cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An examination of prison misconduct among older inmates

One of the consistent research findings is the relationship between age and inmate misconduct. Previous research indicates that as inmates age, they are generally involved in less-deviant behavior and less-violent behavior, thus showing an inverse relationship between age and inmate deviant behavior. However, most of the previous studies examining age focused attention on comparing young offenders with middle-age offenders. The unique challenges faced by older inmates may complicate adjustment as these offenders struggle to fit into facilities that were not designed to house older offenders. Using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, we examine the types of violations committed by older versus younger inmates. The findings suggest that there are important differences in the factors associated with misconduct for older inmates as compared to younger prisoners and point to the need to further explore how to best manage the aging prisoner population.
The effects of mental health symptoms and marijuana expectancies on marijuana use and consequences among at-risk adolescents.

Based on expectancy theory, adolescents at risk for mental health symptoms, such as those involved in the juvenile court system, may use marijuana due to the belief that use will attenuate anxiety and depressive symptoms. In a diverse sample of youth involved in the Santa Barbara Teen Court system (N = 193), we examined the association between mental health symptoms and marijuana expectancies on marijuana use and consequences. In general, stronger positive expectancies and weaker negative expectancies were both associated with increased marijuana use. Youth who reported more symptoms of both anxiety and depression, and stronger positive expectancies for marijuana also reported more consequences. We found that youth experiencing the greatest level of consequences from marijuana were those who reported more depressive symptoms and stronger positive expectancies for marijuana. Findings suggest that these symptoms, combined with strong positive expectancies about marijuana’s effects, have implications for con...
Intrathecal Morphine As Analgesia For Labor Pain

In this descriptive study of intrathecal morphine sulfate used for pain control during labor, 49 parturients received morphine intrathecally, 78 were administered butorphanol tartrate (Stadol), and 34 received no analgesia. Significant differences for the intrathecal group included: (1) decreased requirement of nitrous oxide for delivery, (2) lower number of doses of postpartum intramuscular pain medication, and (3) increased use of forceps. The intrathecal morphine group showed no prolongation of labor and no major side effects in mothers or newborns. The results suggest that the use of lower levels of intrathecal morphine sulfate (0.5 mg) is as safe and effective as the more traditional intravenous analgesia for labor.
Discrete and infinite coordination arrays derived from a template-directed, solid-state, organic synthesis

A product derived from a template-directed, organic, solid-state synthesis, rctt-tetrakis(2-pyridyl)cyclobutane (2,2′-tpcb), serves as a bis-chelating ligand upon reaction with Cu(NO3)2·2.5H2O and CuSO4·5H2O to produce discrete and infinite coordination arrays, [Cu2(NO3)4(μ-2,2′-tpcb)] (1) and [Cu2(μ2-SO4)2(μ-2,2′-tpcb)(H2O)2]n·9H2O (2), respectively.
A Modular Stand-Alone Monitor and Control System (Samac)

Large high energy physics experiments require constant monitoring and control of the numerous components of the particle detector apparatus. This paper describes a basic hardware configuration which has been designed to satisfy the monitoring and control requirements of the many different experimental setups. The system is designed to operate in the stand-alone mode, and may be interfaced to a host computer via CAMAC. The entire system is modular so that it can be easily tailored to an individual experiment. The items monitored and/or controlled may include gas pressures, temperatures, magnetic fields, high and low voltages, and system status or safety information.
Blood Transfusion Practices in Dialysis Patients in a Dynamic Regulatory Environment

Background In 2011, Medicare implemented a prospective payment system (PPS) covering an expanded bundle of services that excluded blood transfusions. This led to concern about inappropriate substitution of transfusions for other anemia management methods. Study Design Medicare claims were used to calculate transfusion rates among dialysis patients pre- and post-PPS. Linear probability regressions adjusted transfusion trends for patient characteristics. Setting & Participants Dialysis patients for whom Medicare was the primary payer between 2008 and 2012. Predictor Pre-PPS (2008-2010) versus post-PPS (2011-2012). Outcomes & Measurements Monthly and annual probability of receiving one or more blood transfusions. Results Monthly rates of one or more transfusions varied from 3.8%-4.8% and tended to be lowest in 2010. Annual rates of transfusion events per patient were ∼10% higher in relative terms post-PPS, but the absolute magnitude of the increase was modest (∼0.05 events/patient). A larger proportion received 4 or more transfusions (3.3% in 2011 and 2012 vs 2.7%-2.8% in prior years). Controlling for patient characteristics, the monthly probability of receiving a transfusion was significantly higher post-PPS (β=0.0034; P Limitations Possible underidentification of transfusions in the Medicare claims, particularly in the inpatient setting. Also, we do not observe which patients might be appropriate candidates for kidney transplantation. Conclusions Transfusion rates increased post-PPS, but these increases were modest in both absolute and relative terms. The largest increase occurred for patients already receiving several transfusions. Although these findings may reduce concerns regarding the impact of Medicare's PPS on inappropriate transfusions that impair access to kidney transplantation or stress blood bank resources, transfusions should continue to be monitored.
Improved Frequency-Domain Channel Estimation for Fast Time-Varying MIMO-SCFDE Channels

