cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies for Removing Common Mode Failures From TMR Designs Deployed on SRAM FPGAs

Triple modular redundancy (TMR) with repair has proven to be an effective strategy for mitigating the effects of single-event upsets within the configuration memory of static random access memory field-programmable gate arrays. Applying TMR to the design successfully reduces the design’s neutron cross section by $80\times $ . The effectiveness of TMR, however, is limited by the presence of single bits in the configuration memory which cause more than one TMR domain to fail simultaneously. We present three strategies to mitigate against these failures and improve the effectiveness of TMR: incremental routing, incremental placement, and striping. These techniques were tested using both fault injection and a wide spectrum neutron beam with the best technique offering a $400\times $ reduction to the design’s sensitive neutron cross section. An analysis from the radiation test shows that no single bits caused failure and that multicell upsets were the main cause of failure for these mitigation strategies.
A 55-mW, 10-bit, 10 Msample/s Nyquist rate CMOS ADC

A low power 10-bit converter which can sample input frequencies above 100 MHz is presented. The converter consumes 55 mW when sampling at f/sub s/= 40 MHz from a 3 V supply which also includes a bandgap and a reference circuit. It exhibits higher than 9.5 effective number of bits (ENOB) for an input frequency at Nyquist (f/sub in/= 1/2 f/sub s/=20 MHz). The differential (DNL) and integral (INL) nonlinearity of the converter are within /spl plusmn/0.3 LSB and /spl plusmn/0.75 LSB respectively when sampling at 40 MHz, and improve to a 12-bit accuracy level for lower sampling rates. The overall performance is achieved using a pipeline architecture without a dedicated sample/hold circuit at the input.
Defining the representativeness heuristic in trauma triage: A retrospective observational cohort study.

Background Under-triage of severely injured patients presenting to non-trauma centers (failure to transfer to a trauma center) remains problematic despite quality improvement efforts. Insights from the behavioral science literature suggest that physician heuristics (intuitive judgments), and in particular the representativeness heuristic (pattern recognition), may contribute to under-triage. However, little is known about how the representativeness heuristic is instantiated in practice. Methods A multi-disciplinary group of experts identified candidate characteristics of “representative” severe trauma cases (e.g., hypotension). We then reviewed the charts of patients with moderate-to-severe injuries who presented to nine non-trauma centers in western Pennsylvania from 2010–2014 to assess the association between the presence of those characteristics and triage decisions. We tested bivariate associations using χ2 and Fisher’s Exact method and multivariate associations using random effects logistic regression. Results We identified 235,605 injured patients with 3,199 patients (1%) having moderate-to-severe injuries. Patients had a median age of 78 years (SD 20.1) and mean Injury Severity Score of 10.9 (SD 3.3). Only 759 of these patients (24%) were transferred to a trauma center as recommended by the American College of Surgeons clinical practice guidelines. Representative characteristics occurred in 704 patients (22%). The adjusted odds of transfer were higher in the presence of representative characteristics compared to when they were absent (aOR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.4–2.0, p < 0.001). Conclusions Most moderate-to-severely injured patients present without the characteristics representative of severe trauma. Presence of these characteristics is associated with appropriate transfer, suggesting that modifying physicians’ heuristics in trauma may improve triage patterns.
The New Economics of Colorism in the Skin Whitening Industry: Case of India and Nigeria

This chapter explores the new economic forces that have led to the rapid expansion of the skin whitening industry in India and Nigeria and the potential for mobilizing against it. I evaluate the effectiveness of the different strategies to resist this expansion such as public health campaigns and direct discussions of colorism. I argue that to be impactful and sustained, opposition to this expansion must move beyond emphasizing localized public health campaigns and make explicit the industry’s global complicity in sustaining colorism.
Development and validation of a UPLC-MS/MS analytical method for dofetilide in mouse plasma and urine, and its application to pharmacokinetic study.

A novel method using UPLC with tandem mass-spectrometric detection (UPLC-MS/MS) with positive electrospray ionization was developed for the detection of the antiarrhythmic drug, dofetilide, in mouse plasma and urine. Protein precipitation was performed on 10 μL of plasma and 2 μL of urine samples using dofetilide-D4 as an internal standard, and separation of the analyte was accomplished on a C18 analytical column with the flow of 0.40 mL/min. Subsequently, the method was successfully applied to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of dofetilide following oral and intravenous administration. The calibration curve was linear over the selected concentration range (R2 ≥ 0.99), with a lower limit of quantitation of 5 ng/mL. The intra-day and inter-day precisions, and accuracies obtained from a 5-day validation ranged from 3.00 to 7.10%, 3.80-7.20%, and 93.0-106% for plasma, and 3.50-9.00%, 3.70-10.0%, 87.0-106% for urine, while the recovery of dofetilide was 93.7% and 97.4% in plasma and urine, respectively. The observed pharmacokinetic profiles revealed that absorption is the rate-limiting step in dofetilide distribution and elimination. Pharmacokinetic studies illustrate that the absolute bioavailability of dofetilide in the FVB strain mice is 34.5%. The current developed method allows for accurate and precise quantification of dofetilide in micro-volumes of plasma and urine, and was found to be suitable for supporting in vivo pharmacokinetic studies.
The Supreme Court, Due Process and State Income Taxation of Trusts

