cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glueballs: Their experimental signature

Abstract We study hadrons with a 2-gluon valence component, emphasizing states not found in the quark model. We predict that 0 ++ , 0 −+ , 1 ++ , and the particularly interesting 1 −+ glueballs will be narrow, with widths ranging from a few MeV to less than one MeV, and that spin 0 glueballs will mimic ss quarkonium states in their decay. We also comment on photonic couplings.
Design and simulation of the symmetric SPI: A 2D energy/angle spectrograph for all charged species

Abstract A two-dimensional energy/angle spectrographic charged particle imager has been designed and computer-simulated. The instrument, to be used for charged particle detection in space, detects both negative and positive charged species simultaneously. The paper discusses design and simulation results for this instrument, which has been named the Symmetric SPI (Spectrographic Particle Imager).
PODOS — The design and implementation of a performance oriented Linux cluster

Abstract PODOS is a performance oriented distributed operating system being developed to harness the performance capabilities of a cluster-computing environment. In order to address the growing demand for performance, we are designing a distributed operating system (DOS) that can utilize the computing potential of a number of systems. Earlier clustering approaches have traditionally stressed more on resource sharing or reliability and have given lesser priority to performance. PODOS adds just four new components to the existing Linux operating system to make it distributed. These components are a Communication Manager (CM), a PODOS Distributed File System (PDFS), a Resource Manager (RM), and Global Interprocess Communication (GIPC). This paper addresses the design and implementation of the various components of the PODOS system.
Locomotor Behaviour in Living and Fossil Pongids

LEWIS has suggested1 that certain morphological features common to the wrist joints of living hominoids (and one fossil) were adaptations for arm swinging or brachiating behaviour and has indicated a common “brachiating” ancestry among the great apes and man. Lewis's descriptive anatomy is excellent; but we question his interpretation of hominoid locomotor evolution. The correlation between the intra-articular meniscus and brachiating abilities is not so apparent as Lewis suggests.
Electronic Document Management System Oriented Collaborative Design

According to the practical requirements of collaboration and document management in enterprises, the paper presents the methods of products of electronic document management, automation and networking to ensure product data integrity, unity, sharing and security, and does the research on key points of architecture, version management and electronic countersignature of collaborative design oriented document management. Besides, based on the theoretical study, a prototype system of collaborative design oriented electronic document management is developed. The operated results of the system verify the correctness of theoretical research and technical feasibility.
Cytogenetic findings in a primary adrenocortical carcinoma

Abstract Cytogenetic analysis of a primary adrenocortical carcinoma revealed clonal rearrangements of several autosomes and sex chromosomes. In all metaphases the following marker chromosomes were present: 4q+,t(3;12)(p14;p13),14q+, t(15;20)(p11;q11), t(5;18)(p13.3;p11.2), psu dic(18)t(18;3)(p11.39;p12), and psu dic(20)t(20;9)(q11.2;p11). The results are discussed in relation to the cytogenetic findings in other solid tumors, especially of the kidney.
Superplastic Behavior and Microstructure of Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) Friction Stir Welds Made under a Variety of Processing Conditions

Friction Stir Welding of Ti-6Al-4V was performed on 5 mm thickness plate in order to assess the affect of welding conditions on the resulting microstructure and superplastic forming behavior of the joints. A variety of welding conditions were tested and all welds were subsequently Superplastically formed. It was found that the weld parameters do influence the microstructure and degree of superplastic performance of the joints. Spindle speed was found to have the most dominant affect on the resulting microstructure and superplastic forming behavior. Low spindle speed welds lead to fine grained microstructures and highly superplastic welds, relative to the base material, while high spindle speed welds larger grained microstructures and less superplastic welds.
Bereavement, Doubt, and the Loved Body: A 9/11 Meditation

The experience of firefighters at the site of the World Trade Center collapse, especially their fanatic devotion to the task of body recovery, is examined in an effort to understand their motivations. The need to make physical contact with the body of a deceased loved one is considered in light of the Gospel accounts of the disciples’ contact with the resurrected body of Jesus. The need for sensory contact with the loved body is discussed as a crucial element in the process of grief, leading to the process of recovery from traumatic loss.
Supercritical fluid extraction of vapor-deposited pyrene from carbonaceous coal stack ash

Abstract The efficiencies of extraction of vapor-deposited pyrene from a high-carbon coal stack ash by Soxhlet extraction with methanol, ultrasonic extraction with toluene, acid pretreatment and subsequent ultrasonic extraction with toluene, batch extraction with toluene, and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) are compared. SFE using CO2 or isobutane yielded extraction recoveries virtually identical with those obtained using ultrasonic or Soxhlet extraction processes. Collection of the SFE extract was performed by expansion into a solvent or onto the head of a gas chromatography (GC) column. No loss of extracted pyrene was observed upon collection of methanol-modified CO2 SFE by expansion into methanol. Also, no loss of pure CO2 SFE extract was observed upon collection on the head of a GC column. However, use of a methanol or toluene modifier for CO2 SFE directly coupled to GC effected complete loss of extracted pyrene.
Mathematical genesis of the I–K distribution for random optical fields

