cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Pressure-Sphere Anemometer System

Abstract A rugged and stable pressure-sphere anemometer system is described which Provides an accurate measurement of wind velocity and direction within a meter of the ground. The horizontal wind velocity, (u2 + v2)½, agreed very closely with cup anemometer measurements, indicating good accuracy in the measurement of the dominant term u. Eddy correlation measurements of shear stress with the pressure sphere agreed very well with Davis shear-stress meter measurements and satisfactory agreement was found with data obtained from wind velocity profiles and from wind measurements using a drag coefficient. Ratios of σw/u* during neutral periods were found to be in excellent agreement with values derived by Panofsky and Lettau, providing further indication of the accuracy obtainable with the pressure-sphere system.
The EEG as an independent indicator of mortality and healthcare utilization.

Abstract Objective Determine whether EEG findings could be used as an independent prognostic indicator of outcomes in a general patient population. Methods A large electronic medical record was used to merge the results of EEG studies with the results of medical evaluations including: medications prescribed, medical diagnoses, blood test results, imaging results, and outcomes in 3193 patients. Univariable and multivariable analyses were undertaken to determine whether the EEG had a role in predicting outcomes independent of other factors in a clinic population. Results Patients with abnormal EEG’s had significantly higher mortalities, greater cost of healthcare and more evaluation visits than patients with normal EEG’s in every age range independent of the presence other medical conditions. The costs associated with caring for a patient with an abnormal EEG were roughly three times that of a patient with a normal EEG. The risk of death in the multivariable analysis was 3.7 times higher in patients with an abnormal EEG than in patients with a normal EEG. Conclusions In addition to its traditional diagnostic implications, the EEG may convey information about general level of illness and the cost of caring for patients. Significance Certain EEG findings may identify high risk patients and thus may open the door to possible interventions.
Bridging the Enforcement Gap in Constitutional Law: A Critique of the Supreme Court's Theory that Self-Restraint Promotes Federalism

The Supreme Court has crafted numerous doctrines, such as justiciability and abstention, that enable federal judges to decline to exercise the jurisdiction Congress has granted them over all constitutional cases. The result is that constitutional law is often left to state judiciaries, which almost always have the last word because Supreme Court review has become so rare. State judges sometimes creatively expand or contract constitutional rights, thereby producing enforcement gaps. The Court has insisted that its jurisdictional rules of self-restrain promote the original understanding of federalism, which purportedly viewed state tribunals as highly autonomous and as equal partners with federal courts in enforcing federal constitutional law.In this article, Professor Pushaw argues that, to the contrary, the Founders established an independent federal judiciary to ensure the supremacy and uniformity of federal law, not to carve out exceptions to federal question jurisdiction that ultimately entrust such law to state courts. He further contends that, if the vast modern increase in federal dockets has made it a practical necessity to create restrictive jurisdictional doctrines, federalism suggests that such limits should be imposed on controversies involving state law (most obviously diversity), not cases arising under the Federal Constitution. Professor Pushaw concludes by recommending that the Court restructure its jurisdictional doctrines to ensure that federal judges adjudicate all cases involving federal constitutional rights, and correspondingly eliminate as many state-law controversies as possible.
EFFECT OF VEHICLE SUSPENSION ON WET TIRE TRACTION TESTING

A PAIR OF "INTERMEDIATE" SIZE SEDANS OF EACH OF THE THREE SUSPENSION TYPES WAS PUT THROUGH CONSTANT RADIUS CORNERING AND STRAIGHT STOPPING MANEUVERS ON WET PAVEMENTS. ALL CARS USED THE SAME ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRE DESIGN. SPEED AND ACCELERATION WERE MEASURED. ALL THREE SUSPENSION TYPES GAVE EQUIVALENT CORNERING PERFORMANCE AND ONLY SLIGHT DIFFERENCES IN STOPPING DECELERATION. BUT THE VEHICLES WITH REAR SUSPENSIONS CONSISTING OF COIL SPRINGS AND CONTROL ARMS WERE MORE SUITABLE FOR SUDDEN LOCKUP STOPPING BECAUSE THEY WERE LESS PRONE TO A SEVERE TRANSIENT CONDITION KNOWN AS "WHEEL HOP".
Optimal strategies for water quality control

In this paper, the use of optimal control theory to obtain optimal strategies for the control of aquatic models is illustrated. Several types of control variables are used including the rate of nutrient application and the rates of change of nutrient concentration in both the phytoplankton and zooplankton populations. Techniques are given to show how optimal control theory can be applied to several models with different states and control variables constraints. Explicit expressions and optimality conditions are given for singular controls whenever they exist. Some numerical techniques are suggested to couple the optimal control parts in the proper sequence.
Parsimonious information technologies for pixels, perception, wetware and simulation: issues for Petrasek's global virtual hospital system

