cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A phosphoinositide-linked dopamine D1 receptor mediates repetitive jaw movements in rats

Abstract Background: We have demonstrated that rats injected with D1 agonists SKF 38393 or A68930 demonstrate repetitive jaw movements (RJM). These agonist-induced movements in rats are similar in their appearance to those induced in rats by long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs. Over recent years D-1 receptors were discovered which showed linkage not only to c-AMP but also to PI hydrolysis. We examined the effect of EEDQ inactivation of D1 receptors on D-1 mediated PI hydrolysis and RJM. Methods: Twenty four hours following EEDQ or vehicle administration D-1 agonists or vehicle were administered. The number of RJM episodes was assessed in EEDQ and vehicle treated rats. D-1 receptor density and inositol phosphate formation were determined in the striata. Results: EEDQ administration resulted, 24 hours later, in 70–80% selective depletion of D-1 receptors in the striata but did not modify the rate of RJM induced by D-1 agonists. There was no significant difference in D-1 mediated PI hydrolysis in EEDQ treated rats when compared to vehicle treated group. Conclusions: The present data support the earlier demonstration of D-1 agonist induced RJM, an effect mediated by a subpopulation of a D-1 receptor subtype and constitute the first behavioral evidence for the existence of a behavioral response mediated by D-1 like dopamine receptors linked to an alternate second messenger system-PI hydrolysis.
From Craft to Engineering: Software Development and Schema Theory

This paper analyses new conditions of software functioning and demands caused by these conditions. To satisfy the demands and to allow software developers to work on a higher level of software engineering instead of simply following the craft of software development, we consider such theoretical models of software and hardware systems as grid automata and structural, interaction and computational schemas. Operations with grid automata and schemas represent operations in software design and maintenance.
Clozapine Restores Water Balance in Schizophrenic Patients With Polydipsia-Hyponatremia Syndrome

Hyponatremia/hypoosmolemia causes marked morbidity and prolongs hospital stays in a significant subset of schizophrenic patients. Case reports with methodological limitations suggest clozapine ameliorates this water imbalance. To more conclusively assess this possibility, we completed a 24-week open-label study in 8 male polydipsic hypoosmolemic schizophrenic inpatients. Subjects were treated initially for 6 weeks with a conventional neuroleptic, which was replaced by 300, 600, and 900 (if tolerated) mg/day of clozapine for sequential 6-week periods. On clozapine, mean plasma osmolality rose an average of 15.2 mosm/kg (95% CI : 5.5–25.0). Dosage of 300 mg/day of clozapine was sufficient to normalize plasma osmolality and was generally well tolerated. Clozapine appears to be the first effective pharmacotherapy for severe water imbalance in schizophrenia.
The Effect of Batterer Counseling on Shelter Outcome

This study investigates the services related to a woman's decision to return to her batterer or not when leaving a shelter. A discriminant analysis is used to assess the relationship of eight service-related variables to the shelter outcome. Whether a batterer is in counseling is the most influential predictor, along with three variables associated with economic independence. The inclusion of twenty-four background and abuserelated variables contribute very little to the shelter outcome. These findings imply that women return to their batterers because the women think that their batterers will change, and that shelters need to monitor batterer counseling programs.
Efficient device pairing using Human-comparable synchronized audiovisual patterns

"Pairing" is referred to as the operation of achieving authenticated key agreement between two human-operated devices over a short- or medium-range wireless communication channel (such as Bluetooth, WiFi). The devices are ad hoc in nature, i.e., they can neither be assumed to have a prior context (such as pre-shared secrets) with each other nor do they share a common trusted on- or off-line authority. However, the devices can generally be connected using auxiliary physical channel(s) (such as audio, visual) that can be authenticated by the device user(s), and thus form the basis for pairing. One of the main challenges of device pairing is the lack of good quality output interfaces (e.g., a speaker, display) as well as receivers (e.g., a microphone, camera) on both devices. In this paper, we present a new pairing scheme that is universally applicable to any pair of devices, supporting all possible pairing scenarios. Our scheme does not require devices to have good transmitters or any receivers, and is based upon the device user(s) comparing short and simple synchronized audiovisual patterns, such as in the form of "beeping" and "blinking".
Modular verification of concurrent assembly code with dynamic thread creation and termination

Proof-carrying code (PCC) is a general framework that can, in principle, verify safety properties of arbitrary machine-language programs. Existing PCC systems and typed assembly languages, however, can only handle sequential programs. This severely limits their applicability since many real-world systems use some form of concurrency in their core software. Recently Yu and Shao proposed a logic-based "type" system for verifying concurrent assembly programs. Their thread model, however, is rather restrictive in that no threads can be created or terminated dynamically and no sharing of code is allowed between threads. In this paper, we present a new formal framework for verifying general multi-threaded assembly code with unbounded dynamic thread creation and termination as well as sharing of code between threads. We adapt and generalize the rely-guarantee methodology to the assembly level and show how to specify the semantics of thread "fork" with argument passing. In particular, we allow threads to have different assumptions and guarantees at different stages of their lifetime so they can coexist with the dynamically changing thread environment. Our work provides a foundation for certifying realistic multi-threaded programs and makes an important advance toward generating proof-carrying concurrent code.
Truly isotropic biaxial hysteresis with arbitrary knee sharpness

