cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
German Efforts to Shape European Renewable Energy Policy

This chapter demonstrates how Germany strove to shape the European Union’s (EU) emerging policies on renewable energy. We argue that German decision-makers were motivated by three factors. First, they were influenced by a broad consensus in their own country about the desirability of renewable energy and believed the solutions that worked for Germany would also work for the entire EU. Second, Germany sought to protect the regulatory innovations it had developed by promoting those same regulations at the European level. Third, by establishing a European system that resembled its own, German decision-makers sought to give its own entrepreneurs in the renewable sector a competitive edge in the broader European market. We demonstrate this argument with a process tracing of the development of the 2009 Directive on Renewable Energy Sources (RES).
The Contribution Of Capacitive Charging During Corrosive Wear Measurements

The capacitances of passivated electrodes were investigated to aid in explaining the effect of capacitive discharging during scribing of rotating cylindrical electrodes. In scribing experiments, a capacitive current is associated with the transient current response which results from removing the passive film. The effective capacitance of the electrodes were acquired by using triangular sweep voltammetry (TSV), galvanostatic double pulse technique (GDP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) conducted on Fe-16 wt% Ni-16 wt% Cr and Fe-25 wt% Ni-25 wt% Cr alloys immersed in 0.1 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}-0.01 M KCl. The TSV technique involved the electrical perturbation of an electrode/solution interface with a triangular wave potential while in the passive condition (i.e., +350 mV SCE). The TSV and GDP experiments determined that the effective capacitance of the electrode/solution interface ranged from 0.1 mF/cm{sup 2} to 0.735 mF/cm{sup 2} depending on the technique. The double layer capacitance acquired with impedance spectroscopy ranged from 47 to 100 {micro}F/cm{sup 2}. With the capacitance values, the time constant for transient response appears to occur within the range from 16 ms to less than 3 {micro}s, depending on the dissolution (or faradaic) reaction and capacitance.
Ernest W. Brown as Theorist and Computer

Brown was primarily an applied mathematician. He developed an expertise in choosing or devising maximally efficient routes, coaxing the lunar theory to yield its consequences with a precision comparable to that attained in observations.
The Soteria Project: Twenty Five Years of Swimming Upriver

Four years after it opened in 1971 the Soteria Project first published outcome data indicating that lst and 2nd episode persons labeled as having schizophrenia could be successfully treated in a special milieu without the use of the neuroleptic drugs(Mosher et al 1975). In the intervening 25 years the project has continued to publish papers (40 in all) confirming and extending the initial results (see especially Mosher and Menn,1978; Matthews, et al 1979; and Mosher, et al 1995). These findings continue to challenge many firmly held beliefs about how best to intervene with persons labeled as having “schizophrenia”. This methodologically rigorous study is providing, once again, an opportunity to question today’s neuroleptic dominated treatment with new analyses of two year outcomes, which will be briefly presented here (Bola and Mosher, 1999, 2000). Needless to say this study’s results have been not welcomed with open arms in the American mental health community. The study’s results challenge the basic tenets of the mental health community with regard to “schizophrenia”: the need for hospitalization, the necessity of mental health professionals as the primary caregivers and, most importantly, the universal use of the anti-psychotic drugs. So, it is not at all surprising that the study has been treated as if it were never conducted. In fact, the neglect of this study and its findings in the literature and in the treatment of psychotic persons is itself striking. Hence the title: 25 years of swimming upriver against the prevailing biological Zeitgeist, into the current of the ways in which dominant paradigms prevent contrary opinions from being heard or given credence (Kuhn, 1970).
Hunting for the "sweet spot" in P2Y12 receptor blockade.

The addition of the P2Y 12 antagonist clopidogrel to aspirin reduces ischemic events in unstable angina/non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated with medical therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery bypass grafting (1), in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with thrombolytic therapy (2), and in elective PCI (3). Dual antiplatelet therapy also reduces major adverse cardiovascular events and stent thrombosis after PCI compared with aspirin alone or the combination of aspirin and warfarin (4). However, there are significant limitations of clopidogrel therapy. Clopidogrel is a pro-drug with a slow onset of action, requiring conversion to an active thiol metabolite by the hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP450) system (5). The degree of.
Informal DEVS conventions motivated by practical considerations (WIP)

The formalism known as the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) provides a set of mathematical elements for modeling time-varying systems. When DEVS is applied in the form of an executable representation, however, some deviation from the formalism is unavoidable. By proposing a set of informal DEVS conventions, we show how certain changes to the formalism, some previously adopted, others less explored, may help simulation tools appeal to users who stand to benefit from DEVS theory but are more cognizant of practical issues. Our conventions use parameters and statistics to encapsulate the state of an atomic model and the composition of a coupled model. They also include changes both to transition functions and the ordering of simultaneous events to promote convenience, efficiency, and reproducibility.
DIY Tech + Engaged Student Workers = Low Cost Proof of Concept

