cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Composite Materials Strength Determination Within the Current Certification Methodology for Aircraft Structures

Although several composite failure criteria have been proposed over the years to predict the static strength of polymer composites, including micromechanical and first-ply failure theories, none of them has demonstrated an ability to predict the onset of damage across the wide range of load conditions and structural configurations. For that reason, current aerospace practice uses empirically derived laminate-based allowables to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements for static strength. Some examples of certification by analysis supported by test evidence as well as certification by test are given, and the fundamental differences are highlighted in the context of the building block philosophy. The lack of accepted failure criteria and general material-degradation models for the prediction of damage initiation and propagation provides the background for the current methodology, which relies either on testing alone or on analysis supported by extensive test evidence.
Employment-based Reinforcement of Adherence to Oral Naltrexone in Unemployed Injection Drug Users: 12-month Outcomes

Oral naltrexone could be a promising relapse-prevention pharmacotherapy for recently detoxified opioid-dependent patients; however, interventions are often needed to promote adherence with this treatment approach. We recently conducted a study to evaluate a 26-week employment-based reinforcement intervention of oral naltrexone in unemployed injection drug users (Dunn et al., 2013). Participants were randomly assigned into a contingency (n = 35) group required to ingest naltrexone under staff observation to gain entry into a therapeutic workplace or a prescription (n = 32) group given a take-home supply of oral naltrexone and access to the workplace without observed ingestion. Monthly urine samples were collected and analyzed for evidence for naltrexone adherence, opioid use, and cocaine use. As previously reported, contingency participants provided significantly more naltrexone-positive urine samples than prescription participants during the 26-week intervention period. The goal of this current study is to report the 12-month outcomes, which occurred 6 months after the intervention ended. Results at the 12-month visit showed no between-groups differences in naltrexone-positive, opioid-negative, or cocaine-negative urine samples and no participant self-reported using naltrexone at the follow-up visit. These results show that even after a period of successfully reinforced oral naltrexone adherence, longer-term naltrexone use is unlikely to be maintained after reinforcement contingencies are discontinued. (PsycINFO Database Record
Shortening the design cycle

Electromagnetics (EM) has today become a critical part of the microwave design cycle. This article briefly traces the entry of EM into microwave design and describes how today's design cycle arose. Then, we discuss how recent developments (in particular, perfectly calibrated ports in EM analysis) open entire new areas of applied microwave design.
Nonlinear techniques for interference suppression in spread-spectrum systems

The binary nature of direct-sequence signals is exploited to obtain nonlinear filters that outperform the linear filters hitherto used for this purpose. The case of a Gaussian interferer with known autoregressive parameters is considered. Using simulations, it is shown that an approximate conditional mean (ACM) filter of the Masreliez type performs significantly better than the optimum linear (Kalman-Bucy) filter. For the case of interferers with unknown parameters, the nature of the nonlinearity in the ACM filter is used to obtain an adaptive filtering algorithm that is identical to the linear transversal filter except that the previous prediction errors are transformed nonlinearly before being incorporated into the linear prediction. Two versions of this filter are considered: one in which the filter coefficients are updated using the Widrow LMS algorithm, and another in which the coefficients are updated using an approximate gradient algorithm. Simulations indicate that the nonlinear filter with LMS updates performs substantially better than the linear filter for both narrowband Gaussian and single-tone interferers, whereas the gradient algorithm gives slightly better performance for Gaussian interferers but is rather ineffective in suppressing a sinusoidal interferer. >
Recent Developments in Home Sleep-Monitoring Devices

Improving our understanding of sleep physiology and pathophysiology is an important goal for both medical and general wellness reasons. Although the gold standard for assessing sleep remains the laboratory polysomnogram, there is an increasing interest in portable monitoring devices that provide the opportunity for assessing sleep in real-world environments such as the home. Portable devices allow repeated measurements, evaluation of temporal patterns, and self-experimentation. We review recent developments in devices designed to monitor sleep-wake activity, as well as monitors designed for other purposes that could in principle be applied in the field of sleep (such as cardiac or respiratory sensing). As the body of supporting validation data grows, these devices hold promise for a variety of health and wellness goals. From a clinical and research standpoint, the capacity to obtain longitudinal sleep-wake data may improve disease phenotyping, individualized treatment decisions, and individualized health optimization. From a wellness standpoint, commercially available devices may allow individuals to track their own sleep with the goal of finding patterns and correlations with modifiable behaviors such as exercise, diet, and sleep aids.
Heat transfer to non‐newtonian fluids

