cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of the thickness of Nickel oxide film for nitrogen dioxide gas sensing Applications

Nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were formed by RF reactive magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates. The Argon and Oxygen partial pressure were (3.2×10-3 torr) and (2.12×10-2 torr) respectively at room temperature. The thickness of the films deposited was in the range of 50-150 nm. The thickness necessity structural, electrical and sensing properties of (NiO) films were methodically examined. X-ray diffraction method which shows polycrystalline landscape with preferred reflection peak at (200) plane. Scanning electron microscope analysis revealed that the growth of nanorods in all the films. The gas sensitivity of nitrogen dioxide gas was (67 %). It was observed that the gas sensitivity for (NiO) films was increased as film thickness increases.
Prior experience informs ensemble encoding

People quickly form summary representations that capture the statistical structure in a set of simultaneously-presented objects. We present evidence that such ensemble encoding is informed not only by the presented set of objects, but also by a meta-ensemble, or prototype, that captures the structure of previously viewed stimuli. Participants viewed four objects (shaded squares in Experiment 1; emotional expressions in Experiment 2) and estimated their average by adjusting a response object. Estimates were biased toward the central value of previous stimuli, consistent with Bayesian models of how people combine hierarchical sources of information. The results suggest that an inductively learned prototype may serve as a source of prior information to adjust ensemble estimates. To the extent that real environments present statistical structure in a given moment as well as consistently over time, ensemble encoding in real-world situations ought to take advantage of both kinds of regularity.
An Analysis of Price vs. Revenue Protection: Government Subsidies in the Agriculture Industry

The agriculture industry plays a critical role in the U.S. economy, and various industry sectors depend on the output of farms. To protect and raise farmers’ income, the U.S. government offers two subsidy programs to farmers: the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program, which pays farmers a subsidy when the market price falls below a reference price, and the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program, which is triggered when farmers’ revenue is below a threshold. Given the unique features of PLC and ARC, we develop models to analyze their impacts on consumers, farmers, and the government. Our analysis generates several insights. First, while PLC always motivates farmers to plant more acres compared to the no-subsidy case, farmers may plant fewer acres under ARC, leading to a lower crop supply. Second, despite the prevailing intuition that ARC generally dominates PLC, we show that both farmers and consumers may be better off under PLC for a large range of parameter values, even when the reference price represents t...
Role of multidrug resistance and its pharmacological modulation in acute myeloid leukemia

Despite more effective treatment for younger patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), resistance to conventional antineoplastics has limited such advances in the elderly. Overexpression of the multidrug transporter, P-glycoprotein (Pgp), appears to contribute to treatment failure in de novo AML and has been detected in up to 70 percent of elderly patients. Data also indicate linkage between Pgp and many adverse prognostic features, including cytogenetic pattern, surface phenotype, and evolution from an antecedent hematologic disorder. Pharmacologic inhibitors of Pgp function have been targeted for investigation in elderly AML patients. Non-Pgp mechanisms responsible for multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotypes that are only weakly sensitive to classic Pgp modulators, however, may limit the success of such strategies. Overexpression of the lung-resistance protein (LRP) in AML has also been linked to advanced age, secondary leukemia, and Pgp overexpression. In a study of 66 patients at the Arizona Cancer Center, LRP overexpression was a more important predictor of response to induction therapy for AML than was Pgp. Recent investigations indicate that overexpression of the gene encoding the MDR-related protein (MRP), though rare in de novo AML, may be common in high-risk groups such as relapsed patients and secondary AML. Use of monoclonal antibodies specific for the MRP gene product may further define its prognostic relevance in AML.
Metric Driven Classification: A Non-Parametric Approach Based on the Henze–Penrose Test Statistic

Entropy-based divergence measures have proven their effectiveness in many areas of computer vision and pattern recognition. However, the complexity of their implementation might be prohibitive in resource-limited applications, as they require estimates of probability densities which are expensive to compute directly for high-dimensional data. In this paper, we investigate the usage of a non-parametric distribution-free metric, known as the Henze–Penrose test statistic to obtain bounds for the $k$ -nearest neighbors ( $k$ -NN) classification accuracy. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and the reliability of this metric in estimating the inter-class separability. In addition, the proposed bounds on the $k$ -NN classification are exploited for evaluating the efficacy of different pre-processing techniques as well as selecting the least number of features that would achieve the desired classification performance.
Exploring the effects of cognitive style diversity and self-efficacy beliefs on final design attributes in student design teams

