cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical scheduling for multiple classes of applications in connection-oriented integrated-service networks

Multiple classes of conventional and multimedia applications are expected to be supported by the emerging connection-oriented integrated-service networks, where best-effort flows and quality of service (QoS) flows co-exist. We propose a novel two-level hierarchical scheduling algorithm, which provides an integrated, simple scheme to distribute the link bandwidth among a dynamic set of flows in the network, such that: every QoS flow always receives a bandwidth which guarantees the required quality of service; and after the requirements of the QoS flows are satisfied, the rest of the network bandwidth is fairly shared among all best-effort and soft-QoS flows. We extend our hierarchical scheduling algorithm to support both bursty and non-bursty flows. We also discuss the techniques which make the throughput of a QoS flow to be constantly lower bounded and/or upper bounded.
The existence of measures of a given cocycle, I: atomless, ergodic σ -finite measures

Given a Polish space X , a countable Borel equivalence relation E on X , and a Borel cocycle , we characterize the circumstances under which there is a suitably non-trivial σ -finite measure μ on X such that, for every Borel injection ϕ whose graph is contained in E , ρ (ϕ −1 ( x ), x )=[ d (ϕ * μ )/ dμ ]( x ) μ -almost everywhere.
Consumer Health Plan Choice: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

A keystone of the competitive strategy in health insurance markets is the assumption that "consumers" can make informed choices based on the costs and quality of competing health plans, and that selection effects are not large. However, little is known about how individuals use information other than price in the decision making process. This review summarizes the state of knowledge about how individuals make choices among health plans and outlines an agenda for future research. We find that the existing literature on health plan choice is no longer sufficient given the widespread growth and acceptance of managed care, and the increased proportion of consumers' income now going toward the purchase of health plans. Instead, today's environment of health plan choice requires better understanding of how plan attributes other than price influence plan choice, how other variables such as health status interact with plan attributes in the decision making process, and how specific populations differ from one another in terms of the sensitivity of their health plan choices to these different types of variables.
A comprehensive analytical model for metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices

A comprehensive model for metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices under dark conditions which consists of a wide range of parameters has been developed. Parameters neglected by other authors have been included. The effects of surface states, silicon dioxide thickness, substrate doping, fixed oxide charges, substrate thickness, and metal work function are taken into account. The permittivity and barrier height of thin oxide are included in the calculation. The limits on equilibrium and nonequilibrium are explored. >
Closure of Persistent Cyclodialysis Cleft Using the Haptics of the Intraocular Lens

Purpose To evaluate a technique for ab-interno repair of cyclodialysis cleft in conjunction with placement of an intraocular lens (IOL). Design Interventional case reports. Methods setting: Clinical practice. patients: Two eyes of two patients, one phakic and one aphakic, present with hypotony secondary to traumatic cyclodialysis cleft. intervention: A single piece all-polymethyl methacrylate intraocular lens (PMMA IOL) 13.5 mm in diameter was placed in the ciliary sulcus with the haptics placed in the area of cyclodialysis cleft during cataract surgery and secondary placement of IOL. main outcome measures: Intraocular pressure (IOP). Results Hypotony resolved in both patients on the first postoperative day and the IOP was maintained above 10 mm Hg for more then 36 months postoperatively. Conclusions In the setting of hypotony from a traumatic cyclodialysis cleft, the haptics of an IOL can be used as an internal cerclage during cataract or secondary IOL surgery to effectively close the cleft by direct apposition of the ciliary body to the overlying sclera.
Potential oversummering and overwintering regions for the wheat stripe rust pathogen in the contiguous United States

Epidemics of wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), are more frequent in the regions where Pst can oversummer and overwinter. Regions for potential oversummering and overwintering of Pst were determined in the contiguous United States using a survival index (SI) ranging from 0 (most unfavorable) to 10 (most favorable) developed based on long-term weather data. The pathogen can survive in cool summer in the most regions north of latitude 40°N, particularly Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and California. Due to limiting high temperatures, it survives marginally during summer in Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Texas. Similarly, unfavorable hot summer restricts summer survival of the pathogen in the most regions south of 40°N except for highlands in the Rocky or Appalachian Mountains. Warm winters favor fungal survival in most regions south of 40°N and the Pacific Coast, including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. Severe winters do not allow survival in most regions north of 40°N and east of the Rocky Mountains, whereas less severe winter in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia permits marginal survival of Pst. Most wheat-growing regions have climatic suitability for either oversummering or overwintering. Both oversummering and overwintering can occur in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon and Washington), Arizona, California, North Carolina, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. These regions may provide primary inoculum for stripe rust epidemics in their own and surrounding regions.
Population genetics models of common diseases

