cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1D Lignin-Based Solid Acid Catalysts for Cellulose Hydrolysis to Glucose and Nanocellulose

One-dimensional (1D) solid acid catalysts have been synthesized from lignin-based activated carbon fibers via sulfonation and hydrothermal treatment to be mesoporous and contain 0.56 mmol/g sulfonic and 0.88 mmol/g total acid for direct hydrolysis of highly crystalline rice straw cellulose (CrI = 72.2%). Under optimal hydrothermal conditions of 150 °C and 5 atm, 69.8% of cellulose was hydrolyzed in three consecutive runs, yielding 64% glucose at 91.7 selectivity as well as 8.1% cellulose nanofibrils (2.1 nm thick, 3.1 nm wide, and up to 1 μm long). These 1D acid catalysts could be used repetitively to hydrolyze the remaining cellulose as well as be easily separated from products for hydrolysis of additional cellulose. In essence, complete valorization of rice straw cellulose has been demonstrated by direct hydrolysis with these 1D acid catalysts to superior glucose selectivity while generating high value cellulose nanofibrils.
Implications for climate sensitivity from the response to individual forcings

The response of climate to external forcing is known as climate sensitivity, and its estimates are calculated from historical observations. This study estimates the efficacy of individual forcings and revises climate sensitivities accordingly.
Globalization Strategies for Legal Education

Any law dean worth his or her salt will tell alumni and students that it is important for their school to be "international." Unfortunately, it often sounds like a vacuous slogan. Even more unfortunately, many deans waste scarce resources on somewhat haphazard attempts to make their schools more "international." These internationalization efforts are important, but they must be undertaken with a strong analysis of the appropriate strategy given the external environment. At Northwestern Law, we have undertaken such an analysis and have developed a responsive strategy.The public international law paradigm that has dominated the thinking of law schools since World War II has been surpassed by actual changes in the global economic and political environment. Both the business world and the legal services business have undergone radical changes over the past 20 years. Today good business, government, and the concomitant legal practices are not geographically or culturally bounded; they are universal. Law schools must adjust to the realities of this new environment and look beyond the traditional view of international law as a discrete subject. Just as businesses and law firms can no longer take a strictly local or even regional perspective in terms of competition, neither can law schools. American law schools are better positioned than any other institutions to prepare students, both domestic and foreign, to move seamlessly from domestic to international practice in today's competitive global economy.
Brief light exposure at night disrupts the circadian rhythms in eye growth and choroidal thickness in chicks

Abstract Changes in ocular growth that lead to myopia or hyperopia are associated with alterations in the circadian rhythms in eye growth, choroidal thickness and intraocular pressure in animal models of emmetropization. Recent studies have shown that light at night has deleterious effects on human health, acting via “circadian disruptions” of various diurnal rhythms, including changes in phase or amplitude. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of brief, 2-h episodes of light in the middle of the night on the rhythms in axial length and choroidal thickness, and whether these alter eye growth and refractive error in the chick model of myopia. Starting at 2 weeks of age, birds received 2 h of light between 12:00 am and 2:00 am for 7 days (n = 12; total hours of light: 14 h). Age-matched controls had a continuous dark night (n = 14; 14L/10D). Ocular dimensions were measured using high-frequency A-scan ultrasonography on the first day of the experiment, and again on day 7, at 6-h intervals, starting at noon (12 pm, 6 pm, 12 am, 6 am, 12 pm). Measurements during the night were done under a photographic safe-light. These data were used to determine rhythm parameters of phase and amplitude. 2 groups of birds, both experimental (light at night) and control, were measured with ultrasound at various intervals over the course of 4 weeks to determine growth rates. Refractive errors were measured in 6 experimental and 6 control birds at the end of 2 weeks. Eyes of birds in a normal L/D cycle showed sinusoidal 24-h period diurnal rhythms in axial length and choroid thickness. Light in the middle of the night caused changes in both the rhythms in axial length and choroidal thickness, such that neither could be fit to a sine function having a period of 24 h. Light caused an acute, transient stimulation in ocular growth rate in the subsequent 6-h period (12 am–6 am), that may be responsible for the increased growth rate seen 4 weeks later, and the more myopic refractive error. It also abolished the increase in choroidal thickness that normally occurs between 6 pm and 12 am. We conclude that light at night alters the rhythms in axial length and choroidal thickness in an animal model of eye growth, and that these circadian disruptions might lead to the development of ametropias. These results have implications for the use of light during the night in children.
Should Transitologists Be Grounded

The collapse of state socialism in eastern Europe has led to a proliferation of studies analyzing aspects of democratization throughout the region. Central to many of these studies (particularly those by nonspecialists) is an assumption that postcommunism is but a variation on a larger theme, that is, recent transitions from authoritarian to democratic rule.
Influence of Anisotropic Stress and Formation Property Use in Wellbore Stability Analysis and Field Development Plans: A Case Study for West Kazakhstan Field

