cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anion self-diffusion in AgCl and AgBr by both single vacancies and vacancy pairs

Both isolated anion vacancies and vacancy pairs are found to contribute to the anion mass transport in AgCl and AgBr, as determined from the anion tracer self-diffusion in pure and in heavily doped specimens. The data were analysed by means of the Lidiard-Debye-Huckel theory, despite some very serious questions as to the validity of this model when the defect concentrations are as large as in the present experiments. In the case of AgCl, the diffusion parameters appear to be normal, and both pairs and single vacancies are found to make comparable contributions to anion diffusion. In AgBr, however, the effective activation energies and entropies appear to be very anomalously large, especially those for the single vacancy, indicating the involvement of some phenomenon not included in the usual simple model of point defects in ionic crystals.
Cosmogenic nuclides, topography, and the spatial variation of soil depth

Abstract If the rate of bedrock conversion to a mobile layer of soil depends on the local thickness of soil, then hillslopes on uniform bedrock in a landscape approaching dynamic equilibrium should be mantled by a uniform thickness of soil. Conversely, if the depth of soil varies across an actively eroding landscape, then rates of soil production will also vary and, consequently the landscape will not be in morphologic equilibrium. The slow evolution of hillslopes relative to the tempo of climatic variations and tectonic adjustments would suggest that local morphologic disequilibrium may be expected in many landscapes. Here, we explore this issue of equilibrium landscapes through a previously developed model that predicts the spatial variation in thickness of soil as a consequence of the local balance between soil production and erosion. First, we confirm the assumption in the model that soil production varies inversely with the thickness of soil using two independent methods. One method uses the theoretical prediction that at local steady state (soil production equals removal), the depth of soil should vary inversely with hillslope curvature. The second method relies on direct measurements of in situ produced concentrations of cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al in bedrock at the base of the soil column. For our study site in Northern California, the two methods agree and yield the expression that the rate of soil production declines exponentially with the thickness of soil from 0.077 mm/year with no soil mantle to 0.0077 mm/year under 1 m of soil. We then use this function of soil production in a coupled production and diffusive model of sediment transport to explore the controls on the spatial variation of the depth of soil on four separate spur ridges (noses) where we measured the data for the function of soil production. Model predictions are sensitive to boundary conditions, grid scale, and run time. Nonetheless, we found good agreement between predicted and observed depths of soil as long as we used the observed function of soil production. The four noses each have spatially varying curvature and, consequently, have varying depths of soil, implying morphologic disequilibrium. We suggest that our study site has been subjected to a wave of incision and varying intensities of erosion because of tectonic and climatic oscillations that have a frequency shorter than the morphologic response time of the landscape.
Implantable ultrasonic dual functional assembly for detection and treatment of anomalous growth

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is emerging as an accurate, noninvasive method for ablation of certain primary and metastatic tumors. Typically, ablation is performed with an external therapeutic transducer. However, external HIFU treatment suffers from limitations of low therapeutic efficiency for ablation of tumors, deep in internal organs such as liver, kidney and brain. Interstitial HIFU through an internal transducer, implanted locally near the organ of interest, could alleviate some of these limitations. Furthermore, it can be attractive for point-of-care (POC) treatment. In this paper, we propose the design of a dual-functional implantable assembly for image-guided HIFU treatment of anomalous growth. It is realized by effective integration of a central HIFU array with two ultrasonic imaging arrays for high-resolution online monitoring and efficient treatment. We explore the design space for the implant and identify the major design parameters including the power requirement. Using a widely used simulation platform, we show that the proposed implant, besides providing a potential POC solution, achieves a better therapeutic performance for certain tumor positions in internal organs, than the extracorporeal HIFU treatment.
The Other Side of the Network Coin: Cost Considerations of Network Structure

The purpose of this study is to investigate the differential impact that inter-organizational network connections have on organizational level change. Drawing from the strategic leaning perspective on adaptation, this study investigates how the nature of inter-organizational ties among top management impact the cost and the effectiveness of an organizational level change process. To build on the existing empirical work in this area, this study employs a virtual experiment to create a controlled laboratory investigation of the hypothesized relationships among the strength, formalization, and functional equivalence of network ties; and the cost and effectiveness of an organizational change process. The findings of this study provide support for the strength of weak ties argument and structural hole theory, in addition to suggesting a caveat to Galbraith's information processing model. Furthermore, the results reveal that the tradeoff between increasing effectiveness and decreasing costs is not universally applicable across all decisions regarding network structure.
The demand for urban shopping travel: A dynamic, macro model

Abstract The evolution over time of the retail system's spatial structure in an urban area is simulated, together with the levels of zonal sales activity, shopping trip ends and interzonal traffic flows, under a variety of scenarios. The results, some counter-intuitive, provide some insights into the roles of various factors of urban development, including population growth, the transportation network, competition for space, and others.
An electroacoustic recording device for wireless sensing of neural signals

