cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leveraging .NET meta-programming components from F#: integrated queries and interoperable heterogeneous execution

Language-integrated meta-programming and extensible compilation have been recurring themes of programming languages since the invention of LISP. A recent real-world application of these techniques is the use of small meta-programs to specify database queries, as used in the Microsoft LINQ extensions for .NET. It is important that .NET languages such as F# are able to leverage the functionality provided by LINQ and related components for heterogeneous execution, both for pragmatic reasons and as a first step toward applying more disciplined, formal approaches to these problems. This paper explores the use of a modest meta-programming extension to F# to access and leverage the functionality of LINQ and other components. We do this by demonstrating an implementation of language integrated SQL queries using the LINQ/SQLMetal libraries. We also sketch two other applications: the execution of data-parallel quoted F# programs on a GPU via the Accelerator libraries, and dynamic native-code compilation via LINQ.
Serotonergic mediation of cocaine seizures in mice.

Abstract We used genetically heterogeneous HS mice to investigate the effects of drugs that alter brain concentrations of serotonin on cocaine-induced convulsions and lethality. The racemer of fenfluramine, which increases synaptic serotonin, was coadministered with a dose (60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) of cocaine that does not produce status epilepticus or death. This drug combination significantly increased the occurrence and decreased the time of onset of status epilepticus, but did not affect lethality. Likewise, 2.5 mg/kg of the l -isomer, but not the d -isomer, of fenfluramine increased the occurrence of status epilepticus. Neither isomer effected lethality. When 2.5 mg/kg cinanserin, a drug that antagonizes postsynaptic Serotonergic receptors, was coadministered with a higher (95 mg/kg) dose of cocaine, the time of onset of status epilepticus was significantly increased, whereas lethality was reduced. The results are discussed in light of the action of cocaine upon serotonin neurons and the relationship between seizurogenic activity and cocaine-induced lethality.
Language and Conflict

Language divides are common components of group conflict, a phenomenon reflected widely in theories of nationalism. This article evaluates measures developed by David Laitin and James Fearon in the minorities at risk dataset claiming to quantify language difference and concludes they are deeply flawed. The introduction outlines language divides vis-a-vis conflict. A theoretical analysis in the second section argues against rational choice analyses of language politics; in the third section a sociolinguistic matrix shows that these fractional measures represent language ancestry but nothing else (morphology, syntax, lexicon, orthography, status). Theoretical implications and alternative methods are considered in the fourth section followed by a summary conclusion.
Fronts and trigger wave patterns in an array of oscillating vortices

We present experiments on reaction fronts and self-sustaining trigger wave patterns in an advection-reaction-diffusion system with chaotic mixing. The flow is a two-dimensional array of oscillating vortices, and the reaction is the excitable Belousov-Zhabotinsky chemical reaction. Reaction fronts are found to mode-lock for a wide range of frequencies, and the mode-locking results in "faceted" fronts that line up along the directions of the underlying vortex array. Self-sustaining trigger wave patterns are also found composed of large scale spiral and spiral-pair patterns, similar to patterns in the reaction-diffusion (no flow) limit but with a significantly larger typical length scale and with clear anisotropy that reflects the vortex array.
Load structures at the sediment-saprolite boundary, Fall Line, Maryland

The field relationship of Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks to saprolite along the Fall Line provides new information about sedimentation and saprolite burial in Howard County, Maryland. The response that the saprolite, which was formed from a felsic gneiss, has made to the overlying sediment suggests that (1) the crystalline rock had weathered to saprolite before sediment emplacement, (2) the sediment was deposited by a highly erosive agent, (3) the saprolite was water saturated and deformed plastically during sedimentation, and (4) later reorientation of the sediment-saprolite deformation structures took place, probably during sediment compaction. Sedimentary petrology, sediment-saprolite contacts, and reverse density and injection structures along the sediment-saprolite boundary seem to rule out a Quaternary periglacial origin (congeliturbations) or any other origin involving saprolitization later than sedimentation. The field relationships and sedimentological analysis indicate synsedimentary deformation of the saprolite during Early Cretaceous time.
Coincidence Detection or Temporal Integration? What the Neurons in Somatosensory Cortex Are Doing

To assess the impact of thalamic synchronization on cortical responsiveness, we used conditional cross-correlation analysis to measure the probability of neuronal discharges in somatosensory cortex as a function of the time between discharges in pairs of simultaneously recorded neurons in the ventrobasal thalamus. Among 26 neuronal trios, we found that thalamocortical efficacy after synchronous thalamic activity was nearly twice as large as the efficacy rate obtained when pairs of thalamic neurons discharged asynchronously. Nearly half of these neuronal trios displayed cooperative effects in which the cortical discharge probability after synchronous thalamic events was larger than could be predicted from the efficacy rate of individual thalamic discharges. In these cases of heterosynaptic cooperativity, thalamocortical efficacy declined to asymptotic levels when the interspike intervals were >6–8 msec. These results indicate that thalamic synchronization has a significant impact on cortical responsiveness and suggest that neuronal synchronization may play a critical role in the transmission of sensory information from one brain region to another.
Determination of spoil-bank erosion rates in Ohio by using interbank sediment accumulations