The inelastic responses of framed structures and seismic isolation systems undergoing biaxial (horizontal) shaking are coupled. In existing models for biaxial coupling of hysteretic behavior, the smoothness (or ‘knee') of the transition from elastic to yielding behavior cannot be modified without affecting the shape of the yield surface. This paper presents a model for coupled biaxial hysteretic behavior in which the knee from pre-yield to post-yield can be adjusted while maintaining an isotropic yield surface. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Diode-pumped Nd:YLF master oscillator for the 30-kJ (UV), 60-beam OMEGA laser facility

The operational conditions of the OMEGA laser system require an extremely reliable and low-maintenance master oscillator. We have developed a diode-pumped, single-frequency, pulsed Nd:YLF laser for this application. The laser generates Q-switched pulses of /spl sim/160-ns duration and /spl sim/10-/spl mu/J energy content at the 1053-nm wavelength with low amplitude fluctuation, (<0.6% rms) and low temporal (build-up time) jitter (<7-ns rms). Amplitude and frequency feedback stabilization systems have been used for high long-term amplitude and frequency stability.
Estimating the Structure of Market Reaction to News: Information Events and Lumber Futures Prices

We develop a new event-study technique, the distributional event response model (DERM), appropriate to relatively slowly evolving information events. We apply the model to twelve years of daily lumber futures prices and analyze the effects of three different types of information releases: (a) monthly housing starts estimates, (b) aperiodic administrative and judicial announcements about U.S.-Canada trade disputes, and (c) novel and unprecedented court decisions related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The information releases are different in ways that predict their relative speeds of impoundment in prices. We find that housing start events are absorbed more quickly than trade events, which are absorbed more quickly than ESA events.
Run-time security evaluation (RTSE) for distributed applications

Formal security specifications for a distributed application can be checked for compliance at run-time using executable security assertions. We propose the run-time security evaluation (RTSE) method which makes use of histories/traces of events, assertions and operational evaluation in the distributed environment to ensure the security specifications for the application are fulfilled at run-time. A model problem is used to aid in developing the security requirements formally.
The US Recorded Music Industry: On the Relations between Organization, Location, and Creativity in the Cultural Economy:

A description of the US recorded music industry is offered stressing (a) the two-tier structure of the industry divided as it is into majors and independents, and (b) the complex social division of...
Some complexity issues in digital signal processing

Over the past decade a large class of problems, called NP-complete [5], have been shown to be equivalent in the sense that if a fast algorithm can be found for one, fast algorithms can be found for all. At the same time, despite much effort, no fast algorithms have been found for any, and these problems are widely regarded as intractable. This class includes such notoriously difficult problems as the traveling salesman problem, graph coloring, and satisfiability of Boolean expressions. Using FIR filter implementation as an illustration, we describe some problems in digital signal processing that are NP-complete. These include: 1) minimize the number of additions needed to implement a fixed FIR filter; 2) minimize the number of registers needed to implement a fixed FIR filter; and 3) minimize the time to perform the additions of such an FIR filter using P adders. Large-seale instances of such problems may become important with the use of programmable chips to implement signal processing. Our main purpose in this paper is to illustrate the usefulness of asymptotic complexity theory in the field of digital signal processing. The theory discriminates between tractable and intractable problems, Sometimes identifies fast algorithms for the former, and justifies heuristics for the latter.
Olig2 and Ngn2 function in opposition to modulate gene expression in motor neuron progenitor cells

Spinal motor neurons and oligodendrocytes are generated sequentially from a common pool of progenitors termed pMN cells. Olig2 is a bHLH-class transcription factor in pMN cells, but it has remained unclear how its transcriptional activity is modulated to first produce motor neurons and then oligodendrocytes. Previous studies have shown that Olig2 primes pMN cells to become motor neurons by triggering the expression of Ngn2 and Lhx3. Here we show that Olig2 also antagonizes the premature expression of post-mitotic motor neuron genes in pMN cells. This blockade is counteracted by Ngn2, which accumulates heterogeneously in pMN cells, thereby releasing a subset of the progenitors to differentiate and activate expression of post-mitotic motor neuron genes. The antagonistic relationship between Ngn2 and Olig2 is mediated by protein interactions that squelch activity as well as competition for shared DNA-binding sites. Our data support a model in which the Olig2/Ngn2 ratio in progenitor cells serves as a gate for timing proper gene expression during the development of pMN cells: Olig2 high maintains the pMN state, thereby holding cells in reserve for oligodendrocyte generation, whereas Ngn2 high favors the conversion of pMN cells into post-mitotic motor
LOVE AND RUIN(S): ROBERT FROST ON MORAL REPAIR

