cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A multi-tiered real-time pricing algorithm for electric vehicle charging stations

With the increase in the market penetration of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), there is need for charging stations to charge them rapidly and price the user appropriately. In order to encourage the customers to charge their vehicles during load valley and minimize peak loads due to multiple EVs charging, this paper analyzes the charging impact on the load cycle and designs an innovative real-time multi-tiered electric pricing system. Subsequently, a new display board design for EV charging stations depending on the charging effect is proposed applying the designed electric pricing system.
(Hg, Cd)Te Photodiodes for Communication Systems

(Hg,Cd)Te material and photodiode fabrication processes have been developed to provide high performance detectors for a wide range of system applications. Major emphasis has been placed on detectors for 10.6-micrometer laser detection, although detectors have been designed and fabricated to cover the infrared spectrum between 1.5 and 14 micrometers. Since the principal laser source being considered for optical communications is the CO2 laser at 10.6 micrometers, factors affecting detector performance for this wavelength are the subject of this paper. This paper discusses basic material considerations, doping concentrations and carrier transport which affect photodiode performance. Additionally, tradeoffs in photodiode design for specific applications are presented together with predicted performance based upon expected refinement in material and process technology.
REAL-TIME VISUAL PROCESSING IN SUPPORT OF AUTONOMOUS DRIVING

Autonomous driving provides an effective way to address traffic concerns such as safety and congestion. There has been increasing interest in the development of autonomous driving in recent years. Interest has included high-speed driving on highways, urban driving, and navigation through less structured off-road environments. The primary challenge in autonomous driving is developing perception techniques that are reliable under the extreme variability of outdoor conditions in any of these environments. Roads vary in appearance. Some are smooth and well marked, while others have cracks and potholes or are unmarked. Shadows, glare, varying illumination, dirt or foreign matter, other vehicles, rain, and snow also affect road appearance. This paper describes a visual processing algorithm that supports autonomous driving. The algorithm requires that lane markings be present and attempts to track the lane markings on each of two lane boundaries in the lane of travel. There are three stages of visual processing computation: extracting edges, determining which edges correspond to lane markers, and updating geometric models of the lane markers. A fourth stage computes a steering command for the vehicle based on the updated road model. All processing is confined to the 2-D image plane. No information about the motion of the vehicle is used. This algorithm has been used as part of a complete system to drive an autonomous vehicle, a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV). Autonomous driving has been demonstrated on both local roads and highways at speeds up to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h). The algorithm has performed well in the presence of non-ideal road conditions including gaps in the lane markers, sharp curves, shadows, cracks in the pavement, wet roads, rain, dusk, and nighttime driving. The algorithm runs at a sampling rate of 15 Hz and has a worst case processing delay time of 150 milliseconds. Processing is implemented under the NASA/NBS Standard Reference Model for Telerobotic Control System Architecture (NASREM) architecture and runs on a dedicated image processing engine and a VME-based microprocessor system.
Scratch deformation behavior of thermoplastic materials with significant differences in ductility

Abstract A comparative study of the scratch deformation behavior of neat ethylene–propylene copolymers and polypropylene with significant differences in ductility is made by combining morphological examination by electron microscopy and scratch deformation parameters by atomic force microscopy. Also, the deformation behavior during scratch tests is examined for their respective long and short chain polymers. The ability of polymeric materials to resist scratch deformation under identical scratch test conditions follows the sequence (from maximum resistance to minimum resistance): short chain polypropylene > long chain polypropylene > short chain ethylene–propylene > long chain ethylene–propylene. The scratch tracks in ethylene–propylene copolymers were characterized by a consecutive parabolic pattern containing voids, while polypropylenes exhibited zig-zag periodic scratch tracks. The greater plastic flow in ethylene–propylene copolymers is encouraged by the high ductility of the copolymer and the ability to nucleate microvoids. The quasi-static periodic scratch tracks are a consequence of sequential accumulation and release of tangential force and represents the stick–slip process. The susceptibility to scratch deformation is discussed in terms of modulus, elastic recovery, scratch hardness, and entanglement density of polymeric materials. A higher effective entanglement density and percentage crystallinity of short chain polymers is helpful in enhancing scratch resistance as compared to their respective long chain polymers.
The Role of Reputation Systems in Reducing On-Line Auction Fraud

On-line auction fraud is the most frequently reported Internet crime. This research investigates whether on-line reputation systems are a useful mechanism for potential buyers to avoid fraudulent auctions. Content analysis of complaints posted in an on-line auction reputation system is used to improve understanding of on-line auction fraud and the role of reputation systems in documenting, predicting, and reducing fraud. The results show (1) that the number of fraud allegations found in an on-line reputation system significantly exceeds the number of fraud allegations made through official channels, (2) that recent negative feedback posted in an on-line reputation system is useful in predicting future on-line auction fraud, and (3) that experienced on-line auction buyers are in a better position to use reputation system data to avoid potentially fraudulent auctions.
Structural Evolution of Doped Gold Clusters: MAux− (M = Si, Ge, Sn; x = 5−8)

