cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perennial Forages as Second Generation Bioenergy Crops

The lignocellulose in forage crops represents a second generation of biomass feedstock for conversion into energy-related end products. Some of the most extensively studied species for cellulosic feedstock production include forages such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). An advantage of using forages as bioenergy crops is that farmers are familiar with their management and already have the capacity to grow, harvest, store, and transport them. Forage crops offer additional flexibility in management because they can be used for biomass or forage and the land can be returned to other uses or put into crop rotation. Estimates indicate about 22.3 million ha of cropland, idle cropland, and cropland pasture will be needed for biomass production in 2030. Converting these lands to large scale cellulosic energy farming could push the traditional forage-livestock industry to ever more marginal lands. Furthermore, encouraging bioenergy production from marginal lands could directly compete with forage-livestock production.
Challenges and opportunities for circuit design in nano-scale CMOS technologies

CMOS technology scaling trend and latest technology innovations will be discussed first. Then the paper will focus on the challenges in several critical circuit areas, including both analog and memory for high-performance microprocessors. Some innovative design solutions to enable future scaling will be discussed.
Monte Carlo studies of reactive desorption from mixed adlayers

Reactive desorption of gas molecules from mixed adlayers containing two species is studied using a Monte Carlo simulation scheme. The effects of lateral interactions among adatoms, adsorbate islanding, surface diffusion and initial surface coverage on the desorption spectra are examined. Results show that for attractive lateral interactions, adsorbate islanding and surface diffusion lead to an increase in the activation energy, whereas for repulsive lateral interactions, the activation energy decreases. Results also indicate that a slowly decaying spectrum may be obtained when the mobile molecules do not interact with other adsorbed molecules due to a sustained diffusion and reaction process. An analysis of the effects of surface diffusion reveals that the desorption rate increases as the mobile species approaches equilibrium distribution. In addition, if lateral interactions enhance the concentration of mobile species near island boundaries, then the mobile species attains equilibrium distribution more r...
Calibration of a fluorescence hyperspectral imaging system for agricultural inspection and detection

Fluorescence hyperspectral imaging is increasingly being used for food quality inspection and detection of potential food safety concerns. The flexible nature of a self-scanning pushbroom hyperspectral imager lends itself to these kinds of applications, among others. To increase the use of this technique there has been a tendency to use low cost off-the-shelf hyperspectral sensors which are typically not radiometrically calibrated. To ensure that these systems are optimized for response and repeatability, it is imperative that the systems be both radiometrically and spectrally calibrated specifically for fluorescence imaging. Fluorescence imaging provides several challenges such as low signal, stray light and a low signal dynamic range that are improved with careful radiometric calibration. A radiometric and spectral approach that includes flat fielding and the conversion of digital number responses to radiance for calibrating this imaging system and other types of hyperspectral imagers is described in this paper. Results show that this method can be adopted for calibrating fluorescence and reflective hyperspectral imaging systems in the visible and near infra-red domains.
Hf–Nd isotope decoupling in the oceanic lithosphere: constraints from spinel peridotites from Oahu, Hawaii☆

Abstract We present a detailed geochemical investigation on the Hf, Nd and Sr isotope compositions and trace and major element contents of clinopyroxene mineral separates from spinel lherzolite xenoliths from the island of Oahu, Hawaii. These peridotites are believed to represent the depleted oceanic lithosphere beneath Oahu, which is a residue of a MORB-related melting event some 80–100 Ma ago at a mid-ocean ridge. Clinopyroxenes from peridotites from the Salt Lake Crater (SLC) show a large range of Hf isotopic compositions, from ϵHf=12.2 (similar to the Honolulu volcanics series) to extremely radiogenic, ϵHf=65, at nearly constant 143Nd/144Nd ratios (ϵNd=7–8). None of these samples show any isotopic evidence for interaction with Koolau-type melts. A single xenolith from the Pali vent is the only sample with Hf and Nd isotopic compositions that falls within the MORB field. The Hf isotopes correlate positively with the degree of depletion in the clinopyroxene (e.g. increasing Mg#, Cr#, decreasing Ti and heavy REE contents), but also with increasing Zr and Hf depletions relative to the adjacent REE in a compatibility diagram. The Lu/Hf isotope systematics of the SLC clinopyroxenes define apparent ages of 500 Ma or older and these compositions cannot be explained by mixing between any type of Hawaiian melts and the depleted Pacific lithosphere. Metasomatism of an ancient (e.g. 1 Ga or older) depleted peridotite protolith can, in principle, explain these apparent ages and the Nd–Hf isotope decoupling, but requires that the most depleted samples were subject to the least amount of metasomatism. Alternatively, the combined isotope, trace and major element compositions of these clinopyroxenes are best described by metasomatism of the 80–100 Ma depleted oceanic lithosphere by melts products of extensive mantle–melt interaction between Honolulu Volcanics-type melts and the depleted lithosphere.
Fast track in thoracic anesthesia and surgery.

