cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Numerical modelling of ice jam resistance to main channel flow

In northern countries, subfreezing temperatures during the winter season result in the formation of ice covers on most rivers. Towards the end of the winter season, during the spring break-up period, stationary ice covers become weak in strength and break up. The resulting broken ice pieces or ice floes are significantly larger in thickness and have a rougher undersurface relative to sheet ice and impose higher hydraulic resistance. The downstream movement of the ice floes may be arrested under conditions such as an intact ice cover, bridge piers or channel constrictions, among others, thereby initiating a break-up ice jam. These ice jams most often have been observed to cause very high water stages. Detrimental effects caused by these high water levels encompass those of operational and design-related problems such as the flooding of communities due to ice-jam-induced backwater, flood risk assessments, altering of the open water flow regime, bed scour and flooding of bridges. The ability to predict the influence of an ice jam on the main flow is of considerable importance in river engineering and can be viewed upon by its effects on the variation in the water surface levels. All other information is dependent on the foregoing. The ice jam influence on the main flow can be regarded with respect to local and global standpoints. The primary objective of this study is to formulate the influence of the ice jam on the main channel flow. The formulation is then coupled with a two-dimensional numerical model for the simulation of the water flow regime. The data from different laboratory experiments on ice jams are reproduced numerically. Various simulations are then carried out to compute the water surface levels and velocities in channels under ice jam conditions. The numerical results are then compared with the laboratory data. Results show that the mathematical formulation developed to predict the water surface levels and velocities along the ice jam length as well as upstream and downstream of its leading and trailing edges respectively gives satisfactory predictions.
Using Monte Carlo analysis to characterize the uncertainty in final acute values derived from aquatic toxicity data.

Many ambient water quality criteria established to protect aquatic life from acute toxicity are calculated using a procedure described in the US Environmental Protection Agency's “1985 Guidelines” (USEPA 1985). The procedure yields a final acute value (FAV) from acceptable median lethal or effective concentrations (LC50 or EC50, respectively) that is a single-point, deterministic estimate of the concentration of a chemical substance that will protect 95% of aquatic species from >50% mortality or other acute toxic effects. However, because of variation and uncertainty associated with toxicity test results, uncertainty in the estimated FAV exists that is not accounted for by the 1985 Guidelines procedure. Here, Monte Carlo analysis is used to characterize this uncertainty. The analysis uses Cu EC50 values adjusted for differences in test water chemistry obtained from USEPA's final freshwater Cu criteria guidance published in 2007. Additional Monte Carlo simulations illustrate Cu FAV distributions obtained using a subset of tested species and assuming fewer replicate tests. The deterministic procedure yields an FAV of 4.68 µg/L for the complete data set. By comparison, 3 replicate Monte Carlo simulations yielded mean FAVs of 4.66 µg/L. The 5th and 95th percentiles of the distribution of calculated FAVs were 4.14 µg/L and 5.20 µg/L, respectively. Reducing the number of tested genera from 27 to 8 (the minimum recommended by the 1985 Guidelines) and setting the number of tests per species equal to 3 yielded 5th and 95th percentiles of 1.22 µg/L and 6.18 µg/L, respectively, compared to a deterministic estimate of 2.80 µg/L. Results of this study indicate that Monte Carlo analysis can be used to improve the understanding and communication of uncertainty associated with water quality criteria derived from acute toxicity data using the 1985 Guidelines. This may benefit the development, revision, and application of these criteria in the future. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2011;7:269–279. © 2010 SETAC
Development of a Flame Propagation Model for Dual-Fuel Partially Premixed Compression Ignition Engines

AbstractThe limitations of an existing characteristic-time combustion (CTC) model are explored and a new combustion model is developed and applied to simulate combustion in dual-fuel engines in whi...
Convergence semigroup actions: generalized quotients

Continuous actions of a convergence semigroup are investigated in the category of convergence spaces. Invariance properties of actions as well as properties of a generalized quotient space are presented
Major trauma in the rural mountain west

A disproportionately high percentage of trauma fatalities occur in rural areas. Almost half of these fatalities occur after arrival at a community hospital. A review of the initial evaluation and management of major trauma victims in rural community hospitals in the intermountain West revealed a surprisingly high incidence of departure from well defined standards. Reducing the magnitude of this rural hospital component of trauma facilities will require application of the same standards of initial evaluation and management which have proved effective in major medical center emergency department settings.
Thermoelectric Powered Wireless Sensors for Spent Fuel Monitoring