Summary The stress and formation anisotropy in a West Kazakhstan field was analyzed using DSI and imaging log data. The anisotropic parameters obtained using the field data was compared with the isotropic stress and formation properties. Drilling margin was constrained using a Biot coefficient in the range of 0.8 to 1.0 along with isotropic and/or anisotropic formation properties derived and calibrated using vertical and horizontal drilling data from the field, the geological model and well logs. The MogiCoulomb rock failure criterion was used in the numerical wellbore stability model. The results of our analysis and comparison to stability analysis of the field data indicates that the formation anisotropy significantly impacts the wellbore stability model developed in this study for West Kazakhstan field.
Analysis of Different Fragmentation Strategies on a Variety of Large Peptides: Implementation of a Low Level of Theory in Fragment-Based Methods Can Be a Crucial Factor.

We have investigated the performance of two classes of fragmentation methods developed in our group (Molecules-in-Molecules (MIM) and Many-Overlapping-Body (MOB) expansion), to reproduce the unfragmented MP2 energies on a test set composed of 10 small to large biomolecules. They have also been assessed to recover the relative energies of different motifs of the acetyl(ala)18NH2 system. Performance of different bond-cutting environments and the use of Hartree–Fock and different density functionals (as a low level of theory) in conjunction with the fragmentation strategies have been analyzed. Our investigation shows that while a low level of theory (for recovering long-range interactions) may not be necessary for small peptides, it provides a very effective strategy to accurately reproduce the total and relative energies of larger peptides such as the different motifs of the acetyl(ala)18NH2 system. Employing M06-2X as the low level of theory, the calculated mean total energy deviation (maximum deviation) i...
In Vivo Analysis of Infectivity, Fusogenicity, and Incorporation of a Mutagenic Viral Glycoprotein Library Reveals Determinants for Virus Incorporation

UNLABELLED Enveloped viruses utilize transmembrane surface glycoproteins to gain entry into target cells. Glycoproteins from diverse viral families can be incorporated into nonnative viral particles in a process termed pseudotyping; however, the molecular mechanisms governing acquisition of these glycoproteins are poorly understood. For murine leukemia virus envelope (MLV Env) glycoprotein, incorporation into foreign viral particles has been shown to be an active process, but it does not appear to be caused by direct interactions among viral proteins. In this study, we coupled in vivo selection systems with Illumina next-generation sequencing (NGS) to test hundreds of thousands of MLV Env mutants for the ability to be enriched in viral particles and to perform other glycoprotein functions. NGS analyses on a subset of these mutants predicted that the residues important for incorporation are in the membrane-proximal external region (MPER), particularly W127 and W137, and the residues in the membrane-spanning domain (MSD) and also immediately flanking it (T140 to L163). These predictions were validated by directly measuring the impact of mutations in these regions on fusogenicity, infectivity, and incorporation. We suggest that these two regions dictate pseudotyping through interactions with specific lipid environments formed during viral assembly. IMPORTANCE Researchers from numerous fields routinely exploit the ability to manipulate viral tropism by swapping viral surface proteins. However, this process, termed pseudotyping, is poorly understood at the molecular level. For murine leukemia virus envelope (MLV Env) glycoprotein, incorporation into foreign viral particles is an active process, but it does not appear to occur through direct viral protein-protein interactions. In this study, we tested hundreds of thousands of MLV Env mutants for the ability to be enriched in viral particles as well as perform other glycoprotein functions. Our analyses on a subset of these mutants predict that the glycoprotein regions embedded in and immediately flanking the viral membrane dictate active incorporation into viral particles. We suggest that pseudotyping occurs through specific lipid-protein interactions at the viral assembly site.
Life style correlates of dietary and biochemical measures of nutrition

Life style, attitudes, and behavior, according to this study, can and do affect dietary intake and nutritional status. What implications for nutrition education do these findings have?
Analysis of HIV/AIDS related high-risk behaviors and influential factors among MSM

Objective To explore the HIV/AIDS related high-risk behaviors and influential factors among MSM,and provide basis for the development of intervention strategies.Methods Anonymous questionnaire was conducted among MSM in downtown area of Luan city using "Snowball" sampling.Database was established by EpiData 3.1 and data were analyzed by SPSS 18.0.Results During the past six months,63.3% of the MSM reported had multi-partner homosexual behaviors,and influencing factors included age,occupation,sexual orientation and the places to look for sex partners.43.9% had unprotected anal sexual behaviors,and education level,sexual orientation,intervention services and the level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS were the influencing factors.10.5% had commercial sex trade,and the influencing factors were age,education level,occupation,residence time in the local place,sexual orientation,and the level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS.23.6% had sex with women,of whom 73.2% had unprotected sex,and education level,intervention services were influencing factors.Conclusions The rate of awareness of HIV/AIDS knowledge and the proportion of MSM who received intervention services were relatively high.Intervention services had promoted the rate of condom use,but had not exerted obvious impacts on multiple male sex-partner,and sex trade.It is urgent to carry out behavior interventions targeted at this population.
Retroperitoneal Lymphadenectomy as Adjunctive Therapy in Selected Cases of Advanced Testicular Carcinoma

