cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aesthetic Appraisal Illustrated

In order to gain an understanding of what aesthetic appraisive concepts mean and how they mean and gain their meaning, one should have a clear sampling and exposition of them. Terms in this area identified in C-C have sometimes been the subject of study, but their relation to one another, to say nothing of a survey of the whole of them, has been altogether neglected. We shall therefore begin by a rapid exposition of the whole field of such concepts. In the following chapter we continue into a related but distinct area of musical characterization and then take up the kinds of analytical or semantic problems of such concepts which we have already considered in the case of moral concepts. This may presuppose something of a theory of the nature of aesthetic value. This we may concede, but in a limited sense, since the summary explication of aesthetic terms would in fact answer many of the questions that aesthetic theories have been devised to answer. However, any further presentation of such a theory in whole or part will have to await some other occasion. For the present, the lineaments of it may not be hard to discern.
The Downside of Disruption: The Risks Associated with Transformational Change in the Delivery of Legal Services

Change is coming to the legal profession. New forms of communicating, researching, advertising, finding clients, serving clients, and preparing documents are transforming the way legal services are delivered in the 21st century. The advent of new technologies, like the internet, machine learning, and mobile communications have put the legal profession on the cusp of what business theorist Clayton Christensen calls “disruptive innovation”: transformative shifts in a market for a product or service that threaten the business models, and even the very existence, of incumbent actors within that market. In the legal profession, these technology-enabled changes are streamlining all aspects of the delivery of legal services and changing the ways that lawyers identify, market to, and secure clients; conduct legal research; prepare court documents; compile and review discovery; collaborate with other lawyers, clients and experts; and prepare contracts, patent applications and other legal documents. These changes are not without their risks. This Article explores some of the risks associated with the disruption in the legal industry and identifies some of the potential downsides of this disruption.
Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System Effectively Replaces Hepatic Function in Severe Acute Liver Failure.

Summary Background Data:Patients with severe acute liver failure (ALF) have extreme physiologic dysfunction and often die if transplantation is not immediately available. Patients may be supported with MARS (Baxter International Inc., Deerfield, IL) until transplantation or spontaneous recovery occu
Probability Models for Mobility

We are a mobile society. Movement up the social ladder, movement among occupations and ranks in employment, movement from one residential location to another are all routine. It is not surprising that mobility has been studied at great length by social scientists, especially by sociologists, economists, and demographers. Many probability models have been introduced in an attempt to understand the possible dynamics of the observed transition process among social, occupational, income, or geographic states followed by subjects in studies of social, occupational, income, or geographic mobility. One seeks some reasonably concise set of assumptions of how people behave that will fit experimentally obtained mobility data. As we shall see, the simplest Markov chain model assuming a homogeneous population produces theoretical projections that deviate significantly from observed values. Much subsequent research was therefore focused on developing ways to accommodate population heterogeneity. Our aim here is to survey a small part of this work, following a line of research initiated by Blumen, Kogan, and McCarthy (BKM) [3] in their study of intragenerational labor mobility.
Reports of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome After Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

Abstract Purpose Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination prevents infections with HPV strains that cause certain cancers. Reports of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) following HPV vaccination have raised safety concerns. We reviewed POTS reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Methods We searched the VAERS database for reports of POTS following any type of HPV vaccination (bivalent, quadrivalent, or nonavalent) from June 2006 to August 2015. We reviewed reports and applied established POTS diagnostic criteria. We calculated unadjusted POTS case reporting rates based on HPV vaccine doses distributed and conducted empirical Bayesian data mining to screen for disproportional reporting of POTS following HPV vaccination. Results Among 40,735 VAERS reports following HPV vaccination, we identified 29 POTS reports that fully met diagnostic criteria. Of these, 27 (93.1%) were in females and mean age was 14 years (range 12–32). Median time from vaccination to start of symptoms was 43 days (range 0–407); most (18, 75.0%) had onset between 0 and 90 days. Symptoms frequently reported concomitantly included headache (22, 75.9%) and dizziness (21, 72.4%). Twenty (68.9%) reports documented a history of pre-existing medical conditions, of which chronic fatigue (5, 17.2%), asthma (4, 13.8%), and chronic headache (3, 10.3%) were most common. Approximately one POTS case is reported for every 6.5 million HPV vaccine doses distributed in the United States. No empirical Bayesian data mining safety signals for POTS and HPV vaccination were detected. Conclusions POTS is rarely reported following HPV vaccination. Our review did not detect any unusual or unexpected reporting patterns that would suggest a safety problem.
Root nodulation in guar: Effects of soils, Rhizobium inoculants, and guar varieties in a controlled environment