New types of "engaging" embedded systems and devices will greatly assist future medical care, as for Petrasek's envisioned Global Virtual Hospital System. The most effective devices will need to be designed in a "parsimonious" way for their economic use of energy, digital bits, communication time, and in terms of trading more expensive physical structures for less expensive computational ones. At the technological level, each device needs a carefully selected "matched set" of technological tradeoffs between the particular medical and user ends and means. The matched set of choices would carefully make sure that the device "methods" and implementations lead reliably to the device "goals" and purposes.In addition, however, there is a critical user-oriented aspect where the devices will also need to utilize highly "engaging environments" that are not too cumbersome or too tiring to use. People are becoming increasingly sophisticated with regard to the interactive requirements they have for their devices, from their experience with digital media, iPhones, video computer games and other types of environments that "engage" a person's attention for long periods of time, and without annoying delays and frustrations.It is an absolute requirement that the devices incorporate highly engaging environments so that using them does not tire the user or cause unnecessary medical errors and delays.This improved type of portable device, scanners, services and information methods would efficiently and more accurately gather sufficiently detailed medical information from the patient's body, help relay sufficient parts of the patient information electronically to a worldwide net of physicians and relay appropriate results and prescriptions back to the patient
Analysis of the Optimal Channel Density of the Squid Giant Axon Using a Reparameterized Hodgkin–Huxley Model

A reparameterized Hodgkin–Huxley-type model is developed that improves the 1952 model's fit to the biological action potential. In addition to altering Na+ inactivation and K+ activation kinetics, ...
Dissolved Organic Matter in the Florida Everglades: Implications for Ecosystem Restoration

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Florida Everglades controls a number of environmental processes important for ecosystem function including the absorption of light, mineral dissolution/ precipitation, transport of hydrophobic compounds (e.g., pesticides), and the transport and reactivity of metals, such as mercury. Proposed attempts to return the Everglades to more natural flow conditions will result in changes to the present transport of DOM from the Everglades Agricultural Area and the northern conservation areas to Florida Bay. In part, the restoration plan calls for increasing water flow throughout the Everglades by removing some of the manmade barriers to flow in place today. The landand water-use practices associated with the plan will likely result in changes in the quality, quantity, and reactivity of DOM throughout the greater Everglades ecosystem. The authors discuss the factors controlling DOM concentrations and chemistry, present distribution of DOM throughout the Everglades, the potential effects of DOM on key water-quality issues, and the potential utility of dissolved organic matter as an indicator of success of restoration efforts.
Design of Automatic Landing Systems Using Mixed H/H Control

Mixed H2/HX control technique is employed to develop controllers for auto-landing systems for a commercial airplane. A linear model of the aircraft in longitudinal motion is established using the appropriate aerodynamic coefficients. With the control actuator, tracking errors, and altitude motion, the aircraft is shown to be governed by an augmentation system along with its filter model. Two kinds of optimal and robust control requirements are designed, which need to be satisfied simultaneously. One of requirements is with respect to an optimal trajectory selection for landing routes. The H2 method is used to minimize a cost function such that the optimal gain for trajectory optimization can be obtained. The other requirement is with respect to the disturbance attenuation. The Hm technique is employed to obtain the necessary formulation for the robust control gain to minimize the affection of the disturbance to the performance output. An algorithm is developed based on the convex theory for the mixed H2I Hn control and filter gains, which provides a suboptimal solution. A large commercial aircraft (Boeing 747-200) is employed to illustrate the potential of the proposed method. It is shown that the glide slope capture motion and flare maneuver of the aircraft are accomplished quite well, and the amplitudes of all maneuver are within FAA requirements. L INTRODUCTION Control of aircraft under difficult maneuvers is a problem of both theoretical and practical interest. Control under one of these difficult maneuvers, that of landing, is discussed and addressed in this paper. Design of automatic landing systems has been achieved using both robust and optimal control methods [1-3]. Reference [1] employed the #„ synthesis to design an automatic landing controller for an F-14 aircraft. Design of landing systems encountering windshear is given in
Rescaling the Degrees of Reading Power Test to Provide Valid Scores for Selecting Materials at the Instructional Level.

The Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) test provides DRP scores that can be matched to the difficulty of materials in order to select textbooks at the instructional level. However, the DRP test scores appear to provide invalid units for matching material difficulty. These original DRP test scores, called DRP-Ability or OldDRP scores, have been rescaled into NewDRP scores so that they are more valid for selecting instructional level materials. The OldDRP scores indicated large mismatches between the average difficulty of the books used in each grade and the average ability of students in that grade whereas the NewDRP scores indicated a very small mismatch; the average of the absolute sizes of the mismatches in Grades 4-12 was 7.4 in OldDRP units but only 1.2 in NewDRP units. These NewDRP scores have also been given in grade equivalent (GE) units, called NewDRP-GE. It was found that the average NewDRP-GE scores in each grade closely matched that grade, thus adding to the validity of these rescaled scores. When the original DRP test scores, OldDRP, are rescaled into NewDRP and NewDRP-GE units, they provide scores that seem to be valid for selecting materials at the instructional level. The Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) test has been rescaled to provide new DRP test scores and grade equivalent (GE) scores that appear to be more valid for selecting materials at the instructional level of difficulty. The DRP test involves reading textual material while answering multiple-choice questions that are designed to reflect whether the increasingly difficult material being read is being comprehended. It has been claimed that the scores on this test are valid for selecting materials at an appropriate level of instructional difficulty. However, the case will be made, later, that the test scores are not valid for this purpose unless they are rescaled. First, the DRP test and its validity claims will be described, using information published in test manuals and other supporting documents. Then, evidence 1
Variations in patients' self-report of pain by treatment setting

Patient reluctance to report pain has been shown to be a primary reason for inadequate pain control among cancer patients. Very little is known about whether patients' self-reports of pain vary by treatment settings. We reviewed 63 medical records of female breast cancer patients who visited two treatment settings on the same day in a tertiary cancer center in the United States. Patients' rating of pain (on a 0 [no pain]-10 scale) were abstracted. Results showed discrepancies regarding patients' self-reports of pain intensity in the two treatment settings. Fifty-one percent of patients' self-report of pain differed between the two treatment settings, with 38% reporting a pain score > or =4 in the outpatient breast clinic and =0 in the outpatient chemotherapy clinic. Although it is expected that pain may vary on a sporadic or activity-related basis, these results may also indicate the need to review clinic staffs' methods of assessing patients about their pain and a review of documentation practices of pain assessment.
Is the Ryanodine Receptor a Target for Antiarrhythmic Therapy

See related article, pages 1299–1305 In cardiac myocytes, Ca2+ influx and efflux must be in balance to ensure cellular viability, normal contractile function, and a stable heart rhythm. Therefore Ca2+ fluxes between the major cellular compartments and the extracellular space have to adapt to a wide range of changing conditions. Failure to do so can result in Ca2+ overload of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), leading to arrhythmogenic spontaneous release of SR Ca2+ by ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Recently, it was shown that suppressing RyR open probability (Po) was protective in a mouse model of a congenital arrhythmia caused by increased Ca2+ leak from RyRs. It was suggested that such a strategy could be applied more widely to treat patients with common ventricular arrhythmias.1 Is it possible to suppress SR Ca2+ release without jeopardizing contractile function and aggravating Ca2+ overload? In this issue of Circulation Research , Venetucci et al2 answer this question by using the analytic techniques they have used so successfully in the past to examine Ca2+ fluxes and autoregulation in normal cells.3 Their surprising finding is that reducing RyR Po in Ca2+-overloaded myocytes not only suppresses arrhythmogenic spontaneous Ca2+ release, but also increases the amplitude of the Ca2+ transient while maintaining Ca2+ homeostasis. To fully appreciate this finding, it is essential to review the profile of Ca2+ fluxes under both physiological conditions and during arrhythmogenic events. Under normal conditions, Ca2+ enters the cardiomyocyte at the beginning of each contractile cycle through L-type Ca2+ channels (LCCs) and minimally raises the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration. This “trigger calcium” binds to RyRs and induces an even greater release of stored Ca2+ from the SR into the cytoplasm, which causes myofilament …
Development of a Transcreener kinase assay for protein kinase A and demonstration of concordance of data with a filter-binding assay format.

A Transcreener™ kinase fluorescence polarization (FP) assay has been developed for the serine/threonine kinase protein kinase A (PKA). The PKA Transcreener™ kinase assay is an homogenous, competitive antibody-based FP assay that uses Far Red Alexa Fluor 633-labeled adenosine 5′ disphosphate (ADP) tracer and mouse monoclonal anti-ADP antibody. The Transcreener™ PKA assay was validated with both known PKA inhibitors and library compounds. The Transcreener™ PKA assay is resistant to low-wavelength (or common) fluorescent interference from small-molecule library compounds and generates IC50 results comparable with current radioactive filter-binding assay. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2007:578-584)
Neuronal structure of the lacertilian parietal eye, I: A retrograde label and electron-microscopic study of the ganglion cells in the photoreceptor layer