AbstractThe findings in 10 patients with advanced non-seminomatous testicular malignant disease in whom either complete remission or reduction in clinical stage was achieved with chemotherapy and later retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy are presented. The procedure in these selected instances allowed for a more accurate assessment of the disease status. The operative findings served as an accurate guide to determine the need for further drug therapy.
R-loop: an emerging regulator of chromatin dynamics

The dynamic structure of chromatin, which exists in two conformational states: heterochromatin and euchromatin, alters the accessibility of the DNA to regulatory factors during transcription, replication, recombination, and DNA damage repair. Chemical modifications of histones and DNA, as well as adenosine triphospahate-dependent nucleosome remodeling, have been the major focus of research on chromatin dynamics over the past two decades. However, recent studies using a DNA-RNA hybrid-specific antibody and next-generation sequencing approaches have revealed that the formation of R-loops, one of the most common non-canonical DNA structures, is an emerging regulator of chromatin states. This review focuses on recent insights into the interplay between R-loop formation and the epigenetic modifications of chromatin in normal and disease states.
Second harmonic generation in magnetized vacuum

Photon-photon scattering in a vacuum1 is perhaps one of the most fundamental mechanisms which can give rise to nonlinear optical effects. This interaction may contribute to the birefringence of the refractive index2 seen by a probe field under the action of either a dc magnetic (or electric) field or intense laser pumping as well as to multiwave mixing processes.3 Here we demonstrate the feasibility of new nonlinear magnetooptical effects in a vacuum that gives rise to optical second harmonic generation (SHG) of the fundamental wave under the action of both strong dc magnetic field H0 and high intensity optical laser radiation.4
Protein Digestion of Baby Foods: Study Approaches and Implications for Infant Health

Protein digestion is critical for infants. Dissimilarities between infants and adults in food intake and digestive physiology lead to distinct patterns of proteolysis between individuals. However, such differences are not well represented in many studies on protein digestion of baby foods. The complex biological structures of baby foods and the physiology of the infant digestive system are key factors affecting proteolysis during the first two years of life. Well-controlled in vitro studies have demonstrated that varying digestion conditions alter the specificity, rate, and extent of proteolysis of baby foods. Nonetheless, these models do not completely replicate in vivo proteolysis or the complex biogeography of the gastrointestinal tract. Animal and clinical studies have revealed the fate of dietary proteins along the digestive tract and the overall health impact on subjects. Building comprehensive and annotated datasets from human infants will require innovative and standardized measurement. Now, more systematic evaluations of digestion are emerging to advance the knowledge and its translation as food design for effective diet and health management in infants.
Quantum paradigm of probability amplitude and complex utility in entangled discrete choice modeling

Abstract The main idea of this paper is motivated by a paradigm from quantum physics where the probability amplitude is built as a superposition of the wave functions of states, and the squared modulus of amplitude defines the probability of state membership. Similar linear aggregates are used in classical physics for description of wave interference effects. In contrast to regular techniques of probability estimation in social-economic research (such as logistic regression, multinomial-logit (MNL), discrete choice modeling (DCM), conjoint, best-worst scaling (BWS), and other methods), the proposed approach of probability amplitude modeling permits finding choice probabilities themselves and demonstrates possible interference phenomena of entanglement of different choices. Particularly, a BWS example evaluated by complex utility MNL demonstrates how a choice of each item is composed from its pure-state and mix-state probabilities. The obtained numerical results are supportive of theoretical considerations and practical applications of the probability amplitude modeling, and can serve for better understanding and evaluation of choice decisions.
A knowledge-based approach to language processing: a progress report

We present a model of natural language use meant to encompass the language-specific aspects of understanding and production. The model is motivated by the pervasiveness of nongenerative language, by the desirability of a language analyzer ana a language production mechanism to share their knowledge, and the advantages of knowledge engineering features such as ease of extention and modification. This model has been used as the basis for PHRAN, a language analyzer, and PHRED, a language production mechanism. We have implemented both these systems using a common knowledge base; we have produced versions of PHRAN that understand Spanish and Chinese with only changing the knowledge base and not modifying the program; and we have implemented PHRAN using the query language of a conventional relational data base system, and compared the performance of this system to a conventional LISP implementation.
Effect of Testosterone Enanthate on Testis Size

