cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Force and Stiffness Backstepping-Sliding Mode Controller for Pneumatic Cylinders

In most applications that involve human–robot interactions, such as prosthetics, orthotics, rehabilitation, and locomotion, compliant actuators with variable stiffness can be used to improve safety and comfort of the device. Another advantage of the stiffness control is minimizing the energy consumption by adjusting the stiffness of the actuator to the natural stiffness of the controlled system. This paper introduces a new backstepping-sliding mode force-stiffness controller for pneumatic cylinders. The global ultimate-bounded stability of the closed-loop system was proven by the Lyapunov method. Based on a detailed mathematical model of the pneumatic system that includes the dynamics of the valves, the algorithm was proven able to track the desired force and stiffness independently without chattering. Validating experiments using a real-time platform were performed for a pneumatic cylinder suitable for wearable robotics applications. The performance of the proposed algorithm was compared with the performance of a previously reported pneumatic force-stiffness sliding mode controller.
Nano nickel-tin interconnects and electrodes for next generation 15 micron pitch embedded bio fluidic sensors in FR4 substrates

Lead free solder bumping requirements have challenged researchers to develop technologies to achieve fine pitch interconnects. ITRS has predicts that by 2017 the industry require 70 micron pitch area array lead free interconnects for flip chips. This paper describes bumping, assembly and reliability evaluation of a nano composite 15 micron pitch interconnect technology. Nanoparticles are the most common building blocks in several applications of nanotechnology. Beside, the enormous increase of their surface area, the high surface to volume ratio of the nano particles results in extraordinary high reactivity, and unusual physical properties (optical, magnetic, etc.). Several types of nanostructures (nano particles, nano-wires and nano-rods) can be fabricated. Dispersed nano particles are used in several important applications, e.g., catalysis, biomedical applications, nano coatings and nanocomposites. Nanostructured materials, prepared by consolidating nanoparticles with a very high density of grain boundary, have been shown to lead to dramatically improved mechanical and physical properties. Lead free interconnect reliability has been a concern due tin pest (whiskers), intermetallics and high temperature reflow problems. This problem becomes even more pronounced when the pitch of the flip chip reduces to 100 microns or lesser. This paper proposes a nano metal composite for fine pitch lead free interconnect as an alternative to solder for fine pitch flip chip interconnect as presented in R. R. Tummala (2001) and W. D. Brown (1999). This paper describes design, process, fabrication and reliability test for composite interconnects fabricated using Ni nano particles distributed in a tin core. A wafer level process is developed for flip chip having 15 micron pitch composite nano structured interconnect. The composition and intermetallics formed at the chip-to- interconnect-interface are evaluated when sent through 4 reflow cycles. Composition of the intermetallics is evaluated to study the distribution Ni3Sn4, Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn. Shear test on interconnects provide bump adhesion strength and fatigue resistance information. The failure mode associated with shear test is also presented. The chip is thermally cycled in a oven from -55/spl deg/C to 125/spl deg/C and after every 100 cycles is evaluated for defects using x-ray and Sonoscan techniques. A cross section is made and the composition at interface is also evaluated for intermetalic diffusion. The paper provides optimized data for next generation nano composite interconnect for fine pitch flip chip to achieve high reliability. The paper also describes a process to fabricate substrates with nano lines and embedded fluidic channels.
An extrapolation for general analytic signals

An extrapolation scheme for general analytic signals is presented, which extends a result in bandlimited signal extrapolations suggested by J.L.C. Sanz and T.S. Huang (ibid., vol.ASSP-31, no.6, Dec. 1983). Some properties of this scheme are discussed. >
Growth and Saving Among Individuals and Households

The lifecycle theory of saving and consumption predicts that changes in an economy's rate of economic growth will affect its aggregate saving rate by changing the lifetime resources of younger people relative to older people. However, studies that track the saving behavior of cohorts of household heads over time as they age have yielded estimates of age-saving profiles that are too flat for growth to have much effect on the aggregate saving rate. One problem with the cohort approach is that multigenerational households are common in many counties, and the age-saving profiles of households may be quite different from the age-saving profiles of individuals that make up households. In this paper, we propose a method for estimating individual age-saving profiles using household data. This method is applied to data from Taiwan and Thailand. We find that the individual method yields results that are more favorable to the lifecycle model. These results imply that changes in the rate of economic growth may in som...
Primary malignant melanoma of the uterine cervix: case report and review of the literature