Purpose of reviewTo provide an update on fast track thoracic anesthesia for patients undergoing lung resection.Recent findingsThere are very few studies supporting the concept of fast-track approach in thoracic surgery. The concept of fast track can be applied if patients can be identified in the pr
User-dependence of myocardial infarct identification using semi-automated thresholding techniques: implications for CRT response predictions based on scar burden

Background Semi-automatic segmentation of infarcted tissue in late gadolinium-enhanced (LGE) MR images is usually done using a thresholding technique. In the threshold technique, an observer identifies a region of remote “normal” myocardium. Based on the distribution of pixel intensities within this “normal” region, pixels that lay more than two standard deviations outside the mean of this distribution are classified as infarcted myocardium. Having a left ventricular scar burden greater than 33% has previously been used as a cut-off for predicting nonresponse to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) (Chalil et al. Europace, 2007). We hypothesized that the user-defined region of “normal” myocardium would have a significant effect on the classification of patients as non-responders to CRT (>33% LV scar burden).
Tuning Semiconducting Properties of Single Carbon Nanotube for Fabrication of Nano Devices

Carbon nanotube (CNT) is found to be an amazing material for nanoelectronics due to its unique properties. It provides the possibility of miniaturizing the traditional electronic elements. Recently, people have been focusing on exploring its applications on optoelectronics because CNT is a direct bandgap material and its bandgap is inversely related to its diameter. Thus, it is ease for photon adsorption or generation with different wavelengths. In this paper, we presented the modification of the diameter of a single multi-walled carbon nanotube (s-MWNT) by electrical breakdown of nanotube walls. Thus, the conduction mechanism of the single carbon nanotube (s-CNT) can change from conducting to semi-conducting. Also, the barrier height of the s-CNT based diode which is fabricated by using atomic force microscopy based nanomanipulation system, can be indirectly modified, which has the same effect from CNT doping. The breakdown of a MWNT was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the diameter, changed from 60 nm to ~10 nm, was measured at each step of breakdowns. Using this modification technique, the s-CNT based diode can potentially be used in optoelectronics
An Interview with Bonnie J.F. Meyer

Bonnie J.F. Meyer is Professor of Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational and School Psychology and Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University. She has authored over 85 publications in such areas as reading comprehension, discourse analysis and processing, and learning, memory, and decision-making across the life span. Her 1974 dissertation, which was published as a 1975 North-Holland book, entitled The Organization of Prose on Its Effects on Memory, has been cited 501 times in the Social Science Citation Index. Dr. Meyer has over 1,330 records cited in the Web of Science Citation Index. She has served as Principal Investigator on National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging, and Institute of Education Sciences grants (external funding: $2,522,478). She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society and Divisions 3, 15, and 20 of the American Psychological Association (APA). She has served the APA Division 15— Educational Psychology as treasurer, newsletter editor, twice as member-at-large, and APA council representative and the American Educational Research Association as Division C Secretary and Convention Program Chair. She also has served on editorial boards for Discourse Processes, the Journal of Educational Psychology, the Reading Research Quarterly, Cognition and Instruction, the Educational Psychologist, and the Journal of Literacy Research.
Contestation and Opportunity in Reflexivity: An Introduction:

Academic discourse on ideas and techniques of reflexivity in ethnographic research are common and essential. Less common are collections devoted entirely to this topic, and those conducted by diver...
Early Northern Hardwood Silvicultural Research at the Dukes Experimental Forest, Michigan

Commercial lumber production in the Lake States, which began in the early 1800s with eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), shifted to hardwoods in the late 1800s (Whitney 1994). Much of the hardwood forest was rapidly cut over; as a consequence, mill capacity exceeded available stumpage by the 1920s (Eyre and Zillgitt 1953). The forest industry recognized the need for sustained-yield practices, but faced numerous financial and managerial problems and most landowners continued to liquidate their timber.
Treating Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Clinical Research and Practice

Farmer JE, Donders J, Warschausky S, eds. New York, NY 10012, The Guilford Press, 2006, hardcover, 336 pp, illus, ISBN: 1-59385-246-0, $48. The purpose of this text is to synthesize information about the psychosocial aspects of selected acquired and congenital neurodevelopmental disorders, including clinical strategies for examining and treating children with these disorders. The title of the text can fool the reader into believing that this is a text for practitioners who treat movement disorders. This text, however, was written for neuropsychologists, clinical and school psychologists, rehabilitation specialists (psychologists), and others who work with children with disabilities. The contributing authors all hold PhDs in the areas of neuropsychology, neurobehavioral sciences, or educational psychology, and one contributing author holds an MD. The book is divided into 3 parts. The first part introduces the reader to the authors’ definition of childhood disability, which extends beyond medical impairments and special educational challenges. The first chapter contains an overview of the psychosocial aspects of function that are routinely addressed. In part I, the authors effectively describe the multidimensional classification …
A Micromechanical Investigation of Interfacial Transport Processes. II. Interfacial Constitutive Equations

