cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Active management in the development of intelligent products

The author explores a general framework for analyzing or synthesizing intelligent systems, as well as techniques for implementing them. The framework consists of six factors: purpose, space, structure, time, process and efficiency. The technologies involve the methods of artificial intelligence and strategies for developing knowledge-based systems. The framework has been used to develop diverse applications, ranging from an expert system for creative product design to a package for factory configurations. This framework is discussed in the context of an expert system for the design of personal computers. >
Automatic Control Program for Spear

LO dr.i\ t’ <lli l.li~~ rmhr~s log~~thcr. ,\h the ih\C’:+ ramp up or don n , accortling to their spci Lfied talcs, an intr:r!.up-driycsn , ,WOrli suppo:Qd I+ lhe U. S. Atomic Enc*rgy Gommission. program in the computer constantly examines all DAC’s, and stops those that reach their set points (DACSP). When all DAC’s reach their set points, the master pulser is turned off. In this way, all power supplies can be ramped in unison from one configuration to another.
On time-sub-optimal control using artificial neural networks

It is demonstrated how a neural network may be used to generate a time-suboptimal control policy in continuous time. Approximation of optimal feedback by neural networks is proposed. Training data are taken from a set of precalculated open-loop trajectories from which a neural network extracts the information about the mapping in question. Simulation results are provided for a simple example. >
Association of lipoprotein lipase gene polymorphisms with coronary artery disease

Abstract OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to test whether the HindIII (+) and PvuII (−) or (+) restriction enzyme–defined alleles are associated with angiographic coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a central role in lipid metabolism, hydrolyzing triglyceride in chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins. Polymorphic variants of the LPL gene are common and might affect risk of CAD. METHODS Blood was drawn from 725 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Leukocyte deoxyribonucleic acid segments containing the genomic sites were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and digested, and polymorphisms were identified after electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose gel. RESULTS In no-CAD control subjects (n = 168), HindIII (−) and (+) allelic frequencies were 28.6% and 71.4%, and (−) and (+) alleles were carried by 44.0% and 86.9% of subjects, respectively. Control PvuII (−) and (+) allelic frequencies were 41.7% and 58.3%, and (−) and (+) alleles were carried by 64.3% and 81.0%, respectively. In CAD patients (>60% stenosis; n = 483), HindIII (+) allelic carriage was increased (93.8% of patients, odds ratio [OR] = 2.28, confidence interval [CI] 1.27 to 4.00). Also, PvuII (−) allelic carriage tended to be more frequent in CAD patients (OR = 1.33, CI 0.92 to 1.93). Adjusted for six CAD risk factors and the other polymorphism, HindIII (+) carriage was associated with an OR = 2.86, CI 1.50 to 5.42, p = 0.0014, and PvuII (−) carriage, OR = 1.42, CI 0.95 to 2.12, p = 0.09. The two polymorphisms were in strong linkage disequilibrium, and a haplotype association was suggested. CONCLUSIONS The common LPL polymorphic allele, HindIII (+), is moderately associated with CAD, and the PvuII (−) allele is modestly associated (trend). Genetic variants of LPL deserve further evaluation as risk factors for CAD.
Network Effects in Migrant Remittances: Evidence From Household, Sibling, and Village Ties in Nang Rong, Thailand

Migrant remittances comprise an important capital source for developing countries. Research connects migrants’ remittance behavior to altruism, exchange, insurance, and investment motives or to a desire to maintain options available through origin communities. This study provides an alternative “network” perspective: Remittance behavior may depend on the remitting patterns of those in one’s social ties—(a) to members of the origin household; (b) to members of “sibling” households, where a member of the ego household has a sibling; and (c) to members of the origin village. We use censuses from 51 villages in Nang Rong, where one in four residents migrated to internal destinations in either 1994 or 2000, and about one in two migrants remitted to their origin households. We observe network effects: Migrants’ likelihood of remitting increases with the number of remitters in the household and with the share of remitters in the village, net of village and year fixed effects, and other potential confounders. We ...
Alternatives to the School-to-Prison Pipeline: The Role of Educational Leaders in Developing a College-Going Culture

As the largest and fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the country, Latin@ educational success is a national priority. In the Los Angeles Unified School district, the country's largest, high school graduating rates for Latin@s hover at near 40%. Examining this institutional and societal tragedy through the school-to-prison pipeline has yielded crucial insights. Less understood are alternatives to the school-to-prison pipeline and the vital role of educational leaders. This qualitative study of principals and counselors in Southeast Los Angeles schools asks: What is the relationship between the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ and the lacking of a ‘college going culture’ in underserved communities? How do educational leaders perceive their role in creating a “college-going culture” in largely underserved, ender-resourced communities? Among the findings is the continued existence of deficit explanations of school failure and the need for school-community partnerships to move toward more asset- based frameworks.
Where Should the Femoral Tunnel of a Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Be Placed to Best Restore Anteroposterior Laxity and Ligament Forces