This is a case report and review of the literature on primary melanoma of the cervix. There have been only 26 published cases of primary cervical melanoma and most are poorly documented and doubtful. The patients' ages ranged from 26 to 78 years old with a mean age of 55 ± 13 years. The main presenting symptom was vaginal bleeding (83.0%). The majority of the patients, 88%, presented in stage I or II. Treatment varied from a simple excision of a cervical mass to a radical hysterectomy with lymph node dissection and adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy. Our patient presented with vaginal bleeding and was diagnosed as having stage IIa cervical melanoma. She underwent a radical hysterectomy, partial vaginectomy, and pelvic and paraaortic lymph node dissection. She received adjuvant radiation therapy and her survival was 29 months. The prognosis of primary cervical melanoma is usually poor and unpredictable. We recommend a radical hysterectomy and vaginectomy, if necessary, to obtain negative surgical margins of at least 2 cm. We advocate lymphadenectomy only for grossly positive nodes.
Some new evidence on determinants of foreign direct investment in developing countries

The authors of this paper expand on earlier studies of the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) by empirically analyzing various factors - including political risk, business conditions, and macroeconomic variables - that influence direct investment flows to developing countries. They try to fill a gap in the literature by examining qualitative factors. Using a pooled model of developing countries, they test three groups of hypotheses on what influences direct investment. Tests of the first hypothesis indicate that a qualitative index of political risk is a significant determinant of FDI flows for countries that have historically attracted high FDI flows. For countries that have not attracted such flows, sociopolitical instability has a negative impact on investment flows. Tests of the second hypothesis show that a general qualitative index of business operation conditions is an important determinant of FDI in countries that receive high flows. This country group also shows a positive relationship between taxes on international transactions and FDI flows. Results from tests of the third hypothesis reveal that exports generally, especially manufacturing exports, are significant determinant of FDI flows for countries in which FDI is high. Finally, export orientation is the strongest variable for explaining why a country attracts FDI. This finding is in line with the secular trend toward increasing complementarity between trade and FDI.
Kaplansky Density and Kadison Transitivity Theorems forIrreducible Representations of Real C*-Algebras

We prove analogs of the Kaplansky Density Theorem and the Kadison Transitivity Theorem for irreducible representations of a real C*-algebra on a real Hilbert space. Specifically, if a C*-algebra is acting irreducibly on a real Hilbert space, then the Hilbert space has either a real, complex, or quaternionic structure with respect to which the density and transitivity theorems hold.
Low systemic testosterone levels induce androgen maintenance in benign rat prostate tissue

Prostate cancer (PC) is both an age- and an androgen-dependent disease. Paradoxically, systemic levels of androgens decline with age as the risk of PC rises. While there is no correlation between systemic androgen levels and the risk of PC, systemic androgen levels do not reflect the levels of androgens in prostate tissue. In metastatic PC, changes in the androgen biosynthesis pathway during hormone therapy result in increased levels of androgens in cancer tissue and contribute to continued androgen receptor (AR) signaling. It is possible that similar changes occur in normal prostate tissue as androgen levels decline with age and that this contributes to tumorigenesis. In the present study, we sought to determine whether the rat prostate is able to maintain functional levels of androgens despite low serum testosterone levels. Rats were castrated and implanted with capsules to achieve castrate, normal, sub-physiological, and supra-physiological levels of testosterone. After 6 weeks of treatment, LC-MS/MS was used to quantify the levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the serum and prostate tissue. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to quantify the expression of genes involved in the androgen/AR signaling axis. Despite significantly different levels of testosterone and DHT being present in the serum, testosterone and DHT concentrations in prostate tissue from different testosterone-treatment groups were very similar. Furthermore, the expression of androgen-regulated genes in the prostate was similar among all the testosterone-treatment groups, demonstrating that the rat prostate can maintain a functional level of androgens despite low serum testosterone levels. Low-testosterone treatment resulted in significant alterations in the expression of androgen biosynthesis genes, which may be related to maintaining functional androgen levels.
A new approach for the performance analysis of a single-bus multiprocessor system with general service times

The linear algebraic approach to queuing theory is applied to analyze the performance of a typical single-bus multiprocessor system. This system can be modeled as an M/G/1/N queuing system with load-dependent arrivals. The method presented requires only that the nonexponential service time distribution for the system be a matrix-exponential, that is, one with a rational Laplace transform. Using linear algebraic techniques, expressions are obtained for the performance characteristics of interest, such as the processing power for the multiprocessor system. The algorithm does not rely on root finding and can be implemented using symbolic programming techniques. The explicit closed-form expression for the processing power is presented for some special cases. >
Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients Without Severe Septal Hypertrophy Implications of Mitral Valve and Papillary Muscle Abnormalities Assessed Using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Echocardiography