The number and frequency of susceptibility alleles for common diseases are important factors to consider in the efficient design of disease association studies. These quantities are the results of the joint effects of mutation, genetic drift and selection. Hence, population genetics models, informed by empirical knowledge about patterns of disease variation, can be used to make predictions about the allelic architecture of common disease susceptibility and to gain an overall understanding about the evolutionary origins of such diseases. Equilibrium models and empirical studies suggest a role for both rare and common variants. In addition, increasing evidence points to changes in selective pressures on susceptibility genes for common diseases; these findings are likely to form the basis for further modeling studies.
The Effect of Rainfall on the Surface Layer during a Westerly Wind Burst in the Western Equatorial Pacific

Abstract Measurements of a fresh surface anomaly (fresh lens) produced by rainfall during a westerly wind burst have been analyzed. The measurements were made in December 1992 as part of the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment in the western equatorial Pacific (2°S, 156°E). Measurements included radar estimates of rainfall, upper-ocean temperature (T), salinity (S), horizontal velocity, and microstructure. In situ observations of the fresh lens were made 5 to 7 hours after its formation. In the 5 hours after formation, the lens deepened to a depth of 40 m as indicated by its salinity anomaly. Salinity and temperature were highly correlated within the lens, consistent with its initial formation by cold rainfall. The T–S relation exhibited curvature, which can be explained by surface cooling and upper-ocean mixing subsequent to formation of the lens. The lens exhibited a horizontal velocity anomaly in the direction of wind, which extended down to a depth of 40 m. The horizontal velocity anomaly is ...
CHANGING PROTEIN PATTERNS DURING COTTON COTYLEDON EMBRYOGENESIS AND GERMINATION AS SHOWN BY IN VIVO AND IN VITRO SYNTHESIS

The rise and fall of different populations of mRNA during the embryogenesis of cotton cotyledons have been followed by cataloging (a) the extant protein population, (b) the in vivo synthesis of proteins and (c) the in vitro synthesis of proteins from extracted mRNA, all at intervals during embryogenesis. Evidence is presented for the existence of three mRNA subsets, all under different regulatory regimes, one of which may be induced by the regulator abscisic acid (ABA).
Monitoring Space Shuttle Air for Selected Contaminants Using an Electronic Nose

A miniaturized electronic nose has been constructed at JPL in collaboration with Caltech. This array of conductometric sensors has been trained to detect and quantify the presence of vapors in the air; the compounds detected have been found as contaminants in shuttle air. This device has potential application as a miniature, distributed device for monitoring and controlling the constituents in air.
Spending Beyond Our Means: How We Are Bankrupting Future Generations

Current U.S. fiscal policy, including the recently concluded “fiscal cliff” debt deal, is placing an enormous financial burden on today’s children and on future generations in order to deliver government benefits to current middle-aged workers and their elders. Standard government accounting methods hide that intergenerational transfer from the public and make it difficult to calculate how large the transfer is. Intergenerational resource transfers will grow larger as the composition of budget receipts and expenditures changes with relatively faster growth of age- and gender-related social insurance programs. Intergenerational redistributions through federal government operations could substantially affect different generations’ economic expectations and choices and exert powerful long-term effects on economic outcomes.This paper updates earlier calculations of generational accounts and fiscal and generational imbalance measures based on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) March 2012 Budget Outlook Update. It finds that the fiscal imbalance embedded in the federal government’s current law (Baseline) policies amounts to 5.4 percent of the present value of future U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), or 11.7 percent of the present value of future payrolls. However, given past precedents, federal current-law policies are unlikely to be implemented.The CBO’s “Alternative Fiscal Scenario,” which eliminates several current-law policies so as to be consistent with past congressional practice, would increase the fiscal imbalance to 9.0 percent of the present value of GDP, or 19.7 percent of the present value of payrolls. Generational accounting calculations show that under both Baseline and Alternative policies, today’s middle-aged workers would receive such large federal transfers by way of present-valued Social Security and Medicare benefits that their prospective lifetime net tax burdens are almost fully eliminated.
Approach to Rapid Synthesis and Functionalization of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for High Gene Transfection

