cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Models for Stratiform Instability and Convectively Coupled Waves

A simplified intermediate model for analyzing and parameterizing convectively coupled tropical waves is introduced here. This model has two baroclinic modes of vertical structure: a direct heating mode and a stratiform mode. The key essential parameter in these models is the area fraction occupied by deep convection, sc. The unstable convectively coupled waves that emerge from perturbation of a radiative convective equilibrium are discussed in detail through linearized stability analysis. Without any mean flow, for an overall cooling rate of 1 K day21 as the area fraction parameter increases from sc 5 0.0010 to sc 5 0.0014 the waves pass from a regime with stable moist convective damping to a regime of ‘‘stratiform’’ instability with convectively coupled waves propagating at speeds of roughly 15 m s21; instabilities for a band of wavelengths in the supercluster regime, O(1000)‐O(2000) km; and a vertical structure with a ‘‘wave tilt’’ where the temperature structure in the upper troposphere lags behind that in the lower troposphere. Thus, these convectively coupled waves in the model reproduce several key features of convectively coupled waves in the troposphere processed from recent observational data by Wheeler and Kiladis. As the parameter sc is increased further to values such as sc 5 0.01, the band of unstable waves increases and spreads toward a mesoscale wavelength of O(100) km while the same wave structure and quantitative features mentioned above are retained for O(1000) km. A detailed analysis of the temporal development of instability of these convectively coupled waves is presented here. In the first stage of instability, a high convective available potential energy (CAPE) region generates deep convection and a front-to-rear ascending flow with enhanced vertical shear in a stratiform wake region. Thus, these intermediate models may be useful prototypes for studying the parameterization of upscale convective momentum transport due to organized convection. In the second stage of instability, detailed analysis of the CAPE budget establishes that the effects of the second baroclinic mode in the stratiform wake produce new CAPE, which regenerates the first half of the wave cycle. Finally, since these convectively coupled stratiform waves do not require a barotropic mean flow, a barotropic mean flow, which alters the surface fluxes, is added to study its effect on their stability. These effects of a barotropic mean flow are secondary; an easterly mean flow enhances instability of the eastward-propagating convectively coupled waves and diminishes the instability of the westward-propagating waves through a wind-induced surface heat exchange mechanism.
Templates and Anchors for Antenna-Based Wall Following in Cockroaches and Robots

The interplay between robotics and neuromechanics facilitates discoveries in both fields: nature provides roboticists with design ideas, while robotics research elucidates critical features that confer performance advantages to biological systems. Here, we explore a system particularly well suited to exploit the synergies between biology and robotics: high-speed antenna-based wall following of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Our approach integrates mathematical and hardware modeling with behavioral and neurophysiological experiments. Specifically, we corroborate a prediction from a previously reported wall-following template - the simplest model that captures a behavior - that a cockroach antenna-based controller requires the rate of approach to a wall in addition to distance, e.g., in the form of a proportional-derivative (PD) controller. Neurophysiological experiments reveal that important features of the wall-following controller emerge at the earliest stages of sensory processing, namely in the antennal nerve. Furthermore, we embed the template in a robotic platform outfitted with a bio-inspired antenna. Using this system, we successfully test specific PD gains (up to a scale) fitted to the cockroach behavioral data in a "real-world" setting, lending further credence to the surprisingly simple notion that a cockroach might implement a PD controller for wall following. Finally, we embed the template in a simulated lateral-leg-spring (LLS) model using the center of pressure as the control input. Importantly, the same PD gains fitted to cockroach behavior also stabilize wall following for the LLS model.
Interregional comparisons of sediment microbial respiration in streams

SUMMARY 1. The rate of microbial respiration on fine-grained stream sediments was measured at 371 first to fourth-order streams in the Central Appalachian region (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia), Southern Rocky Mountains (Colorado), and California’s Central Valley in 1994 and 1995. 2. Study streams were randomly selected from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) River Reach File (RF3) using the sample design developed by USEPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). 3. Respiration rate ranged from 0 to 0.621 g O2 g ‐1 AFDM h ‐1 in Central Appalachian streams, 0‐0.254 g O2 g ‐1 AFDM h ‐1 in Rocky Mountain streams, and 0‐0.436 g O2 g ‐1 AFDM h ‐1 in Central Valley streams. 4. Respiration was significantly lower in Southern Rocky Mountain streams and in cold water streams (< 15 ∞C) of the Central Appalachians. 5. Within a defined index period, respiration was not significantly different between years, and was significantly correlated with stream temperature and chemistry (DOC, total N, total P, K, Cl, and alkalinity). 6. The uniformity of respiration estimates among the three study regions suggests that sediment microbial respiration may be collected at any number of scales above the sitelevel for reliable prediction of respiration patterns at larger spatial scales.
LONG-TERM TREATMENT RELATED COMPLICATIONS OF BRACHYTHERAPY FOR EARLY PROSTATE CANCER: A SURVEY OF PATIENTS PREVIOUSLY TREATED