We report a joint experimental and theoretical study on the structures of a series of gold clusters doped with a group-14 atom: MAux− (M = Si, Ge, Sn; x = 5−8). Well-resolved photoelectron spectra were obtained and compared to calculations at several levels of theory to identify the low-lying structures of MAu5−8−. We found that the structure of SiAu5− is dominated by the tetrahedrally coordinated Si motif, which can be viewed as built from the tetrahedral SiAu4− by an extra Au atom bonded to a terminal gold atom. However, SiAu6− and SiAu7− have quasi-planar structures, similar to those of GeAu6−/SnAu6− and GeAu7−/SnAu7−, respectively. SiAu8− again has a tetrahedrally coordinated Si structure, which displays a structural motif of a dangling Au−Si unit sitting on a gold cluster surface, resembling that of the larger Si-doped gold cluster SiAu16−. For M = Ge, Sn, our results show that the major isomers of GeAu5−8− have structures similar to those of the corresponding SnAu5−8− clusters, and they can be viewe...
PROTEIN NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF MECHANICALLY DEBONED POULTRY MEAT AS PREDICTED BY THE C‐PER ASSAY

Mechanically deboned poultry meat (MDPM) from raw broiler backs and necks (MDCM), cooked mechanically deboned chicken meat from fowl carcassas (CMDFM), and raw turkey frames (MDTM) were evaluated for their nutritional composition and quality. Procedures for evaluation included protein efficiency ratio (PER) using rat and computed PER (C-PER) techniques, in vitro and in vivo digestibitlities, amino acid composition, and proximate analysis. All three types of MDPM showed PER and C-PER values comparable to those for standard casein. MDTM had a higher C-PER and PER which ranged from 2.59–2.75 than did MDCM and CMDFM having values which ranged from 2.34–2.94. The PER and C-PER values given are based upon the standard protein casein having a PER and C-PER of 2.50.
Transfected MCF-7 cells as a model for breast cancer progression

The MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cell line has been used as a recipient for eukaryotic plasmid expression vectors to determine the effects of growth factor and growth factor receptor overexpression on the estrogen-dependent, antiestrogen sensitive and poorly metastatic phenotypes exhibited by this line. Overexpression of some members of the erbB family of ligands and receptors were found to have some effects on these pheno-types. However, only when two members of the fibroblast growth factor family, FGF-1 and FGF-4, were overexpressed was progressivein vivo growth observed is either ovariectomized nude mice without estrogen supplementation or in mice that received tamoxifen treatment. FGF transfected cells also exhibited an increased ability to form micrometastases. The implications of these results with regard to the possible role of the paracrine and autocrine effects of angiogenic growth factor production in breast cancer progression are discussed.
Vegetable oil raw materials

Vegetable oils that are important to the chemical industry include both edible and industrial oils, which contribute 24% and 13.5%, respectively, compared to 55% for tallow, to the preparation of surfactants, coatings, plasticizers, and other products based on fats and oils. Not only the oils themselves but also the fatty acids recovered from soapstock represent a several billion pound resource. Coconut oil is imported to the extent of 700-1,000 million pounds per year. Its uses are divided about equally between edible and industrial applications. Safflower oil has a relatively small production, but 15–25% of the oil goes into industrial products. Soybean oil, the major edible oil of the world, is produced in the United States at the rate of 11,000 million pounds per year with more than 500 million pounds going into industrial uses, representing 5% of the total production. Castor oil is imported to the extent of about 100 million pounds per year. Linseed oil production has declined drastically over the last 25 years but still amounts to about 100 million pounds per year. Oiticica and tung oils are imported in lesser amounts than castor and linseed oils. New crops that have industrial potential, as well as the traditional vegetable oil crops, include seed oils from crambe,Limnanthes, Lesquerella, Dimorphotheca, Vernonia, andCuphea plants. Crambe oil contains up to 65% erucic acid. Oil fromLimnanthes contains more than 95% of fatty acids above C18.Lesquerella oil contains hydroxy unsaturated acids resembling ricinoleic acid from castor oil.Dimorphotheca oil contains a conjugated dienol system.Vernonia oils contain as much as 80% epoxy acids. TheCuphea oils contain a number of short chain fatty acids. Of these, crambe,Limnanthes, andVernonia are probably the most developed agronomically. Competition between vegetable oils and petrochemicals for the traditional fats and oil markets has been marked over the past 25 years, but prices for petrochemicals have accelerated at a greater rate than those for vegetable oils; and, it is now appropriate to reexamine the old as well as the new markets for fatty acids.
A study of galactokinase and glucose 4-epimerase from normal and galactosemic skin fibroblasts.