This paper describes using thermoelectric generators to power wireless sensors to monitor spent nuclear fuel during dry-cask storage. OrigenArp was used to determine the decay heat of the spent fuel at different times during the service life of the dry-cask. The Engineering Equation Solver computer program modeled the temperatures inside the spent fuel storage facility during its service life. The temperature distribution in a thermoelectric generator and heat sink was calculated using the computer program Finite Element Heat Transfer. From these temperature distributions the power produced by the thermoelectric generator was determined as a function of the service life of the dry-cask. In addition, an estimation of the path loss experienced by the wireless signal can be made based on materials and thickness of the structure. Once the path loss is known, the transmission power and thermoelectric generator power requirements can be determined. This analysis estimates that a thermoelectric generator can produce enough power for a sensor to function and transmit data from inside the dry-cask throughout its service life.
Highlights of a Brushless Direct-Drive Solar Array Control System Design

This paper summarizes a drive system design for controlling the position and rate of solar power arrays on orbiting spacecraft. There are no gears or sliding contact elements used anywhere in the system and only low-speed bearings are needed. Such mechanization is particularly well suited to solid lubrication techniques, and wear rates are very low, so that the drive system can operate directly in the space environment for long periods of time. Three major components were developed for implementation of this design concept. They are: 1) a brushless dc torque motor; 2) a rotary power transformer; and 3) an offset-tooth shaft position and rate sensor. These components are combined in a hybrid system configuration in which the signal processing and logic functions are performed by digital and linear integrated circuits. A root contour and describing function analysis, confirmed by experimentation, shows that several modes of limit cycle generation can occur in the vicinity of null. Compensation circuits are given that inhibit or suppress limit cycling and provide controlled electronic damping of the system. The system offers relatively high stiffness and can be operated at indefinitely low angular rates with minimum power consumption.
Application of security metrics to instrument systems that use distributed processing

Modern sensors are often integrated into microprocessor chips or into packages with embedded processors to provide “smart sensor” capabilities or to function in networks (e.g., wireless sensor networks) to make complex measurements and to distribute the processing load by performing initial data analysis tasks close to the point of measurement. These systems have many of the operating characteristics of distributed control systems (DCSs), including attendant advantages and vulnerabilities. Important desirable features of DCSs include use of network communications, access to file servers and services supported by modern operating systems. Cyber security, however, is a significant area of vulnerability requiring attention. The International Society for Automation (ISA) has and is developing standards (ISA99) to address all aspects of cyber security for industrial automation. One of these aspects deals with development of security metrics that can be used to determine compliance with the security standards and can also serve as a basis for an effort to monitor in real time those processes that have potential associated security risks and to provide warning of the occurrence of possible security incidents. Security metrics developed for ISA99 are described and some ways to use them to protect instrument systems are proposed.
ISOLATION OF PLASMA MEMBRANE FRAGMENTS FROM HELA CELLS

A method for isolating plasma membrane fragments from HeLa cells is described. The procedure starts with the preparation of cell membrane "ghosts," obtained by gentle rupture of hypotonically swollen cells, evacuation of most of the cell contents by repeated washing, and isolation of the ghosts on a discontinuous sucrose density gradient. The ghosts are then treated by minimal sonication (5 sec) at pH 8.6, which causes the ghost membranes to pinch off into small vesicles but leaves any remaining larger intracellular particulates intact and separable by differential centrifugation. The ghost membrane vesicles are then subjected to isopycnic centrifugation on a 20–50% w/w continuous sucrose gradient in tris-magnesium buffer, pH 8.6. A band of morphologically homogeneous smooth vesicles, derived principally from plasma membrane, is recovered at 30–33% (peak density = 1.137). The plasma membrane fraction contained a Na-K-activated ATPase activity of 1.5 µmole Pi/hr per mg, 3% RNA, and 13.8% of the NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity of a heavier fraction from the same gradient which contained mitochondria and rough endoplasmic vesicles. The plasma membranes of viable HeLa cells were marked with 125I-labeled horse antibody and followed through the isolation procedure. The specific antibody binding of the plasma membrane vesicle fraction was increased 49-fold over that of the original whole cells.
SNR enhancement of narrowband signals in colored noise using adaptive predictors

Use of the Linear Prediction Filter in cascade with an FFT is demonstrated as a sub-optimum realization of the optimum filter for maximization of instantaneous signal-to-rms noise power. Computer generated colored noise and sinusoidal signals are used to compare the suboptimum filter with a conventional matched filter (designed for white noise only) in terms of output SNR for cases in which the signal and noise spectra overlap. Significant improvements are seen with the LPF-FFT cascade. Four algorithms for implementing the LPF are compared for the application. Time - frequency plots are presented that graphically illustrate the filter effectiveness to extract signals masked by colored noise.
Domainlike Organizations in Ferroelectrics Containing Quenched Randomness