Elimination of wires connecting neural recording electrodes to external electronics is highly desired, particularly in survival animal studies, due to neural damage and the device failures caused by these wires. In this study, an electroacoustic device for sensing and wireless transmission of neural signals to an external unit is proposed and results from a prototype are presented. In this method, the neural signals modulate the acoustic pulse amplitudes generated by a small piezoelectric element that is implanted at the recording site. The acoustics waves are detected wirelessly outside the nervous system by another piezoelectric transducer and the neural signals are extracted by amplitude demodulation. To test the prototype, a sinusoidal signal with 100 Vpp amplitude was applied in phosphate buffered saline to simulated neural signals and the external transducer was placed 10mm away from the recording element. The results show that a sinusoidal signal of the given amplitude could be wirelessly sensed and reconstructed with a signal-to-noise ratio of 14dB.
On Space-Time Inversion Invariance and Its Relation to Non-Dissipatedness of a Cese Core Scheme

The core motivating ideas of the space-time CESE method are clearly presented and critically analyzed. It is explained why these ideas result in all the simplifying and enabling features of the CESE method. A thorough discussion of the a scheme, a two-level non-dissipative CESE solver of a simple advection equation with two independent mesh variables and two equations per mesh point is also presented. It is shown that the scheme possesses some rather intriguing properties such as: (i) its two independent mesh variables separately satisfy two decoupled three-level leapfrog schemes and (ii) it shares with the leapfrog scheme the same amplification factors, even though the a scheme and the leapfrog scheme have completely different origins and structures. It is also explained why the leapfrog scheme is not as robust as the a scheme. The amplification factors/matrices of several non-dissipative schemes are carefully studied and the key properties that contribute to their non-dissipatedness are clearly spelled out. Finally we define and establish space-time inversion (STI) invariance for several non-dissipative schemes and show that their non-dissipatedness is a result of their STI invariance.
Orbits of the Actions of Odd-Order Solvable Groups

Suppose that V is a finite faithful irreducible G-module where G is a finite solvable group of odd order. We prove if the action is quasi-primitive, then either F(G) is abelian or G has at least 212 regular orbits on V. As an application, we prove that when V is a finite faithful completely reducible G-module for a solvable group G of odd order, then there exists v ∈ V such that C G (v) ⊆ F 2(G) (where F 2(G) is the 2nd ascending Fitting subgroup of G). We also generalize a result of Espuelas and Navarro. Let G be a group of odd order and let H be a Hall π-subgroup of G. Let V be a faithful G-module over a finite field of characteristic 2, then there exists v ∈ V such that C H (v) ⊆ O π(G).
The Development of Offending

This article briefly reviews some historical approaches to the development of offending over time and stresses the conceptualization of developmental criminology. It emphasizes the study of within-...
Information theory on Lie groups and mobile robotics applications

Information Theory is concerned with the reliable transmission of information through noisy environments. This relates to communicating agents, as well as one agent communicating with the environment by taking measurements (e.g., robotic sensing). Typically information theory is formulated in the context of probability on either discrete spaces or continuous Euclidean spaces in which the operation of addition makes sense. Some have extended information theory techniques to differential geometric settings. However, only in the context of group theory can the concept of addition be replaced in a meaningful way with a group operation. This paper presents concepts of information theory on Lie groups developed by the author, and illustrates their application to mobile robotics problems. In particular, the concepts of Shannon entropy, Kullback-Leibler divergence, the Cramer-Rao bound for pose data are developed, and some theorems about their properties are proved. It is also illustrated how these concepts might be integrated into pose estimation, localization, and odor-plume source detection.
Extracellular HMGB1 as a proinflammatory cytokine

High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1, formerly known as HMG-1), a highly conserved ubiquitous protein, has been for a long time described as a nuclear DNA-binding protein involved in nucleosome stabilization and gene transcription. Recent discoveries indicate that HMGB1 is released from activated innate immune cells or necrotic cells and functions as an important mediator of endotoxemia, sepsis, arthritis, and local inflammation. Therapeutic agents that inhibit HMGB1 release or action confer significant protection against endotoxemia, sepsis, and arthritis in animal models and thus hold potential for the clinical management of various inflammatory diseases.
Arizona Education Tax Credit and Hidden Considerations of Justice