This paper presents the first theoretical analyses combined with an experimental study of the variables controlling heat transfer rates to non-Newtonian fluids in the streamline-flow region. The theoretical analyses, for the limiting types of non-Newtonian materials, were related to the intermediate case of Newtonian behavior to form a coherent theory applicable to Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids alike. The experimental data covered Graetz numbers between 100 and 2,000 and were correlated with a mean deviation of 13.5%. The flow-behavior indexes of the three non-Newtonian fluids used varied form 0.18 to 0.70. Some preliminary non-Newtonian results are presented on the problems of nonisothermal fluid-flow pressure losses and heat transfer outside the laminar-flow region. Further theoretical work is recommended in both these areas. Additional experimental data would be of value in all of the problems discussed.
Three-dimensional structure of the human copper transporter hCTR1

Copper uptake proteins (CTRs), mediate cellular acquisition of the essential metal copper in all eukaryotes. Here, we report the structure of the human CTR1 protein solved by electron crystallography to an in plane resolution of 7 A. Reminiscent of the design of traditional ion channels, trimeric hCTR1 creates a pore that stretches across the membrane bilayer at the interface between the subunits. Assignment of the helices identifies the second transmembrane helix as the key element lining the pore, and reveals how functionally important residues on this helix could participate in Cu(I)-coordination during transport. Aligned with and sealing both ends of the pore, extracellular and intracellular domains of hCTR1 appear to provide additional metal binding sites. Consistent with the existence of distinct metal binding sites, we demonstrate that hCTR1 stably binds 2 Cu(I)-ions through 3-coordinate Cu-S bonds, and that mutations in one of these putative binding sites results in a change of coordination chemistry.
Spillover from marine reserves and the replenishment of fished stocks

Author Posting. © Foundation for Environmental Conservation, 2009. This article is posted here by permission of Cambridge University Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Environmental Conservation 36 (2009): 268-276, doi:10.1017/S0376892910000032.
Contesting the Bureaucracy: Examining Administrative Appeals

This article explores citizens' use of administrative hearings to appeal adverse government decisions about their welfare benefits. It draws on interviews with 79 welfare participants and observations of hearings and interviews with administrative law judges in a state in the United States to understand what hearings, and the act of appealing, mean to citizens. I find that beyondindividual redress, participants view appealingas anopportunitytoexposeand repair social injuries and to renegotiate social relationships, social identities and their status as citizens. Their ability to rehabilitate strained social identities and establish their deservingness as citizens is contingent and variable, with hearings sometimes reproducing appellants' powerlessness and other times allowing for a more positive enactment of citizenship and social status. Over time, participants experience an increase in legal consciousness, using the knowledge of the law and bureaucratic practices they glean from hearings to better navigate the welfare bureaucracy. While this transformation of legal consciousness emphasizes individual gains rather than collective or systemic change, it cultivates a culture of complaining, rather than acquiescing, within the welfare bureaucracy.
Blast-Induced Liquefaction for Full-Scale Foundation Testing

This paper describes a pilot test program that was carried out to determine the appropriate charge weight, delay, and pattern required to induce liquefaction for full-scale testing of deep foundations. The results of this investigation confirmed that controlled blasting techniques could successfully be used to induce liquefaction in a well-defined, limited area for field-testing purposes. The tests also confirmed that liquefaction could be induced at least two times at the same site with nearly identical results. Excess pore pressure ratios greater than 0.8 were typically maintained for at least 4 min after blasting. The test results indicate that excess pore pressure ratios produced by blasting could be predicted with reasonable accuracy when single blast charges were used. However, for multiple blast charges, measured excess pressures were significantly higher than would have been predicted for a single blast with the same charge weight. The measured particle velocity attenuated more rapidly with scaled distance than would be expected based on the upper bound relationship developed from previous case histories. Settlement was typically about 2.5% of the liquefied thickness, and about 85% of the settlement occurred within 30 min after the blast. Cone penetrometer test results show that blasting initially reduced the soil strength, but after several weeks the strength had substantially increased.
An Examination of the Near Miss in Gambling-Like Behavior of Children

Many adults diagnosed with gambling disorder have demonstrated the near-miss effect: the belief that an outcome that is “close” to a win means a win is coming. Whether children discriminate such outcomes in pregambling games has not yet been investigated. The current study examined the presence of a near miss with 20 children, ages 5 to 10 years, by having them rate the outcomes of a roulette-style arcade game on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (loss) to 5 (win). A one-way repeated measures ANOVA found a significant difference among ratings of losses, near-misses, and wins. Post hoc analyses revealed significant differences between participants’ ratings of wins and losses, wins and near misses, and near misses and losses thus demonstrating the presence of a near miss, as children rated “close” outcomes higher than complete losses but less than wins. Implications for early childhood research and gambling prevention are discussed.
O for a Muse of Fire: Rebellion as Sacrament