Denudation rates of unvegetated spoil banks in Gallia County, Ohio, were determined using sediment volumes and specific weights in four small interbank basins. Calculated rates are higher than those reported from other strip-mined areas because the spoil is unvegetated and consists mainly of friable sandstone. Spoil-bank slopes had erosion rates of 35,000 to 71,000 t · km−2· a−1 (metric tons per square kilometre per year) with an equivalent surface degradation of 2.6 to 5.4 cm· a−1 (centimetres per year). These rates show good correlation with mean slope length, which ranged from 5.8 to 12.8 m. Rates may be higher than calculated owing to loss of material by chemical weathering and subsequent leaching. The study demonstrates the suitability of simple measurements in interbank depressions to obtain average annual erosion rates for drastically disturbed landscapes.
AN ANALYSIS OF IMPERFECT BIFURCATION

In this article we outline an application of the Thorn-Mather singularity theory of C" mappings to a problem in bifurcation theory. A detailed description of the results stated here may be found in Reference 1. Unless otherwise stated all mappings are assumed to be germs of C a functions near the origin. map G: IR" x IR - IR"'
Temporal Implications of Database Information Accountability

Information restriction controls access and renders records immutable, information accountability requires data transparency to easily and efficiently determine when a particular use is appropriate. Information accountability in the context of relational databases is associated with time in a surprising number of ways, as is summarized in this paper. Notarization and validation of a database exploit the temporal semantics of a transaction-time database. A corruption can be associated with multiple times. Forensic analysis determines the when: bounds on the corruption time, and the where: also specified in terms of time. These bounds are depicted in a two-dimensional corruption diagram, with both axes denoting time. The various kinds of corruption events are defined in terms of time. A parameter termed the regret interval has significant security and performance implications. This paper emphasizes the deep connections between time and the definition, detection, forensic analysis, and characterized extent of a database corruption within the context of information accountability.
Comparative performance between compressed and uncompressed airborne imagery

The US Army's RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division is evaluating the compressibility of airborne multi-spectral imagery for mine and minefield detection application. Of particular interest is to assess the highest image data compression rate that can be afforded without the loss of image quality for war fighters in the loop and performance of near real time mine detection algorithm. The JPEG-2000 compression standard is used to perform data compression. Both lossless and lossy compressions are considered. A multi-spectral anomaly detector such as RX (Reed & Xiaoli), which is widely used as a core algorithm baseline in airborne mine and minefield detection on different mine types, minefields, and terrains to identify potential individual targets, is used to compare the mine detection performance. This paper presents the compression scheme and compares detection performance results between compressed and uncompressed imagery for various level of compressions. The compression efficiency is evaluated and its dependence upon different backgrounds and other factors are documented and presented using multi-spectral data.
Boundary element method analysis of bending of elastic plates of arbitrary shape with general boundary conditions

Abstract This paper presents an accurate compatible scheme for the analysis of bending of elastic Kirchhoff plates of arbitrary shape with general boundary conditions. The analysis models straight and circular boundaries exactly. Hermitian interpolation is adopted and singular integrals are calculated accurately by using particular solutions. Three equations are obtained at each boundary node through the use of appropriate fundamental solutions. General, i.e. clamped, simply supported, free and mixed boundary conditions are modelled here. The treatment of these general boundary conditions has also been discussed in previous publications14–18 by the first author of this paper and his co-workers. The paper presents the mathematical formulation for the above problem together with many numerical examples. It appears from these examples that this scheme is very accurate and efficient for the solution of this important class of problems.
Perceptions of practice among rural family physicians--is there a gender difference?

Background: Women physicians are relatively less likely to practice in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to describe differences in perceptions of rural practice between male and female physicians currently in rural practice. Methods: A questionnaire was developed from interviews with rural family physicians and mailed to 118 randomly selected board-certified family physicians in rural towns of the northwestern United States. Results: Responses from 63 physicians were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Female family physicians were more likely than their male counterparts to agree they had been attracted by the availability of part-time work and by opportunities for their personal partner. Compared with men, women were more likely to expect to earn less in rural than in urban practice. On open-ended questions analyzed using qualitative methods, women were more likely to report discouragement by professional isolation and by potential lack of privacy in rural areas. Conclusions: These responses suggest that during recruitment efforts rural communities might be able to attract more female physicians by offering flexible schedules, spouse or partner opportunities, role boundaries, and professional or personal support networks.
DSP use in hard disk drive position control