The current debate over market-based ideas for educational reform is examined, focusing specifically on the recent movement toward education tax credits. Viewing the Arizona education tax credit law as a voucher plan in sheep's clothing, I argue that the concept of justice underlying the law is a crucial issue largely missing from the school choice debate. I question the libertarian conception of justice assumed by voucher and tax credit advocates, and argue instead that a contemporary liberal democratic conception of justice ought to undergird attempts at school reform. A call for educators and policymakers to concentrate energies on efforts to help needy students rather than on efforts to channel tax dollars toward self- interested ends concludes the article.
Microstructural Banding and Biaxial Fracture Toughness Tests in a Specially Heat-Treated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel

The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) includes a task to investigate the effects of constraint on the cleavage initiation fracture toughness of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels in the lower transition temperature region using relatively large cruciform fracture toughness specimens under varying degrees of biaxial loading. One of the materials used for the project was a plate of A533 grade B steel (HSST Plate 14A) which was specially heat treated to result in a yield strength comparable to that of a radiation-sensitive RPV steel near the end of design life. During the testing phase to characterize the fracture toughness behavior of the plate with uniaxial three-point bend specimens, some relatively low fracture toughness values were observed. Subsequent metallography revealed the presence of varying degrees of dark bands in the microstructure. These observations prompted an investigation of the relationship between the experimentally determined fracture toughness results and the microstructure of the plate steel used for the biaxial-loading effects project, especially with regard to the results obtained from the biaxial test specimens. The primary issue in the investigation is whether the fracture toughness results obtained from the biaxially loaded specimens were influenced by the steel microstructure in a biased manner, i.e., were the observation regarding effects of biaxial loading on fracture toughness significantly affected by the microstructural segregation in heat treated HSST Plate 14A. A secondary issue is whether segregated microstructures are common in steels used for RPV construction and if the current procedures for evaluating fracture toughness of RPV steels adequately account for such microstructures. Various metallurgical tools, including metallography, microhardness testing, scanning electron fractography, electron microprobe analysis, and analytical electron microscopy were used to characterize the nature of the bands and evaluate the potential effects on the fracture toughness results.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Embodiments of the Real: The Counterlinguistic Turn in the Comic-Book Novel

Novels written about comic books possess a unique representational potential. Although many of these novels treat comics chiefly as sources of readymade metaphors, authors such as Rick Moody and Michael Chabon have expanded their figural lexicon. As serial narratives, comic books present novelists with a form of metonymic combination that can conflate or arrest time; as visual narratives, they offer the possibility of escaping conventional linguistic signification. The novels that translate these figurative strategies to prose use comics to challenge some of the most basic tenets of the linguistic turn of twentieth-century critical theory.
Transcriptional regulation by the immediate early protein of pseudorabies virus during in vitro nucleosome assembly

An in vivo transcriptional activator, the immediate early protein (IE) of pseudorabies virus, potentiates the activity of the major late promoter in a reconstituted chromatin assembly system where the assembly of preinitiation complexes is in competition with the assembly of promoter sequences within nucleosomes. IE function requires the simultaneous action of TFIID and results in the formation of stable preinitiation complexes within nucleosome-assembled templates. IE is unable to reverse nucleosome-mediated repression, once established, or to further increase the activity of previously activated templates. These results indicate that IE stimulates TFIID binding to promoter sequences, effectively competing with nucleosomes, during chromatin reconstitution. The specific implications for IE function in vivo and the general implications for cellular gene regulation are discussed.
The separation of ribonucleic acids on sephadex columns.

Abstract A method was developed for the chromatographic separation of soluble ribonucleic acid (sRNA) and ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA). It involves the use of Sephadex G-75, which was equilibrated with 1.5 M NaCl and 0.5 M Tris buffer, pH 7.5. After the mixture was embedded, the column was eluted with 0.5 M Tris buffer using a 50 ml mixing pot. Excellent separation of sRNA and rRNA was obtained from purified samples as well as crude samples isolated from a human leukemic lymphoblast. Column recoveries were essentially 100%, and the method is fast and very reproducible. Other advantages, such as column capacities, non-denaturation and completeness of separation are discussed.
Formation of CH3TiX, CH2=TiHX, and (CH3)2TiX2 by reaction of methyl chloride and bromide with laser-ablated titanium atoms: photoreversible alpha-hydrogen migration

The simple methylidene (CH2=TiHX) and Grignard-type (CH3TiX) complexes are produced by reaction of methyl chloride and bromide with laser-ablated Ti atoms and isolated in a solid Ar matrix, and they form a persistent photoreversible system via alpha-hydrogen migration between the carbon and titanium atoms. The Grignard-type product is transformed to the methylidene complex upon UV (240 nm 530 nm) irradiation. More stable dimethyl dihalide complexes [(CH3)2TiX2] are also identified, whose relative concentration increases upon annealing and at high methyl halide concentration. The reaction products are identified with three different groups of absorptions on the basis of the behaviors upon broadband photolysis and annealing, and the vibrational characteristics are in a good agreement with DFT computation results.
The ontogeny of repetitive firing and its modulation by norepinephrine in rat neocortical neurons