The recently developed I–K distribution and its connection with other distributions is examined in the context of optical waves scattered by a turbulent medium. In particular, it is shown how the I–K distribution, K distribution, and homodyned K distribution all evolve as marginal density functions from compound or doubly stochastic Gaussian optical fields. In this setting the genesis of the I–K distribution is very similar to that of the homodyned K distribution, and there is one special case (α = 1) in which the two distributions are identical. Also, both the homodyned K and the I–K distribution are shown to reduce to the K distribution in strong-turbulence regimes. The I–K distribution is further examined as a model for the irradiance when the distribution parameter α is restricted to half-integer values, leading to simpler forms of the distribution. The special case of the I–K distribution corresponding to α = 1/2 shows a particularly good fit with experimental data over a wide range of conditions of atmospheric turbulence.
Benefit and projected cost-effectiveness of anastrozole versus tamoxifen as initial adjuvant therapy for patients with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Women who have estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease with postmenopausal onset and who receive tamoxifen as standard adjuvant treatment constitute the largest subgroup of patients with breast cancer. Recent data from the ATAC (‘Arimidex, Tamoxifen Alone or in Combination’) randomized trial indicate that anastrozole significantly reduces breast cancer recurrence rates but does not provide any advantage in terms of survival at 4 years posttreatment. Furthermore, anastrozole and tamoxifen were found to have different toxicity profiles. The goals of the current study were to estimate the disease-free survival (DFS) rates and potential survival benefits associated with anastrozole use and to determine whether the incremental cost-effectiveness (ICE) was low enough to warrant an immediate switch to the use of this agent, as the long-term conclusions of the ATAC trial will not be available for several years. METHODS A computer simulation model assessed the outcomes of 64-year-old women with ER-positive breast cancer who subsequently received either anastrozole or tamoxifen for 5 years. Daily recurrence risks, as well as the relative risks associated with various treatment-related events, were calculated using data from the ATAC trial. Study endpoints included breast cancer recurrence–free survival, anticipated survival resulting from an anastrozole-induced decrease in systemic disease recurrence rates, and survival adjusted for quality of life and for hip fracture risk over periods of 4, 12, and 20 years. RESULTS After 4 years, the projected DFS benefit associated with anastrozole was 14 days, with an ICE of $167,500 per year. Projected 12 and 20 years into the future, DFS benefits increased to 2.9 months and 5.3 months, respectively. The corresponding benefits in terms of overall survival were 0.9 months and 2.0 months, respectively, with the ICE becoming < $100,000 per life year once the projection horizon exceeded 12 years. The inclusion of quality-of-life weightings for nonfatal outcomes modestly favored anastrozole in the short term; however, if anastrozole use is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture, then the long-term benefit associated with this agent is reduced by approximately 25%. CONCLUSIONS Adjuvant anastrozole is projected to result in a substantial improvement in DFS for patients with breast cancer. If this DFS benefit were to ultimately lead to a survival benefit, then the ICE of anastrozole use would be acceptable for patients expected to live longer than 12 years. Decision models are useful for generating realistic projections for stakeholders who are considering competing options that impact survival and quality of life and have associated societal costs. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Interpretation of cosmic X-ray and gamma ray spectra.

Changes in the slope of a measured distribution may be explained partially by the effect of the measurement process itself.
Thermal protection from intense localized moving heat fluxes using phase-change materials

Abstract Various technologies which protect a wall from being burned out by an intense localized moving heat source have been reviewed, and a solution to this problem is proposed in which a phase-change material (PCM) is placed underneath the wall to absorb the high heat flux. The three-dimensional melting problem is nondimensionalized and modeled with a new enthalpy transforming scheme. The numerical results show that the proposed solution reduces the peak wall temperature significantly. The method of coating the PCM on the wall surface is also employed, which can maintain the surface temperature below the melting temperature of the PCM.
PERFECTION IN R-PROCESSES

R-processes are a new type of discrete stationary stochastic process. In this paper, we investigate the underlying structure of two special classes of r-processes. For each class, we will prove precisely when the associated multidigraph is perfect.
DNA double strand cleavage via interstrand hydrogen atom abstraction.

Double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most deleterious form of DNA damage. Natural products that produce them are potent cytotoxic agents. Designing molecules that produce DSBs via a single chemical event is challenging. We determined that formation of a C4′-nucleotide radical in duplex DNA under aerobic conditions gives rise to a DSB. The original radical yields a strand break containing a peroxyl radical, which initiates opposite strand cleavage via C4′-hydrogen atom abstraction. This mechanism provides the impetus to design DNA damaging agents that produce DSBs by abstracting a single hydrogen atom from the biopolymer.
Transplantation: Pregnancy outcomes in kidney recipients: more data are needed.

