cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Language Ideology and Language Change in Early Modern German: A sociolinguistic study of the consonantal system of Nuremberg

This quantitative study, based on a computerized corpus of texts written by five men in early 16th-century Nuremberg, employs multivariate GLM statistical procedures to analyze the way linguistic, social and stylistic factors work individually and in interaction to influence variation observed in the texts. Over 70,000 tokens of variable consonants sets were analyzed, using network analysis as an alternate approach to quantification of relevant social identities, which allowed focus on individual behavior without discarding the analysis of group behaviors. The study provides evidence that consonantal variation in early modern written texts is not random. To a surprising degree, it is possible to account for the structured heterogeneity in the writings studied by using methodologies established for spoken language in modern day communities. Like spoken languages, variation precedes change in the written language, and again like spoken language, not all variation is followed by change. That is, while variation cannot always be demonstrated to be structured, much of it is clearly and reliably attributable to the same complex of linguistic, social and stylistic factors which shape the structured heterogeneity of spoken languages of our own time. Of particular importance is the quantification of an individual's relationship to an emerging ideology of language standardization, and the way that relationship interacts with written language variation.
Slide rule estimates of Fire Growth

A series of prediction methods has been assembled to provide an analytical basis for estimating fire growth in compartments. Solutions for each prediction method can be made using programmable scientific calculators. Prediction methods are presented for: fire size and growth rates, mass loss rates, radiant heat flux, flame height, radial flame impingement, heat flux to a ceiling, smoke filling of a room, carbon monoxide hazard with smoldering fires, temperature rise in a compartment, ventilation flow rate, flashover occurrence, corridor smoke transfer and filling, smoke concentration, visibility, flame spread rates, and fire burn time. These predictive methods are useful for estimating many of the critical elements related to fire behavior and help provide a better understanding of this complex phenomenon. This report appears as Appendix B inFire Growth in Combat Ships by J. G. Quintiere, H. R. Baum and J. R. Lawson, NBSIR 85-3159.
Comparison Between FT-IR and XPS Characterization of Carbon Fiber Surfaces

Abstract Fourier transform infrared internal reflection spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS have been applied to investigate the surface of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers treated by chemical oxidation and electrochemical oxidation. We have found that infrared spectroscopy has comparable sensitivity to XPS and that the amount of the functionality introduced at the fiber surface depends on the oxidation time in the case of chemical oxidation and on the electrolyte used in the case of electrochemical oxidation.
Putative cis-Regulatory Elements Associated with Heat Shock Genes Activated During Excystation of Cryptosporidium parvum

Background Cryptosporidiosis is a ubiquitous infectious disease, caused by the protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium hominis and C. parvum, leading to acute, persistent and chronic diarrhea worldwide. Although the complications of this disease can be serious, even fatal, in immunocompromised patients of any age, they have also been found to lead to long term effects, including growth inhibition and impaired cognitive development, in infected immunocompetent children. The Cryptosporidium life cycle alternates between a dormant stage, the oocyst, and a highly replicative phase that includes both asexual vegetative stages as well as sexual stages, implying fine genetic regulatory mechanisms. The parasite is extremely difficult to study because it cannot be cultured in vitro and animal models are equally challenging. The recent publication of the genome sequence of C. hominis and C. parvum has, however, significantly advanced our understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of this parasite. Methodology/Principal Findings Herein, our goal was to identify cis-regulatory elements associated with heat shock response in Cryptosporidium using a combination of in silico and real time RT-PCR strategies. Analysis with Gibbs-Sampling algorithms of upstream non-translated regions of twelve genes annotated as heat shock proteins in the Cryptosporidium genome identified a highly conserved over-represented sequence motif in eleven of them. RT-PCR analyses, described herein and also by others, show that these eleven genes bearing the putative element are induced concurrent with excystation of parasite oocysts via heat shock. Conclusions/Significance Our analyses suggest that occurrences of a motif identified in the upstream regions of the Cryptosporidium heat shock genes represent parts of the transcriptional apparatus and function as stress response elements that activate expression of these genes during excystation, and possibly at other stages in the life cycle of the parasite. Since heat shock and excystation represent a critical step in the development of the infectious sporozoite form of Cryptosporidium, these results provide important insight into the pathogenicity of the parasite.
Effects of optical stress on the properties of sputtered amorphous silicon solar cells and thin films

Abstract Sputtered amorphous silicon solar cells and thin films (four-point probe specimens) were deposited under a variety of conditions differing in hydrogen concentration, target voltage and substrate temperature. The samples were subjected to as long as 400 h of simulated air mass 1 illumination. Some of the cells retained essentially stable values of short-circuit current density J sc , while others did not. Losses in J sc were not simply due to increases in series resistance, and the spectral responses were altered. A low temperature anneal restored the initial state. No significant changes were noted in the open-circuit voltage V oc . Analysis of space charge current densities in the cells gave an indication of the increases densities of midgap states following the stress. It was not possible to correlate the changes in cell performance with the controlled deposition conditions, and impurities may play a part. The conductivity changes measured in gap cell structures do not correlate with the observed changes in solar cell structures, possibly because of contributions from the surface conductivity.
Improved Unit-Specific Event-Based Continuous-Time Model for Short-Term Scheduling of Continuous Processes: Rigorous Treatment of Storage Requirements