Authentic rebellion is not a thing one can see, hear, touch, feel, or taste, or co-opt. It exists beyond our senses because it blossoms verdant in the most fertile soil of each human heart. More particularly, it is a sacrament, an outward sign of our most reverend and fragrant wisdom. Tracing the thought of Camus, and referencing my own recent scholarship on love, this article will demonstrate how authentic rebellion, constituted and maintained for the wellbeing of the oppressor and oppressed alike, is a sacrament. Ideas being the rebel’s real adversary, it will interrogate three ideas that leave justice practice partial today. It will then provide specific and concrete practices and concepts for individuals who seek rebellion. Like the Zen koan about the master pointing to the moon, however, understanding can only be derived; I will share my own personal understanding, but each of us must find truth for ourselves. I intend this work to be useful for the rebel in their preparations for peaceful rebellion.
Buccally Administered Intranasal Desmopressin Acetate for the Treatment of Neurogenic Diabetes Insipidus in Infancy

Context: The treatment of neurogenic diabetes insipidus (DI) in infancy is challenging and complicated by fluid overload and dehydration. Therapy with subcutaneous (SC), intranasal (IN), or oral tablet desmopressin acetate (1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin [DDAVP]) remains difficult to titrate in infants. Objective: Assess the efficacy and safety of buccally administered IN DDAVP for the management of infants with neurogenic DI. Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention: Retrospective review of clinical and laboratory data of 15 infants (mean age, 4.5 mo) with neurogenic DI treated at a tertiary care center. Treatment was with diluted IN DDAVP formulation (10 mcg/mL) administered buccally via a tuberculin syringe to the buccal mucosa. Results: After initial DDAVP titration of 2–3 days, IN DDAVP doses ranged from 1 to 5 mcg twice daily given buccally. Mean serum sodium concentration at DI diagnosis was 159 ± 6.6 mmol/L (range, 151–178) and improved to 142 ± 3.5 mmol/L (range, 137–147) with the buc...
Definitions of Stieltjes Integrals of the Riemann Type

(1938). Definitions of Stieltjes Integrals of the Riemann Type. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 265-278.
Ion Induced Morphological Instabilities in Ge

The characteristics of an anomalous morphological instability initiated in amorphous Ge by heavy ion bombardment are reviewed and a model based on defect-production/defect-interactions is proposed. 14 references, 8 figures.
Dissecting Aortic Aneurysm 55 Years after Diagnosis of Iris Flocculi.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to report the clinical features, imaging studies, surgical removal, and pathology of congenital iris flocculi in a patient who developed a life-threatening dissecting aortic aneurysm after 55 years of follow-up. Methods: Documentation with iris photography was performed from age 18 to 55 years, at which time anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed. At the time of subsequent cataract surgery, the iris flocculi were removed in each eye and submitted for light and electron microscopy. Results: The size and shape of the iris flocculi waxed and waned over the years but caused no visual disturbance. Anterior segment OCT demonstrated clear, round cysts with thin lining and no solid component. At the age of 55, congestive heart failure from a dissecting aortic aneurysm was discovered and surgically repaired. Subsequent bilateral cataract surgery and cyst removal were performed, and the iris flocculi were studied with light and electron microscopy. Conclusions: Congenital iris flocculi cause little, if any, visual impairment in most cases. However, they are occasionally associated with dissecting aortic aneurysm due to a shared mutation in smooth muscle that affects both the iris and the aorta. Patients with iris flocculi should be monitored periodically for aortic abnormalities.
Impact of Sublobar Resection on Pulmonary Function: Long-Term Results from American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z4032 (Alliance)

Background Sublobar resection (SR) in high-risk operable patients may result in a long-term decrease in pulmonary function. We previously reported 3-month pulmonary function outcomes from a randomized phase III study of SR alone compared with SR with brachytherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. We now report long-term pulmonary function after SR. Methods Pulmonary function was measured at baseline and at 3, 12, and 24 months. A decline of 10% or more from baseline in the percentage predicted forced expiratory volume of 1 percentage or in the diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide was considered clinically meaningful. The effect of study arm, tumor location, size, approach (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery vs thoracotomy), and SR type (wedge vs segmentectomy) on pulmonary function was assessed using a Wilcoxon rank sum test. A generalized estimating equation model was used to assess the effect of each factor on longitudinal data, including all four time points. Results Complete pulmonary function data at all time points was available in 69 patients. No significant differences were observed in pulmonary function between SR and SR with brachytherapy, thus the study arms were combined for all analyses. A decline of 10% or more ( p = 0.02) in the percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second was demonstrated for lower-lobe resections at 3 months but was not at 12 or 24 months. A decline of 10% or more ( p = 0.05) in the percentage predicted diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide was seen for thoracotomy at 3 months but was not at 12 or 24 months. Conclusions Clinically meaningful declines in pulmonary function occurred after lower lobe resection and after thoracotomy at 3 months but subsequently recovered. This study suggests that SR does not result in sustained decreased pulmonary function in high-risk operable patients.
Rheological properties of hydrophobically associative polymers cross-linked weak gel