Abstract Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus L. Taub.) is a leguminous crop plant that produces a seed containing galactomannan gum, which is used in many applications as a lubricant, binder, thickener, and emulsifier, among other functions. A recent spike in worldwide guar consumption has been driven largely by the industrial uses of the gum. As a legume, the primary ecosystem service agricultural producers expect from guar is nitrogen fixation, but the common perception is that guar does not nodulate effectively. The objective of this replicated and repeated greenhouse study was to test the effects of contrasting soils, representing typical alkaline soils in which guar is cultivated worldwide, and Rhizobia inoculants on nodulation and plant growth characteristics in two guar varieties. In the study, abundant nodulation was observed. The soils had contrasting effects on nodulation, with a high nodule number of low weight (497 mg/24.3 nodules) in the clay loam and low nodule number of high weight (583 mg/8.64 nodules) in the sandy loam, but no effect of the inoculants was observed. The difference in nodule characteristics between the soils may have resulted from differences in indigenous Rhizobium population sizes and/or species available to associate with guar roots. The lack of inoculant effects may have resulted from high indigenous levels of Rhizobium in the soil and/or low concentrations of Rhizobium or uncompetitive Rhizobium delivered through the seed-applied inoculants. Based on the results of this study, we expect that guar will nodulate and fix nitrogen effectively in field conditions, given that these processes are not inhibited by exogenous factors, such as water stress. Achieving increases in nodulation and nitrogen fixation above baseline levels may require a concerted effort to develop effective inoculants for guar, which may offer a unique opportunity to expand biological nitrogen fixation in agriculture in semi-arid regions.
Parkinson’s Disease: An Overview of Pathogenesis

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is clinically, pathologically, and etiologically diverse and complex combinations of genetic susceptibility and environmental risk factors like age, gender, estrogen status, race/ethnicity, exposure to pesticides, and head trauma play roles in the pathogenesis. Genetic research has identified eleven PARK loci in familial cases and genotyping technology has allowed genome-wide approaches in large populations of patients with sporadic PD. Neuropathologic studies have defined and characterized more than 30 proteins with the core filament of α-synuclein in the Lewy body inclusions of idiopathic PD. Analysis of Lewy body pathology has outlined progressive disease stages in which the intracellular deposition of α-synuclein affects medullary sites before more rostral brain regions and the late stages of involvement of cortical association neurons. In PD, there is evidence of protein misfolding, aggregation, and abnormal neuronal apoptosis. Toxin-based and recent gene mutation-based animal models of PD in mammals, flies, fish, and worms have reproduced the progressive motor and non-motor deficits observed in PD patients and shown dopamine dysfunction and delayed loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of PD and the demonstration of nitrated protein within Lewy bodies and neurites provides evidence of oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of PD. Reduction in the mitochondrial enzyme complex I in PD renders neurons vulnerable to unstable oxygen free radicals and causes alpha-synuclein to aggregate into fibrils and lead to dopaminergic neuronal loss. The DJ-1 gene has antioxidant function in the cellular response to oxidative stimuli and DJ-1 is oxidatively damaged in the brains of PD patients. The occurrence of a parkinsonian syndrome in families with mutations in the DJ-1 gene also supports a role for oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of PD. Therapeutic approaches that could prevent or limit oxidative reactions in PD represent a viable strategy for the development of newer antiparkinsonian drugs.
A Latent Curve Model Approach to Studying L2 N-Gram Development.

Abstract: Current quantitative methods in second language (L2) acquisition have proven useful in examining how phraseological unit production changes over time. However, these methods are limited in that they do not allow for the analysis of individual differences in those changes. This study demonstrates the potential for Latent Curve Modeling, a type of Structural Equation Modeling, to address questions about productive phraseological knowledge development. It examines growth in multiple indices of bigram and trigram use (frequency, association strength, proportion) in the spoken output of L2 speakers over the course of a 4‐month study. Results for unconditional latent curve models indicate that spoken bigram and trigram proportions increased for the entire group over the study period. Conditional latent curve models showed that growth in bigram frequency and bigram proportion was predicted by proficiency, with less proficient writers experiencing greater growth. These models also demonstrated that conversation dyad predicted growth in spoken bigram frequency in that L2 speakers with L2 conversation partners, as compared to first language (L1) partners, produced more high‐frequency bigrams over time. These results have implications for research on L2 productive phraseological knowledge development specifically and longitudinal L2 research in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
6 – Maternal Entrainment of a Fetal Biological Clock

A biological clock oscillates in the mammalian fetus, and the fetal clock is entrained by redundant circadian signals from the mother. Recent evidence suggests that a dopamine system within the fetal hypothalamus is a final common pathway through which maternal circadian signals entrain the fetus. An entrainable biological clock during fetal life helps the developing mammal more readily prepare for life in the outside world.
Electronic Switching Technologies for Digital Logic