The cellular connectivity of the lacertilian parietal eye is not well understood. Because the intercellular connections establish the foundation for information processing, we have investigated cellular connectivity of one cell type in this simple vertebrate retina. We also developed an in vitro preparation to study the anatomy of the parietal eye visual system. Horseradish peroxidase transport in the in vitro preparation revealed a class of displaced ganglion cells occupying positions among the photoreceptors, in a location where the presence of interneurons had been suggested. Three-dimensional reconstruction at the electron-microscopic level showed that the morphology and synaptic input of these displaced ganglion cells is different from that of the previously known ganglion cells. The displaced ganglion cells receive an average of about 13 ribbon synapses from photoreceptors. The ribbon input is equally distributed between the soma and dendritic arbor. Junctional membrane measurement and ethnolic phosphotungstic acid-staining provided evidence for the existence of non-ribbon synaptic contacts (synaptoid junctions). Displaced ganglion cells make about 20 synaptoid junctions, 65% of which are on the dendritic arbor. The morphology of the displaced ganglion cell is such that a significant measure of synaptic input to the dendritic arbor will be transmitted to the soma.
Competing Contexts The Evolution of a Nonprofit Organization's Governance System in Multiple Environments

Using a historical case study, this article presents an analysis of the evolution of a nonprofit organization and its governance structure as it was transformed from a grassroots and advocacy agenc...
Frequency of Mand Instruction Reported in Behavioral, Special Education, and Speech Journals

The authors reviewed 10 years of research literature on teaching mands to individuals with developmental disabilities. Articles were selected from journals associated with three professional organizations (e.g., Association for Behavior Analysis, Council for Exceptional Children, and American Speech and Hearing Association). Findings were reported as frequencies of publication across journals and sets of journal. Furthermore, we reported on the several contextual variables reported within each study (i.e., age of participants, setting, change agent, response topography, generalization). Implications for practitioners are discussed.
Audiovisual Interactions: The Impact of Visual Information on Music Perception and Memory

PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT MUSICAL soundtracks can influence the emotional impact, interpretation, and remembering of visual information. The present research examines the reverse relationship and whether visual information influences the perception and memory of music. In Experiment 1, listeners were presented with affectively ambiguous tunes paired with visual displays varying in their affect (positive, negative) and format (video, montage), or a control condition (no visual information at all). After each, participants were asked to provide a set of perceptual ratings that evaluated different melody characteristics and qualities of the visual displays. Results showed that both the affect and format of visual information differentially influenced the way a melody was perceived. Experiment 2 extended these findings by revealing that the affect of visual displays distorted melody recognition in a mood congruent fashion. These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for audiovisual processing.
Analysis of an optimum hybrid radar waveform using frequency hopping and locally optimum signals

The analysis of a new hybrid waveform designed to optimize both range and velocity resolution is described. Two modulation techniques, frequency agility and direct sequence spreading, are chosen to improve range resolution through pulse compression techniques. The frequency order in a frequency agile radar is chosen so there is at most one coincidence in frequency between the transmitted and Doppler shifted return signal. The ambiguity function is used to illustrate and compare single and hybrid modulated waveforms. It is shown that hybrid signals using phase and frequency modulation can be used to increase range and velocity resolution and improve the peak-to-sidelobe ratio in the presence of Doppler shift. It is also possible to realize the thumbtack nature of the ambiguity diagram through optimal combinations of these two modulation techniques. >
Thermal engineering of giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors: alternative dielectric gap

Summary form only given. Previous studies by Ladwig, et al. (see IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 37, p. 1132-1136, 2001) showed that geometric scaling of GMR heads aggravates the self-heating problem. Improving the thermal conductivity of dielectric gap layers is a promising thermal engineering solution, but no systematic study of potential materials has been reported. We present theoretical calculations for the thermal conductivity of a wide range of potential gap materials and compare with our measurement of their thermal conductivities. We have developed models of the thermal conductivity of dielectric films that are an extension of the model proposed by Klemens. The experimental technique and theoretical models we have developed can greatly aid in the identification and development of alternative gap materials.
Description and assessment of an early curriculum to teach pharmacy students caring behaviours

This work describes the effectiveness of a curriculum on first semester, first professional year pharmacy students’ ability to identify and demonstrate professionally specific caring behaviours. A one group, pre-post, quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the application skills of students when provided patient case situations through use of a Professional Caring Behaviour Survey (PCBS). The PCBS was administered at baseline and at course end. An improvement in mean score from 24.65 to 27.54 was observed at (t=7:768; p < 0:001). The instrument was also administered to second, third and fourth year pharmacy students who had not received this learning design. The mean scores achieved for each academic cohort year (1st = 24.68; 2nd = 24.96; 3rd = 24.26; 4th = 24.31) were not significantly different (one-way ANOVA: p = 0.551; reliability = 0.71): This work suggests that explicit teaching of caring behaviours is necessary if we expect students to recognise and consider these behaviours as preferred when progressing through their professional education program.
On the modeling of the impedance boundary condition in the time domain

It is shown how the impedance boundary condition can be extended to the time domain. Details of its implementation are shown for the time-domain-finite-volume method previously developed by the authors (1991). Only the first-order impedance boundary condition is considered. The radar cross sections for a dielectric-coated perfectly conducting cylinder computed for three different values of surface impedance by this method are shown. They compare very well with the series solution. >
Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres (1991) and Archival Reimaginations of Eco-Cosmopolitanism