What are the constitutional limits on a state’s power to tax a trust with no connection to the state, other than the accident that a beneficiary lives there? The Supreme Court of the United States will take up this question this term in the context of North Carolina v. Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust. The case involves North Carolina’s income taxation of a trust with a contingent beneficiary, meaning someone who is eligible, but not certain, to receive a distribution or benefit from the trust, who resides in that State. Part I of this Essay explains the background of Kaestner Trust and frames the constitutional questions that will be before the Court at oral arguments on April 16, 2019. Part II examines how and why due process applies in the state income taxation context, with a particular emphasis on how familiar concepts of general and specific jurisdiction apply uneasily to donative trusts. Part III articulates the reasons that the Court should hold that a State has no constitutional authority to impose a tax on trust income where the trust’s only connection with the forum State is the residence of a contingent beneficiary. Kaestner Trust is the most important due process case involving trusts that the Court has decided in over sixty years; it bears directly on the fundamental meaning of due process.
Design parameters and control strategies for a combined passive heating and cooling system in Louisville, KY

ABSTRACTConventional passive solar systems can significantly reduce a building's heating load. However, the integration of passive heating and cooling systems in the same building and the benefits ...
The high-temperature corrosion behavior of Fe-Mo-Al alloys in H2/H2O/H2S mixed-gas environments

The corrosion behavior of 11 Fe-Mo-Al ternary alloys was studied over the temperature range 700–980°C in H2/H2O/H2S mixed-gas environments. With the exception of Fe-10Mo-7Al, for which breakaway kinetics were observed at higher temperatures, all alloys followed the parabolic rate law, despite two-stage kinetics which were observed in some cases. A kinetics inversion was observed for alloys containing 7 wt.% Al between 700–800°C. The corrosion rates of Fe-20Mo and Fe-30Mo were found to be reduced by five orders of magnitude at all temperatures by the addition of 9.1 or higher wt.% aluminum. The scales formed on low-Al alloys (≤5 wt.% Al) were duplex, consisting of an outer layer of iron sulfide (with some dissolved Al) and a complex inner of Al0.55Mo2S4, FeMo2S4, Fe1.25Mo6S7.7, FeS, and uncorroded FeAl and Fe3Mo2. Platinum markers were always located at the interface between the inner and outer scales for the low-Al alloys, indicating that outer-scale growth was due mainly to outward diffusion of cations (Fe and Al), while the inner scale was formed primarily by the inward flux of sulfur anions. Alloys having intermediate Al contents (7 wt.%) formed scales that consisted of FeS and Al2O3. The amount of Al2O3 increased with increasing reaction temperature. The high-Al-content alloys (9.1 and 10 wt.%) formed only Al2O3 which was responsible for the reduction of the corrosion rates.
Extravasation of fluid in arthroscopic shoulder surgery requiring prolonged intubation: a case report

Shoulder arthroscopy is a safe and effective procedure with a low complication rate. Although rare, there are potentially life-threatening risks such as fluid extravasation causing airway compromise. We report the case of a 65-year-old female treated with an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair who had significant extravasation of arthroscopic fluid causing severe facial and neck swelling. Overnight intubation was required for respiratory monitoring until the edema had resolved enough to allow safe extubation. This case highlights the risk factors and clinical course of a patient with airway compromise caused by extravasation of fluid during shoulder arthroscopy. Although shoulder arthroscopy is a safe procedure, surgeon familiarity with the risk factors for this complication and close monitoring can aid in its identification and allow for appropriate treatment.
Frequency and prevalence of obesity and related comorbidities in West Texas.

AbstractThe aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the frequency and prevalence of obesity and its association with diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary art...
Bundle Method Sketching for Low Rank Semidefinite Programming

In this paper, we show that the bundle method can be applied to solve semidefinite programming problems with a low rank solution without ever constructing a full matrix. To accomplish this, we use recent results from randomly sketching matrix optimization problems and from the analysis of bundle methods. Under strong duality and strict complementarity of SDP, our algorithm produces primal and the dual sequences converging in feasibility at a rate of $\tilde{O}(1/\epsilon)$ and in optimality at a rate of $\tilde{O}(1/\epsilon^2)$. Moreover, our algorithm outputs a low rank representation of its approximate solution with distance to the optimal solution at most $O(\sqrt{\epsilon})$ within $\tilde{O}(1/\epsilon^2)$ iterations.
Consideration of exposure to traffic-related air pollution in bicycle route planning