BackgroundObjective results of posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are often less than satisfactory, with many patients exhibiting excessive posterior laxity.HypothesisChanges in the position of the femoral tunnel within the posterior cruciate ligament's femoral footprint will significantly affect anteroposterior laxities and graft forces.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsThe posterior cruciate ligament's femoral origin was mechanically isolated in 13 fresh-frozen knee specimens, and the bone cap containing the ligament's insertion was attached to a load cell that recorded resultant force during tibial loading tests. Anteroposterior laxity (at ± 200 N applied force) was also measured. Cast acrylic replicas of the bone cap were fabricated, with tunnels placed in anterolateral, central, and posteromedial regions of the footprint. A graft reconstruction was tested in each tunnel.ResultsMean laxities with the anterolateral tunnel were + 0.9 mm to + 1.7 mm greater than normal between 0 ° an...
2012 pediatric fatality review of the National Poison Database System

For the past several years, a team of pediatric toxicologists has reviewed all cases of fatal pediatric poisonings reported to poison centers nationwide through the National Poison Database System ...
Magnetische Elektronen- und Kernresonanzspektroskopie

Berechnungen der erlaubten Zustande und Energien eines Elektronenoder Kernspinsystems illustrieren gut viele oben diskutierte Prinzipien. Berechnungen von Spinproblemen sind deshalb gunstig, weil sie sich oft exakt durchfuhren lassen, im Gegensatz zu Berechnungen der raumlichen Bewegung von Elektronen, die auser bei den einfachsten Systemen durch Naherungsmethoden untersucht werden mussen. Auserdem liefert die magnetische Elektronen- und Kernresonanz-(NMR-) Spektroskopie sehr wichtige Informationen uber die elektronische Struktur von Molekulen. Studenten der physikalischen Chemie sollten mit diesem wichtigen Gebiet vertraut sein.
Pipeline muffling and a priori current ramping: architectural techniques to reduce high-frequency inductive noise

While circuit and package designers have addressed microprocessor inductive noise issues in the past, multi-gigahertz clock frequencies and billion-transistor-level integration are exacerbating the problem, necessitating microarchitectural solutions. The large net on-die decoupling capacitance used to address this noise throughout the chip consumes substantial area and can cause a large leakage current. This paper proposes microarchitectural techniques to reduce high-frequency current variability, reducing the need for decoupling capacitors. We observe that we can control inductive noise by reducing current variability either in space (i.e., variability in usage of circuit blocks) or in time (i.e., variability within a circuit block across clock cycles). We propose pipeline muffling, a novel technique to reduce changes in the number of resources being utilized by controlling instruction issue, trading off some energy and performance to control di/dt in space. We also extend a previous technique, which incurs performance and energy degradation, and propose a priori current ramping to allow the current of a resource to ramp up ahead of usage, with virtually no performance loss, and ramp down immediately after usage, with little energy loss. Our techniques guarantee a worst-case bound on the di/dt, which is required to reduce the demand for decoupling capacitors, saving area and reducing leakage.
Thermal and Structural Analysis of Ring Components by the Finite Element Method

in order to determine the effects of a shift in the electron vertical orbital plane, and the resulting displacement of the wiggler photon beam striking the inner surface of the vacuum chamber. Since then, due to some changes in the physical parameters of the vacuum chamber, a new design had been developed. The new geometry is quite different from the one described in [I], due primarily to an increase in the chamber vertical aperture which was opened to 23 mm. from an initial opening of 6 mm. Subsequently, a new study was conducted for this new chamber design that included a structural analysis in order to determine the stresses and deflections of the vacuum chamber due to the combined thermal and mechanical loading. It should be noted that various geometrical models were ana.lyzed before the final geometry was decided. This report will only describe in detail the results of the thermal and structural analysis of the final geometry using the finite element code, ANSYS[S].
Electronic properties of epitaxial 6H silicon carbide

Abstract The electrical conductivity and Hall coefficient were measured in the temperature range from 78 to 900 K for n -type epitaxially grown 6H silicon carbide. A many-valley model of the conduction band was used in the analysis of electron concentration as a function of temperature. From this analysis, the density of states mass to the free electron mass ratio per ellipsoid was calculated to be 0.45. It was estimated that the constant energy surface of the conduction band consists of three ellipsoids. The ionization energy of the shallowest nitrogen donor was found to be 105 meV, when the valley-orbit interaction was taken into account. The electron scattering mechanisms in the epitaxial layers were analyzed and it was shown that the dominant mechanism limiting electron mobility at high temperatures is inter-valley scattering and at low temperatures (200 K), impurity and space charge scattering. A value of 360 cm 2 V sec was calculated for the maximum room temperature Hall mobility expected for electrons in pure 6H SiC. The effect of epitaxial growth temperature on room temperature Hall mobility was also investigated.
Design and performance evaluation of software defined radio prototype for PHS and IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN

A software defined radio (SDR) prototype based on a multiprocessor architecture (MPA) is developed. Software for Japanese personal handy phone system (PHS) of a 2G mobile system, and IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN, which has a much wider bandwidth than the 2G systems, is successfully implemented. A newly developed flexible-rate pre-/post-processor (FR-PPP) achieves the flexibility and wideband performance that the platform needs. This paper shows the design of the SDR prototype and evaluates its performance by experiments that include PHS processor load and processing delay characteristics and wireless LAN processor load and throughput characteristics.
Position Verification in Multi-hop Vehicular Networks

Inter-vehicle communication is an emerging field of research which focuses on different ways of increasing safety and efficiency in future intelligent highways. However, the security in these inter vehicular communication is a major issue. Since the vehicular network does not have a fixed infrastructure, developing a security scheme in a highly dynamically changing environment is a major challenge. In this paper we are proposing two algorithms for verifying the position information claimed by other vehicles in a multi-hop vehicular network.
Etiology of congenital dislocation of the hip : Carl E. Badgley MD (1893-1973). The 11th president of the AAOS 1942.

Dr. Carl E. Badgley was born in 1893, the son of a Presbyterian minister [2]. He received his medical degree at the University of Michigan in 1919, and became interested in orthopaedic surgery owing to Drs. Hugh Cabot and LeRoy Abbott. He was appointed as an instructor of surgery in 1920 and was appointed professor and head of the Section of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1932, an appointment he retained until 1963 when he retired.
Topical Prostaglandin-E1 for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

AbstractThis study was undertaken as a phase I, placebo controlled, nonblinded investigation of the safety and efficacy of topical prostaglandin-E1 for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Nine men with erectile dysfunction secondary to spinal cord injury and 1 man with mild arterial insufficiency were enrolled in the trial and underwent color flow Doppler ultrasound of the penis after application of topical prostaglandin-E1 to the penis, scrotum and perineum. Eight men completed all phases of the study. Mean cavernous artery diameter increased from 0.09 to 0.11 cm. (p less than 0.05) and mean peak systolic flow velocity increased from 15.4 to 22.8 cm. per second (p less than 0.05) using color flow Doppler ultrasound. Peak systolic flow velocity increased in both cavernous arteries in 7 of 10 patients. Clinical erections were observed in 2 patients but they were not present with placebo application. Diastolic blood pressure and heart rate varied after application of prostaglandin-E1 to the genitalia. No...
Wound-healing risk factors after open reduction and internal fixation of calcaneal fractures.

This retrospective study investigated outcomes of wound healing in a series of 63 consecutive patients with 64 fractures of the calcaneus who underwent open reduction and internal fixation done by ...
Demonstration of Early-Phase Transmission of Yersinia pestis by the Mouse Flea, Aetheca wagneri (Siphonaptera: Ceratophylidae), and Implications for the Role of Deer Mice as Enzootic Reservoirs

Abstract The role of deer mice and other species of Peromyscus as enzootic reservoirs for plague remains controversial. In this study, we evaluated early-phase vector efficiency of Aetheca wagneri Baker, a common flea species infesting deer mice, to determine the likelihood that Y. pestis could be spread mouse to mouse by this species. We showed that A. wagneri could transmit plague bacteria to laboratory mice as early as 3 d postinfection (p.i.), but transmission efficiency was quite low (1.03%; 95% CI: 0.19–3.34%) 1–4 d p.i. compared with that for the established plague vector Oropsylla montana Baker (10.63%; 95% CI: 4.18–25.91). Using this early-phase transmission efficiency estimate, we determined through parameterization of a simple predictive model that at least 68 A. wagneri per deer mouse would be required to support levels of transmission adequate for enzootic maintenance. Because deer mice typically harbor fewer than three A. wagneri per host, our data do not support the notion of an independent...
IC Yield Prediction and Single Layer Critical Areas

This chapter presents an IC yield analysis based on an extraction of SDSL critical areas. The analysis is carried out for three different layout styles implementing the same function. The layout styles are Standard Cells (STD), Programmable Logic Array (PLA), and Transistor Gate Matrix (TM), see Fig. 7.1. The technology is CMOS of 2µm of minimum resolution features.
Ultrasound-mediated nail drug delivery system