A frequency-domain channel estimation method is proposed for time-varying multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) single-carrier frequency-domain equalization (SC-FDE). The proposed method uses frequency-domain interpolation to obtain channel frequency responses of data blocks from estimated responses of two adjacent pilot blocks. It takes the channel temporal-spatial correlation into account to achieve minimum mean squared error (MMSE) estimation, thus improving the accuracy and effectiveness in high Doppler scenarios. The simulation results of the bit error rate (BER) performances show that the proposed method works well for fast time-varying channels with Doppler spread as high as 300 Hz while maintaining over 70% data efficiency.
Program counter-based prediction techniques for dynamic power management

Reducing energy consumption has become one of the major challenges in designing future computing systems. This paper proposes a novel idea of using program counters to predict I/O activities in the operating system. It presents a complete design of program-counter access predictor (PCAP) that dynamically learns the access patterns of applications and predicts when an I/O device can be shut down to save energy. PCAP uses path-based correlation to observe a particular sequence of program counters leading to each idle period and predicts future occurrences of that idle period. PCAP differs from previously proposed shutdown predictors in its ability to: 1) correlate I/O operations to particular behavior of the applications and users, 2) carry prediction information across multiple executions of the applications, and 3) attain higher energy savings while incurring lower mispredictions. We perform an extensive evaluation study of PCAP using a detailed trace-driven simulation and an actual Linux implementation. Our results show that PCAP achieves lower average mispredictions and higher energy savings than the simple timeout scheme and the state-of-the-art learning tree scheme
New wavelet-based video coding scheme

A wavelet-based video compression scheme that combines a tree coder and the multiresolution motion estimation (MRME) is presented in this paper. Based on the correlation between wavelet coefficients in interlevel subbands, tree coders outperform DCT-based transform coders for still images, especially at low bit rates. They also offer many advantages such as: (1) they support progressive transmission, (2) they have control over the bit rate, (3) they eliminate blocky artifacts and (4) their image quality degrades smoothly versus lowering bit rates. In addition, multiscale wavelet representation of an image facilitates the application of the coder in the video communication environment to satisfy quality and resolution requirements from video phones to HDTV. Using multiresolution representation of successive images in a sequence, MRME offers an effective fast algorithm for block-based motion estimation/compensation. Motion vectors between successive frames at the lowest resolution are used as the reference for motion estimation at higher resolutions. Choosing a smaller block size at a lower resolution and a smaller window size at a higher resolution can speed up the time-consuming computation for motion estimation. By arranging its roots, a block-based tree coder can be used for encoding areas that cannot be easily predicted. A simplified frame and block classification used in MPEG-1 are applied adaptively for different scenes and areas. Preliminary results show that this approach is effective in decreasing computational complexity and bit rate. Further optimization and expansion of the basic scheme can make it applicable for video transmission under various bandwidth limitations.
A Bibliography of the Cotton Leafperforator, Bucculatrix thurberiella, and a Related Species, Bucculatrix gossypiella, That Also Feeds on Cotton (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)

The cotton leafperforator specializes on a single food plant (the leaves of cotton, Gossypium spp.) as is characteristic of most congeneric species (see Braun 1963). Its first three larval instars are miners that cause relatively little damage, but the fourth and fifth instars inflict considerable damage while feeding externally on the leaf's surface. Cotton plants heavily infested with the cotton leafperforator can be completely defoliated.
Properties of warm dense polystyrene plasmas along the principal Hugoniot

Polystyrene (CH) is often chosen as the ablator material for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. Its static, dynamical, and optical properties in warm, dense conditions (due to shock compression) are important for ICF designs. Using the first-principles quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) method, we have investigated the equation of state (EOS) and optical reflectivity of shock-compressed CH up to an unprecedentedly high pressure of 62 Mbar along the principal Hugoniot. The QMD results are compared with existing experimental measurements as well as the SESAME EOS model. Although the Hugoniot pressure and/or temperature from QMD calculations agrees with experiments and the SESAME EOS model at low pressures below 10 Mbar, we have identified for the first time a stiffer behavior of shocked CH at higher pressures (g10 Mbar). Such a stiffer behavior of warm, dense CH can affect the ablation pressure (shock strength), shock coalescence dynamics, and nonuniformity growth in ICF implosions. In addition, we corrected the mistake made in literature for calculating the reflectivity of shocked CH and obtained good agreements with experimental measurements, which should lend credence to future opacity calculations in a first-principles fashion.
Occupational Health Surveillance of Workers Exposed to Toxic Environment in Xiamen City