Surface functionalization of theranostic nanoparticles (NPs) typically relies on lengthy, aqueous postsynthesis labeling chemistries that have limited ability to fine-tune surface properties and can lead to NP heterogeneity. The need for a rapid, simple synthesis approach that can provide great control over the display of functional moieties on NP surfaces has led to increased use of highly selective bioorthoganol chemistries including metal-affinity coordination. Here we report a simple approach for rapid production of a superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (SPIONs) with tunable functionality and high reproducibility under aqueous conditions. We utilize the high affinity complex formed between catechol and Fe((III)) as a means to dock well-defined catechol modified polymer modules on the surface of SPIONs during sonochemical coprecipitation synthesis. Polymer modules consisted of chitosan and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymer (CP) modified with catechol (CCP), and CCP functionalized with cationic polyethylenimine (CCP-PEI) to facilitate binding and delivery of DNA for gene therapy. This rapid synthesis/functionalization approach provided excellent control over the extent of PEI labeling, improved SPION magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancement and produced an efficient transfection agent.
Janus Polymer Single Crystal Nanosheet via Evaporative Crystallization

We show that liquid/liquid interface can guide polymer chain folding during crystallization. Evaporation-induced crystallization of telechelic dicarboxyl end-functionalized poly(e-caprolactone) (COOH-PCL-COOH) at a water/pentyl acetate interface produced millimeter-scale, uniform polymer single crystal (PSC) films. Due to the asymmetric nature at the interface, the PSC nanosheets exhibited a Janus structure: the two surfaces of the crystal showed distinct water contact angle, which are quantitatively confirmed by in situ nanocondensation using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM).
Salt inhibition and enhancement of cytochrome, succinic, and dopa oxidase systems of mouse melanomas.

SummaryThe quantitative inhibiting effects of NaCl, KCl, and KNO3 on the succinoxidase, cytochrome oxidase, and dopa oxidase systems are reported. Enhancement, exceeding 40%, of the cytochrome system at certain concentrations of NaCl was observed. No significant enhancement of the succinoxidase or the dopa oxidase systems with the above salts was found at any of the concentrations tested. Inhibition of the succinoxidase system with NaCl and KC1 was a rapidly increasing function from about 0.01 through 1.0 molarity, with physiological concentrations (0.9%) inhibiting up to about 50%. Reversibility of this effect was shown. No significant difference in degree of inhibition was found between crude and purified preparations. A differential inhibition response between the succinoxidase and dopa oxidase systems was observed for KN03. The former wras inhibited as with KG while dopa oxidase was inhibited but slightly if at all.
Study of Radiation in Electric Arc Shock Tubes

In a recent article, Cruden et al. reviewed recent updates to the NASA Ames Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) facility. This was prompted because of discrepancies in predictions based on equilibrium assumptions and measured spectral radiance, and because of the presence of impurities in the facility which were not accounted for in the computations. As a result of updates, it is now possible to obtain four simultaneous spectrographic images at the same tube axial location during a single test in the wavelength range 1200-17000 A. In addition, repeatability of the shock velocity is around 1% compared to 5% of earlier measurements. Further, a reduction of the carbon and hydrogen contaminants has been achieved. In an earlier investigation, time-accurate calculations of the ow eld in the shock tube were carried out using NASA Ames Navier-Stokes solver DPLR. The ow was assumed to be in thermal and chemical nonequilibrium. The investigation was focused on conditions typical of peak heating for lunar return that take place at about 0.2 torr and 10 km=s. NEQAIR2009 was then used with the computed ow eld to calculate the spectral radiances for the wavelength ranges considered in the experiment.
Host range of the defoliator Strepsicrates sp. is too broad for biological control of the invasive weed Rhodomyrtus tomentosa

ABSTRACTIn its native range the invasive weed, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is host to a suite of herbivores. One, Strepsicrates sp. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), was collected in China in 2014, introduced under quarantine in Florida, USA, and tested against related species to determine its host range and suitability for biological control. In no-choice tests, neonates fed and completed development to the pupal stage on several species of Myrtaceae, including the target weed R. tomentosa, the exotics Melaleuca quinquenervia, and Eucalyptus camaldulensis, and three native species, Eugenia axillaris, Mosiera longipes and Morella cerifera (Myricaceae). Due to the broad host range exhibited in quarantine testing, this species will not be pursued as a biological control agent of R. tomentosa.
Introduction—The States as Keystones: A Reassessment in the Mid-1970's

In 1976 we commemorate the bicentennial of the American nation. In the year that the representatives of the people of the colonies collectively declared the independence of the United States, other representatives of the same people were reconstituting the colonies themselves as states. Four colonies-New Hampshire, South Carolina, Virginia, and New Jersey-adopted state constitutions in 1776 before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and before the year was out, four more-Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and North Carolina-did likewise. Within sixteen months, all of the former colonies except Massachusetts had adopted state constitutions.'
A Cloaking Device for Transiting Planets