This essay begins where Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue begins: facing a moral world in ruin. MacIntyre argues that this predicament leaves us with a choice: we can follow the path of Friedrich Nietzsche, accepting this moral destruction and attempting to create lives in a rootless, uncertain world, or the path of Aristotle, working to reclaim a world in which close-knit communities sustain human practices that make it possible for us to flourish. Jeff Frank rejects MacIntyre's framework and in this essay attempts to create an alternative path, one of moral repair. Through a close reading of several poems from Robert Frost's North of Boston, Frank develops the notion of moral repair and describes its ethical and educational implications.
PENALIZED BREGMAN DIVERGENCE ESTIMATION VIA COORDINATE DESCENT

Variable selection via penalized estimation is appealing for dimension reduction. For penalized linear regression, Efron, et al. (2004) introduced the LARS algorithm. Recently, the coordinate descent (CD) algorithm was developed by Friedman, et al. (2007) for penalized linear regression and penalized logistic regression and was shown to gain com- putational superiority. This paper explores the CD algorithm to penal- ized Bregman divergence (BD) estimation for a broader class of models, including not only the generalized linear model, which has been well studied in the literature on penalization, but also the quasi-likelihood model, which has been less developed. Simulation study and real data application illustrate the performances of the CD and LARS algorithms in regression estimation, variable selection and classification procedure when the number of explanatory variables is large in comparison to the sample size.
Metabolic scaling predicts posthepatectomy liver regeneration after accounting for hepatocyte hypertrophy

We adapted a mathematical model of posthepatectomy liver regeneration using data from a subset of patients in the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study. The original model addressed changes in the number of quiescent, primed, and proliferating cells. Our adapted model takes into account hypertrophy of primed and replicating cells, and it is better able to predict liver volume. In addition, by building off the hypothesis that cell cycle parameters are approximately the same across all mammals, we found that changing only a single parameter characterizing metabolic load could model liver regeneration in 5 species of mammals. In conclusion, we improved a mathematical model of liver regeneration, predicted mammalian liver regeneration based on metabolism, and found correlations between model parameters and physiological measurements from liver donors.
Emergence and Reflexive Downward

This paper responds to Jaegwon Kim's powerful objection to the very possibility of geninely novel emergent properties. Kim argues that the incoherence of reflexive downward causation means that the causal power of an emergent phenomenon is ultimately reducible to the causal powers of the causal powers of its constituents. I offer a simple argument showing how to claracterize emergent properties in terms of the effects of structural relations on the causal powers of their constituents.
RADIATION FROM ELECTRON PHASE SPACE HOLES AS A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF JOVIAN S-BURSTS

Radio-frequency short burst emissions (10–40 MHz), known as Jovian S-bursts, have been observed from the Jovian aurora for over fifty years. These emissions, associated with Io’s motion, have a rapidly declining frequency and an exceptionally narrow bandwidth. While it is widely believed that S-bursts are generated by the electron cyclotron maser instability, the mechanism responsible for the rapidly declining frequency and narrow bandwidth currently is not well established. We explore a hypothesis that electron phase space holes radiate or stimulate radiation in the Jovian aurora plasma environment as a possible source of S-burst emissions. Electron phase-space holes (EHs) are ubiquitous in an auroral environment and travel at the implied speeds (∼20,000 km s−1) of the structures creating the Jovian S-bursts. Furthermore, EHs have the proper physical size to create the observed bandwidth, have sufficient energy content, and can create an environment whereby X mode emissions can be excited. If verified, these findings imply that EHs may be an important source of radiation from strongly magnetized or relativistic astrophysical plasmas.
Cryogenic Support Thermal Performance Measurements

The stringent refrigeration requirements of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) and the premium nature of radial space in the SSC cryostat have led to the development of a reentrant tube cryogenic support. Thermal shrink fitting techniques are used to assemble the support. The thermal performance of two cryogenic support models is presented. The geometry of each model, its instrumentation, and experimental test arrangement in a Heat Leak Test Facility are described. Heat leak and temperature profile measurements made with a primary heat intercept temperature controlled between 10 K and 40 K are presented. Heat leak values to 4.5 K were measured by means of a heatmeter. Heat leak values to the primary and secondary heat intercepts were derived using the measured temperature profiles and component material properties. Presented are thermal performance measurements of copper cable connections used to heat sink the primary and secondary heat intercepts to their respective thermal radiation shields. Temperature measurements also were made on identical model supports installed in a full length (17.5 meters long) SSC dipole magnet cryostat thermal model. The thermal performance of the cryogenic supports for the two measurements is compared.
Modeling, Simulation and Experimental Validation of a Servo-Pneumatic Control System With Off-the-Shelf Components

