cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized Canavati Fractional Landau Inequalities

We present uniform generalized Canavati fractional Landau inequalities over \(\mathbb {R}\) of fractional orders \(4<\nu <5\) and we estimate the size of first three ordinary derivatives of the on hand function. The inequalities are optimal by giving best upper bounds and the constants there are completely determined. We give an application when \(\nu =4.5\). It follows [3].
Flight shaming consumers into aviation sustainability: which factors moderate?

Flight shaming has evolved from recent environmental activism efforts to curb air transportation use because of its adverse environmental impacts. This research aimed to determine if there was a significant effect of flight shaming on willingness to fly and identify what factors moderated this effect. Through the use of three studies and a total of 847 participants, results indicated participants were significantly less willing to fly when exposed to the flight shaming condition. Two of the four proposed moderators, value with sustainability and willingness to pay for sustainability, had a significant moderating effect where participants with high levels of these moderating variables were significantly less willing to fly than those with lower values. This research highlights the impact of flight shaming and demonstrates the need for airlines to curb the effects of flight shaming by promoting climate sustainment within their operations.
Concurrent and prospective associations between fitbit wearable-derived RDoC arousal and regulatory constructs and adolescent internalizing symptoms.

Background Adolescence is characterized by alterations in biobehavioral functioning, during which individuals are at heightened risk for onset of psychopathology, particularly internalizing disorders. Researchers have proposed using digital technologies to index daily biobehavioral functioning, yet there is a dearth of research examining how wearable metrics are associated with mental health. Methods We preregistered analyses using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study dataset using wearable data collection in 5,686 adolescents (123,862 person-days or 2,972,688 person-hours) to determine whether wearable indices of resting heart rate (RHR), step count, and sleep duration and variability in these measures were cross-sectionally associated with internalizing symptomatology. All models were also run controlling for age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, and race. We then performed prospective analyses on a subset of this sample (n = 143) across 25 months that had Fitbit data available at baseline and follow-up in order to explore directionality of effects. Results Cross-sectional analyses revealed a small, yet significant, effect size (R2 = .053) that higher RHR, lower step count and step count variability, and greater variability in sleep duration were associated with greater internalizing symptoms. Cross-lagged panel model analysis revealed that there were no prospective associations between wearable variables and internalizing symptoms (partial R2 = .026), but greater internalizing symptoms and higher RHR predicted lower step count 25 months later (partial R2 = .010), while higher RHR also predicted lower step count variability 25 months later (partial R2 = .008). Conclusions Findings indicate that wearable indices concurrently associate with internalizing symptoms during early adolescence, while a larger sample size is likely required to accurately assess prospective or directional effects between wearable indices and mental health. Future research should capitalize on the temporal resolution provided by wearable devices to determine the intensive longitudinal relations between biobehavioral risk factors and acute changes in mental health.
Dear Senator: Young Citizens Explore Civics through Literacy

0 0 1 132 702 USF 12 4 830 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} This article reviews the components of an integration model for infusing literacy and social studies and provides an example of a civics lesson implemented with first grade students. The gradual release model and research-informed literacy practices are embedded in the delivery of instruction. Throughout the learning experience students use informational texts to develop social studies vocabulary, explore civics concepts, and engage in discussion focused on the content in the text. Students acquire skills in supporting their conclusions with information drawn from a variety books and represent the knowledge they have gained through writing activities. This developmental approach harnesses evidence-based strategies that optimize the capabilities of young learners to closely read and deeply reflect upon informational text.
From Linear Operators to Computational Biology: Essays in Honor of Jacob T. Schwartz

We present a thumbnail sketch of the scientific career of Jack Schwartz, in order to place the essays in this volume in the proper chronological context.
Beta adrenergic pathway independent relaxation of human airway smooth muscle (870.9)

Severe acute asthma, defined as asthma that is refractory to current anti-inflammatory agents and bronchodilators, accounts for an estimated two-million emergency department visits annually. β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) agonists (β-agonists) are widely used for the treatment of bronchospasm associated with acute asthma attacks, however, some patients develop refractory responses to long term usage of β –agonists. It also causes adverse effects in patients with a genetic polymorphism (Arg/Arg genotype, about a sixth of the US population) in the adrenergic receptor creating a need for additional therapeutics for managing asthma. We have shown earlier that β-agonist induced airway smooth muscle (ASM) relaxation is associated with increases in the phosphorylation of HSP20. In this study we evaluate the effect of a transducible phosphopeptide mimetic of HSP20 protein (P20 peptide) on the relaxation of human ASM. Freshly isolated human ASM was pretreated with either a β-agonist, isoproterenol (ISO), or the P-2...
Skybox Schools: Public Education As Private Luxury