Macroscale interfacial conservation equations are derived for transport processes occurring in immiscible fluid—fluid systems possessing moving and deforming interfaces via a rigorous matched asymptotic expansion scheme from the more exact, continuous (‘diffuse’) microscale equations underlying them . A surface-fixed coordinate system is developed for the parameterization of the interface, alleviating approximations which result when either a material or a space-fixed control volume is used to investigate systems undergoing interphase mass transfer.
The Norman Conquest and the Common Law: The Levellers and the Argument from Continuity

Twenty-five years ago J. G. A. Pocock first argued that the Norman conquest was the rock upon which all arguments for the continuity of the common law finally came to wreck. Believe in the conquest qua conquest, and you could not believe that English law represented a continuous stream of unviolated custom or fail to see it as very much the offspring of Norman parentage. In the English revolution, the Levellers exemplified the logical necessity of Pocock's argu ment. Having seen the conquest for what it was, the group criticized the common law as none other than a Norman yoke and surrendered all appeals to history. By re-examining the Leveller use of history, this essay tests that proposition, turning it not upside down but on its side, and suggests an alternative conclusion both about the Levellers and the doctrine of continuity itself.
Early glycation of critical fibronectin domains inhibits human dermal fibroblast migration

Failure of acute wounds to heal in diabetic patients has been found to correlate with elevated blood glucose levels at the time of surgery and correlates poorly with glycated hemoglobin, a marker for late glycation events that need weeks to amass. Few investigations have focused on the effects of short-term elevated glucose on extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Fibronectin (FN) is an ECM protein in the early wound provisional matrix required for fibroblast migration in this context. This study investigated the effects of early glycation of FN on dermal fibroblast migration. FN-coated plastic, FN-fibrin, and FN-hyaluronan were glycated in the presence of 3 mg/ml glucose for 2 days. Cell migration in response to 100 ng/ml platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) was significantly impaired on glycated FN (71.8% decrease, p<0.05), FN-fibrin (40.0% decrease, p<0.05) and FN-hyaluronan (93.1 % decrease, p<0.05). Although glycation had no effect on cell attachment, cell viability or apoptosis, cell spreading was markedly inhibited. In addition, MALDI-TOF was performed and showed shift in mass peak indicating the presence of glucose molecules crosslinked to FN-heparin binding domain. These data strongly suggests that glycation of FN, as little as 2 days, inhibits cell traction resulting in loss of motogenic potential of these cells.
Silver chlorobromide nanocubes with significantly improved uniformity: synthesis and assembly into photonic crystals

Silver chlorobromide (AgClxBr1−x, 0 < x < 1) nanocubes with a highly uniform size, morphology, and crystallinity have been successfully synthesized through a co-precipitation of Ag+ ions with both Cl− and Br− ions in ethylene glycol containing polyvinyl pyrrolidone at mild temperatures. Compositions of the synthesized nanocubes can be easily tuned by controlling the molar ratio of Cl− to Br− ions in the reaction solutions. The size of the nanocubes is determined by varying a number of parameters including the molar ratio of Cl− to Br− ions, injection rate of Ag+ ions, and reaction temperature. The real-time formation of colloidal AgClxBr1−x nanocubes has been monitored, for the first time, by in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The time-resolved results reveal that a fast injection rate of Ag+ ions is critical for the formation of AgClxBr1−x nanocubes with a highly pure face-centered cubic crystalline phase. The improved uniformity of the AgClxBr1−x nanocubes is beneficial for assembling them into order superlattices (e.g., photonic crystals) even by simply applying centrifugation forces. The stop band of the resulting photonic crystals can be easily tuned from the ultraviolet to the infrared region by using AgClxBr1−x nanocubes with different sizes. The variation of the dielectric constant of AgClxBr1−x associated with the change of the relative concentration of halide ions provides an additional knob to tune the optical properties of photonic crystals.
Quantum structures for infrared imaging

We have used quantum wells, quantum dots, and strained layer sperlattices for infrared detection and imaging. Quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) are based on GaAs/AlGaAs material system and the quantum dot infrared detector (QDIPs) are based on InAs/InGaAs/GaAs materials system. Strained layer superlattice (SLS) detectors are based on InAs/GaSb materials system and grown on GaSb substrates.
Defining the best management for patients with intracranial World Health Organization grade II meningiomas.

eningiomas are the most common nonglial tumor affecting the central nervous system. The incidence of M meningiomas increases as we age, and women develop these tumors approximately 2 times as frequently as their age-adjusted male counterparts (4). The pathologic grading of meningiomas was revised in 2000 and 2007 by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on a combination of objective criteria (mitotic index) and subjective criteria (9, 11). These changes have resulted in a significantly higher percentage of patients being diagnosed with WHO grade II (atypical) meningiomas. In 1992, Kallio et al. reported that <5% of tumors in their large series (936 tumors) were atypical meningiomas (7). Conversely, Willis et al. in a more recent series of 314 tumors found that over 20% of meningiomas resected from 1994 until 2003 met the WHO criteria of grade II (14). The modifications in meningioma grading clearly have important implications in the interpretation of earlier studies on meningioma recurrence rates, and as a result, current physicians are challenged with determining the best management for patients diagnosed with WHO grade II meningiomas.
Immunoglobulin A deficiency in celiac disease in the United States.