Previous research has demonstrated the benefit of higher levels of cognitive style diversity and task-specific self-efficacy beliefs on team performance in complex tasks. This study aims to add to this growing body of literature by exploring the effects of both cognitive diversity and the self-efficacy beliefs of design teams on final design solutions. The final designs produced by 55 student design teams in a junior-level mechanical engineering course were analyzed, and measures of team-level cognitive diversity and task-specific self-efficacy beliefs were collected. Results indicate that higher cognitive diversity and aggregate engineering design self-efficacy levels of design teams significantly impact final design characteristics; aggregate creative self-efficacy had no effect on design characteristics.
Contact Forces Required to Record Monophasic Action Potentials: A Complement to Catheter Contact Force Measurement

Objective: The ability to monitor catheter contact force (CF) plays a major role in assessing radiofrequency ablation, impacting lesion size and arrhythmia recurrence, and dictating ablation duration and/or overall patient safety. Our study sought to determine the relative CFs required to elicit reproducible monophasic action potential (MAP) recordings. Methods: The study utilized four swine in which: first, median sternotomies were performed and MAPs were collected from seven ventricular locations on the epicardial surface of each heart; and second, a subset of endocardial signals was recorded from a reanimated heart. In these studies, the initial elicitation and then loss of stable MAP waveforms were recorded, as were their associated catheter CFs ( n = 371). Results: Mean CF at the onset of stable MAP recordings was 14.2 ± 2.9 g for epicardial and 16.6 ± 2.5 g for endocardial locations. Across epicardial locations, no significant differences in CF were required to elicit MAPs. Additionally, endocardial and epicardial CFs for MAPs did not significantly differ for respective locations, i.e., right ventricular septum endocardial versus epicardial. In our study, the catheter CFs required to elicit MAPs were within optimal ranges previously reported for eliciting clinically viable radiofrequency ablations. Conclusion: We believe that MAP recordings could complement CF measurements with electrical data, providing additional clinical feedback for physicians performing cardiac ablation. Significance: If applied clinically, MAP recordings could potentially improve ablation outcomes in patients with cardiac arrhythmias.
Colletotrichum brevisporum is associated with anthracnose of red bell pepper fruit in Trinidad

Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) production in Trinidad is year-round and covers approximately 116 acres with an estimated annual yield of 1,600 tonnes. Colletotrichum truncatum is the predominant fungal pathogen causing anthracnose of pepper…
Raspberry extract prevents NLRP3 inflammasome activation in gut epithelial cells induced by pathogenic Escherichia coli.

Abstract Raspberry extract is known for its anti-inflammatory effects, but its effectiveness against pathogenic Escherichia coli-induced inflammasome activation in epithelial cells is largely unknown. This study showed that raspberry extract treatment prevented oxidative stress in Caco-2 cells infected by E. coli O157:H7 and had prophylactic effects against E. coli O157:H7-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In addition, raspberry extract mitigated reduction of nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), a key transcription factor regulating antioxidant protein expression and nitric oxide production in Caco-2 cells upon E. coli O157:H7 infection. However, raspberry extract failed to restore NRF2 nuclear content or nitric oxide production in Caco-2 cells in the presence of aminoguanidine hydrochloride, an iNOS inhibitor. Collectively, raspberry extract treatment suppressed NLRP3 mediated inflammatory response and oxidative stress in Caco-2 cells induced by E. coli O157:H7 infection. These protective effects were partially mediated by enhanced NRF2 signaling pathway and nitric oxide production.
It's My Data! Tensions Among Stakeholders of a Learning Analytics Dashboard

Early warning dashboards in higher education analyze student data to enable early identification of underperforming students, allowing timely interventions by faculty and staff. To understand perceptions regarding the ethics and impact of such learning analytics applications, we conducted a multi-stakeholder analysis of an early-warning dashboard deployed at the University of Michigan through semi-structured interviews with the system's developers, academic advisors (the primary users), and students. We identify multiple tensions among and within the stakeholder groups, especially with regard to awareness, understanding, access and use of the system. Furthermore, ambiguity in data provenance and data quality result in differing levels of reliance and concerns about the system among academic advisors and students. While students see the system's benefits, they argue for more involvement, control, and informed consent regarding the use of student data. We discuss our findings' implications for the ethical design and deployment of learning analytics applications in higher education. Early warning dashboards in higher education analyze student data to enable early identification of underperforming students, allowing timely interventions by faculty and staff. To understand perceptions regarding the ethics and impact of such learning analytics applications, we conducted a multi-stakeholder analysis of an early-warning dashboard deployed at the University of Michigan through semi-structured interviews with the system's developers, academic advisors (the primary users), and students. We identify multiple tensions among and within the stakeholder groups, especially with regard to awareness, understanding, access, and use of the system. Furthermore, ambiguity in data provenance and data quality result in differing levels of reliance and concerns about the system among academic advisors and students. While students see the system's benefits, they argue for more involvement, control, and informed consent regarding the use of student data. We discuss our findings' implications for the ethical design and deployment of learning analytics applications in higher education.
Surgical and Medical Costs for Fibromyalgia Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty.