For the past three decades, plaintiffs in hundreds of state and federal court lawsuits have challenged state laws that fund public schools with the local property tax. As socioeconomic segregation remains at extremely high levels across the country, reliance on a tax that is based on the wealth of the property within a school district’s territory produces huge inequality in revenues. As the result of numerous court opinions, legislative reforms, and public pressure, many states have revised their funding formula to shift some of the burden to the state level. However, notwithstanding the wide-ranging statutory amendments and increased state funding, the tremendous gap between wealthy and poor districts remains. In some cases the gap has increased, even in many of those states whose highest courts have invalidated their school finance statutes. This Article asserts that this entrenched inequality stems from two related facts: first, that the local property tax remains the single most important source of public school dollars; and second, that most state finance reforms have left untouched the ability of school districts to raise as much money from the local property tax as the district’s property owners will tolerate. This Article considers the insights of Professor Robert Frank’s book Luxury Fever and explores the spending patterns of wealthy school districts. It concludes, much like Frank concluded in his analysis of the private consumer market, that unchecked taxing and spending powers have created a pattern of luxury spending by the nation’s wealthy school districts. It then evaluates, and rejects, the arguments used by those who support the preservation of unlimited local taxing discretion. Subsequent sections describe the statutory schemes of those few states that have purported to implement caps, showing how the caps themselves typically contain so many exemptions and exceptions that they fail to impose a real limit on wealthy district spending. Suggesting that it is time to reconsider * Professor, University of Illinois College of Law. I would like to thank my colleagues at the College of Law for their many helpful suggestions and comments during a faculty workshop. Thanks also to Richard Briffault, John Lopatka, and Steve Ross for their critical review of earlier drafts, and to Kelli Alces for her most valuable research assistance. Washington University Open Scholarship p 755 Reynolds book pages.doc3/29/2005 756 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW QUARTERLY [VOL. 82:755 the widespread support of the local property tax for school funding, this Article concludes by proposing that states completely replace the local property tax with a statewide tax on real property and narrowly limit the ability of wealthy districts to “overspend.” Although the proposals leave unanswered many difficult questions about educational policy and equal school funding, this Article concludes that a cap on school district taxing powers is a fundamental prerequisite to meaningful school finance reform.
Specify Once Test Everywhere: Analyzing Invariants to Augment Service Descriptions for Automated Test Generation

We present a technique which enables a novel specify once, test everywhere paradigm by exploiting invariants in a reference ontology. In our approach, each service operation is described in an IOPE paradigm: Input, Output, Precondition and Effect. Our approach augments the service description by creating additional service fault specifications to describe the exceptional behaviors which may arise as a result of invariant violations. We describe our invariant analysis technique and present experimental results which justifies the underlying intuition.
Development of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology against Tgf-β signaling to prevent scarring during flexor tendon repair

Flexor tendons (FT) in the hand provide near frictionless gliding to facilitate hand function. Upon injury and surgical repair, satisfactory healing is hampered by fibrous adhesions between the tendon and synovial sheath. In the present study we used antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), specifically targeted to components of Tgf-β signaling, including Tgf-β1, Smad3 and Ctgf, to test the hypothesis that local delivery of ASOs and suppression of Tgf-β1 signaling would enhance murine FT healing by suppressing adhesion formation while maintaining strength. ASOs were injected in to the FT repair site at 2, 6 and 12 days post-surgery. ASO treatment suppressed target gene expression through 21 days. Treatment with Tgf-β1, Smad3 or Ctgf ASOs resulted in significant improvement in tendon gliding function at 14 and 21 days, relative to control. Consistent with a decrease in adhesions, Col3a1 expression was significantly decreased in Tgf-β1, Smad3 and Ctgf ASO treated tendons relative to control. Smad3 ASO treatment enhanced the maximum load at failure of healing tendons at 14 days, relative to control. Taken together, these data support the use of ASO treatment to improve FT repair, and suggest that modulation of the Tgf-β1 signaling pathway can reduce adhesions while maintaining the strength of the repair.
Dual Effect of Adenosine A1 Receptor Activation on Renal O2 Consumption