Background and Aims: Multiple European studies report increased prevalence of selective immunoglobulin A deficiency (SIgAD) and partial immunoglobulin A deficiency (PIgAD) in patients with celiac disease (CD). However; prospective data representing North American adults are lacking. While SIgAD precludes the use of IgA-tissue-transglutaminase antibody (IgA-tTG), the effect of PIgAD on IgA-tTG sensitivity is not well documented. We aim to determine the prevalence and impact of IgA deficiency on CD presentation and diagnosis in North American adult patients. Methods: We reviewed 1000 consecutive patients undergoing IgA-tTG testing and 243 healthy controls. Eligible sera were tested for IgA-tTG, serum immunoglobulins, and IgA/IgG-deamidated gliadin peptide (IgA/IgG-DGP). Results: Prevalence of SIgAD was marginally higher in patients with CD (1.9%) compared with healthy controls (0.4%, P = 0.24) and patients without CD (0.7%, P = 0.173). Prevalence of PIGAD was similar in patients with CD (4.8%) compared with healthy controls (5.9%, P = 0.57) and patients without CD (7.2%, P = 0.22). One (16.7%) of 6 patients with CD with SIgAD and all 15 (100%) with PIGAD tested IgA-tTG positive prior to gluten-free diet initiation. Patients with CD with SIGAD showed lower frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms (33% vs 82%, P = 0.01) and more co-morbid autoimmune disease (67% vs 23%, P = 0.03) when compared with patients with CD with normal IgA. Conclusions: The prevalence of SIgAD in North American patients with CD is comparable with European data but not significantly different than control populations. Patients with CD with SIgAD exhibit decreased IgA-tTG sensitivity and lack of gastrointestinal symptoms. PIgAD is common in patients with gastrointestinal disorders but does not alter CD presentation or IgA-tTG sensitivity.
Monolithic high-power millimeter-wave quasi-optical frequency multiplier arrays using quantum barrier devices

Summary form only given. GaAs barrier-N-N+ (BNN) diode arrays have been successfully designed and fabricated. Frequency doubling to 66 GHz has been achieved with an output power of 2.4-2.6 W and an efficiency in excess of 10%. In addition to the BNN arrays, a number of new device concepts have been developed in the course of this research which offer the promise of more efficient frequency multipliers with both higher cutoff frequency and higher power handling capability. These include the multi-quantum-barrier varactor (MQBV), and the Schottky-quantum-barrier varactor (SQBV). Measured C-V characteristics of the MQBV (4*20 mu m/sup 2/) show a C/sub max//C/sub min/ ratio of 5 with a C/sub min/ of 10 fF. In excess of 10 times reduction in thermionic current compared to the single-barrier device has also been obtained. The performance of the MQBV can be further improved by incorporating a Schottky-barrier structure on multi-quantum barriers to form the SQBV. The advantages SQBV has over the MQBV are discussed. A SQBV array with a Schottky-barrier structure in series with a yield of 99% (1300 devices), and an output power of 3.8-10 W with an efficiency of 1.7-4% at 99 GHz has been achieved. >
Methodology for the Determination of Dinitroaniline Herbicides in Tissue and Excreta

A method is presented for the analysis of trace amounts of dinitroaniline herbicides in tissue and excreta. The method employs extraction of the tissue or excreta with organic solvent, clean up by liquid/liquid partitioning or silica gel chromatography, and ultimate analysis by gas chromatography using electron capture detection. Recoveries of greater than 80% were noted over the range of concentration 0.1 to 1.0 microgram/g.
BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENT USING STRUCTURED INVENTORY: CAPTURING THE ANT FAUNA OF A TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

The goal of “strict inventory” (as opposed to community characterization) is to obtain species lists for specific sites. Quantitatively structured inventory can improve inventory efficiency (defined as the steepness of species accumulation curves). As part of the Arthropods of La Selva project (ALAS), a structured inventory of the ants of a lowland tropical rain forest was carried out. A novel method of sample processing was developed, in which parataxonomists prepared specimens based on their own sorting of morphospecies within samples (repeating the process for each sample, and thus not attempting to cross-reference morphospecies among samples), and a taxonomic specialist later sorted the resultant pool of prepared specimens. Efficacy of stratifying by sampling method (Berlese samples, Malaise traps, and canopy fogging), habitat, and time was investigated. Novel methods of analysis were used, including (1) curves depicting cost in prepared specimens of adding species to the inventory, as a function of n...
Treatment of a Retarded Child's Faeces Smearing and Coprophagic Behaviour.