This article blurs the boundaries of literature, agriculture, public history, grassroots political activism, and public policymaking in order to problematize the current eco-cosmopolitan trajectory of ecocritical theory, a trajectory promulgated by Ursula K. Heise in important essays and books. Foregrounding the voices of grassroots environmentalists as well as the public-relations campaigns of multinational agribusiness trade groups, materials collected in the special collections of Iowa State University, the article resituates Smiley's prizewinning novel and offers a complication of current conceptualizations of eco-cosmopolitanism. The article aims to show the struggles of rural people to embrace a planetary consciousness—a global awareness that can paradoxically foreground as well as participate in the continued ecological devastation of the landscapes these activists hold dear. These local voices underscore the challenges human subjects face in articulating and narrating environmental relationships—even despite their intimate proximity to these landscapes. Just as Thousand Acres's mastery of a complex environmentalist voice is hard won, so too is that of dozens of rural people across the world. The challenges they face demand the close attention of the environmental humanities, not only to deeply engage appropriate texts, but to engage them with a framework that expands the orchestra and zeros in on the critical problems of global agriculture, planetary health, and human rights. Jane Smiley notes that her novel A Thousand Acres was "precipitated" by "a few accidents." Not an accident like the one that befalls the novel's Harold Clark, a neighbor farmer who is blinded by anhydrous ammonia, or Pete Lewis, who gets drunk, drives his truck into a nearby quarry, and drowns, but an accident that involved "a visit to McDonald's in Delhi, New York, in the summer of 1987." This particular golden arches was "decorated with pictures of the Midwest," Smiley remembers, "and the one in the booth we sat in had a man standing in a barn in what seemed to be wheat country." She began telling her husband her idea for her new work, a rewriting of Shakespeare's King Lear. "He said, 'You could set it on a farm in Kansas,' and I said, 'I don't know anything about Kansas.' Pooh. Dismissing him!" 1 Dismissing him indeed: Smiley's reimagination of King Lear, transported to Iowa, topped bestseller lists,
DTI in Neurosurgical Planning

While noninvasive and invasive cortical and subcortical electrophysiologic measurements for clinical mapping of brain function have been available for decades, multiple noninvasive techniques are now increasingly available for routine neurosurgical planning. These include cortical mapping using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and subcortical mapping using diffusion-based methods such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Intraoperative electrophysiologic mapping remains the gold standard for most applications, but limitations do exist including intraindividual and interindividual variability and inaccuracy from penetration of current; and thus, noninvasive mapping provides at least complementary information. This chapter reviews potential neurosurgical applications of DTI, important limitations of the technique in this context, and the practical aspects of using DTI in neurosurgical planning.
Comprehensive doping scheme for MOSFETs in ultra-low-power subthreshold circuits design

Devices for subthreshold circuits do not require halo and retrograde doping like conventional super-threshold devices. This will reduce the number of steps in the fabrication process, parasitic capacitance and substrate noise dramatically in the subthreshold devices. This paper introduces a new comprehensive doping scheme for the transistors in subthreshold circuits. The proposed doping scheme would bring doping changes in the source and drain areas along with the substrate and channel regions of the transistors. The proposed doping scheme is characterized by the absence of halos at the source and drain ends. We propose a Gaussian doping distribution inside the source and drain regions, and a low-high-low distribution across the depth of the transistor from the channel surface towards the body region. It also has a low-high-low doping distribution along the length of the transistor below the channel region. Results show that the optimized device with the proposed doping profiles would provide higher ON current (Ion) at smaller body bias condition. The analysis is performed by changing the doping profile, the body bias, and the gate-source voltage (Vgs) to observe the off-state current (Ioff), threshold voltage variation, magnitude of Ion/Ioff ratio, transconductance, and the output conductance with the proposed doping profiles.
Thermal Comfort as Affected by Chair Style and Covering

A total of 192 subjects divided into 8 groups of 12 men and 12 women evaluated 8 chairs that represented 4 different models (executive, manager, conference and side chair) each with two types of covering, cloth and vinyl. The exposure period was for 2 hours at 78F/50%rh; the subjects all wore identical clothing under near sedentary conditions. The results showed that neither the covering of the chair nor the chair model affected the thermal sensations (feelings of hot, warm, cool, etc.); however, thermal comfort was greater in cloth covered chairs than in vinyl covered chairs. Three scales were developed which measured chair comfort, chair size and chair style. The Executive, Manager and Conference Chairs were equally comfortable, but significantly more comfortable than the Side chair; the Executive chair was judged larger than the other three chairs and women judged the chairs to be larger than men; and the Executive, Manager and Conference chairs were judged more stylish than the Side chair. The finding...
Combination Oral Contraceptive Pills