Abstract Introduction Active transportation modes such as bicycling are key elements of sustainable transportation. In order to promote bicycling as an alternative form of transportation, a holistic approach to improving the quality of the biking experience is needed. The planning of bicycle routes typically takes into consideration available right-of-way, existing roadway infrastructure, and safety concerns, among other factors. Exposure to traffic-related air pollution, on the other hand, is rarely considered despite bicyclists being vulnerable to the harmful air pollution due to their direct exposure to vehicular exhaust and increased breathing rate during biking. Methods This paper presents a method for incorporating exposure to traffic-related air pollution as another consideration in the bicycle route planning process. The method first applies a streamlined process for estimating the level of near-road air pollution concentration. Then a bicycle route planning tool is developed which allows planners and engineers to compare the exposure of bicyclists to traffic-related air pollution among different bicycle route options. Additionally, this paper demonstrates how to apply the method in two case studies in the City of Riverside, California. Results Through the case studies, it is shown that considering exposure to traffic-related air pollution can change the results of bicycle route planning. Conclusions The presented case studies illustrate how the consideration of exposure to traffic-related air pollution could impact the results of bicycle route planning. Planners may refer to the presented method or use the information in the analysis differently based on their needs in specific projects. Planners and stakeholders may jointly determine how important the different factors, including exposure to traffic-related air pollution, are in relation to one another and what tradeoff between different factors will be.
Work Reentry After Childbirth: Predictors of Self-Rated Health in Month One Among a Sample of University Faculty and Staff.

Abstract Background Childbirth represents a significant transition for women, with physical and psychological sequelae. Reentry to the workplace during the postpartum period is understudied, with implications for maternal well-being and job-related outcomes. This study's aim was to examine selected pregnancy, childbirth, and return-to-work correlates of overall self-rated health within the first month of work reentry after maternity leave. Methods Between December 2016 and January 2017, we surveyed women employed at a large, public Midwestern university who had given birth in the past five years (N = 249) to examine self-rated overall health in the first month of work reentry. Using ordinal logistic regression, we examined whether physical or psychological health problems during pregnancy, childbirth complications, length of maternity leave, and depression and anxiety at work reentry were related to overall health. Results Women who experienced depression (odds ratio [OR] = 0.096 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 0.019 to 0.483, p = 0.004]) and anxiety (OR = 0.164, [95% CI = 0.042 to 0.635, p = 0.009]) nearly every day reported worse health at work reentry than those with no symptoms. Controlling for demographics and mental health, women who experienced medical problems during pregnancy (OR = 0.540 [95% CI = 0.311 to .935, p = 0.028]) were more likely to report poor health, while taking a longer maternity leave (OR = 14.552 [95% CI = 4.934 to 42.918, p Conclusion Women who experience medical complications during pregnancy, return to the workplace too soon after birth, and experience mental health symptoms are vulnerable physically as they return to work.
Maternal and system characteristics, oxytocin administration practices, and cesarean birth rate

Background The cesarean birth rate in the United States is 32%, and there is discussion about the cause of high surgical birth rates. Our purpose was to determine whether mode of birth is influenced by maternal, nurse, and system factors. Methods Secondary analysis of a data set of 163 women having postdates labor induction with oxytocin. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated to compare the time for patients to reach an infusion rate of 6 mU/min, consistent with endogenous oxytocin levels in active labor. We used the log-rank test to evaluate survival curve differences. Multiple logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were conducted and included covariates that had statistically significant bivariate relationships with the time variable, or were clinically meaningful. Results The mean time to reach 6 mU/min was longer for women who birthed by cesarean (172.5 minutes) than for women who had vaginal birth (125.0 minutes, P = .024). The mean time to reach 6 mU/min was also longer for women admitted on night shift (147.0 minutes) than day shift (110.2 minutes, P = .018). No maternal characteristics were significantly related to the time to reach a rate of 6 mU/min. Conclusions Even during the initial hours of labor induction, it is important that the oxytocin infusion is titrated appropriately to aid women in achieving timely vaginal birth. Intrapartum nurses should receive education about the pharmacokinetics of intravenous oxytocin to understand proper administration of this high-alert medication.
The Redox-Sensitive Na/K-ATPase Signaling in Uremic Cardiomyopathy

In recent years, Na/K-ATPase signaling has been implicated in different physiological and pathophysiological conditions, including cardiac hypertrophy and uremic cardiomyopathy. Cardiotonic steroids (CTS), specific ligands of Na/K-ATPase, regulate its enzymatic activity (at higher concentrations) and signaling function (at lower concentrations without significantly affecting its enzymatic activity) and increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. On the other hand, an increase in ROS alone also regulates the Na/K-ATPase enzymatic activity and signaling function. We termed this phenomenon the Na/K-ATPase-mediated oxidant-amplification loop, in which oxidative stress regulates both the Na/K-ATPase activity and signaling. Most recently, we also demonstrated that this amplification loop is involved in the development of uremic cardiomyopathy. This review aims to evaluate the redox-sensitive Na/K-ATPase-mediated oxidant amplification loop and uremic cardiomyopathy.
Survival Outcomes of Lung Transplant Recipients from Donors with Abnormal Kidney Function