Industrial applications of servo-pneumatics have seen rapid growth in the past few decades due to the recent availability of sophisticated high-speed proportional valves, particularly in the five-ported, “four-way”, center-closed, bidirectional configuration. This paper offers a simple and effective dynamic model and simulation of a complete servo-pneumatic system using off-the-shelf valves and standard PID control, which remains the industry standard. The model combines piston dynamics, thermodynamics of the working fluid (air), mass-flow inlet and exhaust dynamics through the valve, valve dynamics, and a control system. The simulation results are experimentally validated through various closed-loop position control arrangements. The simulation model parameters are for the most part easily measurable, except for the damping coefficient of the moving mass and the discharge coefficient of the valve. A simple approach to effectively estimating each of these is shown. An experimental setup was built using off-the-shelf components: Bimba standard round-line air cylinders, Enfield Technologies high-speed proportional valves, Balluff non-contact magnetostrictive displacement transducer, and pressure sensors from Omegadyne. It is intended that this work can be easily recreated by industrial and academic designers who are considering servo-pneumatic systems.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Biangunilateration using azimuth, elevation, and depth difference to localize submerged assets

Most methods to estimate the position of a submerged asset rely on measuring the two-way travel time of an acoustic signal to and from a transponder mounted on that asset. Some alternative methods use one-way travel times and synchronized clocks, and others use multiple direction-only measurements from different locations. The method presented here estimates the location of a submerged asset using a single one-way acoustic ping, without synchronized clocks. The tracker must be able to estimate the direction of the incoming acoustic signal, and the submerged asset must be able to encode its own depth in the transmission. Simple trigonometry then gives the location of the submerged asset relative to the tracker.
The Color of Citizenship: Race, Modernity and Latin American Political Thought

This paper presents a theory of a 'synthetic paradigm' of race drawn from the history of Latin American political thought. It examines the construction of racial identity in relation to citizenship, drawing on an assay of Las Casas, Bolivar, Lanz, and Vasconcelos. I seek to show how this paradigm can contribute to an understanding of race as central to the making of modernity, and to a Comparative Political Theory approach to the place of race in politics.
Large Scale Image Mosaic Construction for Agricultural Applications

We present a novel technique for stitching images including those obtained from aerial vehicles flying at low altitudes. Existing image stitching/mosaicking methods rely on inter-image homography computation based on a planar scene assumption. This assumption holds when images are taken from high-altitudes (hence the depth variation is negligible). It is often violated when flying at low altitudes. Furthermore, to avoid scale and resolution changes, existing methods rely on primarily translational motion at fixed altitudes. Our method removes these limitations and performs well even when aerial images are taken from low altitudes by an aerial vehicle performing complex motions. It starts by extracting the ground geometry from a sparse reconstruction of the scene obtained from a small fraction of the input images. Next, it selects the best image (from the entire sequence) for each location on the ground using a novel camera selection criterion. This image is then independently rectified to obtain the corresponding portion of the mosaic. Therefore, the technique avoids performing costly joint-optimization over the entire sequence. It is validated using challenging input sequences motivated by agricultural applications.
Patient outcome after resection of lumbar juxtafacet cysts

Study Design. Retrospective review of patients who underwent lumbar juxtafacet cyst resection with questionnaire follow-up. Objectives. Determine the long-term outcome after resection of lumbar juxtafacet cysts. Summary of Background Data. Juxtafacet cysts are uncommon causes of radicular pain and are often associated with significant spinal degenerative disease. Previous studies have not focused on the outcome of patients who have undergone resection. Methods. Charts of 29 patients who underwent lumbar juxtafacet resection were reviewed and an outcomes questionnaire was sent to each. Results. Thirty-three lumbar juxtafacet cysts were resected from 29 patients. Cysts, 31 (94%) from facets and 2 (6%) from the ligamentum flavum, most commonly arose at the L4–L5 level (51%). Twelve patients (41%) were found to have some degree of spondylolisthesis before surgery, while 26 patients (90%) had facet arthropathy. Two patients (7%) underwent concurrent resection and fusion. Recurrence occurred in 3%. Three patients (9%) had subsequent lumbar spine operations, including 2 fusions (6%). Incidental durotomy was the most common surgical complication occurring in 3 cases (9%). Twenty-four patients (83%) responded to follow-up questionnaire or phone interview. Mean length of follow-up was 24 months (4–64 months). Twenty patients (83%) reported improvement in pain, and 16 (67%) reported an improved level of function. All respondents reported some degree of improvement in their condition after surgery. Conclusions. Juxtafacet cysts are an uncommon cause of radiculopathy. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice with low rates of complications, recurrences, and residual complaints.
Plasmonic planet-satellite analogues: hierarchical self-assembly of gold nanostructures.