The devices that make modern information processing and computing possible are often referred to as “switches”. This appellation was literally true when applied to the earliest large electrical computers. The relays that they used were switches in the classical sense, they made and broke contact between two pieces of metal. More recent devices attempt to emulate the relay and the electrically activated switch without mechanical motion and thereby escape from some of the limitations of the relay.
Choreographing “ChinAfrica” through Transnational Encounter

A dance film made by two Belgian directors collaborating with Guangdong Modern Dance Company, An African Walk in the Land of China (2015) attempts to explore the encounter of an African woman with Chinese workers in urban China in the age of “ChinAfrica.” In this work, the co-directors create a “duet” between an ensemble of Chinese dancers portrayed as blue-collar workers and a black female dancer depicted as a woman from an unspecified country in Africa. In my analysis, I juxtapose choreographic and cinematic representations of the African woman and Chinese workers with the complex social reality of their diverse experiences of encounters. Resisting any singular reading, the dance film provokes questions and stirs up reflections about the ever-intensifying interactions between Chinese and Africans at economic, political and cultural levels operating under global capitalism. This seemingly detached approach, while offering opportunities for multiple readings of the film, also glosses over the complexity of the very ideas of Africans and Chinese as well as their transnational encounters. The gap between the filmic representation and reality unveils the directors’ reductionistic approach to representing ethnic figures and their experiences of each other on screen, indicating a persistent but well-masked colonial gaze.
Mentor teacher professional identity development in a year-long teacher residency

In this article I examined the professional identity development of five mentor teachers in a year-long, clinically rich teacher residency partnered between a university-based teacher education pro...
Terrain Induced Biases in Clear-Sky Shortwave Radiation Due to Digital Elevation Model Resolution for Glaciers in Complex Terrain

Advancements in remote sensing, along with greater access to high spatial and temporal resolution imagery, have improved our ability to model glacier surface energy and mass balance in remote regions of complex terrain, such as High-mountain Asia (HMA). In general, net shortwave (SW) radiation accounts for the majority of energy available on a glacier surface during the summer months, suggesting that SW modeling errors can critically impact surface energy balance estimates. In this study, we model the clear-sky SW irradiance for a group of glaciers in the Everest region of HMA using a high-resolution (8-meter) digital elevation model (DEM) composite derived from commercial stereo satellite imagery. We then systematically downsample this DEM and considered the effect on incoming SW irradiance, with a sensitivity analysis for standard terrain attributes. The slope and aspect (combined) and topographic shading have the greatest impact on daily SW irradiance and also introduce a larger SW bias when DEM resolution is downsampled. Our results show that modeled incident SW is overestimated as resolution becomes coarser. For 10 selected glaciers in the Everest region, decreasing spatial resolution from 8 to 30 meters results in a range of average daily biases between +20 to +60 Wm-2 (or ~7 to 20%) at some high and low elevations, and an average bias of more than +100 Wm-2 (~33%) as resolution is coarsened to 500 meters. In order to determine the bearing these results have on surface melt, we explore the diurnal variability of this bias. Additionally, we compare our results with modeled incident SW using several global DEM products (ASTER, SRTM, and ALOS) to evaluate error introduced by lower resolution. Models using the 30-meter products show an overall average daily SW bias of +24 Wm-2 (or ~8%) across elevation with some elevations showing a bias up to +60 Wm-2 (~20%) on multiple glaciers. Taken together, our results demonstrate the value of high-resolution data to correct biases in modeled SW radiation and constrain uncertainties for glacier energy balance modeling in regions of complex terrain.
A Novel Fuzzy Logic-Based Text Classification Method for Tracking Rare Events on Twitter

A rare event, such as a natural disaster, does not occur frequently, but may cause catastrophic impacts on human beings and their living environment once it happens. Social media provides people an immediate and convenient way to share their opinions. Researchers can thus use it for investigating people’s actions, feelings, and attitudes during multiple rare events. By using social media data, many studies try to build the connection between rare events in a real world and people’s responses, including feelings, attitudes, and behaviors, in a virtual world. In this article, we propose a feature extraction and text classification approach to Twitter text data related to a rare event, e.g., Hurricane Sandy. First, a novel feature extraction method is proposed to mine useful features from each text message. Next, a fuzzy logic-based classification method is proposed to distinguish event-related and unrelated messages. Finally, our proposed method is compared with the existing keyword search one that is widely used in analyzing the evolution of a rare event. The result reveals that the proposed approach is suitable to identify the rare event-related and unrelated text messages.
Impact of Targeted Cyber Attacks on Electrical Power Systems