The transit method is presently the most successful planet discovery and characterization tool at our disposal. Other advanced civilizations would surely be aware of this technique and appreciate that their home planet's existence and habitability is essentially broadcast to all stars lying along their ecliptic plane. We suggest that advanced civilizations could cloak their presence, or deliberately broadcast it, through controlled laser emission. Such emission could distort the apparent shape of their transit light curves with relatively little energy, due to the collimated beam and relatively infrequent nature of transits. We estimate that humanity could cloak the Earth from Kepler-like broadband surveys using an optical monochromatic laser array emitting a peak power of about 30 MW for roughly 10 hours per year. A chromatic cloak, effective at all wavelengths, is more challenging requiring a large array of tunable lasers with a total power of approximately 250 MW. Alternatively, a civilization could cloak only the atmospheric signatures associated with biological activity on their world, such as oxygen, which is achievable with a peak laser power of just around 160 kW per transit. Finally, we suggest that the time of transit for optical SETI is analogous to the water-hole in radio SETI, providing a clear window in which observers may expect to communicate. Accordingly, we propose that a civilization may deliberately broadcast their technological capabilities by distorting their transit to an artificial shape, which serves as both a SETI beacon and a medium for data transmission. Such signatures could be readily searched in the archival data of transit surveys.
Apparent and standardized total tract digestibility by growing pigs of phosphorus in canola meal from North America and 00-rapeseed meal and 00-rapeseed expellers from Europe without and with microbial phytase

An experiment was conducted to determine apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) by growing pigs of P in canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers. Canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal are the coproducts produced after the residual oil has been solvent extracted from the prepressed canola seeds and 00-rapeseeds, respectively, whereas 00-rapeseeed expellers is the coproduct from 00-rapeseeds that have been only expeller pressed. Two hundred sixteen barrows (18.0 ± 1.5 kg initial BW) were allotted to 36 diets and 6 replicate pigs per diet. Five samples of canola meal from solvent-extraction crushing plants in North America, 8 samples of 00-rapeseed meal from solvent-extraction crushing plants in Europe, and 5 samples of 00-rapeseed expellers from mechanical-press crushing plants in Europe were used in the experiment. Eighteen diets were prepared by including 40% of each source of canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, or 00-rapeseed expellers in 1 diet. Eighteen additional diets were formulated by adding 1,500 units of microbial phytase to the diets. The only source of P in the diets was canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, or 00-rapeseed expellers. Pigs were placed in metabolism crates that allowed for total fecal collection. Pigs were fed at 2.5 times their estimated energy requirement for maintenance. Ingredients, diets, and feces were analyzed for P, and the ATTD and STTD of each source of canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers were calculated. A value for endogenous P loss of 190 mg/kg DMI was used to calculate the STTD of P. Results indicated that the ATTD and STTD of P for canola meal were not different from values obtained in 00-rapeseed meal, and the ATTD and STTD of P in 00-rapeseed meal were not different from values for 00-rapeseed expellers. The ATTD and STTD of P increased (P < 0.001) from 44.99 and 48.82% to 64.08 and 67.97% for canola meal, from 46.77 and 50.36% to 63.53 and 67.29% for 00-rapeseed meal, and from 44.83 and 48.60% to 69.18 and 72.99%, respectively, for 00-rapeseed expellers by adding microbial phytase to the diets. In conclusion, although the concentration of ether extract is much greater in 00-rapeseed expellers than in 00-rapeseed meal and canola meal, the ATTD and STTD of P for these ingredients are not different, and addition of microbial phytase results in improved digestibility of P in canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers.
Verifying the Location of a Mobile Device User

Certain location-based services seek to spontaneously authenticate user location without the need to have a pre-existing relationship with each user, or with each location provider. We introduce an intelligent infrastructure-based solution that provides spontaneous, rapid, and robust mobile device location authentication by supplementing existing 802.11x APs with femtocells. We show that by transferring data to a mobile device associated with a femtocell while remotely monitoring its traffic activity, a sender can verify the cooperating receiver’s location. We explain how to design data transmissions with distinct traffic signatures that can be rapidly and reliably detected even in the presence of heavy cross-traffic introduced by other femtocell users. Neither mobile operators nor location providers need be aware that an authentication is taking place.
Girl in a Country Song: Gender Roles and Objectification of Women in Popular Country Music across 1990 to 2014

Although content analyses have examined the portrayal of women in objectifying and demeaning ways in many forms of media, including several genres of music, little research has explored the portrayal of women in country music. The current study content analyzed the lyrics of 750 country songs popular in the United States across almost three decades (1990–2014) for their portrayal of female gender roles and objectification of women. Findings revealed that country songs from 2010 to 2014 were less likely to portray women in traditional roles, non-traditional roles, family roles, and as empowered than songs that were popular in the first half of one or both prior decades. Songs from 2010 to 2014 were also more likely to refer to a woman’s appearance, to women in tight or revealing clothing, to women as objects, and to women via slang than songs in one or both prior decades. Furthermore, results indicate that the changes in the portrayal of women appear to be driven by changes in lyrics in songs sung by male artists, but not by those in songs sung by female artists. The present research helps to lay a foundation for future work exploring the relations between exposure to country music, female gender role stereotypes, and attitudes and behaviors related to objectification of women.
miR-15b modulates multidrug resistance in human osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo.