Combination oral contraceptive pills (COCs) have been available in the United States for over 50 years and are the most common single form of contraception used by US women. Up to 82 % of women who have ever been sexually active have used COCs and 17.1 % of reproductive age women who use contraception report current COC use. Combined oral contraceptive pills have two hormonal components, an estrogen and a progestin. COCs are considered second-tier contraceptives due to their typical use failure rate of 9 %. Although COCs have many noncontraceptive benefits and may be used by some women to improve menstrual patterns, lessen dysmenorrhea, or improve acne, patients and providers should recognize that these other benefits do not erase the lower than ideal effectiveness as a contraceptive. Women seeking other benefits from a COC might consider using the COC just for that benefit while using a more effective option for preventing pregnancy.
Hydrothermal Growth of Single Crystals of Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) and Its Doped Analogues

The growth of Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) as high quality single crystals using the hydrothermal method is described. The growth protocol is similar to that of Y3Al5O12 (YAG) using binary oxides (Lu2O3 and sa...
Throw Down an AI Challenge.

Students will be more likely motivated to pursue a field of study if they encounter relevant, exciting, and interesting challenges early in their studies. The NSF CCLI project “Machine Learning Laboratory Experiences for Introducing Undergraduates to Artificial Intelligence” uses machine learning as a unifying theme to teach diverse artificial intelligence (AI) topics in the context of an introductory AI course. In this paper, we extend our work to include interesting AI challenges suitable for the context of introductory CS1 and CS2 courses.
Measuring a colloidal particle's interaction with a flat surface under nonequilibrium conditions

A new and general approach is proposed to analyze the dynamics of a colloidal particle interacting with a nearby wall. This analysis can be used to determine the acting forces even when the system is non-stationary. As an illustration, we use total internal reflection microscopy to investigate the forces acting on a polystyrene sulfate latex particle as it is receding from a charged glass surface.
Increased Expression of Pyloric ERβ Is Associated With Diabetic Gastroparesis in Streptozotocin-Induced Male Diabetic Rats.

Background: Gastroparesis is a significant co-morbidity affecting up to 50% of patients with diabetes and is disproportionately found in women. Prior studies have suggested that loss of interstitial cells of Cajal, hyperglycemia, and nitric oxide dysfunction are potential causes of gastroparesis. Since diabetic gastroparesis affects more women than men, we performed an exploratory study with a diabetic rat model to determine if sex hormone signaling is altered in those where gastroparesis develops. Methods: We injected male rats with streptozotocin (STZ) to model type I diabetes, as confirmed by blood glucose levels. Gastroparesis was determined by acetaminophen gavage and serum acetaminophen levels. Rats were grouped based on acetaminophen and blood glucose data: diabetic (DM), diabetic and gastroparetic (DM + GP), and control (CM). Serum levels of testosterone, estrogen, and insulin were determined as well as aromatase expression in pyloric tissue and serum. Androgen receptor and estrogen receptor α (ERα) and β (ERβ) were also measured in the pylorus. Results: Compared to CM, estrogen increased and testosterone decreased in both DM and DM + GP rats. Sex hormone levels were not different between DM and DM + GP. Serum aromatase was increased in DM and DM + GP rats; however, pyloric tissue levels were not significantly different from controls. ERα was unchanged and androgen receptor decreased in DM and DM + GP. ERβ was increased only in DM + GP animals. Conclusion: Our study implicates increased pyloric ERβ in the development of gastroparesis in STZ-induced male diabetic rats. Increased serum aromatase is likely responsible for altered sex hormone levels. Our study supports the implication of sex hormone signaling in diabetic development and demonstrates a potential unique role for pyloric ERβ in male diabetic gastroparesis. Gastroenterol Res. 2016;9(2-3):39-46 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/gr701w
Tuning the Coarse Space Construction in a Spectral AMG Solver1

In this paper, we discuss strategies for computing subsets of eigenvectors of matrices corresponding to subdomains of finite element meshes achieving compromise between two contradicting goals. The subset of eigenvectors is required in the construction of coarse spaces used in algebraic multigrid methods (AMG) as well as in certain domain decomposition (DD) methods. The quality of the coarse spaces depends on the number of eigenvectors, which improves the approximation properties of the coarse space and impacts the overall performance and convergence of the associated AMG or DD algorithms. However, a large number of eigenvectors affects negatively the sparsity of the corresponding coarse matrices, which can become fairly dense. The sparsity of the coarse matrices can be controlled to a certain extent by the size of the subdomains (union of finite elements) referred to as agglomerates. If the size of the agglomerates is too large, then the cost of the eigensolvers increases and eventually can become unacceptable for the purpose of constructing the AMG or DD solvers. This paper investigates strategies to optimize the solution of the partial eigenproblems of interest. In particular, we examine direct and iterative eigensolvers for computing those subsets. Our experiments with a well-known model of an oil-reservoir simulation benchmark indicate that iterative eigensolvers can lead to significant improvements in the overall performance of an AMG solver that exploits such spectral construction of coarse spaces.
Approximations first: a closer look at applications of the definite integral*