The problem of short-term scheduling of multiproduct and multipurpose batch plants has received significant attention in the literature compared to the problem of short-term scheduling of continuous processes. In this paper, we present an improved model compared to the work of Ierapetritou and Floudas (Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 1998, 37, 4360) for short-term scheduling of continuous processes using unit-specific event-based continuous-time representation. The formulation is based on the state-task-network representation resulting in a mixed-integer linear programming model that accurately accounts for various storage requirements such as dedicated, finite, unlimited, and no intermediate storage policies. The formulation allows for unit-dependent variable processing rates, sequence-dependent changeovers, and with/without the option of bypassing of storage. Different variants of an industrial case study from a fast moving consumer goods manufacturing is presented to demonstrate the capability of the proposed model.
Development and Validation of a Bariatric Surgery Morbidity Risk Calculator Using the Prospective, Multicenter NSQIP Dataset

Background Although a risk score estimating postoperative mortality for patients undergoing gastric bypass exists, there is none predicting postoperative morbidity. Our objective was to develop a validated risk calculator for 30-day postoperative morbidity of bariatric surgery patients. Study Design We used the American College of Surgeons' 2007 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) dataset. Patients undergoing bariatric surgery for morbid obesity were studied. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed and a risk calculator was created. The 2008 NSQIP dataset was used for its validation. Results In 11,023 patients, mean age was 44.6 years, 20% were male, 77% were Caucasian, and mean body mass index (BMI; calculated as kg/m 2 ) was 48.9. Thirty-day morbidity and mortality were 4.2% and 0.2%, respectively. Risk factors associated with increased risk of postoperative morbidity included recent MI/angina (odds ratio [OR] = 3.65; 95% CI 1.23 to 10.8), dependent functional status (OR = 3.48; 95% CI 1.78 to −6.80), stroke (OR = 2.89; 95% CI 1.09 to 7.67), bleeding disorder (OR = 2.23; 95% CI 1.47 to 3.38), hypertension (OR = 1.34; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.63), BMI, and type of bariatric surgery. Patients with BMI 35 to 60 had significantly higher adjusted OR compared with patients with BMI of 45 to 60 (p Conclusions NSQIP data can be used to develop and validate a risk calculator that predicts postoperative morbidity after various bariatric procedures. The risk calculator is anticipated to aid in surgical decision making, informed patient consent, and risk reduction.
Replacing the optical-lever method with the method using the spot radius of a laser beam to determine the curvature of a material

A laser beam is used to determine the radius of curvature of a material surface. For this, an equation relating the radius of curvature of a material surface to the curvature of a laser wavefront and the spot radius of a laser beam, and the optical path length, is first established. Then, by substituting the calculated radius of the wavefront curvature at the sample, the measured spot radius of the beam at the sample, and at the testing plane in the equation, the radius of curvature of the sample surface can be determined. Furthermore, the optical-lever method to determine the surface's curvature has practical application. A comparison between results obtained with the proposed and optical-lever methods is made. The two sets of values yield the radii of surface curvature that are in good agreement. But if the experimental layout, signal detection, and measuring capability are also compared, the proposed method is superior to the optical-lever method.
Aromatase and estrogen receptor α deficiency

Studies on the phenotypes of women and men with mutations disrupting estrogen biosynthesis and action have significantly advanced our knowledge of the physiologic roles of estrogen in humans. Aromatase deficiency results from autosomal recessive inheritance of mutations in the CYP19A1 gene. It gives rise to ambiguous genitalia in 46,XX fetuses. At puberty, affected girls have hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, do not develop secondary sexual characteristics, and exhibit progressive virilization. The affected 46,XY men have normal male sexual differentiation and pubertal maturation. These men, however, are extremely tall and have eunucoid proportions with continued linear growth into adulthood, severely delayed epiphyseal closure, and osteoporosis due to estrogen deficiency. Although estrogen has been shown to be essential for normal sperm production and function in mice, its role in fertility is not clear in men. Thus far, one man and an unrelated woman with estrogen resistance due to mutations in the estrogen receptor α (ESR1) gene have been described. Their clinical presentations are similar to that of aromatase-deficient men and women.
The time course of extinction-induced aggressive behavior in humans: Evidence for a stage model of extinction