The first application of a digital signal processor (DSP) for hard disk drive position control occurred more than a decade ago in the high performance, high capacity and high cost class of disk drive products, motivated by the promise of higher performance accompanied by only a modest increase in relative cost compared to a comparable analog design. The transition from analog to digital position control for disk drives has followed the rapid decrease in cost for DSP chips and disk drive technology has been advanced as a result. This paper discusses the factors which led to the change from analog to digital position control and describes how DSP has improved drive position control performance since its introduction in the early 1980's.
Radiation damage in undoped and barium doped cerium fluoride

Radiation damage has been measured in undoped and barium doped cerium fluoride using /sup 60/Co gamma rays. The effects of damage are mainly seen as the formation of absorption bands in the 300-350 nm and 500-600 nm regions. The bands produced at 300-350 nm result in a significant loss in detectable light output from all crystals. Recovery has been measured as a function of time at room temperature, along with the recovery induced by thermal and optical annealing. Measurements were made shortly after irradiation in order to study the effects of short term recovery. Thermoluminescence glow curves for both the doped and undoped material are also presented. Finally, it was found that neither material exhibit any significant phosphorescence after irradiation. >
Rediscovering the Lost Women in Luke 15

Rereading the three "lost" parables of Luke 15 through the eyes of Arab Christian women and in the light of women's lives in northern Yemen demonstrates both the fruits and the difficulties of applying contemporary social description and models from cultural anthropology to Second Testament narratives. In this study the combination yields new understandings of the parables themselves and of gender roles and relationships in the biblical narrative world, as well as raising important questions about the interface between anthropology and exegesis of biblical texts.
Limit and use of near-field scan for platform RFI analysis

A near-field scan procedure for approximating the radio frequency (RF) current within an integrated circuit (IC) chip or printed circuit board (PCB) is suggested, and is examined for characterizing the radio frequency interference (RFI) of a mobile internet device research platform. The equivalent RF current obtained from the procedure serves as a model for the noise source and is used to estimate the near field distribution above a small micro processor. Comparison of the predicted near field distribution is made with measurements and the limitations of the approach is also discussed.
The Design and Activation of Self-Regulating Work Groups

This paper reviews the literature on self-managing work groups as implemented in organizations, and briefly reviews relevant laboratory and other non-SR WG research. A model is developed exploring the processes of SR WG implementation and operation. Task, organization, and personnel preconditions to implementation are identified, including appropriate expectations by managerial personnel. Design features should include heterogeneous composition and minimal status differences. Activation mechanisms are thought to smooth the way for the successful group, which exhibits the positive process criteria of variety in group member responses, coordination of members, and commitment to group success.
The Smile of the Mind: From Molière to Marivaux

Marivaux’s career as a comic playwright in the first third of the eighteenth century in France developed primarily in the framework of the commedia dell’arte rather than in the tradition of the French theatre. Since Jean Le Rond d’Alembert’s «Eloge de Marivaux» (1785), critics have agreed that the Nouveau Theâtre Italien, noted for collective creation and improvisation, exerted a positive influence on Marivaux’s theatrical production. D’Alembert conjectures that in Luigi Riccoboni’s New Italian Troupe, the principal and very successful interpreter of his plays, Marivaux trouva des acteurs plus propres a le seconder que les comediens francais; soit que le genie souple et delie de la nation italienne la rendit plus capable de se preter aux formes delicates que la representation de ses pieces paraissait exiger; soit que des acteurs etrangers, moins faits a notre gout et a notre langue et par la moins confiants dans leurs talents et dans leurs lumieres, se montrassent plus dociles aux lecons de l’auteur, et plus disposes a saisir dans leur jeu le caractere qu’il avait voulu donner a leur role.1 Spontaneity and a naturalness, a pliability and an adaptability highlighted the various shades of passion, the nuances, in Marivaux’s theatre of love. There were no forceful situations, shouts, spectacular sudden changes, tirades, or declamations characteristic of the French Theatre of the time. The most expressive of the protagonist Silvia’s replies in Le Jeu de l’amour et du hasard (1730) are «Ah! je vois clair dans mon cceur» and «Allons, j’avais grand besoin que ce fut la Dorante.»2 The Italian Theatre’s creative ability to portray the nuances in the protagonists’ search for truth generated the smiles of the spectators and made the troupe an effective vehicle of expression for Marivaux’s comedies.
The Role of Studbooks in Conservation and Captive Management of Nocturnal Prosimians

Studbooks can be a valuable tool in the management and conservation of captive populations. Besides tracking individual animals, these data provide an effective mean for measuring the success of a captive population and a basis for making species management decisions.
Biological Notes on Empoasca fabae in Wisconsin