Kidney transplant recipients and their health-care providers have access to an ever-expanding amount of information to aid decision-making in family planning. But are untargeted statistical databases an adequate tool for achieving this goal?
Onp-hyponormal operators for 0<p<1

The distance formula ‖Tt-λI)−1‖=[Dist(λ, σ(T)]−1, λ∉σ(T), for hyponormal operators, is generalized top-hyponormal operators for 0<p<1. Several other results involving eigenspaces ofU and |T|, the joint point spectrum, and the spectral radius are also otained, where |T|=(T*T)1/2 andU is the unitary operator in the polar decomposition of thep-hyponormal operatorT=U|T|.
Degrees of orders on torsion-free Abelian groups

Abstract We show that if H is an effectively completely decomposable computable torsion-free abelian group, then there is a computable copy G of H such that G has computable orders but not orders of every (Turing) degree.
In situ spatial mapping of Gouy phase slip for high-detail attosecond pump–probe measurements

Attosecond pump-probe experiments routinely utilize extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and IR fields, with relative phase being the variable parameter. However, the Gouy phase slip between the focused IR and XUV pulses inevitably leads to a certain amount of phase averaging and loss of accuracy. By using ion imaging, we establish a one-to-one mapping between the local phase slip and the spatial coordinates of the focal volume, thus performing in situ characterization of the Gouy phase of a complex beam and its role in ionization of He and Xe. We demonstrate that spatially discriminated ion imaging enhances the contrast of a phase-dependent XUV+IR ionization signal. We utilize our technique to unmask a weak ionization asymmetry, thus opening pathways for further high-precision attosecond studies.
Anticipating Forest and Range Land Development in Central Oregon (USA) for Landscape Analysis, with an Example Application Involving Mule Deer

Forest policymakers, public lands managers, and scientists in the Pacific Northwest (USA) seek ways to evaluate the landscape-level effects of policies and management through the multidisciplinary development and application of spatially explicit methods and models. The Interagency Mapping and Analysis Project (IMAP) is an ongoing effort to generate landscape-wide vegetation data and models to evaluate the integrated effects of disturbances and management activities on natural resource conditions in Oregon and Washington (USA). In this initial analysis, we characterized the spatial distribution of forest and range land development in a four-county pilot study region in central Oregon. The empirical model describes the spatial distribution of buildings and new building construction as a function of population growth, existing development, topography, land-use zoning, and other factors. We used the model to create geographic information system maps of likely future development based on human population projections to inform complementary landscape analyses underway involving vegetation, habitat, and wildfire interactions. In an example application, we use the model and resulting maps to show the potential impacts of future forest and range land development on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) winter range. Results indicate significant development encroachment and habitat loss already in 2000 with development located along key migration routes and increasing through the projection period to 2040. The example application illustrates a simple way for policymakers and public lands managers to combine existing data and preliminary model outputs to begin to consider the potential effects of development on future landscape conditions.
A method to measure herd udder health by combining individual cow somatic cell counts

Abstract A method is presented for computing an index of herd udder health from a frequency distribution of milk somatic cell counts (SCC). The herd udder health index (HUHI) is a summation of weighted percentages of cows in SCC groups presented in Dairy Herd Improvement program monthly reports. Weights are the inverse of the ratio of the respective group SCC midpoint to that for the lowest SCC group. Values of HUHI approach zero from 100; an index of 100 represents a distribution in which the L 2 score for all cows tested was less than 2. For four dairies, coefficients of determination for HUHI and arithmetic mean SCC weighted by production ranged from 0.698 to 0.938.
A Purified Recombinant Lipopeptide as Adjuvant for Cancer Immunotherapy

Synthetic lipopeptides have been widely used as vaccine adjuvants to enhance immune responses. The present study demonstrated that the tryptic N-terminal fragment of the lipoprotein rlipo-D1E3 (lipo-Nter) induces superior antitumor effects compared to a synthetic lipopeptide. The lipo-Nter was purified and formulated with protein or peptide vaccines to determine if lipo-Nter could be used as a novel adjuvant and could induce antitumor immunity in a cervical cancer model. Purified lipo-Nter activated the maturation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BM-DCs), leading to the secretion of TNF-α through TLR2/6 but not TLR1/2. A recombinant mutant HPV16 E7 (rE7m) protein was mixed with lipo-Nter to immunize the mice; the anti-E7 antibody titers were increased, and the T helper cells were skewed toward the Th1 fate (increased IL-2 and decreased IL-5 secretion). Single-dose injection of rE7m and lipo-Nter inhibited tumor growth, but the injection of rE7m alone did not. Accordingly, lipo-Nter also enhanced the antitumor immunity of the E7-derived peptide but not the synthetic lipopeptide (Pam3CSK4). We demonstrated that the lipo-Nter of a bacterial-derived recombinant lipoprotein is a novel adjuvant that could be used for the development of a new generation of vaccines.
Neuropsychological aspects of Turner's syndrome