Abstract Three experiments examined the effects of extinction on aggressive responding in male college students. In Experiment 1 subjects initially performed on a task where shuttle responding was either continuously or partially reinforced with tokens while either a nonaggressive button-pressing response or an aggressive pad-striking response was concurrently reinforced by escape from a moderately aversive tone. During shuttle acquisition there was clear preference for the escape response of button pressing, but when shuttle responding was extinguished subjects began to respond aggressively by striking the pad to escape. The time course of aggressive escape responses during concurrent shuttle extinction was an inverted U; aggressive responding rose to a peak and then declined. Aggressive responding began earlier in extinction following continuous- as contrasted with partial-reinforcement shuttle training. Experiment 2 showed that similar extinction-induced aggression was precipitated by both moderate and extended continuous-reinforcement shuttle training, with earlier onset after extended reinforcement. Experiment 3 ruled out the possibility that the emergence of the pad-striking response during extinction was simply induced response variation. These data were interpreted within the theoretical framework of P.T.P. Wong's recently advanced stage model of extinction ( Animal Learning and Behavior , 1978, 6 , 82–93).
Localization of neurons containing pro-opiomelanocortin-related peptides in the hypothalamus and midbrain of the lizard, Anolis carolinensis evidence for region-specific processing of β-endorphin

Abstract Immunohistochemical analyses of the lizard brain, following colchicine pretreatment, revealed two populations of POMC-producing cell bodies located in medial-basal hypothalamus and the mesencephalic tegmentum. Analyses of extracts of lizard brain regions by radioimmunoassay and gel filtration chromatography indicate that β-endorphin-sized and α-MSH-sized peptides are the major POMC-related end products. Evidence is presented for region-specific processing of β-endorphin in the lizard brain.
Studies on the bradycardia and periodic rhythm caused by veratramine in the sinoatrial node of the guinea pig

Abstract In spontaneously beating, isolated guinea pig sinus-atria, veratramine (2.44 μM) slowed the rate of spontaneous depolarization of sinoatrial node cells throughout diastole, markedly slowed the frequency, and often (especially in the presence of high extracellular Ca2+) induced a periodic rhythm. This rhythm consisted of periods of complete inactivity (inactive phases) alternating with periods of apparently normal beating (active phases), with a rising and falling (parabolic) frequency pattern like that of neuronal burst firing. Slight mechanical deformation of the sinoatrial node markedly attenuated the effects of veratramine, and periodic rhythm could not be produced when the sinoatrial node was pinned down for immobilization. During the active phase of periodic rhythm, the rate of spontaneous diastolic depolarization (pacemaker potential) in pacemaker cells rose and fell with the frequency, while contrariwise, the maximum rate of depolarization fell and then rose. The last beat in the active phase was followed by a small transient afterdepolarization, which had the appearance of an abortive pacemaker potential that failed to reach threshold for triggering an action potential. The effects of various programs of electrical stimulation and pacing indicated that activity of the sinoatrial node, whether spontaneous or driven, has two effects on the amplitude of afterdepolarization, a short-lasting cumulative facilitory effect and a long-lasting cumulative inhibitory effect. Veratramine periodic rhythm arises from the interplay of these two effects, with abrupt cessation of beating whenever the afterdepolarization amplitude falls below the threshold for triggering an action potential. It is suggested that the inhibitory effect may be due to inactivation of the slow inward current and the facilitory effect may be due to one or more of the depolarizing currents activated by intracellular Ca2+.
Synthesis of the carbon framework of olivin

Abstract A convergent synthetic approach is outlined to the tricyclic compound , which contains the full carbon skeleton of olivin.
Development of transmitter secretory mechanisms by adrenergic neurons in the embryonic chick heart ventricle.

Abstract Developmental changes in the function of adrenergic axons within the right ventricle of the chick embryo were assessed by measuring the ability of these axons (1) to release endogenous transmitter, and (2) to transport, retain, and release tritiated norepinephrine ([ 3 H]NE). The release of endogenous catecholamines was assayed indirectly by measuring the increase in the twitch tension of ventricular muscle evoked by electrical stimulation of intramural nerves. The release of endogenous transmitter, which acted via β-adrenergic receptors, was first detected by this method on the 16th embryonic day. A cocaine-sensitive uptake of [ 3 H]NE was first observed on the 12th embryonic day. At this time, elevated potassium first evoked a calcium-sensitive release of [ 3 H]NE. Electrical stimulation of intramural axons first evoked a tetrodotoxin-sensitive release of [ 3 H]NE on the 14th embryonic day. It is concluded that the axons of developing adrenergic neurons are capable of releasing transmitter soon after they contact their target tissue.
Design and Synthesis of Heterocyclic Hydroxamic Acid Derivatives as Inhibitors of Helicobacter pylori Urease