The potential added costs of managing fibromyalgia patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have not been assessed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to perform a cost analysis of fibromyalgia versus nonfibromyalgia patients who underwent TKA. Specifically, we evaluated the following episodes of care: (1) readmission rates, (2) total costs, (3) total reimbursements, and (4) net losses for surgical and medical complications. Patients who underwent TKAs between 2005 and 2014 from the Medicare Standard Analytical Files of the PearlDiver supercomputer were propensity score matched by patients with and without fibromyalgia in a 1:1 ratio based on age, sex, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index, yielding a total of 305,510 patients distributed equally between the cohorts for analysis. Odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and p-values were calculated. Mean costs, total costs, and total reimbursements were assessed as along with total net losses, which were defined as total costs minus total reimbursements. Fibromyalgia patients had similar 90-day readmission rates compared with nonfibromyalgia patients (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00–1.06; p = 0.06) but incurred lower readmission costs (US$2,318,384,295 vs. US$2,534,482,404; p
Confidence and Prediction Intervals for Microwave Calibrations and Measurements

We discuss the estimation of confidence and prediction intervals for microwave calibrations and measurements from measurement residuals and highlight the difficulties of applying a conventional approach when correlations must be preserved in the uncertainty analysis. We then suggest an alternative and illustrate the procedure with probe-to-probe coupling corrections in an on-wafer measurement environment.
Spectral Evaluation of Eyeglass Blocking Efficiency of Ultraviolet/High-energy Visible Blue Light for Ocular Protection

SIGNIFICANCEWe investigated, for safety and awareness, ultraviolet and high-energy violet light–blocking protection provided by assorted types of eyewear. Ultraviolet and high-energy violet light–filtering efficiency varied and did not correlate with price or advertised claims. Standardization of me
A highly specific hydrophilic peptide for PET imaging of PD-L1 expression in tumors

5 Objectives: . The immune checkpoint protein programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is expressed in many cancers as a means to evade the immune system. Immunohistochemical (IHC) methods for detecting and quantifying PD-L1 in tumors are important to guide therapy. IHC, however, has several shortcomings, including sampling error and discordance between primary and metastatic histology. Precision PET radiotracers can provide dynamic in vivoassessment of PD-L1 expression in all lesions concurrently. PD-L1 imaging agents that fit within standard clinical workflow have been few. Here we evaluate a hydrophilic, copper-64 (64Cu) radiolabeled, human PD-L1 specific peptide (DK222, Mw: 2.31 kDa) to quantify PD-L1 expression in tumors. Methods. DK222 was conjugated with NODAGA, labeled with 64Cu, and purified by HPLC. We determined the affinities of DK222 and its analogs for PD-L1 by in vitro competitive inhibition. We tested the specificity of [64Cu]DK222 in vitro and in vivo. Those studies were performed using six cell lines and tumors with varying levels of PD-L1 expression and were derived from breast (MDAMB231, SUM149), lung (HCC827 and H226) and ovarian (CHO-hPD-L1 and CHO) cancers. We performed PET imaging and biodistribution studies to determine [64Cu]DK222 pharmacokinetics and blocking studies to confirm PD-L1 specificity. We assessed PD-L1 expression in the tumors by IHC to correlate [64Cu]DK222 uptake with PD-L1 levels. Results. DK222 and its copper-bound analog demonstrated high affinities for PD-L1 ( 95% purity and in high specific activity. In vitro studies proved that cell uptake of [64Cu]DK222 was reflective of PD-L1 expression detected by flow cytometry (Fig. 1B). High contrast PET images were obtained within 60 min and as early as 10 min after [64Cu]DK222 administration (Fig. 1C & E). PET imaging demonstrated the highest accumulation of radioactivity in the bladder, kidneys, and tumor, with minimal uptake in other organs (Fig. 1C & D). Imaging and biodistribution studies proved that [64Cu]DK222 uptake in the tumors correlated with PD-L1 expression detected by IHC as follows: CHO-hPD-L1 (%ID/g, 25.9±4.0) > MDAMB231 (15.9±0.8) > HCC827 (4.2±0.8) > SUM149 (1.7±0.1) > CHO (1.3±0.2) tumors (Fig. 1C-G). Confirming PD-L1 specificity, [64Cu]DK222 uptake in the PD-L1 positive tumors was significantly inhibited in mice co-administered with blocking dose (50 mg/kg) of parent peptide (Fig. 1C-E). Conclusions. Our results establish that [64Cu]DK222 demonstrates features desired for clinical translation of a targeted molecular imaging agent: 1) high affinity and specificity to PD-L1; 2) low normal tissue uptake, allowing use across many tumor types; and, 3) suitable image contrast within 60 min of radiotracer administration to fit within the standard clinical workflow. Research Support. Allegheny Health Network-Johns Hopkins Cancer Research Fund, NIHR01CA16631, NIH P30 CA006973 and P41 EB024495.
Racism, Bias, and Discrimination as Modifiable Barriers to Breastfeeding for African American Women: A Scoping Review of the Literature.