Purpose Aim is to assess outcomes of lung transplant recipients from donors with abnormal kidney function and to determine difference in lung utilization. Methods We reviewed United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry for first-time adult lung transplant recipients from 06/2005 to 03/2017. Donor kidney function was divided into 3 groups based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): >60 (Group I), 15-59 (Group II) and Results Of 76,685 available donors, 52747 (68.7%) were in Group I, 20040 (26.1%) in Group II and 3898 (5%) in Group III. Lung utilization rates were: 29.7% (15670/52747), 19.4% (3879/20040), 18.1% (704/3898) for Group I, II, III, respectively. The 1, 3 and 5 year recipient survival rates were: 86.2%, 69.2% and 55.7% (Group I), 84.9%, 66.9 % and 53.8% (Group II) and 85.5%, 65.3% and 50.3% (Group III) respectively (adjusted p=0.25; multivariate cox regression method; Figure 1). When Group I was used as reference, the adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for Group II was 1.04 (0.98-1.10) and Group III was 1.08 (0.96-1.23) after adjusting with multivariate cox regression model. Conclusion Although there was no significant difference in the lung transplant recipient survival, the lung utilization from donors with abnormal kidney function was lower compared to donors with normal kidney function. Donors with abnormal kidney function can potentially be a good resource to improve the donor pool.
LINEAR AND NONLINEAR MODELS OF AUTOMATED VEHICLES ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTS

This paper presents some analytical and experimental results regarding dynamic modelling and control of automated wheeled vehicles. Linear and nonlinear models are developed to represent the plane motion of this class of vehicle. An optimal controller is implemented for the tracking of a prototype vehicle CONCIC III. Results regarding the accuracy of the models, verification of the assumptions are reported.
Abstract IA21: Deciphering the human gut microbiome with chemistry

The human body is colonized by trillions of microorganisms that exert a profound influence on human biology, in part by providing functional capabilities that extend beyond those of host cells. In particular, there is growing evidence linking chemical processes carried out by the human gut microbiome to diseases such as colorectal cancer. However, we still do not understand the vast majority of the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Major obstacles faced in surmounting this knowledge gap include the difficulty in linking functions associated with the human gut microbiota to specific microbial enzymes and the challenge of controlling these activities in complex microbial communities. This talk will discuss my lab’s efforts to characterize gut microbial metabolic activities that are linked to colorectal cancer, including a gut microbial genotoxin called colibactin. Gaining a molecular understanding of cancer-associated gut microbial activities will not only help to elucidate the mechanisms by which these organisms contribute to carcinogenesis but should also enable efforts to treat and prevent disease by manipulating this microbial community. Citation Format: Emily P. Balskus. Deciphering the human gut microbiome with chemistry [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer; 2020 Feb 21-24; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(8 Suppl):Abstract nr IA21.
Phosphine-Directed sp3 C–H, C–O, and C–N Borylation

Benzylic C–H borylation reactions are limited, requiring new approaches to exploit their reactivity for efficient selective functionalization. The recent development of phosphine-directed C–H boryl...
Insights into the Administration of Ancient Irrigation Systems in Third Millennium BCE Mesopotamia

Mesopotamian administrative documents provide an extraordinary insight into the mathematics used in the recording of economic data from various sectors of early state economies. This paper will discuss the computation and quantification procedures as related to the administration of irrigation systems in Southern Mesopotamia in the third millennium BCE. The largest and the most detailed corpus of such administrative texts derives from the highly bureaucratic Ur III state (2112–2004 BCE) that controlled an area roughly corresponding to modern Southern Iraq at the end of the third millennium BCE. Texts discussed in this paper provide insight into one of the earliest examples of geographic surveys by which the natural environment was translated into quantifiable units, necessary to compute workloads, labor demands and the division of the work amongst different social groups and state institutions. It has been proposed that Ur III bookkeeping served to keep track of the fulfillment of a province’s tax obligations and/or was the result of a planned economy. However, this paper suggests that it equally functioned as a means to streamline the workflow associated with the upkeep and operation of irrigation systems.
How Should Risks Posed by Decision Support Be Managed

Managing risk in cases that involve the use of clinical decision support tools is ethically complex. This article highlights some of these complexities and offers 3 considerations for risk managers to draw upon when assessing risk in cases using clinical decision support: (1) the type of decision support offered, (2) how well a decision support tool helps accomplish work that needs to be done, and (3) how well values embedded in a tool align with patients' and caregivers' professed values.
Addressing the Issue of Race and Drug Offenses: An Analysis of the Safety Valve Provision in Federal Sentencing

In efforts to understand the Sentencing Reform Act’s effectiveness on federal drug offenses, the current study seeks to determine the application of the safety valve provision in the 2013 federal s...
Economic Inclusion in the United States: Predictive Analysis of COVID-19 pandemic on County Rates of Unbanked Households

COVID-19 pandemic has a significant effect on the unemployment rate in the United States. However, the economic effect in different states is not the same for each household. In this work, Our goal is to capture and outline the relationships between pandemic incidence, economic inclusion, unemployment, and bank branch closures in order to understand the emerging relationship between the coronavirus pandemic, rates of economic inclusion, and economic well-being of localities. Furthermore, we machine learning algorithms to evaluate the predictive power of coronavirus incidence and fatality rates, county-level unemployment, and bank branch closure rates on rates of economic inclusion. Also, a natural language processing approach is used to analyze the unemployment COVID-19 textual data. We use BERT as a powerful transformer for sentiment classification on COVID-19 unemployment data.
Perioperative cardiovascular outcomes among older adults undergoing in-hospital noncardiac surgery