Abstract Helicobacter pylori produces ammonia to help counter the acidic environment in the human stomach. The production of ammonia, essential for the microorganism's survival and virulence, is the product of enzymatic conversion of urea by the H. pylori's urease. Inhibition of urease activity by dipeptide hydroxamic acids has previously been demonstrated using a variety of fluorides, thiols and hydroxamic acids. Studies employing computer-aided drug design techniques have been utilized to suggest a novel series of heterocyclic hydroxamic acid derivatives as potential as urease inhibitors. The heterocyclic compounds 7a,b, 10b, 12b, 16b, and 19b have been designed, synthesized, and preliminarily tested as dipeptide mimics which offer a structure that is more biologically stable than that of the reported dipeptide inhibitors.
Appliances for whom? Considering place

We discuss homes as potential settings for the products of appliance design. We catalog the large international and regional differences. We look at differences in terms of infrastructure: heating, plumbing, electricity, and telephony. We examine differences in the home itself in terms of number of household members, and size of dwelling. We explore the implications of this variation for future ethnographies as well as product creation as we ask the question “appliances for whom?”
Social Anxiety and History of Behavioral Inhibition in Young Adults

To evaluate the relationship between the childhood temperament behavioral inhibition (BI) and anxiety symptomology, we investigated differences in retrospective reports of childhood BI among undergraduates reporting one of the following: (a) Social anxiety (n = 10), (b) generalized anxiety (n = 13), (c) both social and generalized anxiety (n = 15), and (d) minimal social and generalized anxiety (n = 38). Contrary to the hypothesis that BI acts as a nonspecific risk factor for anxiety symptoms, our findings revealed that a history of childhood BI was associated with symptoms of social phobia but not generalized anxiety disorder. Moreover, participants displaying symptoms of both generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia were no more likely to show a childhood history of BI than participants displaying social phobia symptoms alone. These data suggest that a childhood history of BI may be more strongly associated with adult social anxiety than some other types of anxiety pathology.
Light Scattering And Absorption By Glassy Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) And Polystyrene (PS)

Extremely pure glasses of poly(methyl methacrylate), PΜΜA, and polystyrene, PS, have been prepared for examination of bulk scattering and absorption properties. PS, which is atactic, forms glasses which show no excess light scattering whatever; these glasses resemble liquids. PMMA, on the other hand, is predominantly syndiotactic. Glassy PΜΜA has intense forward scattering from intrinsic heterogeneities characterized by a dimension of ~70 nm. The concentration and size of these structures are controlled by tacticity and molecular weight of the macromolecules and by the temperature history of the glass. These scattering studies have been complemented by laser calorimetry to measure optical absorption over the range of wavelengths λ = 490-680 nm. Here the differences in absorption are attributed to the chemical compositions of the two glasses. From the combined effects of scattering and absorption, total losses of 100-200 dB/km are anticipated from the bulk properties of polymer glasses.
Maximum imaging depth of two-photon autofluorescence microscopy in epithelial tissues.

Endogenous fluorescence provides morphological, spectral, and lifetime contrast that can indicate disease states in tissues. Previous studies have demonstrated that two-photon autofluorescence microscopy (2PAM) can be used for noninvasive, three-dimensional imaging of epithelial tissues down to approximately 150 μm beneath the skin surface. We report ex-vivo 2PAM images of epithelial tissue from a human tongue biopsy down to 370 μm below the surface. At greater than 320 μm deep, the fluorescence generated outside the focal volume degrades the image contrast to below one. We demonstrate that these imaging depths can be reached with 160 mW of laser power (2-nJ per pulse) from a conventional 80-MHz repetition rate ultrafast laser oscillator. To better understand the maximum imaging depths that we can achieve in epithelial tissues, we studied image contrast as a function of depth in tissue phantoms with a range of relevant optical properties. The phantom data agree well with the estimated contrast decays from time-resolved Monte Carlo simulations and show maximum imaging depths similar to that found in human biopsy results. This work demonstrates that the low staining inhomogeneity (∼20) and large scattering coefficient (∼10 mm−1) associated with conventional 2PAM limit the maximum imaging depth to 3 to 5 mean free scattering lengths deep in epithelial tissue.
Great Expectations, Predictable Outcomes and the G20's Response to the Recent Global Financial Crisis: When Matters Relating to Liquidity Risks Become Equally as Important as Measures Addressing Pro Cyclicality

The meeting of the Governors and Heads of Supervision on the 12 September 2010, their decisions in relation to the new capital framework known as Basel III, as well as the endorsement of the agreements reached on the 26 July 2010, once again, reflect the typical situation where great expectations with rather unequivocal, and in a sense, disappointing results are delivered. The outcome of various consultations by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, consultations which culminated in the present Basel III framework, also reflect the focus on measures aimed at addressing problems attributed to Basel II, that is, measures aimed at mitigating pro cyclicality. This is rather astonishing given one critical lesson which has been drawn from the recent Financial Crisis: namely, that capital measures on their own, were and are insufficient in addressing and averting the Financial Crisis. Furthermore, banks which have been complying with capital adequacy requirements could still face severe liquidity problems.As well as an increase of the minimum common equity requirement from 2% to 4.5%, the recent agreement and decisions of the Governors and Heads of Supervision also include the stipulation that banks hold a capital conservation buffer of 2.5% - hence consolidating the stronger definition of capital (as agreed in the previous meeting held by the Governors and Heads of Supervision earlier in July 2010).
Global distribution and climate forcing of marine organic aerosol – Part 2: Effects on cloud properties and radiative forcing