ABSTRACTI propose that students pay more attention to the approximations that lead to integral formulas when they study applications of the definite integral. The goal is to focus students on the underlying concepts and the definition of the definite integral – and to steer them away from memorizing formulas. To address this goal, I have written some computer-based activities that guide students through the nuts and bolts of the approximations that eventually lead to integral formulas. I describe the activities and suggest a few changes as to how we might approach this material.
End Game: Passing It On

This chapter explores the potential, or “transformational possibilities” (Digital games and learning, Continuum, London, 2011), of game-based teaching and what scaling it up might mean for education. It revisits the themes of the first chapter such as teaching for transfer and developing novice thinking into expert thinking in order to encourage readers to think about what happens beyond their curricular game. It also encourages readers to mentor other teachers to help them develop their own curricular games. Finally, it concludes by proposing that game-based teaching can radically alter the path of education by transforming teaching and learning in a way that brings a new approach to thinking in the twenty-first century by exploring what it means to take a gaming stance.
Critical analysis of layer 2 network security in virtualised environments

In this article, we explore whether layer 2 network attacks that work on physical switches apply to their virtualised counterparts by performing a systematic study across four major hypervisor environments - Open vSwitch, Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V Server and VMware vSphere - in seven different virtual networking configurations. First, we use a malicious virtual machine to run a MAC flooding attack and evaluate the impact on co-resident virtual machines. We find that network performance is degraded on all platforms and that it is possible to eavesdrop on other client traffic passing over the same virtual network for Open vSwitch and Citrix XenServer. Second, we use a malicious virtual machine to run a rogue DHCP server and then run multiple DHCP attack scenarios. On all four platforms, co-resident virtual machines can be manipulated by providing them with incorrect or malicious network information.
Caregiver Health Promotion in Pediatric Primary Care Settings: Results of a National Survey

Objective To assess practice patterns, barriers, and facilitators related to caregiver health promotion in pediatric primary care settings. Study design We conducted a mail-based survey of a nationally representative sample of 1000 children's primary care physicians (trained in pediatrics, family medicine, or medicine-pediatrics). We assessed engagement in 6 caregiver health issues (maternal depression, tobacco use, intimate partner violence, family planning, health insurance, and tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis immunization status) along with barriers and facilitators related to engagement. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify physician and practice correlates of engagement. Results The response rate was 30%. The majority of respondents (79.3%) regularly addressed at least 3 caregiver health issues during well infant/child visits, most commonly maternal depression, tobacco use, and tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis immunization immunization status. Screening was the most common activity. In adjusted analyses, pediatricians were less likely to screen for intimate partner violence and family planning compared with other providers. There were no other differences in engagement by physician specialty. Lack of time was the most commonly endorsed barrier (by 85.2% of respondents). Co-location of auxiliary services was the most frequently cited facilitator for the majority of issues. Conclusions Children's primary care physicians and their care teams routinely engage in a variety of activities promoting caregiver health, largely independent of training background and despite multiple practice-related barriers. Co-location of auxiliary services could support the efforts of pediatric care teams. Future efforts that investigate care models which address these barriers and facilitators will help to realize the potential of pediatric settings to impact adult health.
Mass balance of fishponds: are they sources or sinks of phosphorus?

Fishponds exhibit high natural retention potential for phosphorus, which enters the ponds from non-point, diffuse and point sources, as well as from aquaculture management. Results of phosphorus mass balance monitoring of nine large fishponds (60–449 ha) over 2010–2014 revealed total phosphorus retention ranging between −66 % (sink) and +52 % (release) of the P loads from inflows, i.e. specific P retention varied between −7.83 g m−2 (sink) and 1.00 g m−2 (release) of surface area, per one fish production cycle. Retention of P was eliminated by application of fertilizers (with simultaneous fish feed application) during fish production process and/or by massive P release from fishpond sediments after previous heavy loads. P retention could be increased by preference of surface water outflow instead of bottom discharge and/or also by minimizing of emissions of suspended sediment particles during a fish harvesting. The real role of fishponds in transport processes of P throughout a watershed could be eruditely assessed only by following newly proposed method called “new approach” when P input (via inflows) and P output (via outflows) are compared with natural fishpond ability to retain P, which is determined by a simple model proposed by Hejzlar et al. (2006). For evaluation of effect of actual fishery management, the “culture-balance” method is suitable too. If the P inputs (stocked fish, fertilizing, feeding) and outputs (harvested fish) derived from fishery practice were in balance, the P retention did not decline. However, in condition of inputs > outputs, the P retention appreciably ceased or was totally eliminated. It was concluded that fishponds could serve as an important sink of P transported throughout a watershed even under semi-intensive fish (common carp) production condition.
Ambulatory Care Coordination Issues With Dual Use Veteran Organ Transplant Recipients