Hydrophobically associative polymers cross-linked weak gel has double characteristics of chemical cross-linking and physical association.Rheological characteristic of the gel was studied by Bohlin CVO rheometer and the test data were simulated by Carreau model and power law model.The result shows that weak gel fully meet these models,zero-shear viscosity and consistency coefficient increases with increasing cross-linking agent and polymer concentration.
Swollen Nuclei Signal from the Grave

Eicosanoid signaling plays key pro-inflammatory roles during tissue damage. Now, Enyedi et al. show that swelling of nuclei in cell corpses activates eicosanoid signaling to recruit leukocytes to sites of tissue damage. The enhanced membrane tension in swollen nuclei directly promotes calcium-dependent translocation and activation of enzymes involved in eicosanoid biosynthesis.
Results of two-stage surgical treatment of tetralogy of Fallot.

One hundred nine consecutive patients underwent 115 palliative shunts between 1971 and 1979 for the initial management of symptomatic tetralogy of Fallot. A single Blalock-Taussig shunt was done in 78 patients, including 38 infants below 12 months of age, with two deaths (2.5% mortality rate). Thirty-two patients underwent a Waterston shunt, with one death (3.1% mortality rate). The total early shunt mortality rate was 2.7% (three deaths among 109 patients). There was one late noncardiac death and one instance of nonfatal brain abscess between the two stages. Fifty-nine of the previously shunted patients have undergone total correction at a mean post shunt interval of 37.1 months, with one early postoperative death (1.6% mortality rate). The mean patient age at total repair was 4.8 years. The two-stage combined operative mortality rate was 3.6% (four deaths among 109 patients). The Waterston shunt is considered undesirable because it complicated the total repair and was associated with a high incidence of residual right pulmonary artery obstruction at postoperative cardiac catheterization. The Blalock-Taussig shunt had a low mortality rate, high long-term patency rate, absence of interval complications, and no adverse effect at the time of total correction. It is considered the shunt of choice in all symptomatic infants and small children with tetralogy of Fallot. Our experience suggests that, at the present time, the two-stage surgical approach compares favorably with primary total correction, especially in infants under 1 year of age.
Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Inorganic Tin Ionomers

Ionomers have been synthesized from reaction of tin II and tin IV metal halides and organostannane halides through reaction with an ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer. Mass spectral, infrared spectral, and elemental analysis results are consistent with the formation of tin-containing ionomers. The products all exhibit “ionomer-like” properties and soften below 150 C, many softening below 50 C.
Acute exposure to vibration is an apoptosis‐inducing stimulus in the vocal fold epithelium

Abstract Clinical voice disorders pose significant communication-related challenges to patients. The purpose of this study was to quantify the rate of apoptosis and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) signaling in vocal fold epithelial cells in response to increasing time‐doses and cycle‐doses of vibration. 20 New Zealand white breeder rabbits were randomized to three groups of time‐doses of vibration exposure (30, 60, 120 min) or a control group (120 min of vocal fold adduction and abduction). Estimated cycle-doses of vocal fold vibration were extrapolated based on mean fundamental frequency. Laryngeal tissue specimens were evaluated for apoptosis and gene transcript and protein levels of TNF-α. Results revealed that terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was significantly higher after 120 min of vibration compared to the control. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed no significant effect of time‐dose on the mean area of epithelial cell nuclei. Extrapolated cycle‐doses of vibration exposure were closely related to experimental time‐dose conditions, although no significant correlations were observed with TUNEL staining or mean area of epithelial cell nuclei. TUNEL staining was positively correlated with TNF-α protein expression. Our findings suggest that apoptosis can be induced in the vocal fold epithelium after 120 min of modal intensity phonation. In contrast, shorter durations of vibration exposure do not result in apoptosis signaling. However, morphological features of apoptosis are not observed using TEM. Future studies are necessary to examine the contribution of abnormal apoptosis to vocal fold diseases.
Graviton decay to 2 photons at the LHC

Standard Model production of γγ has been studied theoretically at hadron colliders by Balazs et al. [1] by developing the program RESBOS that computes the fully differential cross section typically in NLO QCD and at NLL resummation of initial state radiation. In collaboration with P. Nadolsky, our goal is to add to RESBOS the effect of an intermediate massive spin 2 particle B, coupling to the energy momentum tensor, produced via the Drell-Yan process in pp → B → γγ X. This will help provide a model-independent spin determination of any new boson discovered at the LHC, since the γγ decay channel, though usually rare, is clean and shows pronounced angular variation. This note note presents the motivation and framework.
Candidate genes mediating magnetoreception in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ).