Abstract. A series of simulations with the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) with a 7-mode Modal Aerosol Model were conducted to assess the changes in cloud microphysical properties and radiative forcing resulting from marine organic aerosols. Model simulations show that the anthropogenic aerosol indirect forcing (AIF) predicted by CAM5 is decreased in absolute magnitude by up to 0.09 W m−2 (7%) when marine organic aerosols are included. Changes in the AIF from marine organic aerosols are associated with small global increases in low-level in-cloud droplet number concentration and liquid water path of 1.3 cm−3 (1.5%) and 0.22 g m−2 (0.5%), respectively. Areas especially sensitive to changes in cloud properties due to marine organic aerosol include the Southern Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, and North Atlantic Ocean, all of which are characterized by high marine organic emission rates. As climate models are particularly sensitive to the background aerosol concentration, this small but non-negligible change in the AIF due to marine organic aerosols provides a notable link for ocean-ecosystem marine low-level cloud interactions and may be a candidate for consideration in future earth system models.
Treatment of Idiopathic Membranous Glomerulopathy

The management of idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy (IMG) continues to be wrapped in controversy despite the fact that it is histologically one of the best defined glomerular diseases. This parodox was recently emphasized by Glassock1 who proposed that the disease entity of IMG is very likely the common morphological expression of several diseases, which may have different responses to therapy, ostensibly related to different specific etiologies and pathogenetic processes. Until the specific etiology in each patient with IMG is recognized, it is likely that the therapy of this disease entity will remain essentially empirical.
Gas phase and surface kinetic processes in polycrystalline silicon hot-wire chemical vapor deposition

Experiments and numerical simulations have been conducted to determine critical parameters for growth of polycrystalline silicon via hot-wire chemical vapor deposition. Reactor-scale simulations performed using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method have revealed a number of important phenomena such as a sharp drop of 1700 K in the gas temperature from the wire to substrate. The gas-phase reaction of silicon atoms produced on the wire with ambient silane molecules has been studied using ab initio quantum chemical calculations. Results reveal that collisional stabilization of the adduct (H SiSiH) is 3 unlikely under typical growth pressures, but an energetically favorable, low-pressure pathway has been found that leads to the formation of Si H and H . Threshold ionization mass spectrometry measurements of radicals have revealed that at the pressure 22 2 characteristic of growth (2-200 mTorr of 1% SiH in He), the radical SiH is predominant. Finally, film growth studies reveal 42
Efficient Self-Organization in Multihop Wireless LAN

Efficient cooperation and self-organization is a fundamental challenge in distributed autonomous systems. In this paper, we study this problem in the context of multi-hop extended wireless LANs, in which a mobile user can reach the access point (AP) over a multi-hop relaying path through intermediate nodes. While both users and service providers can enjoy the benefits of such extended network coverage, the system must provide incentives for a selfish user to contribute its resources (battery, bandwidth, CPU, etc.) to forward packets for others. Moreover, the system efficiency depends largely on how the relaying paths are formed, which ultimately depends on the incentive mechanism in use. Our goal is to design an incentive framework that not only stimulates the selfish users to participate in packet forwarding but also leads to desirable system-wide performance in various scenarios. This is achieved by enforcing both rewards (in cases of successful forwarding) and penalties (in cases of packet losses) in the incentive model. We describe our incentive framework design and analytically study the overall system efficiency in both heavily loaded and lightly loaded cases. We further demonstrate the performance gain of our incentive model, as compared to a fixed-price packet purse model, through extensive simulations.
Genetic and functional analyses of the Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans AfeABCD siderophore-independent iron acquisition system.

The Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans afeABCD iron transport system, the expression of which is controlled by iron and Fur, was identified in three different isolates. The protein products of this locus are related to bacterial ABC transporters involved in metal transport. Transformation of the Escherichia coli 1017 iron acquisition mutant with a plasmid harboring afeABCD promoted cell growth under iron-chelated conditions. However, insertion disruption of each of the afeABCD coding regions abolished this growth-relieving effect. The replacement of the parental afeA allele with the derivative afeA::EZ::TN drastically reduced the ability of A. actinomycetemcomitans cells to grow under iron-chelated conditions.
Recent Issues in Negative-Bias Temperature Instability: Initial Degradation, Field Dependence of Interface Trap Generation, Hole Trapping Effects, and Relaxation