Transmission electron microscopy studies of the (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-(x)PbTiO3 (PMN-PT (1-x)/x) crystalline solution have been performed for x=0.1, 0.2, 0.35, and 0.60. Bright-field imaging has revealed a common sequence of domain-like states with increasing x. Normal micron-sized ferroelectric domains were found for x>0.40. Tweed-like structures were found for x∼0.35. These tweedlike structures are similar to those previously reported in pre-martensitic states. Paraelectric clusters were found for x<0.30. The paraelectric cluster state was characterized by the lack of self-assembly amongst embryos and the presence of relaxor behavior in the macroscopic response characteristics. The composition PMN-PT 65/35 was then modified with La for a detailed study of the transition between the tweed-like precursor and paraelectric cluster states with increasing impurity content.
Patch antennas with switchable slots (PASS) in wireless communications: concepts, designs, and applications

This feature article describes, in a comprehensive and unified fashion, the authors' work on the development of novel kinds of reconfigurable microstrip antennas: patch antennas with switchable slots (PASS). PASS are versatile for wireless communication systems, and their structure is very simple. This article introduces the operational mechanism of PASS, as well as their frequency-ratio control and input impedance tuning. Various PASS designs are presented to demonstrate the capability of PASS in wireless communication. These designs demonstrate the functions of dual-frequency operation, dual-band circular-polarization performance, and circular-polarization diversity with only one layer and a single feed. A practical PASS application for future Mars rover missions is also highlighted: a compact, dual-band, circularly polarized antenna for the UHF band was designed, fabricated, and measured, based on the PASS concept.
Imaging the Lateral Roots of the Orange Tree using Three-dimensional GPR

ABSTRACT Citrus greening disease (Phytophthora nicotianae), also known as Huanglongbing (HLB), is a systemic disease caused by a bacterium that is vectored by a psyllid. Huanglongbing infection impacts citrus roots by its restructuring of the root bacterial community. The motivation of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of employing high-frequency ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to survey orange tree [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] lateral structural roots. Of particular interest was GPR’s ability to discriminate the roots originating from neighboring trees, since these trees may be in a dissimilar stage of HLB infection. Tests groves are situated on the Ridge and Flatwood soils of Florida. The sandy soil and shallow root systems are considered ideal operating parameters for shallow GPR 3-D investigations. A 2,600-MHz antenna was found to effectively target and discriminate the larger structural roots originating from the target tree from those of its neighbors. The antenna reflections penetra...
The Role of Botulinum Toxin in Vasospastic Disorders of the Hand

Raynaud phenomenon may be a primary disorder or associated with a variety of other autoimmune processes. Raynaud phenomenon produces digital vasospasm, which can lead to ischemia and ulceration. The treatment of Raynaud phenomenon has been difficult because multiple medical treatments have not provided uniform resolution of symptoms. Many patients have turned to surgery and sympathectomies for the treatment of unrelenting vasospasm. Botulinum toxin has been shown to be an effective alternative to surgery, with a single treatment being capable of resolving pain and healing ulcer. This article reviews the use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of Raynaud phenomenon.
A Comparison of Practical Public Key Cryptosystems Based on Integer Factorization and Discrete LogarithmsPartial support for this work was provided by the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, and by Newbridge Microsystems (a division of Newbridge Networks Corporation), Kanata, Ontario.

based on the current literature, this survey carries out a detailed analysis of a version of the multiple polynomial quadratic sieve integer factorization algorithm, and of the Coppersmith algorithm for computing discrete logarithms in GF(2 n ). This is used for a practical security comparison between the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) cryptosystem and the El Gamal cryptosystem in fields of characteristic 2. Other aspects of the cryptosystems are also compared. In addition, the security of elliptic curve cryptosystems over GF(2 n ) is discussed, and related to that of the previously mentioned cryptosystems.
Field Evaluation of Insecticides Against the Gypsy Moth and the Elm Spanworm and Repellent Action of Chlordimeform

Mistblower applications of acephate, chlordimeform, leptopbos, phosalone, and Sevimol® (carbaryl) were evaluated against the gypsy moth, Porthetria dispar (L.), and the elm spanworm, Ennomos subsignarius (Hubner). All materials gave excellent foliage protection, but chlordimeform was not very toxic to either species. Chlordimeform acted as a repellent and was especially effective against the elm spanworm in the field. In laboratory choice tests, gypsy moth and elm span worm larvae were repelled equally by foliage treated with chlordimeform.
Fibroma arising from feather follicle of duck following local application of methylcholanthrene to skin.

