cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An integrated process–structure–property modeling framework for additive manufacturing

Abstract One goal of modeling for metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) is to predict the resultant mechanical properties from given manufacturing process parameters and intrinsic material properties, thereby reducing uncertainty in the material built. This can dramatically reduce the time and cost for the development of new products using AM. We have realized the seamless linking of models for the manufacturing process, material structure formation, and mechanical response through an integrated multi-physics modeling framework. The sequentially coupled modeling framework relies on the concept that the results from each model used in the framework are contained in space-filling volume elements using a prescribed structure. This framework is implemented to show a prediction of the decrease in fatigue life caused by insufficient fusion resulting from low laser power relative to the hatch spacing. In this demonstration, powder spreading and thermal-fluid flow models are used to predict the thermal history and void formation in a multilayer, multi-track build with different processing conditions. The results of these predictions are passed to a cellular automaton-based prediction of grain structure. Finally, the predicted grain and void structure is passed to a reduced-order micromechanics-based model to predict mechanical properties and fatigue life arising from the different processing conditions used in the process model. The simulation results from this combination of models demonstrate qualitative agreement with experimental observations from literature, showing the appealing potential of an integrated framework.
Afterword: Where Is Virtual Dark Tourism Going?

Memorialization of disaster involves more than statues and sites. The preceding essays make clear that through journeys we participate in the remembrance of devastation and thereby make it a shared, communal experience, even if only in our imaginations. Considered all together, the chapters in this volume not only provide examples of virtual dark tourism but help define the field. For all its variety, virtual dark tourism has definable features and common concerns. Its development reveals the creativity stimulated by new technologies and increasing exposure to diverse peoples and histories. It should also be considered a reaction to the global information age, an acknowledgment of both emerging interconnections and persistent boundaries. Using the term “virtual dark tourism” helps us to investigate the interconnections present when people imagine voyages to disaster sites, participate in tourism to fictional places, or create death memorials in virtual settings, as people clearly do frequently and often with great creativity.
A model of repetitive mild concussion with persistent brain injury but no symptomology - risk for Parkinson\'s disease with aging?

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in early life may be a potential risk factor for Parkinson9s disease. Methods: A closed-head momentum exchange model was used to produce one or three mild concussions in young adult male rats as compare to non-injured, age and weight-matched controls. Six-seven weeks post-injury, rats were studied for deficits in cognitive and motor function Changes in brain anatomy and function were evaluated through analysis of resting state functional connectivity, diffusion weighted imaging with quantitative anisotropy and immunohistochemistry for neuroinflammation. Results: Head injuries occurred without skull fracture or signs of intracranial bleeding or contusion. There were no significant differences in cognitive or motors behaviors between experimental groups. Rats concussed three times showed altered diffusivity in white matter tracts, basal ganglia, central amygdala, brainstem, and cerebellum. With a single concussion, the affected areas were limited to the caudate/putamen and central amygdala. Disruption of functional connectivity was most pronounced with three concussions as the midbrain dopamine system, hippocampus and brainstem/cerebellum showed hypoconnectivity. The suprachiasmatic nucleus was isolated from all functional connections. Interestingly, rats exposed to one concussion showed enhanced functional connectivity (or hyperconnectivity) across brain sites, particularly between the olfactory system and the cerebellum. Immunostaining for microglia activation showed inflammation in striatum and substantia nigra with three concussions but not with one. Interpretation: Neuroradiological and immunohistochemical evidence of altered brain structure and function, particularly in striatal and midbrain dopaminergic areas, persists long after mild repetitive head injury. These changes may be long lasting and serve as early biomarkers of neurodegeneration and risk for Parkinson9s disease with aging.
Cone-beam Computed Tomography Compared with Intraoral Radiographic Lesions in Endodontic Outcome Studies: A Systematic Review.

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this systematic review was to compare and quantify endodontic outcome using cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging with intraoral periapical radiography. Methods Two reviewers independently conducted a comprehensive literature search. The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and PubMed databases were searched. Additionally, bibliographies, gray literature of all relevant articles, and textbooks were manually searched. There was no disagreement between the 2 reviewers. Results Six articles met the inclusion criteria with low to moderate risk of bias (good/fair quality). The certainty of evidence was moderate, indicating that the authors are moderately confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect as determined by Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation criteria. The odds ratio of CBCT imaging versus traditional imaging to detect a periapical lesion was 2.04 (95% confidence interval, 1.52–2.73). Conclusions Although intraoral radiographs are the imaging modality of choice, when 2-dimensional intraoral radiography is inconclusive, CBCT imaging was reported in this investigation to have twice the odds of detecting a periapical lesion than traditional periapical radiography in endodontic outcome studies.
Library VHS in Danger: Media Preservation in Academic Libraries