The development of multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs continues to be a major clinical problem. MicroRNAs (miRNA, miR) play an important role in regulating tumour cell growth and survival; however, the role of miRs in the development of drug resistance in osteosarcoma cells is largely uncharacterized. We sought to identify and characterize human miRs that act as key regulators of MDR in osteosarcoma. We utilized a miR microarray to screen for differentially expressed miRs in osteosarcoma MDR cell lines. We determined the mechanisms of the deregulation of expression of miR-15b in osteosarcoma MDR cell lines, and its association with clinically obtained tumour samples was examined in tissue microarray (TMA). The significance of miR-15b in reversing drug resistance was evaluated in a mouse xenograft model of MDR osteosarcoma. We identified miR-15b as being significantly (P < 0.01) downregulated in KHOSMR and U-2OSMR cell lines as compared with their parental cell lines. We found that Wee1 is a target gene of miR-15b and observed that transfection with miR-15b inhibits Wee1 expression and partially reverses MDR in osteosarcoma cell lines. Systemic in vivo administration of miR-15b mimics sensitizes resistant cells to doxorubicin and induces cell death in MDR models of osteosarcoma. Clinically, reduced miR-15b expression was associated with poor patient survival. Osteosarcoma patients with low miR-15b expression levels had significantly shorter survival times than patients with high expression levels of miR-15b. These results collectively indicate that MDR in osteosarcoma is associated with downregulation of miR-15b, and miR-15b reconstitution can reverse chemotherapy resistance in osteosarcoma.
What made Bell Labs special

Bell Labs was a legendary place, an industrial lab in the outer suburbs of New York where thousands of scientists, working nine to five, changed the world's technological history.
The differences between medical trust and mistrust and their respective influences on medication beliefs and ART adherence among African-Americans living with HIV

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between medical mistrust and trust and to determine if these measures differentially predict antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication adherence for African-American adults living with HIV.Design: A total of 458 HIV positive African-Americans completed a cross-sectional survey.Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported ART adherence was collected using the visual-analog scale. The Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire was used to assess medication necessity and concern beliefs.Results: All measures of medical mistrust and trust were significantly negatively correlated, ranging from r = −.339 to −.504. Race-based medical mistrust significantly predicted medication necessity and concern beliefs, whereas general medical mistrust only significantly predicted medication concerns. Both measures of trust significantly predicted medication necessity beliefs and medication concerns. Higher levels of race-based medical mistrust predicted lower medication...
The Relationship of Patient-Provider Communication on Quality of Life among African-American and White Cancer Survivors.

Prior research has demonstrated poorer patient–provider communication ratings among African American compared to White patients. The quality of patient–provider communication has been shown to impact treatment outcomes among cancer patients. A secondary data analysis design was used to determine the relationship of six patient–provider communication variables on the physical health quality of life (PHQOL) and mental health quality of life (MHQOL) of African American and White cancer patients (N = 479). We also examined whether the relationship between communication patterns and QOL differed based on race/ethnicity. Mean physical and mental health QOL scores for the sample were 69.8 and 77.6, respectively. After controlling for significant sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital variables, results showed that patients who experienced fewer interpersonal communication barriers who were more satisfied with the information given by providers had higher PHQOL and MHQOL scores. Additionally, patients who felt ...
Climate change, health care access and regional influence on components of U.S. agricultural productivity

This article examines factors driving three components of total factor productivity change (TFPC) in U.S. agriculture – technical change (TC), technical efficiency change (TEC), and scale and mix e...
Two Classes of Concomitant Change in a Psychotherapy

The work that I shall describe in this paper was conducted with colleagues at the Mt. Zion Psychiatric Clinic in San Francisco. I would especially like to acknowledge my debt to Harold Sampson, Ellen Siegelman, Joseph Weiss, and Shirley Goodfriend for their various major roles in the work described. The goal of our work has been to combine rigorous methodology with accurate clinical formulations so as to achieve a blend that is clinically sensible, methodologically sound, and heuristically useful.
Microstructural evolution during the supersolidus liquid phase sintering of nickel-based prealloyed powder mixtures