Given limited resources and time, the expense associated with acquiring emerging or unproven technology can be hard to justify. Not all emerging technology works as expected, and those who successfully lobby for limited resources can run the risk of being blamed for wasting limited resources when a pilot fails or purchased equipment does not work as expected. The growing popularity of the Maker Movement and student interest in Do It Yourself (DIY) technology projects have provided a win-win situation at Lewis & Clark that has allowed us to experiment with technology that would have otherwise been out of reach. In this poster, I will show three of our projects and talk about how we've learned that even when the project does not work as expected, the student engagement that results from the collaboration often make the time and expense of even failed attempts worthwhile.
Fitting In and standing out: identity and transnationalism among second-generation African immigrants in the United States

This paper analyzes the ethno-national and racial identities adopted by and assigned to 1.5 and 2nd generation African immigrants and the transnational connections of this group using a focus group...
Exploring the Subtleties of Agency and Indirect Control in Digital Learning Games

How do the features of a learning environment's user interface impact learners' agency and, further, their learning? We explored this question in the context of Decimal Point, a digital learning game designed to support middle school students in learning decimals. Previous studies of the game showed that giving students the ability to choose the order and number of mini-games to play did not significantly impact their learning outcomes compared to a condition without choice. In this paper we explore whether some elements of the game's interface may have inadvertently exerted indirect control over students' choice, leading to the previous effects. We conducted a classroom study using a new version of the game that varied whether students saw a visual path connecting mini-games on the game map to modulate the level of indirect control students would experience with an implied ordering. Ultimately, we found that students in the no-line condition exercised significantly more agency but did not learn any less than the line condition. These results suggest that indirect control can be a subtle but powerful way to direct student attention in digital learning games.
STREAM MORPHOLOGIC IMPACT OF AND RECOVERY FROM MAJOR FLOODING IN NORTH-CENTRAL NEVADA

Major floods cause channel changes ranging from complete cross-sectional change to small fluctuations in pool area. We used stream cross-section data on 30 heavily grazed rangeland streams in north-central Nevada to assess changes over a climatically variable 14-year period. There was an insufficient range in ungulate damage to consider differences caused by grazing. Flooding with return intervals exceeding 50 years caused major change on approximately 25% of the surveyed streams regardless of initial stream type. One-quarter of the changed streams continued to experience cross-sectional change during a six- to eight-year period of low-to-normal flows. On these streams, upper banks either receded to expose a new, lower floodplain or flattened to a less vertical slope. On streams that did not change type, flooding substantially reduced pool area, which did not recover during the succeeding period, presumably because energy was insufficient to form pools. High flows flushed fine sediment from the streams th...
Social optima of need-based transfers

Abstract Need-based transfers (NBTs) are actions to compensate losses after disasters. This form of risk pooling consists of connected individuals in a social network transferring wealth from those above a threshold, e.g. welfare threshold, to individuals below threshold in order to preserve the recipient’s viable participation in the economy. Such systems are of interest to researchers ranging from evolutionary biologists studying the food sharing of bats to anthropologists studying the gifting of cattle among pastoral societies or mutual help arrangements among ranchers. In this paper, the comprehensive impact of transfer organization and network evolution is studied using agent-based simulations. It is found that in the short-term an optimal transfer rule is similar to a regressive cutting-stock optimization heuristic; however, such a rule has detrimental long-term impact as it leads to a vulnerable wealth distribution. Thus an optimal transfer scheme should both efficiently execute immediate disaster recovery and establish a secure wealth distribution. Also, the most successful network evolution model is one that encourages low variance in the node degrees, leading to equal sharing of the risk and benefit of such an NBT insurance relationship. These results provide a motivated guidance for empirical studies of existing NBT practices and suggestions for optimal implementation of similar resource management in volatile environments.
Leading the charge: Identifying stressors in nursing leadership

Objective: This study aimed to examine and identify specific stressors for charge nurses at a rural Midwestern hospital. Methods: The Charge Nurses Stress Questionnaire (CNSQ) was administered to charge nurses of all units at a small Midwestern hospital. A total of 30 charge nurses completed the survey. The charge nurses completed 25 questions on four stress subscales, in addition to 11 demographic questions. Results: Study results revealed the highest stressors were primarily related to being unable to meet patient needs. This situation includes when a nurse cannot reach the provider when an urgent patient need arises; when the unit is at capacity with high acuity patients and receives notification another patient has been assigned to the unit; and when the patient is in pain or otherwise suffering, and care is delayed because orders are needed. Conclusions: Stress was noted by all charge nurses. The levels of different stressors from subscales correlate with each other, and thus an increase in one subscale of stress directly affects the level of stress of another subscale. The level of stress among charge nurses was not statistically significant among the nurses of different age, different units, different shifts, and different years of experience.
Diversity and temporal dynamics of primate milk microbiomes