Purpose: We determined long-term symptoms in patients after brachytherapy (radioactive seed implantation) for early (nonmetastatic) prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of 105 (80% of those contacted) men treated at least 2 years 9 months (median 5.2 years) previously with brachytherapy alone (72 patients) or brachytherapy plus external beam radiation therapy (33) at a pioneering referral center for ultrasound guided brachytherapy.Results: Median patient age was 70 years at treatment and 75 years when surveyed. Bowel symptoms were uncommon (range 4% to 9%) unless patient had also received external beam radiation therapy. Urinary incontinence occurred in 45% of men, although leakage of more than a few drops, daily leakage and wearing absorptive pads occurred in 11%, 11% and 16%, respectively. Men who underwent documented transurethral prostatic resection were much more likely to report incontinence (83% versus 39%, p = 0.005) and those who underwent implantation less...
Performance analysis of optimal and practical diversity antenna designs

This paper demonstrates application of a recent formulation for constructing the radiation patterns that maximize the diversity gain for a given propagation environment. The results compare the performance obtained with practical designs to those obtained with the optimal antennas, and illustrate how to use the framework to investigate the number of spatial degrees of freedom available in the environment. They also illustrate how a sparse array can be designed whose performance approaches that of the optimal array.
Chronic Mesenteric Ischemia after Partial Coverage of the Celiac Artery during TEVAR, Case Report, and Review of the Literature

Background Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has emerged as a safe and effective alternative to open surgery for treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms. It has recently been reported that stent-graft coverage of the celiac artery (CA) during TEVAR is associated with a low risk of acute mesenteric ischemia. However, the long-term effect of CA coverage on foregut perfusion is unknown. Here, we report the case of a patient who underwent TEVAR with partial coverage of the CA and subsequently developed symptoms of chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI). She was successfully treated with CA stent placement. Methods Preoperative imaging included computed tomography (CT) angiography of the abdomen and conventional aortogram of a redo-TEVAR, revealing near complete coverage of the CA orifice. Endovascular repair was done using a 7 mm × 20 mm biliary balloon-expandable stent (Cook Medical Inc, Bloomington, IN). A review of the current literature for this rare problem was performed. Results Completion arteriography demonstrated successful revascularization of the CA without evidence of endoleak. Postoperatively, the abdominal pain was alleviated with early improved diet tolerance and weight gain. Follow-up CT at 6 month demonstrated widely patent CA. A PubMed review showed no reported cases of CMI secondary to CA coverage during TEVAR in the literature. Conclusions CMI may develop with coverage of the CA during TEVAR. When other causes of abdominal pain and weight loss have been ruled out, revascularization of the CA can help alleviate the symptoms.
Verification and validation of object-oriented artifacts throughout the simulation model development life cycle

The purpose of this paper is to present a series of questions (or indicators) for assessing the verity and validity of the artifacts produced during the entire object-oriented simulation model development life cycle. Using modern object-oriented development processes, artifacts developed in one phase flow seamlessly from those of the previous phase. This provides forward and backward traceability between artifacts. This inherent backward traceability has been exploited by tracing defects in artifacts back to their defective ancestral artifacts. Questions are then phrased such that when answered in the negative indicate the presence of defects. Use of the Evaluation Environment software tool facilitates the integration of the answers to the assessment questions and enables an overall evaluation. The collection of questions can be useful for the verification and validation of artifacts in any object-oriented simulation model development.
The Fatty Acid Beta-Oxidation Pathway Is Important for Decidualization of Endometrial Stromal Cells in Both Humans and Mice

Embryo implantation and development requires the endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) to undergo decidualization. This differentiation process requires glucose utilization, and blockade of the pentose phosphate pathway inhibits decidualization of ESCs both in vitro and in vivo. Glucose and fatty acids are energy substrates for many cell types, and fatty acid beta-oxidation is critical for embryo implantation. Here, we investigated whether beta-oxidation is required for decidualization of ESCs. As assessed by marker gene expression, decidualization of human primary ESCs was blocked by reducing activity of carnitine calmitoyltransferase I, the rate-limiting enzyme in beta-oxidation, either by short hairpin RNA-mediated silencing or by treatment with the inhibitor etomoxir. Ranolazine (RAN), a partial beta-oxidation inhibitor, blocked early decidualization of a human ESC line. However, decidualization resumed after several days, most likely due to a compensatory up-regulation of GLUT1 expression and an increase in glucose metabolism. Simultaneous inhibition of the beta-oxidation pathway with RAN and the pentose phosphate pathway with glucosamine (GlcN) impaired in vitro decidualization of human ESCs more strongly than inhibition of either pathway alone. These findings were confirmed in murine ESCs in vitro, and exposure to RAN plus GlcN inhibited decidualization in vivo in a deciduoma model. Finally, intrauterine implantation of time-release RAN and GlcN pellets reduced pup number. Importantly, pup number returned to normal after the end of the pellet-active period. This work indicates that both fatty acids and glucose metabolism pathways are important for ESC decidualization, and suggests novel pathways to target for the design of future nonhormonal contraceptives.
Internationalization as a response to globalization: Radical shifts in university environments