Preserving content is a foundational activity of libraries and an activity for which U.S. copyright law makes an exception. This paper studies preservation activities among academic libraries as reported through the literature and recorded in answer to a survey of Research 1 institutions in the United States. Trends, challenges, methods, and procedures are examined to create a robust picture of VHS preservation activity among academic libraries especially in reference to section 108 of U.S. copyright law.
Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome

Dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS) is a compulsive misuse of and addiction to dopamine replacement therapy (DRT). DDS occurs in ∼4% of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Risk factors include young age of PD onset, male sex, depression, history of substance abuse, and high doses of DRT. Management includes restriction of DRT to only what is needed for motor control, psychiatric treatment and, potentially, deep brain stimulation.
Physical symptoms and psychological distress in head and neck cancer patients.

e16056 Background: Little is known about the relationship between psychological distress and physical symptoms in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT), and how thes...
Fostering Holistic Hand Therapy: Emergent Themes of Client Experiences of Mind-Body Interventions.

Mind–body interventions are a viable holistic approach to rehabilitation; however, evidence for mind–body approaches in hand therapy is lacking. This study explored the experiences of clients with ...
The ternary complex factor protein ELK1 is an independent prognosticator of disease recurrence in prostate cancer.

Background Both hormone-sensitive and castration- and enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancers (PCa) depend on the ternary complex factor (TCF) protein ELK1 to serve as a tethering protein for the androgen receptor (AR) to activate a critical set of growth genes. The two sites in ELK1 required for AR binding are conserved in other members of the TCF subfamily, ELK3 and ELK4. Here we examine the potential utility of the three proteins as prognosticators of disease recurrence in PCa. Methods Transcriptional activity assays; Retrospective analysis of PCa recurrence using data on 501 patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database; Unpaired Wilcoxon rank-sum test and multiple comparison correction using the Holm's method; Spearman's correlations; Kaplan-Meier methods; Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses; LASSO-based penalized Cox regression models; Time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results ELK4 but not ELK3 was coactivated by AR similar to ELK1. Tumor expression of neither ELK3 nor ELK4 was associated with disease-free survival (DFS). ELK1 was associated with higher clinical T-stage, pathology T-stage, Gleason score, prognostic grade, and positive lymph node status. ELK1 was a negative prognosticator of DFS, independent of ELK3, ELK4, clinical T-stage, pathology T-stage, prognostic grade, lymph node status, age, and race. Inclusion of ELK1 increased the abilities of the Oncotype DX and Prolaris gene panels to predict disease recurrence, correctly predicting disease recurrence in a unique subset of patients. Conclusions ELK1 is a strong, independent prognosticator of disease recurrence in PCa, underscoring its unique role in PCa growth. Inclusion of ELK1 may enhance the utility of currently used prognosticators for clinical decision making in prostate cancer.
System Dynamics Flood Modeling Framework for Dam Failure Evacuation Planning in Developing Countries

Currently, available flood modeling approaches require High-Performance Computing (HPC) software and high-resolution terrain data. Developing countries with unstable dams face challenges in accessing these technologies and acquiring the required data elements. This project developed a dynamic flood modeling methodology, using established hydrological assumptions, that implemented simulation and optimization models to determine safe evacuation routes by using public datasets, publicly available technical expertise, and common computing capabilities. The Peligre Dam in Haiti was the case study site since data from an HPC model was available for results comparison. QGIS was used to extract the “water flow factors” which are: (i) channel slope, turns, and shape; (ii) major channel obstructions and channel terrain; (iii) floodplain shape; and (iv) major floodplain obstructions and floodplain terrain. A system dynamics model was created to simulate water flow as a function of time using Vensim. This model used the water flow factors as inputs and produced the following key outputs: (i) volumetric flow rate $(\mathrm{Q}_{\mathrm{i},\mathrm{t}})$, (ii) water height over time $(\mathrm{h}_{\mathrm{i},\mathrm{t}})$, (iii) time when actual flooding begins (Channel MAX ), and (iv) time of maximal flooding (Floodplain MAX ). The results were plotted, and the root mean square errors were calculated to visualize the extent to which the results from the systems dynamics model compare with the HPC software results. Evacuation routes were modeled with the shortest path algorithm by minimizing the feasible travel distance between at-risk populated areas and safe-high-ground areas with route constraints based on the system dynamics model’s output. The validity of the results demonstrates that the proposed methodology can adequately model inundation and reliable evacuation routes for dam failure scenarios in developing countries.
Short-term effects of meteorological factors, air pollution, and sunspot on childhood hand, foot, and mouth disease in Tianjin, China: a new time series regression, 2014–2018