AbstractWe treated chronically 39 normal men with a depot androgen, testosterone enanthate (200mg. intramuscularly), to assess its potential as a male contraceptive agent. Careful examination and quantification of testicular volume were done before, during and after several dose regimens of androgen therapy.After 4 months of weekly or bimonthly treatment with testosterone enanthate testicular volume decreased by 19.0 plus or minus 2.1 and 16.5 plus or minus 3.4 per cent, respectively. Decrease in testicular volume was related directly to decrease in sperm count. A total of 17 subjects on either weekly or bimonthly injections failed to suppress sperm counts to less than 5 million per cc after 16 weeks; testicular volume was not significantly less than control at this time. Four to 12 weeks of additional weekly injections decreased sperm counts to less than 5 million per cc in 13 of the 17 patients and decreased testicular volume by 23.0 plus or minus 4.8 per cent. The 16 additional weeks of less frequent i...
Performance limits and simplified analysis of photon-counted noisy free-space optical links

Pulsed optical modulations with photon-counting receivers have been shown to be capable of very high photon efficiencies. With channel capacity as the relevant metric, we review the mathematical models of free-space receivers with photon-counting detectors in varying amounts of background noise. Although historically, such direct detection receivers have been designed to cover relatively wide fields of view because of turbulence, modern systems may be able to achieve performance with many fewer spatial modes, as well as near-matched filtering. We investigate the channel capacity in those cases and show the relative benefits of reducing both spatial and temporal modes of noise. In addition, because the exact capacity formulas are calculation-intensive and not intuitively helpful, we propose a particularly simple yet accurate mathematical approximation that greatly simplifies the analysis when the Poisson model is relevant, and is useful in link budgeting exercises.
Community Psychology and Unreached Peoples: Applications to Needs and Resource Assessment:

This article explores the relationship between community psychology and frontier missions. Similarities between these two fields, such as their common perspectives on delivering services to underse...
Building Codes and Energy Efficiency: How New York City's Building Codes Succeed and Fail in Regulating GHG Emissions

This article seeks to analyze how effective the local NYC building codes are in promoting energy efficiency and regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Part I will highlight the importance of building...
Abstract PR01: Modeling colorectal cancer in vivo through CRISPR-based genome editing

In addition to activating and inactivating mutations in protein coding genes, cancer cells commonly show gross structural abnormalities in their genomes. These include deletions, duplications, inversions, and translocations. Unfortunately, conventional gene targeting- and RNAi-based approaches are not easily applied to study chromosome rearrangements. To enable this, we developed flexible CRISPR-based in vivo models systems that drive the generation of targeted genomic breaks, and the induction of gross chromosomal aberrations, without the need for viral delivery of CRISPR components. Using this approach we have produced novel transgenic systems to recapitulate two recurrent genomic rearrangements observed in human colorectal cancer and provide the first evidence that these events are sufficient to initiate tumor development. Further, we show that these tumors, while histologically similar to Apc mutant CRC, are molecularly distinct and are exquisitely sensitive to therapies targeting the Wnt pathway. We are now using this and other genome-editing platforms to systematically investigate the role of other recurrent genetic alterations in GI malignancies. Citation Format: Teng Han, Emma M. Schatoff, Charles Murphy, Maria Paz Zafra, John Wilkinson, Olivier Elemento, Lukas E. Dow. Modeling colorectal cancer in vivo through CRISPR-based genome editing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in Modeling Cancer in Mice: Technology, Biology, and Beyond; 2017 Sep 24-27; Orlando, Florida. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(10 Suppl):Abstract nr PR01.
Why was Copernicus a Copernican

Here is an outstanding intellectual scandal in the history of science: there is no generally agreed and historically respectable answer to the question of why Nicholas Copernicus adopted heliocentrism. In the first section of his new book, Robert S. Westman develops a new and radical answer. Before The Copernican Question, there were two main proposals to motivate Copernicus’s adoption of heliocentrism. The first, due to Noel Swerdlow, located Copernicus’s motivation in the solution to a technical problem in Ptolemaic astronomy (Swerdlow 1973). The second, due to Bernard Goldstein, located Copernicus’s motivation in the solution to a technical problem in cosmology (Goldstein 2002). Neither of these suggestions attracted much attention outside the small circle of historians of astronomy. Combining all these accounts may give the best answer; however, Westman’s suggestion deserves special notice for explaining not just the content but also the
Executive Compensation, Product Market Behavior and Managerial Entrenchment

This paper reports a positive and statistically significant relationship between a firm’s industry adjusted sales growth and CEO incentive compensation. This relationship is driven by firms which belong to more competitive industries. We find no relationship between incentive pay and product market competition for firms belonging to less competitive industries. This suggests the existence of collusive behavior in the product market among the firms in less competitive industries. Furthermore, the relationship between industry adjusted sales growth and CEO incentive compensation is more prominent in firms where the CEO is less entrenched. Entrenched CEOs do not respond to incentive compensation.
Ion concentrations surrounding the myofilaments.