Milk is inhabited by a community of bacteria and is one of the first postnatal sources of microbial exposure for mammalian young. Bacteria in breast milk may enhance immune development, improve intestinal health, and stimulate the gut-brain axis for infants. Variation in milk microbiome structure (e.g., operational taxonomic unit [OTU] diversity, community composition) may lead to different infant developmental outcomes. Milk microbiome structure may depend on evolutionary processes acting at the host species level and ecological processes occurring over lactation time, among others. We quantified milk microbiomes using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing for nine primate species and for six primate mothers sampled over lactation. Our data set included humans (Homo sapiens, Philippines and USA) and eight nonhuman primate species living in captivity (bonobo [Pan paniscus], chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes], western lowland gorilla [Gorilla gorilla gorilla], Bornean orangutan [Pongo pygmaeus], Sumatran orangutan [Pongo abelii], rhesus macaque [Macaca mulatta], owl monkey [Aotus nancymaae]) and in the wild (mantled howler monkey [Alouatta palliata]). For a subset of the data, we paired microbiome data with nutrient and hormone assay results to quantify the effect of milk chemistry on milk microbiomes. We detected a core primate milk microbiome of seven bacterial OTUs indicating a robust relationship between these bacteria and primate species. Milk microbiomes differed among primate species with rhesus macaques, humans and mantled howler monkeys having notably distinct milk microbiomes. Gross energy in milk from protein and fat explained some of the variations in microbiome composition among species. Microbiome composition changed in a predictable manner for three primate mothers over lactation time, suggesting that different bacterial communities may be selected for as the infant ages. Our results contribute to understanding ecological and evolutionary relationships between bacteria and primate hosts, which can have applied benefits for humans and endangered primates in our care.
Biopsy of Deep Pelvic and Abdominal Targets With Ultrasound Guidance: Efficacy of Compression.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of compression of tissues with the ultrasound transducer in decreasing distance to the biopsy target and establishing a safe percuta...
Clinical Productivity and Medicare Payments Among Female and Male Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Purpose To characterize and compare clinical productivity and payments between female and male oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) serving Medicare beneficiaries in 2017. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was composed of Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data from 2017. Providers were included if they were labeled as maxillofacial surgeons. The primary outcome variable was Medicare payment. Secondary outcome variables included clinical productivity (number of charges), unique billing codes, mean payment per charge, and beneficiary hierarchical condition category. Descriptive statistics and pair-wise comparisons were computed at an α level of .05. Results The analysis cohort was composed of 737 distinct OMSs, of whom 58 were women. Although female surgeons recorded higher mean clinical productivity, total Medicare payments, and number of unique Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System billing codes relative to male surgeons in both the facility and office settings, the differences were not statistically different. Payment per charge did not differ significantly between genders in the office setting. In the facility setting, women were reimbursed $63.74 per charge whereas men were reimbursed $109.69 per charge (P Conclusions Clinical productivity and total Medicare payments were similar between genders in both the facility and office settings, disputing prior surveys that illustrated bias about the productivity and ability of female OMSs. Female OMSs earned, on average, less per submitted charge in facility settings, which may be due to differences in documentation. The reason for this difference warrants further study.
Examining the cardiovascular response to fear extinction in a trauma-exposed sample

Abstract Background Trauma and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have repeatedly been linked to impaired cardiovascular functioning. Poor fear extinction is a well-established biomarker of PTSD that may provide insight into mechanisms underlying cardiovascular risk. The current study probed the cardiovascular response to extinction in a sample of trauma-exposed individuals. Methods Participants were 51 trauma-exposed women who underwent a fear conditioning paradigm. Heart rate (HR) during extinction was examined in response to a conditioned stimulus that was previously paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (CS+) and one that was never paired (CS-). Heart rate variability (HRV) was calculated at baseline and during the extinction session. Results Consistent with fear bradycardia, initial HR deceleration (.5-2s) after CS + onset occurred during early extinction and appeared to extinguish over time. Higher baseline HRV was significantly associated with greater fear bradycardia during early extinction. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate a pattern of fear bradycardia in early extinction, which was associated with higher HRV levels and decreased over the course of the extinction phase. These results suggest that increased fear bradycardia may be indicative of greater vagal control (i.e., HRV), both of which are psychophysiological biomarkers that may influence cardiovascular and autonomic disease risk in trauma-exposed individuals.
Anomalous Absorption by the Two-Plasmon Decay Instability.

Radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of directly driven fusion experiments at the Omega Laser Facility predict absorption accurately when targets are driven at low overlapped laser intensity. Discrepancies appear at increased intensity, however, with higher-than-expected laser absorption on target. Strong correlations with signatures of the two-plasmon decay (TPD) instability---including half-harmonic and hard-x-ray emission---indicate that TPD is responsible for this anomalous absorption. Scattered light data suggest that up to $\ensuremath{\approx}30%$ of the laser power reaching quarter-critical density can be absorbed locally when the TPD threshold is exceeded. A scaling of absorption versus TPD threshold parameter was empirically determined and validated using the laser--plasma simulation environment code.
KDM3A/Ets1 epigenetic axis contributes to PAX3/FOXO1‐driven and independent disease‐promoting gene expression in fusion‐positive Rhabdomyosarcoma

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and young adults. RMS exists as two major disease subtypes, oncofusion-negative RMS (FN-RMS) and oncofusion-positive RMS (FP-RMS). FP-RMS is characterized by recurrent PAX3/7-FOXO1 driver oncofusions and is a biologically and clinically aggressive disease. Recent studies have revealed FP-RMS to have a strong epigenetic basis. Epigenetic mechanisms represent potential new therapeutic vulnerabilities in FP-RMS, but their complex details remain to be defined. We previously identified a new disease-promoting epigenetic axis in RMS, involving the chromatin factor KDM3A and the Ets1 transcription factor. In the present study, we define the KDM3A and Ets1 FP-RMS transcriptomes and show that these interface with the recently characterized PAX3/FOXO1-driven gene expression program. KDM3A and Ets1 positively control numerous known and candidate novel PAX3/FOXO1-induced RMS-promoting genes, including subsets under control of PAX3/FOXO1-associated superenhancers (SE), such as MEST. Interestingly, KDM3A and Ets1 also positively control a number of known and candidate novel FP-RMS-promoting, but not PAX3/FOXO1-dependent, genes. Epistatically, Ets1 is downstream of, and exerts disease-promoting effects similar to, both KDM3A and PAX3/FOXO1. MEST also manifests disease-promoting properties in FP-RMS, and KDM3A and Ets1 each impacts activation of the PAX3/FOXO1-associated MEST SE. Taken together, our studies show that the KDM3A/Ets1 epigenetic axis plays an important role in disease promotion in FP-RMS, and provide insight into potential new ways to target aggressive phenotypes in this disease.
Designing the megaregion: Meeting urban challenges at a new scale, by Jonathan Barnett: Washington, DC, Island Press, 2020

More than a century has passed since Patrick Geddes coined the term conurbation recognizing the potential for polycentric-urbanized areas. Jean Gottman later observed the formation of a “Megalopoli...
Community, Diversity, and Equal Protection: The Louisville and Seattle School Cases

In production to the symposium on the companion cases, Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education.
The Benefits of Being Latino: Differential Interpretations of Student Behavior and the Social Construction of Being Well Behaved

Students of color are overrepresented in school disciplinary records nationally, but little is known about how disciplinary disproportionality varies among groups. Classroom observations in 1 elementary school suggested that when Latino students misbehaved, teachers were less inclined to interpret their behavior as problematic and less inclined to discipline them than their African American peers. Interpretations of behavior developed relationally, as teachers assessed behavior and compared it to that of students whom they considered problematic. Compared to students with “impulse control problems,” Latino students developed a positive reputation and avoided the cycle of disciplinary processes in which their peers found themselves.
Diagnostic performance of body mass index to identify obesity as defined by body adiposity in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

SummaryBackground The ideal means of identifying obesity in children and adolescents has not been determined although body mass index (BMI) is the most widely used screening tool. Objective We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing the diagnostic performance of BMI to detect adiposity in children up to 18 years. Methods Data sources were EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Database of Systematic Reviews Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science and SCOPUS up to March 2013. Studies providing measures of diagnostic performance of BMI and using body composition technique for body fat percentage measurement were included. Results Thirty-seven eligible studies that evaluated 53 521 patients, with mean age ranging from 4 to 18 years were included in the meta-analysis. Commonly used BMI cut-offs for obesity showed pooled sensitivity to detect high adiposity of 0.73 (confidence interval [CI] 0.67–0.79), specificity of 0.93 (CI 0.88–0.96) and diagnostic odds ratio of 36.93 (CI 20.75–65.71). Males had lower sensitivity. Moderate heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 48%) explained in meta-regression by differences across studies in race, BMI cut-off, BMI reference criteria (Center for Disease Control vs. International Obesity Task Force) and reference standard method assessing adiposity. Conclusion BMI has high specificity but low sensitivity to detect excess adiposity and fails to identify over a quarter of children with excess body fat percentage.
Extracellular Proteases: Biological and Behavioral Roles in the Mammalian Central Nervous System