Introduction Although breastfeeding has been shown to improve health outcomes for infants, African American women initiate and continue breastfeeding at lower rates than women from other racial groups. This scoping review was conducted to assess the effect racism, bias, and discrimination have on breastfeeding care, support, and outcomes for African American women. Methods A scoping review was performed of the literature published between January 2010 through December 2019 using databases MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts. Studies that examined racism, bias, or discrimination with breastfeeding as an outcome were included. After a review of titles and abstracts of the articles using exclusion and inclusion criteria, 5 full-text articles were included in the scoping review. Results The qualitative and quantitative studies reviewed provide the perspectives of pregnant and postpartum African American women as well as those of health care providers. African American women's experiences of racism adversely affected both breastfeeding initiation and duration. Health care providers' biased assumption that African American women would not breastfeed affected the quality of breastfeeding support provided to them. Specifically, African American women received fewer referrals for lactation support and more limited assistance when problems developed. This scoping review provides evidence that African American women experience racism, bias, and discrimination affecting breastfeeding care, support, and outcomes. Discussion Racism, bias, and discrimination are modifiable barriers that adversely affect breastfeeding among African American women. Researchers and health care providers are encouraged to consider the effect of racism, bias, and discrimination on breastfeeding care, support, and outcomes.
Theological Distance Learning through Trinity College and Theological Seminary: Programs, Problems, Perceptions, and Prospects

An international survey was conducted to assess theological higher education via distance learning as perceived by graduates of Trinity College and Theological Seminary's (Trinity) doctoral programs. The purpose of the study was to determine student-perceived strengths and weaknesses of Trinity's doctoral-level distance education theology programs. Also, the future of distance-learning mediated programs of theological higher education was speculated. A random sample of 400 doctoral recipients was selected from the population of 802 doctoral recipients who graduated from Trinity between the years of 1969 and March 1998. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 203 (50.0%) were returned. Frequency counts, percentage distributions, and chi-square tests of goodness-of-fit were employed to analyze the data. A profile of the modal type of student who would participate in theological distance education at the doctoral level was developed from the demographic variables queried. Responses to questions regarding respondents' educational experiences and coursework were solicited as well. Respondents identified five primary strengths of Trinity's distance education doctoral programs as: the convenience of the program; the immediate application of course content to personal and professional endeavors; the quality of education provided; the Biblical groundedness of the curricula, the materials, and the faculty; and the required reading and research. The three predominant weaknesses of Trinity's distance education doctoral programs as identified by program graduates include: the lack of interaction between students and faculty; the lack of regional accreditation; and course repetitiveness meaning that some courses offered repeated content from prior studies at a lower educational level. It was concluded that the future of theological higher education via distance learning is promising. Trinity has emerged as a dominant distance learning institution as a result of its continued exploration and advancements. However, Trinity and other similar distance education institutions must continually and consistently evaluate their programs and their students' expectations in an effort to transition theological distance education into the 21 st century.
Acculturation and the oral health of a nationally representative sample of Hispanic children in the United States: An analysis of 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health data

Oral disease is a serious public health issue, and Hispanic children in the United States (US) are more likely than children of other racial/ethnic groups to experience dental caries. Although Hispanic children are a growing segment of the US population there is limited research on the association between acculturation and oral health outcomes in this population. This study examined the associations between household acculturation and pediatric oral health in the Hispanic population using a nationally representative sample of children. Data from the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health were analyzed; analyses included Hispanic children ages 1 to 17. Household acculturation was assessed with a combination of language and parental nativity, while oral health was assessed via parents’/guardians’ reports of children’s dental caries. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between acculturation and oral health, adjusting for other demographic and social determinants of pediatric oral health. We assessed significance at the p < 0.05 level, and all analyses accounted for the survey’s complex sample design. Analyses included 9143 Hispanic children. In total, 24.9% (95% CI: 22.9–27.0%) experienced dental caries, and there were significant associations between household acculturation and oral health. In unadjusted analyses, 32.0% (95% CI: 28.9–35.4%) of children in low acculturation households, 20.3% (95% CI: 16.0–25.4%) of children in moderate acculturation households, and 16.9% (95% CI: 14.2–20.0%) of children in high acculturation households experienced dental caries (p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, children in high acculturation households were significantly less likely than those in low acculturation households to experience dental caries (p < 0.001; OR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.35–0.70). The difference between children in moderate and low acculturation households approached but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.057; OR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.48–1.01). A dose-response relationship was observed between household acculturation and the oral health of Hispanic children in the US. As acculturation increases, the likelihood of a child experiencing dental caries decreases. These findings suggest that public health and community-based interventions intended to reduce oral health disparities in Hispanic children would likely be most impactful if the acculturation levels of the children’s households are considered during program development.
Using Functional Ability Measures to Assess Fall Risk in Acute Care.