Background— In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, but without basal septal hypertrophy, we sought to identify mitral valve (MV) and papillary muscle (PM) abnormalities that predisposed to LVOT obstruction, using echo and cardiac magnetic resonance. Methods and Results— We studied 121 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (age, 49±17 years; 60% men; 57% on β-blockers) with a basal septal thickness of ≤1.8 cm who underwent echocardiography (rest+stress) and cine cardiac magnetic resonance. Echo measurements included maximal LVOT gradient (rest/provocable), MV leaflet length (parasternal long, 4 and 3-chamber views), and abnormal chordal attachment to mid/base of anterior MV. Cine cardiac magnetic resonance measurements included basal septal thickness, number/area of PM heads, and bifid PM mobility (in systole and diastole). Mean basal septal thickness, LVOT gradient, and LV ejection fraction were 1.5±0.3 cm, 72±54 mm Hg, and 61±6%, respectively. The number of anterolateral and posteromedial PM heads was 2.7±0.7 and 2.6±0.7, respectively. Anterolateral and posteromedial PM areas were 19.9±7 cm2 and 17.1±6 cm2, respectively. PM mobility was 11±6°. On multivariable analysis, predictors of maximal LVOT gradient were basal septal thickness, bifid PM mobility, anterior mitral leaflet length, and abnormal chordal attachment to base of anterior mitral leaflet. Forty-five patients underwent surgery to relieve LVOT obstruction, of which 52% needed an additional nonmyectomy (MV repair/replacement or PM reorientation) approach. Conclusions— In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients without significant LV hypertrophy, in addition to basal septal thickness, anterior MV length, abnormal chordal attachment, and bifid PM mobility are associated with LVOT obstruction. In such patients, additional procedures on MV and PM (±myectomy) could be considered.
Radio Emissions from Solar Active Regions

Solar active region coronae are known for strong magnetic fields permeating tenuous plasma, which makes them an ideal astronomical laboratory for magnetohydrodynamics research. It is, however, relatively less known that this physical condition also permits a very efficient radiation mechanism, gyro-resonant emission, produced by hot electrons gyrating in the coronal magnetic field. As a resonant mechanism, gyro-emission produces high enough opacity to fully reveal the coronal temperature, and is concentrated at a few harmonics of the local gyrofrequency to serve as an excellent indicator of the magnetic field. In addition, the polarization of the ubiquitous free–free emission and a phenomenon of depolarization due to mode coupling extend the magnetic field diagnostic to a wide range of coronal heights. The ability to measure the coronal temperature and magnetic field without the complications that arise in other radiative inversion problems is a particular advantage for the active region radio emissions available only at these wavelengths. This article reviews the efforts to understand these radiative processes, and use them as diagnostic tools to address a number of critical issues involved with active regions.
Embedded Systems Interfacing for Engineers using the Freescale HCS08 Microcontroller I: Assembly Language Programming

Abstract The vast majority of computers in use today are encapsulated within other systems. In contrast to general-purpose computers that run an endless selection of software, these embedded computers are often programmed for a very specific, low-level and often mundane purpose. Low-end microcontrollers, costing as little as one dollar, are often employed by engineers in designs that utilize only a small fraction of the processing capability of the device because it is either more cost-effective than selecting an application-specific part or because programmability offers custom functionality not otherwise available. Embedded Systems Interfacing for Engineers using the Freescale HCS08 Microcontroller is a two-part book intended to provide an introduction to hardware and software interfacing for engineers. Building from a comprehensive introduction of fundamental computing concepts, the book suitable for a first course in computer organization for electrical or computer engineering students with a minimal ...
Early-life mold and tree sensitivity is associated with allergic eosinophilic rhinitis at 4 years of age

Abstract Background Nasal eosinophils are a biomarker for allergic rhinitis (AR) and are associated with increased symptom severity. Objective To identify predictors of allergic eosinophilic rhinitis (AER) in early childhood in children at higher risk for chronic allergic respiratory disorders. Methods In the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study, infants born to aeroallergen-sensitized and symptomatic parents were examined and underwent skin prick testing (SPT) annually to 15 aeroallergens from 1 to 4 years of age. Wheal circumferences were traced and scanned and areas were determined by computer planimetry. At 4 years, AER was defined as (1) at least 1 positive aeroallergen SPT result, (2) presence of sneezing and runny nose without a cold or influenza, and (3) nasal eosinophilia of at least 5%. Wheal areas at 1 to 3 years were analyzed for an association with AER compared with children without AR. Results At 4 years, 487 children completed rhinitis health histories, SPT, and nasal sampling. Ninety-nine children (22.8%) had AR. Thirty-eight children had AER (8.8% of total sample and 38.4% of AR sample, respectively). At 3 years, for every 1-mm 2 increase in Penicillium species (adjusted odds ratio 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.06–1.32, P = .002) and maple (adjusted odds ratio 1.07, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.13, P = .02), wheal area significantly increased the risk of AER at 4 years of age. Conclusion Allergic eosinophilic rhinitis was identified in 8.8% of children at 4 years of age. Age 3 years was the earliest that aeroallergen SPT wheal areas were predictive of AER. Skin testing at 3 years identifies children at risk for an AR phenotype with nasal eosinophilia.
Web accessibility in information systems