This paper formulates targeted and coordinated attacks on an electrical power system infrastructure as an optimization problem to (a) investigate the impacts of such attacks on the electric power grid and (b) to study the extent of damages to the grid depending on attacker’s resources and level of protection employed in the grid. In this research, we consider the coordinated load redistribution (LR) attack, which is a variant of false data injection attack on electrical power systems. The bi-level formulation is investigated through a problem in which the goal of the hacker is to maximize load curtailment and that of the power system operator is to minimize load curtailment. The resulting nonlinear mixed-integer bilevel programming formulation is converted into an equivalent single-level mixed-integer linear program by solving the inner optimization by KKT optimality conditions. The case studies are conducted based on an IEEE 14-bus system. From the results, it is observed that the hacker could maximize the damages to the power grid, even with limited attack resources, by simultaneously targeting the physical system and deceiving the operator with a false power dispatch. This study can provide meaningful insights on the relation between hacker’s available resources, existing security measures and resulting disruption in the power system. The results can be used to design methods to prevent and mitigate such coordinated attacks to improve the reliability of the electric grid.
Development of chromatic biosensor for quick bacterial detection based on polyvinyl butyrate-polydiacetylene nonwoven fiber composites

Abstract Infections are caused by a wide variety of bacterial pathogens. The severity of the infection can range from imperceptible to potentially fatal. Early bacterial detection is vital to avoid complications. Smart polymer scaffolds have shown promising in biomedical applications. In this work, we prepared polyvinyl butyrate (PVB)/diacetylene (DA) nonwoven fine fibers with diameters ranging from 1.4 to 1.9 µm using the Forcespinning® technique. PVB/DA fibers were subjected to ultraviolet light to polymerize the diacetylene. Polymerization process was analyzed through photo-calorimetry studies; the total heat of cure was quantified to be 4650 J/g. Thermogravimetric analysis showed increased thermal stability of PVB-PDA compared to PVB by about 50 °C. The bio-sensing response to gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, and Corynebacterium amycolatum) and gram negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria was investigated. Plates with varying concentration of bacteria were prepared ranging from 107 to 1 colony forming units (cfu) per plate. The sensing ability of the chromatic biosensor was observed as soon as 30 min after placing the membranes in the bacteria at 37 °C. Samples exposed to Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, and Escherichia coli responded to the plates with the minimum number of bacteria (6, 3, and 7 cfu/plate, respectively) while the sample exposed to Corynebacterium amycolatum needed more than 6000 cfu/plate to respond within the first 30 min and at all levels within 24 h. The samples exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa did not respond within 30 min, a response was observed at 48 h. These flexible membranes show promising potential to be used as scaffolds/bandages to alert patients of potential infections caused by microbial attack before the individual appears symptomatic.
Indigenous Decolonial Movements in Abya Yala, Aztlán, and Turtle Island: A Comparison

This chapter presents a sociohistorical, political, and religious exploration of the decolonizing effects of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in Canada and Guatemala. The indigenous communities in each country, despite their geographical, religious, and cultural differences, are successfully rejecting historically imposed Eurocentric forms of knowledge. The chapter presents a study of how the indigenous communities are reclaiming their own traditions, customs, and ancestral forms of knowledge amidst systemic state-sanctioned violence and cultural genocide. These movements are a sampling of the growing number of social and religious movements which, while not drawing on the categories of decolonial thinking, are by definition decolonizing.
Bartolome de las Casas: Political Theorist and Historian

Bartolome de Las Casas, who fought so stoutly for the Indians from his conversion in 1514 in Cuba until his death in 1566 in Spain, has usually been considered a noble humanitarian or a saintly fanatic, when harsher epithets have not been applied to him. Few of his friends or enemies have realized that under the fire and brimstone of his invective there existed a closely reasoned structure of political thought based upon the most fundamental concepts of medieval Europe.
Post-Visit Patient Understanding About Newly Prescribed Medications

Good patient understanding of basic medication-related information such as directions for use and side effects promotes medication adherence, but information is lacking about how well patients understand basic medication-related information after their office visits. The purpose of this study is to investigate post-visit patient understanding about newly prescribed medications. Secondary mixed methods analysis comparing patient survey responses about newly prescribed medications to information conveyed by physicians during office visits (from audio recordings of office visits). Eighty-one patients aged 50 and older who discussed newly prescribed medications during an outpatient office visit. Accurate patient identification of medication dose, number of pills, frequency of use, duration of use, and potential side effects. The 81 patients in this study received 111 newly prescribed medications. For over 70% of all newly prescribed medications, patients correctly identified the number of pills, frequency of use, duration of use, and dose, regardless of whether the physician mentioned the information during the office visit. However, for 34 of 62 medications (55%) for which side effects were not conveyed and 11 of 49 medications (22%) for which physicians discussed side effects, patients reported that the medication lacked side effects. Analysis of transcribed office visits showed that potential reasons for this finding included failure of physicians to mention or to use the term “side effects” during visits, the prescription of multiple medications during the visit, and lack of patient engagement in the conversation. Many patients correctly identified information related to directions for taking a newly prescribed medication, even without physician counseling, but when physicians failed to convey potential medication side effects, many assumed that a medication had no side effects. It may be sufficient for physicians to provide written information about medication directions and dosing, and tailor their limited time to discussing medication side effects.
High-performance half-Heusler thermoelectric devices through direct bonding technique