Currently, it is not known whether integration of functional performance measures is sensitive and feasible for use in acute care settings. This cross-sectional study explored the subjective and ob...
Spontaneous alpha-band amplitude predicts subjective visibility but not discrimination accuracy during high-level perception

Near-threshold perception is a paradigm case of perceptual reports diverging from reality - perception of an unchanging stimulus can vacillate from undetected to clearly perceived. Among the many factors that predict whether a stimulus will reach awareness, the amplitude of low-frequency brain oscillations - particularly in the alpha frequency band (8-13 Hz) - has emerged as a reliable predictor of trial-to-trial variability in perceptual decisions. Analysis grounded in signal detection theory suggest that strong prestimulus alpha oscillations diminish subjective perception without affecting the accuracy or sensitivity (d-prime) of perceptual decisions. These results, coupled with recent studies on sensory responses, point to an inhibitory influence of alpha-band amplitude on early visuocortical activity. The findings to date have been based on simple, low-level visual stimuli, which warrant a focus on early visual processing. However, the physiology of alpha in higher-level visual areas is known to be distinct from early visual cortex, with evidence indicating that alpha amplitude in the inferior temporal (IT) cortex is excitatory (rather than inhibitory, as in early visual cortex). Here, we addressed the question of how spontaneous oscillatory amplitude impacts subjective and objective aspects of perception using a high-level perceptual decision task. Human observers completed a near-threshold face/house discrimination task with subjective visibility ratings while electroencephalograms (EEG) were recorded. Using a single-trial multiple regression analysis, we found that spontaneous fluctuations in pre-stimulus alpha-band amplitude were negatively related to visibility ratings but did not predict trial-by-trial accuracy. These results suggest that the inhibitory influence of prestimulus alpha activity in early visual cortex, rather than the excitatory influence of alpha in IT, comes to bias high-level perceptual reports. Our findings provide further evidence that ongoing alpha amplitude dissociates subjective and objective measures of visual perception.
Uneven Battles: Central American Cold War Literature

This chapter discusses Central American Cold War literature by focusing on its main forms (poetry, testimonio, prose fiction) and its main concerns (US involvement, dictatorship, guerrilla warfare, militancy, ideology and trauma). The main argument is that Central American literature presents the Cold War as a series of uneven battles. These include battles between small Central American countries and the military, political and economic might of the US, between a small guerrilla troop and a far better equipped regular army, between humans and nature, between genders, between doctrine and dissent and between literature and politics. I conclude with a reflection on post-conflict literature and with the claim that Central American Cold War literature is still being written to this day.
Autonomy Levels for Small Satellite Clusters

The growth in commercial and government use of small satellites and CubeSat constellations is projected to grow significantly over the next decade due to their low cost and flexibility attributes. However, managing clusters of small satellites requires some level of distribution of cognition amongst the elements of the cluster to reduce human workload and enable autonomous and robust operations. The goal of introducing cognition is to reduce the latency and increase the accuracy of detections and recognition of objects or events of interest as well as continued proper operation in the event of single or multiple sensor dropouts or mission ground station failures. We propose here an autonomy model that consists of eight levels of autonomy: Remote operation, onboard sensor processing, formation flight, dynamic retasking, onboard sensemaking, dynamic supervised replanning, and dynamic unsupervised replanning. Since space applications have the most stringent constraints on size, weight, and power, it is critical to make decisions that address where the data is stored and how it is processed. We have therefore designed a model that enables specific cognitive functions to be performed on the available data in order to enable the machine decisions that distinguish between the different levels of autonomy.
Commercial and public payer opioid analgesic prescribing policies: A case study