In the past few years, a remarkable progress has been made in unveiling novel and unique optical properties of strongly coupled plasmonic nanostructures, known as plasmonic molecules.(1, 2) However, realization of such plasmonic molecules using nonlithographic approaches remains challenging largely due to the lack of facile and robust assembly methods.(3) Previous attempts to achieve plasmonic nanoassemblies using molecular ligands were limited to dipolar assembly of nanostructures,(4-6) which typically results in polydisperse linear and branched chains. Here, we demonstrate that core–satellite structures comprised of shape-controlled plasmonic nanostructures can be achieved through self-assembly using simple molecular cross-linkers. Prevention of self-conjugation and promotion of cross-conjugation among cores and satellites plays a key role in the formation of core–satellite heteroassemblies. The in-built electromagnetic hot-spots and Raman reporters of core–satellite structures make them excellent candi...
Reversibility of the "salt-losing" tendency of chronic renal failure.

Abstract We examined the salt-losing tendency of chronic renal failure, in five patients with glomerular filtration rates varying from 5.2 to 16.0 ml per minute. When the studies began, patients we...
Multilevel converter topologies for high-power high-speed switched reluctance motor: Performance comparison

In this paper, two topologies for SRM drive is proposed, namely five level asymmetric neutral point clamped and asymmetric modular multilevel converter for high speed and high power SRM drive. For high speed operation, back EMF of the motor increases to high levels. Therefore, input voltage should be more than back EMF in order to force current into the winding. Multilevel converter can apply variable dc input voltage over a wide high speed range. Additionally, it can shape the phase current easily with multiple dc voltage levels to reduce high frequency torque ripple, thereby minimizing vibration. Operation of the proposed converters is verified using Matlab Simulink and performance comparison in terms of torque ripple and efficiency is evaluated. Also, performance of the drive is studied for different dc link voltage levels and the corresponding effect on efficiency is evaluated.
TTS for Low Resource Languages: A Bangla Synthesizer

We present a text-to-speech (TTS) system designed for the dialect of Bengali spoken in Bangladesh. This work is part of an ongoing effort to address the needs of under-resourced languages. We propose a process for streamlining the bootstrapping of TTS systems for under-resourced languages. First, we use crowdsourcing to collect the data from multiple ordinary speakers, each speaker recording small amount of sentences. Second, we leverage an existing text normalization system for a related language (Hindi) to bootstrap a linguistic front-end for Bangla. Third, we employ statistical techniques to construct multi-speaker acoustic models using Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN) and Hidden Markov Model (HMM) approaches. We then describe our experiments that show that the resulting TTS voices score well in terms of their perceived quality as measured by Mean Opinion Score (MOS) evaluations.
Surgical treatment of aneurysms and occlusive disease of the aorta.

Aneurysms and arteriosclerotic thrombo-obliterative disease of the aorta constitute two of the most common and serious forms of aortic lesions for which treatment has been generally unsatisfactory. Recently, however, a procedure has been developed wherein the lesion is extirpated and function restored by aortic repair or insertion of homografts. The gratifying results obtained by this method of therapy based on an experience with 41 cases suggests it is the most effective approach to the problem.
Failed oocyte retrieval after lack of human chorionic gonadotropin administration in assisted reproductive technology.

Objective To document the absence of oocytes in follicular aspirates in women who, during controlled ovarian stimulation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) and menotropins, fail to receive human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration. Design Retrospective analysis of clinical laboratory data. Setting Multicentric. Patients Five women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with GnRH-a and menotropins for programs of assisted reproductive technologies. Results The documented absence of an hCG injection produced "empty follicles" at transvaginal guided aspiration, despite numerous follicular lavages and aspiration of peritoneal fluid. The lack of oocytes and granulosa-cumulus complex in the follicular fluid was reverted in other cycles in the same patients when hCG was properly administered. Conclusions (1) This study emphasizes the importance of proper patients' and nurses' instructions for preparation of hCG injections and proper mixture of vehicle and powder before follicular aspiration. (2) In the absence of cumulus-corona-oocyte complex at aspiration, measure serum β -hCG to ascertain whether hCG injection was administered or not. (3) Routine preoperative β -hCG levels may be helpful to avoid unnecessary surgeries.
Novice Explanations Of Hurricane Formation Offer Insights Into Scientific Literacy And The Development Of Expert-Like Conceptions