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine web accessibility initiative (WAI) guidelines for web accessibility so as to incorporate web accessibility in information systems (IS) curriculum.Design/methodology/approach – The authors used the WebXact software accessibility evaluation tool to test the top pages of web sites of the 23 California State University (CSU) campuses in order to identify the level of compliance to federal standards. The authors also designed and conducted a questionnaire to survey the students who were enrolled in the first web development course at CSU, Dominguez Hills to access their knowledge and skills in various web accessibility topics.Findings – The research findings show that the majority of the CSU campuses' top web pages failed to meet WAI guidelines at some point. Moreover, two‐thirds of the students who responded to the survey have no knowledge of web accessibility topics included in the questionnaires. The results indicate that IS programs failed to incorporate...
Heart Valve Disease: A Guide to Patient Management After Surgery

Eric G. Butchart, Christa Gohlke-Barwolf, Manuel J. Antunes, Roger J.C. Hall, eds 199 pages. Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Informa Healthcare; 2006. $75.00. 1–84214–308–7 The long-term comprehensive care of patients after heart valve surgery is not the purview of any single practitioner. Patterns of care vary both within and between countries. Caregivers may include the patient, family, primary care physician, general cardiologist, noninvasive imaging specialist, heart failure specialist, electrophysiologist, cardiac surgeon, advanced practice nurse, physician’s assistant, pharmacist, and exercise therapist. Individual focus on narrowly defined aspects of care allows opportunity for redundancy and inefficiency, as well as for uncertain lines of responsibility when clinical change mandates prompt action. The relative infrequency with which complex postoperative problems are seen by most care providers, the lack of a formal educational curriculum that deals with their recognition and management, and the rapidly changing fields of heart valve surgery and percutaneous intervention add to these challenges. In an attempt to close some of our gaps in knowledge and familiarity, the editors of Heart Valve Disease: A Guide to Patient Management After Surgery , have assembled a team of European and American experts to produce a text of broad scope and solid depth. By design, the book does not include a discussion of management after balloon valvuloplasty, though brief mention is made of anticoagulation strategies in patients with mitral stenosis and significant left atrial spontaneous echo contrast who must undergo trans-septal puncture as part of this procedure. The book begins with a discussion of postoperative intensive care, the elements of which are not restricted to patients who undergo isolated valve surgery. The use of flow diagrams both here and in several …
Response Time of Magnetorheological (MR) Fluid and MR Valves Under Various Flow Conditions

The response time of magnetorheological (MR) fluids to an external magnetic field is a few milliseconds. However, the overall response time in MR devices under a magnetic field is a function of electromagnetic parameters, the capabilities of the driving electronics, as well as, the operation conditions. Therefore, the overall response time of a MR device depends on the internal device design parameters. In this work, the response times of MR fluid and MR fluid valves have been studied under various flow configurations. Two types of valving geometries; annular flow, and radial flow are considered in the MR fluid valve designs. The transient pressure response of MR fluid valves are evaluated by using a diaphragm pump with a constant volume flow rate. The performance of each MR valve is characterized using a voltage step input, as well as, a current step input while recording the activation electric voltage/current, magnetic flux density, and pressure drop as a function of time. The variation of the response time of the MR valves under constant volume flow rate is experimentally investigated. The system’s time constant is determined under induced pressure changes. In order to obtain the response time of the MR fluid a Maxwell model with a time constant is employed to describe the field induced pressure behavior of MR fluid under a steady flow. The results demonstrate that the pressure response times of the MR fluid and the MR valves depend on the designs of the electric parameters and the valve geometry. MR valves in annular flow geometry have a slow falling response time compared to their rising response time. MR valves in radial flow geometry result in faster pressure response times both in rising and falling states.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Disability and Addiction

This chapter addresses two main themes in disability and addiction: (1) the definition of disability in several different contexts as it pertains to addiction and (2) the short- and long-term effects of drugs and alcohol that may cause disabilities. The discussion of the first theme focuses on the term “disability” as defined in the legal, clinical, and rehabilitation communities, with a concentration on laws and practices in the United States. Included here is a detailed description of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it pertains to people who are currently using substances and those in recovery from substance use, including a history of rules, regulations, and legal challenges and an update on the current state of the regulatory atmosphere. The discussion also touches on rules that determine distribution of Social Security Administration disability benefits, as well as the implications of the various definitions of disability for treatment, employment, and medical coverage for people with substance use disorders. Next, we turn to the ramifications of the understanding of disability and related policies for substance abuse treatment, closing with an assessment of the impact of recent legislation requiring parity in mental health and addiction services. Key discussion points for the second theme include how addictive disorders may cause or contribute to the development of disabilities. This portion examines the short- and long-term effects of the different classes of drugs of abuse, centering on neurological, physical, sensory, and functional impairment. The classes currently listed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as drugs of abuse include illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine; legal drugs such as alcohol; legal substances used as drugs such as inhalants and anabolic steroids; and prescription medications. The discussion also addresses the neurobiological underpinnings of the impairments that may result from the abuse of drugs in each class. Specific areas described are the greater risk of substance abuse in people with preexisting mental and physical disabilities; the increased risk for people who abuse substances of contracting potentially disabling or potentially fatal infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C virus; and the risk of addiction and disability for children born to mothers with addictions.
Robust Nonlinear Control with Singularity Avoidance for Diesel Engines Having Multiple Combustion Modes