A novel concept for full-density sintering is described. Two prealloyed powders with slight compositional differences are tailored to separate the solidus temperatures into high-melt and low-melt compositions. A mixture of these two powder compositions allows full-density sintering at a temperature between the two solidus temperatures. For these experiments, the two powders were nickel-based alloys, where the low-melt powder contained boron. The mixed powders were sintered at temperatures above the solidus of the low-melt powder to form a transient liquid that promoted rapid densification of the mixture. Microstructure evolution during sintering was assisted using quenching experiments. Variables in this study included the heating rate, peak temperature, hold time, and powder ratio. Interdiffusion between the two powders controls microstructure evolution, with a dominant role associated with boron diffusion and reaction. The transient liquid phase responsible for densification is linked to boron diffusion and subsequent compound precipitation.
An Evaluation of Human Development in Morocco: A Comparative Approach

There is no consensus among economists about the nature of the relationship between economic growth and the goal of improving human welfare. After World War II, economists tended to accept that the benefits of growth would trickle down to the poor. Nevertheless, there is an evidence of rising income inequality and a stubborn prevalence of poverty in many developing countries. Such evidence stimulated active concern with promoting more equitable growth. During the 1980s, poverty-oriented policies were pushed to the background by the need to cope with macroeconomic shocks. Since then, concern with poverty- oriented policy has revived, but not as an alternative to concern about growth. The evidence of the past half century shows that growth is necessary for alleviating widespread poverty. In this regard, income per capita remains the most useful single indicator of development, although it is far from ideal. One limitation is that international comparisons require the conversion of national statistics into common currency units, usually U.S. dollars. A more accurate method uses purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations. This method shows that income differences between rich and poor countries are less acute than one finds in statistics based on exchange rates. Other than income, an alternative comparison method is to use physical measures of structural change such as energy consumption, rural population, life expectancy, and female adult literacy. This paper uses a comparative approach to evaluate the dynamic of the human development index (HDI) in Morocco. This is an important index that measures national socioeconomic development, based on combining measures of education, health, and adjusted real income per capita
Pancreatic Tuberculosis: A Rare Type of Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a serious health problem not only in Indonesia, but worldwide. Each year, it occurs in nearly 9.7 million people and claims about 2 million lives worldwide. Pancreatic tuberculosis is a rare type of extra pulmonary tuberculosis that only occur less than 4.7% worldwide. The most common symptoms is abdominal pain and most of the patients shows abdominal tenderness on palpation. Diagnosis of pancreatic tuberculosis consist of tuberculin skin test, ultrasonography, computed tomography-scan, magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy. Diagnosing pancreatic tuberculosis is a challenge because of its rarity and it has similar symptoms as more common pancreatic condition such as pancreatic malignancy. Understanding of pancreatic tuberculosis will increased the clinical awareness that may guide clinicians to avoid unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic procedures and early diagnosis.
High repetition rate femtosecond laser heat accumulation and ablation thresholds in cobalt-binder and binderless tungsten carbides

Abstract Femtosecond (fs) laser ablation has been studied for the potential of fast, high precision machining of difficult-to-machine materials like binderless tungsten carbide. Obstacles that have limited its efficiency include melting from heat accumulation (HA), particle shielding, and plasma shielding. To address HA without shielding effects, high repetition rate (57.4 MHz), ultra-low fluence fs laser irradiation is performed to study the incubation effect and subsequent HA-ablation threshold of fine-grained tungsten carbides. Exposure times on the order of 100 ms were conducted in air with fluences (1.82 to 9.09 mJ/cm2) two orders of magnitude below the single fs pulse ablation thresholds reported in literature (0.4 J/cm2). Heat accumulation at high repetition rate explains the ultra-low fluence melt threshold behavior resulting in melt crowns around ablated holes and grooves. The results of this study aid in predicting heat buildup in high repetition rate laser irradiation for applications that wish to achieve high ablation rates of difficult-to-machine, ultrahard materials and help enable shaping of binderless tungsten carbide for use in applications too extreme for bindered tungsten carbide.
Building Condition Assessments – Methods and Metrics

ABSTRACT The aim of the research included an exploration of the condition assessment process, and the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) as a metric to assign condition levels for commercial structur...
Street-level bureaucrats and the governance of unaccompanied migrant children:

Street-level bureaucrats implement public policy in daily face-to-face encounters with individuals. Through the sequence of decisions they make in these interactions, street-level bureaucrats gover...
Generalized methods and strategies for modeling and optimizing the optics of 3D head-mounted light field displays