This study is aimed at defining the relationship between a set of environmental factors and childhood HFMD and then at estimating the related effect. The 16 environmental factors included meteorological, air pollution, and sunspot. A traditional TSR modified by using susceptible-infectious-recovery models and distribution lag nonlinear model was applied to estimate the short-term effects of daily environmental factors on children HFMD occurrence in 2014–2018 with adjustment of potential confounding factors. A total of 70,027 children aged 0–15 years with HFMD were enrolled. No significant effect was observed for daily sunspot numbers and average visibility. We found positive effects of the ambient average temperature, with an approximately m-shaped curve of the overall cumulative relationship, peaking at 25.6 °C with a relative risk (RR) of 1.45 (95% confidence intervals 1.21–1.73). The largest RR value of hot effect was achieved on the current day and then decreased by 2 days (total group, male group, and scatter group) or 1 day (female group and nursery group), and the effect lasted about 6 to 8 days from the lag 4 or lag 6 day. A greater association of temperature with HFMD for the female group and the scattered group was observed. This study suggests that ambient average temperature might be a risk factor for children HFMD in Tianjin. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
The Prehistory of International Studies at Stanford, before 1919

When Herbert Hoover established the Hoover War Library in 1919, he was building on traditions and values that he had absorbed as a student at Stanford University, where he matriculated with the pio...
A guide to recent trends in green applications of liquid phase microextraction for bioanalytical sample preparations

Abstract Liquid phase microextraction (LPME) techniques have become increasingly important components for bio-analytical sample preparation methods due to the versatility, adaptability, sensitivity, and conformity to green analytical chemistry (GAC) principles that they provide for the analyses of complex biological matrices. Despite having been used for sample preparations for some 25 years, LPME is not a static sample preparation field, but is continuously undergoing innovation and improvements and new research and applications for bio-analytical sample preparation are being published constantly. This review is meant to serve not only as a listing of recent literature, but as a guide to current trends in LPME. In order to fully understand the trends, advantages and limitations of this field in bio-analytical sample analyses, LPME based methods are compared with traditional sample preparation methods, the limitations and advantages of each LPME mode examined, and a variety of reviews and successful applications papers for LPME are included. To simplify searching for appropriate LPME methods these reviews and applications have been categorized to aid in searching for a needed application technique or publication. Following sections briefly cover the trends in LPME development, concentrating on bioanalytical sample preparation applications. The review continues with an examination of the trends for the use use of non-traditional green solvents for LPME based methods, and concludes with a discussion of recent innovations which have the potential for commercialization of high throughput automation for LPME based bio-analytical sample preparation and analysis methods.
A Dirtified God: A Dirt Theology from the Pacific Dirt Communities

Pacific churches promoted a dirt-free theology of God fortified by theological education which adopt the colonial narrative that dirt is negative. Students trained in dirt-free theology find it hard to accept that God and dirt have something to do with each other. To propose that dirt is part of God is not only insulting, but it points to a compromising of the divinity and power of God as savior. But what if our theologies misunderstood God? This chapter focuses on this misunderstanding. It proposes that dirtification is part of God’s life. It proposes a dirtified God who not only challenges the “clean God” theological narrative, but also the “dirt-free” colonial project that is destroying the lands and oceans of the Pacific. The chapter contributes toward developing alternative theologies to those given by the colonial digestive centers of thinking.
Irrational principals

Timothy Besley’s Principled Agents? carefully surveys the modern social science literature on political agency problems and tries to chart a sensible middle course between the naive assumption that politicians maximize the public welfare and the pessimism of Virginia-style public choice. However, the literature that Besley showcases is seriously flawed. By building on the empirically discredited rational expectations assumption, it neglects the strongest normative argument against political accountability and overlooks the extent to which “agency failures” stem from principal negligence.
A testbed for geomagnetic data assimilation

KG acknowledges that this work was supported by NASA Headquarters under the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship Program - Grant “80NSSC18K1351”. MM and KG are supported by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant N00014-21-1-2309. AT and WK are supported by NASA Earth Surface and Interior Program.
Tendon and multiomics: advantages, advances, and opportunities