A novel ultrasound-mediated drug delivery system has been developed for treatment of a nail fungal disorder (onychomycosis) by improving delivery to the nail bed using ultrasound to increase the permeability of the nail. The slip-in device consists of ultrasound transducers and drug delivery compartments above each toenail. The device is connected to a computer, where a software interface allows users to select their preferred course of treatment. In in vitro testing, canine nails were exposed to 3 energy levels (acoustic power of 1.2 W and exposure durations of 30, 60, and 120 seconds). A stereo -microscope was used to determine how much of a drug-mimicking compound was delivered through the nail layers by measuring brightness on the cross section of each nail tested at each condition, where brightness level decreases coincide with increases in permeability. Each of the 3 energy levels tested showed statistical significance when compared to the control (P < .05) with a permeability factor of 1.3 after 30 seconds of exposure, 1.3 after 60 seconds, and 1.5 after 120 seconds, where a permeability factor of 1 shows no increase in permeability. Current treatments for onychomycosis include systemic, topical, and surgical. Even when used all together, these treatments typically take a long time to result in nail healing, thus making this ultrasound-mediated device a promising alternative.
Professional Liability to Third Parties, Third Edition

This newly updated edition outlines the doctrines that are applied in third-party liability cases and analyzes the factual settings that give rise to them. In addition to describing the state of the law, it provides argument strategies for expanding or limiting liability - information that is not available elsewhere.Comprehensive in scope, this convenient source:Provides an introduction to third-party liability and assists in drawing connections among cases of different types - suggesting cases for which there is little or no direct authorityOutlines the different approaches of a third-party case including the contractual argument to limit liability and the relational argument to expand liabilityGives a clear understanding of the doctrines applied in third-party cases: privity and near-privity, third-party beneficiary, negligence, and negligent misrepresentationIncludes applications of the law in different subject areas including which doctrines are used and how they are appliedProvides details of the liability of different professions, including lawyers, accountants, title abstractors, appraisers, surveyors, pest inspectors, and others performing evaluative services, real estate brokers, architects, and engineersProvides easy access to all of the relevant statutes and cases in every jurisdiction
Process optimization for lattice-selective wet etching of crystalline silicon structures

Lattice-selective etching of silicon is used in a number of applications, but it is particularly valuable in those for which the lattice-defined sidewall angle can be beneficial to the functional goals. A relatively small but important niche application is the fabrication of tip characterization standards for critical dimension atomic force microscopes (CD-AFMs). CD-AFMs are commonly used as reference tools for linewidth metrology in semiconductor manufacturing. Accurate linewidth metrology using CD-AFM, however, is critically dependent upon calibration of the tip width. Two national metrology institutes and at least two commercial vendors have explored the development of tip calibration standards using lattice-selective etching of crystalline silicon. The National Institute of Standards and Technology standard of this type is called the single crystal critical dimension reference material. These specimens, which are fabricated using a lattice-plane-selective etch on (110) silicon, exhibit near vertical sidewalls and high uniformity and can be used to calibrate CD-AFM tip width to a standard uncertainty of less than 1 nm. During the different generations of this project, we evaluated variations of the starting material and process conditions. Some of our starting materials required a large etch bias to achieve the desired linewidths. During the optimization experiment described in this paper, we found that for potassium hydroxide etching of the silicon features, it was possible to independently tune the target linewidth and minimize the linewidth nonuniformity. Consequently, this process is particularly well suited for small-batch fabrication of CD-AFM linewidth standards.
Posterior Circulation Ischemia or Occlusion in Five Adults With Failing Fontan Circulation.

Background Palliative procedures performed before the Fontan procedure may require ligation of the subclavian arteries, thereby affecting flow to the vertebral arteries. In adults with functionally univentricular heart disease, the implications of altered brainstem vascular anatomy for perioperative management of failing Fontan circulation are not known. Methods We identified abnormal posterior circulation anatomy in an adult patient with failing Fontan circulation who experienced a brainstem stroke after Fontan conversion. We then changed our clinical practice to include detailed preoperative neurologic evaluation of adults with univentricular heart disease and failing Fontan circulation. Here, we report the clinical and neuroimaging findings in 5 consecutive patients before and after this change in practice. Results Five patients ages 28 to 42 years had Fontan procedures performed in childhood, and underwent either Fontan conversion or cardiac transplantation. Patient 1 experienced an episode of decreased cerebral perfusion pressure on postoperative day 3, and experienced an ischemic brainstem stroke causing transient locked-in syndrome. A change in practice was made, and patients 2, 3, and 4 were evaluated preoperatively by the neurocritical care service. These patients then had higher target blood pressures perioperatively and no neurologic injury. Patient 5 was evaluated for symptoms consistent with subclavian steal. Neuroimaging in 3 patients was abnormal, with atrophic vertebral arteries, an occluded vertebral artery, and retrograde perfusion of a vertebral artery. Conclusions In adults with failing Fontan circulation there is a potential for neurologic complications as a result of venous congestion with elevated central venous pressures, and aberrant posterior circulation. The patient's history and brain imaging may be used to identify at-risk patients and to tailor perioperative management during Fontan conversion or heart transplantation to mitigate the risk for brainstem ischemia.
DESIGN AND TESTING OF AN OPTICAL PRECISION DEPLOYMENT LATCH

This paper describes the design and testing of a latch for optical precision deployable spacecraft structures. The new latch design uses rolling elements to minimize hysteresis while maintaining stiffness. The sub-micron mechanical response of a prototype of this design is presented. This prototype demonstrated linear behavior within 100 nm under a peak-to-peak load of 85 N.
Community Development and Collaboration at Salinas de Los Nueve Cerros, Guatemala: Accomplishments, Failures, and Lessons Learned Conducting Publically-Engaged Archaeology

Since its founding in 2009 at the behest of local leaders, Proyecto Salinas de los Nueve Cerros has had the dual goals of scientific research and community development. Due to the regional political landscape, the initial goal of community-run ecotourism had to be abandoned. In its stead, the project has been seeking high-impact, low-cost development initiatives in collaboration with local villagers. The initiatives have had mixed levels of success, with best results in providing resources for multi-family wells and in organizing an ongoing lecture and workshop series detailing the results of the archaeological project. Through trial and error, project members have learned multiple lessons that can help other similar projects in the future. (1) Community investment in the project is essential, (2) as is the presence of a development specialist who can lead the efforts, leaving archaeologists to do archaeology. (3) Both the project and the local residents must have realistic expectations regarding the time the initiatives take and how ambitious they can be. (4) All of the initiatives must be informed by problems the locals themselves identify, and (5) it is possible to positively impact the region.
Toward a Safer Health Care System: The Critical Need to Improve Measurement.

This Viewpoint discusses how policy makers might develop and implement standardized, validated metrics to track the progress of patient safety improvements.
Effects of user insertion/donning instructions on noise attenuation of aural insert hearing protectors.

An experiment was performed to examine the influence of different levels of insertion instructions on the noise attenuation achieved with five common universal-fit protective earplugs. Five inserti...
Sintering shape distortions controlled by interface roughness in powder composites

Abstract The co-sintering of laminar composites is modeled by means of finite element simulations. The densification of an alumina/ceria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal bilayer is optimized by substituting the conventional flat interface morphology with a wavy contact surface. The presence of such roughness significantly decreases the undesired macroscopic distortions characterizing multi-material sintering. Various configurations of the wavy interface are numerically reconstructed. The introduction of rough interfaces generates beneficial stress redistribution and constraint relaxation effects, thus reducing the bending of the composite. The obtained results are in good agreement with previously conducted experiments and provide new guidelines to prevent flaw generation.
Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Elderly

A substantial and growing proportion of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are elderly, and these patients require tailored treatment strategies. However, significant challenges exist in the management of this population due to the paucity of data. Establishing the initial diagnosis and assessing the etiology of future symptoms and flares can be challenging as several other prevalent diseases can masquerade as IBD, such as ischemic colitis, diverticular disease, and infectious colitis. Important pharmacologic considerations include reduced glomerular filtration rate and drug-drug interactions in the elderly. No drug therapy is absolutely contraindicated in this population; however, special risk and benefit assessments should be made. Older patients are more susceptible to side effects of steroids such as delirium, fractures, and cataracts. Budesonide can be an appropriate alternative for mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD) as it has limited systemic absorption. Pill size and quantity, nephrotoxicity, and difficulty of administration of rectal preparations should be considered with 5-aminosalicylic (5-ASA) therapy. Biologics are very effective, but modestly increase the risk of infection in a susceptible group. Based on their mechanisms, integrin receptor antagonists (e.g., vedolizumab) may reduce these risks. Use of antibiotics for anorectal or fistulizing CD or pouchitis in UC increases the risk of Clostridium difficile infection. Pre-existing comorbidities, functional status, and nutrition are important indicators of surgical outcomes. Morbidity and mortality are increased among IBD patients undergoing surgery, often due to postoperative complications or sepsis. Elderly adults with IBD, particularly UC, have very high rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Colonoscopy appears safe, but the optimal surveillance interval has not been well defined. Should the octogenarian, nonagenarian, and centurion undergo colonoscopy? The length of surveillance should likely account for the individual’s overall life expectancy. Specific health maintenance should emphasize administering non-live vaccines to patients on thiopurines or biologics and regular skin exams for those on thiopurines. Smoking cessation is crucial to overall health and response to medical therapy, even among UC patients. This article will review management of IBD in the elderly.
Exploring the Mechanisms of Exercise Intolerance in Patients With HFpEF: Are We too “Cardiocentric?”