The daily rearrangement of a profoundly retarded child's routine shower was effective in eliminating his low-frequency faeces smearing and coprophagic behaviour during the late afternoon/early evening part of the day. The effects appeared to generalise such that both types of behaviour were reduced at other times of the day and night. These results are discussed in terms of a social learning framework. A model for analysing the motivations and reinforcing conditions for rectal digging, coprophagy, and smearing faeces is also presented.
Modeling electrode-based stimulation of muscle and nerve by ultrashort electric pulses

Numerical simulations of electrostimulation of frog gastrocnemius muscles have been carried out for pulse durations in the nanosecond regime. There are a number of potential advantages in using ultrashort pulses for electrical stimulation, and no previous electrostimulation work in the submicrosecond regime has been reported. A time-dependent, three-dimensional analysis model was developed and implemented for two cases: 1) direct stimulation via electrode contact and 2) indirect excitation through a saline-filled bath. The simulations yielded strength-duration (S-D) curves with pulse durations as short as 5 ns. Good agreement between the model predictions and experimental measurements was obtained. For example, with direct contact, a peak current of about 30 A was predicted for the shortest pulse; the measured value was 34 A. Calculations of the S-D curves for both direct and indirect stimulation yielded a good match with the available experimental data. A time constant of 160 /spl mu/s was estimated; this value is indicative of a nerve-based response. The modeling also led to a demonstration of the nonthermal nature of electrostimulation with nanosecond pulses, even with an applied voltage of 5 kV. Finally, it was shown quantitatively that inhomogeneities in the nerve geometry and size can affect the S-D curve. For contact stimulation, the greatest potential for muscle twitching occurs at boundaries and within regions that have internal nonuniformity.
Collision Detection and Response for Computer Animation

When several objects are moved about by computer animation, there is the chance that they will interpenetrate. This is often an undesired state, particularly if the animation is seeking to model a realistic world. Two issues are involved: detecting that a collision has occurred, and responding to it. The former is fundamentally a kinematic problem, involving the positional relationship of objects in the world. The latter is a dynamic problem, in that it involves predicting behavior according to physical laws. This paper discusses collision detection and response in general, presents two collision detection algorithms, describes modeling collisions of arbitrary bodies using springs, and presents an analytical collision response algorithm for articulated rigid bodies that conserves linear and angular momentum.
Effect of hemodialysis on propoxyphene and norpropoxyphene concentrations in blood of anephric patients.

Our purpose was to determine whole-blood hemodialysis clearances and the effect of hemodialysis on blood propoxyphene concentrations and of its major metabolite, norpropoxyphene, in anephric patients under apparent steady-state conditions with respect to propoxyphene. Propoxyphene hydrochloride 130 mg was given orally every 8 hr for 7 doses to 4 patients. Blood propoxyphene and norpropoxyphene levels were determined repeatedly during the sixth dosing interval (before hemodialysis) and during the seventh dosing interval (during hemodialysis). There were no statistically significant differences in the areas under the blood level/time curves of propoxyphene and norpropoxyphene during the sixth and seventh dosing intervals, indicating that hemodialysis contributes negligibly to their total clearance from the body. The low hemodialysis clearances of propoxyphene and norpropoxyphene were confirmed by direct in vivo determination of their hemodialyzer extraction ratios. Propoxyphene produces much higher propoxyphene plasma levels and higher as well as more persistent norpropoxyphene plasma levels in anephric patients than in normal subjects. In view of their substantive cumulation during repeated propoxyphene administration, their central nervous system and cardiac toxicity at high concentrations, their low hemodialysis clearance, and the apparent sensitivity of patients with renal failure to narcotics, propoxyphene should be used cautiously in anephric patients. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1980) 27, 508–514; doi:10.1038/clpt.1980.71
Pipeline strategy for improving optimal energy efficiency in ultra-low voltage design

This paper investigates pipelining methodologies for the ultra low voltage regime. Based on an analytical model and simulations, we propose a pipelining technique that provides higher energy efficiency and performance than conventional approaches to ultra low voltage design. Two-phase latch based design and sequential circuit optimizations are also proposed to further improve energy efficiency and performance. Silicon results demonstrate a 16b multiplier using the approaches in 65nm CMOS improve energy efficiency by 30% and performance by 60%.
Seismology of the Moon and Implications on Internal Structure, Origin and Evolution