Females of Empoasca fabae (Harris) that were newly dispersed into Wisconsin from areas to the south were caged individually on host plants in the greenhouse. More than half the females began laying viable eggs, thus indicating that the leafhoppers were fertilized prior to their dispersion. Early in the season the sex ratios of most samples ran as high as 4:1 in favor of females. Multiple mating experiments showed that males mated with more than 1 female. The population of the leafhopper declined rapidly to insignificant levels by late September of each year. The last collection dates were November 20, 1956; November 1, 1957; and November 7, 1958.
Electric Charge of Single Au Atoms Adsorbed on TiO2(110) and Associated Band Bending

The influence of charge transfer from single Au atoms to TiO2(110) on the photostimulated desorption (PSD) of 18O2 has been studied using a measurement of the rate of hole transport which mediates PSD. Band bending effects observed experimentally and theoretically by density functional theory indicate that Auδ+ atoms are present. The presence of atomically dispersed Au on the TiO2(110) surface with a constant coverage of preadsorbed 18O2 depresses the photoinduced hole transport rate from the bulk to the TiO2 surface and decreases the 18O2 PSD yield. This indicates that single Au atoms donate a fraction of an electron to the surface, causing downward band bending. DFT calculations show that ∼0.2 electron transfers from single Au atoms to the O2/TiO2(110) surface and the valence and conduction bands bend ∼0.6 eV downward. With increasing Au coverage, the positive charge per Au atom decreases due to the formation of small Au clusters.
Connected Cadmium Selenide Nanocrystallite Networks

The optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystallites, or small quantum dots, are well understood, but little is known about nanocrystallite networks. Here we report preliminary results on a glassy network of CdSe nanocrystallites connected by molecular bridges. This network has been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering to determine its structure, and to see if long range order is present. The effect of nanocrystallite interactions on electron-hole recombination is inferred from characterization by UV-VIS absorption and photoluminescence.
Digitalisierung des Innovationsmanagements

Der unter dem Begriff der Digitalisierung zu verstehende zielgerichtete Einsatz von informationstechnischen Losungen kann dabei helfen Innovationsprozesse effektiver, kosteneffizienter und schneller zu gestalten. Insbesondere beim Einsatz der mittlerweile weit verbreiteten Innovation Communities ergibt sich fur den Innovationsprozess durch geeignete Digitalisierungsmasnahmen ein sehr hohes Verbesserungspotential. Mit Hilfe von Innovation Communites werden Innovationen durch die Zusammenarbeit mehrerer Abteilungen, Bereiche, Organisationen oder unter Einbeziehung der potentiellen Kunden entwickelt, anstatt durch eine singulare F&E-Abteilung. Dieser Beitrag betrachtet die sich durch die Digitalisierung ergebenden Chancen aber auch Herausforderungen, welche sich durch den Einsatz von Innovation Communities ergeben. Zunachst werden die drei wesentlichen Formen Knowledge Exchange, Open Innovation Community und Internal Innovation Community inkl. Beispiele aus der Praxis vorgestellt und hinsichtlich der Erfolgsfaktoren Fit-to-Market, New-to-Market, Time-to-Market und Cost-to-Market sowie der Herausforderungen analysiert. Anschliesend werden ausgewahlte Software-Produktbeispiele (SharePoint, HYVE IdeaNet App, Yammer, RapidMiner) vorgestellt und es wird aufgezeigt, wie diese die o. g. Erfolgsfaktoren verbessern konnen. Mit Hilfe von daraus abgeleiteten praxisnahen Handlungsempfehlungen fur Unternehmen wird dargestellt, wie der Einsatz digitaler Technologien in Innovation Communities zu besseren (im Sinne von schnelleren, kosteneffizienteren, neuartigeren, markttauglicheren) Innovationen fuhren kann. Um konkrete Empfehlungen fur die Form der Innovation Community sowie die vielversprechendsten Digitalisierungsmasnahmen zu geben, wird dabei zwischen hochinnovativen Marktfuhrern, durchschnittlich innovativen Marktteilnehmern und weniger innovativen Markteinsteigern unterschieden.
Probabilistic Analysis Techniques Used to Examine Ground Clearance for the Pacific Northwest DC Intertie Upgrade

ABSTRACT The Pacific NW-SW DC Intertie is scheduled for voltage upgrade and terminal expansion from 1440 MW at 800 kV to 3100 MW at 1000 kV. The increase in voltage and current impose greater demands on the lines existing clearances, hence require review against present safety standards (National Electrical Safety Code) and electrostatic requirements to ensure compliance. The analysis uses a statistical model for clearances, which incorporates the tolerances and biases inherent in the design and construction of a transmission line, to compute the assurance level at which required clearances are maintained in the field. The paper describes a relatively new technique of computer modeling the line, span-by-span, which allows a detailed clearance analysis of each individual span comprising the line. The analysis is limited to the Oregon section of the line, and has determined the line's existing clearance is adequate to protect all anticipated activity from electrical contact at post upgrade power transfer. The paper also determines representative electrostatic clearances for the examination of electric field strength and ion density to characterize the post upgrade electrical environment surrounding the line. The electrostatic clearance values were computed by probabilistically combining the effects of existing clearance, observed weather conditions, and scheduled current flow.
Endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxations to adenosine in guinea pig aorta