The ability to explain scientific phenomena is a key feature of scientific literacy, and engaging students’ prior knowledge, especially their alternate conceptions, is an effective strategy for enhancing scientific literacy and developing expertise. The gap in knowledge about the alternate conceptions that novices have about many of Earth’s complex phenomena (National Research Council, 2012), however, makes this type of engagement in geoscience courses challenging. This study helps to fill this gap by identifying and describing how novices to geoscience explain a complex scientific phenomenon, hurricane formation. Using a pragmatism methodology, 326 students in introductory-level geoscience courses at two public universities in the United States of America, in Georgia (n=168) and Nebraska (n=158), were surveyed. The questionnaire was designed to target and collect novices’ explanations of a single complex Earth phenomenon – hurricane formation. Constant comparative analyses of textual content and diagrams revealed a variety of alternate conceptions. The data suggess that novices seldom invoke scientific first principles, which students matriculating through the education system are expected to learn before college, in their explanations. Two theoretical models synthesize the alternate conceptions and illustrate pathways of conceptual change along which students might move from more novice-like to more expert-like ways of scientific thinking. Our findings provide a basis for the development of instructional activities that aid students in developing more expert-like conceptions of hurricane formation and other complex Earth phenomena.
Amplified Generation of Hot Electrons and Quantum Surface Effects in Nanoparticle Dimers with Plasmonic Hot Spots

Plasmonic excitations in optically driven nanocrystals are composed of excited single-particle electron–hole pairs in the Fermi sea. In large nanostructures, most of the excited plasmonic electrons have relatively small excitation energies due to the conservation of linear momentum. However, small optically driven nanocrystals may have large numbers of hot electrons with large energies. In this study, we develop the concept of hot electron generation further by considering the effect of a plasmonic hot spot. Plasmonic hot spots are areas in a nanostructure with highly inhomogeneous and enhanced electric fields. In our model of a nanoparticle dimer, the hot spot region appears near the gap between the nanoparticles. We then apply the quantum formalism based on the density matrix to describe this system. We show that the electromagnetic enhancement and the nonconservation of linear momentum in the hot spot of the nanoparticle dimer lead to strongly increased rates of generation of energetic (hot) electrons....
The Queer Consumption of Naty Menstrual

A Sunday morning stroll guides this chapter through Buenos Aires’ downtown sector toward the famed San Telmo neighborhood and a discussion of neoliberal community formation. Here we find transvestite blogger, performer, poet, painter, artist, and author Naty Menstrual. Her kiosk reveals place mats, tee-shirts, and cartoon originals as queer objects bought and sold. The trans-protagonists that populate Menstrual’s artistic production argue for contemporary community formation around queer experiences that question the accuracy and appropriateness of traditional center–periphery dichotomies upheld by the nation’s inclusionary–exclusionary politics. The analysis of Menstrual’s chronicles withinContinuadisimo (2009) and Batido de trolo (2012) suggests that queer figures guide contemporary communities through the inequalities associated with today’s market-oriented society.
Jesus and the World of Grace, 1968–2016: An Idiosyncratic Theological Memoir

This article 1 offers an impressionistic look back over the past five decades, from 1968 to 2016, in Catholic theology in the United States. At the heart of this story are Christology, the world of grace, and their relationship. This memoir unfolds in three parts: “Running on Empty, 1968–1980”; “Jesus and the World of Grace, 1980–2016”; “Can Liberal Catholics Come Back?” It identifies the most neuralgic question left to us from this period: How is Christ related to the world of grace?
Again, What Is Nursing Science?:

This article again asks, What is nursing science? Who knows? Who cares? The author describes the threat to the survival of nursing science grounded in nursing frameworks and theories. This threat is magnified by the proposal of the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) to change the curricula of PhD education. The aim of CANS is to prepare nurse scientists for lifelong competitive careers in interdisciplinary research, often focused on funding priorities of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Curricula would include preparation for conducting research in topics such as omics, e-science, translation science, biobehavioral science, symptom science, and team science. How can this be nursing science? It is argued that this focus might obliterate nursing's discipline-specific phenomenon of concern, the human-universe-health process.
In Vivo Interplay between p27Kip1, GATA3, ATOH1, and POU4F3 Converts Non-sensory Cells to Hair Cells in Adult Mice

Hearing loss is widespread and persistent because mature mammalian auditory hair cells (HCs) are nonregenerative. In mice, the ability to regenerate HCs from surrounding supporting cells (SCs) declines abruptly after postnatal maturation. We find that combining p27Kip1 deletion with ectopic ATOH1 expression surmounts this age-related decline, leading to conversion of SCs to HCs in mature mouse cochleae and after noise damage. p27Kip1 deletion, independent of canonical effects on Rb-family proteins, upregulated GATA3, a co-factor for ATOH1 that is lost from SCs with age. Co-activation of GATA3 or POU4F3 and ATOH1 promoted conversion of SCs to HCs in adult mice. Activation of POU4F3 alone also converted mature SCs to HCs in vivo. These data illuminate a genetic pathway that initiates auditory HC regeneration and suggest p27Kip1, GATA3, and POU4F3 as additional therapeutic targets for ATOH1-mediated HC regeneration.
Intelligent controller with cache for critical infrastructures