Tendons heal by fibrosis, which hinders function and increases re-injury risk. Yet the biology that leads to degeneration and regeneration of tendons is not completely understood. Improved understanding of the metabolic nuances that cause diverse outcomes in tendinopathies is required to solve these problems. ‘Omics methods are increasingly used to characterize phenotypes in tissues. Multiomics integrates ‘omic datasets to identify coherent relationships and provide insight into differences in molecular and metabolic pathways between anatomic locations, and disease stages. This work reviews the current literature pertaining to multiomics in tendon and the potential of these platforms to improve tendon regeneration. We assessed the literature and identified areas where ‘omics platforms contribute to the field: (1) Tendon biology where their hierarchical complexity and demographic factors are studied. (2) Tendon degeneration and healing, where comparisons across tendon pathologies are analyzed. (3) The in vitro engineered tendon phenotype, where we compare the engineered phenotype to relevant native tissues. (4) Finally, we review regenerative and therapeutic approaches. We identified gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for future study: (1) The need to increase the diversity of human subjects and cell sources. (2) Opportunities to improve understanding of tendon heterogeneity. (3) The need to use these improvements to inform new engineered and regenerative therapeutic approaches. (4) The need to increase understanding of the development of tendon pathology. Together, the expanding use of various ‘omics platforms and data analysis resulting from these platforms could substantially contribute to major advances in the tendon tissue engineering and regenerative medicine field.
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS FOR THE LOCAL INTERFACIAL AND WALL SHEAR STRESSES FOR ONE-DIMENSIONAL ANNULAR TWO-PHASE FLOW

Differential equations for local interfacial and wall shear stresses for one-dimensional annular two-phase flow
Survival Strategies for State-Owned Airlines: The Case of Arabian Gulf Carriers

Arab carriers besieged by growing international competition are operating in a turbulent environment. Now with the plummeting oil revenues and the levelling off in infrastruetural development, their load factor is declining. Besides, the prevailing winds of deregulation that swept the entire airline industry coupled with escalating regional tension have compounded the felony and depressed air traffic even further. Consequently Arab carriers are feeling the pinch and fighting a battle for survival as their direct pipeline the to state treasury is ruptured. After identifying the common structural features of Arab carriers and the key environmental forces threatening their survival, the authors have explored several strategies aimed at lowering operating costs and improving load factors without hurting their service image. They then offer some specific alternative proposals geared to help Arab carriers in implementing new strategies and adapting themselves successfully to the demands of their turbulent environment. The authors conclude by arguing that the performance of state-owned enterprises should be made by reference to their stated objectives rather than to the commonly accepted economic criteria.
Effects of 3D‐Fiber Architecture on Tensile Stress‐Strain Behavior of SiC/SiC Composites.

The structural performance of ceramic matrix composites for both low and high-temperature applications depends strongly on key properties contained in their tensile stress-strain behavior after fabrication. These include elastic modulus, matrix cracking stress, and ultimate strength. To determine the effects of fiber architecture on these properties, melt-infiltrated SiC/SiC composite panels were fabricated using 3D orthogonal preforms and 2D fabric lay-ups with various weave patterns. To maximize composite performance, all architectures were constructed with Sylramic SiC fibers in the in-plane directions. Where possible, the preforms and fabrics were then subjected to a treatment that in-situ formed Sylramic-iBN fibers, a fiber type which typically yields composites with the highest tensile and rupture strength. For the 3D preforms, three types of low-modulus z-fibers were used to allow high in-plane fiber fractions, equivalent to those for the 2D composites. Even though the 3D-orthogonal panels displayed well-aligned x and y fibers with low crimp and lower matrix porosity, the room-temperature elastic modulus, cracking stress, and ultimate strength of these panels were generally lower than the 2D-woven panels. It is believed that the reduced modulus and cracking stress were primarily related to fiber-rich regions, the reduced strength to matrix-rich regions.
Hydrogen technology for energy needs of human settlements

Abstract Hydrogen is being considered as a synthetic fuel or energy carrier for the post-fossil fuel era. It has many properties to commend itself: it compliments the nonconventional primary energy sources and presents them to the consumer in a convenient form; it is relatively inexpensive to produce; it can be converted to various energy forms at the consumer end with higher efficiencies than other fuels; it is renewable; and it is the lightest and cleanest fuel. It can be used in every application where fossil fuels are used today, including meeting the energy requirements of human settlements, such as cooking, water and space heating, cooling and refrigeration, lighting, powering farm implements and transportation, and electricity generation. In all these applications, it is superior to conventional fuels and other synthetic alternatives. There are already demonstration projects to show the applications of hydrogen in the domestic and transportation sectors of human settlements.
Ceroid Histiocytosis of Spleen and Bone Marrow in Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP): A Contribution to the Understanding of the Sea-blue Histiocyte

Ceroid-containing histiocytes are described for the first time in the spleen and marrow of a patient with ITP. Ceroid results from the oxidation and polymerization of unsaturated lipids and may appear in histiocytes in a variety of diseases. With the Wright or Giemsa methods, ceroid granules are stained sea-blue, and ceroid-containing macrophages appear as "sea-blue histiocytes." This sea-blue color is not pathognomonic for ceroid. Therefore, the finding of seablue histiocytes in the bone marrow should be followed by histochemical studies to confirm the presence of ceroid. The spleen from a case of the recently described "syndrome of the sea-blue histiocyte" showed numerous ceroid-containing macrophages. In view of the lack of specificity of the sea-blue histiocyte, it is suggested that the syndrome be renamed "idiopathic ceroid histiocytosis of spleen and marrow."
Modern Financial Management in Focus