The previous literature indicates that patients receiving ongoing care in both Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA setting (dual care) may have reduced health outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of dual care provided to a veteran solid organ transplant population. This was a retrospective cohort study of stable solid organ transplant recipients receiving care at both a Veterans Affairs Medical Center and transplant center. Forty-six veteran organ transplant recipients met inclusion criteria. At baseline, mean age at transplant was 57 ± 10 years; 93% were male, 61% received kidney transplants. Thirty-nine percent of patients did not receive immunosuppressant concentrations at the recommended intervals. The incidence of veterans that had at least 2 providers caring for the same comorbidity was 63% for hypertension, 58% for diabetes, and 27% for dyslipidemia. Approximately one-third of veterans had documentation of care provided by the other institutions (30%-37%), and 93% of patients had medication regimen discrepancies between health-care systems, with 52% of patients having at least 1 medication discrepancy involving an immunosuppressant. Most veteran solid organ transplant recipients receive care across multiple health-care systems, with significant care coordination issues leading to gaps and duplications in their management. Improved communication between health systems is imperative to optimize outcomes in dual use veterans such as organ transplant recipients.
A Review of Recent Research on Supervisory Control of Deep Ocean Robotic Vehicles and Manipulators

Abstract This paper reviews recent research in the MIT Man-Machine Systems Laboratory on the use of computer aiding to a human operator in both issuing commands to and feedback sensing and display from a semi-intelligent deep ocean vehicle/manipulator. The motivation for such systems is to replace human divers in very deep and extensive inspection and work operations, which tend to be very hazardous and costly. However there are advantages to retaining the human operator as a supervisory controller, i.e., where an operator, safe on the ocean surface, intermittently communicates to a remote vehicle's computer the appropriate subgoal's and contingency information, and the computer interprets and executes the commands with the help of the vehicles own sensors.
Bayesian estimation of multicomponent relaxation parameters in magnetic resonance fingerprinting

Purpose To estimate multiple components within a single voxel in magnetic resonance fingerprinting when the number and types of tissues comprising the voxel are not known a priori. Theory Multiple tissue components within a single voxel are potentially separable with magnetic resonance fingerprinting as a result of differences in signal evolutions of each component. The Bayesian framework for inverse problems provides a natural and flexible setting for solving this problem when the tissue composition per voxel is unknown. Assuming that only a few entries from the dictionary contribute to a mixed signal, sparsity-promoting priors can be placed upon the solution. Methods An iterative algorithm is applied to compute the maximum a posteriori estimator of the posterior probability density to determine the magnetic resonance fingerprinting dictionary entries that contribute most significantly to mixed or pure voxels. Results Simulation results show that the algorithm is robust in finding the component tissues of mixed voxels. Preliminary in vivo data confirm this result, and show good agreement in voxels containing pure tissue. Conclusions The Bayesian framework and algorithm shown provide accurate solutions for the partial-volume problem in magnetic resonance fingerprinting. The flexibility of the method will allow further study into different priors and hyperpriors that can be applied in the model. Magn Reson Med 80:159-170, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Dunhuang as a Model for EthnoSTEM Education

This chapter contributes a unique discussion on the link between Dunhuang and science and mathematics. In particular, the chapter situates historical Dunhuang as a microcosm of social, economic, and cultural collective practices that has significance to the development of scientific and mathematical knowledge and thinking. After a summary of previous work on ethnoscience and ethnomathematics, it addresses the misconception that Chinese philosophy and history have little connection to science and technology. The culturally responsive pedagogy and especially culturally sustaining pedagogy associated primarily with Django Paris are discussed and lead to the importance of preserving cultural and indigenous knowledge. Following this theoretical work, the chapter provides concrete examples of how Dunhuang research can be used as a resource to enrich K–12 science or STEM education and curricula. These examples cover areas such as the science involved in the preservation of ancient art; the applications of mathematics and science in Dunhuang’s frescos, sculptures, and grotto construction; and the ethnomedical and ethnomathematical knowledge and practices revealed in various Dunhuang documents.
Problems of the Mexican-American Elderly in an Urban Setting:

Severe poverty, a language barrier, and illegal alien status for some have combined to exacerbate the problems of the urban Mexican-American elderly. A study conducted to ascertain their perception...
The Prospective Effect of Arbitration

If the respective strengths of parties in a collective bargaining rela tionship are unequal, the stronger party may find it advantageous to vio late the agreement repeatedly, thereby forcing the weaker party to expend resources on continual and ineffectual arbitrations. This Comment ana lyzes courts' attempts to curb such recidivistic behavior, finding that judi cial efforts result in usurpation of the arbitrator's role of interpreting the agreement. The Comment concludes that there may be no easy solution to recidivism so long as the parties remain unequal.