summary Specificity in neural function is largely determined by the organization of neuronal connections. This chapter discusses in vitro examination of the way nerve fiber elongation is controlled during morphogenesis of these pathways. It describes a model for nerve fiber elongation that emphasizes the motile nerve tip. The in vitro evidence for regulation of nerve fiber elongation by four factors—adhesive contacts with the substratum, interactions among nerve fibers, chemotactic responses, and electrical currents in the environment—are discussed in relation to the activity of the nerve fiber tip. The most striking feature of neurite elongation is motility of the neurite tip, called the growth cone because of its shape and presumed function. There is a continuous advance and retreat of the growth cone margin. The cell margin is protruded as filopodia and lamellipodia, which extend, wave, and contact other surfaces to explore their environment. Most protrusions are short-lived and eventually regress into the growth cone; however, those that adhere to other surfaces persist and can play a significant role in neurite elongation.
Unveiling anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of docosahexaenoic acid and its lipid peroxidation product on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells.

Phospholipids in the central nervous system are enriched in n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). These PUFA can undergo enzymatic reactions to produce lipid mediators, as well as reaction with oxygen free radicals to produce 4-hydroxyhexenal (4-HHE) from DHA and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) from ARA. Recent studies demonstrated pleiotropic properties of these peroxidation products through interaction with oxidative and anti-oxidant response pathways. In this study, BV-2 microglial cells were used to investigate ability for DHA, 4-HHE, and 4-HNE to stimulate the anti-oxidant stress responses involving the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway and synthesis of heme oxygenase (HO-1), as well as to mitigate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). In addition, LC-MS/MS analysis was carried out to examine effects of exogenous DHA and LPS stimulation on endogenous 4-HHE and 4-HNE levels in BV-2 microglial cells. Effects of DHA, 4-HHE, and 4-HNE on LPS-induced NO production was determined using the Griess reagent. LPS-induced ROS production was measured using CM-H2DCFDA. Western blots were used to analyze expression of p-cPLA2, Nrf2, and HO-1. Cell viability and cytotoxicity were measured using the WST-1 assay, and cell protein concentrations were measured using the BCA protein assay kit. An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was used to determine levels of free 4-HHE and 4-HNE in cells. DHA (12.5–100 μM), 4-HHE (1.25–10 μM), and 4-HNE (1.25–10 μM) dose dependently suppressed LPS-induced production of NO, ROS, and as p-cPLA2 in BV-2 microglial cells. With the same concentrations, these compounds could enhance Nrf2 and HO-1 expression in these cells. Based on the estimated IC50 values, 4-HHE and 4-HNE were five- to tenfold more potent than DHA in inhibiting LPS-induced NO, ROS, and p-cPLA2. LC-MS/MS analysis indicated ability for DHA (10–50 μM) to increase levels of 4-HHE and attenuate levels of 4-HNE in BV-2 microglial cells. Stimulation of cells with LPS caused an increase in 4-HNE which could be abrogated by cPLA2 inhibitor. In contrast, bromoenol lactone (BEL), a specific inhibitor for the Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2), could only partially suppress levels of 4-HHE induced by DHA or DHA + LPS. This study demonstrated the ability of DHA and its lipid peroxidation products, namely, 4-HHE and 4-HNE at 1.25–10 μM, to enhance Nrf2/HO-1 and mitigate LPS-induced NO, ROS, and p-cPLA2 in BV-2 microglial cells. In addition, LC-MS/MS analysis of the levels of 4-HHE and 4-HNE in microglial cells demonstrates that increases in production of 4-HHE from DHA and 4-HNE from LPS are mediated by different mechanisms.
Synthesis and characterization of polybenzimidazole membranes for gas separation with improved gas permeability: A grafting and blending approach

Abstract Polybenzimidazoles (PBIs) are promising materials for gas separation membranes at elevated temperatures due to their excellent chemical and thermal stability and high Tgs. Their properties make them useful for gas separation of H2 and CO2 from pre-combustion syngas, which requires operating temperatures of 150–300 °C. PBIs have inherently low gas permeabilities, and thus the focus of this work was to improve permeability without sacrificing selectivity or mechanical properties of the membranes. Low molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) were incorporated as thermally labile grafts and blends. It was believed that removing these low molecular weight sacrificial components via a controlled heat treatment would allow formation of “nanovoids” in the membrane that could increase the permeabilities. Gas transport for blends of PBI with 7 and 11 wt% of PPC and a PBI-g-PEO copolymer with 13 wt% of PEO were measured before and after heat treatment. Unlike other methods of increasing membrane permeability which results in a selectivity trade-off, heat treatment of these PBI blends and graft copolymers resulted in increases in both H2 permeability and H2/CO2 selectivity. The PBI-PPC blend containing 7 wt% of PPC, after heating at 350 °C, maintained most of the toughness of the PBI homopolymer.
Modélisation numérique des ondes atmosphériques issues des couplages solide/océan/atmosphère et applications

Cette these se penche sur la propagation d’ondes au sein du systeme coupleTerre-ocean-atmosphere. La comprehension de ces phenomenes a une importance majeure pour l’etude de perturbations sismiques et d’explosions atmospheriques notamment dans le cadre de missions spatiales planetaires. Les formes d’ondes issues du couplage fluide-solide permettent d’obtenir de precieuses informations sur la source du signal ou les proprietes des milieux de propagation. On developpe donc deux outils numeriques d’ordre eleve pour la propagation d’ondes acoustiques et de gravite. L'u en differences finies et se concentre sur le milieu atmospherique et la propagation d’ondes lineaires dans un milieu stratifie visqueux et avec du vent. Cette methode lineaire est validee par des solutions quasi-analytiques reposant sur les equations de dispersion dans une atmosphere stratifiee. Elle est aussi appliquee a deux cas d’etudes : la propagation d’ondes liee a l’impact d’une meteorite a la surface de Mars (mission NASA INSIGHT), et la propagation d’ondes atmospheriques liees au tsunami de Sumatra en 2004. La seconde methode resout la propagation non-lineaire d’ondes gravito-acoustiques dans une atmosphere couplee, avec topographie, a la propagation d’ondes elastiques dans un solide visco-elastique. Cette methode repose sur sur le couplage d’une formulation en elements finis discontinus, pour resoudre les equations de Navier-Stokes la partie fluide, par elements finis continus pour resoudre les equations de l’elastodynamique dans la partie solide. Elle a ete validee grâce a des solutions analytiques ainsi que par des comparaisons avec les resultats de la methode par differences finies.
Motion Sensor Aided Beam Tracking in Mobile Devices of Millimeter-Wave Communications

Millimeter wave (MMwave) in wireless communications has tremendous frequency bandwidth compared with traditional cellular and WLAN bands. As a promising technique of MMwave, multiple- input-multiple-output (MIMO) techniques, especially beamforming, could greatly improve the system capacity and compensate for the additional path loss in MMwave. However, a perfect beam alignment between the transmitter and receiver needs fine tuning and is vulnerable to different factors such as mobile device movement. In this paper, the widely available motion sensors in mobile devices are employed to mitigate the angle misalignment between the MMwave transmitter and receiver. A new beam alignment mechanism is proposed to reduce the system overhead, given the device attitude information. Experiment and simulation show that the proposed beam tracking mechanism could dramatically reduce the overhead with a minimum computational cost.