Abstract The postnatal ontogeny of electrical properties was studied in rat sensorimotor cortical neurons (P6 to adult) using intracellular recording in an in vitro slice preparation. Many action potential properties and input resistance changed during the first 4 postnatal weeks. Repetitive firing behavior also changed during the first postnatal month. Spike-frequency adaptation was much stronger in immature neurons. At 1 week postnatal, the majority of cortical neurons would only fire for less than 200 ms regardless of the intensity of long depolarizing current injections. These cells were normal in other parameters and could fire throughout a depolarizing current injection in the presence of inorganic calcium channel blockers or norepinephrine (NE), suggesting that the inability to fire was not due to injury. The frequency with which we encountered cells with this extreme adaptation decreased with age. Spike-frequency adaptation in immature neurons appears to be primarily controlled by Ca-dependent K + conductances as in mature neurons. In mature and immature neurons, three afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs) could be distinguished by their rate of decline. The fast AHP followed repolarization of a single spike and was only partially Ca- and K-dependent. The medium duration AHP was Ca-dependent and apamin-sensitive and the slow AHP was partially Ca-dependent and not blocked by apamin. NE decreased the slow Ca-dependent AHP via β-adrenergic receptors. This effect of NE on AHPs appeared qualitatively similar throughout postnatal development. NE had a proportionately greater effect in younger neurons, however, due to their relatively larger slow AHP. The quantitative differences of NE's action on the slow AHP (sAHP) led to a qualitative difference in NE's effect on firing behavior. The effects of NE on firing behavior may therefore be greater during times critical for cortical maturation.
Measurement of the incorporation of radioactive amino acids into protein by a filter-paper disk method

A rapid and sensitive method has been described for the measurement of amino acid incorporation in cell-free systems. Samples of a reaction mixture were acid-precipitated on filter-paper disks, washed and extracted to remove unincorporated radioactivity, and then counted directly in a liquid scintillation spectrometer. The method has been applied to both C14- and H3-labeled proteins.
If you build it, will they come? Not unless you make it so they want to!

This paper discusses the differences between the digital asset management (DAM) system and the DAM processes, focusing on the inertia faced when we try to implement something new. A new system may be an improvement, but we have to help people to understand what's in it for them, which leads them to understand why they should learn to use it.
When “Living Stories” Encounter the Living Word

This article focuses on biblical forms (psalms, proverbs, and parables) and story genres (inspirational, paradoxical, and miraculous) that inform the pastoral counseling process in ways that make the stories of our lives become more vivid. It does so primarily by examining Donald Capps’ contributions in Living Stories and Biblical Approaches to Pastoral Counseling by studying the living stories in juxtaposition to the biblical forms.
Endothelial- and nitric oxide-dependent effects on oxidative metabolism of intact artery.

Abstract Oxidative metabolism and its possible modulation by nitric oxide (NO) was examined in endothelial-intact and endothelial-denuded segments of porcine carotid arteries. Endothelial-intact arteries displayed appropriate NO-mediated vasorelaxation to acetylcholine (ACh). Endothelial-denuded arteries demonstrated absent vasorelaxation to ACh stimulation and depressed contractile responsiveness to K+ depolarization, which was normalized by inhibition of NO synthesis by Nω-nitro- l -arginine methylester ( l -NAME). Confirmation that carotid arteries continued to produce NO despite removal of the endothelium was indicated by detection of NO metabolites in the incubation medium bathing the arteries. O2 consumption and the oxidation of glucose and fatty acid were depressed in endothelial-denuded arteries. Depression of O2 consumption and glucose oxidation was completely reversed by treatment with l -NAME. We conclude that endogenous NO produced by non-endothelial vascular cells depresses contractility, O2 consumption, and oxidation of energy substrates in vascular smooth muscle. The endothelium may play a role in oxidative metabolism of vascular smooth muscle possibly by modulating the effects of NO produced by other cells of the vessel wall, or by other factors.
house affiliation systems in Belau

Intravillage and multivillage systems of house affiliation in Belau, Micronesia, are analyzed diachronically in terms of the relationship between the constitution of social groups and the linguistic labeling of those groups. Social changes concerning land tenure and residence introduced during German and Japanese colonial periods disrupted the intravillage house affiliation system; these same changes prompted the rejuvenation, in the contemporary period, of multivillage house affiliation networks based traditionally on migration traditions. Data from ethnohistorical traditions, customary exchange, and title inheritance suggest that the coherence of Belau social organization is maintained by continuities in the relationships among terms referring to social groups. [social organization, lineage, Belau, Micronesia, social change]
Electron-excited luminescence of SiC surfaces and interfaces