Recent advances in experimental techniques (on-the- fly and ultrafast techniques) allow measurement of threshold voltage degradation due to negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI) over many decades in timescale. Such measurements over wider temperature range (-25degC to 145degC), film thicknesses (1.2-2.2 nm of effective oxide thickness), and processing conditions (variation of nitrogen within gate dielectric) provide an excellent framework for a theoretical analysis of NBTI degradation. In this paper, we analyze these experiments to refine the existing theory of NBTI to 1) explore the mechanics of time transients of NBTI over many orders of magnitude in time; 2) establish field dependence of interface trap generation to resolve questions regarding the appropriateness of power law versus exponential projection of lifetimes; 3) ascertain the relative contributions to NBTI from interface traps versus hole trapping as a function of processing conditions; and 4) briefly discuss relaxation dynamics for fast-transient NBTI recovery that involves interface traps and trapped holes.
Optimized silicon-rich oxide (SRO) deposition process for 5 V only flash EEPROM applications

A process for depositing in-situ very-thin (<10 nm) SiO/sub 2/ films on top of a silicon-rich oxide (SRO) layer in a standard low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) reactor has been optimized. Polysilicon-gate MOS capacitors using this stacked dielectric have shown high tunneling current at low voltages and an extraordinary endurance to electrical stress. Capacitors with 7 nm LPCVD SiO/sub 2/ on top of 10 nm SRO did not show any relevant shift on either the low or high portion of the I-V characteristic, after a fluence of more than 500 C/cm/sup 2/ at J=0.1 A/cm/sup 2/. The results add further support to the usefulness of implementing these stacked dielectric structures in a variety of nonvolatile memory devices.< >
Recent Developments of the Modelica \Buildings" Library for Building Energy and Control Systems

At the Modelica 2009 conference, we introduced the Buildings library, a freely available Modelica library for building energy and control systems [16]. This paper reports the updates of the library and presents example applications for a range of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Over the past two years, the library has been further developed. The number of HVAC components models has been doubled and various components have been revised to increase numerical robustness. The paper starts with an overview of the library architecture and a description of the main packages. To demonstrate the features of the Buildings library, applications that include multizone airow simulation as well as supervisory and local loop control of a variable air volume (VAV) system are briey described. The paper closes with a discussion of the current development.
Comparing images using the Hausdorff distance

The Hausdorff distance measures the extent to which each point of a model set lies near some point of an image set and vice versa. Thus, this distance can be used to determine the degree of resemblance between two objects that are superimposed on one another. Efficient algorithms for computing the Hausdorff distance between all possible relative positions of a binary image and a model are presented. The focus is primarily on the case in which the model is only allowed to translate with respect to the image. The techniques are extended to rigid motion. The Hausdorff distance computation differs from many other shape comparison methods in that no correspondence between the model and the image is derived. The method is quite tolerant of small position errors such as those that occur with edge detectors and other feature extraction methods. It is shown that the method extends naturally to the problem of comparing a portion of a model against an image. >
Integrated inductors for low cost electronic packages

The use of inductors in electronic circuitry is widespread, especially in analog applications such as filters, tuners, and wireless communications systems such as cellular telephones and pagers. Often the number of passive components in such applications greatly exceeds the number of silicon chips, thus making desirable the ability to integrate the passive components in the same manner as transistors are currently integrated. Because the passive components are often relatively large in size, it can be more appropriate to integrate these devices into the package rather than on the chip. This paper describes several methods for integrating inductive components with low temperature multichip module laminate substrates, with the goal of achieving lower cost and smaller size than current packages with hybrid-mounted inductors.
Suppression of basal and carbon nanotube-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis in mouse lungs by Nrf2

AbstractThe lungs are susceptible to oxidative damage by inhaled pathogenic agents, including multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) has been implicated in regulating the body’s defense against oxidative stress. Here, we analyzed the function of Nrf2 in the lungs. Under a basal condition, Nrf2 knockout (KO) mice showed apparent pulmonary infiltration of granulocytes, macrophages and B and T lymphocytes, and elevated deposition of collagen fibers. Exposure to MWCNT (XNRI MWNT-7, Mitsui, Tokyo, Japan) by pharyngeal aspiration elicited rapid inflammatory and fibrotic responses in a dose (0, 5, 20 and 40 μg) and time (1, 3, 7 and 14 d)-dependent manner. The responses reached peak levels on day 7 post-exposure to 40 μg MWCNT, evidenced by massive inflammatory infiltration and formation of inflammatory and fibrotic foci, which were more evident in Nrf2 KO than wild-type (WT) lungs. At the molecular level, Nrf2 protein was detected at a low level under a bas...
Atmospheric Radon-222 Concentration Variation with Height and Time