My point of view is a radical departure from everybody elses. Cellular water has been looked at rather extensively. The more we look at it, the more we are confused. The kind of explanation I give here might have been overlooked in the past, but I think it provides clear and consistent physical interpretations. Let’s assume we have a dipole on the protein molecule in ionic water. The positive and negative charges are separated over a distance of about 100 A. This is shown in Figure 1. The energy required to deposit these charges would come from ATP. As you can see right away the small region between charges experiences a very high electric field strength. If we have a significant potential gradient, then the electric field energy rapidly increases (Field Energy = 1/2 eE2). Note that it is proportional to the dielectric constant. Now, the dielectric constant of liquid water is about 80. When water freezes and becomes solid, the dielectric constant increases to about 90. This might sound odd because intuitively the dielectric constant of ice should be less than 80 due to more restricted rotational motion of water molecules. But actually, the opposite is true.
On the Aggregation and Extrapolation of Uncertainty from Component to System Level Models

The use of computational models to simulate the behavior of complex mechanical systems is ubiquitous in many high consequence applications such as aerospace systems. Results from these simulations are being used, among other things, to inform decisions regarding system reliability and margin assessment. In order to properly support these decisions, uncertainty needs to be accounted for. To this end, it is necessary to identify, quantify and propagate different sources of uncertainty as they relate to these modeling efforts. Some sources of uncertainty arise from the following: (1) modeling assumptions and approximations, (2) solution convergence, (3) differences between model predictions and experiments, (4) physical variability, (5) the coupling of various components and (6) and unknown unknowns. An additional aspect of the problem is the limited information available at the full system level in the application space. This is offset, in some instances, by information on individual components at testable conditions. In this paper, we focus on the quantification of uncertainty due to differences in model prediction and experiments, and present a technique to aggregate and propagate uncertainty from the component level to the full system in the applications space. A numerical example based on a structural dynamics application is used to demonstrate the technique.
Closed-Form Inversion of Backpropagation Networks.

We describe a closed-form technique for mapping the output of a trained backpropagation network int.o input activity space. The mapping is an inverse mapping in the sense that, when the image of the mapping in input activity space is propagat.ed forward through the normal network dynamics, it reproduces the output used to generate that image. When more than one such inverse mappings exist, our inverse ma.pping is special in that it has no projection onto the nullspace of the activation flow operator for the entire network. An important by-product of our calculation, when more than one invel'se mappings exist, is an orthogonal basis set of a significant portion of the activation flow operator nullspace. This basis set can be used to obtain an alternate inverse mapping that is optimized for a particular rea.l-world application.
The Paternity Index, Population Heterogeneity, and the Product Rule

Recent controversy regarding the validity of the product rule in forensic DNA identification cases raises the possibility of living in a “product rule free” world. We have examined methods to determine PI’s across genetic loci without using the product rule. In analogy with HLA, collection of haplotypes from family studies would permit such calculations from tables, but fixed bins and very large numbers of haplotypes would be required. Following a suggestion of C. Brenner that a “product rule free” PI can be obtained directly from multilocus VNTR phenotype tables, we have devised a simple method that relies only on counting: i) Determine, from direct counting, the proportion of individuals in the multilocus phenotype data base that match at all loci tested. This yields the “exclusion probability” term of the PI [J. Morris. 3rd Intl Symp on Hum Ident 1992, Promega p. 177–190, 1993]. ii) For each of the randomly matching phenotypes, determine from direct counting the relative “fit” to the mother-child pair compared to the phenotype of the tested man. The average relative “fit” gives the “goodness of fit” term of the PI. iii) Multiplication of the two terms yields the directly observed “gamete count” PI. For example, suppose in a paternity case tested at 3 VNTR loci, the tested man, heterozygous at all loci, matches the single paternal allele at each locus, and that search of the three locus data base yields 43 of 6146 non-fathers who also match. The exclusion probability PI is 6146/43 = 143. Of the tested man’s eight equiprobable gametes, only one contains the paternal marker at each locus, yielding 1/8 as the numerator of the “goodness of fit” term. If the 43 matching non-fathers consist of 38 who match as well as the tested man and 5 who are apparent homozygotes at one of the three loci, the denominator of the “goodness of fit” term would be 1/43 (38•1/8 + 5•2/8), yielding a “gamete count” PI of 6146/48 = 128.
Colliding plasmas as potential EUV sources towards higher conversion efficiency