Critical infrastructures require precise and swift response to a local disturbance before it would spread and accumulate. To meet the demand on response time, we propose an intelligent controller with cache design. The controller stores previous decisions and rates them based on a comprehensive evaluation. With those ratings, the controller can intelligently choose the decision leading to the optimum result. Meanwhile, cache is used to further reduce the access time to the stored decisions. Speedups up to 4.7X over the former centralized infrastructures are achieved based on our hardware design and simulation.
THE EFFECT OF CAPITAL ALLOWANCE INCENTIVE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF EPZ FIRMS IN KENYA

This study intended to investigate the influence of the effect of capital allowance incentives on the performance of EPZ firms in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive and explanatory research design. The study used a stratified sampling approach because the number of the EPZ firms in Kenya was categorized into 4 strata. The total numbers of firms used in the study were 86 registered EPZ firms in Kenya according to Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA). The study adopted a census survey design. Census survey was adopted because the population of interest was small. A sample size of all the 86 registered EPZs firms was used in this study. Primary data was obtained using questionnaires. Secondary data from the registered firms was collected on; ROA, number and value of jobs created and the length of stay of the firms. The secondary data was collected from operating EPZ firms in Kenya annual report. The study assessed the performance of EPZ firms against the tax incentives they benefited for the last ten years. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics to conduct data analysis. Descriptive statistics included frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviations while inferential statistics were correlations and regression analysis. The study findings revealed that at 5% significance level, capital allowance tax incentive had a positive and significant relationship with performance of EPZ firms measured using ROA, number of jobs created and length of stay. The study concluded that increase in capital allowance tax incentive resulted to increase in both ROA of the firms and the number of jobs and length of stay. The study recommended that stakeholders in tax policy should reconsider the economic value of capital allowances.
Assessing the Long–term Impact of the Preparing Future Faculty Seminar

The Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) initiative for graduate students was launched in the United States in 1993 as a partnership between the Council of Graduate Schools and the Association of American Colleges and Universities to prepare graduate students for faculty careers at different institutional types and to provide them with teaching-related professional development. PFF programs have proliferated U.S. universities over the last two decades, but there has been limited research on the long-term impact of these programs. This study at the University of Michigan examines the career paths and attitudes of graduate students who participated in an annual, intensive, five-week PFF seminar between 2007 and 2013. The descriptive study explores the following research questions: (a) What are the career outcomes for PFF seminar participants compared with nonparticipants? (b) Does the exposure to a variety of institutional types in the PFF seminar lead to a greater appreciation of and openness to job opportunities at diverse institutions? and (c) Does the PFF seminar assist graduate students in their job searches and their chosen career paths? The results of this study contribute to our understanding of what universities can do to effectively prepare graduate students for their future careers.
Comparing the Archival Rate of Arabic, English, Danish, and Korean Language Web Pages

It has long been suspected that web archives and search engines favor Western and English language webpages. In this article, we quantitatively explore how well indexed and archived Arabic language webpages are as compared to those from other languages. We began by sampling 15,092 unique URIs from three different website directories: DMOZ (multilingual), Raddadi, and Star28 (the last two primarily Arabic language). Using language identification tools, we eliminated pages not in the Arabic language (e.g., English-language versions of Aljazeera pages) and culled the collection to 7,976 Arabic language webpages. We then used these 7,976 pages and crawled the live web and web archives to produce a collection of 300,646 Arabic language pages. We compared the analysis of Arabic language pages with that of English, Danish, and Korean language pages. First, for each language, we sampled unique URIs from DMOZ; then, using language identification tools, we kept only pages in the desired language. Finally, we crawled the archived and live web to collect a larger sample of pages in English, Danish, or Korean. In total for the four languages, we analyzed over 500,000 webpages. We discovered: (1) English has a higher archiving rate than Arabic, with 72.04% archived. However, Arabic has a higher archiving rate than Danish and Korean, with 53.36% of Arabic URIs archived, followed by Danish and Korean with 35.89% and 32.81% archived, respectively. (2) Most Arabic and English language pages are located in the United States; only 14.84% of the Arabic URIs had an Arabic country code top-level domain (e.g., sa) and only 10.53% had a GeoIP in an Arabic country. Most Danish-language pages were located in Denmark, and most Korean-language pages were located in South Korea. (3) The presence of a webpage in a directory positively impacts indexing and presence in the DMOZ directory, specifically, positively impacts archiving in all four languages. In this work, we show that web archives and search engines favor English pages. However, it is not universally true for all Western-language webpages because, in this work, we show that Arabic webpages have a higher archival rate than Danish language webpages.
CONTIN XPCS: Software for Inverse Transform Analysis of X-Ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy Dynamics.