This paper describes a robust nonlinear control approach for modern diesel engines having multiple combustion modes in particular low temperature combustion (LTC) and conventional diesel combustion. An innovative hybrid control system is designed to track different key engine operating variable sets at different combustion modes as well as avoid singularity which is inherent for turbocharged diesel engine running multiple combustion modes. A FSM based supervisory controller and MIMO sliding mode controllers consist of the overall system. The controlled system outputs for different combustion modes are carefully selected with respect to characteristics of different combustion modes as well as sensor/measurement limitations. The performance of the control system is evaluated on a modern light-duty diesel engine (G9T600). Experimental results show significant merits of the proposed control system compared with those obtained by conventional calibration-based approach.
Metabolic effect of parenteral nutrition in dogs with obstructive jaundice.

To assess the effect of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on macronutrient metabolism in obstructive jaundice.Forty adult mongrel dogs were equally divided into four groups: group I (PO-control) received sham ligation of common bile duct (CBDL) and was fed dog chow and water ad libitum; group II (PO-CBDL) underwent CBDL and was fed dog chow; group III (TPN-control) received sham CBDL and TPN; and group IV (TPN-CBDL) underwent CBDL and received TPN. Blood chemistries, plasma amino acids and liver histologies were studied before (Day 1) and at the end (Day 14) of the experiment.A significant elevation of bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase was observed in dogs with CBDL. Blood glucose was not changed significantly in any group. Significant increases in triglyceride and cholesterol were present in CBDL dogs. Significant differences in the concentrations of a few plasma amino acids, including an elevation of phenylalanine, were found in TPN dogs. A significant increase in aromatic amino acids (AAA) and a notice...
Simplifying nested radicals and solving polynomials by radicals in minimum depth

The notion of pure nested radicals and its field-theoretic counterpart, pure root extensions, are defined and used for investigating exact radical solutions. >
COEXISTENCE OR EXCLUSION IN A COMPETITIVE COMMON-POOL FISHERY: A REVISIONIST VIEW

. One of the earliest applications of game theory to renewable resource modeling was Colin Clark's analysis, in 1980, of the competitive exploitation of a common-pool resource. His model described the dynamics of a single Gordon-Schaeffer fish stock, being harvested non-cooperatively by two or more independently managed fleets. He showed that aggressive harvesting by all fleets (a Nash equilibrium) would lead to stock drawdown to a level which would successively eliminate all of the less efficient harvesters. Furthermore, when the fleets were closely matched, the survivor(s) of this aggressive competition would be forced, by the threat of competitors' reentry, to hold the stock in its severely degraded state, and hence to harvest at only marginal profitability. This outcome has often been compared to the open access “tragedy of the commons.” and to the outcome of the well-known “prisoners' dilemma” game. In this article I will argue that, for closely matched fleets, a more likely outcome is that the fleets will tacitly agree, without overt communication, to focus simultaneously on a specific set of coordinated policies which will permit their continuing coexistence and profitable operation. This policy profile also forms a Nash equilibrium, one which is secured by the mutual ability of the fleets to quickly recognize and credibly punish any unilateral deviations from the anticipated actions. Thus the dynamic harvesting game more nearly resembles the repeated prisoners' dilemma than it does the classical single stage version.
Structure As A Predictor Of Strategic Planning Use

This article provides: (1) support for the configurational approach in the study of organizations by empirically deriving ideal organizational factors, and (2) insights into the interrelationship between organization structure and strategic planning use. Three structural factors are identified resembling Mintzbergs (1993, 1979) machine, diversified and adhocratic ideal forms. Through a regression analysis these factors were found to be significantly and positively related to the use of strategic planning. The model formed explained approximately 48% of variance in the use of stragtegic planning in participating firms. Results also indicate tha thte emphasis on individual planning tools (mission/vision/ long and short-term objectives, action plans and policies) varies with the intensity of particular factors.
Development and testing of procedures for violence screening and suicide risk stratification on a psychiatric emergency service