Development and optimization of EUV sources for nanolithography during the last decade lead to the significantly improved understanding of Laser Produced Plasmas (LPPs) evolution and properties. Many efforts were devoted to the fundamental effects of laser parameters on LPP temporal and spatial characteristics and on EUV light emission and absorption. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical studies allowed prediction of optimum conditions for the efficient sources produced by various lasers. However, improving the quality and reducing the cost of chips production require significant increase in EUV source power. Several studies have shown EUV power limits from laser based sources produced using mass-limited Sn droplets. These limitations can be explained by target/plasma hydrodynamics effects under laser irradiation that can result in reduced transient area of laser/plasma interactions and the high reabsorption of emitted EUV photons in evolving plasma. Therefore, further analysis of the effects of target parameters on EUV output is an important task in the optimization of future high power EUV sources. Colliding plasmas experiments can be very useful in this regard. Development of pre-plasma in these experiments can be regulated by several parameters of two lasers in conjunction with target geometry. The developed pre-plasma characteristics can accurately be measured and optimized for the following main laser (CO2 or Nd:YAG) irradiation to develop very efficient and prolonged EUV emitting area. We used our advanced 3D simulation package (HEIGHTS) for modeling of complex colliding plasmas evolution and EUV source characteristics produced by two simultaneous Nd:YAG lasers interaction with wedge target followed by CO2 irradiation. We used several diagnostics technique and comparison of modeling and experimental results in our CMUXE labs regarding plasma characteristics, laser/plasma/target interactions, and EUV photons emission and absorption. Our results showed that significant enhancement in EUV output can be achieved with optimized parameters of laser beams that could allow approaching the predicted theoretical limit of the conversion efficiency of EUV sources.
Profiling atmospheric turbulence using time-lapse imagery from two cameras

For effective turbulence compensation, especially in highly anisoplanatic scenarios, it is useful to know the turbulence distribution along a path. Irradiance-based techniques suffer from saturation when profiling turbulence over long ranges and hence alternate techniques are currently being explored. In an earlier work, a method to estimate turbulence parameters such as path weighted Cn2 and Fried’s coherence length r0 from turbulence induced random, differential motion of extended features in the time-lapse imagery of a distant target was demonstrated. A technique to measure the distribution of turbulence along an experimental path using the time-lapse imagery of a target from multiple cameras is presented in this work. The approach uses an LED array as target and two cameras separated by a few feet at the other end of the path imaging the LED board. By measuring the variances of the difference in wavefront tilts sensed by a single camera and between the two cameras due to a pair of LEDs with varying separations, turbulence information along the path can be extracted. The mathematical framework is discussed and the technique has been applied on experimental data collected over a 600 m approximately horizontal path over grass. A potentially significant advantage of the method is that it is phase based, and hence can be applied over longer paths. The ultimate goal of this work is to profile turbulence remotely from a single site using targets of opportunity. Imaging elevated targets over slant paths will help in better understanding how turbulence varies with altitude in the surface layer.
The Safety of Maternal and Fetal MRI at 3 T

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of clinical 3-T MRI during pregnancy on fetal growth and neonatal hearing in neonates at low risk of congenital hearing impairment or of brain or chromosomal abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This single-center retrospective case-control study included consecutively born healthy neonates exposed in utero to 3-T MR during MRI for maternal or fetal indications and born between January 2008 and March 2015. Each exposed neonate was randomly matched 1:2 by birth date to healthy control neonates who had not been exposed to MR. Infant birth weights were compared by unpaired t test. Hearing impairment between groups was compared by Fisher exact test. RESULTS. There was no significant difference in mean birth weight between the MR-exposed (3398 g) and control (3510 g) neonates (p = 0.06). There was no significant difference in prevalence of hearing impairment (p = 0.55) between the MR-exposed (0% [0/81]) and control (1.8% [3/162]) groups. CONCLUSION. This study showed no adverse effects with regard to neonatal hearing or fetal growth in healthy neonates who were variably exposed to 3-T MR in utero during MRI for various clinical maternal or fetal indications at any gestational age.
How Far from Optimal are Current Advisory Speeds?: Analysis Based on Safety Performance

The posting of advisory speed signs at sharp horizontal curves to provide the driving public with a safe speed is a practice well established in the United States. However, the operational effectiveness of these signs has long been questioned in the literature. The authors of this paper recently developed a function to model the expected safety effect of these signs. The function evolved from a statistical analysis of crash data from two-lane rural highways in the state of Oregon. In general, that initial research effort revealed that advisory speed signs tended to enhance safety. However, the results also suggested that advisory speed signs may not display the value with the greatest potential safety benefit. Because the function derived from that research proved meaningful from the engineering and human factors perspectives, the authors then extended the use of that function to compute and recommend the theoretically optimal advisory speed. A new posting procedure resulted from that effort. The authors ...
Multistatic Passive Radar Imaging Using Generalized Wirtinger Flow