This case study probes recent developments in a number of academic and non-academic aspects of a private research university in response to current globalization trends. Under the name of internationalization, university administrators and external firms are emerging as powerful decision-makers shaping academic content and even academic governance. This is manifested in student recruitment and in the hiring of prestigious professors and researchers to increase university reputation and thus to appeal to more students and secure more research funds. Among disciplines central to economic and technological globalization, such as communication, business, and engineering, patterns of convergence are emerging. Rather than internationalism, internationalization is found to prevail, and internationalization is found to signify predominantly a search for student markets domestically and abroad rather than positioning the university’s knowledge at the service of others in less advantaged parts of the world.
Chapter 6 The Abh Blood Groups and Development

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on ABH blood groups and their development. The ABH antigens are widely distributed in the tissues of the human embryo/fetus from the earliest ascertainable stages of development—fifth week post-fertilization. They are not only present on the surfaces of the erythrocytes but also, in large amounts, on the cell surfaces of the endothelium and of the epithelia of most early organs. While their physiologic function remains unknown, it is their early appearance in embryonal life and wide distribution in most epithelial primordia that causes them to be of interest in human reproduction. Of the vast and growing number of known antigenic systems of man, the ABH is the best understood in terms of both genetics and biochemistry. The ABH substances of the erythrocytes and of the mucoid secretions are characterized to a large extent and can be visualized as belonging to several families of macromolecules, either glycoprotein or glycolipid. The blood group antigens ABH represent a variety of macromolecules, all associated with the surface of the cell membrane. Their biological significance, pointed to by the increased hazards in ABO incompatible feto-maternal matches, is interpreted in the light of an hypothesis that views the A/B antigens as potential targets for maternal immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies crossing by diffusion the early placental barrier.
Design of a sign-out process to improve surgical safety:

A surgical safety checklist consists of three parts; sign-in, time-out, and sign-out. It has been observed that the sign-out process is the least frequently completed part. We redesigned the sign-out process as a web-based application embedded on a desktop and on a tablet. Both web-based platforms were tested along with the current process on a computer. We recorded time, performance, workload, usability, satisfaction and preference measures for these three approaches in operating rooms. The time to complete the sign-out process was the longest using the WebApp on the desktop and the shortest using the current system. The WebApp on both electronic devices resulted in fewer items being skipped than the current system. The web-based app on the desktop resulted in fewer items not being discussed than the current system. Frustration was rated as lower with the WebApp on the desktop than with the current system. The WebApp on the desktop was rated higher than the current system for situation awareness, detecti...
Why Not Go Back Home? Reverse Migration and the Politics of Africa

International migration is integral to Sub-Saharan Africas politics and economics. The scholarship on African outmigration focuses on the reasons why Africans leave the continent, but also why they return (Arthur 2012). Explanations for African outmigration include demographic pressures and wage gaps between sending and receiving countries (Hatton and Williamson 2003), economic and environmental crises (Adepoju 1994; Naude 2009; Kurosu, Bengtsson, and Campbell 2010), and political crises (Dei and Asgharzadeh 2002; Reynolds 2002). Relatively less is known about why Africans who left the continent stay abroad. The existing literature on this subject typically stresses the fact that opportunities to earn a decent living are superior in receiving countries. But living conditions are becoming harder and harder for many African immigrants, as evidenced by the increasing number of xenophobic incidents, harsh working conditions (Descloitres 1970), difficulties in accessing social services (Couillet 2010), and tightened immigration laws (Timera 1997). The validity of greener pasture explanations must thus be re-examined. This paper asks: To what extent do African political environments deter the African diaspora from returning home? Data collected from interviewing African immigrants in France and the United states are used to shed light on this underexplored question.
Design, Execution, and Analysis of Time-Varying Experiments for Model Discrimination and Parameter Estimation in Microreactors

Time-varying, or dynamic, experiments can produce richer data sets than sequences of steady-state experiments using less material and time. A case study demonstrating this concept for microreactor experiments is presented. Beginning with five kinetic model candidates for the reaction of phenylisocyanate with t-butanol, an initial dynamic experiment showed that two of the five models gave a similar quality of fit to the experimental data, whereas the remaining three gave significantly poorer fits. Next an optimal experiment was designed to discriminate between the remaining two models. This drove the two models to differ significantly in quality, leaving a single model and a set of kinetic parameter values that adequately described the data. This method can be applied to future kinetic studies to reduce material use and experimental time while validating a dynamic model of the physics and chemical kinetics.
The challenges of challenge experiments.