Effects of endothelial removal and hypoxia on responses to adenosine, 5'-(N-ethylcarboxamido)-adenosine (NECA), 2-chloroadenosine, N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA), sodium nitroprusside, and acetylchol...
The scattering of a partially-coherent electromagnetic field from a bianisotropic object

The scattering of a spatially partially-coherent electromagnetic field from a bianisotropic object is investigated. Assuming a Schell-model form for the incident-field cross-spectral-density (CSD) matrix, the far-zone scattered-field CSD matrix is derived via the far-zone vector potentials and the bianisotropic Born approximations. The mathematical form for the scattered-field CSD matrix is very physical and is thoroughly discussed. The derived scattered-field CSD matrix is used to predict the scattered Stokes parameters for two anisotropic cubes (a dielectric biaxial cube and a bianisotropic cube) illuminated by incident fields with varying polarization states and spatial correlation radii. The polarization and coherence effects in the results are highlighted and physically interpreted.
Spatial heterogeneity can resolve the nitrogen paradox of tropical forests

Many tropical forests are characterized by large losses of plant-available forms of nitrogen (N), indicating that they are N rich, and by an abundance of plants capable of symbiotic N fixation. These N-fixing plants can fix enough N to drive N richness. However, biological N fixation (BNF) is more expensive than using plant-available N, so sustained BNF in N-rich soils appears to be a paradox. Here, we use spatially explicit ecosystem models to analyze the conditions under which spatial heterogeneity can induce simultaneous BNF and loss of plant-available N (hereafter, we call this combination “N-rich BNF”). Spatial movement of litter to neighboring plants’ rooting zones can maintain N-rich BNF under a variety of conditions. For example, when N-fixers have higher N demand than non-fixers, N-fixers export N-rich litter to non-fixers, inducing large losses of plant-available N from the ecosystem, and receive N-poor litter from non-fixers, inducing BNF. BNF and N loss fluxes increase in proportion to the ratio of N-fixer litter N:P to non-fixer litter N:P, and also in proportion to the fraction of litter transferred out of a tree's rooting zone. Stoichiometric variability augments N-rich BNF, as does increasing the fraction of the landscape occupied by N-fixers, at least when they are rare. On the contrary, greater root overlap between neighbors and clumping of N-fixers diminish N-rich BNF. Finally, we examined how spatial litter transfer interacts with another mechanism that can sustain N-rich BNF, incomplete down-regulation of BNF. Spatial transfer and incomplete down-regulation can both sustain N-rich BNF, but they are compensatory rather than additive. These mechanisms can be distinguished by examining where N losses occur. Incomplete down-regulation of BNF leads to greater N loss under N-fixing trees, whereas spatial litter transfer leads to greater N loss under non-fixing trees. Along with time lags in regulating BNF, these results comprise a series of hypotheses that could help understand the N paradox of tropical forests.
Simultaneous nonlinear model predictive control and state estimation

An output-feedback approach to model predictive control that combines state estimation and control into a single minmax optimization is introduced for discrete-time nonlinear systems. Specifically, a criterion that involves finite forward and backward horizons is minimized with respect to control input variables and is maximized with respect to the unknown initial state as well as disturbance and measurement noise variables. Under appropriate assumptions that encode controllability and observability, we show that the state of the closed-loop remains bounded and that a bound on tracking error can be found for trajectory-tracking problems. We also introduce a primaldual interior-point method that can be used to efficiently solve the minmax optimization problem and show in simulation examples that the method succeeds even for severely nonlinear and non-convex problems.
Pair-precision arithmetic

In a few places in the mathcw library, we need to work with an intermediate precision having at least twice as many digits as storage precision. In almost all historical floating-point architectures, for single-precision computation, the double-precision format satisfies that requirement (see Table H.1 on page 948). However, for double-precision work, higher precision may be unavailable, as is the case in many programming languages, or it may be insufficiently precise, such as the IEEE 754 80-bit format compared to the 64-bit format.
Orbital invasion routes of non-melanoma skin cancers and survival outcomes.