Abstract Solid-state thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are promising solution for waste heat recovery. However, they typically suffer from lower conversion efficiency, lack of reliable high temperature device fabrication process and long-term stability. In order to realize high electrical conversion efficiency (ECE) in TEGs, it is critical that in conjunction with high TE materials figure of merit, zT, there is also a reliable TE module fabrication process. This study demonstrates the TEG fabrication process that results in reduced thermal and electrical contact resistances between metal electrodes and TE legs, even at high temperatures (>600 °C). The fabrication approach is demonstrated using p-type ZrCoSb-based and n-type ZrNiSn-based half-Heusler TE materials. High temperature brazing material is used as a filler that enables direct bonding of TE legs to the copper electrode without metallizing legs. This technique improves the TEG performance and stability at high temperatures by minimizing the contact resistance and diffusion at TE leg/electrode interface. The fabricated modules exhibit a high power density of ~11.5 Wcm−2 and an ECE of 9.5% at 670 °C temperature gradient. The module was exposed to longtime soaking at 550 °C in air and was found to exhibit negligible deterioration. These results are highly promising for advancing the TE modules in waste heat recovery applications.
A meta-analysis of school-based interventions for student refugees, migrants, and immigrants.

How do mental health practitioners and educators support child migrants, child immigrants, child refugees, and their families? This article examines the scope of current interventions for these pop...
The Rule of Law Problem: Unconstitutional Class Actions and Options for Reform

Legal reformers have seized on federal diversity jurisdiction as a mechanism for reining in bad class actions. This article poses an impertinent question for these reformers: What if class actions were, in some contexts, not simply bad as a policy matter, but unconstitutional? Some class action defendants have made this argument: They claim that certifying a class action violates due process when the certification order unsettles expectations about the content of substantive rights - for example, where the certification order eliminates defendants' ability to raise certain individualized substantive defenses against particular class members' claims. Outside of the securities litigation context, legal reformers have ignored federal question jurisdiction as a basis for removing state class actions into federal court. But, if due processs arguments against class certification are taken seriously, federal question removal is revealed as a supple, far-reaching mechanism for targeting problematic state-level class actions as a general matter. The article begins by sketching the basic intuitions that drive the due process defense to class certification. This is not meant as a final word on the merits of the due process argument - only a sketch of the colorability of that defense. I then tease out the interesting procedural ramifications of taking this defense seriously.
Coiled-coil binding of the leucine zipper domains of APOL1 is necessary for the open cation channel conformation

Apolipoprotein L-I (APOL1) is a channel-forming effector of innate immunity. The common human APOL1 variant G0 provides protection against infection with certain Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasite species, but it cannot protect against the trypanosomes responsible for human African trypanosomiasis. Human APOL1 variants G1 and G2 protect against human-infective trypanosomes but also confer a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Trypanosome-killing activity is dependent on the ability of APOL1 to insert into membranes at acidic pH and form pH-gated cation channels. We previously mapped the channel's pore-lining region to the C-terminal domain (residues 332–398) and identified a membrane-insertion domain (MID, residues 177–228) that facilitates acidic pH-dependent membrane insertion. In this article, we further investigate structural determinants of cation channel formation by APOL1. Using a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and targeted chemical modification, our data indicate that the C-terminal heptad-repeat sequence (residues 368–395) is a bona fide leucine zipper domain (ZIP) that is required for cation channel formation as well as lysis of trypanosomes and mammalian cells. Using protein-wide cysteine-scanning mutagenesis, coupled with the substituted cysteine accessibility method, we determined that, in the open channel state, both the N-terminal domain and the C-terminal ZIP domain are exposed on the intralumenal/extracellular side of the membrane and provide evidence that each APOL1 monomer contributes four transmembrane domains to the open cation channel conformation. Based on these data, we propose an oligomeric topology model in which the open APOL1 cation channel is assembled from the coiled-coil association of C-terminal ZIP domains.
Expedited and Comprehensive Management of Low-Risk TIA Patients in the Emergency Department is Safe and Less Costly