Challenge experiments involving infecting healthy human subjects to test the efficacy of a new vaccine can be invaluable, but historically, researchers sometimes undertook such efforts with little attention to ethical concerns raised by purposefully making people sick.
503 MEASURING THE UNIQUENESS OF PRIMARY CARE

Specification of the characteristics unique to primary care, as distinguished from secondary and tertiary care, has been difficult. Definitions of primary care have stressed its first-contact aspects, its “coordinating” features, its “comprehensiveness,” and its “longitudinality.” While adequate as gross descriptors, the inability to quantify these phenomena reduces their usefulness to teachers, planners, and evaluators. In order to overcome this problem, a model has been developed which shows the interrelationships among the many separate aspects of the structure, process, and outcome of care. The system parameters such as access, coordination, comprehensiveness, and longitudinality are defined as specific interrelationships among the structural and process components of care, each of which is measurable. Use of this model provides a way to examine the attainment of primary care objectives, as will be shown by several examples. Therefore, it may facilitate both the achievement of better programs of service and more complete educational experiences for primary care trainees.
Noise to Signal: A Microtremor Study in the New Madrid Seismic Zone

We present results of a study in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) utilizing the microtremor method. The study analyzes and interprets horizontal to vertical (H/V) spectral ratios to determine resonant periods at sites across the Mississippi embayment. Data were collected from areas that experienced earthquake-induced soil liquefaction due to strong ground motion during historic and prehistoric earthquake sequences. Results from 15 sites show resonant fundamental periods of 0.5 s to 4.3 s for embayment thicknesses of ~ 100 m to 900 m and average shear-wave velocity of 800 m/s. These fundamental periods are associated with a strong impedance contrast between embayment sediments and underlying basement rock. Other spectral peaks of 1.8 s to 3.8 s are correlated with major stratigraphic boundaries within basin sediments. The basin configuration and a strong impedance contrast between sediments and basement rocks could contribute significantly to wave amplification at these resonant periods. Results also indicate higher amplification factors and liquefaction vulnerability at sites located in meandering stream deposits near the basin axis, where embayment thickness is greatest.
The Design and Implementation of the Export Industry Zone Support System for Customs Based on the .Net Three-tier Architecture

A Export industry zone support system for customs is designed based on.NET three-tier architecture.The concepts and features of.NET three-tier architecture are introduced,the interfaces and functionalities for each tier are analyzed,and the implementation for the design is proposed.According to the software architecture of the customs industry system,the implementation methods,design philosophes,key components and the technology overviews of the.NET three-tier technology are disussed in detail.Moreover,the key technologies to implement the system are covered in this paper.
How Large are Earnings Penalties for Self-Employed and Informal Wage Workers?

This paper examines the earnings penalties and premiums associated with different types of employment in 73 countries. Workers are divided into four categories: non-professional own-account workers, employers and own-account professionals, informal wage employees, and formal wage employees. Approximately half of the workers in low income countries are non-professional own-account workers, and the majority of the rest are informal employees. Fewer than 10 percent are formal employees, and only 2 percent of workers in low income countries are employers or own-account professionals. As per capita gross domestic product increases across countries, there are large net shifts from non-professional own-account work into formal wage employment. Across all regions and income levels, non-professional own-account workers and informal wage employees face an earnings penalty compared with formal wage employees. But in low income countries, this earnings penalty is small, and non-professional own-account workers earn a positive premium relative to all wage employees. Earnings penalties for non-professional own-account workers tend to increase with gross domestic product and are largest for female workers in high income countries. On average, employers and own-account professionals earn a premium compared to employees, although there are important differences across countries and between men and women. In terms of regional differences, earnings premiums for employers and professionals are largest for men in middle income Latin American countries. On the other hand, women employers and professionals do not earn a statistically significant premium compared to employees in any region of the world. These results are consistent with compensating wage differentials and firm quasi-rents playing important roles in explaining cross-country variation in earnings penalties, and raise questions about the extent to which the unskilled self-employed are rationed out of formal wage work in low income countries.
Earthquakes and the typologies of state–society relations in China

The proliferation of civil society organizations after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and the 2013 Lushan earthquake in China has caught the attention of scholars in Chinese politics and disaster pol...
First generation bioresorbable vascular scaffolds: do they hold the promise?