Diverse animals use Earth's magnetic field in orientation and navigation, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie magnetoreception. Recent studies have focused on two possibilities: (i) magnetite-based receptors; and (ii) biochemical reactions involving radical pairs. We used RNA sequencing to examine gene expression in the brain of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) after exposure to a magnetic pulse known to disrupt magnetic orientation behaviour. We identified 181 differentially expressed genes, including increased expression of six copies of the frim gene, which encodes a subunit of the universal iron-binding and trafficking protein ferritin. Functions linked to the oxidative effects of free iron (e.g. oxidoreductase activity, transition metal ion binding, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation) were also affected. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a magnetic pulse alters or damages magnetite-based receptors and/or other iron-containing structures, which are subsequently repaired or replaced through processes involving ferritin. Additionally, some genes that function in the development and repair of photoreceptive structures (e.g. crggm3, purp, prl, gcip, crabp1 and pax6) were also differentially expressed, raising the possibility that a magnetic pulse might affect structures and processes unrelated to magnetite-based magnetoreceptors.
Structural alteration of hexagonal birnessite by aqueous Mn(II): Impacts on Ni(II) sorption

Abstract We studied the impacts of aqueous Mn(II) (1 mM) on the sorption of Ni(II) (200 μM) by hexagonal birnessite (0.1 g L− 1) at pH 6.5 and 7.5 with batch experiments and XRD, ATR-FTIR and Ni K-edge EXAFS analyses. In the absence of Mn(II)aq, sorbed Ni(II) was coordinated predominantly as triple corner-sharing complexes at layer vacancies at both pH values. Introduction of Mn(II)aq into Ni(II)-birnessite suspensions at pH 6.5 caused Ni(II) desorption and led to the formation of edge-sharing Ni(II) complexes. This was attributed to competitive displacement of Ni(II) from layer vacancies by either Mn(II) or by Mn(III) formed through interfacial Mn(II)-Mn(IV) comproportionation, and/or incorporation of Ni(II) into the birnessite lattice promoted by Mn(II)-catalyzed recrystallization of the sorbent. Similar to Mn(II)aq, the presence of HEPES or MES caused the formation of edge-sharing Ni(II) sorption complexes in Ni(II)-birnessite suspensions, which was attributed to partial reduction of the sorbent by the buffers. At pH 7.5, interaction with aqueous Mn(II) caused reductive transformation of birnessite into secondary feitknechtite that incorporated Ni(II), enhancing removal of Ni(II) from solution. These results demonstrate that reductive alteration of phyllomanganates may significantly affect the speciation and solubility of Ni(II) in anoxic and suboxic environments.
A 0.05–6 GHz voltage-mode harmonic rejection mixer with up to 30 dBm in-band IIP3 and 35 dBc HRR in 32 nm SOI CMOS

This paper presents a new harmonic rejection mixer (HRM) circuit that uses resistive scaling to achieve very high linearity and a harmonic rejection ratio (HRR) greater than 35 dBc. The mixer employs 4 double-balanced mixers driven by 8 LO phases with 12.5% duty cycle to isolate different paths. The mixer switches have been implemented with thin- and thick-oxide transistors to improve linearity further at the cost of reduced tuning range. The measured conversion loss at an IF of 100 MHz is 6.6–10.8 dB and 6.4–9.2 dB for an RF of 0.05–6 GHz and 0.05–4 GHz, and the measured in-band IIP3 is 23–19 dBm and 31–21 dBm. The power consumption is 29–126 and 98–298 mW for the thin-oxide and thick-oxide designs, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the highest linearity and widest tuning range reported to-date for a harmonic rejection mixer. Application areas are in high-linearity wideband receivers, and in base-station and instrumentation receivers with reduced front-end filtering requirements.
Naltrexone for Self-Injury in Borderline Personality With Venlafaxine-Associated Hyponatremia.

To the EditorsInpatients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) who frequently mutilate themselves are more likely to use psychiatric services and at particularly high risk for suicidal behavior.1 Literature has demonstrated use and tolerability of the opioid antagonist naltrexone as pharmacothe
Kinetic Coupling among Metal and Oxide Phases during CO Oxidation on Partially Reduced PdO(101): Influence of Gas-Phase Composition

We used direct-rate measurements and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) to investigate CO oxidation on a PdO(101) film at 450 K and focused on characterizing how the gas-phase composition (O2 + CO) influences the reaction kinetics and the coupling between the reaction and the surface phases that develop. We find that chemisorbed O atoms on Pd(111) are intrinsically more reactive than PdO(101) and that CO oxidation rates can be as much as 2–3 times higher on Pd(111) compared with PdO(101) for the conditions studied. Using RAIRS, we show that reduction of PdO(101) by CO produces metallic Pd(111) domains at 450 K and identified several rate processes that couple the PdO(101) and Pd(111) phases during reaction, including the formation of Pd(111) domains from O vacancies on PdO(101), oxygen transfer from the oxide to the metal to generate chemisorbed O atoms, and the healing of surface oxygen vacancies on PdO(101) via O atom migration from the bulk oxide as well as O2 dissociative adsorption. ...
L 3 EP: Low latency, low energy program-and-verify for triple-level cell phase change memory