[Objective] To analyze the situation of occupational health surveillance and the characteristics of occupational diseases in Xiamen City,and provide evidence for developing control strategies.[Methods]A descriptive study was performed on the occupational health surveillance and the incidence of occupational diseases during 2006-2009 in Xiamen City.① The health surveillance data collected from enterprises of different type,different scale and different risk factors were analyzed.② The change of examination rate and occupational structure were analyzed,as well as the incidence of pneumoconiosis.[Results]①The total exposure rate was 14.08% in 2009,and the occupational health examination was 88.88%.The difference of examination rate between enterprises of different scale was significant(P0.05).The major occupational hazard was dust,and the main disease was pneumoconiosis.②The annual average examination rate in the past 4 was over 75%.The data of 2006-2007 were defined as Group 1,and the data of 2008-2009 as Group 2.The data of chemical emphasis guardianship,the suspected detection rate and physical suspected detection rate in Group 2 were significantly higher than those in Group 1(P0.01,P0.05,P0.01).The dust and physical emphasis detection rate were significantly lower than Group 1(P0.05).The pneumoconiosis patients tended to be younger.The most were welders.[Conclusion]Xiamen City has initially established a standardized system of occupational health surveillance system.The major occupational hazard is dust,and the major occupational disease is pneumoconiosis.The focus of future work is to strengthen the occupational health surveillance,meanwhile the employing unit should establish and perfect the management mechanism of prevention of occupational diseases,and the hygiene department should enhance the occupational health supervision on enterprises.
Inhibitory Effects of Urinary Calcium-Binding Substances on Calcium Oxalate Crystallization

Abstract Urinary macromolecules from 1,000 to 50,000 daltons were concentrated by ultrafiltration and separated by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration chromatography. Fractions were assayed for calcium binding activity, uronic acid content and tested for their effect on calcium oxalate seeded crystal growth. The calcium binding material inhibited calcium oxalate crystal growth and the degree of inhibition was directly related to uronic acid content. The role of these macromolecules in calcium oxalate stone formation is discussed.
Comparison of Nitrogen Adsorption and Mercury Penetration Results: II. Pore size Distributions Calculated from Type IV Isotherm Data:

The pore distributions calculated from nitrogen desorption and from mercury penetration data are similar for the four materials utilized in this study. While there are small differences in the dist...
On Movement, Structure and Abstraction in Generative Audiovisual Improvisation.

paper overviews audiovisual performance systems that form the basis for my recent collaborations with improvising musicians. Simulations of natural processes, such as fluid dynamics and flocking, provide the foundations for "organic"- looking movement and evolution of abstract visual components. In addition, visual components can morph between abstract non-referential configurations and pre-defined images, symbols or shapes. High-level behavioral characteristics of the visual components are influenced by real- time gestural or audio input; each system constitutes a responsive environment that participating musicians interact with during a performance.
Samuel Hahnemann: Rebarbative Genius

Homeopathy is the name given to a system of medicine by its founder, Samuel Hahnemann. This system dates back to the Age of Enlightenment and includes among its basic tenets: (1) the principle of similars, often expressed in Latin as similia similibus curentur (“let likes be cured by likes”), (2) use of doses far below those typically given in regular medicine, (3) belief in the curative powers of the body, (4) existence of a seamless connection between mind and body, (5) belief in enhanced sensitivity of the diseased organism to drugs and extraneous stimuli, and (6) long-term benefits from single or intermittent dosing. For all his brilliance, Hahnemann’s confrontational manner alienated friend and foe alike, yet his new system of medicine grew rapidly and globally. However, Hahnemann’s personality and the apparent implausibility of homeopathic doctrines have forever marginalized homeopathy from mainstream medicine. Homeopathy can be better understood by taking into account the genius, creativity, energy, and flaws of its founder.
Redescription and Phylogenetic Placement of †Hemicalypterus weiri Schaeffer, 1967 (Actinopterygii, Neopterygii) from the Triassic Chinle Formation, Southwestern United States: New Insights into Morphology, Ecological Niche, and Phylogeny

The actinopterygian fish †Hemicalypterus weiri Schaeffer, 1967 is herein redescribed and rediagnosed based on new information collected from reexamination of museum specimens as well as examination of recently collected specimens from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of San Juan County, Utah, United States. †Hemicalypterus is distinguishable by its deep, disc-shaped compressed body; ganoid-scaled anterior half and scaleless posterior half; spinose, prominent dorsal and ventral ridge scales anterior to dorsal and anal fins; hem-like dorsal and anal fins with rounded distal margins; small mouth gape; and specialized, multicuspid dentition. This type of dentition, when observed in extant fishes, is often associated with herbivory, and †Hemicalypterus represents the oldest known ray-finned fish to have possibly exploited an herbivorous trophic feeding niche. A phylogenetic analysis infers a placement of †Hemicalypterus within †Dapediiformes, with †Dapediiformes being recovered as sister to Ginglymodi within holostean actinopterygians.
Th17 Cells Are More Protective Than Th1 Cells Against the Intracellular Parasite Trypanosoma cruzi