The current generation of drug eluting stents (DES) exhibit a very low risk of stent thrombosis, restenosis, and need for repeat intervention (1). However, it took almost a decade for DES to reach this degree of maturation. Yet, these devices still carry a risk of very late stent restenosis and the need for repeat revascularization, due to the persistence of the metallic backbone and/or residual polymer once the anti-proliferative agent has completely eluted. As such, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) hold the promise of offering an early anti-proliferative effect in addition to the mechanical support similar to DES for 2–3 years followed by complete bioabsorption. These effects are theoretically appealing. Complete bioabsorption could allow for preservation of the coronary vasomotion (which has been linked to the increased risks of late stent restenosis with DES), a possible reduction in the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following the stent implantation, and the preservation of native coronary architecture which would allow for future surgical therapy.
Chapter 39 - Epilepsy

Noninvasive brain stimulation, particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), are emerging as realistic tools for seizure control. Numerous open-label trials and a few recent randomized controlled trials suggest the capacity of both techniques to suppress seizures. Additionally, specialized TMS protocols aimed to map cortical function and to measure cortical excitability may have realistic roles as diagnostic tools in epilepsy. As the prevalence of drug-resistant epilepsy has not changed in recent years, TMS and tDCS offer noninvasive and nonpharmacological options to improve control of intractable seizures.
Reversible Modulation of the Electrostatic Potential of a Colloidal Quantum Dot through the Protonation Equilibrium of Its Ligands

This Letter describes the reversible modulation of the electrostatic potential at the interface between a colloidal PbS quantum dot (QD) and solvent, through the protonation equilibrium of the QD’s histamine-derivatized dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) ligand shell. The electrostatic potential is sensitively monitored by the yield of photoinduced electron transfer from the QD to a charged electron acceptor, 9,10-anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQ). The permeability of the DHLA coating to the AQ progressively increases as the average degree of protonation of the ligand shell increases from 0 to 92%, as quantified by 1H NMR, upon successive additions of p-toluenesulfonic acid; this increase results in a decrease in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the QDs by a factor of 6.7. The increase in permeability is attributable to favorable electrostatic interactions between the ligands and AQ. This work suggests the potential of the combination of near-IR-emitting QDs and molecular quenchers as robust local H+ sensors.
Report of the Committee on Scientific Investigation of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry

Abstract While the development of new knowledge is proceeding, it is also important to recognize and use the knowledge we think we have now. We have had the capability, for many years, of preventing the loss of most teeth from caries and periodontal disease if we would only use what we know about diet, fluoridation, oral hygiene, and what we have learned about function from gnathology. Unfortunately, diagnosis and treatment planning is the most neglected area in dental practice. If a fraction of the time, effort, expense, and intelligence was applied to prevention that is brought to bear on dental problems to make the recovery, some real progress would be made. Many of you, I know, have been accomplishing comprehensive oral care for years rather than temporizing so that the teeth can be lost comfortably. It is no wonder that so many people have been resigned to the eventual loss of all of their teeth. We have broken dental teaching up into manageable segments for convenience, now we are trying to unite them again with the total care concept. However, all is not drab, and there is an encouraging gradual change toward using some of the procedures more generally that have been found, clinically, to be very effective for a long time.
Quantification of nitrogen in the liquid fraction and in vitro assessment of lysine bioavailability in the solid fraction of soybean meal hydrolysates

Soybean meal (SBM) is a product generated from the manufacture of soybean oil and has the potential for use as a source of fermentable sugars for ethanol production or as a protein source for anima...
Barriers and facilitators of care for diverse patients: Nurse leader perspectives and nurse manager implications

Objective To examine chief nurse executives’ perspectives on: (1) the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services in hospitals and (2) to identify barriers and facilitators associated with the implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Background Hospitals continue to face challenges providing care to diverse patients. The uptake of standards related to culturally and linguistically appropriate services into clinical practice is sluggish, despite potential benefits, including reducing health disparities, patient errors, readmissions and improving patient experiences. Method A qualitative study with chief nurse executives from one eastern United States (US). Data were analysed using content analysis. Results Seven themes emerged: (1) lack of awareness of resources for health care organisations; (2) constrained cultural competency training; (3) suboptimal resources (cost and time); (4) mutual understanding; (5) limited workplace diversity; (6) community outreach programmes; and (7) the management of unvoiced patient expectations. Conclusions As the American population diversifies, providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services remains a priority for nurse leaders. Being aware and utilizing the resources, policies and best practices available for the implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate services can assist nursing managers in reaching their goals of providing high quality care to diverse populations. Implications for Nursing Management Nurse managers are key in aligning the unit's resources with organisational goals related to the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services by providing the operational leadership to eliminate barriers and to enhance the uptake of best practices related to culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
LDPC-coded OFDM-system with BPSK modulation: Performance comparison with uncoded OFDM system