SummaryA fibroma is described as arising from the feather follicle of White Pekin ducks following multiple local applications of methylcholanthrene to the skin.
LONG-TERM RESULTS AFTER MULTIPLE VALVE REPLACEMENT AND STRATEGIC IMPROVEMENT

Long-term results of 182 patients undergoing multiple valve replacement with a mechanical valve in the aortic position and a biological valve in the mitral and tricuspid position from Jan. 1977 to Jan. 1989 were retrospectively analysed. It is concluded that, excepting patients who need triple or double valve replacement, who are over 61 years old, and who are classified into New York Heart Association functional class 4, a mechanical valve in the mitral position is the first-choice procedure leading to better long-term consequence. However, an antiplatelet drug added to warfarin is recommended for postoperative anticoagulant therapy, if multiple valve replacement is performed only with using mechanical valves. We continue actively to use to biological valve in the tricuspid position in cases associating with severe tricuspid regurgitation, because excellent long-term results can be attained by the replacement.
Adaptations to and consequences of an herbivorous diet in grouse and waterfowl

I review diet selection in grouse and waterfowl in the context of their herbivorous diets and discuss adaptations to herbivory in these groups. Both grouse and waterfowl prefer plant foods containing higher concentrations of protein than nonpreferred foods; grouse and small waterfowl include invertebrates in the diet to meet protein demands during periods of high tissue production. Grouse tend to avoid plant foods containing high concentrations of anti-herbivore compounds and the relative roles of these compounds versus nutrients in diet selection by grouse is presently unclear. Grouse and waterfowl have similar digestive morphology, except for the ceca, which are 5 times longer in grouse than in geese. Enlarged ceca are associated with improved nitrogen economy in grouse; evolution of these structures in geese may have been precluded by energetic costs of carrying enlarged ceca during migration.
Theoretical Barriers to the Understanding of Evangelical Christianity

Based on the prenise that evangelicalisn is annimportant contemporary phenomenon that has been 4slihlted by sociologists, this paper analyzes three cognitive biase.s that prevent its understanding. The three biases, or "theoretical barriers," are the identification of eva ngelicallisn zwith social clases, political, and historical correlates. The paper argnie.s nagain.st the as~simption that evangelicalism is in essence the religion of the disinherited, the conservative, or the atallistic, especially if ze are to understand the resurgence of evangelicalisin in mnainline and mindle-class churches. This paper is based on two premises: first, that "Evangelical Christianity" is an important contemporary religious phenomenon; second, that sociologists have not so far contributed much to the understanding of this phenomenon. These premises will be stated below in somewhat more detail, but they will not, in this paper, be truly demonstrated or defended. Instead, the thesis of the paper will be to suggest some reasons for our failure to properly understand evangelical Christianity. These reasons are stated to be three "theoretical barriers" or cognitive biases that have the effect of discounting the phenomenon. They are class bias, liberal bias, and evolutionary bias, and although they are stated to be three in number they are interrelated. The argument will proceed by citing an eclectic selection of what are nonetheless claimed to be representative works in the sociology of religion, on the one hand, and by occasional references to data collected by the author in an on-going field study of an evangelical revival in a small-town Presbyterian church, on the other. With this theoretical statement, I hope to "clear the ground" for my own and others' attempts to do empirical
Effects of bradykinin on intracellular calcium regulation in human ciliated airway epithelium

The Ca(2+)-mobilizing action of bradykinin (BK) was investigated in ciliated human nasal epithelial (HNE) cells utilizing fura-2 fluorescence and microspectrofluorimetry. In ciliated cells, basal intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was 123 +/- 3 nM (n = 142). BK caused [Ca2+]i to increase (spike) rapidly (within 6 s) to greater than 550 nM by releasing Ca2+ from intracellular pools. The mean effective dose for the process was 1.5 x 10(-7) M BK. The spike was due to the activation of a beta 2-receptor. The spike was unaffected by inhibitors of either cyclooxygenase or voltagegated Ca2+ channels. After the spike, [Ca2+]i decreased to a plateau level (120-250 nM). This plateau persisted (up to 10 min) until the addition of La3+ (0.3 x 10(-3) M) or until the removal of either extracellular Ca2+ or the agonist. No changes in adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels were detected after BK exposure. Additional studies revealed that indomethacin (10(-6) M), isoproterenol (10(-5) M), forskolin (10(-5) M), and dibutyryl cAMP (1 mM) had no effect on [Ca2+]i in ciliated HNE cells. In summary, these data suggest that 1) BK mediates both Ca2+ release from internal pools and Ca2+ entry into the cytoplasm from the extracellular space, and 2) unlike the response to cultured dog airway epithelia, the release of [Ca2+]i in response to BK does not appear to be mediated by either cyclooxygenase pathway or adenylate cyclase-cAMP systems.
Using Soil Organisms to Explore Ecosystem Functioning, Services, and Sustainability

