cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interaction of Proppants with Crack Formation and Propagation in Hydraulic Fracturing: ABSTRACT

In many wells, productivity can be increased by repeated hydraulic fracturing. Repeated flow cycling has also been shown to increase productivity, sometimes significantly above what can be obtained with a single cycle. The increased productivity from repeated flow cycling suggests that a predictive capability for treating specific wells could be developed if the controlling parameters and their interactions in the flow/cycle treatment process were better understood. Although the primary role of the proppant in hydraulic fracturing is to maintain fracture opening, the proppants may have other effects such as altering the pressure distribution along the fracture (e.g., by blocking the tip) and hence significantly affecting the fracture mechanics. Although proppant transport by fluids has been studied intensively, the coupled interaction problem of fracture propagation, fluid flow, and proppant transport has not been previously investigated. In SRI International's program to analyze the coupled interactions of proppants and fracture mechanics, proppant distributions are being determined for the coupled problem of fluid-proppant-fracture interaction, and the effects of the proppant distributions on fracture production are being evaluated for the flow/cycle treatment. Scaled experiments in several media (PMMA and rock simulant) will check the correlation of fluid penetration and fracture propagation rate with a calculational model for the fluid-fracture interactions. The scaled experiments will also constrain the relation between the proppant distributions and the fluid-fracture interactions. The computational model will be verified by comparing calculations of the proppant distributions in the scaled experiments, for which viscous or gravitational effects are dominant, with the scaled experiments. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1583------------
Combining Samples from Multiple Gears Helps to Avoid Fishy Growth Curves

AbstractSize-at-age information is critical in estimating growth parameters (e.g., the von Bertalanffy growth function [VBGF]) that are used to assess fish populations. Due to gear selectivity, single sampling methods rarely sample all ages or all sizes equally well. Most growth estimates rely on samples from a single gear or a haphazard combination of gears, potentially leading to biased and imprecise growth parameter estimates. We evaluated the efficacy of combining samples from two gears with different size selectivity to estimate VBGF parameters; we then applied that approach to a case study on the Lochloosa Lake (Florida) population of Black Crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus. Simulated age- and size-structured populations were randomly sampled with two gears characterized by different size-selectivity curves (one gear was selective for smaller fish; the other was selective for larger fish). Maximum likelihood VBGF estimates obtained for each gear separately were compared with estimates from a combined ...
Serum Iron Level Is Associated with Time to Antibiotics in Cystic Fibrosis

Background Serum levels of hepcidin-25, a peptide hormone that reduces blood iron content, are elevated when patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop pulmonary exacerbation (PEx). Because hepcidin-25 is unavailable as a clinical laboratory test, we questioned whether a one-time serum iron level was associated with the subsequent number of days until PEx, as defined by the need to receive systemic antibiotics (ABX) for health deterioration. Methods Clinical, biochemical, and microbiological parameters were simultaneously checked in 54 adults with CF. Charts were reviewed to determine when they first experienced a PEx after these parameters were assessed. Time to ABX was compared in subgroups with and without specific attributes. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify parameters that significantly explained variation in time to ABX. Results In univariate analyses, time to ABX was significantly shorter in subjects with Aspergillus-positive sputum cultures and CF-related diabetes. Multivariate linear regression models demonstrated that shorter time to ABX was associated with younger age, lower serum iron level, and Aspergillus sputum culture positivity. Conclusions Serum iron, age, and Aspergillus sputum culture positivity are factors associated with shorter time to subsequent PEx in CF adults.
CriminalSearches.com Offers Free Access to Criminal Records

It recently has become much easier to find out whether your daughter’s boyfriend or your new neighbor has a criminal record. CriminalSearches.com (www.criminalsearches.com), a new advertiser supported service from PeopleFinders.com, now provides free access to criminal records from all 50 states and 3,500 counties across the search. Criminal records, which can include arrest records, court filings, “rapsheets”, inmate records, and similar information, are all public records. Many of these records have been available electronically for a number of years. However, with limited exceptions, these records have generally been only available through secure databases. The availability of public records on the Internet has been and continues to raise privacy and liability concerns, and this latest development is no exception.
Investigation of Drug-Albumin Interactions Using Spin-Labeled Bovine Serum Albumin