SUMMARY Eleven patients with Turner's syndrome (ages 13 to 23 years) were compared on a battery of neuropsychological measures with a control group matched for age and subtests of the Verbal IQ Scale of the Wechsler tests. Patients performed less well than controls on word fluency, perception of left and right, visuo-motor co-ordination, visual memory and motor learning. They also showed a higher incidence of left-ear advantage on a dichotic listening test for phonemic stimuli than did controls. There was no clear evidence for a specific deficit in spatial ability in the patients tested. RESUME Aspects neuropsychologiques du syndrome de Turner Onze sujets (âges de 13 a 23 ans) presentant un syndrome de Turner ont ete compares a un groupe controle apparie pour lâge et la reussite aux subtests de lechelle verbale du Test de Wechsler selon une batterie de mesures neuropsychologiques. Les sujets ont reussi moins bien que les controles aux epreuves de fluidite verbale, la perception de la droite et de la gauche, la coordination visuomotrice, la memoire visuelle et l'apprentissage moteur. lis montrerent egalement une plus grande frequence que les controles d'un avantage de l'oreille gauche dans un test d'ecoute par paire pour des stimuli phonemiques. II n'a pas ete note de facon nette un deficit specifique de l'aptitude spatiale chez les sujets examines. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Neurophysiologische Aspekte beim Turner Syndrom Elf Patienten (im Alter von 13–23 Jahren) mit Turner Syndrom wurden mit einer gleichaltrigen Kontrollgruppe, die bei der verbalen iQ-Skala des Wechsler Intelligenztests entsprechend abgeschnitten hatten, hinsichtlich mehrerer neurophysiologischer Parameter verglichen. Die Patienten schnitten beim Wortfluss, bei der Unterscheidung von rechts und links, bei der visuomotorischen Koordination, beim visuellen Gedachtnis und beim Nachahmen von Bewegungen schlechter ab als die Kontrollen. Ausserdem horten die Patienten haufiger mit dem linken Ohr besser bei einem Hortest, bei dem auf beide Ohren gleichzeitig verschiedene Stimmen einwirkten. Bei den untersuchten Patienten wurde kein eindeutiger Ausfall des raumlichen Erfassens nachgewiesen. RESUMEN Aspectos Neuropsicologicos del sindrome de Turner Se compararon 11 pacientes (de edad entre 13 y 23 anos) con sindrome de Turner con un grupo control al que correspondia por la edad y realizacion en los subtest de la escala verbal ci de los test de Wechsler en una bateria de test neuropsicologicos. Los pacientes realizaban menos bien que los controles en lo que respecta a la afluencia de la palabra, percepcion de derecha-izquierda, coordinacion visomotora, memoria visual y aprendizaje motor. Mostraron tambien una mayor incidencia con respecto a los controles en la ventaja del oido izquierdo en el test dicotico de audicion para estimulos fonemicos. No se hallo una evidencia clara para un deficit especifico en la capacidad espacial en los pacientes examinados.
EMAT Generation and Laser Detection of Single Lamb Wave Modes

Non-contact and couplant-free nondestructive testing methods are desired in certain situations. There are several designs of non-contact transducers that have been developed. Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) and laser-based ultrasonic sensors are well known non-contact transducers. EMATs are typically of limited bandwidth. EMATs and LBU both have lower sensitivity than conventional piezoelectric transducers, and are therefore typically useful in situations where there is sufficient signal strength, but where non-contact is necessary (EMATs and LBU), or where high spatial resolution (LBU) is needed. Thus, ultrasonic NDE schemes with various configurations have been utilized; these configurations include using EMATs as both generator and receiver [1–2], using lasers as both generator and receiver[3–4], and using a laser as source and EMATs as receiver [5].
Object-oriented programming of integrated circuits

New programming architecture is revolutionizing how programmers control hardware circuitry.
MAME, a CAD system for the design of hybrid microelectronic circuits

MAME, a CAD system for thin/thick-film hybrid microelectronic circuits will be discussed. Using wiring diagrams and component libraries as inputs, MAME performs passive component design, active component placement, interconnection, update, and artwork generation.
Why do flamingos stand on one leg