The objective of the passive seismic experiment is to measure vibrations of the lunar surface produced by all natural and artificial sources of seismic energy and to use these data to deduce the internal structure and constitution of the Moon, the nature of tectonic processes which may be active within the Moon, the rate of strain energy release for the lunar body, and the numbers and masses of meteroroids striking the lunar surface. The instrument used is also capable of measuring changes in gravity and tidal tilts which occur in its vicinity. To accomplish these objectives, seismic data must be combined with data from laboratory measurements of the physical and chemical properties of surface rocks, and many other geophysical and geochemical measurements. Thus far, we have had the opportunity to record data from two lunar seismic stations which were installed by the astronauts during Apollo missions 11 and 12. The combined recording time from these stations is presently over 9 months, but there was no overlap to permit recording the same event at two stations. Results from the analysis of these data have been presented by the seismic experiment team in five previous papers [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The throne vs. the kingdom: Founder control and value creation in startups

Research summary: Does the degree to which founders keep control of their startups affect company value? I argue that founders face a “control dilemma” in which a startup's resource dependence drives a wedge between the startup's value and the founder's ability to retain control of decision making. I develop hypotheses about this tradeoff and test the hypotheses on a unique dataset of 6,130 American startups. I find that startups in which the founder is still in control of the board of directors and/or the CEO position are significantly less valuable than those in which the founder has given up control. On average, each additional level of founder control (i.e., controlling the board and/or the CEO position) reduces the pre-money valuation of the startup by 17.1–22.0 percent. Managerial summary: A founder's vision and capabilities are key ingredients in the early success of a startup. During those early days, it is natural for the founder to have a powerful, central role. However, as the startup grows, founders who keep too much control of the startup and its most important decisions can harm the value of the startup. Both qualitative case studies and quantitative analyses of more than 6,000 private companies highlight that startups in which the founder has maintained control (by retaining a majority of the board of directors and/or by remaining as CEO) have significantly lower valuations than those where the founder has relinquished control. This is especially true when the startup is three years old or more. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigating student understanding of histograms

Histograms are adept at revealing the distribution of data values, especially the shape of the distribution and any outlier values. They are included in introductory statistics texts, research meth...
Aeronian (Llandovery, Silurian) conodonts from the Densmore Creek Phosphate Bed and the Budd Road Phosphate Bed, Clinton Group, western New York State

Conodonts from the Densmore Creek Phosphate Bed at the base of the Maplewood Shale in Irondequoit, New York, include Panderodus unicostatus, Pranognathus tenuis, and Icriodella discreta. The taxa Ozarkodina cf. Oz. hassi, Pranognathus tenuis, Oulodus panuarensis, Panderodus unicostatus, Panderodus recurvatus, and Pseudooneotodus beckmanni were recovered from the overlying Budd Road Phosphate Bed at the base of the Reynales Limestone near Lockport, New York. The specimens from both beds are indicative of the Pranognathus tenuis Zone, which correlates to the lower to middle Aeronian, and indicate that the Budd Road Phosphate Bed at Lockport was deposited in a more offshore environment than the Densmore Creek Phosphate Bed at Irondequoit.
Preparation for Group Work: Perceptions of Bachelor-Level Social Workers

In this exploratory qualitative study, bachelor-level social workers were asked to identify elements within bachelor-level social work educational programs that were helpful in building group skills. Twenty graduates from CSWE-accredited social work programs voluntarily participated in one-on-one interviews. The data from these interviews were subjected to open coding and suggested the following themes: social workers' reported group work as a part of employment responsibilities, social workers' ability to recognize group work skills in undergraduate education via class/campus experiences, and social workers' identification of learning group skills through work/internship experiences. Findings indicated social workers possessed unfamiliarity with group work terminology and group-specific conceptual understandings.
A Fürstin by Any Other Name? Citizenship, Identity, and the Limits of Individual Rights in the ECJ

European rights have gradually approached the degree of enforceability traditionally reserved to national rights. They have also substantially expanded in scope as their initial, limited target of economic integration has evolved into the greater, political project of building a true European Community. The expansion of the underlying agenda of the European rights project has, in turn, enabled the emergence of a robust cluster of common rights. The European Court of Justice ("ECJ") case addressed in this Note, Ilonka Sayn-Wittgenstein v. Landeshauptmann von Wien (Case C-208/09), provides a colorful example of the ECJ's recent departure from its traditionally liberal interpretation of European citizenship rights. In Sayn-Wittgenstein, the ECJ's finding that the fundamental principles implicated concern a matter of national Austrian identity unabashedly places such national rights before an individual’s self-identification as a citizen of the European Union. This Note endeavors to explore and contextualize this curious withdrawal from the establishment of an ever-closer notion of European identity.
Backstepping and Passivation in the Presence of an Integrator with Throughput

1 This paper presents two controllers that globally stabilize a nonlinear system augmented with an integrator and throughput. Neither affine in control nor of triangular structure, the system is not in the class to which backstepping or forwarding designs are applicable.
CLAYS BEYOND EARTH