Abstract Objective The objective was to examine the relationship between violence screening items, suicide risk stratification, and disposition in a psychiatric emergency service setting. Methods A retrospective review of electronic health record data for 286 patient encounters was performed. Results Four of the 6 violence risk screening items were significantly associated with both involuntary presentation to the psychiatric emergency service and high-risk stratification. These 4 items were also associated with psychiatric hospital disposition in bivariate analysis, however, only indirectly through their association with high-risk stratification, which in turn was directly associated with psychiatric hospital disposition. Conclusion Violence screening items inform disposition but only through the use of risk stratification, supporting the need for additional research into the predictive value of standardized suicide risk stratification definitions to inform clinical practice.
The mini-anterior approach: Optimizes total hip arthroplasty outcome—Affirms

The direct anterior approach for total hip arthroplasty has gained popularity in recent years and evidence to support this method continues to grow. Through our own research, we have noted several advantages compared to the posterior approach. In our direct anterior approach patients, we have found earlier function recovery in the initial weeks after total hip arthroplasty. Fewer deficits to hip motion and strength occur with this approach. We are also able to obtain improved precision, accuracy, and reproducibility of acetabular cup placement. For these reasons, the direct anterior approach is our preferred method in performing total hip arthroplasty.
Mechanisms of cumulative advantage among NGOs engaging men in violence prevention

In the last 20 years, gendered violence has come to the forefront of human rights and public health discourse as a global phenomenon and as a global health concern. As this awareness has increased, so has the emphasis on the important role that men play in the prevention of gendered violence. Funding is now pouring into relatively new organizations seeking to engage men, yet little research has been done to examine the patterns through which this work gets endorsed, funded, and executed. In-depth interviews with leaders of these organizations and their funders reveal the mechanisms by which a small number of organizations are able to obtain and maintain financial and political leadership in this growing global field. The impact of cumulative advantage on the work being done is also discussed. Language: en
The Use of Argon Beam Coagulation During Robotic Partial Nephrectomy in an Animal Model

Abstract Introduction: Partial nephrectomy (PN) has become the standard of care for management of a small renal mass. While robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) has been widely adopted as a minimally ...
Role of Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing in the Economy of Bedford, Blair, & Huntingdon Counties

The motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry is an important part of the history and economy of Bedford, Blair, and Huntingdon counties in Pennsylvania. The industry creates jobs and compensation for workers throughout these counties and influences tax revenues in the counties.
Fieldwork Game Play: Masterminding Evidentiality in Desano

In this paper, we propose a methodology for collecting naturally occurring data on evidentials and epistemic modals. We use Desano (Eastern Tukanoan) as a case study. This language has a complex evidential system with six evidential forms. The methodology in question consists of having Desano speakers to play a logic game, Mastermind. In this game one player (the codemaker) places colored pegs behind a screen and the other player (the codebreaker) tries to guess the code, receiving partial feedback from the codemaker through clues after each intermediate guess. In order to offset the unnaturalness of the codemaker’s exclusive knowledge of the actual code, we adapt the task to have two codebreakers playing the game jointly and discussing what they know, what the code could/must be, etc. We found that there are several benefits to this method. It provides naturalistic dialogue between multiple speakers, rather than just monologue; utterances naturally vary as to whether speakers in the scenario have access to and interest in what kind of information source the speaker has or simply the conclusion they draw from this information; finally, an important point is that speakers find the task enjoyable. We hope that this study can add the body of literature on methods for collecting naturalistic speech for language documentation and description.
Hot Cracking Susceptibility of Binary Mg-Al Alloys

The susceptibility of binary Mg-Al alloys in permanent mold casting was tested, including Mg-0.25Al, Mg-0.6Al, Mg-1Al, Mg-2Al, Mg-4Al and Mg-8Al (all in wt %). A steel mold was used for constrained rod casting (CRC), in which rods of various lengths were cast with sudden enlargement at both ends of each rod to prevent it from free contraction during solidification and thus induce hot cracking. The cooling rate near the location of cracking was measured. The hot cracking susceptibility was evaluated based on the widths and locations of the cracks observed. The curve of crack susceptibility vs. Al content was determined and compared with previous curves based on ring casting in steel molds and constrained rod casting in sand molds. The Scheil model of solidification was used to calculate the curves of temperature vs. fraction solid (T-fS) of the alloys. The crack susceptibility curve based on a simplified hot cracking criterion and the T-fS and cooling curves was compared with that based on CRC.
Collective Action under the Articles of Confederation: The Mystery of State Contribution