A series of observational studies of captive Caribbean flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber were conducted to determine why flamingos rest on one leg. While frequently asked by the general public, this basic question has remained unanswered by the scientific community. Here we suggest that the latency of flamingos to initiate forward locomotion following resting on one leg is significantly longer than following resting on two, discounting the possibility that unipedal resting reduces muscle fatigue or enhances predatory escape. Additionally, we demonstrate that flamingos do not display lateral preferences at the individual or group levels when resting on one leg, with each bird dividing its resting time across both legs. We show that while flamingos prefer resting on one leg to two regardless of location, the percentage of birds resting on one leg is significantly higher among birds standing in the water than among those on land. Finally, we demonstrate a negative relationship between temperature and the percentage of observed birds resting on one leg, such that resting on one leg decreases as temperature rises. Results strongly suggest that unipedal resting aids flamingos in thermoregulation. Zoo Biol 29:365–374, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Health Monitoring of Power Cable via Joint Time-Frequency Domain Reflectometry

Utilities are experiencing premature failures of power cables. In order to prevent electrical outages and to save on repair expenses, a nondestructive and nonintrusive condition assessment technique is highly desirable to evaluate the cable status and to predict the remaining life of a cable. In this paper, the capability of joint time-frequency domain reflectometry (JTFDR) as such a condition assessment technique is studied. The health status of three popular insulations in power system cables - cross-linked polyethylene, ethylene propylene rubber, and silicone rubber - is monitored using the JTFDR in a thermal accelerated aging test. The experimental results show that the JTFDR can successfully monitor the aging process of all three insulations. Then, the results from the JTFDR are compared with the results from the elongation at break (EAB); the results show that the JTFDR technique is comparable with the EAB and has a great potential as a nondestructive and nonintrusive condition assessment technique.
Inhibition of biofilm formation and swarming of Bacillus subtilis by (5Z)-4-bromo-5-(bromomethylene)-3-butyl-2(5H)-furanone.

Aims: (5Z)-4-Bromo-5-(bromomethylene)-3-butyl-2(5H)-furanone(furanone) of the marine alga Delisea pulchra was synthesized, and its inhibition of swarming motility and biofilm formation of Bacillus subtilis was investigated. Methods and Results: Furanone was found to inhibit both the growth of B. subtilis and its swarming motility in a concentration-dependent way. In addition, as shown by confocal scanning laser microscopy, furanone inhibited the biofilm formation of B. subtilis. At 40 μg ml−1, furanone decreased the biofilm thickness by 25%, decreased the number of water channels, and reduced the percentage of live cells by 63%. Conclusions, Significance and Impact of the Study: Natural furanone has potential for controlling the multicellular behaviour of Gram-positive bacteria.
First-order goniospectrophotometric spectral modeling of isotropic and anisotropic colorant mixtures

Color modeling of translucent and opaque media commonly uses two-constant Kubelka–Munk (KM) turbid media theory. KM theory is designed for isotropic color systems that rely on absorption and scatter to produce an overall reflected color. KM theory has previously been considered inadequate to use with interference pigments (IPs) due to their specular reflected, angle-dependent color and anisotropic behavior. If, however, an IP’s reflected color is considered to contribute to the background reflectance and not as a colorant in a mixture with a conventional colorant, KM theory can be used. KM theory was successfully implemented to predict the goniospectrophotometric, normalized spectral reflectance of conventional colorants and IP mixtures.
The Great Recession: Implications for Adolescent Values and Behavior

Based on Greenfield’s theory of social change and human development, we predicted that adolescents’ values, behaviors, and self-assessments would become more collectivistic and less individualistic during the Great Recession (2008–2010) compared to the prerecession period (2004-2006), thereby reversing long-term trends from the 1970s. Data came from Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative yearly survey of 12th graders. Concern for others and environmentalism increased from the prerecession period to recession, reversing long-term declines. Long-term trends toward increasing materialism partially reversed: Wanting a job making lots of money continued to increase, the increase in the importance of money leveled off, and the increase in desiring to own expensive material items reversed. Long-term trends toward increasingly positive self-views continued. Correlations with economic indicators (median income, employment rate) over the entire time period (1976–2010) showed that collectivism was high a...
ACC/AHA/NHLBI Clinical Advisory on the Use and Safety of Statins

The voluntary withdrawal of cerivastatin (Baycol) from the U.S. market on August 8, 2001, by the manufacturer, in agreement with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has prompted concern on the part of physicians and patients regarding the safety of the cholesterol-lowering class of drugs called HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, more commonly known as “statins.” This American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (ACC/AHA/NHLBI) Clinical Advisory is intended to summarize for professionals the current understanding of statin use, focused on myopathy, and to provide updated recommendations for the appropriate use of statins, including cautions, contraindications, and safety monitoring for statin therapy. Its purpose is not to discourage the appropriate use of statins, which have life-saving potential in properly selected patients, particularly those with established coronary heart disease (CHD) and others at high risk for developing CHD. Included are recent myopathy information compiled by the FDA, information from clinical trials, and summaries from the recently released report of the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP).1 In the literature, the general terminology used to describe muscle toxicity is inconsistent. Therefore, for the purpose of this document, the following terms are used as defined here: Myopathy —a general term referring to any disease of muscles; myopathies can be acquired or inherited and can occur at birth or later in life (Source: NINDS Myopathy Page-http://accessible.ninds.nih.gov/health\_and\_medical/disorders/myopathy.htm). Myalgia —muscle ache or weakness without creatine kinase (CK) elevation. Myositis —muscle symptoms with increased CK levels. Rhabdomyolysis —muscle symptoms with marked CK elevation (typically substantially greater than 10 times the upper limit of normal [ULN]) and with creatinine elevation (usually with brown urine and urinary myoglobin). Statins are powerful low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-lowering drugs that are widely used in clinical practice. Results from clinical trials with a …
Stories in networks and networks in stories: a tri-modal model for mixed-methods social network research on teachers