Abstract Galactokinase and epimerase from skin fibroblasts of control and galactosemic individuals were studied with respect to specific activity, pH optimum, K m values and thermal stability. The properties of galactokinase and epimerase were similar in control and galactosemic fibroblasts. These data indicate that the mutation at the transferase locus does not alter either the level or the nature of galactokinase and epimerase from skin fibroblasts of control and galactosemic individuals.
Effect of environmentally promoted surface stabilization of α2 in Ti3-aluminides during high temperature evaluation

Abstract Environmental effects have been shown to have a critical impact during in-situ high temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) study of the phase stability of two α 2 + β titanium aluminide alloys. Surface-oxygen-stabilization of the α 2 phase due to the presence of V in the alloy composition resulted in an anomalous estimation of the β transus temperature of Ti26A110Nb3V1Mo by HTXRD, as compared to a complementary phase stability study technique, calorimetric differential thermal analysis.
Prediction of synergistic transcription factors by function conservation

Background: Previous methods employed for the identification of synergistic transcription factors (TFs) are based on either TF enrichment from co-regulated genes or phylogenetic footprinting. Despite the success of these methods, both have limitations. Results: We propose a new strategy to identify synergistic TFs by function conservation. Rather than aligning the regulatory sequences from orthologous genes and then identifying conserved TF binding sites (TFBSs) in the alignment, we developed computational approaches to implement the novel strategy. These methods include combinatorial TFBS enrichment utilizing distance constraints followed by enrichment of overlapping orthologous genes from human and mouse, whose regulatory sequences contain the enriched TFBS combinations. Subsequently, integration of function conservation from both TFBS and overlapping orthologous genes was achieved by correlation analyses. These techniques have been used for genome-wide promoter analyses, which have led to the identification of 51 homotypic TF combinations; the validity of these approaches has been exemplified by both known TF-TF interactions and function coherence analyses. We further provide computational evidence that our novel methods were able to identify synergistic TFs to a much greater extent than phylogenetic footprinting. Conclusion: Function conservation based on the concordance of combinatorial TFBS enrichment along with enrichment of overlapping orthologous genes has been proven to be a successful means for the identification of synergistic TFs. This approach avoids the limitations of phylogenetic footprinting as it does not depend upon sequence alignment. It utilizes existing gene annotation data, such as those available in GO, thus providing an alternative method for functional TF discovery and annotation.
Implementing Culture Change in Nursing Homes: An Adaptive Leadership Framework

Purpose of the Study: To describe key adaptive challenges and leadership behaviors to implement culture change for person-directed care.
The role of reported tobacco-specific media exposure on adult attitudes towards proposed policies to limit the portrayal of smoking in movies.

Objective To assess the relative, independent contribution of reported tobacco-specific media exposure (pro-tobacco advertising, anti-tobacco advertising, and news coverage of tobacco issues) to US adults9 support for policy efforts that aim to regulate the portrayal of smoking in movies. Methods Using the American Legacy Foundation9s 2003 American Smoking and Health Survey (ASHES-2), multivariable logistic regression was used to model the predicted probability that US adults support movie-specific tobacco control policies, by reported exposure to tobacco-specific media messages, controlling for smoking status, education, income, race/ethnicity, age, sex, knowledge of the negative effects of tobacco and state. Results Across most outcome variables under study, findings reveal that reported exposure to tobacco-specific media messages is associated with adult attitudes towards movie-specific policy measures. Most exposure to tobacco information in the media (with the exception of pro-tobacco advertising on the internet) contributes independently to the prediction of adult support for movie-specific policies. The direction of effect follows an expected pattern, with reported exposure to anti-tobacco advertising and news coverage of tobacco predicting supportive attitudes towards movie policies, and reported exposure to pro-tobacco advertising lessening support for some movie policies, though the medium of delivery makes a difference. Conclusion Media campaigns to prevent tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke have had value beyond the intended impact of single-issue campaigns; exposure to anti-tobacco campaigns and public dialogue about the dangers of tobacco seem also to be associated with shaping perceptions of the social world related to norms about tobacco, and ideas about regulating the portrayal of smoking in movies.
Internal Control of Hurricane Intensity Variability : The Dual Nature of Potential Vorticity Mixing

Abstract In hurricane eyewalls, the vertical stretching effect tends to produce an annular ring of high vorticity. Idealized, unforced nondivergent barotropic model results have suggested such rings of vorticity are often barotropically unstable, leading to strong asymmetric mixing events where vorticity is mixed inward into a more stable configuration. Such mixing events most often result in weakened maximum winds. The manner in which forcing modifies these unforced simulations remains an open question. In the current study, a forced, two-dimensional barotropic model is used to systematically study the sensitivity of vorticity rings to ring geometry and spatially and temporally varying forcing. The simulations reveal an internal mechanism that interrupts the intensification process resulting from vorticity generation in the hurricane eyewall. This internal control mechanism is due to vorticity mixing in the region of the eye and eyewall and can manifest itself in two antithetical forms—as a transient “in...
On-board road condition monitoring system using slip-based tyre-road friction estimation and wheel speed signal analysis:

AbstractThis paper presents an on-board road condition monitoring system. The road condition is continuously evaluated in terms of slipperiness and coarseness and is classified into four grades, normal (μmax ≤ 0.5), slippery (0.3 ≤ μmax< 0.5), very slippery (μmax< 0.3), and rough surface (gravel). A non-linear curve fitting technique is adopted to estimate the maximum tyre-road friction coefficient using the so-called ‘magic formula’. The characteristic of the relationship between friction coefficient and slip, i.e. the value of maximum friction coefficient μmax varies significantly with different surfaces, but its corresponding slip value λmax does not vary much, is exploited in the road condition classification algorithm. For surface coarseness analysis, a separate classifier based on the variance of filtered wheel speed signal is implemented. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the road condition monitoring system for detecting slippery and rough road surfaces in close to real-time. In ...
Inflammatory Aneurysm of the Ascending Aorta and Aortic Arch

Inflammatory aortic aneurysms are distinct clinical entities seen mostly in the infrarenal abdominal aorta and rarely in the descending thoracic aorta. We present the case of a 61-year-old woman with an inflammatory aortic aneurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic arch.
Towards in-situ calibration of gyro and Doppler navigation sensors for precision underwater vehicle navigation

Addresses a practical problem arising in the calibration of bottom-lock Doppler sonar for the navigation of underwater robot vehicles. Employing a least-squares method, the rotational alignment offset between a bottom-lock Doppler sonar and a north-seeking gyroscope can be experimentally determined using sensors commonly deployed with a vehicle in the field. It requires sensor values from the vehicle's Doppler sonar and 3-axis gyroscope, and absolute vehicle position fixes from a long-baseline or short-baseline acoustic navigation system. The performance of the calibration method is evaluated with simulated Doppler data possessing measurement noise typical of that found in actual in-water vehicle sensor data.
Validity and reliability of Omron pedometers for prescribed and self-paced walking.

HOLBROOK, E. A., T. V. BARREIRA, and M. KANG. Validity and Reliability of Omron Pedometers for Prescribed and Self-Paced Walking. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 669–673, 2009. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability evidence for the Omron Healthcare HJ-151 and HJ-720ITC pedometers for prescribed and self-paced walking. Methods: A total of 47 adults (24 males, 23 females; age = 24 T 4.4 yr.; body mass index = 25.7 T 4.2 kgIm j2 ) participated in this study. Under prescribed walking conditions, 34 participants completed three randomized 100-m walking trials through a range of scripted walking speeds (slow, moderate, and very brisk) for each pedometer model. Under self-paced walking conditions, 31 participants completed one 1-mile walk on a standardized course for each model. HJ-151 pedometers were chosen at random from a pool of 54 devices and were worn along the waistband at the right hip, the left hip, and the midback, whereas HJ-720ITC pedometers were chosen from a pool of 24 devices and incorporated right pocket, left pocket, and backpack positions in addition to the three waist-mounted sites. Absolute percent error (APE) scores were calculated to examine pedometer accuracy between actual steps (a criterion measure) and pedometerdetermined steps. Coefficient of variation (CoV) was computed to describe interdevice reliability. Results: With the exception of the HJ-720ITC at the backpack position in the prescribed walking setting (mean APE = 3.4%), the HJ-151 and the HJ-720ITC accurately reported step counts under prescribed and self-paced conditions (all APE values G3.0%). Moreover, interdevice reliability evidence was established for the HJ-151 and the HJ-720ITC under prescribed and self-paced conditions (all CoV values G2.1%). Conclusions: The Omron HJ-151 and HJ-720ITC pedometers demonstrated validity and reliability at various mounting positions under prescribed and
Biochemical mechanisms of resistance to insects in soybean: extraction and fractionation of antifeedants

Leaf extractables/fractions obtained from the leaves of soyabean PI 227687 showed greater antifeedant activity to 3rd-instar larvae of Trichoplusia ni. Extracting leaves using ethyl acetate followed by 60% methanol, and counter-current partitioning of leaf extractables between ethyl acetate, water and hexane was not a suitable method for the isolation of antifeedants. Methanol (60%) in water extracted most of the antifeedants from leaves, and this extract, when partitioned between ethyl acetate and water (the latter repeatedly extracted with the former), concentrated the antifeedants from soyabean leaves for further processing on TLC or HPLC. There were quantitative differences in the ethyl acetate fraction of PI 227687 (6%) and Davis (3.2%), and in flavonoids resolved at Rf 0.10-0.20 in benzene/ethyl acetate/methanol (in the ratio 4:3:3). Most of the flavonoids with antifeedant activity were resolved at Rf 0.10-0.80. The antifeedant activity of flavonoid bands from PI 227687 was greater than the corresponding bands of Davis.
Violence and illegal drug use among adolescents: Evidence from the U.S. National Adolescent Student Health Survey

The relationships between violence, drug use, and victimization were examined in a representative sample of American adolescents. The commonly used illegal drugs (marijuana, amyl/butyl nitrites, psychedelics, amphetamines, and cocaine) and alcohol were considered. Drug users, compared to nonusers, fought more, took more risks which predisposed them to assault, and were assaulted more both at school and outside school supervision. Adolescents who were victims at school were also more likely to be victimized outside of school supervision. This study clearly demonstrates that the aggressor may also be the victim, and that illegal drug/alcohol use is related to victimization.
Maze Test Performance and Reported Driving Ability in Early Dementia