The high requirement of O2 in the renal proximal tubule stems from a high rate of Na+ transport. Adenosine A1 receptor (A1R) activation regulates Na+ transport in this nephron segment. Thus, the effect of the acute activation and the mechanisms of A1R on the rate of O2 consumption were evaluated. The A1R-antagonist, 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (CPX) and adenosine deaminase (ADA), which metabolize endogenous adenosine, reduced O2 consumption (40–50%). Replacing Na+ in the buffer reversed the ADA- or CPX-mediated reduction of O2 consumption. Blocking the Na/H-exchanger activity, which decreases O2 usage per se, did not enhance the ADA- or CPX-induced inhibition of O2 consumption. These data indicate that endogenous adenosine increases O2 usage via the activation of Na+ transport. In the presence of endogenous adenosine, A1R was further activated by the A1R-agonist N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA); CPA inhibited O2 usage (30%) and this effect also depended on Na+ transport. Moreover, a low concentration of CPA activated O2 usage in tissue pretreated with ADA, whereas a high concentration of CPA inhibited O2 usage; both effects depended on Na+. Protein kinase C signaling mediated the inhibitory effect of A1R, while adenylyl cyclase mediated its stimulatory effect on O2 consumption. In summary, increasing the local concentrations of adenosine can either activate or inhibit O2 consumption via A1R, and this mechanism depends on Na+ transport. The inhibition of O2 usage by A1R activation might restore the compromised balance between energy supply and demand under pathophysiological conditions, such as renal ischemia, which results in high adenosine production. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 3093–3104, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Parallelization of a fully 3D CT iterative reconstruction

Iterative image reconstruction algorithms for computed tomography are able to incorporate highly accurate physical models for the measured data. While such algorithms provide a high degree of accuracy, their large computational cost currently makes them infeasible for clinical practice. Clinical scanners instead use a linear model that provides fast reconstruction times but limited accuracy in some situations. Using a variety of approaches, the iterative image reconstruction algorithms can be modified to run faster and more accurately. Although the algorithms based on linear models can also be made faster, they cannot provide the same level of accuracy. We describe a parallelized implementation of an alternating minimization algorithm for fully three-dimensional image reconstruction. Various performance results are shown for the reconstruction of simulation data, a phantom scan, and a large clinical scan.
On reconfiguration latency in fault-tolerant system

Digital computers embedded in critical applications such as flight controls should be equipped with appropriate fault-tolerance schemes to ensure their reliable and safe operation in the presence of component failures. System reconfiguration, which enhances reliability by dynamically using spatial redundancy, is generally the most time-consuming fault-/error- handling stage. The reconfiguration latency, defined as the time taken for reconfiguring a system upon failure detection or mode change, depends on many parameters, including the size of application programs and data, the CPU and memory speed, built-in testing capabilities, the type of spares to use, the system architecture, and the reconfiguration strategy used. In this paper, we classify the reconfiguration techniques into four types: reconfigurable duplication, reconfigurable N-modular redundancy (NMR), backup sparing, and graceful degradation. For each type of reconfiguration, we evaluate the reconfiguration latency by using several parameters accounting for the aforementioned parameters, and determine if this type of reconfiguration can meet the application required latency. >
ESR studies of gas adsorption on carbon nanotubes

The effect of gas adsorption on different carbon nanotube systems is studied using ESR spectrosocpy. One system consists of purified and unpurified single-walled carbon nanotubes, one of unpurified multi-walled tubes, and one of multi-walled tubes where defects have been introduced purposefully at different levels. In single- and multi-walled tubes, hydrogen adsorbs preferentially on defects. Electron-donating ammonia seems to affect the interlayer interaction in multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
Self-other's perspective taking: the use of therapeutic robot companions as social agents for reducing pain and anxiety in pediatric patients.

Abstract The study examined whether complementary therapy using robotic companions as social agents reduced pain and emotional anxiety in pediatric patients. A total of 18 patients, aged 6–16, and 18 parents participated in the study. The study explored whether the use of robotic animals as companion animals could reduce pain and emotional anxiety in patients and their parents. The study identified when robot-assisted therapy was most effective (alone or together with parent). The study hypothesized that engaging in robot-assisted therapy together would enhance parents' perspective taking, thereby triggering strong empathic resonance and parental modeling to bolster the children's coping skills. The robotic companion was more successful in decreasing pain and negative emotional traits when children and parents were engaged together with the robotic companion. The parent's ability to acknowledge the patient's pain accurately through robot-assisted therapy seemed to reduce pain and emotional anxiety.
Nesting characteristics of mourning doves in central New Mexico: Response to riparian forest change

Riparian forests of the American Southwest are especially prone to changes in composition and structure due to natural and anthropogenic factors. To determine how breeding mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) respond to these changes, we examined nest site use and nest survival in control plots, fuel reduction plots before and after mechanical thinning, and post-wildfire sites. The greatest number of nests (50%) were located in post-wildfire sites where resprouted vegetation and woody debris provided numerous nest sites in the understory. We found fewer nests in post-treatment fuel reduction plots (17%), where most were constructed in cottonwoods, and an intermediate number of nests in control and pre-treatment plots (33%), where most were constructed in exotic plants. The best-supported logistic-exposure nest survival model indicated that survival varied among years and with date. Models containing effects of forest type, study block, and nest site selection received little support, suggesting that survival was constant among plot locations, disturbance types, and nest sites. Our nest survival estimates were low relative to those from other studies, but productivity could offset mortality if adults make numerous nest attempts each year. Our results highlight the utility of woody vegetation and debris as understory nest sites for mourning doves and other riparian birds. Managers should devise methods to preserve or reestablish these nest sites when conducting fuel reduction, exotic vegetation removal, or post-fire restoration activities. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.
Time course of rhesus lid-suture myopia