It is essential to the idea of a law, that it be attended with a sanction: or, in other words, a penalty or punishment for disobedience. If there can be no penalty annexed to disobedience, the resolutions or commands which pretend to be law will, in fact, amount to nothing more than advice or recommendation. –Alexander Hamilton Congress faced a hidden enemy throughout the Revolutionary War. In addition to fighting the British, Congress struggled with its own inability to raise resources from the states. Without adequate men, money, and supplies from the states, members of Congress could not provide Continental troops. As John Sullivan observed in 1780, “they send Regulations to the States, some comply some do not; and the Consequence of this is too Obvious to need Explanation.” Some 10,000 American soldiers died in camp from starvation, wounds, or disease. Food and supplies were so scarce that a band of soldiers resorted to eating their dog near Lake Champlain; others at Valley Forge tried to gain sustenance from the soles of their boots. The problem of providing for the army and raising new recruits was so severe that as early as 1776 George Washington wrote, “I think the game is pretty near up.” When the war ended, state support for the federal government declined to even lower levels.
Towards Providing Automated Feedback on the Quality of Inferences from Synthetic Datasets

When releasing individual-level data to the public, statistical agencies typically alter data values to protect the confidentiality of individuals’ identities and sensitive attributes. When data undergo substantial perturbation, secondary data analysts’ inferences can be distorted in ways that they typically cannot determine from the released data alone. This is problematic, in that analysts have no idea if they should trust the results based on the altered data.To ameliorate this problem, agencies can establish verification servers, which are remote computers that analysts query for measures of the quality of inferences obtained from disclosure-protected data. The reported quality measures reflect the similarity between the analysis done with the altered data and the analysis done with the confidential data. However, quality measures can leak information about the confidential values, so that they too must be subject to disclosure protections. In this article, we discuss several approaches to releasing quality measures for verification servers when the public use data are generated via multiple imputation, also known as synthetic data. The methods can be modified for other stochastic perturbation methods.
Organizational and Teamwork Factors of Tele–Intensive Care Units

Background Use of tele-intensive care involves organizational and teamwork factors across geographic locations. This situation adds to the complexity of collaboration in providing quality patient-centered care. Objective To evaluate cross-agency teamwork of health care professionals caring for patients in tele-intensive care units in rural and urban regions. Methods A national qualitative study was conducted in 3 US geographic regions with tele-intensive care programs. Discussions and interviews were held with key participants during site visits at 3 hub sites (specialist services location) and 8 rural spoke sites (patient location). The effects of communication and culture between the hub team and the spoke team on use of the services and effectiveness of care were evaluated. Results A total of 34 participants were interviewed. Specific organizational and teamwork factors significantly affect the functionality of a tele-intensive care unit. Key operational and cultural barriers that limit the benefits of the units include unrealistic expectations about operational capabilities, lack of trust, poorly defined leadership, and a lack of communication policies. Potential solutions include education on spoke facility resources, clearly defined expectations and role reversal education, team-building activities, and feedback mechanisms to share concerns, successes, and suggestions. Conclusion Proper administration and attention to important cultural and teamwork factors are essential to making tele-intensive care units effective, practical, and sustainable.
SIRT1 controls cell proliferation by regulating contact inhibition

Contact inhibition keeps cell proliferation in check and serves as a built-in protection against cancer development by arresting cell division upon cell-cell contact. Yet the complete mechanism behind this anti-cancer process remains largely unclear. Here we present SIRT1 as a novel regulator of contact inhibition. SIRT1 performs a wide variety of functions in biological processes, but its involvement in contact inhibition has not been explored to date. We used NIH3T3 cells, which are sensitive to contact inhibition, and H460 and DU145 cancer cells, which lack contact inhibition, to investigate the relationship between SIRT1 and contact inhibition. We show that SIRT1 overexpression in NIH3T3 cells overcomes contact inhibition while SIRT1 knockdown in cancer cells restores their lost contact inhibition. Moreover, we demonstrate that p27 protein expression is controlled by SIRT1 in contact inhibition. Overall, our findings underline the critical role of SIRT1 in contact inhibition and suggest SIRT1 inhibition as a potential strategy to suppress cancer cell growth by restoring contact inhibition.
Present-day erosion of Martian polar terrain by the seasonal CO2 jets