This paper proposes an automated algorithm to correct loss of sub-carriers in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system using Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes. OFDM transmits data on high bit-rate but high-peak-to-average ratio PAPR, subcarriers-loss due to deep fades in multipath causes 2-dimensional errors i.e., in time and frequency-domain, and inter-symbol-interference (ISI) etc. occurs in multipath OFDM system. In order to reduce such OFDM errors, error correcting codes have been used by researchers like Turbo-code, LDPC-code, ReedSolomon-code, Alamouti-code etc. LDPC-coded OFDM system is employed in the paper to correct 2D error and make improvement in OFDM BER curve. LDPC was first introduced by Gallager during his graduation in 1962. The main purpose for LDPC selection amongst all error correcting codes is its performance which is near Shannon limit. Information bits are encoded using LDPC and modulated using binary phase-shift-keying (BPSK). Then, OFDM system transmit subcarriers on channel and is demodulated using BPSK and decoded using LDPC at receiver to recover original information bits. Results show that LDPC-coded-OFDM performed better than un-coded-OFDM in terms of BER vs Eb/No (energy-per-bit to spectral-noise ratio) in decibels.
Management of endometriosis in women older than 40 years of age.

SUMMARY Endometriosis in women older than 40 years of age presents unique therapeutic challenges to the practicing physician. Management requires the evaluation of reproductive goals and a determination of the objectives of therapy, including symptomatic relief and avoidance or delay of recurrence of disease. Important considerations in this age group include diminished fertility and impending menopause. The diagnosis and treatment for endometriosis-associated infertility must be undertaken in an expedient manner. Assisted reproductive technologies may be effective therapies for these patients. Conservative surgery may be necessary to preserve reproductive potential, but definitive surgery may be indicated in women with long-standing pelvic pain. Estrogen replacement therapy may be used in menopausal women with a history of endometriosis.
Temporal Risk Processes

This chapter provides an introduction to inter-temporal probability processes used commonly in modeling risk processes. The chapter begins with the questions “what is time,” “what is memory?” how are their definitions used to construct quantitative and temporal models. Elementary models such as probability models with the Markov property, random (binomial) walks, Poisson processes and continuous state and time stochastic processes are both presented intuitively and applied to many risk problems. These stochastic processes are then extended to more complex situations including long run memory models (fractal models), short memory models as well as to models departing from the basic Markov property and random walks models. While some of these models require a more advanced quantitative background than assumed for Chaps. 3 and 4, their applications are used to highlight both their importance and their implications to financial and risk models.
Infant Bonding and Attachment

Altricial infants, such as humans and rats, must form an attachment to their caregiver for survival. A unique pathway for learning appears to support this attachment learning, which provides robust and rapid learning.
On Using Bittorrent for File Sharing in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

Many challenges exist in the design of a good distributed file sharing system. Transporting huge files over the network can create latency and sluggish performance. Scalability of a distributed file sharing system is another challenge. There is also no universal software that can transfer files between various platforms and devices and functions in all types of networks. In this paper we focus on the problem of distributed file sharing in the context of Mobile Ad Hoc Networks MANETs. In such networks nodes may join or leave at any given point in time so that traditional file sharing algorithms are not viable anymore. We present the architecture and implementation of an efficient distributed file sharing system for MANETs. Our system employs the Bittorrent protocol and a new tracker replicating procedure that enables file sharing even with nodes joining or leaving. By removing the tracker as a single point of failure our system outperforms other existing file sharing applications.
Fluid-Dynamic Effects, Including Turbulence, on a High-Pressure Discharge

We have been studying the stabilization of discharges by flow phenomena for a number of years, and although more interested in molecular gas discharges as typified by the CO2-laser, broad classifications must be introduced in order to discuss relevant phenomena. The first and perhaps most important classification relates to the existence of negative ions and, while our work has been with electron-attaching gases, we shall also mention non-attaching gases such as nitrogen and the inert gases. Next we distinguish between parallel flow and cross flow as they pertain to the direction of the overall motion of the fluid with respect to the conventional motion of the electrical current. In parallel flow the movement is coaxial and we consider flows going both from anode to cathode (normal mode) and from cathode to anode (reverse flow). Turbulence generating grids are located upstream of the electrodes as shown In Fig. 1, except for the reverse flow where they become ineffective. Because the electrodes are immersed In the flow, the anode is typically made of an array of pins, or a pin-rake, supported in some suitable streamlined fashion. On the other hand, the cathode is a screen or some other device which presents low blockage to the main flow while serving as an electrical “flat-plate”. The gas pressures can be said to be moderate to high although In our own work we operate exclusively near one atmosphere; flow rates are subsonic and intercavity volumes large. Part of our effort has been to vary Interelectrode spacing and to exchange anode pins for anode wires spanning the cross-section.
‘More than an Idea or a Norm’: Religion, Justice, and Practicality in Dialog with the Tollgate Principles