Social network research on teachers and schools has risen exponentially in recent years as an innovative method to reveal the role of social networks in education. However, scholars are still exploring ways to incorporate traditional quantitative methods of Social Network Analysis (SNA) with qualitative approaches to social network research. This article provides a mixed-methods model for researching teachers' social networks and an empirical example of the model in practice. The model incorporates a tri-modal coding approach that promotes data validity while uncovering network data that some SNA methods may overlook.
Ontology-Based Argument Mining and Automatic Essay Scoring

Essays are frequently used as a medium for teaching and evaluating argumentation skills. Recently, there has been interest in diagrammatic outlining as a replacement to the written outline that often precedes essay writing. This paper presents a preliminary approach for automatically identifying diagram ontology elements in essays, and demonstrates its positive correlation with expert scores of essay quality.
Crossing the Line: Framing Appropriate Responses in the Diversity Classroom

The assignment for the students was to write honestly about how they felt regarding specific current events dealing with diversity. However, what resulted was a kairos moment for the professor—an instance that called for her best response even when she did not know what that was—when a student crossed the line in terms of respectful communication. Our story picks up there and follows us through our own emotions and dialogues as we worked to make sense as to why the student responded as he did and how the emotionally charged issue could be turned into a teachable moment around language, boundaries, understanding, and acceptance.
Asking the right questions, involving the right people

Understanding to what or whom corporate communications leaders feel responsible is important in this age of rapid technological and economic change. A fast-changing world demands self-awareness among its leaders, particularly those who manage communications in an increasingly transparent environment. This study takes an in-depth look at how senior practitioners in one of the most traditional leadership roles in public relations—the corporate communications leader—define responsibility and do work that is excellent in quality, socially responsible, and personally meaningful. This study is modeled after the GoodWork® protocol, initiated in 1996 by psychologist Howard Gardner and colleagues, employing Q-sorts, personal diaries, and semistructured interviews with a purposive sample. “Asking the right questions and involving the right people” emerged as a working definition of personal responsibility, and themes of honesty/integrity, life balance, and relationships also surfaced as influential in defining what personal responsibility means in communications leadership.
Incremental algorithms for collision detection between solid models

Fast and accurate collision detection between general polygonal models is a fundamental problem in physically based and geometric modeling, robotics, animation, and computer-simulated environments. Most earlier collision detection algorithms are either restricted to a class of models (such as convex polytopes) or are not fast enough for practical applications. We present an incremental algorithm for collision detection between general polygonal models in dynamic environments. The algorithm combines a hierarchical representation with incremental computation to rapidly detect collisions. It makes use of coherence between successive instances to efficiently determine the number of object features interacting. For each pair of objects, it tracks the closest features between them on their respective convex hulls. It detects the objects' penetration using pseudo internal Voronoi cells and constructs the penetration region, thus identifying the regions of contact on the convex hulls. The features associated with these regions are represented in a precomputed hierarchy. The algorithm uses a coherence based approach to quickly traverse the precomputed hierarchy and check for possible collisions between the features. We highlight its performance on different applications. Index Terms—Collision detection, contacts, interference, dynamic simulation, physically based modeling, convex hulls, hierarchical representation. —————————— ✦ —————————— 1I NTRODUCTION realistic visual simulation system, which couples geometric modeling and physical prototyping, can provide a useful toolset for applications in robotics, CAD/CAM design, molecular modeling, manufacturing design simulations, etc. Such systems create electronic rep- resentations of mechanical parts, tools, and machines, which need to be tested for interconnectivity, functionality, and reliability. The goal of these virtual and electronic simula- tion systems is to save processing time and manufacturing costs by avoiding the production of actual physical proto- types (1), (2). This is similar to the goal of CAD tools for VLSI. It requires a complete test environment for simulat- ing hundreds of parts interacting.
CALIBRATING MEASURES OF FAMILY ACTIVITIES BETWEEN LARGE- AND SMALL-SCALE DATA SETS