X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) reveal materials dynamics using coherent scattering, with XPCS permitting the investigation of dynamics in a more diverse array of materials than DLS. Heterogeneous dynamics occur in many material systems. The authors' recent work has shown how classic tools employed in the DLS analysis of heterogeneous dynamics can be extended to XPCS, revealing additional information that conventional Kohlrausch exponential fitting obscures. The present work describes the software implementation of inverse transform analysis of XPCS data. This software, called CONTIN XPCS, is an extension of traditional CONTIN analysis and accommodates the various dynamics encountered in equilibrium XPCS measurements.
Hybrid Electric Powertrain Design Methodology With Planetary Gear Sets for Performance and Fuel Economy

Planetary gear sets (PGs) play a key role in the design of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) because they allow the realization of many unique powertrain designs using a limited number of components. By leveraging the capability of this mechanical device, an automated design process for PG-based HEV systems focusing on both fuel economy and performance is introduced in this paper. The design process consists of five major stages. In the first stage, all possible powertrain modes of an HEV design are automatically generated with a given set of powertrain components. In the second stage, all powertrain types that can be formed with a given set of components are mathematically identified, and each feasible mode is classified under one of these powertrain types. In the third stage, computationally efficient linear programming solvers suitable for vector operations are developed for each powertrain type to assess the gradeability, launch torque, overtaking torque, and acceleration time of each mode for all PG gear ratio combinations. In the fourth stage, the combination of modes that meets the performance requirements, and the number and location of clutches that make these mode transitions possible, are explored. As a result, each potent mode combination, the clutches necessary for the mode transition, and the auxiliary modes established as a result of all clutch state combinations constitute a design that meets the performance criteria. In the last stage, the fuel economy improvement potential of each competent design is evaluated. The results show that light-duty truck performance requirements can be met by many two-PG HEV designs without sacrificing fuel economy if the appropriate analysis and synthesis techniques for exploring the entire design space are developed.
Atovaquone Impairs Growth of Aspergillus and Fusarium Keratitis Isolates by Modulating Mitochondrial Function and Zinc Homeostasis.

Author(s): Clark, Heather L; Minns, Martin S; Sun, Yan; de Jesus, Tristan; Ghannoum, Mahmoud G; Pearlman, Eric | Abstract: Purpose:Aspergillus and Fusarium molds cause blinding corneal infections as a consequence of ocular trauma and in association with contact lens wear. As these fungi require zinc for fungal growth, we examined the effect of atovaquone, a ubiquinone analog that disrupts zinc homeostasis, on fungal growth in vitro and in vivo. Methods:In vitro: Aspergillus and Fusarium germinating conidia were incubated overnight with atovaquone, and hyphal growth was measured by fluorimetry. In vivo: C57BL/6 mouse corneas were infected with Aspergillus or Fusarium conidia. Atovaquone was added topically and corneal opacification and fungal growth were quantified. Results:Atovaquone has antifungal activity against Aspergillus and Fusarium clinical isolates, with Fusarium species being more sensitive to atovaquone than Aspergillus species. Atovaquone also reduced labile intracellular zinc levels and increased the sensitivity of Aspergillus to metal shock. Atovaquone reduced vacuolar acidification, which regulates storage of intracellular free zinc, and also acted synergistically with voriconazole and itraconazole to kill hyphae. Furthermore, mitochondrial potential and ATP production were reduced in both Aspergillus and Fusarium following atovaquone treatment. Finally, topical application of atovaquone to the ocular surface significantly inhibited fungal growth and corneal opacification in murine models of fungal keratitis. Conclusions:These studies demonstrate that atovaquone has pronounced in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity against filamentous fungi by disrupting both metal homeostasis and mitochondrial function, and therefore has potential as a novel antifungal agent.
Acute Psychiatric Hospital Admissions of Adults and Elderly Adults with Mental Retardation.

Records of 247 inpatients with mental retardation or autism discharged from a university hospital during 62 consecutive months were examined with regard to acute inpatient treatment. The main finding was that elderly adults with mental retardation had significantly more medical problems than did adults. There was a trend toward significantly more elderly adults being transferred to a state hospital. An unexpected finding was that the most common diagnosis in both adults and elderly adults was chronic schizophrenia, paranoid type. Limitations of the study and possible explanations of the findings were discussed.
Unit vs. System Testing

THE testing perspective on CBSD reflects a stubborn bias toward unit testing of software. Testing small programs is such a satisfactory process under such good intellectual control, in strong contrast to testing large systems, as to suggest that only unit testing can be made to work. Behind this hypothesis is the belief that testing is intrinsically no more than a craft, which talented people can successfully accomplish in limited circumstances, but which lacks a satisfactory engineering basis, which will never ‘scale up.’ There is no solid evidence supporting this belief that testing will never become routine engineering. It hasn’t happened in almost 60 years of trying, but of course there might be a breakthrough tomorrow. (Or, less exciting but with many historical precedents, the advance of technology may provide a brute-force ‘solution’ that isn’t a breakthrough but workswell enough that system testing ceases to be a real problem.)