An integral-imaging based light field head-mounted display, which typically renders a 3D scene by reconstructing the directional light rays apparently emitted by the scene via an array optics, is potentially capable of rendering correct or nearly correct focus cues and therefore solving the well-known vergence-accommodation conflict problem plaguing conventional stereoscopic displays. Its true 3D image formation nature, however, imposes significant complications and the well-established optical design process for conventional head-mounted displays becomes inadequate to address the design challenges. To our best knowledge, there are no existing methods or framework that have been previously proposed or demonstrated to address the challenges of modeling and optimizing an optical system for this type of display systems. In this paper, we present novel and generalizable methodology and framework for designing and optimizing the optical performance of integral-imaging based light field head-mounted displays, including methods of system configurations, user-defined metrics for characterizing the performance of such systems, and optimization strategies unique in light field displays. A design example is further given based on the proposed design methodology for the purpose of validating the proposed design method and framework.
Precipitation and Salmonellosis Incidence in Georgia, USA: Interactions between Extreme Rainfall Events and Antecedent Rainfall Conditions.

Background: The southeastern United States consistently has high salmonellosis incidence, but disease drivers remain unknown. Salmonella is regularly detected in this region’s natural environment, ...
Utility of free vascularized fibular flaps to treat radiation-associated nonunions in the upper extremity.

Summary Background Nonunion is a common complication following a fracture in the setting of previous radiotherapy; however, currently there is a paucity of data describing treatment for these nonunions in the upper extremity. Free vascularized fibular (FVF) flaps successfully treat bone defects; however, their efficacy with respect to treatment of radiated nonunions is limited. The purpose of the study was to assess the outcome following FVF for radiation-associated upper extremity nonunions. Methods Seven patients underwent FVF for the treatment of radiation-associated upper extremity nonunion between 1998 and 2016. Results There were 5 male and 2 female patients, with a mean age and follow-up of 44 years and 4 years, respectively. Mean total radiation dose was 41.3 Gy, given at a mean of 11 years prior to FVF. The average FVF length was 15 cm. First time union rate was 71%, however, following repeat bone grafting all patients healed. The median time to union was 10 months. Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scores improved from 57% preoperatively to 89% at latest follow-up (p Conclusions FVF is a reliable treatment option for radiation-associated nonunions of the upper extremity, providing an overall union rate of 100% and an improvement in functional outcome.
Steroid hormones, energetic state, and immunocompetence vary across reproductive contexts in a parthenogenetic lizard.

Abstract Reproduction is energetically expensive and investing in this life history trait is likely accompanied by significant changes in physiological activity. Investment strategy necessary for achieving reproductive success in reptiles can vary with reproductive form and pattern, potentiating different consequences for competing fitness-related traits such as those key to survival. The goal of this study was to assess if and how energetic state (i.e., energy metabolites) and self-maintenance (i.e., immunocompetence) are hormonally modulated across reproductive contexts in an oviparous, parthenogenetic lizard, the Colorado Checkered Whiptail Aspidoscelis neotesselata. Here blood plasma samples were collected from lizards within the US Army Fort Carson Military Installation near Colorado Springs, CO, USA, during seasons of reproductive activity (i.e., June) and inactivity (i.e., August). Measures of reproductive (i.e., estradiol) and energy-mobilizing (i.e., corticosterone) hormones, energy metabolites (i.e., glucose, triglycerides, and free glycerol), and innate immunity (i.e., bactericidal ability) were compared by season and reproductive stage. Levels of energy metabolites and bactericidal ability were compared to levels of E2 and CORT. Bactericidal ability was also compared to levels of energy metabolites. Corticosterone and glucose levels were lower during the reproductive season while triglyceride levels and bactericidal ability were higher, but both estradiol and free glycerol levels did not differ between seasons. Throughout vitellogenesis, corticosterone and glucose levels as well as bactericidal ability did not differ, but estradiol levels were higher during early and mid-stage and both triglyceride and free glycerol levels were lower during gravidity. Corticosterone levels were negatively associated with circulating triglycerides and bactericidal ability, but were not related to glucose nor free glycerol levels. Estradiol levels were positively associated with free glycerol levels and bactericidal ability, but were not related to glucose nor triglyceride levels. Finally, bactericidal ability was negatively associated with glucose, but positively associated with triglycerides. Differences in energetic state and immunocompetence are thus reflected by shifts in hormone secretion across reproductive investment. These findings provide partial support for the hypothesis that energetic state is differentially regulated by steroid hormones to afford reproduction, potentially at the cost of future survival.
Roles of serotonin in the fetal brain