Two studies of working families are combined to demonstrate a strategy for producing reliable estimates from the combination of self-reported (large N) and observational (small N) data. Both studies examine where and how dual-career families spend time at home. The 500 Family Study is sociological and uses self-reported time diary data from a national sample; the CELF study is anthropological and uses observational scan sampling data from a regional sample of 32 families. The data are combined as if they constitute one sample, and an analytic solution for establishing the reliability of the resulting composite estimates of time use is provided. Merging the data sets provides validation for each study, neither of which is without potential methodological weaknesses. The advantages of combining data from the independent data collection methods are discussed, and selected substantive findings on families' activities are highlighted, illustrating similarities and differences between findings in the independent and combined data sets. Results show that working families spend significant time in a small spectrum of home spaces, particularly kitchens and living rooms, with leisure activities prevailing, but mothers, fathers, and children differ in where and how they spend their time. Overall, a template for merging data from different disciplines and methods is provided.
Ultraviolet emissions from the upper atmospheres of the planets

Some recent results on planetary upper atmospheres obtained by means of orbiting ultraviolet observatories are reviewed with emphasis on Jupiter and Io torus. Consideration is given to long-term variation in Jovian Ly alpha emission, UV polar auroras on Jupiter, and UV emission from the Io torus. Requirements for UV planetary astronomy are briefly discussed.
Reply to Couée: Biodiversity conservation by any other name

Contra to Couee (1), I would argue that “all-out systematic conservation” of biodiversity is not justified solely by beliefs in sacred creation, patrimony, or other such values, although, as I emphasized (2), the public may often advocate environmental stewardship based on one or another of these values. Instead, my article was part of a series of papers actually dealing with the biodiversity loss in an evolutionary context (3). These studies and earlier ones (4) consider both the problem and possible solutions (including what Couee calls a dynamic approach to biodiversity management) in ways that go beyond simply preserving biodiversity writ large. For example, the implementation of plans for corridors and networks that link local populations of plants and coral reef species are practical solutions based on evolutionary principles, mindful of the reality that we cannot preserve all regions, all habitats, and all species. Not all factors are known or outcomes predictable with precision. There are now even cases where invasions by large numbers of plant species, contrary to conventional expectations, have been accompanied by the extinction of relatively few native plant species (5). Evolution entails randomness, heterogeneity, and other factors that Couee (1) mentions that frustrate our forecasts of Earth's environmental future. Still, urgency dictates a straightforward effort to mitigate the current massive destruction of biodiversity. The word “conservation” may have problematic connotations, but by any other name there remains an acute need for a broad public as well as scientists to recognize the biodiversity crisis and to do something about it.
Oligonucleotide fingerprint identification for microarray-based pathogen diagnostic assays

Motivation: Advances in DNA microarray technology and computational methods have unlocked new opportunities to identify 'DNA fingerprints', i.e. oligonucleotide sequences that uniquely identify a specific genome. We present an integrated approach for the computational identification of DNA fingerprints for design of microarray-based pathogen diagnostic assays. We provide a quantifiable definition of a DNA fingerprint stated both from a computational as well as an experimental point of view, and the analytical proof that all in silico fingerprints satisfying the stated definition are found using our approach. Results: The presented computational approach is implemented in an integrated high-performance computing (HPC) software tool for oligonucleotide fingerprint identification termed TOFI. We employed TOFI to identify in silico DNA fingerprints for several bacteria and plasmid sequences, which were then experimentally evaluated as potential probes for microarray-based diagnostic assays. Results and analysis of approximately 150 in silico DNA fingerprints for Yersinia pestis and 250 fingerprints for Francisella tularensis are presented. Availability: The implemented algorithm is available upon request. Contact:jaques.reifman@us.army.mil.
Hardware-only compression of underutilized address buses: design and performance, power, and cost analysis

Minimizing the area/cost and power consumption of communication components (address, instruction, and data buses and associated hardware like I/O pins, pads, and buffers) is becoming important in modern microprocessors. Currently, utilization of buses is not taken into account during design of many bus systems. This may lead to underutilization of many buses during actual operation. We propose a scheme that exploits the underutilization of address buses to result in a cost-effective and energy-efficient bus system design. This is accomplished by using buses of narrow width, new encoding schemes for narrow buses, and with design of hardware that result in only a minimal impact on performance and power consumption. We show the efficacy of our schemes using simulations on a validated Alpha 21264 model for SimpleScalar and using physical address traces from 14 SPEC CPU2000 benchmarks.
Joint Iterative Multi-Speaker Identification and Source Separation using Expectation Propagation

The identification of individuals by the sound of their voices, a fairly straightforward task for humans, has proven to be quite difficult to achieve in a robust way computationally. The majority of past work in speaker (talker) identification has focused on the single speaker case, but these systems are easily confounded by most real-world settings where multiple talkers may be overlapping or speaking simultaneously. To address this situation, we propose a system that jointly identifies and separates the acoustic features of multiple talkers that fall within a library of known individuals. This system uses the probabilistic framework of expectation propagation (EP) to iteratively determine model-based statistics of both speaker identity and feature separation. This research has applications in audio surveillance as well as the forensic analysis of real-world sound recordings that contain multiple simultaneous talkers. Robust speaker identification could also lead to improved interfaces for human-computer interaction.
The Curtain Jet