Abstract Here we report on the detection of new dendritic troughs created by the seasonal CO2 jet activity over several Martian years. According to Kieffers hypothesis (Kieffer, 2007) in Martian polar areas seasonal CO2 ice sublimation creates gas jets that deposit fans of mineral dust and sand on top of the CO2 ice. These jets and the related sub-ice gas flows are believed to carve troughs in the underlying polar deposits which, after multiple repetitions of this process throughout Martian spring seasons, create araneiform terrains. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) detected the new troughs during its campaign for seasonal monitoring of the polar areas. The newly detected dendritic troughs are small shallow branching troughs (≈ 1.4 m wide) similar to the seasonal furrows previously detected in the northern hemisphere (Bourke, 2013). The essential difference between the new troughs and furrows lies in the fact that the troughs in the south are persistent while the northern furrows are erased each Martian year by the sand movement due to summer winds. From year to year the new southern troughs extend and develop new tributaries and their overall geometry turns from linear to dendritic, a characteristic shared with araneiform terrains. We believe that furrows have the same origin as the southern dendritic troughs but do not develop into dendritic shapes because of the high mobility of the dune material into which they are carved. Several locations where new dendritic troughs are observed lie in the vicinity of dunes. This gives us an observational indication that presence of erosive sand material is an important factor in creating (or at least starting) erosive processes that lead to the formation of dendritic troughs. By extrapolation the same mechanism should be acting to create the much larger araneiform terrains. Detection of the present day erosion working in polar areas and creating new topographical features is important for understanding of the processes that shape polar areas. Several years of HiRISE observations provide us with the information about the current rate of erosion and hence help estimate minimum ages of the araneiforms and the surface into which they are carved to be 1.3 × 103 Martian years.
Detecting Edges from Non-uniform Fourier Data Using Fourier Frames

Edge detection plays an important role in identifying regions of interest in an underlying signal or image. In some applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or synthetic aperture radar (SAR), data are sampled in the Fourier domain. Many algorithms have been developed to efficiently extract edges of images when uniform Fourier data are acquired. However, in cases where the data are sampled non-uniformly, such as in non-Cartesian MRI or SAR, standard inverse Fourier transformation techniques are no longer suitable. Methods exist for handling these types of sampling patterns, but are often ill-equipped for cases where data are highly non-uniform or when the data are corrupted or otherwise not usable in certain parts of the frequency domain. This investigation further develops an existing approach to discontinuity detection, and involves the use of concentration factors. Previous research shows that the concentration factor technique can successfully determine jump discontinuities in non-uniform data. However, as the distribution diverges further away from uniformity so does the efficacy of the identification. Thus we propose a method that employs the finite Fourier approximation to specifically tailor the design of concentration factors. We also adapt the algorithm to incorporate appropriate smoothness assumptions in the piecewise smooth regions of the function. Numerical results indicate that our new design method produces concentration factors which can more precisely identify jump locations than those previously developed in both one and two dimensions.
Smartphone Sensing Framework

In this paper, we propose a novel smartphone sensing framework which allows heterogeneous and concurrent sensor access, energy-efficient task partitioning across smartphone and server, and allows integration in third-party applications following some simple rules and constraints. We demonstrate how the framework is able to reduce power-usage on the smartphone as well as maintains optimum network bandwidth usage, while not sacrificing on user experience and sensor accuracy.
Synthesis, characterization, photophysics, and a ligand rearrangement of CCC-NHC pincer nickel complexes: Colors, polymorphs, emission, and Raman spectra

Abstract The metallation/transmetallation strategy has been successfully applied to the preparation of CCC-NHC pincer nickel complexes. Manipulation of the coordination sphere lead to cationic CCC-NHC pincer nickel complexes. These were found to exhibit polymorphism in the solid state with significant differences in the intermolecular distances observed by X-ray crystallography. Three polymorphs were observed for the PF6− salt, and two were observed for the BF4− salt. When BPh4− was the counterion only one morphology was observed, and crystals grown of the triflate salt were too small for analysis. Details of the differences are documented for comparison. Additionally, during crystallization it was found that a rearrangement of the CCC-NHC ligand had occurred, involving coupling of an NHC from two different ligands, which were oxidized.
Multi-modal sensor system for plant water stress assessment

Abstract Plant stress critically affects plant growth and causes significant loss of productivity and quality. When the plant is under water stress, it impedes photosynthesis and transpiration, resulting in changes in leaf color and temperature. Leaf discoloration in photosynthesis can be assessed by measurements of leaf reflectance changes and leaf temperature changes in transpiration can be identified by thermography. To address these physiological properties, a multi-modal sensing system was developed and evaluated for a rapid, automated scouting of plant stress status in an apple orchard with irrigated and dry trees. The multimodal sensor system was installed on a mobile vehicle and includes an IR thermometer array, a thermal imager, a multispectral camera, and two sets of NDVI sensors with a digital camera and an ultrasonic range finder. Soil water status was continuously monitored using soil moisture sensors that were installed at the 15-cm depth for both irrigated and dry trees. A low-cost solution of canopy temperature sensing was developed using an IR thermometer array and validated to substitute the thermal imager with the advantage of rapid 2-D thermal mapping at up to 10 Hz. An NDVI sensing system was developed to enhance filtering process of the background noise signals by supplemental assistance from a digital camera and a range finder. NDVI responses and 2-D thermal maps were created while driving and recorded weekly for 7 weeks during the growing season. The experimental results identified significant difference of canopy temperature (2.6 °C) and NDVI (0.235) between the irrigated and dry trees and supported further development of low-cost real-time system for decision support of plant stress detection and management.