Abstract Extracellular proteases and their inhibitors have been implicated in both physiological and pathological states in the central nervous system (CNS). Given the presence of several classes of proteases, it is believed that each enzyme may undertake distinct biological roles. Some are indispensable for neuronal migration, neurite outgrowth and pathfinding, and synaptic plasticity. Others are required for neuronal death and tumor growth and invasion. Furthermore, studies from transgenic animals lacking or overexpressing one or more of the proteases have suggested that functional compensation and redundance among different members do exist. Normally, protease activity is tightly regulated by specific inhibitors to prevent disastrous proteolysis. Various insults can disrupt the fine control of proteolysis and cause pathological changes. Novel strategies have been attempted to maintain or restore protease-inhibitor homeostasis, thus minimizing damages to the CNS. They may provide us with effective therapeutic tools for fighting certain neurological disorders.
Latvian pension reform

In 1995, Latvia became the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to implement parametric reform of the Soviet-style PAYGO pension system, and the first in the world to implement the"notional defined contribution (NDC) system"originally designed for Sweden. The Government's intention was to follow the overhaul of the PAYGO system with the creation of a funded second tier by 1998, but the reform has lagged. Public acceptance of the new system has been poor, and pressures for rollback of the reforms have grown. After such a splashy beginning why did the Latvian reform stall? What has been the net effect of the reforms after the roll backs? How did Latvia balance the difficult issues of system incentives, fairness, and affordability? What are the lessons of the Latvian experience with the NDC system for other reforming countries? These questions are the subject of this paper. It includes a description of pre-reform situation, describes the key provisions of the original reform, and discusses the subsequent amendments. The impact of the reform is assessed on the basis of macroeconomic and microeconomic simulations. On the basis of those, the reforms are evaluated and conclusions for other countries are drawn.
The complete chloroplast genomes of Cannabis sativa and Humulus lupulus

Cannabis and Humulus are sister genera comprising the entirety of the Cannabaceae sensu stricto, including C. sativa L. (marijuana, hemp), and H. lupulus L. (hops) as two economically important crops. These two plants have been used by humans for many purposes including as a fiber, food, medicine, or inebriant in the case of C. sativa, and as a flavoring component in beer brewing in the case of H. lupulus. In this study, we report the complete chloroplast genomes for two distinct hemp varieties of C. sativa, Italian "Carmagnola" and Russian "Dagestani", and one Czech variety of H. lupulus "Saazer". Both C. sativa genomes are 153 871 bp in length, while the H. lupulus genome is 153 751 bp. The genomes from the two C. sativa varieties differ in 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), while the H. lupulus genome differs in 1722 SNPs from both C. sativa cultivars.
Delineating and Understanding Cerebellar Neuroprotective Pathways

The cerebellum is a brain region that is resistant to many of the neurodegenerative disorders such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease. In contrast, the neocortex (cerebrum, cerebral cortex) is vulnerable to these disorders. While there may be many reasons for the differences in vulnerability to acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders, the cerebellum appears to be equipped with the tools necessary to protect itself against these types of insults. Over the last century, evidence has accumulated to suggest that the cerebellum is also involved in memory and higher cognitive function. We have discovered that intrinsic survival pathways exist in cerebellar granule cells that are regulated by low level stimulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Activation of NMDA receptors protects vulnerable neurons against glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity acting on NMDA receptors. This report focuses on how modulation of neuronal survival by NMDA receptors through a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-mediated pathway may be incorporated into a network of cerebellar function, particularly in light of recent findings suggesting that the cerebellum plays a vital role in learning, memory, fear conditioning, and cognitive processing.
Global knowledge, local implications: a community college's response

Three Rivers Community College (TRCC), with federal funding, provided a customized laser program for Joining Technologies in Connecticut, which offers world-class resources for welding and joining applications. This program addresses the shortage of skilled labor in the laser arena, lack of knowledge of fundamental science of applied light, and an increase in nonperforming product. Hiring and retraining a skilled workforce are important and costly issues facing today's small manufacturing companies.
Thermal expansion and thermodynamic characterization of antiferromagnetic phase transition in elemental α‐Mn

High-resolution measurements of thermal expansion and specific heat have been performed on -Mn. An analysis of these thermodynamic properties, with particular emphasis on their behavior in the temperature region near the Neel temperature, = 101.4(2) K, suggests that the antiferromagnetic phase transition is continuous (second order within the Ehrenfest classification scheme). The thermal expansion for is negative, which is probably related to the volume dependence of the magnetic exchange interactions. This is manifested in the negative pressure derivative and may also be related to the anomalously low reported values of the bulk modulus for -Mn. Large, negative values of the bulk Gruneisen function, , for 75 K are comparable to those of antiferromagnetic Cr. In each case, the magnetic contribution to dominates for .
Mobile robotics for freshman design, research, and high school outreach