A detailed analytic study is made of the curtain jet, the twodimensional fluid wall used to contain support pressure on the underside of ground effect machines. Two variations of the jet are studied in detail—the bifurcated jet, in which a portion of the flow streams into the support pressure region, and the deflected jet, in which none of the flow penetrates into the support pressure region. Kirchhoff-Helmholtz free streamline analysis is used to construct the flow field, and quantitative results are presented for the effect of nozzle inclination and detailed geometry on flow requirements and support pressure differential at varying altitudes.
Solitary Plasmacytoma of Lymph Node

Solitary plasmacytoma of lymph node is a plasma cell neoplasm that involves the lymph node and no other sites of disease. Solitary plasmacytoma is an uncommon plasma cell neoplasm that most often involves bone or other extraosseous sites. Plasmacytoma involving bone is associated with a high risk of concurrent or subsequent plasma cell myeloma. By contrast, extraosseous plasmacytoma is generally an indolent disease with a low risk of progression to plasma cell myeloma.
Curriculum Integration in Jewish Day Schools: The Search for Coherence

Most non-Orthodox and many modern Orthodox Jewish day schools subscribe philosophically to a curricular methodology that attempts to integrate Jewish and general studies. This chapter examines the theoretical basis for curriculum integration in Jewish day schools and presents the different definitions for the term in these schools. The varied definitions of the term reveal a central concern for the Jewish identity development of students and indicate the influence that historical context, philosophical perspective, and educational setting have on curricular approach. The second half of the chapter explores many of the factors that contribute to or mitigate against the implementation of an integrated curriculum in the field both by reviewing the previous research and by presenting insights based on the author’s work as a practitioner and head of school.
Multivariate Technique for Synthetic Hydrology

To aid the performance of simulation analysis of complex water resource systems, designers require some means of developing exogenous or input variables. A recent technique, synthetic hydrology, uses the statistical characteristics of the record to provide parameters for a linear regression model. However, when applied to a large system, a bias is introduced into the analysis; this bias is eliminated by application of two linear transforms (i.e., an orthogonalizing transform or rotation of axes and its inverse). Details of the mathematical development are presented, together with a computational method and several applications.
Voting in the UN: a Second Image of China’s Human Rights

It is generally agreed that China has a poor domestic human rights practice. In contrast, China has a better-than-average voting record on human rights in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Based on a new UNGA human rights dataset that we identified, we found that since joining the United Nations (UN) in 1971, China voted in the affirmative on human rights resolutions 79 % of the time, compared to the world average favoring ratio of 75 %. This positive image of consistently voting in the affirmative on UNGA human rights resolutions suggests a second image of China’s human rights. However, while the Chinese government is willing to accept the international human rights regime, it also strategically alters its endorsement of UNGA human rights resolutions based on changing levels of domestic threats.
Continuum Elastic Strain Effects at Semiconductor Interfaces

Heteroepitaxy of semiconductor materials has introduced whole new classes of electronic and optical devices as well as new physical phenomena. Heteroepitaxy always introduces stress in some or all of the deposited material. The resulting strain changes the bandgap of the materials in which it occurs, and changes the conduction and valence band offsets relative to neighboring materials. In all instances studied so far, the effects of strain can be calculated accurately using continuum stress-strain relationships developed for homogeneous, bulk materials.
Normal appendix outer-diameter in Chinese children

Objective To investigation the normal outer-diameter of appendix in Chinese children with different ages(from 1to 6years).Methods Totally 838normal children(aged 1~6years old)who underwent ultrasonography were enrolled.Taking ileocecum as the anatomical landmark,the appendix was displayed with ultrasound,and the maximal-outer-diameter(MOD)of appendix was measured.The differences of MOD of normal appendix in different ages were analyzed statistically with independent sample t-test and ANOVA.Results There was significant difference of MOD of normal appendix with different ages.The upper limit of 95% unilateral medical reference in children aged≥1and3years was 0. 56cm,as well as those aged≥3and≤6years was 0.61cm.Conclusion The characteristics of physical development of Chinese children should be fully considered when measuring appendix diameter with ultrasound for diagnosis of appendicitis.
Discussion on Technical Approaches for Low-carbon Development of Guangdong Power Grid

Power industry plays a vital role in promoting low-carbon development of China.As an important part of power industry,power grid enterprise must positively think of technical approaches for low-carbon development and lead low-carbon development of power industry or even the whole society.From perspective of Guangdong power grid,the paper analyzes prospect of low-carbon development and presents research idea and content of low-carbon development in combination with practical situation of Guangdong power grid.Additionally,it analyzes some key technical approaches and low-carbon benefits,which provides reference to low-carbon development strategy of Guangdong power grid.