Abstract Objectives Transient ischemic attack (TIA) can be a warning sign of an impending stroke. The objective of our study is to assess the feasibility, safety, and cost savings of a comprehensive TIA protocol in the emergency room for low-risk TIA patients. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective, single-center cohort study performed at an academic comprehensive stroke center. We implemented an emergency department-based TIA protocol pathway for low-risk TIA patients (defined as ABCD2 score Results A total of 138 patients were assessed (65 patients in the pre-pathway cohort, 73 in the expedited, post-TIA pathway implementation cohort). Average time from MRI order to MRI end was 6.4 h compared to 2.3 h in the pre- and post-pathway cohorts, respectively (p Conclusions This study demonstrates the feasibility, safety, and cost-savings of a comprehensive, emergency department-based TIA protocol. Further study is needed to confirm overall benefit of an expedited approach to TIA patient management and guide clinical practice recommendations.
Protective Effects of Endurance or Resistance Training Exercise on Chemotherapy-Induced Skeletal Muscle Weakness and Fatigue

This study analyzed the effects of prior endurance exercise or resistance training exercise on skeletal muscle dysfunction induced by the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (DOX). Furthermore, this stud...
Contact mechanics and lubrication hydrodynamics of chemical-mechanical planarization

The technology of chemical-mechanical planarization (or polishing), CMP, has recently received considerable attention in the electronics manufacturing industry of the US. It is a cost-effective process to attain a high degree of required global planarity in the production of integrated circuit components. This paper reports on a fully three-dimensional finite element analysis of the stress and deformation field of a porous compliant polishing pad of finite thickness in contact with a rigid wafer; coupled to a FEM flow analysis of the slurry. The pad deformation is governed by the classical linear elasticity equations. The pad presents a rough porous surface to the wafer. The fluid flow between the pad and wafer is accounted for by the Reynolds equation. The linkage between the solid contact stress and the effective fluid film is through the Greenwood-Williamson model that relates the contact pressure of the pad asperities and the effective surface separation distance. The pressure predictions of this model fit experimental results reasonably well. Surprisingly, for most conditions, the average fluid pressure at the silicon/pad interface is sub-ambient (suction). The overall fluid unit pressure can be approximately 50–100% of the applied normal load. The contact normal stress is not symmetric about the wafer center due to the presence of contact friction. Greater contact stress causes a thinner film at the leading edge. Such a net diverging fluid film causes negative fluid pressures.
Environmental and endocrine control of reproduction in the song sparrow, Melospiza melodia: II. Agonistic interactions as environmental information stimulating secretion of testosterone

A group of eight free-living adult male song sparrows, selected at random, were given subcutaneous implants of testosterone (T) in Silastic tubing. In a separate area, 1 km distant, a second group of eight free-living males were given empty implants as controls. All implants were administered in late March and early April and in the experimental group maintained plasma levels of T at the springtime peak. To test whether prolonged high levels of T maintained aggressive territorial behavior at the springtime maximum, each bird was "challenged" by stimulating a territorial intrusion achieved by playing tape-recorded conspecific songs on their territories. Sparrows with T implants were more aggressive than controls in accordance with other studies showing that T increases frequency and intensity of aggression. Blood samples were collected from all implanted birds, and their untreated neighbors, at intervals throughout the breeding season, and plasma levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and T were measured. Circulating T levels in males with territories next to control males show declines in T levels in April, increase again in May, and are low during the parental phase in June and July. However, the decline of T in males with territories next to males implanted with T did not occur, and levels remained significantly higher than those of males in the control area. Plasma T levels did decrease in May, however, but rose again in June, and in July were significantly higher than controls. Curiously, plasma levels of luteinizing hormone did not differ between controls and experimentals.
Preterm delivery of erythroblastotic infants.

Abstract As yet there is no known method of preventing maternal Rh sensitization or its damaging effects on the fetus. Although this objective has not been attained, earlier recognition of erythroblastosis and improved pediatric treatment have increased fetal salvage. More extensive adaptation of current diagnostic and therapeutic methods will increase further the survival rate for erythroblastotic infants. Despite this improvement, the problem of intrauterine fetal death from erythroblastosis continues to be regarded with pessimism. Within a few years after recognition of the pathogenesis of erythroblastosis, premature delivery of erythroblastotic infants was widely practiced. Subsequent interpretation of the results from this approach suggested that the addition of prematurity to erythroblastosis decreased the chances for fetal survival. As a consequence premature interference with these pregnancies was abandoned. This change in attitude toward interruption of pregnancy, however, was based on experience with such management when the importance of the degree of fetal maturity and the benefits of current treatment of the infant were not fully appreciated. Because of the many instances of stillbirth of erythroblastotic infants and because of improved methods of treating erythroblastosis, re-evaluation of early delivery of these infants seemed desirable. This report covers our results following utilization of preterm , not premature , delivery as part of the therapeutic program.
Getting to the Core of Stern v. Marshall: History, Expertise, and the Separation of Powers