Abstract Axial-length and refraction measurements are presented for the lid-sutured rhesus monkey at 6-month intervals during the first 1·5 years of life. The experimental data are fitted to an exponential growth theory allowing the calculation of time constants, apparent time origins, and correlation coefficients for 10 eyes from five animals. On average, axial length develops with a time constant of 0·40 year for lid-suture myopia, compared with 0·42 year for the normal eye. A practical application of this work is that one must allow 1·6 years of lid suture to achieve 95% of the total refractive or axial-length change.
Communication apprehension and health communication and behaviors

Two samples of working and college adults reported on their communication apprehension and health behaviors and communication. Specific communication apprehension as measured by a modified version of the Form State scale showed moderate to large negative effects on health communication (talking with physician, seeking health information) and almost no effects on health behaviors (tobacco use, exercise, health fairs) except diet. General trait communication apprehension as measured by the PRCA‐24 showed similar, though smaller, effects on the same variables. Results correspond to findings in other contexts where CA has negative effects when communication is a prominent feature of the interaction.
Heat Transfer From a Molten Phase to an Immersed Coal Particle During Devolatilization

In several developmental and commercial processes, coal particles come into direct contact with a high-temperature molten phase. These processes include molten carbonate coal gasification and bath smelting for the production of iron. Recently, real-time X-ray fluoroscopic images have been published that show volatile matter evolving rapidly from coal particles immersed in molten phases, displacing the surrounding melt and producing a periodic cycle of formation, rise, and detachment of gas cavities. The present work makes use of these observations to develop a model of heat transfer from the melt to particles undergoing gas evolution. The model is developed for the general case and applied to predict melt-particle heat transfer coefficients under conditions relevant to bath smelting processes. The model shows that the presence of the gas film can actually increase the overall heat transfer rate under certain conditions. 32 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.
The Will of the People: The Legacy of George Mason

Americans are justly proud of their tradition of representative government. In fact, America's is the longest continuous representative government in existence. Ironically, it may be that, because of the two hundred uninterrupted years of the republic's existence, we take it for granted that we view its continuation as guaranteed. Although our republic has endured for more than two hundred years, it has not always existed in its present "form," it has not always represented many people who now routinely view its protections and guarantees as birthrights. The unlanded masses, women, blacks and other minorities, all were for a great part of our history not represented in the American body politic. Now all of these groups, at least legally speaking, are full participants in the body politic and in the public affairs of this country. This volume examines the development of the American notion of popular sovereignty from its colonial and revolutionary origins, from the days of its severely restricted meaning through its progress toward inclusion of more of "the people." Four distinguished commentators examine the social and political developments that have accompanied the growth and expansion of "the will of the people."
Cowboy of the World? Gender Discourse and the Iraq War Debate

In this article we examine the debate preceding the most recent war in Iraq to show how gendered framing can compromise the quality of debate. Drawing on a sample of national news discourse in the year before the war began, we show that both anti-war and pro-war speakers draw on binary images of gender to construct their cases for or against war. Speakers cast the Bush administration’s argument for invasion either as a correct “macho” stance or as inappropriate, out-of-control masculinity. The most prominent gendered image in war debate is that of the cowboy, used to characterize both President Bush and US foreign policy in general. The cowboy is positioned against a diplomatic form of masculinity that is associated with Europe and valued by anti-war speakers, but criticized by pro-war speakers. Articles that draw on gender images show a lower quality of the debate, measured by the extent to which reasons rather than ad hominem arguments are used to support or rebut assertions.
Mechanisms in the transcriptional regulation of bradykinin B1 receptor gene expression. Identification of a minimum cell-type specific enhancer.

To investigate the mechanisms of bradykinin B1 (BKB1) receptor gene expression, transient DNA transfection analyses of human BKB1 receptor gene promoter were performed in SV-40 transformed IMR90 cells. A positive regulatory element (PRE) located at position −604 to −448 base pair (bp) upstream of the transcription start site consistently exhibited, by far, the highest level of relative luciferase activity. A negative regulatory element, at position −682 to −604 bp, was able to completely ablate the function of the PRE. Transfection combined with deletion and mutation analyses illustrated that the PRE contains a classic, powerful enhancer. This enhancer was minimized to a 100-bp element at position −548 to −448 bp. A 78-bp fragment of negative regulatory element functioned as a silencer. Transient transfection of the enhancer construct, driven by heterologous herpes simplex thymidine kinase promoter, into a variety of cell types, showed that this enhancer presents a cell-type specific feature. In the characterization of the enhancer, motifs A (−548 to −532) and B (−483 to −477) were found to be essential for full enhancer activity. Motif D (−472 to −467) played a smaller role in enhancer activation. Gel shift and antibody supershift assays determined that an AP-1 factor binds with motif B. The nuclear protein which binds to motif A has yet to be identified. Both factors are the critical regulators for this enhancer activation.
Dynamic functional and mechanical response of breast tissue to compression