One strategy to address the high number of U.S. opioid-related deaths is to restrict high-risk or inappropriate opioid analgesic prescribing and dispensing. Federal and state laws and regulations have implemented restrictions but less is known about commercial and public payers’ policies aside from clinician anecdotal reports that these policies are increasing. To assess the number and types of policies with temporal trends, we examined commercial and public (Medicaid) payer policies in one state, Michigan, that has high opioid-related deaths and implemented opioid analgesic prescribing laws. Policies for seven large commercial payers and the public payer for 2012–2018 were reviewed and categorized by actions. Joinpoint regression was used to summarize temporal trends on number of policies for all payers and subgroups. Across the 7 years, there were 529 action policies (75.57 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 35.93, 115.22) actions per year) with a range of 36 to 103 actions by payer. Limitations on number of days for initial prescriptions and prior authorizations were the most frequently implemented policy. The temporal trend showed a decline in new policies from 2012 to 2013 but a steady increase from 2014 to 2018 (average annual percent change or AAPC=29.6% (95% confidence intervals 13.2, 48.5%)). The public payer (n=47 policies) showed no increase in number of policies over time (AAPC=2.9% (95% CI -41.6, 61.6%). The eight commercial and public payers implemented many new policies to restrict opioid analgesic prescribing with a steady increase in the number of such policies implemented from 2014 to 2018. This case study documented that at least in one state with high opioid-related deaths and multiple commercial payers, new and different policies were increasingly implemented creating barriers to patient care. The impact of these policies is understudied, complicating recommendation of best practices.
Discursive differences in teaching the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision and the preservation of narratives of American progress

This qualitative case study research explores the discursive practices of three White secondary US history teachers while teaching about the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court decision. Using critical discourse analysis as a methodology, this study examines teachers’ use of naming, verb tense and presupposition to explore the subtle differences in meaning conveyed to students about the Brown decision and how these differences correspond with teachers’ historical knowledge and beliefs about the goal and role of teaching history. In revealing these discursive differences in historical narratives, this study demonstrates how master narratives of American progress rooted in hegemonic Whiteness are upheld or disrupted, and sometimes both. This study supplements existing research about the teaching and learning about the history of Brown and raises questions about the different historical narratives presented to students even when purportedly covering the same topics.
Health of aging families: comparing compound and noncompound caregivers.

Providing care to a family member with disabilities takes a toll on the health of the caregiver and the family. Among aging caregivers, compound caregiving (i.e., caring for two or more family members) has become an increasingly common scenario. However, few research studies have focused on compound caregivers. Extant literature describes individual-level outcomes, with sparse knowledge on family-level outcomes. The family quality of life framework was used in this study to examine differences in the individual and family health of aging compound and noncompound caregivers. Web-based cross-sectional data collected from 112 aging caregivers (age 50 and older) were analyzed using chi-square and independent sample t-tests to examine differences between caregivers. Compound caregivers had poorer perceptions of personal health than noncompound caregivers. In terms of family health, although all caregivers shared similar perceptions on the importance, opportunities, initiative, and stability, compound caregivers had lower attainment and satisfaction than noncompound caregivers. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that compound caregiving was associated with poorer family health. Personal health was positively associated with family health. Study findings have practice implications for identifying caregivers' multiple responsibilities. It is necessary to develop individual and family level programs focused on health promotion and caregiver training.
A study of test quality/tester scan memory trade-offs using the SEMATECH test methods data

Monolithic ICs are growing so large that tester capacity is rapidly becoming a problem. There are also a number of "stored pattern" test methods which vie for limited tester resources. From a quality perspective, how do we best allocate tester memory or time? In this paper, the SEMATECH Test Methods data are used to examine this important question.
METABOLISM OF LEPTOSPIRAE. I. UTILIZATION OF AMINO ACIDS AND PURINE, AND PYRIMIDINE BASES.

Abstract The utilization of exogenous amino acids, purines, and pyrimidine by Leptospira pomona has been examined, with the following results: (1) Only limited growth and no sparing effect of a complete amino acid mixture minus asparagine was obtained when ammonia was omitted or limited in the growth medium. (2) The replacement by asparagine of the ammonium requirement was found to be due to the asparaginase activity of the rabbit serum additive in the medium. (3) Although amino acids supported only limited growth, the eight C 14 -labeled amino acids tested were incorporated into cellular protein and other cellular components. (4) Exogenous isoleucine, leucine, and valine were incorporated to an extent great enough to completely replace the incorporation of these endogenously synthesized amino acids into protein. However, the incorporation of exogenously supplied glutamate, and alanine was such that no significant diminution of these endogenously synthesized amino acids in protein was observed. (5) Purine bases were incorporated into L. pomona nucleic acids, and purine analogues were observed to inhibit growth. (6) Pyrimidine bases and carbamyl aspartate were not incorporated into L. pomona . Pyrimidine analogues had no effect on growth. (7) The results were discussed in connection with the peculiar requirement of ammonia for maximal growth of this heterotroph.
Moving toward SBIRT in the US military

As is the case for many sectors of society, the U.S. military has a long history of alcohol and other drug (AOD) misuse and abuse. The issue has reached crisis proportions because of psychological stress of multiple deployments and increased use of opiates to treat pain. To better understand the problem and how it can be addressed, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences conducted an independent inquiry to develop recommendations for changes in the way AOD problems in service members and their families are prevented, identified and treated.
Thermal management of instruments on space platforms using a high capacity two-phase heat transport system

A system utilizing a pumped, two-phase single component working fluid for heat exchange and transport services necessary to meet the temperature control requirements of typical orbiting instrument payloads on space platforms is described. The design characteristics of the system is presented, together with a presentation of a laboratory apparatus for demonstration of proof of concept. Results indicate that the pumped two-phase design concept can meet a wide range of thermal performance requirements with the only penalty being the requirement for a small liquid pump.
Reality and myth in family life: Changes across generations.