This Article considers the Supreme Court’s decision in Stern v. Marshall, which limited the power of a bankruptcy judge to decide a common law claim. Stern is best understood as a combination of three arguments drawn from the Court’s prior Article III cases. The first is an argument from history — the past division of labor between the Article III judiciary and non-Article III adjudicators. The second is an argument from expertise — the appropriate selection of disputes that benefit from a specialized non-Article III forum. The third is an argument from separation of powers — the limitations on when the political branches may assign disputes outside the tenured judiciary. The Article offers a critique of these arguments as problematic or paradoxical. It concludes by showing why Stern will give only limited guidance on important questions about the power of bankruptcy judges.
Production and metabolism of volatile fatty acids, glucose and CO2 in steers and the effects of monensin on volatile fatty acid kinetics

A study was conducted to determine effects of monensin supplementation on production and interconversion rates of rumen acetate, propionate, and butyrate and plasma acetate. Measurements were made by isotope dilution techniques in four Holstein steers fed a 70% alfalfa hay, 30% corn ration. In addition, a general kinetic method for solution of open systems has been applied to quantify metabolism of the rumen volatile fatty acids and glucose and the production of CO2. Dietary monensin increased rumen propionate production at the expense of rumen acetate production so that total volatile fatty acid production was unchanged. Butyrate production tended to increase, indicating that decreased acetate production may result in diversion of hexose to propionate and butyrate production and direction of reducing equivalents away from methane production. These changes were calculated to increase rumen fermentation efficiency by 6%. Oxidation of the rumen volatile fatty acids and systemic plasma glucose accounted for only 35% of CO2 production.
EFFECT OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONING ON CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION. A BALLISTOCARDIOGRAPHIC STUDY.

Abstract Fifteen middle-aged men participated in a program of endurance exercise and running for six months. Changes in cardiovascular function were evaluated by using an air-supported ultralow-frequency ballistocardiograph. Significant increases occurred in mean I, J, GI, HI and IJ forces. Four of the 5 men with initially abnormal ballistocardiograms had normal records at the end of the program.
Spectroscopic Properties of Herbig-Haro Flows

While recent studies of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects have focused less on the details of their spectra than on the hydrodynamics of jets and their working surfaces, many open questions concerning these spectra remain. Attempts to quantitatively explain a wide range of lines for many HH objects point to discrepancies between theory and observation. Some lines (specifically [S II](6716+6731)) are much stronger than predicted by simple plane-shock and bow-shock models, while in general high ionization lines (e.g. lines of [O III], [Ne III] and [S III] in the optical and the [C IV] and [N V] in the ultra-violet) are much weaker than expected, pointing to difficulties with current models. On the other hand, examination of these lines has lent new insight into both the quality of our predictions and the nature of HHoutflows. Examination of many Fe lines have demonstrated that our ability to estimate abundances from faint lines is surprisingly good (or surprisingly consistent). Position velocity diagrams have also been constructed (using forbidden emission lines), allowing outflows to be mapped to within 0.”3 arcseconds of the source star.
Transmit architectures and power control schemes for low cost highly integrated transceivers for GSM/EDGE applications

This paper provides an overview of polar modulation transmitter solutions for 3G radios with different modulation formats. Conventional (linear Cartesian) transmitter architectures are summarized and some known realization inefficiencies are highlighted. Polar modulation is presented as an improved transmitter architecture and its implementation impairments are discussed. Finally, a single-chip GSM/EDGE transceiver solution is presented.
Philosophic reflections on the meaning of touch in nurse–patient interactions

In this paper I examine the meaning of physical touch as it occurs in the nurse-patient interaction. There are two aspects of the nurse-patient relationship that are found in most nurse-patient interactions which together have profound implications for nurses as practitioners and as individual human persons. The first is the clinical intimacy of the nurse-patient relationship where nurses touch, rub, smooth, clean, dress and otherwise physically interact with patients. The other is the existential crisis, the possibility of loss, suffering and death that lurks at the horizon of most, if not all, healthcare encounters. Edmund Husserl, Merleau-Ponty and more recently Robert Sokolowski argue that tactile sensations and resultant perceptions are fundamental to all sensory perception. Further, they argue that tactile sensation is fundamental for the ongoing constitution of 'my' self as a person and for the development and exercise of human intersubjectivity. If tactile interaction is crucial to the development of our very selves as persons and a significant aspect of our interaction with patients includes direct or observed tactile sensations and if further these sensations occur around the context of existential crises for our patients, then nurse's very selves as persons are being challenged by these interactions. Here, then I examine the philosophical argument for the role of tactile sensations in our human development and briefly look at contemporary neurophysiologic research that supports this philosophical account. I then suggest ways such physical intimacy can lead to a strengthening or weakening of the person of the nurse and the nursing interaction and end with some thoughts about ways to support nurses in these activities.
Serving Stakeholders at a Small Regional University.