Describes the educational activities and outcomes of the Penn State Abington mobile robotics program. The objective of the robotics program is to establish an effective suite of mobile robotic teaching resources, curriculum and experiences to enhance a college freshman engineering design course, undergraduate research opportunities and a high-school outreach program. Key concepts include interdisciplinary design, collaborative learning, rapid prototyping and systems integration. These goals have been achieved by utilizing low-cost and readily-available equipment and tools. Participation in regional and national autonomous robot design competitions has played an integral role in the success of the program. Innovative approaches to robot design involving personal digital assistant (PDA) technology are also introduced.
Experimental study of heat transfer enhancement in a liquid piston compressor/expander using porous media inserts

Abstract The efficiency and power density of gas compression and expansion are strongly dependent on heat transfer during the process. Since porous media inserts can significantly increase heat transfer surface area, their addition to a liquid piston compressor/expander has been hypothesized to reduce the time to complete the compression or expansion process and hence the power density for a given thermodynamic efficiency; or to increase the thermodynamic efficiency at a fixed power density. This paper presents an experimental investigation on heat transfer with porous inserts during compression for a pressure ratio of 10 and during expansion for a pressure ratio of 6. A baseline case without inserts and five cases with different porous inserts are tested in a compression experiment: 3 interrupted ABS inserts with plate spacing of 2.5, 5, and 10 mm and 2 aluminum foam inserts sized with 10 and 40 pores per inch. The 2.5 mm and 5 mm interrupted plate inserts were also tested in expansion experiments. Porous inserts are found, in compression, to increase power-density by 39-fold at 95% efficiency and to increase efficiency by 18% at 100 kW / m 3 power density; in expansion, power density is increased three fold at 89% efficiency, and efficiency is increased by 7% at 150 kW / m 3 . Surface area increase is found to be the predominant cause in the improvement in performance. Thus, a liquid piston compressor/expander together with a porous medium may be used in applications requiring high compression ratios, high efficiencies, and high power density such as in an open-accumulator compressed air energy storage (CAES) system or a compressor for compressed natural gas (CNG).
A Simple Proof of Frobenius Theorem

Frobenius Theorem, as stated in Y. Matsushima, Differential Manifolds, Marcel Dekker, N.Y., 1972, p. 167, is the following: Let D be an r-dimensional differential system on an n-dimensional manifold M. Then D is completely integrabte if and only if for every local basis {X1,...,Xr} of D on any open set V of M , there are C∞ -functvons c ij k on V such that we have $$ [{x_i},{x_j}] = \sum\limits_k {c_i^k} {j^{{x_k}}},1 \mathbin{\lower.3ex\hbox{$\buildrel<\over{\smash{\scriptstyle=}\vphantom{_x}}$}} i,j,k \mathbin{\lower.3ex\hbox{$\buildrel<\over{\smash{\scriptstyle=}\vphantom{_x}}$}} r $$ (1) .
International portability of health-cost coverage : concepts and experience

Social insurance and other arrangements for funding health-care benefits often establish long-term relationships, effectively providing insurance against lasting changes in an individual's health status, engaging in burden-smoothing over the life cycle, and entailing additional elements of redistribution. International portability regarding this type of cover is, therefore, difficult to establish, but at the same time rather important both for the individuals affected and for the health funds involved in any instance of an international change in work place or residence. In this paper, full portability of health-cost cover is taken to mean that mobile individuals can, at a minimum, find comparable continuation of coverage under a different system and that this does not impose external costs or benefits on other members of the systems in the source and destination countries. Both of these aspects needs to be addressed in a meaningful portability framework for health systems, as lacking or incomplete portability may not only lead to significant losses in coverage for an individual who considers becoming mobile which may impede mobility that is otherwise likely to be beneficial. It may also lead to financial losses, or windfall gains, for sources of health-cost funding which can ultimately lead to a detrimental process of risk segmentation across national health systems. Against this background, even the most advanced sets of existing portability rules, such as those agreed upon multilaterally at the EU-level or laid down in bilateral agreements on social protection, appear to be untargeted, inconsistent and therefore potentially harmful, either for migrants or for health funds operated at both ends of the migration process, and hence for other individuals who are covered there.
Preemptive plasmapheresis and recurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in pediatric renal transplantation.