In this paper, we explore the reconstruction of a scene with complex targets in the context of multistatic passive radar. Multistatic passive radar refers to configuration where a collection of stationary radar receivers are deployed at different spatial locations and receives scattered ambient signal originating from a source of opportunity. A typical terrestrial source of opportunity in a passive radar context are cell signal, digital TV signal, FM radio, etc.
Origins and Consequences of American Multicultural Federalism: Constitutional Patriotism, Territorial Neutrality, and National Polarization

This chapter explores the key counter-example in the study of multinational federalism and explains why the United States became a multicultural federation. It argues that, in deciding not to impose culturally homogenizing policies on a heterogeneous society, the founders opted to foster national unity around the Constitution thus allowing expressions of cultural preferences to differ across constituent territories. Consequently, American multicultural federalism is a ‘double-edged sword.’ On one edge, federal tolerance of territorial and non-territorial expressions of diverse cultural preferences has fostered national unity. On the other edge, some of the most ardent expressions of such preferences, especially those pivoting on racism, have provoked moral approbation that has generated calls for federal intervention that, in turn, have triggered national polarization.
On the topology of classical groups and homogeneous spaces associated with aW *-algebra factor

In [10] and [11] we determined the homotopy type of the group of invertible elements of a continousW*-algebra. The purpose of this paper is to deduce the homotopical structure of some related classical groups and homogeneous spaces.
Endosymbionts facilitate rapid evolution in a polyphagous herbivore.

Maternally transmitted bacterial symbionts can be important mediators of the interactions between insect herbivores and their foodplants. These symbionts are often facultative (present in some host individuals but not others) and can have large effects on their host's phenotype, thus giving rise to heritable variation upon which selection can act. In the cowpea aphid (Aphis craccivora), it has been established that the facultative endosymbiont Arsenophonus improves aphid performance on black locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia) but not on fava (Vicia faba). Here, we tested whether this fitness differential translated into contemporaneous evolution of aphid populations associated with the different plants. In a laboratory study lasting 16 weeks, we found that the frequency of Arsenophonus-infected individuals significantly increased over time for aphid populations on black locust but declined for aphid populations on fava. By the end of the experiment, Arsenophonus infection was >3× more common on black locust than fava, which is comparable to previously described infection frequencies in natural field populations. Our results clearly demonstrate that aphid populations with mixed facultative symbiont infection status can rapidly evolve in response to the selective environments imposed by different host plants. This selection differential may be a sufficient explanation for the global association between Arsenophonus-infected cowpea aphids and black locust trees, without invoking additional assortative mechanisms. Because the aphid and plant originate from different parts of the world, we further hypothesize that Arsenophonus infection may have acted as a preadaptation that has promoted functional specialization of infected aphids on a novel host plant.
True Grit in Real Analysis

For far too many students, Real Analysis is a dreaded course that proceeds from unmotivated definitions to formal and impenetrable theorems with little sense of why the course unfolds as it does. T...
A Relevance Analysis of TRIZ Management Parameters for Product Development Process

How to improve the efficiency of R & D projects and build a systematic innovation management process has become one of the important survival strategies of enterprises under the influence of the new product development project under the pressure of the product listing. The systematic thinking model has always been an important concept advocated by the TRIZ theory and is one of the advantages favored by many scholars. Therefore, the import of the TRIZ method should be effective in the management of the development project process. In order to apply the engineering parameters constructed in the TRIZ theory to the field of non-technology guidance, some parameters and the application areas need to be relevant and defined before they can be used. Therefore, this study is based on D. Mann's three 11 management parameters and forty management innovation based on the principle of management from the nature of the product development project to explore the process, with a single management characteristics of the generic product development process for the various stages of analysis, summarized for the management and development Project management principles, to construct project management aids to provide advice to help project managers to effectively solve the problem of project management experience. Keywords: TRIZ, Product Development Management , 31 management parameters, 40 Inventive Business Principles
Temperature and Heat Transfer Measurements

This chapter deals with the state-of-the-art in temperature and heat transfer measurements that are frequently encountered in Aerospace Engineering. Resistive temperature transducers, thermocouples, bi-metallic temperature sensors, semi-conductor diode-based temperature sensing, liquid crystal thermography, infrared thermography, and pyrometry are discussed in detail. Measurements of convective, conductive, radiative, or total heat transfer rates are often required in aerospace engineering such as atmospheric re-entry studies, hot-section component development for gas turbines, ramjet/scramjet development, ballistic missile nose cone development, heat exchanger development, rocket engine combustors, and nozzles. Finally, heat transfer measurements are discussed. Although many illustrations and discussions are used throughout the text, more detailed information in this area can be obtained from the many valuable references provided. Keywords: temperature; heat transfer; thermocouples; liquid crystals; infrared sensors; pyrometer
The Estimation of Kinetic Constants for the Lactate Dehydrogenase System by the Use of Integrated Rate Equations

The use of the integrated rate expression for the estimation of kinetic parameters has been tested with the lactate dehydrogenase-catalyzed reduction of pyruvate by reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide at various pH values. The results show good internal precision and the results of duplicate determinations indicate that the results can be replicated satisfactorily. The values of kinetic constants estimated by this method show satisfactory agreement with those estimated from initial velocity measurements. Also, estimates of inhibition constants for oxamate and oxalate show reasonable agreement with estimates made from initial velocity measurements.
Multi-instanton valleys in the O(3) sigma model.