Th17 cells are a subset of CD4+ T cells known to play a central role in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, as well as in the defense against some extracellular bacteria and fungi. However, Th17 cells are not believed to have a significant function against intracellular infections. In contrast to this paradigm, we have discovered that Th17 cells provide robust protection against Trypanosoma cruzi, the intracellular protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. Th17 cells confer significantly stronger protection against T. cruzi-related mortality than even Th1 cells, traditionally thought to be the CD4+ T cell subset most important for immunity to T. cruzi and other intracellular microorganisms. Mechanistically, Th17 cells can directly protect infected cells through the IL-17A-dependent induction of NADPH oxidase, involved in the phagocyte respiratory burst response, and provide indirect help through IL-21-dependent activation of CD8+ T cells. The discovery of these novel Th17 cell-mediated direct protective and indirect helper effects important for intracellular immunity highlights the diversity of Th17 cell roles, and increases understanding of protective T. cruzi immunity, aiding the development of therapeutics and vaccines for Chagas disease.
Radical Restorative Justice and the Practice of Listening: Lessons from South Africa

This chapter proposes that debates on restorative justice and comparative political thought might be usefully brought together and analyzed with attention to the theme of listening as a dimension of justice and political theory. Like contributions by Moore and Baxter, this chapter examines the theme of dialogue and its limits. It suggests that a major contribution of scholarly debates on restorative justice and comparative political thought is their role in exposing the importance, as well as the difficulty, of good listening as a dimension of theoretical dialogue. Drawing on theoretical debates on restorative justice among participants in the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process, the chapter reflects on why listening is difficult for political theorists and what it would mean to value and cultivate good listening as a dimension of political theory and restorative justice. In so doing, the chapter also reflects on the theme of “theory as politics” that is explored in several contributions to this volume, including chapters by O’Neill, Baxter, Gordy, London, and Thomas. More specifically, this chapter considers how political theorists might pursue important goals associated with restorative justice and comparative political thought by listening to the voices and ideas of political actors.
Arts Education as a Vehicle for Social Change: An Empirical Study of Eco Arts in the K-12 Classroom.

Arts education has been part of the United States K-12 educational system for over a century. However, recent administrative policy decisions addressed the economic bottom line and the 1983 report, A Nation at Risk, and complied with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 (U.S. Department of Education, 2001). These decisions resulted in standardisation of both core curricula and testing, leaving arts programs to function in a diminished capacity, curtailing both individuality and creative thinking. This study unpacks the role of the arts as change agents with the ability to: address current discourse; question ideologies and culture; convey complex problems in artistic form; engage the viewer in aesthetics; provide a perspective not found in regimented thinking; and empower creative problem solvers. This work also highlights the role of eco-art as a medium for addressing complex environmental challenges. The study also empirically examines, through a self-report survey, K-12 arts educators’ perceptions of integrating eco-arts into curricula. Findings revealed respondents’ desire to integrate eco-arts into the arts curricula and identified the most significantly perceived barriers to integration, as well as the role of policy on practicality. The authors also identify the study's limitations and recommend areas for future research.
Anti-Allergic Compounds in Chronic Pelvic Pain

One of the most common causes of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), a disorder affecting primarily women characterized by months of pain or discomfort over the supra-pubic/bladder area, along with frequency of urination in the absence of a urinary tract infection (UTI). The prevalence of IC/BPS has increased significantly and patients often present with other comorbid allergic or inflammatory diseases. The lack of precise pathogenesis has not allowed the development of curative therapies, but a combination of anti-allergic compounds can lead to substantial symptom reduction and improved quality of life.
Comparative Effectiveness of Patient-Controlled Analgesia for Treating Acute Pain in the Emergency Department

Study objective We assess the effectiveness of patient-controlled analgesia in the emergency department (ED). We hypothesized that decline in pain intensity from 30 to 120 minutes after initial intravenous opioid administration is greater in patients receiving morphine by patient-controlled analgesia compared with usual care and would differ by a clinically significant amount. Method This was a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of patient-controlled analgesia and usual care (opioid and dose at physician's discretion) in 4 EDs. Entry criteria included age 18 to 65 years and acute pain requiring intravenous opioids. The primary outcome was decline in numeric rating scale pain score 30 to 120 minutes postbaseline. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction, time to analgesia, adverse events, and patient-controlled analgesia pump-related problems. We used a mixed-effects linear model to compare rate of decline in pain (slope) between groups. A clinically significant difference between groups was defined as a difference in slopes equivalent to 1.3 numeric rating scale units. Results Six hundred thirty-six patients were enrolled. The rate of decline in pain from 30 to 120 minutes was greater for patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia than usual care (difference=1.0 numeric rating scale unit; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6 to 1.5; P Conclusion The findings of this study do not favor patient-controlled analgesia over usual ED care for acute pain management.
The influence of extratropical cloud phase and amount feedbacks on climate sensitivity