Now a days, value of a company depends on the extent to which investors expect future profits to exceed or fall short of the cost of capital. This article discusses the modern financial management measures and tools that have been developed over a period of time to achieve the above stated objective in an effective way.
Modeling Highway Traffic Volumes

Most traffic management and optimization tasks, such as accident detection or optimal vehicle routing, require an ability to adequately model, reason about and predict irregular and stochastic behavior. Our goal is to create a probabilistic model of traffic flows on highway networks that is realistic from the point of applications and at the same time supports efficient learning and inference. We study several multivariate probabilistic models and analyze their respective strengths. To balance accuracy and efficiency, we propose a novel learning model, mixture of Gaussian trees, and show its advantages in learning and inference. All models are evaluated on real-world traffic flow data from highways of the Pittsburgh area.
DEVELOPMENT OF ASSAYS TO EVALUATE CELLULAR IMMUNE FUNCTIONS IN THE AMERICAN LOBSTER (HOMARUS AMERICANUS)

Abstract A significant mortality of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) in western Long Island Sound in 1999 seriously impacted the harvest of this species. Whereas the exact cause or causes of the mortality are still not precisely known, dead and dying lobsters in the initial phase of the die-off were diagnosed with infections with paramoeba, a newly recognized disease condition of lobsters. Because the immune system represents the first line of defense against disease-causing agents and is one of the most sensitive systems to environmental stressors, this study is aimed at the development of new assays to quantify the immune system of lobsters. Flow cytometry allowed the discrimination of different populations of hemocytes based on their relative size and complexity. Also using flow cytometry, natural killer (NK) cell-like activity and its stimulation by human recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) are described for the first time in lobsters, as is the expression of TLR2, a pattern recognition receptor...
The role of excitotoxic programmed necrosis in acute brain injury.

Excitotoxicity involves the excessive release of glutamate from presynaptic nerve terminals and from reversal of astrocytic glutamate uptake, when there is excessive neuronal depolarization. N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, a subtype of glutamate receptor, are activated in postsynaptic neurons, opening their receptor-operated cation channels to allow Ca2 + influx. The Ca2 + influx activates two enzymes, calpain I and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Calpain I activation produces mitochondrial release of cytochrome c (cyt c), truncated apoptosis-inducing factor (tAIF) and endonuclease G (endoG), the lysosomal release of cathepsins B and D and DNase II, and inactivation of the plasma membrane Na+–Ca2 + exchanger, which add to the buildup of intracellular Ca2 +. tAIF is involved in large-scale DNA cleavage and cyt c may be involved in chromatin condensation; endoG produces internucleosomal DNA cleavage. The nuclear actions of the other proteins have not been determined. nNOS forms nitric oxide (NO), which reacts with superoxide (O2−) to form peroxynitrite (ONOO−). These free radicals damage cellular membranes, intracellular proteins and DNA. DNA damage activates poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), which produces poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymers that exit nuclei and translocate to mitochondrial membranes, also releasing AIF. Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase hydrolyzes PAR polymers into ADP-ribose molecules, which translocate to plasma membranes, activating melastatin-like transient receptor potential 2 (TRPM-2) channels, which open, allowing Ca2 + influx into neurons. NADPH oxidase (NOX1) transfers electrons across cellular membranes, producing O2−. The result of these processes is neuronal necrosis, which is a programmed cell death that is the basis of all acute neuronal injury in the adult brain.
Characterizing the impact of network substrate topologies on virtual network embedding

Network virtualization is a mechanism that allows the coexistence of multiple virtual networks on top of a single physical substrate. One of the research challenges addressed recently in the literature is the efficient mapping of virtual resources on physical infrastructures. Although this challenge has received considerable attention, state-of-the-art approaches present, in general, a high rejection rate, i.e., the ratio between the number of denied virtual network requests and the total amount of requests is considerably high. In this work, we investigate the relationship between the quality of virtual network mappings and the topological structures of the underlying substrates. Exact solutions of an online embedding model are evaluated under different classes of network topologies. The obtained results demonstrate that the employment of physical topologies that contain regions with high connectivity significantly contributes to the reduction of rejection rates and, therefore, to improved resource usage.
MEASUREMENT OF THE FIGURE OF MERIT OF A THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL

A description is given of a single piece of apparatus for measuring the three parameters involved in the figure of merit of a thermoelectric material. This apparatus uses only direct current and is based on Harman's technique, in which a temperature gradient is established by means of the Peltier effect. It is demonstrated that the corrections for radiative heat transfer take a relatively simple form at room temperature. It is also show that the figure of merit of a thermoelectric material can be obtained by measuring the maximum lowering of temperature using the Peltier effect in a junction between the sample under test and a metal.
Robust automatic time alignment of orthographic transcriptions with unconstrained speech

A method for automatic time alignment of orthographically transcribed speech using supervised speaker-independent automatic speech recognition based on the orthographic transcription, an online dictionary, and HMM phone models is presented. This method successfully aligns transcriptions with speech in unconstrained 5 to 10 min conversations collected over long-distance telephone lines. It requires minimal manual processing and generally produces correct alignments despite the challenging nature of the data. The robustness and efficiency of the method make it a practical tool for very large speech corpora. >
Application of polyaniline (emeraldine base, EB) in polymer light-emitting devices

Abstract We report the fabrication of several multilayer light-emitting-diode (LED) devices based on a novel conjugated polymer, poly(2,5-dihexadecanoxy phenylene vinylene pyridyl vinylene) (PPV-PPy V), involving the use of polyaniline (emeraldine base, EB) as an insulating layer between the emissive polymer layer and the electrodes. In all the above devices with various configurations (‘3-layers’, ‘4-layers’-1’, ‘4-layers-2’ and ‘5-layers’), only the symmetrically configured a.c. light-emitting (SCALE) (‘5-layers’) device shows the capability of operating in both forward and reverse bias modes and in an a.c. mode. The SCALE devices have a typical turn-on voltage of about 4–6 V and work well under both forward and reverse bias modes. It is important to note that the total resistance ( R= V/I +) of the four devices at any given applied potential decreases as the number of insulating polymer layers increases, suggesting that the nature of the electrode/polymer interface plays a critical role in determining the characteristics of the devices.
New Directions in Education Perceived by 590 Virginia Teachers

Teachers' self-assessments of professional performance were investigated, their perceptions of stress factors operating in the classroom, and their recommendations for needed remediation. 1546 teachers' self-portrait questionnaires were given in 1984 to Virginia teachers of five public school districts. Of those returned 38% were useable. 1400 of the 18-item version of Cichon and Koff's 1979 Teaching Events Stress Inventory, taken from the original self-portrait questionnaire, were redistributed in 1988 to teachers of the same school districts. Of those returned 43% were useable. Analysis showed consensus among teachers on (1) perceived teaching competence, (2) need for increasing collaboration among administrators, teachers, and parents, and (3) strategies recommended for improvement of teaching and learning.
Modeling static and dynamic human cardiovascular responses to exercise.

Abstract A human performance model has been developed and described [9] which portrays the human circulatory, thermo regulatory and energy-exchange systems as an intercoupled set. In this model, steady state or static relationships are used to describe oxygen consumption and blood flow. For example, heart rate (HTRT) is calculated as a function of the oxygen and the thermo-regulatory requirements of each body compartment, using the steady state work values of cardiac output (CO, sum of all compartment blood flows) and stroke volume (SV, assumed maximal after 40% maximal oxygen consumption): HTRT = CO SV . The steady state model has proven to be an acceptable first approximation, but the inclusion of transient characteristics are essential in describing the overall systems' adjustment to exercise stress. In the present study, the dynamic transient characteristics of heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output were obtained from experiments utilizing step and sinusoidal forcing of work. The gain and phase relationships reveal a probable first order system with a six minute time constant, and are utilized to model the transient characteristics of these parameters. This approach leads to a more complex model but a more accurate representation of the physiology involved. The instrumentation and programming essential to these experiments are described.
Context Model Based SOA Policy Framework

With the popularity of SOA, SOA policy becomes one of the core technical enablers for SOA governance and management. Different in several aspects from traditional policy for distributed system management, policy applied in SOA solutions needs to take into account various policy types and enforcement points in different layers of SOA solution stack and different phases of SOA lifecycle. As well, it has the unique requirements on compliance to match existing SOA technologies and characteristics, as simplicity, standardization, high performance, etc. In this paper, a novel context model based SOA policy management framework by innovatively extending W3C Service Modeling Language (SML) and ISO Schematron is introduced. Firstly, a common context model distilled from SOA policy types typically including service policy, service governance policy, application policy and business policy, is presented. Then, the core components - context model based policy engine and definition tool are described. Finally, it is illustrated how the unified definition tools and policy engine are manipulated within the context model based SOA policy framework to manage and enforce policies in typical scenarios as service meta-data management, service match making and business process management. Based on the project, we participated in the works for defining W3C SML V1.1 working draft and proposed the works introduced in this paper to W3C SML Working Group. This paper demonstrates how these technologies and architectures significantly enhance the capability of SOA governance and management throughout whole SOA lifecycle and spanning the layers of SOA solution stack.
VF-Input AC-AC Converter - Evaluation at High-Frequencies and Characteristics of Power Interfacing