The increased capacity of multi-/triple-level cells (mlc/tlc) in phase change memory (pcm) comes at the cost of higher write latency and energy, primarily due to consecutive short programming pulses in the pcm program-and-verify (p&v) approaches. l3ep is a regression-based low latency, low energy tlc pcm p&v solution. l3ep reaches the target tlc state in just one (at most five) pulse(s) for up to 53% (>95%) of our comprehensive Monte Carlo (mc) simulations. l3ep also accelerates the naturally slow pcm crystallization process by packing crystallization pulses separated by short idle periods, and augmenting them with a single verify step. l3ep thus avoids unnecessary p&v verification steps resulting in faster crystallization. Results indicate that l3ep reduces the mean p&v latency (energy) by 2.4–15× (1.9–12.2×) in comparison to state-of-the-art p&v approaches. l3ep is configurable through a comprehensive framework to compute critical p&v parameters to customize l3ep for multiple technology nodes.
Universal inverse design of surfaces with thin nematic elastomer sheets.

Programmable shape-shifting materials can take different physical forms to achieve multifunctionality in a dynamic and controllable manner. Although morphing a shape from 2D to 3D via programmed inhomogeneous local deformations has been demonstrated in various ways, the inverse problem—finding how to program a sheet in order for it to take an arbitrary desired 3D shape—is much harder yet critical to realize specific functions. Here, we address this inverse problem in thin liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) sheets, where the shape is preprogrammed by precise and local control of the molecular orientation of the liquid crystal monomers. We show how blueprints for arbitrary surface geometries can be generated using approximate numerical methods and how local extrinsic curvatures can be generated to assist in properly converting these geometries into shapes. Backed by faithfully alignable and rapidly lockable LCE chemistry, we precisely embed our designs in LCE sheets using advanced top-down microfabrication techniques. We thus successfully produce flat sheets that, upon thermal activation, take an arbitrary desired shape, such as a face. The general design principles presented here for creating an arbitrary 3D shape will allow for exploration of unmet needs in flexible electronics, metamaterials, aerospace and medical devices, and more.
Integrated simulation of vertical fracture propagation induced by water injection and its borehole electromagnetic responses in shale gas systems

Abstract We analyze fracture propagation induced by hydraulic fracturing with water injection and examine their detectability with crosswell electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods. For rigorous 3D coupled flow-geomechanical modeling, we employ a numerical method that can model failure by tensile and shear stresses, dynamic nonlinear permeability, dual continuum approach, and thermo-poro-mechanical effects. From numerical simulation, we find that the fracture propagation is not the same as propagation of the water front, because fracturing is governed by geomechanics whereas water saturation is determined by multiphase flow. At early times, the water front is almost identical to the fracture tip, suggesting that the fracture is mostly filled with the injected water. However, at late times, movement of the water front is retarded compared to fracture propagation, yielding a significant gap between the water front and the fracture top, filled with reservoir gas. During fracture propagation, the coupled flow-geomechanical models are transformed via a rock-physics model into electrical conductivity models. We employ a full 3D finite-element EM geophysical simulator to evaluate the sensitivity of the crosswell EM method to fracture propagation. It is shown that anomalous distribution of electrical conductivity is closely related to the injected water saturation, but not closely related to newly created unsaturated fractures. Our numerical modeling experiments demonstrate that the crosswell EM method can be highly sensitive to electrical conductivity changes that directly indicate the migration pathways of the injected fluid. Accordingly, the EM method can serve as an effective monitoring tool for monitoring the injected fluids during hydraulic fracturing operations.
Tracking Business and Growth Cycles in the Chinese Economy Using Composite Indexes

In many countries, composite indexes of leading economic indicators (LEI) are used to help predict short-term cyclical fluctuations of the economy in conjunction with composite indexes of coincident economic indicators (CEI). They also serve to analyze short-term macroeconomic dynamics of the business cycle. Predicting turning points in the business cycle is extremely challenging, but the long history of research on leading indicators provides empirical evidence that LEIs can help in this task. This chapter describes the process behind the construction of one of the most challenging-to-construct indexes for China. We discuss The Conference Board’s selection of leading indicators of the Chinese economy since 1986 and how this selection evolved after the initial publication of the LEI and CEI for China. Chronologies of business and growth cycles are used to evaluate the selected indicators.
Setting Up of a New Quantitative Finance Firm: Business Plan, Market Driver, Capital Raising and Ethics