Physiological tissue dynamics following breast compression offer new contrast mechanisms for evaluating breast health and disease with near infrared spectroscopy. We monitored the total hemoglobin concentration and hemoglobin oxygen saturation in 28 healthy female volunteers subject to repeated fractional mammographic compression. The compression induces a reduction in blood flow, in turn causing a reduction in hemoglobin oxygen saturation. At the same time, a two phase tissue viscoelastic relaxation results in a reduction and redistribution of pressure within the tissue and correspondingly modulates the tissue total hemoglobin concentration and oxygen saturation. We observed a strong correlation between the relaxing pressure and changes in the total hemoglobin concentration bearing evidence of the involvement of different vascular compartments. Consequently, we have developed a model that enables us to disentangle these effects and obtain robust estimates of the tissue oxygen consumption and blood flow. We obtain estimates of 1.9±1.3 µmol/100mL/min for OC and 2.8±1.7 mL/100mL/min for blood flow, consistent with other published values.
Nominal model for the optical response of a chiral sculptured thin film infiltrated with an isotropic chiral fluid

Abstract An ellipsoid-based structure–property relationship model for a chiral sculptured thin film (STF) infiltrated with a chiral fluid is presented. The effect of the constitutive and microstuctural parameters on the optical response of the chiral STF is explored. Specific structure–property relations are developed. The model predicts that infiltration by a chiral fluid shifts the spectral location of the Bragg regime, and this shift is linearly dependent on the degree of chirality of the fluid. The bandwidth of the Bragg regime also changes. Finally, the model also predicts that the chiral fluid can either enhance or diminish the optical activity exhibited by a chiral STF. Which of these effects occurs depends on the microstructural and constitutive parameters of the chiral STF and the constitutive parameters of the chiral fluid.
McIDAS III: A Modern Interactive Data Access and Analysis System

A powerful facility for meteorological analysis called the Man Computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS) was designed and implemented in the early 1970's at the Space Science and Engineering Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hardware and software experience gained via extensive use of that facility and its derivatives have led to a newer implementation of McIDAS on a larger computer with significant enhancements to the supporting McIDAS software. McIDAS allows remote and local access to a wide range of data from satellites and conventional observations, time lapse displays of imagery data, overlaid graphics, and current and past meteorological data. Available software allows one to perform analysis of a wide range of digital images as well as temperature and moisture sounding data obtained from satellites. McIDAS can generate multicolor composites of conventional and satellite weather data, radar and forecast data in a wide variety of two- and three-dimensional displays as well as time lapse movies of these analyses. These and other capabilities are described in this paper.
ESTIMATION OF THE POPULATION EFFECTIVENESS OF VACCINATION

This paper presents a simple method for estimation of population vaccination effectiveness, which is the fraction of disease cases prevented by a vaccination programme. The method is based on the susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model for the spread of an epidemic in a heterogeneous population under non-homogeneous mixing. The required data are the attack rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in each stratum of the population. Some information on the mixing pattern may be useful, but in most cases is not absolutely necessary. One can extend the estimation method to predict the attack rates expected in the same population for different vaccination strategies. I apply the new methods to data from a measles outbreak and investigate the bias, standard error and robustness of the estimation method in a stochastic simulation study.
Rapid determination of magnesium and calcium Hardness in water by ion chromatography

Abstract Magnesium(II) and calcium(II) in hard water are separated by ion chromatography and detected spectrophotometrically after a post-column reaction with arsenazo-I at pH 10. No sample dilution or pretreatment is needed, and the separation is complete in 3 min. Linear calibration plots are obtained in the 2–400 mg l−1 range. Many actual water samples from a variety of geographical locations were analysed and the results were compared with those obtained by EDTA titration. The advantages of the chromatographic method over titration are summarized.
Evidence for molecular interactions in drag reduction in turbulent pipe flows