An explicit construction is given for valleys in the configuration space of an arbitrary number of instanton--anti-instanton pairs for the O(3) nonlinear {sigma} model in two dimensions. The {sigma}-model action is supplemented by an explicit conformal-symmetry-breaking term and the multi-instanton valleys are used to examine the relative importance of single- and multi-instanton contributions to anomalous scattering. Numerical solutions to the saddle-point equations for the cross section are presented which support the existence of a critical energy above which the dilute instanton gas approximation breaks down. The relevance of these results to the problem of multi-instanton corrections to processes which violate baryon number in the standard model is discussed.
Electromagnetism on anisotropic fractal media

Basic equations of electromagnetic fields in anisotropic fractal media are obtained using a dimensional regularization approach. First, a formulation based on product measures is shown to satisfy the four basic identities of the vector calculus. This allows a generalization of the Green–Gauss and Stokes theorems as well as the charge conservation equation on anisotropic fractals. Then, pursuing the conceptual approach, we derive the Faraday and Ampere laws for such fractal media, which, along with two auxiliary null-divergence conditions, effectively give the modified Maxwell equations. Proceeding on a separate track, we employ a variational principle for electromagnetic fields, appropriately adapted to fractal media, so as to independently derive the same forms of these two laws. It is next found that the parabolic (for a conducting medium) and the hyperbolic (for a dielectric medium) equations involve modified gradient operators, while the Poynting vector has the same form as in the non-fractal case. Finally, Maxwell’s electromagnetic stress tensor is reformulated for fractal systems. In all the cases, the derived equations for fractal media depend explicitly on fractal dimensions in three different directions and reduce to conventional forms for continuous media with Euclidean geometries upon setting these each of dimensions equal to unity.
O(N/sup 2/ log N) native fan-beam tomographic reconstruction

We present a new fast backprojection algorithm for CT fan-beam reconstruction. The new algorithm operates directly on fan-beam data without prior rebinning to parallel-beam projections. The algorithm reduces the computational complexity from O(N/sup 3/) for the traditional fan-beam algorithm to O(N/sup 2/ log N). Simulations demonstrate speedups of greater than 50-fold for a 512 /spl times/ 512 image, with no perceivable degradation in accuracy. The algorithm also applies to multi-slice helical 3D reconstruction, and extends to 3D cone-beam reconstruction.
Symmetry in General

The concept of symmetry is as old as Adam and Eve, and observant individuals are well aware of the important role that symmetry plays in our physical environment. Symmetry has always been present in nature, and as civilizations developed, it made a dramatic and decisive appearance here too. This chapter will attempt to demonstrate the generality of the concept of symmetry, both in the natural and man-made aspects of our environment.
Electromigration mechanisms in Sn-0.7Cu/Cu couples by four dimensional (4D) X-ray microtomography and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)

Abstract The microstructure evolution of surface-encapsulated Sn-0.7Cu solder volumes of approximately 230 μm diameter is observed from electromigration tests at 150 °C and with current densities between 4.0·104 and 1.6·105 A/cm2. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) is implemented to characterize the volumetric evolution of the microstructural features, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is used to characterize the grain structures. The growth of Cu–Sn intermetallics is quantified using XCT in order measure the effective diffusivity and effective charge product, D ˜ Z*, of Cu in the solder. The D ˜ Z* parameter for Cu has been measured as roughly 8·10−7 atoms/cm2s. The measured D ˜ Z* parameter increases with greater c-axis grain alignment with the electrical current pathway. Literature reports for Z* of Cu are polled in order to decouple the effective diffusivity from D ˜ Z*. The D ˜ of Cu in the tests is compared with literature reports for diffusivity along the a-axis and c-axis of Sn, and the comparison is interpreted using EBSD orientation image microscopy (OIM) results of the tested specimens.
The history and future of InP based electronics and optoelectronics

Just as the III-V compounds and alloys have competed with Si for market share so InP has continually battled GaAs for the niches where this class of materials has the advantage. In this paper we will review some of the main developments that have occurred as InP has risen to its present status as the major optoelectronic provider in the 1.3 to 1.6 /spl mu/m market, and as the electronic device material of choice for low noise, high efficiency, high power and radiation tolerant applications at very high frequencies.