Purpose/objectives Overall non-melanoma head and neck skin cancer has a good prognosis; however, rarely patients have an aggressive variant which results in orbital invasion via perineural spread or direct extension. Despite these consequences, there are limited published studies defining this clinical entity. The main objectives of the current study are to describe orbital invasion patterns of non-melanoma head and neck skin cancers and their impact on survival. Methods Retrospective case series from a tertiary-care, academic institution performed between 2004 and 2014. Demographic and tumour characteristics are reported as well as patterns of orbital invasion, types of treatments received, and survival outcomes. Results There were 17 consecutive patients with non-melanoma skin cancer and orbital invasion who met inclusion criteria. Average age at orbital invasion diagnosis was 70.8 years old. 76% were male. Mean follow-up time was 28.5 months. Of these patients, 71% had squamous cell carcinoma and 29% had basal cell carcinoma. Brow (41%) was the most common primary sub-site followed by cheek (23%) and temple (12%). 76% of patients had a history of prior treatment. The lateral orbital wall (41%) was the most common site of invasion, followed by the medial orbital wall (29%) and antero-superior invasion (23%). Age, histology, and location of orbital invasion were associated with disease-specific and overall survival. Conclusion Orbital invasion for non-melanoma head and neck skin cancers creates a treatment dilemma and the patterns of invasion are described. In addition, the location of orbital invasion is associated with survival outcomes.
Invariant Metrics on Nilmanifolds with Positive Topological Entropy

Let T n denote the group of real n × n upper-triangular matrices with 1s on the diagonal. This paper constructs left-invariant Riemannian and sub-Riemannian metrics on T3 ⊕ T4 whose geodesic flow has a subsystem that factors onto a suspended horseshoe. As a corollary, left-invariant Riemannian metrics with positive topological entropy are constructed on all quotients D∖T n where D is a discrete subgroup of T n and n ≥ 7.
Hospital specialization: product-line planning during the market reformation.

Abstract Rational expectations theory dictates that firms respond to shifts in the demand function as a result of substantial reforms in the insurance marketplace. Federal health reform has enhanced the benefits of specialization. Hospital product-line specialization trends are studied using multiple regression analysis for the period 2001-2010. The observed 32.8 percent rise in specialization was associated with a 9.8 percent decline in unit cost per admission. The number of specialized hospitals has grown by 174 percent in the past decade. Other hospitals are getting more specialized by reducing their product lines. Specialization has been highest in competitive West Coast markets and lowest in the rate-regulated states (New York and Massachusetts). Hospitals have less incentive to contain costs by decreasing the array of services offered in stringent rate-setting states. The term "underspecialization" is advanced to capture the inability of some hospitals to selectively prune out product lines in order to specialize. Such hospitals spread resources so thinly that many good departments suffer. Unit cost per case (DRG-adjusted) is higher in the less specialized hospitals.
Predictive Models and Computational Toxicology

Understanding the potential health risks posed by environmental chemicals is a significant challenge elevated by the large number of diverse chemicals with generally uncharacterized exposures, mechanisms, and toxicities. The ToxCast computational toxicology research program was launched by EPA in 2007 and is part of the federal Tox21 consortium to develop a cost-effective approach for efficiently prioritizing the toxicity testing of thousands of chemicals and the application of this information to assessing human toxicology. ToxCast addresses this problem through an integrated workflow using high-throughput screening (HTS) of chemical libraries across more than 650 in vitro assays including biochemical assays, human cells and cell lines, and alternative models such as mouse embryonic stem cells and zebrafish embryo development. The initial phase of ToxCast profiled a library of 309 environmental chemicals, mostly pesticidal actives having rich in vivo data from guideline studies that include chronic/cancer bioassays in mice and rats, multigenerational reproductive studies in rats, and prenatal developmental toxicity endpoints in rats and rabbits. The first phase of ToxCast was used to build models that aim to determine how well in vivo animal effects can be predicted solely from the in vitro data. Phase I is now complete and both the in vitro data (ToxCast) and anchoring in vivo database (ToxRefDB) have been made available to the public (http://actor.epa.gov/). As Phase II of ToxCast is now underway, the purpose of this chapter is to review progress to date with ToxCast predictive modeling, using specific examples on developmental and reproductive effects in rats and rabbits with lessons learned during Phase I.
Discrete approximations for stochastic control problems with control acting continuously and impulsively

Stochastic control problems of either the optimal stopping or impulsive control type on diffusion models are considered, but there is also a continuously acting control. Various computationally convenient Markov chain approximations to the problems are developed, and it is shown that the costs for the sequence of approximations converge to the optimal cost for original problems.
Measurement of Spin Parameters

So far there has been little experimental work with polarized beams of antiprotons. However, the polarization experiments done with protons might serve as a useful guide in polarized antiproton projects. High energy polarized proton beams and polarized proton targets have allowed good measurements of spin effects in high energy elastic proton-proton scattering. Since I have written about this subject several times in recent years, I will only briefly review the earlier work and refer the interested reader to some rather detailed lectures1 and publications2.
Skin fiducial markers enable accurate computerized navigation resection of simulated soft tissue tumors: A static cadaveric model pilot study.