Despite having a normal left ventricular ejection fraction, patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have limited exercise capacity, represented by a peak oxygen consumption (VO2) that is less than what would be predicted for age, and comorbidities including obesity,
The Single-Neuron Theory

Information presented in the previous chapters is drawn on to construct a single-neuron theory of vr-conscious experience. Evidence is provided that the distal dendritic branches of basal dendrites in left VL-PFC L5 pyramidal neurons individually receive convergent input from L2/3 pyramidal neurons that contains all components of vr-conscious experience, and that the complexity of synaptic activation patterns produced in the dendrites by this input matches that of vr-conscious experience. I then describe an output mechanism whereby dendrite-to-network maps provide a means by which vr-conscious neurons can produce macroscopically observed behavior. I conclude with a consideration of the grandmother cell conundrum and its potential resolution, and of persistence memory, in which residual synaptic activity provides a context for subsequently induced synaptic activation patterns.
A digital square-law compander

Square-law compression and expansion of signals are widely used in telecommunications to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In conventional bipolar components, multipliers are used to perform automatic gain control. Complete monolithic implementation of such companders is impossible because of the large size of resistors and capacitors required to implement shifting and averaging. This paper describes an alternative circuit, which is based on delta-sigma modulation. We propose a fully digital scheme based on non-linear arithmetic operations on a delta-sigma pulse density stream. A square-law compressor of the form √ x and a square-law expander circuit of the form x2 are simulated and evaluated.
Wideband active bi-directional SiGe digital step attenuator using an active DPDT switch

A 6-bit active bi-directional silicon-germanium (SiGe) digital step attenuator (DSA) with multi-octave bandwidth using an active double-pole double-throw (DPDT) switch is demonstrated. To compensate the insertion loss (IL) and frequency dependent loss characteristics of conventional passive attenuators without using any additional amplifier and equalizer, the proposed attenuator employs active DPDT switches, which provide 4-way switching and bi-directional operation. The measured gain is 7.0–9.6 dB and the input and output return loss is better than 9 dB for 2–20 GHz. The measured root mean square (RMS) amplitude and phase errors in the major state are less than 0.4 dB and 3.0 degree, respectively. The chip size is 1.43 × 1.23 mm2, including pads. The proposed active bi-directional DSA consumes 30 mA from a 2.5 V supply.
12 Years a Slave as a Bridge to Primary Source Research

This historical analysis essay on the film 12 Years a Slave and several primary sources bridges earlier skills-based writing prompts with the final research project. It asks students to practice several essential writing moves that reflect the disciplinary approach of historians, without forgetting the concerns of film studies and literature scholars, and even filmmakers. Such moves include conducting careful primary source analysis and interrogation as a historian would; beginning to find sources on one's own (rather than being provided already curated materials); and formally analyzing a film in-depth, including commenting on filmmakers' techniques and how such choices impact the content that viewers witness.
The survival benefit offered by the surgical management of low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

1006 Background: The current management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast includes lumpectomy with/without whole breast radiation or mastectomy, however the magnitude of benefit for ...
Determining Repairing Sequence of Inconsistencies in Content-Related Data

Data consistency is one of the central issues of data quality management. Content-related conditional functional dependencies (CCFDs) are practical techniques for data consistency. CCFDs catch inconsistencies by putting content-related data together. Specially, repairing sequence plays a key role in consistency repairing. Some repairing sequences may bring unexpected results (e.g., incorrect repairs and results with extra repairing-cost). Hence, reasonable repairing sequences are advocated and readily supported by commercial system for better performance. To meet this need, this paper present a method of determining repairing sequence of inconsistencies in content-related data. (1) We present repairing sequence graph about CCFDs to select the inconsistencies which should be repaired preferentially. (2) We analyze the repairing mutex and discuss the interaction between repairing sequence and repairing mutex. (3) We proof that the problem of determining repairing sequence with minimum repairing-cost is NP-complete so that our method heuristically finds the appropriate repairing sequence. Our solution performs to be effective by empirical evaluation on three datasets.
Three Traditional Examples as Compartmental Models

The three models considered in this chapter are usually not treated as compartmental models. However, since they involve flows between compartments, they can be treated as such.
Relationship between Computed Rate Constants and the Variability in Maturity-Based Strength Predictions

ASTM C1074-11, Standard Practice for Estimating Concrete Strength by the Maturity Method, provides instructions for applying the Nurse-Saul and Freiesleben-Hansen Pedersen maturity methods, including ways to obtain the key parameters of datum temperature (T0) or the Arrhenius activation energy (Ea). Default values are provided along with three alternative computational methods for determining a mixture-specific value of T0 or Ea from experimental data, as detailed in C1074-11 Annex A1. This paper demonstrates via examples that the accuracy of the resulting strength estimates can vary considerably depending on which of the three alternatives is selected, potentially masking the more intrinsic variability of these parameters as influenced by composition or temperature. One source of this observed variability is the statistical bias known to characterize the “double reciprocal linearization” regression technique, which is utilized in two of the three ASTM methods. While recommending the deletion of these statistically biased estimators, the authors support the more rigorous nonlinear regression method (A1.1.8.1) as well as simpler functional forms; they affirm the reasonableness of the ASTM default values for T0 and Ea.
US-Japan workshops in medical mycology: past, present and future.