Global coupled climate models have large long-standing cloud and radiation biases, calling into question their ability to simulate climate and climate change. This study assesses the impact of reducing shortwave radiation biases on climate sensitivity within the Community Earth System Model (CESM). The model is modified by increasing supercooled cloud liquid to better match absorbed shortwave radiation observations over the Southern Ocean while tuning to reduce a compensating tropical shortwave bias. With a thermodynamic mixed-layer ocean, equilibrium warming in response to doubled CO2 increases from 4.1 K in the control to 5.6 K in the modified model. This 1.5 K increase in equilibrium climate sensitivity is caused by changes in two extratropical shortwave cloud feedbacks. First, reduced conversion of cloud ice to liquid at high southern latitudes decreases the magnitude of a negative cloud phase feedback. Second, warming is amplified in the mid-latitudes by a larger positive shortwave cloud feedback. The positive cloud feedback, usually associated with the subtropics, arises when sea surface warming increases the moisture gradient between the boundary layer and free troposphere. The increased moisture gradient enhances the effectiveness of mixing to dry the boundary layer, which decreases cloud amount and optical depth. When a full-depth ocean with dynamics and thermodynamics is included, ocean heat uptake preferentially cools the mid-latitude Southern Ocean, partially inhibiting the positive cloud feedback and slowing warming. Overall, the results highlight strong connections between Southern Ocean mixed-phase cloud partitioning, cloud feedbacks, and ocean heat uptake in a climate forced by greenhouse gas changes.
Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography and Ultra-widefield Fluorescein Angiography for Early Detection of Adolescent Sickle Retinopathy

Purpose Based on standard screening techniques, sickle retinopathy reportedly occurs in 10% of adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD). We performed a prospective, observational clinical study to determine if ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography (UWFA), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) detect more-frequent retinopathy in adolescents with SCD. Design Cross-sectional study. Methods Setting : Institutional. Subjects : Sixteen adolescents with SCD, aged 10–19 years (mean age 14.9 years), and 5 age-equivalent controls (mean age 17.4 years). Observation Procedures : Examinations including acuity, standard slit-lamp biomicroscopy, UWFA, SD-OCT, and OCT-A were performed. Main Outcome Measures : Sickle retinopathy defined by biomicroscopic changes, Goldberg stages I-V, Penman scale, flow void on OCT-A, or macular thinning on SD-OCT. Results While 22 of 32 SCD eyes (68.8%) had retinopathy on biomicroscopy, by UWFA 4 of 24 (16.7%) SCD eyes had peripheral arterial occlusion (Goldberg I), and 20 of 24 eyes (83.3%) had peripheral arteriovenous anastomoses (Goldberg II) in addition. No patients had Goldberg stages III-V. By SD-OCT and OCT-A, thinning of the macula and flow voids in both the superficial and deep retinal capillary plexus were found in 6 of 30 (20%) eyes. Conclusions All 24 eyes with adequate UWFA studies demonstrated sickle retinopathy. SD-OCT and OCT-A, which have not been previously reported in the adolescent population, detected abnormal macular thinning and flow abnormalities undetected by biomicroscopy. These findings suggest that pediatric sickle retinopathy may be more prevalent than previously suspected. If these findings are confirmed with larger cross-sectional and prospective analyses, these approaches may enhance early screening for sickle retinopathy.
Incidence of sunflower beetle (Coleoptera :Chrysomelidae) and parasitism of its larvae by Myiopharus macellus (Reinhard) (Diptera: Tachinidae) in native sunflowers in North Dakota and Minnesota

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) (Asteraceae) is native to North America, which allows for the movement of pests that have evolved on wild sunflowers into commercial plantings. The sunflower beetle, Zygogramma exclamationis (Fitch) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is the most important defoliating pest of cultivated sunflower. The objectives of this study were to investigate native species of sunflower in North Dakota and Minnesota to determine sunflower beetle incidence and the larval parasitoid fauna. Six species of native sunflowers were sampled at 16 locations in eastern North Dakota, in early August 1995, and 25 sites in both eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota, in late July to early August 1996. Larvae were dissected in the laboratory to determine parasitoid species arid parasitization rates. Results showed that sunflower beetle occurred on all Helianthus species. The incidence of beetle larvae in 1995 was over 60% and in 1996 was 100% in the collection sites. Although limited to one collection, only one beetle larva was recovered from plants of H. pauciflorus. Dissection of beetle larvae from the different collection sites yielded no new records of larval parasitoids. The only species recovered was, Myiopharus macellus (Reinhard) (Diptera: Tachinidae), which, at some of the sites sampled, parasitized up to 100% of the sunflower beetle larvae collected. This parasitic fly attacked beetle larvae in all species of native sunflowers except H. pauciflorus. Rates of parisitization of sunflower beetle larvae from the different sunflower species were generally equal to or higher than that found in cultivated H. annuus fields in North Dakota or Minnesota. Subsequent collections to include other species of Helianthus, and to expand the sampling into other states and locations in the northern and central Plains, may result in additional natural enemies to augment the biological control of the sunflower buretle in cultivated sunflower.
FLUID FLOW AND HEAT TRANSFER IN WATER COOLED REACTORS