BACKGROUND Older adults undergoing noncardiac surgery have a high risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). This study aims to estimate the magnitude of increased perioperative risk, and examine national trends in perioperative MACE following in-hospital noncardiac surgery in older adults compared to middle-aged adults. DESIGN Time-series analysis of retrospective longitudinal data. SETTING The United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Inpatient Sample (NIS). PARTICIPANTS Hospitalizations for major noncardiac surgery among adults age ≥45 years between January 2004 and December 2014. MEASUREMENTS Inpatient perioperative MACE was defined as a composite of in-hospital death, myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemic stroke. In hospital death was determined from the NIS discharge disposition. MI and ischemic stroke were defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. RESULTS Of an estimated 55,349,978 surgical hospitalizations, 26,423,039 (47.7%) were for adults age 45-64, 14,231,386 (25.7%) age 65-74, 10,621,029 (19.2%) age 75-84 years, and 4,074,523 (7.4%) age ≥85 years. MACE occurred in 1,601,022 surgical hospitalizations (2.9%). Adults 65-74 (2.8%; aOR 1.16, 95% CI 1.14-1.17), 75-84 years (4.5%; aOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.28-1.32), and ≥85 years (6.9%; aOR 1.55, 95% CI 1.52-1.57) had greater risk of MACE than those 45-64 years (1.7%). From 2004 to 2014, MACE declined among adults 65-74 (3.1-2.5%, p < 0.001), 75-85 years (4.9-3.9%, p < 0.001), and ≥85 years (7.7-6.1%, p < 0.001), but was unchanged for adults age 45-64. Declines in MACE were driven by decreased MI and mortality despite increased stroke. CONCLUSION Older adults accounted for half of hospitalizations, but experienced the majority of MACE. Older adults had greater adjusted odds of MACE than younger individuals. The proportion of perioperative MACE declined over time, despite increases in ischemic stroke. These data highlight risks of noncardiac surgery in older adults that warrant increased attention to improve perioperative outcomes.
Applying fracture mechanics to adhesive bonds

Abstract Fracture, the propagation of a dominant flaw, is an important mode of failure in engineering materials, including adhesively bonded joints. The growth of pre-existing or service-induced cracks, flaws, or damage, whether through rapid propagation or slow advances due to cyclic fatigue or extended load duration, can lead to unsatisfactory performance and even catastrophic failures. The stress intensity factor or the strain energy release approach, which is more commonly used for bonded joints, can be used to quantify the likelihood of failure when compared to critical values of these parameters. Polymeric adhesives are inherently viscoelastic, so time or rate, temperature, and other factors such as moisture content and other environmental influences can affect fracture resistance, sometimes significantly. Fracture energies measured in bonded systems can depend on the mode mixity (opening and sliding components), adhesive thickness, and other factors as well.
Striving, Oomph, and Intelligibility in Spinoza

Spinoza’s rationalism engenders a drive for unification. Because sharp breaks in reality are, for him, inexplicable and unintelligible, Spinoza’s commitment to the principle of sufficient reason (hereafter: “the PSR”) – the principle that for each thing that exists there is an explanation – dictates a rejection of such breaks. In Spinoza’s philosophy of mind, the crucial unifying notion is that of representation. Thus, volitions, emotions, and also affirmations and negations, i.e., judgements, are all reducible to representations of one kind or another, representations of certain objects or states of affairs. For Spinoza ideas, representations, as such and by their very nature, are judgements or affirmations and, by their very nature, are volitions and affective states. There is no sharp break in Spinoza between representations and mental states such as judgements and volitions.
Combined seismic and hydraulic method of modeling flow in fractured low permeability rocks

Modeling flow of ground water in hard rocks where a network of fractures provides the dominant flow paths is a major problem. This paper summarizes a program of investigations currently underway in this laboratory to characterize the geometry of fractured rocks and develop methods of handling flow in such systems. Numerical models have been developed to investigate flow behavior in two- and three-dimensional fracture networks. The results demonstrate the insights that can be gained from modeling studies of fractured rocks. A key problem is gathering the necessary data on fracture geometry. Investigations have been started to determine how vertical seismic profiling (VSP) might be improved and applied to this problem. A VSP experiment in The Geysers geothermal field in northern California, where fracture orientation is known, produced shear wave splitting and velocity anisotropy in agreement with theory. The results suggest the potential application of 3-component, multi-source VSP data in determining fracture orientation and average spacing. We believe a combination of seismic and hydraulic methods can greatly enhance an understanding of fluid flow and transport in low permeability rock systems where fractures provide the dominant paths.
On the Stability Analysis of Nonlinear Feedback Systems