FSGS has a high recurrence rate after renal transplantation. To examine the effects of the use of preemptive and post-transplant PP on recurrence and graft outcome, we conducted a retrospective study on 34 pediatric patients (mean age 13±5 yr) with biopsy-proven pretransplant FSGS and who underwent a renal transplantation between 1996 and 2007. Recurrence was defined as a serum albumin level of 40mg/m(2) /h). Total response to PP therapy was defined as the resolution of the nephrotic-range proteinuria and partial response as persistent proteinuria despite PP but not in the nephrotic range. Fifteen patients received a LD renal transplantation and 19 patients received a DD renal transplantation. Nineteen patients received CsA and 14 patients received tacrolimus. Nineteen patients (56%) had FSGS recurrence. There was no difference in the recurrence rate between patients receiving CsA vs. tacrolimus. Among the 15 LD patients, 13 received preemptive PP (1-10 sessions) and seven patients (47%) had subsequent FSGS recurrence. Among the 19 DD patients, four received preemptive PP and 12 (63%) had FSGS recurrence. The number of preemptive PP did not affect the recurrence rate. In a group of patients with a previous graft loss secondary to recurrence, the rate of recurrence was lower than expected (40%) and two of the three patients who did not recur had three or more sessions of preemptive PP. Of the 19 patients with recurrence, 17 were treated with PP therapy and 88% of the patients fully or partially responded. Only five patients had graft loss at three yr post-transplant: two from FSGS recurrence and three from non-compliance. These results suggest that preemptive PP does not decrease the rate of recurrence after transplantation but might be beneficial in treating high-risk patients with documented recurrence. Patients with FSGS recurrence post-transplant can achieve good graft survival with both LD and DD transplantation.
Analytic contributions to the Störmer problem

The purpose of the paper is to furnish two analytic contributions to the Stormer problem (motion of a charged particle in a magnetic dipole field). The fundamental role in these considerations is played by a quantity which depends on the constant velocity of the particle: by treating this quantity or its reciprocal as a small parameter, power series solutions can be obtained for the orbit projection upon a meridian plane valid for both low-energy and high-energy particles.
Magnetic and transport properties of magnetite in the vicinity of the Verwey transition

Systematic investigations concerning the variation of the Verwey phase transition in magnetite Fe3(1−δ)O4 on the metal-to-oxygen ratio by electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and magnetization measurements are reported, together with electrical properties of Fe3−xZnxO4 zinc ferrites. In conformity with earlier heat capacity measurements it has been documented that the transition temperature is significantly reduced with increasing δ. In the range 0 < δ < δc = 0.0039 the transition is of first order, whereas for δc < δ ≤ 0.012 it is of second (or higher) order. The electrical properties and Verwey transition of Fe3−xZnxO4 and Fe3(1−δ)O4 were found to match very well with the compositional correspondence x ⇔ 3δ. Implications of the above findings are discussed.
Marital Pair Anger-Coping Types May Act as an Entity to Affect Mortality: Preliminary Findings from a Prospective Study (Tecumseh, Michigan, 1971–1988)

The relationship between four anger-coping marital pair types and all-cause mortality was examined with a representative random sample in the community of Tecumseh, Michigan, in a longitudinal analysis (1971–1988) using 192 married pairs. Each spouse (age 35–69) in a married pair was independently classified as an expressive (anger out) or suppressive (anger in) anger-coping type; then four anger-coping pair types were tested for mortality risk, adjusted for major health risk factors. When both spouses were anger suppressors (n = 26 pairs; 13 deaths), death was 2 times more likely than in all Other Types (p < .05); significantly more pairs of “Both Spouses Suppress” occurred where both died than in Other Types. A spouse interaction effect (p = .06) occurred among Both Spouses Suppress Type but not in Other Types.
Access to Labor in Rural Mali

Reconceptualization of the rural household in West Africa has emphasized dynamic processes that determine household form and function. This article examines the role of the household in mobilizing farm labor. Negotiating within the framework of the household to gain access to labor is itself a process that transforms the household. Within households individuals have different production interests related to their social status. In a case study village 50 km southeast of Bamako, Mali with a rainfed sorghum/millet based cropping system, it was found that individual farm workers have very different work patterns, managing their own farms and working for others.
The effect of oxygen and sulfide on CO2 production by three acoel turbellarians. Are thiobiotic meiofauna aerobic

Abstract 1. 1. Three turbellarians, Kuma sp., Solenofilomorpha c.f. funilis and Parahaploposthia thiophilus, were exposed to oxia, anoxia, sulfide and cyanide and the resulting changes in CO2 production from glucose monitored. 2. 2. All three species were capable of aerobic metabolism. 3. 3. CO2 production in the oxybiont Kuma, decreased under anoxia, sulfide exposure and cyanide exposure. 4. 4. CO2 production in the two thiobiotic species decreased under anoxia, but aerobic metabolism was cyanide and sulfide insensitive. CO2 production under oxia was much higher in Solenofilomorpha than Parahaploposthia, however. 5. 5. Hence, thiobiotic species are sulfide-insensitive organisms capable of aerobic metabolism, but aerobic capability differs markedly among taxa.
Long-Term Live Observation of Membrane Protein Interaction with Lipid Nanodomains Show Dependence on Cell Cycle and Time After Transfection