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews basic principles necessary for the prediction of response of a reactor to the transients that are of interest for an assessment of reactor safety. Public health and safety as well as safe operation of a power plant are the concern of all nuclear engineers, entailing special responsibilities because of the large inventory of fission products contained in the core of the reactor. Analysis of the consequences of operational transients and accidents takes two forms. The first is experimental, where the transient of interest and the consequences of the transient are observed. This approach has limitations when the transient being considered is expected to damage the plant. The second form of analysis relies upon the development of predictive capability to permit the analysis of the consequences of transients with the aid of digital computers or analog computers.
Towards Fully Automatic Defense Mechanism for a Computer Network Emulating Active Immune Response

Modern information attacks are perpetrated by the deployment of computer worms that propagate extremely fast leaving little or no time for human intervention. This paper presents the concept of a fully automatic computer network security system capable of timely detection and mitigation of information attacks perpetrated by self-replicating malicious software. The system will detect an attack and synthesize and deploy specialized self-replicating anti-worm software for attack mitigation with a capability to alter the network topology to quarantine infected portions of the network. Special technologies allowing for the observability and controllability of the overall process will be implemented thus facilitating the deployment of advanced control schemes to prevent an overload of the network bandwidth. Particular components of this system have been developed by the authors or suggested in literature thus suggesting its feasibility. The implementation aspects of the described system are addressed. The technology described herein emulates immune defenses honed to perfection by million-year evolution to assure the safety and dependability of future computer networks. It presents a new paradigm in computer network security.
The Effects of Reputation and Post Violation Communication on Trust and Distrust

This paper proposes a laboratory experiment that will lend empirical support to recent theoretical advances regarding the simultaneous occurrence of trust and distrust in relationships. We highlight the role of reputations before a transactional relationship begins, as well as the impact of apologies in rebuilding trust and reducing distrust following a trust violation.
Multidimensional Ostrowski–Sugeno Type Fuzzy Integral Inequalities

Here we present multivariate Ostrowski–Sugeno Fuzzy type inequalities. These are multivariate Ostrowski-like inequalities in the context of Sugeno fuzzy integral and its special properties. They give tight upper bounds to the deviation of a multivariate function from its Sugeno-fuzzy multivariate averages. It follows [3].
Measurement of methane autoignition delays in carbon dioxide and argon diluents at high pressure conditions

Abstract The directly fired supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycle has high efficiency while allowing nearly complete carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. The operating conditions of sCO2 power cycle (100–300 bar) combustors are dramatically different from conventional gas turbine combustors. However, combustion properties such as autoignition delay are not well understood at these conditions. This study reports methane autoignition delay measurements for diluted carbon dioxide environments at 100 and 200 bar and at temperatures within the range of 1139–1433 K using a high pressure shock tube. To study the effect of CO2 on ignition, similar experiments are conducted at 100 and 200 bar by replacing carbon dioxide with argon. The experimental data is then compared with calculations using different chemical kinetics models. For the conditions of this study, predictions of the Aramco Mech 2.0 show the overall best agreement with experimental measurements, while predictions of the GRI 3.0 kinetic model have the largest (by a factor of 3) deviation with experiments. Sensitivity and reaction pathway analyses reveal that methyl (CH3) recombination to form ethane (C2H6) and oxidation of CH3 to form methoxide (CH3O) are the most important reactions controlling the ignition behavior at temperatures greater than approximately 1250 K. However, at temperatures below approximately 1250 K, an additional reaction pathway for methyl radicals is found through CH3+O2+M = CH3O2+M which leads to formation of methyldioxidanyl (CH3O2). This reaction pathway plays a distinct role in dictating the ignition trends at lower temperature conditions.
Comparison of Diurnal Variation of Land Surface Temperature From GOES-16 ABI and MODIS Instruments

Land surface temperature (LST) and its diurnal variation are the critical factors in many aspects of climate study, surface energy balance, and environmental applications. Several satellite-based LST products are available for retrievals from regional to a global scale. However, due to the differences in sensor configurations and retrieval algorithms, these products may not necessarily be consistent. In this letter, the consistency of spatial and temporal skin temperature variations from two infrared satellite platforms has been evaluated over the contiguous United States (CONUS). Comparisons are made between the LST products from the newly launched Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite R Series (GOES-R) advanced baseline imager (ABI) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on both Aqua and Terra satellites which are polar orbiting. Overall, both products show a general agreement in their diurnal variations with differences mostly under 2 K. However, a temperature-dependent inconsistency has been detected. The MODIS LST product seems to estimate higher temperatures in the summer months while the GOES product estimates higher temperatures during the winter months. Moreover, the maximum observed diurnal differences could reach up to 10 K in mountainous regions. The results suggest that the corresponding temperature differences should be accounted for when LST diurnal variations are compared or generated from satellite observations.
Bayesian Inference of Allelic Inclusion Rates in the Human T Cell Receptor Repertoire

Summary A small population of αβ T cells is characterized by the expression of more than one unique T cell receptor (TCR); this outcome is the result of “allelic inclusion,” that is, inclusion of both α- or β-chain alleles during V(D)J recombination. Limitations in single-cell sequencing technology, however, have precluded comprehensive enumeration of these dual receptor T cells. Here, we develop and experimentally validate a fully Bayesian inference model capable of reliably estimating the true rate of α and β TCR allelic inclusion across two different emulsion-barcoding single-cell sequencing platforms. We provide a database composed of over 51,000 previously unpublished allelic inclusion TCR sequence sets drawn from eight healthy individuals and show that allelic inclusion contributes a distinct and functionally important set of sequences to the human TCR repertoire. This database and a Python implementation of our statistical inference model are freely available at our Github repository ( https://github.com/JasonACarter/Allelic_inclusion ).
Well-Balanced Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Shallow Water Equations with Constant Subtraction Techniques on Unstructured Meshes

The classical Saint–Venant shallow water equations on complex geometries have wide applications in many areas including coastal engineering and atmospheric modeling. The main numerical challenge in simulating Saint–Venant equations is to maintain the high order of accuracy and well-balanced property simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a high-order accurate and well-balanced discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method on two dimensional (2D) unstructured meshes for the Saint–Venant shallow water equations. The technique used to maintain well-balanced property is called constant subtraction and proposed in Yang et al. (J Sci Comput 63:678–698, 2015). Hierarchical reconstruction limiter with a remainder correction technique is introduced to control numerical oscillations. Numerical examples with smooth and discontinuous solutions are provided to demonstrate the performance of our proposed DG methods.
Acute oxalate nephropathy associated with Clostridiumdifficile infection.

Acute oxalate nephropathy has been associated with chronic diarrheal illness and only one case has been reported due to acute diarrhea secondary to Clostridium difficile colitis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case report of acute oxalate nephropathy due to C . difficile colitis. A 75-year-old man with a medical history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease stage IV, recent C . difficile colitis was admitted for acute kidney injury with a creatinine (Cr) of 8.54 mg/dL (baseline Cr, 2.3-2.6 mg/dL). His urinalysis did not show any eosinophils, casts or crystals. Antinuclear antibody, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, complement levels (C3 and C4) and hepatitis screen were negative; a renal ultrasound visualized no hydronephrosis. A kidney biopsy showed widespread tubular oxalate crystal deposition suggestive of hyperoxaluria as the cause of acute kidney injury. In conclusion, an acute diarrheal illness like C . difficile colitis can cause acute oxalate nephropathy.
Cryocoolers for Superconducting Generators

Historically, the cooling of superconducting generators has been an immensely complex and expensive undertaking. The process requires large, high-power, stationary helium liquefaction plants, usually situated separately from a generator, using long transfer lines to supply a continuous liquid helium flow to the generator. The lack of a suitable, economically viable cryogenic infrastructure and the resulting technical challenges, e.g., the need for a rotary transfer coupling, proved to be stumbling blocks on the path to successful commercialization. As of today, and nearly 50 years later, initial generator cooldown time, coupled with mean time between failure service requirement and operational recooling after an outage are still the main cryogenic concerns. The following chapter touches briefly on the early beginnings of the process and outlines the technological efforts and progress made in this respect until now. It further illustrates how the exceptional modularity of today’s cryocoolers, as manifested by their siteability, by the option of combining cryocoolers with different cooling capacities depending on their cryogenic system design and by their greatly improved, long maintenance intervals, enables the advancement of superconducting generator technology, accelerating its market readiness.
Chapter 18 – Practical Aspects of Quantitative Confocal Microscopy

Confocal microscopes are in principle well suited for quantitative imaging. The 3D fluorophore distribution in a specimen is transformed by the microscope optics and detector into the 2D intensity distribution of a digital image by a linear operation, a convolution. If multiple 2D images of the specimen at different focal planes are obtained, then the original 3D distribution in the specimen can be reconstructed. This reconstruction is a low-pass spatially filtered representation of the original, but quantitatively preserves relative fluorophore concentrations, with of course some limitations on accuracy and precision due to aberrations and noise. Given appropriate calibration, absolute fluorophore concentrations are accessible. A few simple guidelines are given for setting up confocal microscopes and checking their performance. With a little care, the images collected should be suitable for most types of quantitative analysis.
The Effects of the Combined Argatroban/Nitric Oxide-Releasing Polymer on Platelet Microparticle-Induced Thrombogenicity in Coated Extracorporeal Circuits.

Clotting, anticoagulation, platelet consumption, and poor platelet function are major factors in clinical extracorporeal circulation (ECC). We have shown that nitric oxide-releasing (NOReL) coatings prevent thrombosis in a rabbit model of ECC without systemic anticoagulation. Nitric oxide-releasing prevents platelet adhesion and activation, resulting in preserved platelet count and function. Previous work has shown that activated platelets form platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs). These experiments were designed to determine if PMPs can identify platelet function during ECC. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of NOReL on platelet activation and PMP formation during ECC. Uncoated ECCs, including with and without systemic heparin, and NOReL-coated ECCs, including DBHD/N2O2 and argatroban (AG)/DBHD/N2O2-coated ECCs without systemic heparin, were tested in a 4-hour rabbit thrombogenicity model. Before and after ECC exposure, platelets were stimulated with collagen, and PMPs were measured using flow cytometry. The uncoated ECCs clotted within the first hour, while the NOReL-coated ECCs circulated for 4 hours. During pre-ECC blood exposure, platelets stimulated with collagen produced PMPs. With post-ECC exposure, platelets from uncoated circuits generated less PMPs than baseline (mean ± SDs: 23246 ± 3611 baseline vs. 1300 ± 523 uncoated post circuit, p = 0.018) when stimulated with collagen. However, platelets from the AG/DBHD/N2O2-coated ECCs generated a greater number of PMPs as baseline values (23246 ± 3611 baseline vs. 37040 ± 3263 AG/DBHD/N2O2 post 4 hours circuit, p = 0.023). Blood exposure during ECC results in platelet activation and clotting in uncoated ECCs. The remaining circulating platelets have lost function, as demonstrated by the low PMP formation in response to collagen. AG/DBHD/N2O2-coated ECCs prevented significant platelet activation and clotting, while DBHD/N2O2 trended towards prevention of platelet activation. In addition, function of the circulating platelets was preserved, as demonstrated by PMP formation in response to collagen. These results indicate that PMPs may be an important measure of platelet activation during ECC. Platelet-derived microparticles may provide a simplified way to measure platelet function during clinical ECC.
A rank-based marker selection method for high throughput scRNA-seq data.

High throughput microfluidic protocols in single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) collect mRNA counts from up to one million individual cells in a single experiment; this enables high resolution studies of rare cell types and cell development pathways. Determining small sets of genetic markers that can identify specific cell populations is thus one of the major objectives of computational analysis of mRNA counts data. Many tools have been developed for marker selection on single cell data; most of them, however, are based on complex statistical models and handle the multi-class case in an ad-hoc manner. We introduce RankCorr, a fast method with strong mathematical underpinnings that performs multi-class marker selection in an informed manner. RankCorr proceeds by ranking the mRNA counts data before linearly separating the ranked data using a small number of genes. The step of ranking is intuitively natural for scRNA-seq data and provides a non-parametric method for analyzing count data. In addition, we present several performance measures for evaluating the quality of a set of markers when there is no known ground truth. Using these metrics, we compare the performance of RankCorr to a variety of other marker selection methods on an assortment of experimental and synthetic data sets that range in size from several thousand to one million cells. According to the metrics introduced in this work, RankCorr is consistently one of most optimal marker selection methods on scRNA-seq data. Most methods show similar overall performance, however; thus, the speed of the algorithm is the most important consideration for large data sets (and comparing the markers selected by several methods can be fruitful). RankCorr is fast enough to easily handle the largest data sets and, as such, it is a useful tool to add into computational pipelines when dealing with high throughput scRNA-seq data. RankCorr software is available for download at https://github.com/ahsv/RankCorr with extensive documentation.
Educational Systems Administration: The Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling (CABAS®) Model

The science of applied behavior analysis has a lot to offer the area of educational administration. While many educational systems use some behavioral tactics and measures, one model has demonstrated an effective approach that applies behavioral strategies to all aspects of education. The Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling (CABAS®) model of education is a systems approach to all aspects of an educational system, allowing educational administrators to make informed decisions that lead to the best possible outcomes for students. The CABAS® model views the behaviors of all members of the system (students, parents, teachers, mentor teachers/supervisors, and administrators) as dependent upon each other, and the behaviors of each can be measured, analyzed, and acted upon to effect better outcomes for students. The following chapter will outline the components of the CABAS® model and describe how each component affects the other. The structure and cybernetic relations between the various component members of the CABAS® model and its primary measurement system, training, and supervision procedures are outlined in the following chapter. This chapter will also address some ethical considerations, certification and licensure requirements, and general information about the CABAS® model of education.