A stability condition is developed for multivariable nonlinear feedback systems. The method has two outstanding features. First, a modified sector condition is employed to express the multivariable stability criterion. This is complemented by the use of high-order approximations to accurately evaluate the gains of nonlinear operators. An example demonstrates the utility of the method in defining stable operating regimes for chemical processes.
Processing Requirements for Property Optimization of Eu2O3-W Cermets for Fast Reactor Neutron Absorber Applications

Europium sesquioxide is a candidate fast reactor neutron absorber material. It possesses several desirable characteristics for this application, but has a low thermal conductivity. This gives rise to pellet cracking duing reactor operation. To increase the thermal conductivity without great sacrifice in nuclear worth, addition of tungsten to Eu2O3 has been evaluated. Synthesis and fabrication techniques described allow preparation of high-density compacts of Eu2O3–15 vol % W possessing favorable thermal conductivity and thermal expansion.
U.S. IOOS coastal and ocean modeling testbed: Evaluation of tide, wave, and hurricane surge response sensitivities to mesh resolution and friction in the Gulf of Mexico

[1] This paper investigates model response sensitivities to mesh resolution, topographical details, bottom friction formulations, the interaction of wind waves and circulation, and nonlinear advection on tidal and hurricane surge and wave processes at the basin, shelf, wetland, and coastal channel scales within the Gulf of Mexico. Tides in the Gulf of Mexico are modestly energetic processes, whereas hurricane surge and waves are highly energetic. The unstructured-mesh, coupled wind-wave and circulation modeling system, SWAN+ADCIRC, is implemented to generate modeled tidal harmonic constituents and hurricane waves and surge for a Hurricane Ike (2008) hindcast. In the open ocean, mesh resolution requirements are less stringent in achieving accurate tidal signals or matching hurricane surge and wave responses; however, coarser resolution or the absence of intertidal zones decreases accuracy along protected nearshore and inland coastal areas due to improper conveyance and/or lateral attenuation. Bottom friction formulations are shown to have little impact on tidal signal accuracy, but hurricane surge is much more sensitive, especially in shelf waters, where development of a strong shore-parallel current is essential to the development of Ike's geostrophic setup. The spatial and temporal contributions of wave radiation stress gradients and nonlinear advection were charted for Ike. Nonlinear advection improves model performance by capturing an additional 10–20 cm of geostrophic setup and increasing resonant cross-shelf waves by 30–40 cm. Wave radiation stress gradients improve performance at coastal stations by adding an extra 20–40 cm to water levels.
Book Reviews: General/Theoretical Anthropology

Book reviewed in this article: Strong Societies and Weak States: State-Society Relations and State Capabilities in the Third World. Joel S. Migdal Ethnicities and Nations: Processes of Interethnic Relations in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Remo Guidieri, Francesco Pellizzi, and Stanley J. Tambiah, eds.
Vaginal pool phospholipids in the management of premature rupture of membranes

Abstract Clinical utility of vaginal pool amniotic fluid assessment in premature rupture of the membranes was prospectively studied in 214 patients between July 1, 1978, and June 30, 1981. We used a policy of nonintervention in patients with premature rupture of the membranes prior to 36 weeks' gestation. Vaginal samples collected on admission and daily thereafter were analyzed for phospholipids. Patients underwent delivery for any one of these conditions: (1) presence of phosphatidylglycerol, (2) spontaneous labor, or (3) sepsis. One hundred sixty-seven patients had no phosphatidyiglycerol initially. Thirty-six of these acquired phosphatidylglycerol, and none had respiratory distress syndrome. Eight patients underwent delivery because of signs of sepsis in the mother, but all infants of septic mothers survived. The newborn infants of 49 patients developed the respiratory distress syndrome, and among these there were six deaths, with no maternal deaths. We believe that these results confirm the value of phosphatidylglycerol in patients with premature rupture of the membranes, and that delay in patients from premature rupture of the membranes results in few infections and a significant decrease in the respiratory distress syndrome.
Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam – By Fred M. Donner

One of the ongoing debates about early Islamic history concerns the factors that led to the Arab conquest of the Middle East in the late seventh century. In a 1981 book, Fred Donner minimized the e...
A user-friendly system for microphone array research

Describes the design and use of a digital acoustic array signal processing research environment. The system unites the interactive numerical processing capabilities of The MathWorks' MATLAB with multichannel data acquisition/signal processing hardware and an overhead Cartesian robot for accurate sound source placement. In conjunction with additional electronic and electromechanical peripherals, the user-friendly environment facilitates the spatial and temporal analysis and evaluation of acoustic array algorithms. Real-data experiments and their results are provided to demonstrate the flexibility and ease-of-use of the array system.
The food environment in an urban Mexican American community

The objective was to determine whether ethnic composition of neighborhoods is associated with number and type of food stores in an urban, Mexican American US community. Data were from a commercial food store data source and the US Census. Multivariate count models were used to test associations with adjustment for neighborhood demographics, income, and commercialization. Neighborhoods at the 75th percentile of percent Mexican American (76%) had nearly four times the number of convenience stores (RR=3.9, 95% CI: 2.2–7.0) compared with neighborhoods at the 25th percentile (36%). Percent Mexican American in the neighborhood was not associated with the availability of other food store types (supermarkets, grocery stores, specialty stores, convenience stores with gas stations) in the adjusted model. The impact of greater access to convenience stores on Mexican American residents' diets requires exploration.
Shock compression of reactive powder mixtures