Soil organisms play crucial roles in the maintenance of ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services, including agricultural productivity and sustainability, ecological and community resilience, and climate regulation. Despite this, many high school, undergraduate, and graduate courses neglect soil biology in their environmental and sustainability curricula, making it difficult for students to bring a deep, comprehensive understanding of the environment and sustainability to their professional and personal lives. Adapted from an activity by Byrne (An in-class role-playing activity to foster discussion and deeper understanding of biodiversity and ecological webs. EcoEd Digital Library. http://ecoed.esa.org/. 2013), the playful, learner-centered activity described in this chapter introduces students to soil organisms, their relationships to one another, and their roles in ecosystem functioning and services and sustainability through a station-by-station, student-led teaching and worksheet component with virtual or living organisms. After completing this activity, students should be able to (1) identify and describe various soil organisms, their relationships in food webs, their ecological functions in soil, and the benefits they provide to human society; (2) explain the primary ecosystem functions and services of one taxonomic group of soil organisms; (3) apply new understanding of soil ecology and soil food webs to their analysis of ecosystem services in various ecosystem types, including agricultural ones; and (4) integrate understanding of soil organisms into broader comprehension of ecology, ecosystem functioning and services, sustainability, and human well-being.
The Place of Theory in Development Communication: Retrospect and Prospects

This chapter analyzes the role of theory in development communication, an area of study conventionally concerned with practical problems and applied research topics. The author provides a review of the theoretical evolution of development communication through the analysis of its three social scientific traditions: the media effects-oriented tradition, the critical theory tradition, and the pragmatic philosophy tradition. Based on this analysis, the author indicates actual prospects for theory building in development communication by discussing opportunities for the formulation of normative theories. This chapter concludes that reaffirming the practical orientation of development communication and supporting intellectual convergence among its intellectual traditions constitute the core tasks that will encourage theoretical creativity in the future.
Manfred Karnick, “Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre” oder die Kunst des Mittelbaren. Studien zum Problem der Verständigung in Goethes Altersepoche: München: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, 1968. Pp. 237

(1970). Manfred Karnick, “Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre” oder die Kunst des Mittelbaren. Studien zum Problem der Verstandigung in Goethes Altersepoche. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 247-250.
Fatty Liver and MCT Diet in Intractable Epilepsy

Fatty infiltration of the liver in 4 children treated with the medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet is reported from the Depts of Paediatrics and Radiology, Leeds General Infirmary, Belmont Grove, Leeds, England.
Tourette Syndrome, ADHD and Other Comorbidity

Tourette syndrome (TS) and its associated conditions are reviewed from University College and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK.
Nanometer resolution imaging and tracking of axonal cargo transport in normal and degenerative neurons

Survival and function of neurons depend critically on bidirectional active transport of essential cargoes along axonal microtubules. Transport defects have been strongly implicated in many human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. To study related physiology and disease mechanisms, we developed methods to image and automatically track individual cargoes at nanometer resolution. Using these tools, we characterized and compared transport behavior in normal neurons and degenerative neurons in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease. We found previously unknown properties of axonal transport, including that cargo movement in vivo in both anterograde and retrograde directions follows multiple velocity modes.
Multi-Scale Correlation between the Western U.S. Snow Water Equivalent and ENSO/PDO Using Wavelet Analyses

This study evaluated the correlation between the western U.S. snow water equivalent (SWE) and two major oceanic-atmospheric indices of the Pacific Ocean, namely, the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), using continuous wavelet transformation and its derivatives. Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) data for 1 April SWE from 323 sites (out of which 258 are in six hydrologic regions) were obtained for a study period of 56 years (1961–2016). The results showed that ENSO had a much higher influence than PDO throughout the western U.S. SWE across the study period. Both ENSO and PDO showed a higher correlation with SWE at multiple timescale bands across different time intervals, although significant intervals in the higher timescales were of longer duration. ENSO showed a higher correlation in the 10-to-16-years band across the entire study period as well as in the lower timescales. PDO showed a higher correlation below the 4-years band. The relative phase relationship suggested that ENSO led SWE, with certain lags, while both were moving in the same direction in many instances. The lag-response behavior of SWE and PDO was not found to be uniform. The regional analyses, based on the western U.S. hydrologic regions, suggested significant variation across the adjacent regions in terms of their correlation with ENSO/PDO. Association with ENSO was also observed to be higher compared to PDO among the regions. Regions close to the ocean and at lower elevation showed higher correlation compared to the inland regions with higher elevation.
Model predictive control of multi-string PV systems with battery back-up in a community dc microgrid