Abstract Serotonin (5-HT) signaling has been linked to both the pathophysiology and treatment of many common psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, and autism. Animal models provide growing evidence that perturbation of 5-HT signaling during early brain development is a risk factor for long-lasting behavioral and neuropsychiatric abnormalities. This is consistent with the very diverse modulatory functions that 5-HT signaling exerts in the fetal brain, ranging from neurogenesis and axonal projections and pruning to the regulation of neuronal circuits formation. Moreover, 5-HT ontogenic effects are mediated via a variety of ligand sources, receptors, transporters, and enzymes. In this chapter, we briefly describe this multifaceted system through which epigenetic variations and early adverse experiences can impact fetal brain development. Although years of research have solidified our understanding of the fetal programming of psychiatric disorders, important work remains to be done to fully grasp the extent to which 5-HT function contributes to this process.
Ecological causes of speciation and species richness in the mammal tree of life

ABSTRACT Biodiversity is distributed unevenly from the poles to the equator, and among branches of the tree of life, yet how those patterns are related is unclear. We investigated global speciation-rate variation across crown Mammalia using a novel time-scaled phylogeny (N=5,911 species, ~70% with DNA), finding that trait- and latitude-associated speciation has caused uneven species richness among groups. We identify 24 branch-specific shifts in net diversification rates linked to ecological traits. Using time-slices to define clades, we show that speciation rates are a stronger predictor of clade richness than age. Mammals that are low dispersal or diurnal diversify the fastest, indicating roles for geographic and ecological speciation, respectively. Speciation is slower in tropical than extra-tropical lineages, consistent with evidence that longer tropical species durations underpin the latitudinal diversity gradient. These findings juxtapose modes of lineage diversification that are alternatively turnover-based, and thus non-adaptive, or persistence-based as associated with resource adaptations.
Intracellular pH: Methods and Applications

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the different aspects of intracellular pH. Intracellular pH can be estimated by the equilibrium distribution of weak acids or bases across the cell membrane. The most commonly used weak acid indicator is 5,5-dimethyloxazolidine-2,4-dione (DMO). A major strength of the DMO technique is its general applicability. It can be used to determine the pH i of systems as small as mitochondria or as large as whole organisms. This range of applicability is a distinct advantage over the microelectrode, which necessitates using large cells. Intracellular pH determinations using DMO are inexpensive and require only basic laboratory equipment, such as a centrifuge and scintillation counting equipment. Glass microelectrodes offer the most direct way of estimating pH i . There are two basic types of microelectrodes that have been used to monitor intracellular pH, the basic difference being an exposed or recessed pH-sensitive glass tip. There are several limitations of the microelectrode technique that are related to instrumentation. In an ion-sensitive glass electrode, the output of the electrode is a function of the ion selectivity, the potential developed by the ion-selective glass, and the membrane potential of the cell. Therefore, a membrane-potential measurement is required together with the glass-electrode measurement so that the membrane potential can be subtracted from the glass-electrode potential to give the potential due to pH
Land Use Regulation, Regulatory Spillover and Housing Prices

We estimate the effect of city land use regulation on housing prices in the presence of regulatory spillover. The total effect of regulation is decomposed into a direct effect in which regulation lowers housing productivity and an indirect effect in which household location choice mitigates the price effects of regulatory restrictions. Using housing sales data from California, we structurally estimate a closed-form housing price equation based on a housing model with spatial arbitrage. We find that the total price effect of a one standard deviation increase in city restrictiveness is 9.3% on average, ranging from 4.1% to 14.4% across cities. The spillover effect is economically significant, with the size of the indirect effect equal to 21% of the direct effect for an average city, ranging from 0 to 47%. We point to the importance of identifying direct and indirect effects by controlling for regulation in surrounding locations. For jurisdictions with the power to impose regulation on a larger number of locations, regulation has a stronger price impact due to limits on regulatory spillover.
A new species of Rutaraphes Jałoszyński in Taiwan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae).

Rutaraphes Jaloszynski was proposed for an unusual species discovered on Shikoku, Japan. Rutaraphes shikokuensis Jaloszynski has a unique aedeagus, with an asymmetrical median lobe, lacking parameres, and the diaphragm to which the internal muscles are attached is situated not sub-medially, sub-basally, or basally, as in most genera of Stenichnini, but sub-apically, and nearly transverse in relation to the long axis of the aedeagus. It is here confirmed that this highly unusual structure was not a teratology in the sole known specimen, because the newly described Rutaraphes taiwanicus sp. n. shares similar genital structures. The new species occurs on northern Taiwan, and differs from R. shikokuensis in (among others) male modifications of the head. The new discovery extends the known range of Rutaraphes over 1500 km SW, suggesting that also the islands of the Ryukyus may be inhabited by this rare genus.