Abstract Studies of concentrations of radon-222 in the atmosphere have been made from the surface of the earth to 16 meters elevation for eight periods of approximately 24 hours each. These studies provide over 650 individual determinations of radon concentration measured during a wide variety of meteorological conditions, from clear days with high radiation and relatively weak winds to cloudy days of low radiation and relatively high winds. Information presented indicates general features of radon concentration: 1) highest concentrations near the soil, the source, 2) maximum concentrations at night with the maximum near the soil occurring about 3 hours before the maximum at 16 meters, 3) minimum values at all levels near midday, 4) almost constant concentration with elevation, indicating good mixing during morning hours, and 5) the increase of concentration at ground level ahead of those aloft with the approach of evening. Average 24-hour exposure at human breathing level, between 1 and 4 meters, varies ...
Hydrodeoxygenation of pyrolysis oil for hydrocarbon production using nanospring based catalysts

Abstract Nickel (Ni) and ruthenium (Ru) decorated nanosprings (Ni-NS and Ru-NS) were prepared for use as potential hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) catalysts. The nanocatalysts were characterized by BET surface area measurements, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and showed the NSs had a helical and mesoporous structure. The Ni and Ru decorated NSs showed good metal dispersity at the NS surface. Catalytic HDO conversion of phenol (model bio-oil compound) using NS were compared to conventional alumina (Al2O3) and silica (SiO2) gel catalyst supports. Ni–Al2O3 was easily deactivated in the presence of water while the Ni-NS catalysts performed very well irrespective of water being present. An increase in Ni loading (up to 50%) increased the Ni-NS activity while the high loading resulted in a detrimental effect on the activity of silica gel based catalysts. Ru based catalysts showed better activity and conversion on phenol HDO than Ni based catalysts, even in the presence of water. Ponderosa pine pyrolysis bio-oil was fractionated into water-soluble (WS) and water-insoluble (WI) fractions. The bio-oil WI fraction was first hydrocracked to lower its molar mass and then HDO treated with Ni-NS to successfully form cycloalkanes products. These NS based HDO catalysts show promise for upgrading pyrolysis bio-oils to biofuels.
Distinguishing between plasmon-induced and photo-excited carriers in a device geometry (Presentation Recording)

The use of surface plasmons, charge density oscillations of conduction electrons of metallic nanostructures, could drastically alter how sunlight is converted into electricity or fuels by increasing the efficiency of light-harvesting devices through enhanced light-matter interactions. Surface plasmons can decay directly into energetic electron-hole pairs, or “hot” carriers, which can be used for photocurrent generation or photocatalysis. However, little has been understood about the fundamental mechanisms behind plasmonic carrier generation. Here we use metallic nano-wire based hot carrier devices on a wide-bandgap semiconductor substrate to show that plasmonic hot carrier generation is proportional to field intensity enhancement instead of bulk material absorption. We also show that interband carrier generation results in less energetic carriers than plasmon-induced generation, and a plasmon is required to inject electrons over a large energy barrier. Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method is used for theoretical calculations, which match well with experimental results. This work points to a clear route to increasing the efficiency of plasmonic hot carrier devices and drastically simplifies the theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms of hot carrier generation.
Anamnestic Solidarity: The Ethics of Social Reconciliation

Desmond Tutu’s pleas for “confession, forgiveness and reconciliation in the lives of nations” meet with his fellow Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka’s objection that justice is ill “served by discharging the guilty without evidence of mitigation–or remorse.” In my paper, I will consider the role of human rights in anamnestic solidarity with the victims of genocide in Rwanda: How does the rhetoric of rights configure moral remembrance, and how does such remembrance figure in the complex processes (legal, ethical, and religious) of social reconciliation?
Self-powered Active Control of Structures with TMDs

This paper studies the feasibility of self-powered active vibration control of structures with Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs). Without consuming external energy, the proposed self-powered vibration control strategy can provide better performance than the passive TMD in mitigating the vibration of buildings induced by wind load. the vibration-dissipative element of TMD is replaced with an electromagnetic machine, which serves as actuator and harvester at the same time. First, the desired force is obtained by adopting Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQG) optimal control. Then, the self-powered active control strategy is designed based on the essence of the desired force, which can be passive or active types. The energy of the vibration can be harvested as electricity in energy harvesting mode, and pumped back into the mechanical system when instant active force is required. Switch based circuits with capability of bi-directional power flow are presented for the implementation of self-powered active TMDs. With taking the efficiency of the harvesting and driving circuits into account, numerical simulations are carried out based on a tall building with a TMD under random and harmonic excitations. The results indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of self-powered active TMDs.
Fertility of the Village Residents of Oklahoma