This paper presents the operational control strategy of multi-string photovoltaic (PV) systems in a dc microgrid by using model predictive control (MPC). Due to the intermittent nature of solar energy, battery energy storage system with unify-controlled charger is integrated to the dc microgrid to compensate the fluctuating generated PV power and to regulate the dc-bus voltage. A two-string PV system is considered in this paper to evaluate the performance of the proposed controller. The proposed MPC for the dc microgrid consists: maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of PV arrays and control of a bidirectional dc-dc converter for charging/discharging the battery energy storage system. The controller tracks the maximum power point (MPP) of each PV string under dynamic weather condition and ensures to deliver the required power by the load using the battery system in case of insufficient power generated by the PV systems. The MPC of the battery system stabilizes the bus voltage by considering the state of charge (SoC) of battery and evaluating the direction of power flow from battery system to the dc bus and vice versa. By using the characteristics of MPC with ability to add design constraints, the proposed system ensures power distribution among PV arrays and evaluates the battery SoC for changing the mode of operation to achieve a reliable energy source for the local loads. The practical feasibility of the proposed controller is studied for several case studies and verified experimentally by implementing the controller using dSPACE 1007 platform.
Random matrix-based approach for uncertainty analysis of the eigensystem realization algorithm

In this paper, uncertainty in the state space matrices in a linear stochastic time–invariant discrete time system is presented by performing uncertainty analysis of the eigensystem realization algo...
A Fully Coupled Thermomechanical Model of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) and Numerical Studies on Process Parameters of Lightweight Aluminum Alloy Joints

This paper presents a new thermomechanical model of friction stir welding which is capable of simulating the three major steps of friction stir welding (FSW) process, i.e., plunge, dwell, and travel stages. A rate-dependent Johnson–Cook constitutive model is chosen to capture elasto-plastic work deformations during FSW. Two different weld schedules (i.e., plunge rate, rotational speed, and weld speed) are validated by comparing simulated temperature profiles with experimental results. Based on this model, the influences of various welding parameters on temperatures and energy generation during the welding process are investigated. Numerical results show that maximum temperature in FSW process increases with the decrease in plunge rate, and the frictional energy increases almost linearly with respect to time for different rotational speeds. Furthermore, low rotational speeds cause inadequate temperature distribution due to low frictional and plastic dissipation energy which eventually results in weld defects. When both the weld speed and rotational speed are increased, the contribution of plastic dissipation energy increases significantly and improved weld quality can be expected.
International dimensions of electoral processes: Russia, the USA, and the 2016 elections

Russia’s government has adopted an information-based strategy to promote discord and call into question the legitimacy of democratic institutions in the USA and Western Europe. Measures adopted include providing financial support to extremist groups, conducting cyberattacks, hacking information on political parties and government agencies, and promoting a socially conservative ideology critiquing Western liberal values. This strategy resembles Soviet-era disinformation campaigns, though social media and the Internet have magnified the impact of contemporary information warfare. The article examines specific measures Russia has implemented to put liberal democracy on the defensive, and assesses how these actions impact domestic political processes in the USA, by using a conceptual framework of democratic erosion and democratic breakdown. The article evaluates motivations behind Russian interference in America’s 2016 elections, and the extent to which these efforts weaken liberal democracy and advance Russian national interests.
Impact of meteorological conditions on the water quality of wastewater treatment systems: a comparative study of Phytoremediation and Membrane bioreactor system

Two demonstration wastewater treatment systems, i.e. a phytoremediation system and a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system, were studied for a six-month period from August 2016 to January 2017. The phytoremediation system consists of wetland cells implanted with diverse phytoremediation macrophyte species at NUST H-12 sector Islamabad, Pakistan, while the MBR system comprises primary clarifiers, membrane tanks and bio tanks that treat domestic wastewater through hybridization of biological and biomechanical techniques. The phytoremediation system receives domestic wastewater at the rate of 283 m3/d, and greater hydraulic efficiencies were achieved because of compartmentalization and higher aspect ratios, whereas the MBR system receives 50 m3/d. The present study was conducted to analyze and compare the correlation between water quality parameters of wastewater treatment systems and meteorological conditions. Statistically significant correlation was exhibited between eight water quality parameters (pH, EC, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total coliforms (TC)) and meteorological factors (ambient temperature and relative humidity). Predominant species isolated and identified through polymerase chain reaction and 16S rRNA sequencing from wastewater of the phytoremediation system and sludge of the MBR system belong to the phylum Proteobacteria with relatively higher abundance of Enterobacter, Shigella, Escherichia and Salmonella genera.
Changes in parental barriers to immunizations