Abstract The shock compression of reactive powder mixtures can yield varied chemical behaviour with occurrence of mechanochemical reactions in the timescale of the high pressure state, or thermochemical reactions in the timescale of temperature equilibration, or simply the creation of dense packed highly reactive state of material. The principal challenge has been to understand the processes that distinguish between mechanochemical (shock induced) and thermochemical (shock assisted) reactions, which has broad implications for the synthesis of novel metastable or non-equilibrium materials, or the design of highly configurable next generation energetic materials. In this paper, the process of shock compression in reactive powder mixtures and the associated role of various intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of reactants in the triggering of ultrafast shock induced chemical reactions are discussed. Experimental techniques employing time resolved diagnostics and results which identify the occurren...
A simple technique to minimize heat damage to specimens during thermal polymerization of LR White in plastic and gelatin capsules.

Summary London Resin (LR) White is a commonly used resin for embedding specimens to be used for immuno- and/or cytochemical studies. In some instances, due to either the properties of the specimen or the availability of various reagents and equipment, it becomes necessary and/or more convenient to polymerize LR White using heat rather than chemical accelerators or UV light. It is known, however, that heat can reduce or even eliminate the anti genicity of the tissue being embedded. It is therefore desirable to polymerize specimens at the lowest temperature possible and to remove the specimens from the oven as soon as polymerization is complete. We have developed a technique that provides a visual marker that allows the exothermic polymerization of LR White to be monitored, thus minimizing the amount of time a specimen must stay in the oven while excluding oxygen from capsules of polymerizing LR White.
Classical homocystinuria: newborn screening with early treatment effectively prevents complications

Classical homocystinuria (HCU) due to cystathionine β -synthase deficiency is an inherited disorder of methionine metabolism. HCU has a reported worldwide prevalence ranging from 1 in 344 000 to 1 in 65 000 in Ireland. Molecular studies indicate a much higher incidence of between 1 in 6500–20 000 and as high as 1 in 1800 in a highly consanguinous Qatari population. Recognized complications from the untreated disease affect four major systems: ocular (ectopia lentis), skeletal (osteoporosis), vascular (thromboembolic events) and central nervous systems (intellectual disabilities). The natural history is such that 82% will have ectopia lentis by the age of 10 years, 27% will have had a clinically detected thromboembolic event by the age of 15 years, 64% will have radiological evidence of spinal osteoporosis by the age of 15 years and 23% will not survive to the age of 30 years. Long-term outcome studies on a group of Irish patients detected by newborn screening and commenced on early treatment document that homocysteine-lowering treatment is effective in preventing complications and normal intelligence is achieved. Vascular events are the major cause of morbidity and mortality. The results from a multicentre study show that homocysteine-lowering therapy is effective in significantly reducing the vascular risk during treatment. In the half-century since its discovery in 1962, homocystinuria with its devastating complications has been discovered to be a treatable condition, with the best possible clinical outcome in cases detected early by newborn screening.
Normal and Quasi-Normal Modes in Damped Linear Dynamic Systems

A generalization of the concept of classical normal modes in damped linear systems is presented. It is then shown that a necessary and sufficient condition that such quasi-normal modes exist is that certain matrices associated with the system commute. Necessary and sufficient conditions of the same type are also obtained for the classical normal modes, but under more restrictive conditions.
Designing photoswitchable peptides using the AsLOV2 domain

Photocontrol of functional peptides is a powerful tool for spatial and temporal control of cell signaling events. We show that the genetically encoded light-sensitive LOV2 domain of Avena Sativa phototropin 1 (AsLOV2) can be used to reversibly photomodulate the affinity of peptides for their binding partners. Sequence analysis and molecular modeling were used to embed two peptides into the Jα helix of the AsLOV2 domain while maintaining AsLOV2 structure in the dark but allowing for binding to effector proteins when the Jα helix unfolds in the light. Caged versions of the ipaA and SsrA peptides, LOV-ipaA and LOV-SsrA, bind their targets with 49- and 8-fold enhanced affinity in the light, respectively. These switches can be used as general tools for light-dependent colocalization, which we demonstrate with photo-activable gene transcription in yeast.
Court and controversy : patenting science in the nineteenth century

In the autumn of 1851, on the occasion of the American Institute of New York's annual fair, the Boston chemist and geologist Charles Jackson chose as the subject of his address the ‘Encouragement and Cultivation of the Sciences in the United States’. Playing on popular enthusiasm for science and technology, Jackson rehearsed the wondrous progress of the arts and the role of science in that progress. Science was the ‘Hand-maiden of the Arts’, and most assuredly the ‘maid of honor’, he declared, for science was the ‘progressive power’ which inspired new inventions. These were commonplace assumptions of the time, and surely no one in his audience would have disputed them.
Lithium Niobate on Silicon Dioxide Suspended Membranes: A Technology Platform for Engineering the Temperature Coefficient of Frequency of High Electromechanical Coupling Resonators