Experiments which test the concentration and molecular weight dependence of turbulent pipe flow drag reduction for random coiling polymers in dilute solutions show correlations with concentration to the one-half power and molecular weight to the 0.8 power for good solvents. This result is not consistent with a model of extension of single1 molecules, but could be related to the increase in bulk viscosity of interacting molecules after some extension. In this work, measurements for very low amounts of drag reduction for rigid rod molecules arc reported, and the effect of tube diameter on the amount of drag reduction is examined for fiexible rod molecules. No diameter effect is observed for the rigid rods, but an increase in drag reduction with increase in pipe diameter is found for the flexible polyeleetrolytes. In all cases, the volume occupied by spheres which circumscribe the molecules is greater than the actual volume when drag reduction is found. The results indicate that combined effects of individual molecule stretching and molecular interactions are present in drag reduction for random coiling or flexible rod molecules.
A connection between simulation relations and feedback transformations in nonlinear control systems

Abstract The recent introduction of simulation and bisimulation relations in the study of nonlinear control systems provides a broad potential framework for the study and classification of such systems. This paper reviews the definitions of simulation and bisimulation relations and develops connections between them and the well established notions of feedback transformations and feedback equivalences.
Self‐modeling as an intervention to increase student classroom participation

The effect of self-modeling as an intervention to increase individual participatory behavior in the classroom was investigated using a multiple baseline design across three second grade students with a follow-up. In addition, a control student was employed to further investigate the effects of the intervention. Self-modeling is defined as the positive change in behavior resulting from spaced viewing of oneself on edited tapes depicting exemplary behavior. Students viewed edited videotapes of themselves successfully volunteering to participate in class by raising their hand. The three students, during baseline, had a mean participation rate ranging between 8% and 24% compared with the control student's rate ranging between 53% and 63%. During intervention, the mean participation rate ranged between 28% and 60% compared with the control student's rate ranging between 43% and 46%. At follow-up, students had a mean percentage rate ranging between 44% and 64% compared with the control student's rate of 53%. Thus, they more closely approximated or surpassed the control student's mean rate of participation during intervention and follow-up, suggesting that the self-modeling intervention was effective in increasing individual participatory behavior in the classroom. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
AlGaN/SiC heterojunction bipolar transistor

ABSTRACT AlGaN/6H-SiC heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) were fabricated, and the device performance as well as the electrical properties of the n-AlGaN/p-SiC heterojunction were studied by temperature dependent current-voltage characterization. Current gain E =I C /I B calculated from I-V characteristics varied from sample to sample in the range of 75-100. A barrier height of 1.1 eV is derived from the Arrhenius plot and its origin is discussed. Keywords: Silicon carbide, aluminum gallium nitride, Arrh enius plot, heterojunction bipolar transistor 1. INTRODUCTION It is well-known that a heterojunction bipolar transistor (H BT) with a heterojunction between the base and emitter has many advantages over the conventional homojunction bipolar junction transistor (BJT) since the wider bandgap emitter material limits reverse injection from the base to emitter. This allows one to increase base doping and or the reduce the base thickness, leading to a decrease in base transit time which in turn results in an increase of speed, because the injection efficiency of a heterojunction is nearly independent of the doping concentrations on both sides. The emitter and base can be, respectively, lightly and heavily doped without deterioration of the current gain. For high-temperature and high-power applications wide -bandgap HBTs are used. Because of the larg e conduction-band offset, large energy-gap differences, high thermal conductivity, high breakdown voltages, and relatively good lattice matching III-nitrides and 4H, 6H-SiC materials are well-suited for the realization of high-power, high temperature HBTs, particularly considering all GaN based varieties are poor due to the relatively low materials quality and low hole concentration of p-type GaN which forms the base. GaN/SiC HBTs have been fabricated and their properties were reported by several groups [1,2,3]. There has been a number reports indicating that the GaN/SiC system has a type II band alignment, while the AlGaN/SiC is a type I system (for example, [4]), the conduction and valence band offset values being dependent on the Al composition. From this point alone AlGaN seems to be a better choice compared to a GaN emitter for realizing high performance HBT. In this report we present results on the fabrication and performance of such a transistor.
Fracture toughness of steel-fiber-reinforced bone cement

Fractures in the bone-cement mantle (polymethyl methacrylate) have been linked to the failure of cemented total joint prostheses. The heat generated by the curing bone cement has also been implicated in the necrosis of surrounding bone tissue, leading to loosening of the implants. The addition of reinforcements may improve the fracture properties of bone cement and decrease the peak temperatures during curing. This study investigates the changes in the fracture properties and the temperatures generated in the ASTM F451 tests by the addition of 316L stainless steel fibers to bone cement. The influence of filler volume fraction (5-15% by volume) and aspect ratios (19, 46, 57) on the fracture toughness of the acrylic bone cement was assessed. Increasing the volume fraction of the steel fibers resulted in significant increases in the fracture toughness of the steel-fiber-reinforced composite. Fracture-toughness increases of up to 2.63 times the control values were obtained with the use of steel-fiber reinforcements. No clear trend in the fracture toughness was discerned for increasing aspect ratios of the reinforcements. There is a decrease in the peak temperatures reached during the curing of the steel-fiber-reinforced bone cement, though the decrease is too small to be clinically relevant. Large increases in the fatigue life of acrylic bone cement were also obtained by the addition of steel fibers. These results indicate that the use of steel fibers may enhance the durability of cemented joint prostheses.
Numerical Radiation Boundary Conditions for Unsteady Transonic Flow