The process of setting up a new and successful hedge fund is an extremely complicated and multifaceted procedure, as many different and closely-related parameters have to be taken into account. Establishing a successful business plan, identifying market demand and opportunities, raising capital, and embedding a predetermined code of ethics into the core values of the firm are only but a few of the main challenges need to be addressed. In this project, we will discuss about the establishment of a fully automated artificially intelligent hedge fund, called Flow Capital Management or simply FCM. We will provide a detailed description of an innovative business plan and examine the market drivers that separate it from the rest of the industry. In doing so, we will identify and analyze modern trading models and strategies in the context of existing laws and regulatory requirements. According to Don Steinbrugge from Agecroft partners, despite the many negative articles about the hedge fund industry, hedge funds have reached an all-time high 5 quarters in a row, and the industry assets are forecasted to grow by 5.5% over the next 12 months. The strong competition led many managers to make investments in new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, advanced quantitative analytics, as well as alternative data sources. In this thesis, we will discuss how these new technologies can help FCM generate positive alpha returns, and increase the efficiency and accuracy of information analysis and trading execution. Special emphasis will be given in analyzing the proprietary trading models and strategies of our hedge fund. Finally, we will discuss about the fund structure and marketing plan of FCM and propose ways to ‘lure’ seed investments in order to raise between $100 and $150 millions of investment capital.
Anthocyanins of açai products in the United States

The numbers of commercial products containing acai fruit have been rapidly increasing in the US marketplace. Due to the acai palm's climatic requirements, the acai fruit portions of these products are imported, even when manufactured within the US. This work was conducted to assess the anthocyanin profiles and concentrations of acai products (total n = 56; dietary supplements n = 37; food products n = 19) available to US consumers. Eleven (20%) of the products examined had problematic anthocyanin profiles; seven had no detectable anthocyanins (all were dietary supplements), and four had anthocyanin profiles inconsistent with natural ingredients (3 dietary supplements, 1 food item). The remaining samples (n = 45) ranged widely in anthocyanin concentration, from 0.74 to 336.70 mg/100 g or 100 mL (average of 42.00), or 0.004 to 80.45 in mg/serving (average of 4.60). That range represented a 450-fold difference in anthocyanin concentration by mass (or volume), and 20,000-fold difference when calculated by serving. The acai dietary supplements (average 0.75 mg/serving) were significantly lower in anthocyanin than acai food products (average 10.38 mg/serving) on a mg per serving basis, an over 13-fold difference. Acai product anthocyanin values (in mg/100 g or 100 mL) were overall lower than what can be obtained from fresh or frozen elderberry, black raspberry, or blackberry.
Globally Synchronized Time via Datacenter Networks

Synchronized time is critical to distributed systems and network applications in a datacenter network. Unfortunately, many clock synchronization protocols in datacenter networks such as NTP and PTP are fundamentally limited by the characteristics of packet-switched networks. In particular, network jitter, packet buffering and scheduling in switches, and network stack overheads add non-deterministic variances to the round trip time, which must be accurately measured to synchronize clocks precisely. We present the Datacenter Time Protocol (DTP), a clock synchronization protocol that does not use packets at all, but is able to achieve nanosecond precision. In essence, the DTP uses the physical layer of network devices to implement a decentralized clock synchronization protocol. By doing so, the DTP eliminates most non-deterministic elements in clock synchronization protocols and has virtually zero protocol overhead since it does not add load at layer-2 or higher at all. It does require replacing network devices, which can be done incrementally and with very small amount of hardware resource consumption. We demonstrate that the precision provided by DTP in hardware is bounded by 4TD where D is the longest distance between any two nodes in a network in terms of number of hops and T is the period of the fastest clock. The precision can be further improved by combining DTP with frequency synchronization. By contrast, the precision of the state-of-the-art protocol (PTP) is not bounded: The precision is hundreds of nanoseconds in an idle network and can decrease to hundreds of microseconds in a heavily congested network.
Fall Creek Monitoring Station: Using Environmental Covariates To Predict Micropollutant Dynamics and Peak Events in Surface Water Systems.

This research aimed to further our understanding of how environmental processes control micropollutant dynamics in surface water systems as a means to predict peak concentration events and inform i...
On the use of LES-based turbulent thermal-stress models for rod bundle simulations

Abstract An alternative methodology is proposed here to overcome the excessive cost of large eddy simulations (LES) of full-length heated rod bundle calculations, while improving the inaccurate results typically obtained with Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS). While the cost of the full-length LES is generally too high, LES of a small section of a single rod is usually affordable. The idea presented here consists of using the information granted by the small LES calculation to determine the appropriate turbulence viscosity or turbulent thermal diffusivity that can be used to solve only for the temperature field in a pseudo-RANS approach. The study has been performed with single-rod simulations with a P / D of 1.12 and 1.24, considering rod lengths that are representative of reactor applications, for the cases of uniform heat flux and a more realistic cosine-like axial heat distribution. The spectral element code Nek5000 has been used for all LES, RANS, and pseudo-RANS simulations. The recently proposed Nek5000 steady-state solver has been used for solving the temperature field in the pseudo-RANS approach and has proved significantly faster than transient schemes. Prediction of thermal quantities is compared with classical linear and nonlinear RANS models. LES for the full-length rods has also been performed and is used as a reference. Results of the proposed method show significant improvements with respect to those obtained with RANS.
Optimal delay time to initiate anticoagulation after ischemic stroke in atrial fibrillation (START): Methodology of a pragmatic, response-adaptive, prospective randomized clinical trial

RationaleAn estimated 15% of all strokes are associated with untreated atrial fibrillation. Long-term secondary stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation is anticoagulation, increasingly with non-vi...
Wnt4 from the Niche Controls the Mechano-Properties and Quiescent State of Muscle Stem Cells.