The Extramural Mycology Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has organized and implemented a five workshop series in medical mycology during a critical period in the evolution of contemporary medical mycology (1992 to 2000; http://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/dmid.htm). The goals of the workshop series were to: initiate interactions; build collaborations; identify research needs; turn needs into opportunities; stimulate molecular research in medical mycology; and summarize recommendations emerging from the workshop proceedings. A recurring recommendation in the series was to foster communications within and beyond the field of medical mycology. US-Japan interactions were noted as one specific example of potential information exchange for mutual benefit. The first formal action directed at this recommendation was the workshop Emergence and Recognition of Fungal Diseases convened under the auspices of the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program (USJCMSP; http://www.niaid. nih.gov/dmid/us%5Fjapan/default.htm) in Bethesda, Maryland USA on 30 June 1999 (D.M. Dixon & T. Matsumoto, co-chairs). A major goal of the workshop was to present contemporary medical mycology to the Joint Committee of the USJCMSP through representative research presentations in order to make the Committee aware of current status in the field, and the potential for scientific interactions. The second formal action is the workshop, under the auspices of the Japanese Society for Medical Mycology Medical Perspectives of Fungal Genome Studies scheduled for 28 November 2000 in Tokyo, Japan (T. Matsumoto & D.M. Dixon, co-chairs). The NIAID Mycology Workshop series recommended interactions between the following groups: academic and pharmaceutical; medical and molecular (model systems); medical and plant pathogens; basic and clinical; mycologists and immunologists. The first two US-Japan workshops can be viewed as consistent with these recommendations, and serve as a Western/Eastern gateway for exchange. The focus of the second US-Japan workshop on genome projects for the medically important fungi provides an excellent model for international communications. Given the tsunami of information that is flowing from genomics and bioinformatics, it is clear that global interactions will be essential in managing and interpreting the data.
When Structure Competes with Semantics: Reading Chinese Relative Clauses

An ongoing debate in Chinese psycholinguistics is whether subject-relative clauses or object-relative clauses are more difficult to process. The current study asks what happens when structure and plausibility are pitted against each other in Chinese relative clause processing. Chinese relative clause structures and semantic plausibility were manipulated to create both plausible and implausible versions of subject- and object-relative clauses. This method has been used in other languages (e.g., English) to elicit thematic role reversal comprehension errors. Importantly, these errors—as well as online processing difficulties—are especially frequent in implausible versions of dispreferred (noncanoncial) structures. If one relative clause structure in Chinese is highly dispreferred, the structural factor and plausibility factor should interact additively. If, however, the structures are relatively equally difficult to process, then there should be only a main effect of plausibility. Sentence reading times as well as analyses on lexical interest areas revealed that Chinese readers used plausibility information almost exclusively when reading the sentences. Relative clause structure had no online effect and small but consistent offline effects. Taken together, the results support a slight preference in offline comprehension for Chinese subject-relative clauses, as well as a central role for semantic plausibility, which appears to be the dominant factor in online processing and a strong determinant of offline comprehension.
Conversational Manpower Planning Models in a Telecommunications Environment

Manpower planning modeling systems are heading in the direction of conversational models embedded in large-scale computer networks. This paper describes the U. S. Navy research into civilian personnel planning models which are being made conversational on both the input and output sides of their computer processing. The current status of operational and prototype parts of the system are discussed. Also, the directions for the future are indicated, including the possibilities of a conversational model conferencing system to permit nested decision-making on an interactive basis.
The Hidden Realities of the Everyday Life-World in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Genet’s The Balcony

The social phenomenologist Alfred Schutz applied Husserlian methodology to the study of the everyday life-world. Schutz described the eidetic structures of the everyday (the paramount reality of the life-world), e.g. social interaction, direct and indirect social observation, Other-orientation, contemporaries, predecessors and successors, etc., which manifest as the necessary a priori parameters that hold for any historico-cultural contents that by circumstance fill in the everyday reality. This paper presents an analysis of a structural transformation whereby certain components comprising usually non-thematic structures of the everyday life-world are uncovered and manifest existentially (within the lived-experience of the everyday rather than through theoretical meaning-contexts). These particular structures are a fabric in the “structural weave” of the everyday horizon, but remain hidden from the cognitive style of everyday experience unless a crisis emerges that brings a structure out of the horizon and into everyday experience. The structural horizon of the everyday provides the conditions for the limits of everyday cognition. Under most circumstances everyday cognition remains unaware of its own structural horizon, and that is what is meant here by “hidden.”
Adult Family Life of Men who Fathered as Adolescents

Using data from a national survey, the authors investigated the family life of men who fathered their first child during adolescence (N = 227) from a quality-of-life perspective. Findings suggest t...
Sleep matters: The association of race, bedtime, outdoor time, and physical activity with preschoolers' sleep.