SUMMARY A theory of mate selection and premarital behavior based upon partners' family myths is presented. Preliminary data from a research project which tested this theory is discussed along with hypotheses regarding the prognosis for couples who assume different postures in relation to their family myths.
Distributed proximity maintenance in ad hoc mobile networks

We present an efficient distributed data structure, called the d-Spanner, for maintaining proximity information among communicating mobile nodes. The d-Spanner is a kinetic sparse graph spanner on the nodes that allows each node to quickly determine which other nodes are within a given distance of itself, to estimate an approximate nearest neighbor, and to perform a variety of other proximity related tasks. A lightweight and fully distributed implementation is possible, in that maintenance of the proximity information only requires each node to exchange a modest number of messages with a small number of mostly neighboring nodes. The structure is based on distance information between communicating nodes that can be derived using ranging or localization methods and requires no additional shared infrastructure other than an underlying communication network. Its modest requirements make it scalable to networks with large numbers of nodes.
HOL Light: An Overview

HOL Light is an interactive proof assistant for classical higher-order logic, intended as a clean and simplified version of Mike Gordon's original HOL system. Theorem provers in this family use a version of ML as both the implementation and interaction language; in HOL Light's case this is Objective CAML (OCaml). Thanks to its adherence to the so-called `LCF approach', the system can be extended with new inference rules without compromising soundness. While retaining this reliability and programmability from earlier HOL systems, HOL Light is distinguished by its clean and simple design and extremely small logical kernel. Despite this, it provides powerful proof tools and has been applied to some non-trivial tasks in the formalization of mathematics and industrial formal verification.
Surface decomposition of triethylindium on InSb(100)

Abstract The surface reactions of triethylindium on InSb(1 0 0)-c(8×2) were studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and static secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Adsorbed diethylindium, monoethylindium and ethyl were the main surface products after triethylindium chemisorbed at 350 K. Diethylindium desorbs from the surface at temperatures below 450 K. Ethyl groups undergo hydride elimination to ethylene and homolysis to ethyl radicals at two temperatures during TPD, 450 and 480 K. The 450 K desorption feature is associated with adsorbed monoethylindium. Adsorbed ethyl ligands, formed during dissociative adsorption, migrate to lattice In atoms and desorb at 480 K through homolysis and β-hydride elimination at these lattice sites.
Peptidase activities of the multicatalytic protease in rat liver after voluntary and intragastric ethanol administration

Ethanol consumption slows down the rate of hepatic protein catabolism. The present study was conducted to determine whether ethanol consumption, given by voluntary (pair) feeding or by intragastric administration, affected the peptidase activities of the proteasome in rat liver. Rats were pair-fed liquid diets containing either ethanol or isocaloric maltose-dextrin. A separate group of animals was intragastrically infused continuously with similar liquid diets containing either ethanol or isocaloric dextrose. Crude liver homogenates and their cytosolic fractions were assayed for their chymotrypsin-like (Cht-L), trypsin-like (T-L), and peptidyl-glutamyl-peptide hydrolase (PGPH) activities, using specific fluorogenic peptides as substrates. Voluntary ethanol feeding did not affect the three peptidase activities of the proteasome. However, intragastric ethanol administration caused a 35% to 40% decline in the Cht-L and the T-L activities, but did not significantly change the PGPH activity. The lower peptidase activities in cytosol samples from intragastrically ethanol-fed rats were not restored to control levels by overnight dialysis, nor by the inclusion of low levels of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or of 0.5 mmol/L adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the proteasome assay mixture. Immunoblot analyses using anti-rat liver proteaseome exhibited equal levels of immunoreactive proteasome subunits in livers of control and ethanol-fed rats. Similar results were obtained when blots were probed with antibody made specifically against the proteasome subunit, LMP-7. The results indicate that intragastric, but not voluntary, ethanol consumption differentially affects the separate catalytic activities of the proteasome without affecting its steady-state levels. Such changes may be related to the degree of ethanol-induced oxidative stress.
An adaptive microphone array processing system