A compact three-phase VF-input AC-to-AC power converter, capable of operating a wide range of input frequencies, 360 - 700 Hz, is reported, which is desirable for some applications of vehicular power systems, e.g. series-hybrid. This capability of one-stage VF-VF power conversion can eliminate a mechanic speed regulation stage associated with the conventional generating systems for series-hybrid vehicular or distributed renewable energy/power systems, thus improving the efficiency. Digital control using a low-cost DSP is presented. Extensive experimental tests and evaluations are conducted and reported giving desirable operating characteristics at both input and output side, including the EMI characteristics and line harmonics.
Determination of selenomethionine by high performance liquid chromatography-direct hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract A simple, reliable, trace determination of selenomethionine (Semet) based on a direct hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric method was developed using sodium tetrahydroborate (0.3% in 0.2% NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (3 M). The method excluded any chemical pretreatment prior to hydride generation (HG). The optimized HG system was successfully coupled with the HPLC system. The detection limit (3σ of blank; n =5), reproducibility (R.S.D. of three successive analyses/day, performed on three different days), and repeatability (R.S.D. of three successive analyses) of the method were 1.08 ng ml −1 , 9.8% for 9.04 ng ml −1 and 2.1–9.5% for 30.0–1.27 ng ml −1 Semet as Se (standards prepared in Milli-Q water). Calibration graph was linear up to 30 ng ml −1 . This HPLC-HG-AAS method is very promising and successfully determined Semet (spiked) in human urine.
Building nanoliteracy in the university and beyond

US universities are bridging the knowledge gap to better educate tomorrow's nanotechnology workforce.
Road Following in an Unstructured Desert Environment Based on the EM(Expectation-Maximization) Algorithm

This paper describes the development and performance of a vision system, named PFSS (Path Finder Smart Sensor) for autonomous navigation of an unmanned ground vehicle. A monocular camera and vision processing algorithms were used as the sensor system to identify traversable terrain. Unlike the Bayesian based method which was used by Team CIMAR in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is applied. The implementation and performance of this approach are reported here.
Do Endorsements Matter? Group Influence in the 1984 Democratic Caucuses

Although candidates are very concerned about garnering prenomination group endorsements, there is virtually no research on the effects of such endorsements at the presidential level. In 1984, teachers', women's, and labor groups all endorsed Mondale for the Democratic nomination. Using a survey of Democratic caucus participants, we examine the effects of these endorsements on both candidate support and prenomination activity for the endorsed candidate. We find substantial effects of labor and teachers' group endorsements on the candidate choice of their members, but virtually no effect of women's groups. Labor union membership also had the greatest impact on campaign activity for Mondale.
Metadata Effectiveness: A Comparison between User-Created Social Tags and Author-Provided Metadata

This paper aims to investigate the additional information value provided by user-created social tags and author-provided metadata as well as their effectiveness in facilitating web clustering and discovery. We collected a data set of web pages that includes both social tags from the del.icio.us website and author-provided metadata crawled from the internet. Based on this data set, we first checked the overlap of user-created tags and author-provided metadata with the title and content of the annotated web pages. Then, we experimented on two clustering methods based on tags and author-provided metadata. The results show that both tags and author-provided metadata add valuable information to existing page content and that social tags are more effective than author-created metadata for enhancing web clustering performance either as an independent information source or as links connecting topically related pages.
Direction of in vivo degradation of a messenger RNA.

Degradation begins at the 3′ end of a trp, mRNA molecule and progresses sequentially to the 5′ end.
Salvage cryotherapy using an argon based system for locally recurrent prostate cancer after radiation therapy: the Columbia experience.

Purpose: Cryosurgical ablation of the prostate has been reported as potential treatment for radioresistant clinically localized prostate cancer. We report our experience with the safety and efficacy of salvage cryosurgery using the argon based CRYOCare system (Endocare, Inc, Irvine, California).Materials and Methods: Between October 1997 and September 2000, 38 men with a mean age of 71.9 years underwent salvage cryosurgery for recurrent prostate cancer after radiation therapy failed. All patients had biochemical disease recurrence, defined as an increase in prostate specific antigen (PSA) of greater than 0.3 ng./ml. above the post-radiation PSA nadir. Subsequently prostate biopsy was positive for cancer. Pre-cryosurgery bone scan demonstrated no evidence of metastatic disease. In addition, these patients received 3 months of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy before cryotherapy.Results: The PSA nadir was 0.1 or less, 1 or less and greater than 1 ng./ml. in 31 (81.5%), 5 (13.2%) and 2 (5.3%) patients...
Training Oncology Professionals in Key Communication Skills: Adapting Psychodrama and Sociodrama for Experiential Learning