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore if parental barriers to childhood immunizations change over time. DESIGN AND SAMPLE Using secondary data, a pretest post-test design was employed to measure changes in parental barriers to childhood immunizations in the first 7 months of life. Thirty-nine parent/infant dyads were included in this study. MEASURES The Searching for Hardship and Obstacles to Shots (SHOTS) Survey was completed by a parent when their infant was between one and 28 days old (prior to their first immunizations) and again when the child was 6-7 months of age. RESULTS In this study, parental barriers to immunizations decreased over time. Specifically, six individual items related to accessing immunizations decreased from baseline to 7 months of age. In addition, the Access to Shots subscale decreased significantly (p = 0.010) between the two time periods. In less educated parents, the Importance of Immunizations subscale decreased over time. CONCLUSION Given the findings and trends in changes identified in this study, more exploration is necessary to understand what parental barriers change over time and how these changes affect immunization rates in early infancy.
Bilateral Prone Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Under Epidural in Candidate for Lung Transplant: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Background: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a procedure typically performed under general anesthesia (GA); however, many patients might be considered unfit for GA and locoregional anesthesia is their only chance to have the procedure done. Case Presentation: A 60-year-old Middle-Eastern female with end-stage lung disease underwent evaluation for lung transplant; she was found to have severe restrictive pattern on steroid and continuous oxygen therapy, pulmonary hypertension with dilated right ventricle, chronic anemia, and asthma. She had kidney stones for 10 years, having spontaneously passed several in the past. During work-up for a lung transplant, she was found to have bilateral staghorn calculi and was referred to urology for stone management before lung transplant. After insertion of a Double-J stent for management of worsening right hydronephrosis, antibiotic therapy for extended spectrum beta-lactamases Klebsiella pneumoniae, and optimization after two procedure cancellations because of new onset of cardiovascular issues, she had a simultaneous bilateral PCNL under thoracic epidural anesthesia in two stages within 48 hours without significant complications. She was rendered stone-free and a candidate to be added to the lung transplant list. Conclusion: Bilateral prone PCNL under epidural is a safe and effective option in high anesthetic risk patients.
Interpreting multiple sulfur isotope signals in modern anoxic sediments using a full diagenetic model (California-Mexico margin: Alfonso Basin)

Recent studies targeting the metabolic, physiological, and biochemical controls of sulfur isotope fractionation in microbial systems have drawn linkages between results from culture experiments and the sulfur isotope signatures observed in natural environments. Several of those studies have used newer techniques to explore the minor isotope (33S and 36S) variability in those systems, and also have attempted to place them in an ecophysiological context. Sparingly few have incorporated this newfound understanding of minor isotope behavior into natural systems (sediment pore waters, water columns) and none of them have refined existing isotope-dependent reaction-transport models to explicitly include 33S. In this study, we construct a three-isotope (32S, 33S, and 34S) reaction-transport model of pore water sulfate for a well-characterized sedimentary system within the California-Mexico Margin (Alfonso Basin). An additional goal is placing recent laboratory culture work into a natural, physical context. The model first reproduces the measured bulk geochemical characteristics of the pore water profiles of [SO42−], [CH4], dissolved inorganic carbon ([DIC]), and [Ca2+]—and predicts bulk (non-isotope-specific but depth-dependent) rates of sulfate reduction. Next, the model uses those depth-dependent bulk rates, in combination with empirically calibrated fractionation factors, to explain the minor isotope characteristics (δ34S and Δ33S values) of the 0 to 40 cm pore water SO42−. The down core, isotopic evolution of pore water sulfate requires a large fractionation associated with sulfate reduction (34eSR = 70 ± 5‰) that appears to be independent of bulk rate, but in line with low temperature thermodynamic predictions. The minor isotope characteristics (33λSR ∼ 0.5130) are also independent of rate and fall within the range expected from microbial calibrations, but differ from minor isotope predictions of thermodynamic equilibrium. The high value of 34eSR raises key questions in relating the physiological state of marine microorganisms relative to their laboratory counterparts, as well as point toward exceedingly low metabolic rates in natural marine sediments.
Promoting science motivation in American Indian middle school students: an intervention

U.S. national data show that American Indians earn lower math and science scores than other ethnic/racial groups. In the current study, a brief, self-affirmation intervention was aimed at increasin...
Menopause Management Knowledge in Postgraduate Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract Objective To evaluate the knowledge of and nature of training for menopause management in postgraduate residents. Participants and Methods A cross-sectional, anonymous survey was e-mailed to trainees at all postgraduate levels in family medicine, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology at US residency programs between January 11, and July 4, 2017. The survey was adapted from an existing instrument and included questions regarding knowledge of hormone therapy (HT) and other menopause management strategies, availability and type of training in menopause medicine, and demographic information. Results Of the 703 surveys sent, a total of 183 residents representing 20 US residency programs responded (26.0% response rate). Most trainees were between 26 and 30 years of age (133 of 172 [77.3%]), female (114 of 173 [65.9%]), and believed it was important or very important to be trained to manage menopause (165 of 176 [93.8%]). Although most respondents answered some of the menopause competency questions correctly, important gaps were identified. Of 183 participants, 63 (34.4%) indicated they would not offer HT to a symptomatic, newly menopausal woman without contraindications, and only 71 (38.7%) indicated they would prescribe HT until the natural age of menopause to a prematurely menopausal woman. Of 177 respondents, 36 (20.3%) reported not receiving any menopause lectures during residency, and only 12 of 177 (6.8%) reported feeling adequately prepared to manage women experiencing menopause. Conclusion Family medicine, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology residency trainees recognize the importance of training in menopause management, but important knowledge gaps exist. Investing in the education of future clinicians to provide evidence-based, comprehensive menopause management for the growing population of midlife women is a priority.
Automated Controversy Detection on the Web