The study of cholesterol-stabilized nanodomains in the cell membrane, aka lipid rafts, is complicated by differences in techniques, cell type, physiological parameters and possible changes of cell and membrane composition during the cell cycle and after transient transfection. We recently developed a non-destructive and non-perturbing technique combining fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) with spatially-resolved camera TIRF imaging, bimFCS. This method provides a quantification of the strength of the membrane protein - lipid nanodomain interaction, the membrane protein concentration and its diffusion coefficient. As an optical method it can be combined with other imaging methods such as we record changes in cytoskeleton structure simultaneously. bimFCS data was acquired with hourly intervals for periods longer than one day while keeping the cells growing at physiological temperature on the microscope stage. Transiently transfecting PtK2 or CHO cells with GPI-anchored membrane proteins associated with cholesterol-stabilized nanodomains, we observed a higher association with such domains in earlier stages of protein expression and slower diffusion compared to later times. Using synchronized cell cultures, we also quantify the membrane protein interaction with lipid nanodomains and record the images of membrane cytoskeletal actin bundles as function of the cell cycle. To discriminate between possible membrane ultrastructure models, we combine the experimental results with diffusion simulations of molecules interacting with such domains in the presence and absence of linear actin meshwork acting as pinpoints for the domains.
Lower Respiratory Tract Structure of Laboratory Animals and Humans: Dosimetry Implications

Significant differences in lower respiratory tract structure exist both within species and among species at each level of anatomy. Irregular dichotomous and trichotomous branching patterns of airways are present in human and nonhuman primate lungs. In contrast, the dog and common laboratory rodents exhibit a predominantly monopodial branching system. The effects of these various branching patterns on airflow distribution, gas uptake, and the deposition of particles have not been sufficiently studied to determine the extent to which branching patterns impart regional inhomogeneities or local variations in the deposition of inhaled material. To date, detailed morphometric data have not been used to examine aerosol particle deposition. We have been using three-dimensional reconstruction techniques to examine various aspects of lung structure. Studies vary from the reconstruction of individual cells to reconstructing conducting airway and alveolar duct branching systems. When using physical models for dosimet...
An Emerging Picture of Synapse Formation: A Balance of Two Opposing Pathways

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a well-studied chemical synapse and has served as a tractable model system to clarify how synapse formation occurs. Proteins on both the presynaptic and postsynaptic sides collaborate to induce the high-density accumulation of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) at the NMJ. Two opposing pathways work in this process: A dispersing pathway works through acetylcholine and the AChR, and a clustering pathway works through agrin and the transmembrane tyrosine kinase MuSK. The molecular mechanisms underlying these two signaling cascades are beginning to be understood.
Susceptibility of CuFe near the Kondo temperature

Abstract The susceptibility of dilute amounts of iron in copper has been measured from 4°K to 30°K, which covers the Kondo temperature 7°K. Previous measurements, above 30°K, show a (T + 32)−1 behavior. An additional contribution is found which can be attributed to the formation of a spin polarization of conduction electrons about each impurity.
LOAD BALANCING FOR PARALLEL PCS NETWORK SIMULATIONS

Parallel and distributed simulation techniques have been investigated in a number of studies to decrease the execution times of PCS network simulations. In this paper, we consider distributed simulation of PCS models using a two-state PCS simulation testbed which makes use of a conservative scheme at Stage 1, and of Time Warp at Stage 2, and focus upon the load balancing issue. We investigate and study several load balancing schemes for TDMA systems. Extensive simulation experiments were conducted on a cluster of workstations using a real suburban area serviced by an FCA-based PCS networks. Our results indicate clearly that careful load balancing scheme is important in the success of the PCS simulation model.
The Influence of Physiological Noise Correction on Test–Retest Reliability of Resting-State Functional Connectivity

The utility and success of resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) depend critically on the reliability of this technique and the extent to which it accurately reflects neuronal function. One challenge is that rs-fcMRI is influenced by various sources of noise, particularly cardiac- and respiratory-related signal variations. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the impact of various physiological noise correction techniques, specifically those that use independent cardiac and respiration measures, on the test–retest reliability of rs-fcMRI. A group of 25 subjects were each scanned at three time points—two within the same imaging session and another 2–3 months later. Physiological noise corrections accounted for significant variance, particularly in blood vessels, sagittal sinus, cerebrospinal fluid, and gray matter. The fraction of variance explained by each of these corrections was highly similar within subjects between sessions, but variable between subjects. Physiological corrections generally reduced intrasubject (between-session) variability, but also significantly reduced intersubject variability, and thus reduced the test–retest reliability of estimating individual differences in functional connectivity. However, based on known nonneuronal mechanisms by which cardiac pulsation and respiration can lead to MRI signal changes, and the observation that the physiological noise itself is highly stable within individuals, removal of this noise will likely increase the validity of measured connectivity differences. Furthermore, removal of these fluctuations will lead to better estimates of average or group maps of connectivity. It is therefore recommended that studies apply physiological noise corrections but also be mindful of potential correlations with measures of interest.