In ‘The Tollgate Principles for the Governance of Geoengineering’, Stephen M. Gardiner and Augustin Fragniere develop a holistic framework for geoengineering governance, pointing out the importance...
Surface Chemistry and Long-Term Stability of Amorphous Zn-Sn-O Thin Films

Amorphous (a-) oxides form an important category of transparent conducting/semiconducting thin films used as electrodes and channel layers in thin film transistors. The compositional flexibility of amorphous states, through doping, makes it possible to fine-tune the electrical properties of films from conducting to semiconducting. However, surface chemistry and stability of these films are rarely addressed. Surface studies of amorphous materials, in general, are scarce due to disorder. Here, long-term surface stability of a–Zn–Sn–O films was investigated using grazing incidence X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques. We present a detailed description of film surface structures and their evolution over time. It was found that the surface structure is, locally, a close analogue of the crystalline counterpart and that surface chemistry is governed by vacancies, strain, composition, and film density. It is shown that the long-term stability of a film is questionable when the film has a high Zn content and a...
Left Ventricular Assist Device Artifact in EEG

Left ventricular assist devices are increasingly used as therapy for patients with severe congestive heart failure. These patients typically receive care in the intensive care unit when EEG monitor...
Bullying Between Societal Groups: Playground Politics on a Grand Scale

In this chapter, we apply our definition of the bullying dynamic— repeated aggression over time, power imbalance, and intent to harm—to macro level conflict between social groups. Bullying does not just happen on a small scale on school playgrounds, college campuses, or at home. Bullying also occurs on a larger scale including racism, discrimination, genocide, and mass murder which are often spearheaded by the multiple hate groups in the US and around the globe. Further, the inequality present in the US contributes to unequal power that can set up bullying dynamics between socioeconomic classes, genders, and races/ethnicities. A theoretical lens (i.e., social capital theory, social dominance theory, oppression model) is used to explain group level bullying. This chapter examines how bullying is a global phenomenon that occurs outside the bounds of school yards and can be huge in scale with devastating consequences.
Increasing Incidence of Pectoralis Major Ruptures in NFL Players

Objectives:Pectoralis major ruptures are considered an uncommon injury in football. A previous study showing that only 10 compete ruptures occurred in the NFL between the years 2000-2010. The purpo...
Lipolytic Activity and the Utilization of Fatty Acids Associated with Bat Sebum by Pseudogymnoascus destructans

Pseudogymnoascus destructans is the causative agent of a fungal infection of bats known as white-nose syndrome (WNS). Since its discovery in 2006, it has been responsible for precipitous declines of several species of cave-dwelling North American bats. While numerous advancements in the understanding of the disease processes underlying WNS have been made in recent years, there are still many aspects of WNS, particularly with respect to pathogen virulence, that remain unknown. In this preliminary investigation, we sought to further elucidate the disease cycle by concentrating on the pathogen, with specific focus on its ability to utilize lipids that compose bat wing sebum and are found in wing membranes, as a substrate for energy and growth. In vitro growth experiments were conducted with the three most common fatty acids that comprise bat sebum: oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. None of the fatty acids were observed to contribute a significant difference in mean growth from controls grown on SDA, although morphological differences were observed in several instances. Additionally, as an accompaniment to the growth experiments, bat wing explants from Perimyotis subflavus and Eptesicus fuscus were fluorescently stained to visualize the difference in distribution of 16- and 18-carbon chain fatty acids in the wing membrane. Which substrates contribute to the growth of P. destructans is important to understanding the progressive impact P. destructans has on bat health through the course of the disease cycle.
Photography for Teacher Preparation in Literacy: Innovations in Instruction

My new graduate students in Curriculum and Instruction at San Diego State University reacted with surprise when they discovered that the syllabus indicated no requisite textbook. Instead, access to a camera was required. “Any camera will do: disposable, film, or digital.” I recommended several texts to the students, including Wendy Elwald and Alexandra Lightfoot’s I Wanna Take Me a Picture: Teaching Photography and Writing to Children, but none of these texts were necessary to be successful in the course. This was during one summer semester when I had the opportunity to teach a course entitled “Innovations in Instruction.” My broad goals for the course focused on experienced-based and student-centered learning. These unusual course requirements unnerved some students and motivated others, engaging all that first afternoon. This cohort of 26 teachers was enrolled in their final semester at the university, many of them already at work on their master’s projects. All were credentialed teachers with varying years of classroom experience. Many of them taught in elementary schools across San Diego and Riverside Counties, others worked in high schools. One teacher worked in a California state-run program for juvenile offenders, and another taught abroad during the school years, returning home only for the summer. This cohort worked with children from diverse linguistic, ethnic, and
Gas-phase chemistry of citronellol with ozone and OH radical : Rate constants and products