The interaction between bovine serum albumin and several anionic and cationic drugs was investigated using the electron spin resonance spin labeling technique. Albumin was covalently labeled with three different spin labels to monitor possible drug-induced conformational changes in its structure. The electron spin resonance spectra of the labeled bovine serum albumin in all cases consisted of two subspectra corresponding to a "partially immobilized" and a "strongly immobilized" label environment. The triazine (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-dichlorotriazine aminopiperidine-1N-oxyl)—spin-labeled albumin proved most suitable for quantitation of the observed spectral changes. The anionic drugs tested caused an effect on the electron spin resonance spectra interpretable as a conversion of strongly immobilized sites to partially immobilized sites, probably as a result of unfolding of the bovine serum albumin molecule in the vicinity of the labeled histidine residue(s). The changes induced in the labeled bovine serum albumin spectra by acidic drugs were correlated with the degree of binding up to very high drug to protein ratios. These observations suggest that the spectral changes were due to a drug-induced conformational change in the bovine serum albumin with concomitant exposure of additional binding sites. In contrast to the anionic drugs, three tricyclic basic drugs, imipramine, desmethylimipramine, and fluphenazine, induced changes in the labeled bovine serum albumin spectrum exactly opposite to those observed with the acidic drugs—i.e., conversion of partially immobilized sites to strongly immobilized sites— while three nontricyclic basic drugs caused no detectable spectral changes. On the basis of available binding data, it is proposed that the effects of the basic drugs are also related to their degree of protein binding.
Negro Job Status and Education

AMPLE evidence from a variety of sources demonstrates that the Negro in the United States is disadvantaged in occupation and employment. Further evidence indicates that the differential in educational qualification is insufficient to account for the Negro-white differential in job position.' With some special exceptions, the Negro who attains any given level of education is unable to convert his training into as high an occupational position as would a white person. The present paper raises a question related to the preceding observations. We shall ask to what degree education is related to the occupational position and employment of the Negro. A correlation between education and job status among workers in general has been demonstrated by numerous investigators.2 But the comparative degrees of correlation for whites and Negroes have been less fully explored. The broad purpose of this paper is to test two opposing hypotheses, both of which are logically defensible. On the one hand it may be supposed that in those populations with a relative shortage of a certain type of job qualification, the presence (or degree) of that qualification will count more heavily than where it is plentiful. With educational attainment generally lower among Negroes than among whites, it might be supposed that a greater premium would be placed on such education as there is. Consequently the data for Negroes would show a higher correlation between education and job position than the data for whites. On the other hand it may be contended that the limited range of occupations open to the Negro and general characteristics of the minority position render such qualifications as educational attainment less relevant to occupational placement than they would be for whites. According to the latter hypothesis, we should expect to find the correlation between education and occupation lower for Negroes than for whites. The theoretical question may be formulated in another way. Every individual is identified in terms of several different statuses. The several statuses that any given individual occupies may be highly integrated, in the sense that they are mutually supportive functionally and equivalent in prestige rating, or they may be unintegrated, involving lack of functional relatedness and marked by disparate prestige ratings. Viewing educational attainment and occupation as two of the individual's statuses, we may ask whether minority position makes for a greater or lesser average degree of integration between these statuses. To test the alternate hypotheses, coefficients of contingency will be computed between educational attainment and occupation and between educational attainment and employment, for native whites and Negroes separately. Data from the 1940 census, tabulated from a 5 percent sample of the population, will be used.
Weakly Regular Rings

This paper attempts to generalize a property of regular rings, namely,I2=I for every right (left) ideal. Rings with this property are called right (left) weakly regular. A ring which is both left and right weakly regular is called weakly regular. Kovacs in [6] proved that, for commutative rings, weak regularity and regularity are equivalent conditions and left open the question whether for arbitrary rings the two conditions are equivalent. We show in §1 that, in general weak regularity does not imply regularity. In fact, the class of weakly regular rings strictly contains the class of regular rings as well as the class of biregular rings.
Passivation of Metal Oxide Surfaces for High-Performance Organic and Hybrid Optoelectronic Devices

The exciton quenching properties of solution-processed nickel oxide (NiOx) and vanadium oxide (VOx) are studied by measuring the photoluminescence (PL) of a thin emitting layer (EML) deposited on top of the metal oxides. Strong exciton quenching is evidenced at the metal oxide/EML interface, which is proved to be detrimental to the performance of optoelectronic devices. With a thin polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) passivation polymer adsorbed on top of metal oxides, the PL quenching is found to be effectively suppressed. A short UV–O3 treatment on top of the PVP-passivated metal oxides turns out to be a key procedure to trigger the chemical binding between the PVP passivation polymer and the metal oxide surface species, which turns out to be necessary for efficient hole injection and extraction for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and solar cell devices, respectively. With the PVP passivation layer followed by UV–O3 treatment, the OLEDs incorporating NiOx as a hole transport layer (HTL) shows a record curr...
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Locavorism and Humanist Sociology

In this address, I offer an explanation as to why I chose the theme “Locavore Sociology: Challenging Globalization, Embracing the Local” and the host city of Portland, Oregon, for the 2015 Associat...
Distributed Generation and Microgrid Application of Lithium Battery Energy Storage System