Summary Satellite cells (SCs) reside in a dormant state during tissue homeostasis. The specific paracrine agents and niche cells that maintain SC quiescence remain unknown. We find that Wnt4 produced by the muscle fiber maintains SC quiescence through RhoA. Using cell-specific inducible genetics, we find that a Wnt4-Rho signaling axis constrains SC numbers and activation during tissue homeostasis in adult mice. Wnt4 activates Rho in quiescent SCs to maintain mechanical strain, restrict movement in the niche, and repress YAP. The induction of YAP upon disruption of RhoA is essential for SC activation under homeostasis. In the context of injury, the loss of Wnt4 from the niche accelerates SC activation and muscle repair, whereas overexpression of Wnt4 transitions SCs into a deeper state of quiescence and delays muscle repair. In conclusion, the SC pool undergoes dynamic transitions during early activation with changes in mechano-properties and cytoskeleton signaling preceding cell-cycle entry.
Is Uber a Common Carrier

The title of this essay may seem surprising. What does Uber, a transportation service considered an exemplar of the “sharing economy,” have to do with Internet regulation? What does common carriage, a regulatory construct most commonly associated with railroads in the nineteenth century and telephones in the twentieth century, have to do with Uber? Also, why does the answer even matter? These are precisely the sort of questions we should ponder if we truly care about the future of Internet regulation. In such an environment, we must look at regulation differently. It makes little sense to enforce a strict separation between the cyber world and the physical world when firms increasingly straddle both. Moving beyond the rhetoric of regulatory obligations primarily as limitations to be overcome, the positive value of public policy to stimulate investment and innovation should be disinterred. Notions of common carriage and public utilities, once unmoored from their historical associations with sanctioned monopolies and rate regulation, can function as framing devices for the regulatory questions of the twenty years to come. Increasingly, their application will be to companies that operate over the network, rather than to just connectivity providers. This essay explores a future of Internet regulation that draws on the valuable attributes of longstanding doctrines to craft a viable regime for the future.
Utilising problem-solving: from self-assessment to self regulating

With the wide adoption of online platforms in education, having the content organised and readily available for the learners to self-assess their progress is crucial to ensure academic success. How...
Investigation of Dalea parryi (Fabaceae) metabolites for anthelmintic activity against the human pathogenic hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum.

Abstract The US Southwest plant Dalea parryi (Fabaceae) was investigated as part of an ongoing study of the potential of plant compounds for anthelmintic activity to the human pathogenic hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum. This has resulted in the isolation of three previously undescribed isoflavonoid metabolites, denoted parryans A-C, a chalcone, six pterocarpans, and three known compounds from the roots of D. parryi. Parryans A and B express a rarely-seen O-prenyl substituent. Structures of the previously undescribed compounds were established using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The relative and absolute configurations of the undescribed stereoisomers were assigned using chemical shift and coupling constant data and comparisons of specific rotations to published data. The most active of the isolated compounds only expressed a 17% reduction in survival of A. ceylanicum adult hookworm in an ex vivo assay at 50 μg/mL after 5 days exposure. Toxicity, ranging from 47 to 93% reduction in survival of mammalian splenocytes was expressed by four of the compounds.
Central regulation of glucose metabolism in an insulin-dependent and -independent manner

The central nervous system (CNS) contributes significantly to glucose homeostasis. The available evidence indicates that insulin directly acts on the CNS, in particular the hypothalamus, to regulate hepatic glucose production, thereby controlling whole-body glucose metabolism. Additionally, insulin also acts on the brain to regulate food intake and fat metabolism, which may indirectly regulate glucose metabolism. Studies conducted over the last decade have found that the CNS can regulate glucose metabolism in an insulin-independent manner. Enhancement of central leptin signalling reverses hyperglycaemia in insulin-deficient rodents. Here, I review the mechanisms by which central insulin and leptin actions regulate glucose metabolism. Although clinical studies have shown that insulin treatment is currently indispensable for managing diabetes, unravelling the neuronal mechanisms underlying the central regulation of glucose metabolism will pave the way for the design of novel therapeutic drugs for diabetes.
Paying Professional Taxes for Promotion and Tenure: The Costs of Justice Work for Black Faculty:

This article examines the costs faculty pay to gain status and security in the academy. Academics receive salaries for their work, but also “pay taxes” in order to maintain a positive trajectory to...