A family of numerical boundary conditions for far-field-computational boundaries in calculations involving unsteady transonic flow is devised. These boundary conditions are developed in a systematic fashion from general principles. Both numerical and analytic comparisons with other currently used methods are given.
Evaluation of spinal instrumentation rod bending characteristics for in-situ contouring.

Bending characteristics were studied in rods used for spinal instrumentation at in-situ contouring conditions. Five groups of five 6 mm diameter rods made from: cobalt alloy (VITALLIUM), titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloy (SDI™), β-titanium alloy (TNTZ), cold worked stainless steel (STIFF), and annealed stainless steel (MALLEABLE) were studied. The bending procedure was similar to that typically applied for in-situ contouring in the operating room and included two bending cycles: first—bending to 21–24° under load with further release of loading for 10 min, and second—bending to 34–37° at the previously bent site and release of load for 10 min. Applied load, bending stiffness, and springback effect were studied. Statistical evaluation included ANOVA, correlation and regression analysis. TNTZ and SDI™ rods showed the highest (p < 0.05) springback at both bending cycles. VITALLIUM and STIFF rods showed mild springback (p < 0.05). The least (p < 0.05) springback was observed in the MALLEABLE rods. Springback significantly correlated with the bend angle under load (p < 0.001). To reach the necessary bend angle after unloading, over bending should be 37–40% of the required angle in TNTZ and SDI™ rods, 27–30% in VITALLIUM and STIFF rods, and around 20% in MALLEABLE rods. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2011.
Fetal nuchal translucency thickness evaluation in the overweight and obese gravida.

Objective To evaluate the time required and failure rate for completion of nuchal translucency thickness (NT) measurements with increased maternal body mass index (BMI). Methods This was a retrospective review of ultrasound examinations for NT measurement in 11–14-week singleton pregnancies performed at a single site from 2004 to 2007. Women were stratified by prepregnancy BMI into normal weight (BMI, 18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI, 25.0–29.9 kg/m2) and obese Class I (BMI, 30.0–34.9 kg/m2), Class II (BMI, 35.0–39.9 kg/m2) and Class III (BMI ≥ 40.0 kg/m2) groups. The failure rate, the time required for measurement, and the total study time in min were evaluated by BMI class for the first attempt and for all attempts at NT measurement. Results A total of 2508 women underwent attempted NT screening with complete data available on 1678 women (1707 examinations). The failure rate for NT screening varied significantly according to BMI (P < 0.001). At the first attempt, the median time for NT measurement varied significantly according to BMI (normal weight group, 9.7 (interquartile range (IQR) 4.4, 19.0) min; overweight group, 8.8 (4.0, 19.8) min; obese Class I, 9.6 (4.8, 20.4) min; Class II, 14.1 (5.0, 28.2) min; Class III, 12.3 (4.6, 22.7) min; P < 0.01), as did the total study time (normal group, 16.4 (10.1, 26.6) min; overweight group, 15.7 (9.8, 25.0) min, Class I, 17.3 (10.3, 29.2) min; Class II, 23.0 (12.2, 36.1) min; Class III, 18.7 (11.0, 30.8) min; P = 0.002). For all attempts also, the median time for NT measurement varied significantly according to BMI (normal weight group, 9.7 (IQR 4.4, 19.0) min; overweight group, 8.8 (4.0, 19.9) min; obese Class I, 9.6 (4.8, 21.0) min; Class II, 14.1 (5.0, 28.7) min; Class III, 12.3 (4.6, 22.5) min; P < 0.01), as did the total study time (normal weight group, 16.4 (10.2, 26.7) min; overweight group, 15.7 (9.8, 25.1) min; Class I, 17.6 (10.4, 29.9) min; Class II, 23.2 (12.0, 37.5) min; Class III, 18.7 (11.9, 31.9) min; P < 0.001). Conclusion As maternal BMI increases, the time required to obtain NT measurements and the failure rate increase. Before the ultrasound examination, patients with a BMI over 30 should be counseled regarding the need for additional time and failure rates for first-trimester screening. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Dual-Scale Computational Method for Correcting Surface Temperature Measurement Errors

We address the measurement errors in temperature due to the effects of surface-mounted temperature sensors like thermocouples. Heat conduction into or from the installed thermocouple wires can alter the temperature at the thermocouple junction as well as in its immediate vicinity. As restilt, the emf appearing at the thermocouple terminals does not correspond to the actual surface temperature. We present a dual-scale computational method that can be used to calculate the transient temperatures at the multiple thermocouple junctions during heating or cooling of an object. The basis of the method is a thermocouple submodel embedded in a FEM model for the parent object
Optical spectra of localized excess electrons in alkali halide clusters.