According to the distributed generation and microgrid application requirements,the lithium battery energy storage system composition,lithium battery group mode,battery management system(BMS) features,power converter system(PCS) control strategy are studied.On the basis of theoretical research,80 kW/128 kWh lithium battery energy storage system is developed,a microgrid test environment including photovoltaic,energy storage and loads is built.The energy storage system grid-connected PQ control,off-grid VF control,and smooth switching control strategy are verified by test,the test results prove that the control strategy can satisfy microgrid grid-connected and off-grid operation requirements,and achieve grid-connected and off-grid smooth switching.The results lay a solid foundation for thorough research of large capacity storage system and more complex microgrid operation conditions.
Human colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1) radioimmunoassay: resolution of three subclasses of human colony-stimulating factors.

Abstract The partial purification of human urinary CSF-1 to approximately 4 × 106 U/mg protein from large volumes of human urine is described. Carrier-free iodination of the partially purified preparation and subsequent receptor binding and elution of the resulting 125I-CSF-1 yielded 128I-CSF-1, which, by several criteria, was free of contaminating 125l-proteins. The 125I-CSF-1 (approximately 4 × 107 U/mg of iodinated protein) was biologically active and suitable for use in target cell binding studies. It was used to develop a RIA that specifically detects the human CSF subclass that stimulates macrophage production (CSF-1). This RIA, the CSF-1 radioreceptor assay, and the murine and human CSF bioassays were used in comparative studies of a variety of CSF preparations. Results of these studies indicate that there are at least three human CSF subclasses: CSF-1, which stimulates the formation of colonies containing macrophages by murine and human hemopoietic cells; another subclass stimulating the formation of colonies (possibly containing neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages) by human but not murine hemopoietic cells; and a third subclass that stimulates the formation of colonies (possibly containing neutrophils and macrophages) by both human and murine hemopoietic cells. Anti-human urinary CSF-1 antibody selectively prevented the development of human bone marrow colonies with the gross morphology of those stimulated by purified human urinary CSF-1, in cultures stimulated by a variety of CSF preparations. The average level of CSF-1 in the serum of 14 normal adult humans, as determined by RIA, was 174 ± 76 U/ml (approximately 40 pM).
Temporal and Spatial Variation in Riparian Vegetation and Floodplain Aquifers on the Regulated Dolores River, Southwest Colorado, USA

The importance of flow variability and floodplain water table recharge for the establishment and long-term survival of riparian vegetation has been well-documented. However, temporal and spatial variation in floodplain aquifers has received less attention, although native species can have narrow tolerances for groundwater decline. Our observations of decreased cottonwood cover on floodplains and increased willow cover on river banks since dam completion on the Dolores River led to comparisons between three long-term study sites above and below McPhee Dam. We summarize 5 years (2010–2014) of shallow groundwater well data from transects of three wells per site. Vegetation cover data were collected from quadrats and line-intercept transects. In the willow zone, groundwater well levels mirror in-channel flows and rarely drop below 0.6 m from ground surface. Willow cover and stem counts on point bars are higher at dammed sites. Wells in the cottonwood zone indicate that alluvial recharge happens only during prolonged peak discharge during spring snowmelt or dam release. Years with no dam spill reduced connectivity between surface flows and groundwater, and groundwater depth dropped to between 2 and >2.5 m. Long-term data below the dam indicate that canopy cover of the dominant cottonwoods has declined over time (48% in 1995, 19% in 2003), especially in the wake of severe drought. Mature cottonwood cover is significantly higher at the undammed site (p = 0.025). Our results indicate that floodplain habitats below dams exist under artificially extreme drought and inform how biologically diverse riparian systems will be impacted by a drying climate. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Conductor Baton Use on Band and Choral Musicians' Perceptions of Conductor Expressivity and Clarity.

The purpose of this study was to examine participants’ (college band and choral musicians, N = 143) perceptions of conductor clarity and expressivity after viewing band and choral directors conduct...
Nocardia Arthritidis Keratitis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Introduction: Keratitis due to Nocardia infection is not commonly encountered in clinical practice and may therefore be mistaken for fungal or viral keratitis leading to delayed treatment and increased risk of permanent visual impairment. Case: An otherwise healthy 27 years old Caucasian Active Duty military member presented to the clinic with three days of light sensitivity and irritation of his right eye. He carried a history of PRK in both eyes six years prior and admitted to recent contact lens overuse. With empiric treatment for typical bacterial keratitis including corticosteroids, his condition worsened on close follow-up. While awaiting cultures, a shift to fortified topical antibiotics tobramycin, moxifloxacin and ciprofloxacin showed improvement with closure of the epithelial defect. Ulcerative relapse occurred with withdrawal of therapy. Culture proven Nocardia arthritidis prompted successful treatment with topical antibiotic amikacin. On follow-up at three months, the patient was doing well with a small peripheral anterior stromal scar without permanent visual sequelae. Visual acuity returned to baseline of 20/20 in the affected eye. Conclusion: Keratitis caused by Nocardia species, including arthritidis, responds well to amikacin. Late diagnosis and early treatment withdrawal may lead to a prolonged recovery. Current literature indicates that corticosteroids may be harmful in the treatment of Nocardia keratitis. Increased awareness of Nocardia as an ocular pathogen has the potential to reduce unnecessary morbidity related to delayed diagnosis, inadequate therapy and inappropriate use of corticosteroids.
A lie theoretic approach to structure and motion in computer vision 1

Abstract There has been an increasing interest in applying computer vision in robot control such as vision guided navigation, manipulation, and object recognition. A combination of a robot's rigid body motion and a camera's perspective projection has brought us a new geometric subject to study, the so called multiview geometry in computer vision literature. In this paper, we propose a new approach to this subject based on mathematical tools commonly used in robotics such as linear algebra, differential geometry and Lie group theory. Based on the geometric model of a vision system, main results of multiview geometry are outlined, including reconstruction theory of camera motion, scene structure and camera self-calibration. Potential applications of multiview geometry in robot control are also presented.
A review of sarcopenia: Enhancing awareness of an increasingly prevalent disease

Sarcopenia is defined as an age associated decline in skeletal muscle mass. The pathophysiology of sarcopenia is multifactorial, with decreased caloric intake, muscle fiber denervation, intracellular oxidative stress, hormonal decline, and enhanced myostatin signaling all thought to contribute. Prevalence rates are as high as 29% and 33% in elderly community dwelling and long-term care populations, respectively, with advanced age, low body mass index, and low physical activity as significant risk factors. Sarcopenia shares many characteristics with other disease states typically associated with risk of fall and fracture, including osteoporosis, frailty, and obesity. There is no current universally accepted definition of sarcopenia. Diagnosing sarcopenia with contemporary operational definitions requires assessments of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. Screening is recommended for both elderly patients and those with conditions that noticeably reduce physical function. Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in orthopedic patient populations and correlates with higher hospital costs and rates of falling, fracture, and mortality. As no muscle building agents are currently approved in the United States, resistance training and nutritional supplementation are the primary methods for treating sarcopenia. Trials with various agents, including selective androgen receptor modulators and myostatin inhibitors, show promise as future treatment options. Increased awareness of sarcopenia is of great importance to begin reaching consensus on diagnosis and to contribute to finding a cure for this condition.
Modeling and simulation of continuous powder blending applied to a continuous direct compression process.

Continuous manufacturing techniques are increasingly being adopted in the pharmaceutical industry and powder blending is a key operation for solid-dosage tablets. A modeling methodology involving a...
Rotman lens applications for the US Army: A review of history, present, and future

Array antennas that can simultaneously scan multiple beams are often desired for many radar and communications applications. One scanning approach controls the relative phase values at the array elements using microwave lens structures, achieving the desired progressive phase shifts through time delays. The Rotman lens is such a structure. It offers a cost-effective solution to electronic scanning of array antennas by serving as a broadband multiple-input multiple-output beam former network. Rotman lenses have found many uses in both military and commercial applications. This paper gives an overview of Rotman-lens applications from the military perspective. Ongoing efforts, future plans, and how the Rotman lens is foreseen as a feasible platform are also discussed.
Comprehensive Algorithm for Nasal Ala Reconstruction: Utility of the Auricular Composite Graft

Defects of the nasal ala are challenging to reconstruct, given its complex three-dimensional structure. Successful repair of these defects needs to provide aesthetic symmetry and preserve nasal function. A wide variety of reconstructive options have been described for nasal ala defects, ranging from skin grafts to locoregional flaps, and also includes the auricular composite graft. However, there are currently no comprehensive guidelines for nasal ala repair, and the versatile role of the auricular composite graft has not been well defined. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive algorithm to guide repair of nasal ala defects. Additionally, we compare our experience using the auricular composite graft with the available literature to better define its utility in nasal ala repair.
Historicism, Anthropology, and Goethe's Idea of World Literature

I examine the relationship between Goethe’s understanding of Weltliteratur and his project of universal humanism. I argue that Goethe’s understanding of Weltliteratur cannot be straightforwardly as...
End-of-Life Issues for Caregivers of Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Values about the meaning of life and caring for others are woven into our society’s moral orientations. With an increasing proportion of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in our older population, a group believed by many to be a drain on the productivity of our society, the pressure to reassess our ethical responsibilities for our aging population has become an issue of international concern (Cohen & Eisdorfer,). Alzheimer’s disease and other serious chronic illnesses have become a metaphor for aging, challenging us to grapple with the meaning of the inalienable dignity of living and dying.
Design of Experiments to Investigate Joint Distributions in Microanalytic Simulations

The heart of a microsimulation model is the microdata on which it operates. Often, a single survey is insufficient to meet a model’s informational needs and two separate survey files are merged. This paper focuses on the statistical problems accompanying the file merge process. Empirical evidence of data distortions induced by some procedures is presented as is an experimental design to investigate the impact of various merging methods on microdata statistics.
Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer among Black and White Women in North Carolina (United States)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of alcohol consumption on breast cancer risk in black and white women.
Medical oncology and geriatric medicine: is it time for fellowship integration?

Although training programs exist in both medical oncology and geriatrics (approved by the American Board of Internal Medicine), neither is adequate to ensure an appropriate supply of physicians to assume a leadership role in the treatment of the increasing number of geriatric patients who have or will develop a malignancy. A proposal for offering a 3-4 year program leading to dual certification is under consideration. A careful review of both the medical oncology training program and added qualifications in geriatrics has identified key components of each that can serve as a basis for a combined program. Such a program can encourage research into behavior modification of existing biases in referring geriatric oncology patients for treatment as well as a better understanding of the biology of aging, addressing in particular the pharmacology of anticancer agents in this unique population. It is anticipated that pilot projects will be undertaken to develop common pathways for developing combined programs in medical oncology and geriatrics. The second phase will include recruitment of selected candidates who are interested in an academic career in geriatric oncology. A need for additional academic-based geriatric oncologists has been identified that can address the anticipated increase in the incidence and presence of cancer in an aging population. Such a cadre of specialists will be in an excellent position to recommend changes in the current (mostly negative) approach to the management of cancer in patients age > 65 years. Cancer 1997; 80:1351-3. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
INFERENTIAL SEARCHES OF KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS AS AN APPROACH TO EXTENSIBLE LANGUAGE-UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMS1

A program has been constructed that implements some inference schemes for inferring the meaning of noun-noun, adjective-noun, and agent-verb-object phrases from the constituent words. Dictionary definitions of words are input directly into a semantic network using a context free grammar implemented in a production system. To interpret a novel phrase (e.g., lawn mower, car tire, car wheel) semantically, an intersection search originating from the nodes representing the constituent words is performed in the semantic network. If an intersection is found, a meaning for the phrase is produced; otherwise the phrase is not interpreted. During this interpretation, only knowledge provided by dictionary definitions and parts of speech of words is used.
Evaluating the Impact of Spiking Neural Network Traffic on Extreme-Scale Hybrid Systems

As we approach the limits of Moore's law, there is increasing interest in non-Von Neuman architectures such as neuromorphic computing to take advantage of improved compute and low power capabilities. Spiking neural network (SNN) applications have so far shown very promising results running on a number of processors, motivating the desire to scale to even larger systems having hundreds and even thousands of neuromorphic processors. Since these architectures currently do not exist in large configurations, we use simulation to scale real neuromorphic applications running on a single neuromorphic chip, to thousands of chips in an HPC class system. Furthermore, we use a novel simulation workflow to perform a full scale systems analysis of network performance and the interaction of neuromorphic workloads with traditional CPU workloads in a hybrid supercomputer environment. On average, we find Slim Fly, Fat-Tree, Dragonfly-lD, and Dragonfly-2D are 45 %, 46 %, 76 %, and 83 % respectively faster than the worst case performing topology for both convolutional and Hopfield NN workloads running alongside CPU workloads. Running in parallel with CPU workloads translates to an average slowdown of 21 % for a Hopfield type workload and 184 % for convolutional NN workloads across all HPC network topologies.
Applications of the Infinity Horizon Spinal Cord Contusion Injury Model

As described in the inaugural chapter, the Infinite Horizon (IH) impactor was developed and first characterized (Scheff et al., Journal of Neurotrauma 20:179–193, 2003) to produce graded behavioral and correlative morphological changes in adult female Sprague-Dawley rats and their spinal cords following varying severities of contusion spinal cord injuries (SCI) at thoracic spinal level 10 (T10) in adult rats. Since that time, the IH device has become a widely used contusion SCI model, and more importantly, its tractability has allowed its adaptation to elicit different injury severities (impact forces) at different spinal levels, in both rats and mice; and the accompanying distinct behavioral recovery outcome measures.
AI in the 1980s and beyond

This book contains 12 selections. They are: Artificial Intelligence: A Perspective; Knowledge-Based Systems: The View in 1986; Expert Systems Tools and Techniques: Past, Present and Future; A Case Study on Evolution of System Building Expertise: Medical Diagnosis; Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering; Intelligent Natural Language Processing: Current Trends and Future Prospects; Automatic Speech Recognition and Understanding; Intelligent Vision; Making Robots See and Feel; Robot Programming and Artificial Intelligence; Robot Hands and Tactile Sensing; and Autonomous Mobile Robots.
Effect of inspiratory muscle training on blood pressure with inspiratory loading

Aims: Stimulation of the respiratory muscle group III/IV muscle afferents via inspiratory loading (IL) augments the blood pressure response during exercise. However, it is unknown if inspiratory muscle training (IMT) will ameliorate this response. We hypothesized that 8 weeks of IMT will attenuate the IL-induced increase in blood pressure during exercise in healthy adults. Methods: Ten adults were recruited and randomized to the IMT (n=5) or sham group (n=5). Participants performed 8 weeks of IMT twice a day, 7 days a week at 50% (IMT) or 10% (sham) maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP). On separate visits, participants performed an incremental cycling test to volitional fatigue and a 10 min cycling exercise bout at 40% peak oxygen uptake before and following IMT. The exercise bout consisted of 5 min of spontaneous breathing followed by 5 min of voluntary hyperventilation (i.e. breathing frequency of 40 breaths per min with 50% duty cycle) with IL (30% MIP). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively) were measured using manual sphygmomanometry. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was calculated as (SBP-DBP)/3+DBP. Results: After 8 weeks, MIP increased in the IMT (Pre: 86±18; Post: 112±26 mmHg, p=0.02), but not the sham group (Pre: 124±49; Post: 127±51 mmHg, p>0.05). Pre-IMT, the IL resulted in increased MAP in both groups during exercise (ΔMAP, IMT: 11±3; sham: 12±6 mmHg) (both, p 0.05). Conclusions: These data suggest that IMT may not modify the cardiovascular response with IL in healthy adults.
Teaching and Mentoring Students in the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia Service Delivery Perspective

Purpose This review article examines potential approaches for teaching and mentoring students in the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA). The authors review applications of a variety of e...
Silicon Hard-Stop Spacers for 3D Integration of Superconducting Qubits

As designs for superconducting qubits become more complex, 3D integration of two or more vertically bonded chips will become necessary to enable increased density and connectivity. Precise control of the spacing between these chips is required for accurate prediction of circuit performance. In this paper, we demonstrate an improvement in the planarity of bonded superconducting qubit chips while retaining device performance by utilizing hard-stop silicon spacer posts. These silicon spacers are defined by etching several microns into a silicon substrate and are compatible with 3D-integrated qubit fabrication. This includes fabrication of Josephson junctions, superconducting air-bridge crossovers, underbump metallization and indium bumps. To qualify the integrated process, we demonstrate high-quality factor resonators on the etched surface and measure qubit coherence (T 1 , T 2,echo > 40 µs) in the presence of silicon posts as near as 350 µm to the qubit.
Comparisons of Late Ordovician ecosystem dynamics before and after the Richmondian invasion reveal consequences of invasive species in benthic marine paleocommunities

A thorough understanding of how communities respond to extreme changes, such as biotic invasions, is essential to manage ecosystems today. Here we constructed fossil food webs to identify changes in Late Ordovician (Katian) shallow-marine paleocommunity structure and functioning before and after the Richmondian invasion, a well-documented ancient invasion. Food webs were compared using descriptive metrics and cascading extinction on graphs models. Richness at intermediate trophic levels was underrepresented when using only data from the Paleobiology Database relative to museum collections, resulting in a spurious decrease in modeled paleocommunity stability. Therefore, museum collections and field sampling may provide more reliable sources of data for the reconstruction of trophic organization in comparison to online data repositories. The invasion resulted in several changes in ecosystem dynamics. Despite topological similarities between pre- and postinvasion food webs, species loss occurred corresponding to a minor decrease in functional groups. Invaders occupied all of the preinvasion functional guilds, with the exception of four incumbent guilds that were lost and one new guild, corroborating the notion that invaders replace incumbents and fill preexisting niche space. Overall, models exhibited strong resistance to secondary extinction, although the postinvasion community had a lower threshold of collapse and more variable response to perturbation. We interpret these changes in dynamics as a decrease in stability, despite similarities in overall structure. Changes in food web structure and functioning resulting from the invasion suggest that conservation efforts may need to focus on preserving functional diversity if more diverse ecosystems are not inherently more stable.
Thermodynamic Investigation of Process Enhancement in Chemical Looping Reforming of Methane through Modified Ca–Fe Oxygen Carrier Utilization

Production of various value-added chemicals through natural gas conversion with syngas as an intermediate is becoming increasingly popular because of the abundance of natural gas and maturation of ...
Financial Systems, Risk Management, and Entrepreneurship: Historical Perspective

Evidence indicates that the most successful economies in the world tend to be those that have developed sophisticated financial systems that contributed to their sustenance, growth and development.The important role of financial systems in shaping the global economy is analyzed from the perspective of economic history. Important aspects of modern financial systems are discussed from an institutional perspective and the importance of modern economic systems to the global economic growth and modernization is highlighted. In addition to standard economic reasons, namely the ways in which good financial systems promote efficient resource allocation, the different ways in which modern financial systems promote economic growth by promoting more efficient risk allocation strategies that allow for efficient risk management strategies are discussed. It is argued that modern financial systems provide for better risk management strategies and in the long run contribute to the development of entrepreneurial activity and economic development. (VRS)
Techno-Economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Lignin Fractionation and Valorization Using the ALPHA Process

Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were performed on the Aqueous Lignin Purification with Hot Agents (ALPHA) process, which is being investigated for the fractionation a...
Research and development for increased application of data science in sustainability analysis

Abstract This chapter summarizes research needs in developing and enhancing data sets, data sources, and data science methods for applying data science to the broad field of sustainability. Overall, while there is a great need to develop environmental science, manufacturing and technology systems, and societal systems data at greater spatial and temporal resolution, there is also a need to consider what sustainability questions can be addressed by creative use of the data sets currently available. Furthermore, advances in data science remain foundational to realizing the potential of many techniques (including machine learning, artificial intelligence) to enhancing environmental and societal sustainability. Advances in explainable AI, edge computing, and applying the advantages of the 5G technology that is on the horizon are all required. Importantly, engagement of multiple disciplines – particularly computer science – along with multiple science and engineering disciplines will be foundational to bringing the power of data science methods to bear on the pressing sustainability challenges.
Association between cervical spine and skull-base fractures and blunt cerebrovascular injury

Blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI) are associated with high morbidity and mortality and can lead to neurological deficits. The established criteria for patients undergoing CT angiography (CTA) for BCVI are broad, and can expose patients to radiation unnecessarily. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of BCVI in patients on CTA and determine presentations associated with the highest rates of BCVI. With IRB approval, patients were selected for CTA screening for BCVI according to a predefined set of criteria at our hospital between 2007 and 2010. Patients were identified from our institution’s trauma database. CTAs were retrospectively reviewed for BCVI including vasospasm and dissection. Electronic medical records were reviewed for clinical presentation and hospital course. Of 432 patients, vasospasm (n = 10) and/or dissection (n = 36) were found in 46 patients (10.6 %). BCVI was associated with cervical spine and/or skull-base fracture in 40/46 patients (87 %, P < 0.0001). Significant correlations were seen between dissection and fracture in 31/36 patients (86.2 %, p < 0.0001) and between BCVI and both neurological deficits and fractures (27/44, P < 0.0001). BCVI was significantly associated with cervical and/or skullbase fractures and neurological deficits with coexistent fractures. Patients with these injuries should be prioritized for rapid CTA evaluation for BCVI. • CTA screening is important to identify patients with underlying BCVI • Cervical spine and/or skullbase fractures were significantly associated with BCVI • BCVI may occur in up to 11 % of patients with blunt trauma injuries
A Study of Corporate Real Estate Resource Management

Corporate real estate resources have been estimated at over one quarter of the current market value of the total assets of major American corporations. This study, based upon interviews with corpor...
House Prices and Business Cycles in Europe: a VAR Analysis

A structural vector autoregressive approach identifies the main macroeconomic factors behind fluctuations in house prices in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Quarterly GDP, house prices, money, inflation and interest rates are characterised by a multivariate process driven by supply, nominal, monetary, inflationary and demand shocks. Tight money leads to a fall in real house prices; house price responses are hump-shaped; the responses of house prices and, to a lesser extent, GDP to a monetary shock can be partly justified by the different housing and financial market institutions across countries; transitory shocks drive a significant part of short-run house price fluctuations.
Embracing CSR in pro-social relationship marketing program: understanding driving forces of positive consumer responses

Purpose – This purpose of this article is to identify important factors that influence consumers’ responses to pro-social loyalty programs (pro-social LPs). These positive marketing programs reflect represent an emerging phenomenon in relationship marketing associated with companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach – The test of the proposed model relied on data from 350 US consumers, obtained through web-based experiments. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. Findings – The results showed that consumers’ CSR-driven cognition (CSR beliefs) and reciprocal emotion (feeling of gratitude) enhance their attitudes toward pro-social LPs and increased participation intentions. The perceived value of pro-social LPs also improved consumer attitudes and participation intentions. Practical implications – Pro-social LPs offer a noteworthy approach to relationship marketing that benefits both service providers that engage in CSR and society overall. Original...
Super Deference, the Science Obsession, and Judicial Review as Translation of Agency Science

When courts review agencies’ scientific and technical determinations, they often emphasize that the specialized subject matter requires them to be at their most deferential. This “super-deference” principle seems appealing because it is supported by basic notions of institutional competence and accommodates a natural judicial tendency to avoid deep encounters with science. But it stands in stark tension with the expectation that courts must reinforce administrative-law values like participation, transparency, and deliberation. And it fails to further the legitimizing function of incorporating the best possible science into institutional decision making. Surprisingly, there is no scholarship comprehensively assessing super deference. This Article begins to fill that gap by evaluating super deference contextually, taking into consideration the norms of both science and administrative law. This analysis reveals that not only does super deference lack merit, it also lacks meaning and any framework for principled application. Building on these observations, this Article develops a normative account of the courts’ role with respect to agency science. When courts engage in such review, they can use their generalist perspectives to their advantage by serving an important translating function for generalist consumers such as Congress and the public at large - an approach that reinforces both scientific and administrative-law values.
The Timing and Persistence of CRA Compliance Ratings

We evaluate supervisory practices in enforcing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) by examining whether or not supervisors consider observable, bank-specific characteristics in (1) scheduling CRA compliance examinations and (2) determining whether, and for how long, a given CRA rating persists. Failure to confirm such a relationship would be consistent with criticism that the evaluation criteria are so vague that supervisors can essentially assign “any rating they want” for compliance purposes. Analysis of a sample of several thousand commercial banks, observed over a relatively stable regulatory regime, indicates that both examination scheduling and the persistence of examination ratings are associated with residential loan levels, a presumed cornerstone of the CRA, as well as other financial, regulatory and market factors. We conclude that CRA enforcement during this period reflected, at least in part, objective evaluation criteria.
Barrel shifter-a close approximation to the completely connected network in supporting dynamic tree structured computations

High performance computing requires high quality load distribution of processes of a parallel application over processors in a parallel computer at runtime such that both maximum load and dilation are minimized. The performance of a simple randomized tree growing algorithm on the barrel shifter and the Illiac networks is studied in this paper. The algorithm spreads tree nodes by letting them to take random walks to neighboring processors. We develop recurrence relations that characterize expected loads on all processors. We find that the performance ratio of probabilistic dilation-1 tree embedding in the barrel shifter network with N processors (a network with node degree O(log N)) is very close to that in the completely connected network of the same size. However, the hypercube network, which also has node degree log N, does not have such a capability. As a matter of factor, even the Illiac network, which is a subnetwork of the barrel shifter, has an optimal asymptotic performance ratio.
Lung Lesions in an Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) Associated with Capillaria didelphis

An opossum (Didelphis virginiana) live-trapped on Parramore Island, Virginia was infected with the lung parasite Capillaria didelphis. Lung lesions associated with this parasite were extensive and consisted of numerous areas with central necrosis deep within the parenchyma. Necrotic foci were present around airways and consisted of a mixture of inflammatory cells and cellular debris, adult nematodes and many bipolar eggs. This parasite causes severe verminous pneumonia in the opossum.
Organic chemistry: A radical approach to diversity

Compounds containing the trifluoromethyl group have many uses, but their isomers must often be made using different multi-step routes. Two studies now show how several isomers can be made by the same route. See Letter p.224 Premature metabolic decomposition can stop potentially promising drugs from reaching their intended targets. One way of blocking this metabolism involves the addition of a trifluoromethyl (CF3) group to aromatic or heteroaromatic moieties in a candidate drug molecule. David Nagib and David MacMillan report a new method for this synthesis that is more economical than current methods in terms of both raw materials and energy input. They use an energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulb to excite a variety of commercially available photocatalysts, which promote the addition of CF3 to unactivated arenes and heteroarenes through a radical-mediated mechanism. The potential of the method is demonstrated by the trifluoromethylation of three molecules: a uracil analogue, a precursor of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil and a vitamin (flavone).
Bimodal Cochlear Implants: The Role of Acoustic Signal Level in Determining Speech Perception Benefit

The aim of this project was to determine for bimodal cochlear implant (CI) patients, i.e. patients with low-frequency hearing in the ear contralateral to the implant, how speech understanding varies as a function of the difference in level between the CI signal and the acoustic signal. The data suggest that (1) acoustic signals perceived as significantly softer than a CI signal can contribute to speech understanding in the bimodal condition, (2) acoustic signals that are slightly softer than, or balanced with, a CI signal provide the largest benefit to speech understanding, and (3) acoustic signals presented at maximum comfortable loudness levels provide nearly as much benefit as signals that have been balanced with a CI signal.