Even the most casual observer will recognize that rocks transform to clay minerals over time on Earth, and clay minerals have played a particularly important role in the geologic evolution of our planet as well as the evolution of human civilization. Clay minerals, however, have also played an important role elsewhere in our Solar System, and they provide some of the best evidence of aqueous processes during time periods not accessible in Earth’s rock record. The wealth of new data acquired using a variety of remote sensing techniques on planetary missions, coupled with detailed laboratory studies of meteorites, have increased awareness of this fact over the past several decades. The recent renewed interest in clay minerals formed beyond Earth led to a session on new developments in the study of extraterrestrial clay minerals during the 14th International Clay Conference in Castellaneta Marina, Italy, in 2009, and this issue of Clays and Clay Minerals presents several papers that resulted from that session. The number and variety of minerals have increased during the history of our Solar System, yet clay minerals clearly have existed since at least the time of planetary accretion ( e.g . Hazen …
KECSA-Movable Type Implicit Solvation Model (KMTISM).

Computation of the solvation free energy for chemical and biological processes has long been of significant interest. The key challenges to effective solvation modeling center on the choice of potential function and configurational sampling. Herein, an energy sampling approach termed the “Movable Type” (MT) method, and a statistical energy function for solvation modeling, “Knowledge-based and Empirical Combined Scoring Algorithm” (KECSA) are developed and utilized to create an implicit solvation model: KECSA-Movable Type Implicit Solvation Model (KMTISM) suitable for the study of chemical and biological systems. KMTISM is an implicit solvation model, but the MT method performs energy sampling at the atom pairwise level. For a specific molecular system, the MT method collects energies from prebuilt databases for the requisite atom pairs at all relevant distance ranges, which by its very construction encodes all possible molecular configurations simultaneously. Unlike traditional statistical energy function...
Spectral reconstruction strategies toward generalized-domain optical coherence tomography with a broadband source and a bucket detector(Conference Presentation)

One appealing aspect that compressive sensing offers is the possibility of retrieving a signal’s spectral information using a bucket detector and a characterized measurement matrix. Demonstrations of CS applied to optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed, however, in the final signal-processing instead of the acquisition end. Here we propose a novel OCT system with a broadband superluminescent excitation and a bucket photodetector where the interferogram is obtained by spectral reconstruction. In particular, this system assumes the same interferometric setup as typical swept-source OCT systems except the excitation is replaced by a broadband source. The interferogram then passes through an off-the-shelf, fast tunable Fabry-Perot filter (FPF) of modest finesse whose free spectral range is designed to be much less than the excitation bandwidth. The spectral response is characterized a priori, before the filtered output is integrated by the photodetector. The spectral sampling measurement is repeated by altering the FPF’s resonant conditions multiple times through the cavity length. Having acquired the integrated photodetector values and the corresponding spectral filter functions, we reconstruct the original interferogram whose Fourier transform generates the tomogram. The sensitivity of this OCT technique is evaluated and compared using simulations with synthetic data. Moreover, B-scan reconstruction of the interferogram due to a fingertip was simulated using our scheme and the resultant image shows excellent reconstruction fidelity compared to the original OCT B-scan. These illustrations point towards a promising future of a new class of tomographic system which combines the respective strengths of swept-source and spectral-domain OCT.
PCR-free library preparation greatly reduces stutter noise at short tandem repeats

Over the past several decades, the forensic and population genetic communities have increasingly leveraged short tandem repeats (STRs) for a variety of applications. The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies and STR-specific bioninformatic tools has enabled the profiling of hundreds of thousands of STRs across the genome. Nonetheless, these genotypes remain error-prone, hindering their utility in downstream analyses. One of the primary drivers of STR genotyping errors are “stutter” artifacts arising during the PCR amplification step of library preparation that add or delete copies of the repeat unit in observed sequencing reads. Recently, Illumina developed the TruSeq PCR-free library preparation protocol which eliminates the PCR step and theoretically should reduce stutter error. Here, I compare two high coverage whole genome sequencing datasets prepared with and without the PCR-free protocol. I find that this protocol reduces the percent of reads due to stutter by more than four-fold and results in higher confidence STR genotypes. Notably, stutter at homopolymers was decreased by more than 6-fold, making these previously inaccessible loci amenable to STR calling. This technological improvement shows good promise for significantly increasing the feasibility of obtaining high quality STR genotypes from next-generation sequencing technologies.
Accelerated dynamic MRI using patch regularization for implicit motion compensation