The authors describe how sociodramatic methods were applied to teaching communication skills to professionals in a comprehensive cancer center. The article briefly reviews the importance of communication skills in oncology and the challenges in teaching key skills such as empathy and addressing emotions. It indicates how action methods can be applied to enact case scenarios generated by groups attending communication-skills workshops. It describes the advantages of action methods over other techniques for teaching communication skills in the medical setting. It suggests how these methods might be more widely disseminated among teachers of medical communication skills.
Reoperations and Visual Results after Failed Pneumatic Retinopexy

A single pneumatic retinopexy (PR) procedure failed to achieve permanent retinal reattachment in 23 (23%) of 101 cases of simple primary retinal detachment (RD). In 12 (16%) of 76 cases that were phakic or had an intact posterior capsule, a single PR failed compared with 11 (44%) of 25 cases without an intact posterior capsule. A total of 27 reoperations including eight repeat PRs (5 of which were successful) was required to achieve permanent retinal reattachment. Comparison of the final visual acuity and change from preoperative to final visual acuity between the initially failed and the successful cases demonstrated that initial failure of PR does not adversely affect the visual outcome. In all cases, the retina remained reattached at latest follow-up.
Rapid chemical reaction in a laminar boundary layer

A method is presented for determining the velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions as well as the position of the reaction zone near the surface of a burning fuel. The reaction is assumed to occur in the compressible laminar boundary layer on a flat plate. Variations in properties are allowed for subject to the requirements that the Prandtl and Schmidt numbers equal one and the density-viscosity product is a constant. A method is given for transforming from the boundary layer to the real coordinate system.
Chemical characteristics of fulvic acids from Arctic surface waters: Microbial contributions and photochemical transformations

[1] Dissolved organic matter (DOM) originating from the extensive Arctic tundra is an important source of organic material to the Arctic Ocean. Chemical characteristics of whole water dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the fulvic acid fraction of DOM were studied from nine surface waters in the Arctic region of Alaska to gain insight into the extent of microbial and photochemical transformation of this DOM. All the fulvic acids had a strong terrestrial/higher plant signature, with uniformly depleted δ13C values of −28‰, and low fluorescence indices around 1.3. Several of the measured chemical characteristics of the Arctic fulvic acids were related to water residence time, a measure of environmental exposure to sunlight and microbial activity. For example, fulvic acids from Arctic streams had higher aromatic contents, higher specific absorbance values, lower nitrogen content, lower amino acid–like fluorescence and were more depleted in δ15N relative to fulvic acids isolated from lake and coastal surface waters. The differences in the nitrogen signature between the lake and coastal fulvic acids compared to the stream fulvic acids indicated that microbial contributions to the fulvic acid pool increased with increasing water residence time. The photo-lability of the fulvic acids was positively correlated with water residence time, suggesting that the fulvic acids isolated from source waters with larger water residence times (i.e., lakes and coastal waters) have experienced greater photochemical degradation than the stream fulvic acids. In addition, many of the initial differences in fulvic acid chemical characteristics across the gradient of water residence times were consistent with changes observed in fulvic acid photolysis experiments. Taken together, results from this study suggest that photochemical processes predominantly control the chemical character of fulvic acids in Arctic surface waters. Our findings show that hydrologic transport in addition to biogeochemical alteration of the organic matter must be considered in order to predict the ultimate fate of Arctic DOM.
Child health education for the foreign-born parent.

Providing child health education for the foreign-born parent presents unique concerns related to language and culture. An innovative approach in a transcultural format used a presentation of basic child health information in English, with translators as facilitators. Foreign-born parents who need partial or complete language interpretation have ready access to translation support. The parents offer questions, comments, suggestions and evaluate the presentation through the translator. Each presentation can accommodate more than one language, since participants are grouped with the appropriate translator. The presentation is done in English and paced to allow for translation to be completed as material is offered. This type of presentation allows discussion of child health in a forum apart from the pediatric care setting. Because the presentation is the only focus, parents do not have the additional concern of immediate care of the child added to communication issues. Vocabulary relative to health care is d...
Reasons, Causes, and Action Explanation:

To explain an intentional action one must exhibit the agent’s reasons. Donald Davidson famously argued that the only clear way to understand action explanation is to hold that reasons are causes. Davidson’s discussion conflated two issues: whether reasons are causes and whether reasons causally explain intentional action. Contemporary work on explanation and normativity help disentangle these issues and ground an argument that intentional action explanations cannot be a species of causal explanation. Interestingly, this conclusion is consistent with Davidson’s conclusion that reasons are causes. In other words, reasons are causes, but rationalizing explanations are not causal explanations.