Alerting users about controversial search results can encourage critical literacy, promote healthy civic discourse and counteract the “filter bubble” effect, and therefore would be a useful feature in a search engine or browser extension. In order to implement such a feature, however, the binary classification task of determining which topics or webpages are controversial must be solved. Earlier work described a proof of concept using a supervised nearest neighbor classifier with access to an oracle of manually annotated Wikipedia articles. This paper generalizes and extends that concept by taking the human out of the loop, leveraging the rich metadata available in Wikipedia articles in a weakly-supervised classification approach. The new technique we present allows the nearest neighbor approach to be extended on a much larger scale and to other datasets. The results improve substantially over naive baselines and are nearly identical to the oracle-reliant approach by standard measures of F 1, F 0.5, and accuracy. Finally, we discuss implications of solving this problem as part of a broader subject of interest to the IR community, and suggest several avenues for further exploration in this exciting new space.
Wrongful Analysis in Wrongful Life Jurisprudence

Existing wrongful life jurisprudence departs from established tort jurisprudence and is not consistent with public policy. This area of the law should be reformed to comport with fundamental tort policy and to further social justice.
The Information Content of The Implied Volatility Surface: Can Option Prices Predict Jumps?

We ask whether option prices contain information on the likelihood and direction of jumps in the underlying stock prices. Applying the partial least squares (PLS) approach to the entire surface of the implied volatilities (IV), we show that option prices can successfully predict downward jumps in stock prices, but not upward jumps. The PLS estimated downward jump factor can predict stock returns with a spread of 1.53% per month between stocks predicted to have the lowest probability of downward jumps and stocks predicted to have the highest probability of downward jumps. Both put and call option prices, and options of both short and long maturity contribute to the predictability. Furthermore, the predictability of the downward jump is robust to many firm characteristics as well as options related variables. Consistent with the notion that informed investors trade in the options markets to profit from negative information in order to circumvent the short-sale constraint, we find that stronger predictability is associated with tighter short-sale constraints in the equity market, and in periods when the market has poor performance.
Digital Correction of DAC Nonlinearity in Multi-Bit Feedback A/D Converters: Invited tutorial

In many data converter structures, an embedded digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is a key block, and its mismatch and dynamic errors limit the overall accuracy of the operation. Examples include multi-bit ΔΣ and incremental analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and successive-approximation-register (SAR) ADCs. In this paper, an overview of existing methods for correcting or mitigating the effects of DAC imperfections is presented. Also, a new foreground digital correction method is described for the mitigation of static mismatch errors in the binary-weighted DAC of a multi-bit ΔΣ or incremental ADC. With minor modifications the correction processes can also be applied to the DAC of a SAR ADC, and the tuning of passive elements used in data converters.
An Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the Pain Concepts Questionnaire in a Low-SES Setting.

Abstract The examination of pain beliefs for chronic pain assessment and treatment has been a growing area of interest. A variety of questionnaires have been developed to assess pain beliefs, however, these questionnaires often require high levels of literacy and education. The pain concepts questionnaire (PCQ) was developed with literacy-adaptations to better evaluate pain beliefs in a low socioeconomic (SES) population. This study is an initial exploratory evaluation of the PCQ in a sample of patients with chronic pain and multiple disparities as part of the learning about my pain (LAMP) trial, a randomized controlled trial comparing literacy-adapted psychosocial treatments for chronic pain. All data were collected at pretreatment. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine the underlying factor structure of the PCQ and cross-sectional correlational analyses examined relationships between pain beliefs with sociodemographic factors and chronic pain-related variables. Results suggested a 2-factor solution with a Biopsychosocial factor and Biomedical factor. Consistent with the literature, correlational analyses highlighted racial and SES disparities in pain beliefs and the importance of beliefs in pain- and cognitive/affective-related functioning. The study emphasizes the importance of pain beliefs in chronic pain management and recommends future research to further examine additional psychometric properties of the PCQ. Perspective This study is an initial evaluation of the psychometric properties of a new measure of chronic pain beliefs, the pain concepts questionnaire (PCQ). The PCQ is literacy-adapted and was assessed within a low-SES population. Psychometric proprieties of this measure were promising and could be useful in pain assessment and interventions.