BACKGROUND This static cadaveric model pilot study evaluated the agreement between planned and resected margins of simulated soft tissue tumors (SSTT) using skin fiducial markers for computerized navigation registration. METHODS Markers were applied before magnetic resonance imaging scans of lower extremities implanted with SSTT. A navigation pointer was used for registration and to guide SSTT resection with approximately 10 mm planned margins. Digital calipers were used to measure resection margins. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used to confirm measurement normality. A one-sample t test was used to determine measurement group differences (P ≤ 0.05). Bland-Altman analysis and histogram plots compared planned and resected margins. RESULTS Ninety-eight resection margins were measured. The planned margin mean was 10.0 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.8-10.2 mm) and the resected margin mean was 11.5 mm (95% CI = 11.0-12.1 mm). One-sample t test results identified a 0.75 mm, 95% CI = 0.5-0.99 mm difference (P < 0.001). Good measurement agreement was observed with 94.9% (93/98) of resections occurring within two standard deviations of the mean measurement difference. CONCLUSIONS Skin fiducial marker use for computerized navigation system registration displayed promising results. With further research, these markers may become an effective, noninvasive method for aiding in soft tissue tumor resection.
Radiomics in Pulmonary Lesion Imaging.

OBJECTIVE. Diagnostic imaging has traditionally relied on a limited set of qualitative imaging characteristics for the diagnosis and management of lung cancer. Radiomics—the extraction and analysis...
The Experience of Pain and Pain Tool Preferences of Hospitalized Youth.

Abstract Background An accurate holistic pediatric pain assessment is necessary for quality pain management. Evidence continues to be published indicating inadequacies in pediatric pain management. It is important for clinicians to consider the pain assessment process while caring for youth. Aim The purpose of this study was to understand the pain experience through focused interviews and to explore how youth use, interpret and understand self-report pain assessment tools including their tool preferences. Design A qualitative descriptive study using a research developed semi-structured interview guide was conducted with 40 hospitalized youth, 10-17 years (M: 13yr; S.D. 2.4); 21 (52.5%) female on a medical inpatient unit. Interview questions focused on: current pain experience; pain related symptoms; evaluation of pain treatment and preferences for select pain assessment tools: 0-10 Numeric Rating Scale, The Oucher, Faces Pain Scale-Revised, and Adolescent Pediatric Pain Tool (APPT). Setting Large tertiary and quaternary care pediatric hospital located in northeastern United States. Participants/Subjects Hospitalized youth, 10-17 years of age. Results Analysis of transcribed interviews yielded 3 themes: My Pain Now, Pain Treatment Expectations, and Telling Healthcare Providers about My Pain. Additionally, pain tools preference, assessment frequency, and discussion of how behavior, activity level, and pain expression was different for each youth. APPT was the preferred pain assessment tool. Descriptive words such as sharp, throbbing, and aching were identified most often. Youth identified that activity and pain level often do not match. Conclusions Because pain is multi-dimensional, assessing each dimension (quality, location, intensity, and meaning) is key to thorough assessment. Results provide insight into youth preferences influencing clinical practice such as offering options for interventions and having a voice in the pain management process. All nurses caring for children should discuss available pain tools preferably before the child is in pain and assure the child knows how to use the tool.
Synthesis and Characterization of a New Microporous Material. 1. Structure of Aluminophosphate EMM-3

Molecular sieves are extensively used in the chemical and petrochemical industry as catalysts, absorbents, and ion exchangers. New molecular sieve structures have the potential to improve the performance of these materials. We have discovered a new microporous material, EMM-3, prepared in both aluminophosphate and silicoaluminophosphate compositions by use of N,N,N,N‘,N‘,N‘-hexamethyl-1,6-hexanediammonium as a template at 160 °C in 20 h. The structure of EMM-3 has been solved and refined from powder data by use of synchrotron X-ray radiation. The unit cell for the calcined AlPO form of EMM-3 has monoclinic space group symmetry, I2/m11, with cell dimensions a = 10.3132(2), b = 12.6975(3), and c = 21.8660(4) and α = 89.656(1)°. The microporous structure contains 12-ring, sinusoidal, unidimensional channels with pore openings of 6.1 × 6.5 A. This new framework contains two new building chains, not observed in other known framework structures. The 31P and 27Al NMR spectra of the calcined/dehydrated form are i...
Identifying misconceptions that limit student understanding of molecular orbital diagrams

Molecular orbital diagrams are commonly taught and used for describing chemical bonding chemistry courses including courses at the college level. Misconceptions that occur when students construct and/or use these diagrams are difficult to anticipate, diminish the diagram utility, and limit student learning. In this exploratory study, a combination of think-aloud activities and written probes was used to identify misconceptions that persist into upper-level college chemistry courses. While the majority of students could properly construct molecular orbital diagrams, many struggled to use and interpret the resulting diagrams. Pronounced disconnects between the depiction of chemical bonds and how these depictions demonstrate molecular properties such as stability and reactivity were observed, informing strategic curricular interventions.
Comprehensive Update of Elbow Magnetic Resonance Imaging