Recent advances in probing the electronic structure of SiC with electron-excited luminescence techniques reveal the presence of localized electronic states near its surfaces and interfaces. These localized states form not only as a result of interface chemical bonding but also due to the formation of new lattice polytypes. Such electronic features are sensitive to the conditions under which the SiC is processed, as well as the application of electrical or mechanical stress. These localized changes on a nanometre scale provide a new perspective to Schottky barrier formation, band alignment, and polytypism in SiC as well as its performance in electronic devices.
CFD Study on Stepped and Drum Balance Labyrinth Seal

The stability of rotors in turbomachines is affected by the labyrinth seal where driving forces are generated. Recent research results have shown that the preswirl has a significant influence on the rotordynamic characteristics of the straight labyrinth seal including both tooth-on-stator and tooth-on-rotor configurations. However, modern turbomachines require higher and higher pressure drop for the seal so that the eye seal is usually designed as stepped labyrinth, whereas the balance drum usually employs a tooth-interlocking labyrinth and a larger number of teeth. Both designs could generate greater forces on the rotor than the straight labyrinth seal. Therefore, it is necessary to further study the influence of preswirl on stepped and tooth-interlocking labyrinth seals. This article employed 3D calculational fluid dynamics (CFD) to solve the flow in those seals. Then the rotordynamic coefficients of the two seals at different preswirl rates were calculated based on the CFD results. The results were com...
Collective magnetic behavior of graphene nanohole superlattices

We predict a new class of 2-D crystalline “bulk” magnets—the graphene nanohole (GNH) superlattices with each GNH acting like a “super” magnetic atom, using first principles calculations. We show that such superlattices can exhibit long-range magnetic order above room temperature, with a collective magnetic behavior governed by inter-NH spin spin interactions in additional to intra-NH spin ordering. Furthermore, magnetic semiconductors can be made by doping magnetic NHs into semiconducting NH superlattices. The possibility of engineering magnetic GNHs for storage media and spintronics applications is discussed.
Natural history of uncorrected flexion contractures following total knee arthroplasty.

Over a 2-year period, 29 patients were identified that had preoperative flexion contractures less than 30 degrees and were not fully corrected to neutral following total knee arthroplasty. They were followed after surgery at 3, 6, and 12 months, and yearly thereafter with complete clinical and roentgenographic examinations to determine the natural history of the flexion contracture and its effect on the clinical outcome. The mean age of the 10 women and 19 men was 66 years (range, 47-80 years). The mean preoperative flexion contracture was 11 degrees (range, 5 degrees-30 degrees). The mean follow-up period was 33 months (range, 24-60 months). The mean values of the flexion contractures at each follow-up period were; immediately after surgery, 10.5 degrees; at 3 months, 5 degrees; at 6 months, 2 degrees; at 12 months, 1 degree; and at 24 months, 1 degree (P < .0001). Resolution of the flexion contracture did not vary between patients under and over the age of 65 years. There was no statistically significant difference in the residual flexion contracture when knees with preoperative contractures from 0 degrees to 14 degrees and 15 degrees to 30 degrees were compared. The clinical outcome was not affected by the residual flexion contracture after 6 months of follow-up evaluations. Significant improvements can occur after surgery with rehabilitation, and it appears that complete intraoperative correction is not necessary. There appears to be no difference in the natural history of flexion contractures with regard to age or severity up to 30 degrees.
An expansive soil index for predicting shrink-swell potential.

Soil properties indicative of shrink-swell potential were studied for 12 soils encompassing several parent materials in Virginia. Soils are rated from moderate to very high shrink-swell potential. The mineralogy classes, soil series, and (parent materials) examined include: smectitic-Iredell (hornblende gneiss), Jackland and Waxpool (diabase); vermiculitic-Kelly (thermal shale); kaolinitic-Cecil (granite gneiss) and Davidson (diabase); and mixed-Carbo and Frederick (limestone), Craven and Peawick (Coastal Plain sediments), and Mayodan and Creedmoor (Triassic sandstones). Soil properties measured were swell index, coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE), particle-size distribution, cation-exchange capacity (CEC), liquid limit, plasticity index (PI), and day mineralogy. Soils with estimated high or very high shrink-swell potential were clayey, with clay contents exceeding 60%. These expansive soils also exhibited high CEC (>15 cmol c kg -1 soil), high liquid limits (>70), and appreciable swelling 2:1 mineral content (> 15% montmorillonite + 1/2 vermiculite on whole-soil basis). An expansive soil rating system, termed the Expansive Soil Index (ESI), was developed using the soil properties most correlated with shrink-swell potential, The sum of swelling 2:1 minerals, swell index, liquid limit, and CEC gave ESI ratings for each soil series. The higher the ESI, the greater the shrink-swell potential. Where less-detailed information is required, such as for initial feasibility studies, an ESI consisting of liquid limit and CEC is recommended. Finally, the soils were grouped into risk categories based on parent material to allow for classification of similar soils into the ESI rating system. Soils with restricted drainage formed from mafic rocks, carbonate parent material, and metamorphic shales are at high risk for expansive soil behavior.
Colonoscopic decompression and intubation of the cecum for Ogilvie's syndrome