Abstract Sleep is necessary for optimal functioning. Little is known about the extent to which race and opportunities to be active influence sleep in preschool-aged children attending full-day child care. Participants (n = 359) in this cross-sectional study attended 30 randomly selected, childcare centers in Cincinnati, OH. Data collection occurred from November 2009 to January 2011. Hierarchical linear regression and generalized estimating equations tested for associations between nighttime sleep duration and race, outdoor/indoor active time, actual physical activity (PA), screen time, daytime nap, and bedtime after 9 pm. Participants slept a mean ± SD of 1.5 ± 0.8 h at childcare and 9.7 ± 1.0 h at bedtime. White children (β = 0.57 ± 0.14, p
PLEASE STOP: NUDGING FOR SMOKING CESSATION

Smoking cessation is a major issue in the society and requires several levels of interactions: between care givers, physicians, family members and the subjects themselves. Smoking cessation can prevent 39% of deaths annually. It can prevent a wide range of diseases, including lung and heart diseases, high blood pressure and a variety of cancers. However, the problem is at the root of motivating an individual from within to quit smoking. A general comment in the clinic is rarely effective. Pharmacological options are available, but they often do not derive the desired results. Recently, I came across a smartphone application, Please Stop . It is backed by a website, pleasequit.org . The app was developed by a primary care physician, Dr. Nawal Singh Shekhawat, currently a hospitalist at Baptist Hospital Conway in the state of Arkansas. I became curious on the namesake and the woefully bland nature of the app. Why “please”? I reached out to Dr. Shekhawat to learn more on the underpinnings of the development of the app.
The Shine on Things: Given Beauty and the Order of Creation

Generally, where scientistic attitudes towards the order of creation tend towards the reductive, postmodern attitudes tend towards the deconstructive. The given order of beauty tends to be made problematic. The surface of things is often invested with an equivocity that, whether reductively or deconstructively, we can only approach with epistemic-ontological suspicion. In the following reflections I focus on the connection between given beauty and the order of creation in light of issues connected to this. Beauty itself is inseparable from some sense of formed wholeness. Is there is a givenness to beauty in nature which belies the (postmodern) claim that order is just an imposition of (our) power on flux? The notion of creation is inseparable from the origination of order, but the order comes to be, arises from originating sources that allow forms of beauty to be that are more than our determination or self-determination. Something marvelously original comes to be, comes to shine. There is a shine on things. But what shines on things when we come to appreciate their given beauty? Is it just our shine on things, as if we were the sole source of light? Is it the shine of things, as if the things were luminescent in their own being there? Is it a shine on things, such that the source of the light was not just ours, nor confined to the thing of beauty? These questions will be explored.
Depth dependence of permeability in the Oregon Cascades inferred from hydrogeologic, thermal, seismic, and magmatic modeling constraints

[1] We investigate the decrease in permeability, k, with depth, z, in the Oregon Cascades employing four different methods. Each method provides insight into the average permeability applicable to a different depth scale. Spring discharge models are used to infer shallow (z 0.8 km, our results agree with the power law relationship, k =1 0 � 14 m 2 (z/1 km) � 3.2 , suggested by Manning and Ingebritsen [1999] for continental crust in general. However, for shallower depths (typically z � 0.8 km and up to z � 2) we propose an exponential relationship, k =5 � 10 � 13 m 2 exp (� z/0.25 km), that both fits data better (at least for the Cascades and seemingly for continental crust in general) and allows for a finite nearsurface permeability and no singularity at zero depth. In addition, the suggested functions yield a smooth transition at z = 0.8 km, where their permeabilities and their gradients are similar. Permeabilities inferred from the hydroseismicity model at Mount Hood are about one order of magnitude larger than expected from the above power law. However, higher permeabilities in this region may be consistent with advective heat transfer along active faults, causing observed hot springs. Our simulations suggest groundwater recharge rates of 0.5 � uR � 1 m/yr and a mean background heat flow of Hb � 0.080– 0.134 W/m 2 for the investigated region. INDEX TERMS: 1829 Hydrology: Groundwater hydrology; 1878 Hydrology: Water/energy interactions; 3210 Mathematical Geophysics: Modeling; 5114 Physical Properties of Rocks: Permeability and porosity; 8424 Volcanology: Hydrothermal systems (8135);
Socket Inflammation and Infection

Although an anophthalmic socket is by definition “without an eye,” all of the major supportive tissues for both eye and socket health typically remain behind after surgery. These include the eyelids and Meibomian glands, the palpebral and forniceal conjunctiva, the goblet cells, the glands of Krause and Wolfring, the lacrimal gland, and the nasolacrimal drainage system. In addition to performing their major natural functions, these tissues also have to adapt and tolerate the presence of a chronic foreign body, i.e., an ocular prosthesis, in patients who have been rehabilitated after eye removal. Retention of a comfortable and cosmetically appealing prosthesis is a key concern of patients with anophthalmic sockets. However, complaints of watering, discharge, and pain are not uncommon and may originate from both socket inflammation and infection. Rarely, uncontrolled socket inflammation may result in the growth of pyogenic granulomas which render prosthesis wear difficult or exposure of the underlying ocular implant which may become secondarily infected and require surgical removal.