This paper presents a new class of laterally vibrating resonators (LVRs) based on Y-cut ion-sliced lithium niobate (LN) thin films on silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ). The SiO 2 layer is used to engineer the temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of the LN resonator. The LN LVR is built on top of a SiO 2 layer and released from the underlying silicon wafer by dry etching in Xenon difluoride (XeF 2 ). For a given sample having an LN layer thickness of 420 nm and SiO 2 thickness of 1600 nm, this paper demonstrated resonators with TCF of +17 ppm/°C, and +18 ppm/°C for devices vibrating at 460 and 420 MHz, and, respectively, oriented at 10° and 30° to the x-axis. TCF of +24.1 ppm/°C and +27.7 ppm/°C were recorded for devices vibrating at 720 MHz, respectively, oriented at 40° and 50° to the x-axis. These results correspond to a 4-5 X reduction in the TCF of standalone LN resonators. The positive TCF clearly indicates the effect of the SiO 2 layer, and its value matches with what is predicted analytically by finite element method simulations and nonlinear analysis of the resonator amplitude-frequency response. This demonstration offers evidence that TCF engineering of LN LVRs is possible. Most importantly, these LN LVRs still exhibited high values of electromechanical coupling, k 2 t , around 9% at 723.7 MHz, and Q in excess of 1320 in air at 419.3 MHz. By optimizing the relative values of the LN and SiO 2 thickness, it is ultimately possible to attain devices with zero first order TCF.
The effects of inlet turbulence on the development of fluid flow and heat transfer in a helically coiled pipe

Abstract In this paper, the effects of inlet turbulence level on the development of three-dimensional turbulent flow and heat transfer in the entrance region of a helically coiled pipe are investigated by means of a fully elliptic numerical study. The k – e standard two-equation turbulence model is used to simulate turbulent flow and heat transfer, which are assumed to develop from the inlet to the outlet simultaneously. Constant wall temperature and uniform inlet conditions are applied. The governing equations are solved by a Control-Volume Finite Element Method with an unstructured nonuniform grid system. Numerical results presented in this paper cover a Reynolds number range of 10 4 –10 5 , a Prandtl number range of 0.02–100, and an inlet turbulence intensity range of 2–40%. The development of the main velocity field, the secondary velocity field, the temperature field, bulk turbulent kinetic energy, the average friction factor, and average Nusselt numbers are discussed. It is found that bulk turbulent kinetic energy far from the entrance is not affected by the inlet turbulence level. Significant effects of the inlet turbulence level on the development of the friction factor and Nusselt number occur within a short axial distance from the entrance only.
Modeling and predicting emerging inference-based decisions in complex and ambiguous legal settings

Abstract Many decisions people make are based on multitudes of inferences. People have been shown to generate sense quite effortlessly––and compulsively––even in highly opaque situations. Recently, it has been suggested that the making of an inference-based decision may be accompanied by an increase in the coherence of assessments of the individual arguments related to the alternatives at hand. This suggests a constraint satisfaction reasoning process. In two complex and ambiguous law-related emerging decisions, assessments of inferences increasingly spread apart, even if no additional information was provided. Two approaches for studying emerging coherence are developed. First, the structures that emerge as participants progress from stage to stage in the judgment process are captured as principal components through factor analysis. Second, discriminant analysis is employed to test the predictive strength of the emerging cognitive structures vis-a-vis each sequential decision.
Flavor-diagonal CP violation

The focus of this brief review is on new physics (NP) sources of CP violation, especially related to the flavor-diagonal phenomena of electric dipole moments (EDMs) of elementary particles and atoms. Using weak scale supersymmetry as an example, we illustrate various aspects of the “new physics CP-problem”. We also explore the interplay between flavor-changing and flavor-diagonal CP violation in the context of the recent hints from the Tevatron for new sources of CP violation in the B-meson systems.
Vitamin D and the skin: Physiology and pathophysiology

The keratinocytes of the skin are unique in being not only the primary source of vitamin D for the body, but in possessing both the enzymatic machinery to metabolize the vitamin D produced to active metabolites (in particular 1,25(OH)2D) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) that enables the keratinocytes to respond to the 1,25(OH)2D thus generated. Numerous functions of the skin are regulated by vitamin D and/or its receptor. These include inhibition of proliferation, stimulation of differentiation including formation of the permeability barrier, promotion of innate immunity, regulation of the hair follicle cycle, and suppression of tumor formation. Regulation of these actions is exerted by a number of different coregulator complexes including the coactivators vitamin D receptor interacting protein (DRIP) complex also known as Mediator and the steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) family (of which SRC 2 and 3 are found in keratincytes), the inhibitor hairless (Hr), and β-catenin whose impact on VDR function is complex. Different coregulators appear to be involved in different VDR regulated functions. This review will examine the various functions of vitamin D and its receptor in the skin, and explore the mechanisms by which these functions are regulated.