Cecal distention due to pseudo-obstruction of the left colon may result in perforation or necrosis of the right colon with catastrophic consequences. This problem occurs in people who are ill from other causes; therefore, the mortality and morbidity is high in Ogilvie's syndrome whether treated operatively or nonoperatively. The treatment of choice has been tube cecostomy when cecal diameter exceeds 12 cm on supine films. Fiberoptic colonoscopy has provided a new treatment modality for this condition. The cecum can be decompressed safely in most cases. Recurrent distention can be avoided by transanal intubation of the cecum. A case is discussed, and the technique of cecal intubation is described.
Top Management Leadership and Influence on Innovation: The Role of Sociocultural Context

This study proposes and tests a model for top-management influence on innovations. Three research questions are addressed: Is top managers’ influence on innovation a function of their leadership? Does socio-cultural context directly affect leadership? and, Does sociocultural context moderate the relationship of leadership with top-management influence on innovation? These questions are investigated with data from 12 European countries. The results show that leadership factors have strong effects on top-management innovation influence. In support of the culture-specific view of leadership, sociocultural context directly influences leadership and moderates its relationship with organizational innovation.
More Light: An Argument for Complexity in Studies of Teaching and Teacher Education

This article borrows an analogy from Michael Cole’s Cultural Psychology: A Once and Future Discipline. A man loses his car keys and searches unsuccessfully for them only in the area illuminated by ...
Cleomedes and the Measurement of the Earth: A Question of Procedures

Le philosophe Cleomede s'interessa a l'astronomie durant l'Antiquite, et plus particulierement a la taille de la Terre, en etudiant les analyses divergentes de Posidonius et Eratosthene
Interlacing inequalities for invariant factors

Abstract The following problems are solved in this paper: (1) characterization of the behavior of invariant factors of (generally rectangular) R -matrices under adjunction of rows; (2) characterization of the invariant factors of a square submatrix of a square R -matrix; (3) characterization of the relationship between the similarity invariants of a square F -matrix and those of a principal submatrix. Here R is a commutative principal ideal ring, F a field.
Ab initio atomistic thermodynamics study of the early stages of Cu(100) oxidation

Using an ab initio atomistic thermodynamics framework, we identify the stable surface structures during the early stages of Cu(100) oxidation at finite temperature and pressure conditions. We predict the clean surface, the 0.25 monolayer oxygen-covered surface, and the missing-row reconstruction as thermodynamically stable structures in range of 100--1000 K and 10${}^{\ensuremath{-}15}$--10${}^{5}$ atm, consistent with previous experimental and theoretical results. We also investigate the thermodynamic stabilities of possible precursors to Cu${}_{2}$O formation including missing-row reconstruction structures that include extra on- or subsurface oxygen atoms as well as boundary phases formed from two missing-row nanodomains. While these structures are not predicted to be thermodynamically stable for oxygen chemical potentials below the nucleation limit of Cu${}_{2}$O, they are likely to exist due to kinetic hindrance.
Modeling time‐varying effects with generalized and unsynchronized longitudinal data

We propose novel estimation approaches for generalized varying coefficient models that are tailored for unsynchronized, irregular and infrequent longitudinal designs/data. Unsynchronized longitudinal data refer to the time-dependent response and covariate measurements for each individual measured at distinct time points. Data from the Comprehensive Dialysis Study motivate the proposed methods. We model the potential age-varying association between infection-related hospitalization status and the inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein, within the first 2 years from initiation of dialysis. We cannot directly apply traditional longitudinal modeling to unsynchronized data, and no method exists to estimate time-varying or age-varying effects for generalized outcomes (e.g., binary or count data) to date. In addition, through the analysis of the Comprehensive Dialysis Study data and simulation studies, we show that preprocessing steps, such as binning, needed to synchronize data to apply traditional modeling can lead to significant loss of information in this context. In contrast, the proposed approaches discard no observation; they exploit the fact that although there is little information in a single subject trajectory because of irregularity and infrequency, the moments of the underlying processes can be accurately and efficiently recovered by pooling information from all subjects using functional data analysis. We derive subject-specific mean response trajectory predictions and study finite sample properties of the estimators. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tone discrimination performance in schizophrenic patients and normal volunteers: impact of stimulus presentation levels and frequency differences