A battery of standard neuropsychological tests examining various features of executive function, attention, and visual perception was administered to 27 subjects with questionable to mild dementia and compared to a 4-point caregiver rating scale of driving ability. Based on the results of this study, a computerized maze task, employing 10 mazes, was administered to a second sample of 40 normal elders and questionable to moderately demented drivers. Comparison was made to the same caregiver rating scale as well as to crash frequency. In the first study of neuropsychological tests, errors on Porteus Mazes emerged as the only significant predictor of driving ability in a stepwise regression analysis. In the follow-up study employing the computerized mazes, all 10 mazes were significantly related to driving ability ratings. Computerized tests of maze performance offer promise as a screening tool to identify potential driving impairment among cognitively impaired elderly and demented drivers.
Homicide in Los Angeles, 1827-2002

An analysis of nearly two centuries of homicide data that stretch back to the Mexican period for the city and county of Los Angeles reveal a long history of violence in the region, one in which the homicide rate has consistently been higher than that of other major cities. Such factors as national culture, regional differences, demographics, economics, and political structure help to account for the persistence of this pattern. Does this traditional tolerance for violence and homicide in Los Angeles signify a local articulation of what is deemed normal, and could long-term efforts be devised to counter it?
Probing Surface Charge Fluctuations with Solid-State Nanopores

We identify a contribution to the ionic current noise spectrum in solid-state nanopores that exceeds all other noise sources in the frequency band 0.1–10 kHz. Experimental studies of the dependence of this excess noise on pH and electrolyte concentration indicate that the noise arises from surface charge fluctuations. A quantitative model based on surface functional group protonization predicts the observed behaviors and allows us to locally measure protonization reaction rates. This noise can be minimized by operating the nanopore at a deliberately chosen pH.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Dioecy in Monocotyledons.

abstract: Surveys of plant breeding systems in angiosperm families have shown a significant association between monoecy and dioecy, and researchers have proposed that dioecy has tended to evolve from monoecy. We evaluated this hypothesis in the context of a phylogeny of 918 monocotyledons assembled from 19 published trees. Binary and multistate breeding system characters were mapped onto a set of composite trees, and alternative models of character change were compared using maximum likelihood. Over a range of tree topologies and optimizations, we found three to eight times as many changes from hermaphroditism to dioecy as we did from monoecy to dioecy. Also, the rate at which monoecy gave rise to dioecy was not significantly higher than the rate at which hermaphroditism gave rise to dioecy. Our analysis implies that the correlation of monoecy and dioecy in angiosperm families does not reflect a preponderance of changes from monoecy to dioecy. Instead, we postulate that the family‐level correlation result...
Relationships Between Wintering Waterbirds and Invertebrates, Sediments and Hydrology of Coastal Marsh Ponds

Abstract We studied relationships among sediment variables (carbon content, C:N, hardness, oxygen penetration, silt-clay fraction), hydrologic variables (dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, transparency, water depth), sizes and biomass of common invertebrate classes, and densities of 15 common waterbird species in ponds of impounded freshwater, oligohaline, mesohaline, and unimpounded mesohaline marshes during winters 1997-98 to 1999-2000 on Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana, USA. Canonical correspondence analysis and forward selection was used to analyze the above variables. Water depth and oxygen penetration were the variables that best segregated habitat characteristics that resulted in maximum densities of common waterbird species. Most common waterbird species were associated with specific marsh types, except Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) and Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata). We concluded that hydrologic manipulation of marsh ponds is the best way to manage habitats for these birds...
A Reduced-Order Information Filter for Multilayer Shallow-Water Models: Profiling and Assimilation of Sea Surface Height

Abstract A reduced-order information filter (ROIF) for the Miami Isopycnal Coordinate Ocean Model (MICOM) is implemented for assimilation of the TOPEX/Poseidon sea surface height (SSH) data. ROIF is an approximate Kalman filter that compactly parameterizes the covariance matrix using a Gaussian–Markov random field. Performance of the assimilation system is investigated through observation system simulation experiments in an identical twin scenario. An adiabatic and eddy-resolving (20-km horizontal resolution) configuration for double-gyre simulation, as well as a more realistic North Atlantic model with thermodynamics, are considered. In each case, a 180-day assimilation window is found sufficient to reconstruct the surface layer topography by assimilating the SSH data sampled under the satellite tracks. The reconstructed geometric features, such as jet meanders, are found to be qualitatively accurate. A subsequent forecast run (without data assimilation) has also remained stable and accurate. An importan...
The Rainfall Annual Cycle Bias over East Africa in CMIP5 Coupled Climate Models

AbstractEast Africa has two rainy seasons: the long rains [March–May (MAM)] and the short rains [October–December (OND)]. Most CMIP3/5 coupled models overestimate the short rains while underestimating the long rains. In this study, the East African rainfall bias is investigated by comparing the coupled historical simulations from CMIP5 to the corresponding SST-forced AMIP simulations. Much of the investigation is focused on the MRI-CGCM3 model, which successfully reproduces the observed rainfall annual cycle in East Africa in the AMIP experiment but its coupled historical simulation has a similar but stronger bias as the coupled multimodel mean. The historical–AMIP monthly climatology rainfall bias in East Africa can be explained by the bias in the convective instability (CI), which is dominated by the near-surface moisture static energy (MSE) and ultimately by the MSE’s moisture component. The near-surface MSE bias is modulated by the sea surface temperature (SST) over the western Indian Ocean. The warm ...
A 10 Gb/s Hybrid ADC-Based Receiver With Embedded Analog and Per-Symbol Dynamically Enabled Digital Equalization

While analog-to-digital converter (ADC)-based serial link receivers enable powerful digital equalization for high data rate operation, the ADC and digital equalization power consumption is a key concern in applications that support operation over a wide range of channels with varying amounts of intersymbol interference (ISI). This paper presents a hybrid ADC-based receiver architecture which employs a 3-tap analog feed-forward equalizer (FFE) embedded inside a 6 bit asynchronous successive approximation register (SAR) ADC and a per-symbol dynamically enabled digital equalizer, resulting in both reduced equalizer complexity and power consumption. Fabricated in general purpose (GP) 65 nm CMOS, the hybrid ADC-based receiver occupies $0. 81\; \text{mm}^{2}$ area. 10 Gb/s operation is verified for FR4 channels with up to 36.4 dB attenuation, with the proposed dynamic enabling of the digital 4-tap FFE and 3-tap decision feedback equalizer (DFE) on a per-symbol basis resulting in nearly 30 mW savings and an overall receiver power less than 90 mW.
The Birth of Wallace Lin

You know you've been around a long time when you realize you can catalog your place among literary multicultural trivia: My picture is in Ishmael Reed's novel, Mumbo Jumbo, I met Frank Chin when I was a nineteen-year-old junior at UC Berkeley and he bought me my first cappuccino, the main character in Kay Boyle's novel, The Underground Woman, thinks of me by name and quotes from my novel, Homebase, while sitting in prison, and I've known Leslie Silko before either of us ever published a book. A review copy of Maxine Hong Kingston's book The Woman Warrior was sent to me just before its publication in 1976 and I gave it to Frank Chin (yes, it's all my fault), saying something like, "This is an interesting book. . ." And, one of the greatest literary debates/war began.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Support of Transplantation

The dramatic increase in the number and type of transplant procedures performed has required support from the therapeutic drug monitoring laboratory. Of the immunosuppressive agents used, only cyclosporine has been shown to require routine monitoring for individualization of therapy. Cyclosporine monitoring has a number of controversial aspects, including the sample matrix and the analytical method employed. Transplant patients are also sometimes subject to impressive polypharmacy as a result of their severe illness, a factor which necessitates careful attention to monitoring methods.
N-Type Doping and Diffusion of Impurities in Diamond

First-principles calculations were used to study Li, Na, and P as prospective shallow donors in diamond. As expected, P prefers the substitutional site while Li and Na are interstitial donors. All three impurities were found to be shallow. However, their solubilities are very low, which makes them unsuitable for incorporation into diamond via in-diffusion. Instead, kinetic trapping during growth or ion implantation must be used. Interstitial impurities are particularly appropriate for ion implantation, since there is no need to replace host atoms. Considering the stability of the impurity at the dopant site, substitutional P is expected to diffuse by the vacancy mechanism and to have a high activation energy by analogy to self-diffusion. For Li and Na, the activation energies for interstitial channel diffusion are 0.85 and 1.6 eV, respectively. Li is thus a fast diffuser even at room temperature, while Na would remain stable up to moderate temperatures.
Effects of Gas or Vapor Adsorption on Adhesion, Friction, and Wear of Solid Interfaces

The adsorption of vapor molecules plays an important role in countless fields and is increasingly realized to be critical in tribology, which encompasses adhesion, friction, and wear of surfaces. This feature article reviews experimental methods for quantifying gas and vapor adsorption on flat solid surfaces under equilibrium conditions (ambient pressure and temperature) as well as the effects of these adsorbates on the adhesion, friction, and wear of various materials. Particular attention is given to species that are present in the ambient environment such as water (humidity) and organic vapors. These adsorbed species can have drastic yet varied influences on tribology depending on the surface chemistry of materials. Despite prolonged and ubiquitous observations in a broad range of materials and vapors, a fundamental understanding of the effect of adsorbed gases and vapors on the adhesion, friction, and wear of surfaces has begun only recently through surface-sensitive characterization.
Inguinal and Umbilical Hernia Repair in Infants and Children

Inguinal hernia repair is the most common operation performed in infants and children. In this article, the embryology, clinical presentation, and treatment of congenital inguinal hernias and umbilical hernias in children are reviewed. Specific attention is directed to such topics as the incarcerated hernia, hernias in girls, hernia repair in premature infants, and anesthetic considerations.
A Pilot Open Trial of Cognitive Bias Modification for Panic Disorder

Although cognitive biases are involved in the maintenance of panic disorder (PD), cognitive bias modification (CBM) has not been tested in PD. The current study developed and piloted a combined CBM-attention/CBM-interpretation PD treatment to determine initial acceptability and efficacy. Ten individuals diagnosed with PD (nine with Agoraphobia) were asked to complete 8, 20-min sessions of a CBM-A (Dot Probe task with fearful faces) and CBM-I (Word-Sentence Association Paradigm) intervention. Cognitive bias, panic symptom severity, and anxiety during interoceptive exercises were assessed at pre- and post-assessments. At post-treatment, participants showed increased benign interpretations, reduced threat interpretations of ambiguous panic situations, and reported significantly less severe panic symptoms with six individuals meeting criteria for remission. Anticipatory anxiety for interoceptive exercises decreased following treatment, but duration of exercises and anxiety following the exercises did not. Results suggest that further testing of the treatment and putative mechanisms of action is warranted.
Trajectories of body mass indices and development of frailty: Evidence from the health and retirement study.

Objective To estimate trajectories of body mass index (BMI) and determine their association with incident frailty in later life. Methods Data come from the 2004 to 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal survey of older adults. Analysis was restricted to respondents who were not frail at baseline (n = 10,827). BMI (kg/m2) was calculated from self-reported weight and height. Incident frailty was assessed using the Frailty Index. Longitudinal growth mixture modeling was used to estimate the relationship between BMI trajectories and incident frailty over a 10-year period. Results Four trajectory classes were identified: weight gain (n = 162 [1.4%], mean final BMI = 42 kg/m2), weight loss (n = 171 [1.7%], mean final BMI = 25.0 kg/m2), consistent obesity (n = 640 [6.8%], mean final BMI = 34.7 kg/m2), and consistent overweight (n = 9,864 [90.1%] mean final BMI = 26.0 kg/m2). Cumulative incidence of frailty was 19.9%. Relative to the consistent overweight class, the weight gain class had the highest likelihood of incident frailty (odds ratio, OR: 3.61, 95% confidence interval, CI: 2.39–5.46). The consistent obesity (OR: 2.72, 95% CI: 2.06–3.58) and weight loss (OR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.84–4.30) classes had similarly elevated risk of frailty. Conclusions Weight change and obesity are associated with risk of frailty.
Mediations on a Digital Workforce

Abstract The work presented here ranges from small-scale interventions on Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk virtual crowdsourcing job board to collaborations with the Turkers (workers) for exhibition and festival play. Virtual job boards have a tendency to commodify digital labor, often resulting in exploitative practices. In these works, the author offers the Turkers a reprieve from the tensions between play and labor (play/bor) with an opportunity to express themselves while being paid for their creativity.
Experiencing the Thirty Years’ War: Autobiographical Writings by Members of Religious Orders in Bavaria

The following analysis focuses on the Thirty Years’ War during the first half of the 1630s and is based on select narrative accounts of Religiosi in Bavaria.The texts predominantly express feelings of fear, displacement, disruption and instability. While flights held out hope of survival for the individual, they tore apart the community, the crucial framework through which life could be sustained and catastrophic experiences digested. The Religiosi fell back on a variety of strategies to survive the disaster. They sought news and information about the local military situation as well as the larger events and developments of the war. This thirst for information went hand in hand with a keen sense of realism and pragmatism in dealing with the war.
Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane under a cyclic redox scheme – Process simulations and analysis

Abstract Steam cracking of ethane is an energy intensive process (15–25 GJ th /tonne ethylene) involving significant coke formation and CO 2 /NO x emissions. We propose an alternative two-step redox (or chemical looping) oxidative dehydrogenation (CL-ODH) scheme where hydrogen, produced from ethane cracking, is selectively oxidized by lattice oxygen from a redox catalyst, in the first step. Regeneration of the lattice oxygen in a subsequent step heats the redox catalyst, with the sensible heat providing the thermal energy needed for the cracking reaction. The overall process provides minimal parasitic energy loss and significantly reduced CO 2 /NO x formation, while favoring ethylene formation through the removal of hydrogen. In the current study, the CL-ODH process is simulated with ASPEN Plus ® using experimental data on a Mn-based redox catalyst. The CL-ODH is compared with steam cracking for an ethylene production capacity of 1 million tonne/year. Results indicate that the CL-ODH process, with 85% single-pass ethane conversion, provides 82% reduction in overall energy demand and 82% reduction in CO 2 emissions. The overall downstream section consumes approximately 23.5% less energy, with 32.1% less compression work. Increase in the ethane conversion further reduces the energy demand downstream. For every tonne of ethylene, the process has 7.35 GJ th excess fuel energy whereas cracking requires an external fuel input of 1.42 GJ th.
Dietary Patterns Among Overweight and Obese African-American Women Living in the Rural South.

Obesity and chronic diseases disproportionately affect African-American women in the rural South (US) and may be influenced by adherence to a typical Southern-style diet. There is a need to examine dietary patterns of this population and to determine if consumption of nutritionally rich foods like nuts is associated with consumption of other nutritious foods. The objectives of this study were to identify (1) dietary patterns of overweight/obese African-American women in the rural South; (2) the role that nuts play in the diet; (3) and adherence to federal food group recommendations across dietary patterns. Secondary data analysis of two baseline 24-h dietary recalls was performed on 383 overweight/obese African-American women enrolled in a weight loss intervention in Alabama and Mississippi between 2011 and 2013. Cluster analysis identified dietary patterns. t tests and chi-square tests tested demographic and dietary differences across clusters. The proportion of women in each cluster who met federal recommendations for fruit, vegetable, nuts, added sugar, and sodium intake was calculated. Two dietary patterns were found. Nut intake frequency was higher in cluster 2 (P < .001), which was characterized by a higher intake frequency of fruits and vegetables, but high mean daily intake of added sugar (12.26 ± 7.67 tsp) and sodium (2800 ± 881 mg). Ninety-two percent of participants in this cluster consumed red/processed meats daily. Even among women in this population who consume a more plant-based dietary pattern containing nuts, there is still a need to decrease intake of added sugar, sodium, and red meat.
Selenium accumulation in benthic bivalves and fine sediments of San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and selected tributaries

Abstract Spatial distributions of selenium were determined in fine-grained, oxidized, surface sediments and in two benthic bivalves (Corbicula sp., a suspension-feeding freshwater clam, and Macoma balthica, a deposit-feeding brackish-water clam) within San Francisco Bay, the San Joaquin River and three river systems unlikely to be subject to selenium inputs. Biologically available selenium enters the middle reaches of the San Joaquin River from agricultural runoff. However, selenium concentrations in sediments and Corbicula in the lower San Joaquin, upstream from San Francisco Bay, were not significantly different from concentrations in rivers with no known selenium inputs. Biologically available selenium did not appear to enter the northernmost reach of San Francisco Bay from the San Joaquin River in levels which could measurably influence bioaccumulation by Corbicula. Selenium concentrations in Corbicula were enriched in the northernmost reach of San Francisco Bay compared with the rivers, but several lines of evidence suggested that local inputs (perhaps from urban/industrial waste discharges) were the most important sources. Selenium concentrations in Macoma balthica were also elevated at one station in the northern reach of the Bay and at one station in the extreme South Bay. However, no enrichment was evident at two other stations, suggesting a lack of bay-wide contamination. No significant correlation between selenium and mercury concentrations in Corbicula tissues was observed.
Biology and control of the rednecked cane borer, Agrilus ruficollis (F.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), on blackberries in Arkansas.

Studies of methods for adult detection, development and control of the rednecked cane borer (RNCB), Agrilus ruficollis (F.), in blackberries were conducted in Goshen and Fayetteville, Arkansas from 1984 through 1987. Colored sticky traps were shown to be ineffective since they captured a total of only 13 RNCB adults over a two-year period. Pupae began to transform to inactive adults by 2 May 1985, 29 April 1986 and 4 May 1987. The earliest reported emergence of RNCB adults was between 22 and 29 April 1986. The latest completion of adult emergence was 8 June 1987. Adults in the field emerged from blackberry canes over a two to four week period. Adults that emerged in the insectary in 1984 lived for 13.4 days ± 1.7 SEM. Insecticide evaluations demonstrated that sprays of malathion, chlorpyrifos and methoxychlor resulted in adequate control of RNCB. Carbaryl did kill RNCB adults quickly as noted by 75 percent mortality inside exit holes, but a more frequent spray schedule would be required to give adequate c...
The benefits of a low dose complex carbohydrate/citrulline electrolyte solution for preoperative carbohydrate loading: Focus on glycemic variability.

Abstract Background Perioperative insulin resistance is associated with significant hyperglycemia-related morbidity in patients undergoing major surgery. We sought to assess the effect of preoperative loading with a low-dose maltodextrin/citrulline solution compared to a commercially available sports drink on glycemic levels in an established colorectal enhanced recovery program. Methods Retrospective analysis was undertaken of elective non-diabetic colectomies and enterectomies from January 2016–March 2017. Cohorts included simple (SIM) and complex carbohydrate (COM) groups. Statistical analysis was performed with linear and logarithmic regression. Results 83 patients were included (42 SIM, 41 COM). SIM group was older (61.7 vs 52.7 p = 0.012) Glycemic variability was less in the COM group (7.6% vs 21.4% P = 0.034). The frequency of hyperglycemia, postoperative complications, and length of stay trended higher in the SIM group. Conclusions This retrospective analysis identifies significant improvement in the perioperative glycemic variability with preoperative low dose complex carbohydrate loading compared to simple carbohydrate loading in colorectal surgery patients.
UNIQUENESS THEOREMS FOR MAPPINGS OF FINITE DISTORTION

In this paper we prove uniqueness theorems for mappings of finite distortion satisfying some integrability conditions. These types of theorems fundamentally state that if a mapping defined in has the same boundary limit on a ‘relatively large’ set , then the mapping is constant. Here the size of the set is measured in terms of its -capacity or equivalently its Hausdorff dimension.