A THOUGH differential fertility has been the ]1~ subject of intensive studies, practically nothing is known about the rate of reproduction of village inhabitants. The great variation between the fertility of rural-farm people and that of urban residents has been noted many times. Also, various studies of this rural-urban differential have included the total rural-nonfarm population. The village segment of this latter heterogeneous group, however, has been neglected, largely because of the difficulty in obtaining satisfactory data. Since villages in Oklahoma, contrary to the policy in most States, are treated as distinct minor civil divisions and since the United States Census in 1940 presents tabulations on age and sex for each minor civil division, it was possible to make a study of the rate of reproduction of the village residents of this State. To carry out such an objective, the fertility of Oklahoma villagers was studied and compared with that of other residential groups; the differences in the rates of reproduction among the various sizes of villages and among the different farming regions of the State were analyzed; and the influence of the largest city in the State upon fertility in the villages in its proximity was investigated. In this study a village is considered as any incorporated center having fewer than 2500 population. Using this definition, Oklahoma had 445 villages in 1940, all of which are included in this analysis. Because census reports provide the only data available pertaining to the village inhabitants, the only measure of reproduction that can be used in this study is the fertility ratio. The fertility ratio is a measure which relates the number of young children in a population to the number of women of child-bearing age. More specifically, the fertility ratio is the number of children under five years of age for every 1000 women aged 15 to 44, inclusive.
Dosage-Mortality Studies of Synthetic Pyrethroids and Methyl Parathion on the Tobacco Budworm in Central Arizona

Dosage-mortality lines were established for methyl parathion and synthetic pyrethroids against larvae of Heliothis virescens (F.). Levels of tolerance to methyl parathion have increased since 1972. Pydrin® (benzeneacetic acid, 4-chloro-alpha-(l-methylethyl)-, cyano (3-phenoxyphenyl) methyl ester) and permethrin were more effective than methyl parathion, but decreased susceptibility to these pyrethroids was indicated where insects already possessed high levels of tolerance to methyl parathion.
The Distribution of Mesocyclops Aspericornis (Von Daday) in South America

ABSTRACT To existing New World records of Mesocyclops aspericornis from Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Antilles, we add records from Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. The broad geographic distribution and diversity of recorded habitats for M. aspericornis suggest that it is a fugitive species. Close scrutiny of morphology has revealed subtle intraspecific differences, the most pronounced of which concerns antennular structures of males.
Demeanors, Moods, and Microbes

After we catch a cold, most of us display an uncharacteristic degree of sullenness, become withdrawn, and avoid the company of fellow human beings. In addition, our friends do not appear eager to drop in for a visit. Such behaviors can be thought to arise as a defensive way to reduce the spread of the virus. Small children do not exhibit this conduct, thus it is not obvious if this response is innate or acquired. Not so with spiny lobsters. In a recent article, Behringer, Butler, and Shields (Nature 441:421, 2006) report experimental proof for the notion that healthy animals in nature avoid infected members of their own species. Spiny lobsters, which are social animals, avoid those infected with a lethal virus even before these exhibit symptoms. Upon experimental infection with the virus, the animals lose their avoidance behavior and mingle freely with other infected ones.
Decker, Alicia C., and Andrea L. Arrington Africanizing Democracies: 1980–Present New York: Oxford University Press 112 pp., $16.95, ISBN 0199915393 Publication Date: March 2014

Alicia C. Decker and Andrea L. Arrington's Africanizing Democracies: 1980–Present demonstrates how Africans have molded democracy to fit their own principles and political agendas. Arguing that dem...
E-cigarettes and flavorings induce inflammatory and pro-senescence responses in oral epithelial cells and periodontal fibroblasts

// Isaac K. Sundar 1 , Fawad Javed 2 , Georgios E. Romanos 3 , Irfan Rahman 1 1 Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 2 Department of General Dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 3 Department of Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY Correspondence to: Irfan Rahman, email: irfan_rahman@urmc.rochester.edu Keywords: e-cigarettes, e-juices, RAGE, COX 2 , PGE 2 Received: August 02, 2016 Accepted: October 14, 2016 Published: October 24, 2016 ABSTRACT Electronic-cigarettes (e-cigs) represent a significant and increasing proportion of tobacco product consumption, which may pose an oral health concern. Oxidative/carbonyl stress via protein carbonylation is an important factor in causing inflammation and DNA damage. This results in stress-induced premature senescence (a state of irreversible growth arrest which re-enforces chronic inflammation) in gingival epithelium, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of oral diseases. We show that e-cigs with flavorings cause increased oxidative/carbonyl stress and inflammatory cytokine release in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts, Human Gingival Epithelium Progenitors pooled (HGEPp), and epigingival 3D epithelium. We further show increased levels of prostaglandin-E2 and cycloxygenase-2 are associated with upregulation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) by e-cig exposure-mediated carbonyl stress in gingival epithelium/tissue. Further, e-cigs cause increased oxidative/carbonyl and inflammatory responses, and DNA damage along with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) reduction via RAGE-dependent mechanisms in gingival epithelium. A greater response is elicited by flavored e-cigs. Increased oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory and pro-senescence responses (DNA damage and HDAC2 reduction) can result in dysregulated repair due to proinflammatory and pro-senescence responses in periodontal cells. These data highlight the pathologic role of e-cig aerosol and its flavoring to cells and tissues of the oral cavity in compromised oral health.