Psychophysical and cognitive studies carried out in schizophrenic patients show high within-group performance variance and sizable differences between patients and normal volunteers. Experimental manipulation of a target's signal-to-noise characteristics can, however, make a given task more or less difficult for a given subject. Such signal-to-noise manipulations can substantially reduce performance differences between individuals. Frequency and presentation level (volume) changes of an auditory tone can make a sound more or less difficult to recognize. This study determined how the discrimination accuracy of medicated schizophrenic patients and normal volunteers changed when the frequency difference between two tones (high frequency vs. low frequency) and the presentation levels of tones were systematically degraded. The investigators hypothesized that each group would become impaired in its discrimination accuracy when tone signals were degraded by making the frequencies more similar and the presentation levels lower. Schizophrenic patients were slower and less accurate than normal volunteers on tests using four tone levels and two frequency differences; the schizophrenic patient group showed a significant decrement in accuracy when the signal-to-noise characteristics of the target tones were degraded. The benefits of controlling stimulus discrimination difficulty in functional imaging paradigms are discussed.
When is the absence of evidence, evidence of absence? Use of equivalence-based analyses in genetic epidemiology and a conclusion for the KIF1B rs10492972*C allelic association in multiple sclerosis

Statistical equivalence methods have been in development since the late 1980s in order to provide an appropriate statistical methodology to address nondifferences in biological experiments. This is analogous to genetic association studies in which a polymorphism ‘‘is not associated’’ with a trait. We applied the equivalence method to genetic data to confirm that an association between the KIF1B (kinesin family member1B) rs10492972 allele and multiple sclerosis (MS), reported in Nature Genetics in 2008, is present neither in eight data sets of cases and controls nor in three independent data sets of the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetic Consortium. When the data sets are considered together, a nonsuperiority test excludes the rs10492972*C allele as a major ‘‘risk’’ allele for MS with a high degree of confidence (P 51.18 � 10 � 4 ). We propose that equivalence methods are more appropriate for stating that a polymorphism does not contribute to disease susceptibility. If an equivalence test applied to genetic data sets fails to reveal an association based on standard methods, it demonstrates that there is no genetic association—i.e., the absence of evidence is evidence of absence. When reporting genetic association based on a cohort of a limited size, caution is needed regardless of how attractive the underlying biological rationale is. The data gathered for KIF1B in MS also underscore the need for very large sample sizes with the appropriate equivalence statistical methods in order to exclude reported false-positive results. Genet. Epidemiol. 35:568–571, 2011. r 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Exercise for older adult inpatients with acute myelogenous leukemia: A pilot study.

Objectives Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) largely affects older adults. Few interventions have sought to improve functional status and health-related quality of life (HRQL) during treatment. The objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of an exercise intervention among older adults with AML undergoing induction chemotherapy.
Primary epiphyseal localization of primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a child

Abstract Primary epiphyseal lesions in children are rare and usually benign, with chondroblastoma being the most typical for this location and age. Very occasionally, malignant bone tumors may occur primary within long bones epiphyses during growth; few reports are given on such single cases in orthopedic and radiological scientific literature. This paper presents a case report on a malignant primitive neuroectodermal tumor affecting primary distal femoral epiphysis in a child, having a benign-looking lytic appearance. Short literature review and discussion on possible differential diagnosis of such lesion is also included.
Population, Food Intake, and Fertility

Historical data provide support for the hypothesis that poor nutrition strenuous physical labor and substandard living conditions may account for the relatively small completed family size of the lower socioeconomic classes in Britain in 1850-60. The relatively late age at menarche (15.5-16.5 years) and late attainment of adult height suggests that some submaximal fecundity in combination with a late age at marriage may have also contributed to the small completed fertility of the upper classes. Married couples of this historical period produced only 6-7 children during a time when contraceptive devices were expensive and ineffective. Nutrition hard work and disease can affect fertility because reproduction requires energy and is synchronized with physical development. The undernourished female has later menarche and earlier menopause and a higher frequency of anovulatory menstrual cycles. In the adult male severe undernutrition results in loss of libido a decrease in sperm count a decrease in prostate fluid a loss of sperm mobility and even the cessation of sperm production. Historical reports indicate that about 25% of female mill workers suffered from retarded or suppressed menses and absolute sterility occurred in about 15% of marriages. Children who worked in factories had extremely slow physical growth and hence later sexual maturation. Undernutrition not the widespread use of traditional methods of contraception may also be the explanation of the completed family size of 6-7 children found in many developing countries today.
Marked hypodiploidy in a case of acute undifferentiated leukemia.

A 29-year-old white man with acute undifferentiated leukemia had bone marrow cells with predominantly 42 chromosomes including several rearrangements. Following a brief induced “complete” remission, during which normal chromosomes were observed, bone marrow cells with 42 chromosomes but a different karyotype than before remission were found. Evaluation of that karyotype indicates not only a reduced chromosome count but also a reduced quantity of chromosome material.
Improving Multisite Workflow Performance Using Model-Based Scheduling

Workflows play an important role in expressing and executing scientific applications. In recent years, a variety of computational sites and resources have emerged, and users often have access to multiple resources that are geographically distributed. These computational sites are heterogeneous in nature and performance of different tasks in a workflow varies from one site to another. Additionally, users typically have a limited resource allocation at each site. In such cases, judicious scheduling strategy is required in order to map tasks in the workflow to resources so that the workload is balanced among sites and the overhead is minimized in data transfer. Most existing systems either run the entire workflow in a single site or use naive approaches to distribute the tasks across sites or leave it to the user to optimize the allocation of tasks to distributed resources. This results in a significant loss in productivity for a scientist. In this paper, we propose a multi-site workflow scheduling technique that uses performance models to predict the execution time on different resources and dynamic probes to identify the achievable network throughput between sites. We evaluate our approach using real world applications in a distributed environment using the Swift distributed execution framework and show that our approach improves the execution time by up to 60% compared to the default schedule.
Teaching Literature and Culture in the High School Foreign Language Class1

This article is written primarily for high school teachers. It discusses ways in which foreign literature might be used to achieve cultural and affective goals. It also argues for broad(er) definitions of culture and literature, suggests useful criteria for the selection of literature, and offers strong support for previous publications calling for an experiential—or process-based approach to the teaching and learning of literature in the high school foreign language class.
Realization of the bond order wave (BOW) phase of extended Hubbard models in Rb–TCNQ(II)

Abstract Rb–TCNQ(II) is shown to be a realization of the BOW phase of half-filled extended Hubbard models. The BOW phase has a regular array of sites with inversion (Ci) symmetry, a finite magnetic gap Em and broken electronic Ci symmetry. The phase is conditionally stable against dimerization for linear electron–phonon (e–ph) coupling. At 100 K, Rb–TCNQ(II) crystals have regular TCNQ− stacks at Ci centers, negligible spin susceptibility that indicates finite Em, and infrared (ir) spectra that indicate broken Ci symmetry. The 100 and 295 K crystal structures rule out a dimerization transition around 220 K that had previously been inferred from magnetic and ir data.
Precipitation of M23C6 carbides in an aged Inconel X-750

Abstract A study was made of the precipitation of M23C6 carbides in Inconel X-750 aged in the temperature range of 704–871°C. Direct evidence was found that this precipitation occurred on grain boundaries, noncoherent twin boundaries, and dislocations.
Mitigation of anhydrite dissolution in alkaline floods through injection of conditioned water

Abstract Chemical enhanced oil recovery projects occasionally introduce an alkali agent to meet design requirements. The alkali agent reacts with reservoir rock components upon injection in reservoirs. It has been reported that the interaction of the injected alkali with some minerals in the rock assemblage, particularly anhydrite, is responsible for the very large alkali consumption, formation of secondary minerals, and regulates water chemistry. These effects, when unanticipated, can jeopardize the success of a chemical flooding project. In this study, single and two-phase flow flooding tests were carried out using rock samples from a sandstone reservoir in Wyoming to investigate the impact of multiphase flow on anhydrite dissolution at high-pH conditions. Effluent water chemistry was analyzed to investigate rock–fluid interactions taking place during an alkaline flood. Rock samples were CT-scanned to find out anhydrite distribution. Mitigation of harmful effects of rock–fluid interactions under alkaline flooding has been proposed through the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to act as a calcium chelating agent. The effectiveness of EDTA was tested in single- and two-phase flow experiments. An alternative approach to mitigate damaging effects of alkali injection in anhydrite-containing rock, based on conditioning of injection water, was tested in this work. Results show that anhydrite dissolution diminishes when crude oil is present, but the effect depends on rock exposure time to oil (aging). In spite of the apparent decreased reactivity, anhydrite dissolution is still very pronounced in two-phase flow experiments. Results also show conclusively that water conditioning intended to diminish anhydrite dissolution chemical driving force is a more effective strategy to attain sustainable flooding conditions.
The frontal plane ventricular gradient in induced human right bundle branch block.

Abstract In six cases of induced human right bundle branch block, the determination of the frontal plane ventricular gradient (Ĝ) was made before, during, and after the bundle branch block. In two of three cases with an originally normal Ĝ, Ĝ became smaller during induced right bundle branch block. In the three cases with normal Ĝ, Ĝ remained normal during right bundle block. In the three cases with abnormal Ĝ, Ĝ remained abnormal during right bundle branch block. The results support the concept that the determination of Ĝ may be of value in assessing the degree of myocardial change in the presence of bundle branch block.