PURPOSE To introduce a fast algorithm for motion-compensated accelerated dynamic MRI. METHODS An efficient patch smoothness regularization scheme, which implicitly compensates for inter-frame motion, is introduced to recover dynamic MRI data from highly undersampled measurements. The regularization prior is a sum of distances between each rectangular patch in the dataset with other patches in the dataset using a saturating distance metric. Unlike current motion estimation and motion compensation (ME-MC) methods, the proposed scheme does not require reference frames or complex motion models. The proposed algorithm, which alternates between inter-patch shrinkage step and conjugate gradient algorithm, is considerably more computationally efficient than ME-MC methods. The reconstructions obtained using the proposed algorithm is compared against state-of-the-art methods. RESULTS The proposed method is observed to yield reconstructions with minimal spatiotemporal blurring and motion artifacts. In comparison to the existing state-of-the-art ME-MC methods, PRICE provides comparable or even better image quality with faster reconstruction times (approximately nine times faster). CONCLUSION The presented scheme enables computationally efficient and effective motion-compensated reconstruction in a variety of applications with large inter-frame motion and contrast changes. This algorithm could be seen as an alternative over the current state-of-the-art ME-MC schemes that are computationally expensive. Magn Reson Med 77:1238-1248, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Persistent Motor Deficits in DAMP

Motor control in ability to perform everyday and spare-time activities was assessed at 11 to 12 years of age in 10 boys with deficits in attention, motor control and perception (DAMP) and compared with a group of 20 boys without DAMP.
Do We Need a Behavioral Concept of Inhibition

The concept of inhibition is well established and well understood at the physiological level, but its use at the behavioral level is controversial. Both reinforcing stimuli and stimuli correlated with extinction or aversive stimuli are sometimes said to be inhibitory, but Skinner objected to the term as unnecessary and potentially misleading. Sherrington’s concept of reciprocal inhibition in reflexes is immune to this objection, for it is well understood at both the behavioral and physiological levels, and its adaptive significance is clear. I raise the question whether operant behavior requires a comparable concept, for it is commonly smooth and coherent even when many competing behaviors can be assumed to be strong. An inhibitory process within response systems, analogous to lateral inhibition in sensory systems, would be adaptive and would account for the observed lack of interference among competing responses. Whether such a proposal has any direct behavioral implications or whether it is wholly a mat...
Effect of Heat Treatments on Survival and Growth of a Psychrotroph and on Nitrogen Fractions in Milk1

Grade A raw milk which had initial psychrotrophic counts of less than 103/ml was inoculated with an antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas sp. to a final cell concentration of 102, 104, or 106/ml. The inoculated milk was held at 4 C for 14 h and then exposed to the following time-temperature treatments: 72 C for 15 sec, 79 C for 15 sec, 88 C for 10 sec, and 95 C for < 5 sec. An uninoculated raw milk control was handled and analyzed along with inoculated samples. Aliquots of milk were analyzed for marked Pseudomonas sp., total psychrotrophic counts, numbers of Pseudomonas, and for distribution of nitrogen before and after each heat treatment and after storage of non-heat-treated raw milk and heat-treated samples for 7 and 14 days at 7 C. Psychrotrophic counts were significantly affected by heat treatment, initial cell inoculum, days stored, and plating media. Non-casein N, non-casein protein, total albumin, β-lactoglobulin, proteose-peptone, and globulin N were significantly decreased by heat treatment. Non-case...
Dynamic multi-target coverage with robotic cameras

When tracking multiple targets with autonomous cameras for 3D scene reconstruction, e.g., in sports, a significant challenge is handling the unpredictable nature of the targets' motion. Such a monitoring system must reposition according to the targets' movements and maintain satisfactory coverage of the targets. We propose an approximate, centralized approach for maximizing the visible boundary of dynamic targets using mobile cameras in a bounded 2D environment. Targets and obstacles translate, rotate, and deform independently, and cameras are only aware of the current position and shape of the targets and obstacles. Using current information, the environment is searched for better viewing positions, then cameras navigate to those positions while avoiding collisions with targets and obstacles. We present a benchmark and metrics to evaluate the performance of our method, and compare our approach to a simple gradient-based local method in several real-time simulations.
Hückel Theory + Reorganization Energy = Marcus–Hush Theory: Breakdown of the 1/n Trend in π-Conjugated Poly-p-phenylene Cation Radicals Is Explained

Among the π-conjugated poly-p-phenylene wires, fluorene-based poly-p-phenylene (FPPn) wires have been extensively explored for their potential as charge-transfer materials in functional photovoltaic devices. Herein, we undertake a systematic study of the redox and optical properties of a set of FPPn (n = 2–16) wires. We find that, while their absorption maxima (νabs) follow a linear trend against cos[π/(n + 1)] up to the polymeric limit, redox potentials (Eox) show an abrupt breakdown from linearity beginning at n ∼ 8. These observations prompted the development of a generalized model to describe the unusual evolution of redox and optical properties of poly-p-phenylene wires. We show that the cos[π/(n + 1)], commonly expressed as 1/n, dependence of the properties of various π-conjugated wires has its origin in Huckel molecular orbital (HMO) theory, which however, fails to predict the evolution of the redox potentials of these wires, as the oxidation-induced structural/solvent reorganization is unaccounted...