Abstract A microphone array processing system has been developed for enhanced speech acquisition. The key aim is to allow the microphone array to direct its own pattern to selectively enhance a desired signal while attenuating interference. Basic design considerations are to keep the part count low and system cost down. While the prototype system is designed for research use, the design readily extends to production systems. Each channel of the eight element array consists of an omnidirectional microphone, analogue signal conditioning and amplification circuitry, a TLC32044 A/D subsystem and a serial buffer. Programmable logic circuits are used to force the eight channels to sample the inputs simultaneously, and to multiplex and send the data to a TMS320C30 development system using the TMS320C30 serial port protocol. The microphone array data is processed in order to form beams, null out interfering sources and to determine the direction of arrival of desired speech signals. Experimental results with the generalized sidelobe canceller beamformer, and Capon's direction finding technique, demonstrate the array's utility and functionality.
Specific Hydraulic Conductivity of Corneal Stroma as Seen by Quick-Freeze/Deep-Etch

Previous studies of the hydraulic conductivity of connective tissues have failed to show a correspondence between ultrastructure and specific hydraulic conductivity. We used the technique of quick-freeze/deep-etch to examine the ultrastructure of the corneal stroma and then utilized morphometric studies to compute the specific hydraulic conductivity of the corneal stroma. Our studies demonstrated ultrastructural elements of the extracellular matrix of the corneal stroma that are not seen using conventional electron microscopic techniques. Furthermore, we found that these structures may be responsible for generating the high flow resistance characteristic of connective tissues. From analysis of micrographs corrected for depth-of-field effects, we used Carmen-Kozeny theory to bound a morphometrically determined specific hydraulic conductivity of the corneal stroma between 0.46 x 10(-14) and 10.3 x 10(-14) cm2. These bounds encompass experimentally measured values in the literature of 0.5 x 10(-14) to 2 x 10(-14) cm2. The largest source of uncertainty was due to the depth-of-field estimates that ranged from 15 to 51 nm; a better estimate would substantially reduce the uncertainty of these morphometrically determined values.
Three‐Particle Scattering. I. Planar Case

A formal theory of three‐particle scattering in a plane is developed using integral equation methods. Expressions for the scattering amplitude and cross section of elastic and inelastic collisions are derived. The effects of indistinguishability of the colliding particles are discussed.
The generalized pole assignment problem

For some Linear, strictly proper system given by its transfer function, two dynamic output feedback problems can be posed. The first one is that of using dynamic-output feedback to assign the closed-loop characteristic polynomial and the second that of assigning the closed-loop invariant factors. We are concerned with these problems and their inter-relationships. The formulation is done in the frequency domain and the investigation carried out from an algebraic point of view, in terms of linear equations over rings of polynomials. Using the notion of genericity, we express several necessary and sufficient conditions.
Sex differences in attribution for occupational success

Abstract A study was conducted to both test and extend Deaux's (Sex: A perspective on the attribution process. In J. H. Harvey, W. J. Ickes, & R. F. Kidd, (Eds.), New directions in attribution research, Volume 1. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1976 ) expectancy model of sex-linked differences in attribution for success. Specifically, it was hypothesized that female occupational subjects would attribute success more to the unstable causes of effort and luck, as well as the stable internal cause of interpersonal skill, while male occupational subjects would make higher attributions to the stable causes of ability and task ease. This hypothesis was supported for the causes of effort, luck, and task ease. Additionally, a comparison between sex differences in attribution occurring within a nonpersonal vs. personal frame of reference showed three of the expected sex differences in attribution to be stronger in the latter condition. Moreover, it was shown that this difference was largely accounted for by changes in females' rather than males' attributions. A final hypothesis, namely, that males would perceive themselves as more successful in their occupations than females, was not confirmed.
The Shifting Balance of Diversity Among Major Marine Animal Groups

The fossil record demonstrates that each major taxonomic group has a consistent net rate of diversification and a limit to its species richness. It has been thought that long-term changes in the dominance of major taxonomic groups can be predicted from these characteristics. However, new analyses show that diversity limits may rise or fall in response to adaptive radiations or extinctions. These changes are idiosyncratic and occur at different times in each taxa. For example, the end-Permian mass extinction permanently reduced the diversity of important, previously dominant groups such as brachiopods and crinoids. The current global crisis may therefore permanently alter the biosphere's taxonomic composition by changing the rules of evolution.
Demodex cafferi n.sp. from the african buffalo, Syncerus caffer

ABSTRACT Demodex cafferi n. sp. is described from the African buffalo. Population studies of this new species suggests arrhenotoky (1:31, male: female), survivorship of Type III and plausible r-selection. A marked similarity, for mite morphology and pathogenesis, prevails between this species and D. bovis Stiles. Deposited ova are often in early division stages of embryo-genesis with occasional 2,4, and 8 cell holoblastic cleavage; these last are somewhat unusual departures from a typical meroblastic arthropod pattern.