We present a comprehensive update of elbow magnetic resonance imaging, detailing the complex anatomy and pathology of the elbow. A variety of pathologies may affect the elbow joint, and many of the symptoms overlap. As such, magnetic resonance imaging of the elbow serves as an invaluable clinical tool for the clinician in the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with elbow pain.
Revealing the Predominant Surface Facets of Rough Cu Electrodes under Electrochemical Conditions

Metal electrodes with rough surfaces are often found to convert CO or CO2 to hydrocarbons and oxygenates with high selectivity and at high reaction rates in comparison with their smooth counterpart...
A 27.12-MHz 10-kV Power Amplifier for Compact Particle Accelerators Utilizing an Optimized

This paper introduces a 27.12-MHz 10-kV switch-mode power amplifier suitable for propelling ion beams in compact particle accelerators. Ion beams are accelerated to high energy levels by passing them through a series of acceleration cells driven by large high-frequency ac voltages. These high voltages are generated by utilizing power amplifiers that comprise a full-bridge inverter and a high-gain matching network. A matching network topology is proposed that reduces the current stress on the inverter transistors, increasing the amplifier’s thermal reliability, especially during high frequency operation. Power amplifiers based on the proposed matching network also achieve lower overall losses compared to previously presented power amplifiers. A comprehensive methodology is presented for the design of the proposed matching network that minimizes the overall losses in the power amplifier while ensuring soft-switching of the inverter transistors. A 27.12-MHz prototype power amplifier with a matching network designed using the proposed approach is demonstrated to generate up to 10 kV output voltage while maintaining the inverter losses within a desired limit.
Understanding the Impact of Memory Access Patterns in Intel Processors

Because of increasing complexity in the memory hierarchy, predicting the performance of a given application in a given processor is becoming more difficult. The problem is worsened by the fact that the hardware needed to deal with more complex memory traffic also affects energy consumption. Moreover, in a heterogeneous system with shared main memory, the memory traffic between the last level cache (LLC) and the memory creates contention between other processors and accelerator devices. For these reasons, it is important to investigate and understand the impact of different memory access patterns on the memory system. This study investigates the interplay between Intel processors' memory hierarchy and different memory access patterns in applications. The authors explore sequential streaming and strided memory access patterns with the objective of predicting LLC-dynamic random access memory (DRAM) traffic for a given application in given Intel architectures. Moreover, the impact of prefetching is also investigated in this study. Experiments with different Intel micro-architectures uncover mechanisms to predict LLC-DRAM traffic that can yield up to 99% accuracy for sequential streaming access patterns and up to 95% accuracy for strided access patterns.
Single-Index Models in the High Signal Regime

A single-index model is given by $y = g^{*}(\langle x, \theta ^{*} \rangle) + \epsilon $ : The scalar response $y$ depends on the covariate vector $x$ both through an unknown (vector) parameter ${\theta ^{*}}$ as well as an unknown, non-parametric, univariate link-function $g^{*} \in {\mathcal {G}} $ . We study the problem of recovering the parameter ${\theta ^{*}}$ from i.i.d. samples of the model when the covariates are drawn from a normal distribution. Our focus is on leveraging information about the (known) function class $\mathcal {G}$ in order to design a procedure that adapts to the noise level in the problem, thereby reducing the bias of parameter estimation. We show that when given access to a natural “labeling oracle”, our procedure recovers the underlying parameter at a rate that depends explicitly on how well we are able to estimate a suitably defined “inverse” link function. Both the procedure and its analysis framework are flexible, admitting any black-box estimator for the inverse link function. The resulting rate of parameter estimation significantly improves upon the risk of classical semi-parametric procedures whenever consistent estimates of the inverse link function can be obtained. When the function class $\mathcal {G}$ is appropriately structured and empirical risk minimization is used to estimate the inverse function, we provide quantitative upper bounds on the risk that depend on natural complexity measures of the class of inverse functions. We specialize our framework to the case where ${\mathcal {G}}$ is a sub-class of monotone single-index models, showing a computationally efficient, end-to-end algorithm that achieves very fast rates of parameter estimation in the regime in which the signal-to-noise ratio in the problem is large. We also pay particular attention to parameter identifiability in the noiseless model, deriving sharper upper bounds as well as information-theoretic lower bounds. Consequences for some unimodal SIMs and the (real) phase retrieval problem are also discussed.
Acute Kidney Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute kidney injury (AKI) complicates approximately a third of all acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) cases, and the combination of the two drastically worsens prognosis. Recent advances in ARDS supportive care have led to improved outcomes; however, much less is known on how to prevent and support patients with AKI and ARDS together. Understanding the dynamic relationship between the kidneys and lungs is crucial for the practicing intensivist to prevent injury. This article summarizes key concepts for the critical care physician managing a patient with ARDS complicated by AKI. Also provided is a discussion of AKI in the COVID-19 era.