Excess electrons attached to small alkali halide clusters give rise to optical-absorption bands whose characteristics are highly specific to the mode of electron localization. Optical spectra measured by cluster beam and resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy agree well with predictions of coupled classical-quantum simulations, and are interpreted in terms of two localization modes: surface F-center and diffuse surface states.
Measuring attitudes toward grievance systems: A procedural justice perspective applied to the workplace

Contractual grievance procedures have long been utilized in union-management relationships to resolve workplace disputes. Little research attention, however, has focused on determining unionized workers' perceptions of and attitudes about such procedures. This study develops an instrument designed to measure worker attitudes toward the grievance procedure (ATGP). The survey items and conceptual framework are based on prior research in the areas of administrative and procedural justice. Employing a national sample (N=1080) from a single union, the results support a multidimensional attitudinal measure. Four key dimensions of workers' assessment of the grievance procedure were found: (i) Fairness, (ii) Effectiveness, (iii) Representation, and (iv) Importance. The structure of the measure was stable across identified sub-groups in the sample. Some differences in the attitudinal assessment on the four dimensions emerged depending upon union office holding and the grievance-filing experience of the respondents. Last, potential future applications of the instrument are discussed.
California electricity futures: the NYMEX experience

It would be easy to attribute the collapse of the futures market in California electricity to the alleged manipulations of over-the-counter traders. This paper provides evidence to the contrary. Findings reveal an active market that lost the speculative and small investor interest, leaving hedgers to face hedgers in a volatile and less active arena. Hedge ratio analysis shows an erratic price-matching ability that many times suggested a long hedge when a short would be expected. Overall, contract failure could be attributed to inaccurate hedging opportunities and lack of speculative interest to keep the market going during lulls in hedging demand.
Health Risks from Exposures to Asbestos, Metals, and Various Chemicals due to Collapse of the World Trade Center: An Environmental Residential Survey with a Commentary Related to Ground Zero Workers1

Environmental monitoring was immediately instituted at Ground Zero (GZ) after the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC). However, nearby residences were not assessed. To address this, a GZ elected
Spectra of Doubly and Triply Ionized Ytterbium, Yb iii and Yb iv†

The emission spectrum of ytterbium was photographed under varied conditions from 600 to 11 000 A in order to obtain a complete description of the spectra of the doubly and triply ionized species. The main transition arrays of these species were identified, and where feasible, the analysis was carried through. All 41 energy levels, 28 odd and 13 even, belonging to the 4f14, 4f13 5d, 4f13 6s, 4f13 6p, and 4f13 7s configurations of Yb iii have been experimentally determined along with the appropriate quantum numbers. Eleven of 20 possible 4f13 6d levels and their quantum numbers have also been determined. Many Yb iii levels are supported by intermediate coupling calculations. The ionization potential of Yb iii was determined to be 25.4±0.5 eV from the Rydberg formula. The two 2F 4f13 levels of Yb iv have been determined in addition to 20 of a possible 107 4f12 5d levels, of which a few are expected to be spurious.
Network traffic classification using a parallel neural network classifier architecture

Online traffic classification is an important capability for numerous applications, including network monitoring, QoS (Quality of Service) management, and anomaly detection. In this paper we propose an approach to classify TCP/IP network traffic based on a small set its statistical properties. Our approach relies on a Parallel Neural Network Classifier Architecture (PNNCA) for classification, and has been preliminarily tested for the classification of HTTP traffic in controlled environments. Our initial results have shown a Correct Classification Rate of 85% to 91%, depending on the characteristics of the test sets.
On the Rate of Frazil Ice Formation in Polar Regions in the Presence of Turbulence

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a series of laboratory experiments aimed at understanding the frazil ice growth in polar regions during the summer whence a freshwater layer at temperature 0°C spreads between an old ice sheet and underlying salty seawater that is at its freezing point. The aim of the experiments was to study the influence of external turbulence on the rate of new frazil ice formation. The experiments were conducted in a large walk-in freezer at a temperature near 0°C. To produce controlled turbulence, two oscillating grids were installed in a tank filled with two layers of water: fresh water at temperature 0°C in the upper layer and salty (35 psu) cold water at temperature −1.9°C in the bottom layer. During the experiments, the bottom layer was cooled from below, using Peltie elements, and its temperature was near the freezing point. The turbulence induced in both layers facilitates the transport of heat across the density interface between layers, and as th...