Abstract A bimolecular rate constant, kOH+citronellol, of (170±43)×10−12 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 was measured using the relative rate technique for the reaction of the hydroxyl radical (OH) with 3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-1-ol (citronellol) at (297±3) K and 1 atmosphere total pressure. Additionally, a bimolecular rate constant, k O 3 + citronellol , of (2.4±0.1)×10−16 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, was measured by monitoring the decrease in ozone (O3) concentration in an excess of citronellol. To more clearly define part of citronellol's indoor environment degradation mechanism, the products of the citronellol+OH and citronellol+O3 reactions were also investigated. The positively identified citronellol/OH and citronellol/O3 reaction products were: acetone, ethanedial (glyoxal, HC( O)C( O)H), and 2-oxopropanal (methylglyoxal, CH3C( O)C( O)H). The use of derivatizing agents O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (PFBHA) and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) were used to propose 6-hydroxy-4-methylhexanal as the other major citronellol/OH and citronellol/O3 reaction product. The elucidation of this other reaction product was facilitated by mass spectrometry of the derivatized reaction products coupled with plausible citronellol/OH and citronellol/O3 reaction mechanisms based on previously published volatile organic compound/OH and volatile organic compound/O3 gas-phase reaction mechanisms.
Effects of Simulation Video on Parental Recall of Seizure First Aid: A Quality Improvement Project.

Many parents of children do not recall anticipatory guidance on acute seizure management, which can lead to unnecessary emergency department visits. This quality improvement project evaluated if ad...
Nucleic acid sample preparation from whole blood in a paper microfluidic device using isotachophoresis.

Abstract Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are a crucial diagnostic and monitoring tool for infectious diseases. A key procedural step for NAATs is sample preparation: separating and purifying target nucleic acids from crude biological samples prior to nucleic acid amplification and detection. Traditionally, sample preparation has been performed with liquid- or solid-phase extraction, both of which require multiple trained user steps and significant laboratory equipment. The challenges associated with sample preparation have limited the dissemination of NAAT point-of-care diagnostics in low resource environments, including low- and middle-income countries. We report on a paper-based device for purification of nucleic acids from whole blood using isotachophoresis (ITP) for point-of-care NAATs. We show successful extraction and purification of target nucleic acids from large volumes (33 µL) of whole human blood samples with no moving parts and few user steps. Our device utilizes paper-based buffer reservoirs to fully contain the liquid ITP buffers and does not require complex filling procedures, instead relying on the natural wicking of integrated paper membranes. We perform on-device blood fractionation via filtration to remove leukocytes and erythrocytes from our sample, followed by integrated on-paper proteolytic digestion of endogenous plasma proteins to allow for successful isotachophoretic extraction. Paper-based isotachophoresis purifies and concentrates target nucleic acids that are added directly to recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) reactions. We show consistent amplification of input copy concentrations of as low as 3 × 103 copies nucleic acid per mL input blood with extraction and purification taking only 30 min. By employing a paper architecture, we are able to incorporate these processes in a single, robust, low-cost design, enabling the direct processing of large volumes of blood, with the only intermediate user steps being the removal and addition of tape. Our device represents a step towards a simple, fully integrated sample preparation system for nucleic acid amplification tests at the point-of-care.
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles as carriers of active agents for smart anticorrosive organic coatings: a critical review

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) have attracted increasing interest for their applicability as smart nanocarriers of corrosion inhibitors, due to their porous structure, resistance to main corrosive environments and good compatibility with polymer coatings. In this review, the main synthetic routes to obtain MSN with tailored textural properties, the design of different loading and stimuli-induced release strategies, the development of advanced organic nanocomposite coatings with MSN and the validation of their anticorrosive performances are reviewed and compared. Through a critical analysis of the literature, the most promising research trends and perspectives to exploit the highly interesting properties of MSN in advanced organic coatings are proposed.
Integrative Models of Wellbeing

This chapter briefly describes models designed to integrate disparate concepts of subjective aspects of quality of life, happiness, subjective wellbeing, and positive mental health. The models include livability theory; capability theory; stocks and flows; the joyless economy; quality of the person + environment; homeostatically-protected mood; quality of life = happiness + life satisfaction + absence of ill-being; the bidirectional spillover model; the psychology of personal projects and the social ecology of flourishing, the psychology of quality of life; and positive balance.