The Southeastern Oklahoma State University Honors Program serves a unique role in a small, rural setting such as Durant, Oklahoma. The honors program has a traditional mission in a university that offers a nontraditional setting and history within the context of higher education. The program thus offers special rewards to its students and to the university. Southeastern, founded in 1909 as a teachers' training college, is a public, regional university with an enrollment of 4,000 students. Although the university is located in a small community (population: 17,000) just north of the Red River, it is uniquely positioned 90 miles north of the bustling Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and 151 miles south of Oklahoma City. The university is also located in the region of The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Dating back to its founding, Southeastern is known for its academic programs in teacher education but more recently has received national recognition for excellence in its aviation sciences and occupational safety and health degree programs. In educating its students, Southeastern faces numerous challenges. For instance, 85% of the school's students receive financial aid; 41% of the most recent graduating seniors were first-generation college graduates; and 30% of the total enrollment is Native American. The university attracts the majority of its students from the geographic service region in southeastern Oklahoma, but it is also home to international students and students from neighboring states such as Texas. In addition to its main campus in Durant, Southeastern has a branch campus in Idabel, Oklahoma, and delivers various academic programs at seven additional sites, including two in north Texas. The Southeastern Honors Program was built on the foundation created by the Parsons Scholars Program, which dates back to 1978 when it was endowed by a 1928 Southeastern graduate. Today, the honors program is committed to the ongoing growth and development of a culturally diverse and academically talented group of honors students. With a focus on educational excellence as well as cultural and technological literacy, the honors program challenges high-caliber students with special talents and outstanding academic abilities to develop local and global awareness and achieve their full potential. Our honors program is much like a learning laboratory where we implement new teaching ideas and strategies and then share with others. …
Preliminary Associations Between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Memory Impairment, Functional Cognition, and Depressive Symptoms Following Severe TBI:

Background. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often leads to mood and cognitive complications, affecting functional recovery. Understanding neurobiological alterations common in post-TBI depression (PTD...
Radiographic comparison of cross-sectional lumbar pedicle fill when placing screws with navigation versus free-hand technique.

Background Pedicle screws are often used for spinal fixation. Increasing the percentage of pedicle that is filled with the screw presumably yields greater fixation. It has not been shown whether spinal navigation helps surgeons more completely fill their instrumented pedicles. Methods Fifty consecutive patients from each arm (navigated and free-hand) were retrospectively reviewed. The cross-sectional area of each instrumented lumbar pedicle and screw were measured using an automatic area calculation tool. The coronal images and measurements were blinded to the surgeons. Results The instrumented pedicles in the navigated patients were significantly more filled by screws than the pedicles in the non-navigated patients (P < 0.001). Conclusion Obtaining a higher cross-sectional percentage fill of the pedicle with a screw is expected to provide greater spinal fixation in instrumented fusion surgery. This study shows that utilizing spinal navigation helps to more completely fill the pedicles that are being instrumented. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A General Method for the Preparation of 9‐, 10‐, and 11‐Membered Unsaturated Macrolides: Synthesis of 8‐Propionyl‐(E)‐5‐Nonenolide

A general method for the preparation of 9-, 10-, and 11-membered unsaturated macrolides: synthesis of 8-propionyl-(E)-5-nonenolide product: 8-propionyl-(E)-5-nonenolide Keywords: addition, to CC; annulation, heterocyclic-[>6]; cyclization, condensation; metalation reactions, lithium; metalation reactions, tin; oxidation, miscellaneous; ring opening reactions; assay methods, for butyllithium, with 2,5-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol; benzene; diisopropylamine; lithium diisopropylamide (LDA), preparation of; tetrahydrofuran; benzene
Phosphorylation coupled to oxidation of hydrogen with fumarate in extracts of the sulfate reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio gigas.

Abstract The esterification of orthophosphate coupled to the oxidation of molecular hydrogen and concomitant reduction of fumarate to succinate is catalyzed by a particulate preparation from the anaerobic sulfate reducing bacterium, D. gigas. The system exhibits a P H 2 ratio of 0.3–0.4 and does not require the addition of soluble protein. The phosphorylation is uncoupled by gramicidin, pentachlorophenol, dinitrophenol and methyl viologen but not by oligomycin. The added fumarate was quantitatively reduced to succinate. It is suggested that phosphorylation coupled to electron transfer with the reduction of fumarate may be of general occurrence in anaerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria.