cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized Kernel Thinning.

The kernel thinning (KT) algorithm of Dwivedi and Mackey (2021) compresses an $n$ point distributional summary into a $\sqrt n$ point summary with better-than-Monte-Carlo maximum mean discrepancy for a target kernel $\mathbf{k}$ by leveraging a less smooth square-root kernel. Here we provide four improvements. First, we show that KT applied directly to the target kernel yields a tighter $\mathcal{O}(\sqrt{\log n/n})$ integration error bound for each function $f$ in the reproducing kernel Hilbert space. This modification extends the reach of KT to any kernel -- even non-smooth kernels that do not admit a square-root, demonstrates that KT is suitable even for heavy-tailed target distributions, and eliminates the exponential dimension-dependence and $(\log n)^{d/2}$ factors of standard square-root KT. Second, we show that, for analytic kernels, like Gaussian and inverse multiquadric, target kernel KT admits maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) guarantees comparable to square-root KT without the need for an explicit square-root kernel. Third, we prove KT with a fractional $\alpha$-power kernel $\mathbf{k}_{\alpha}$ for $\alpha > 1/2$ yields better-than-Monte-Carlo MMD guarantees for non-smooth kernels, like Laplace and \Matern, that do not have square-roots. Fourth, we establish that KT applied to a sum of $\mathbf{k}$ and $\mathbf{k}_{\alpha}$ (a procedure we call KT+) simultaneously inherits the improved MMD guarantees of power KT and the tighter individual function guarantees of KT on the target kernel. Finally, we illustrate the practical benefits of target KT and KT+ for compression after high-dimensional independent sampling and challenging Markov chain Monte Carlo posterior inference.
What Are the Risk Factors of Incurring Maxillofacial Fractures From Unarmed Hand-To-Hand Combat?

Abstract Purpose The purpose of our study was to determine the risk factors of incurring maxillofacial fractures among individuals who engage in unarmed hand-to-hand combat. Material and Methods The following retrospective cohort study was competed using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). The primary predictor variable was blood alcohol level. The primary outcome variable maxillofacial fracture. We used SPSS to conduct all statistical analyses. Results Our final sample consisted of 9,441 patients injured from unarmed hand-to-hand combat. The mean age of the sample was 38.7 years. The most common age group was young adults (42.9%), followed closely by middle-aged adults (41.9%). The number of males was nearly four times that of females. The mandible was the most frequently fractured maxillofacial bone. Concerning the mandible per se, the angle (37.1%) was the most frequently fractured site, while the coronoid process (0.2%) was the least frequently fractured site. Relative to females, males were 2.7 times more likely to incur a craniomaxillofacial fracture (P Conclusion Males had an increased risk of maxillofacial fracture relative to females. The mandible, particularly the angle, was the most frequently fractured maxillofacial bone. We speculate this is because hooks are frequently thrown in unarmed hand-to-hand combat.
Performance comparison of a 9-kW magnetically shielded Hall thruster operating on xenon and krypton

The performance of a 9-kW class magnetically shielded Hall thruster operating on xenon and krypton propellants is experimentally characterized. Thrust and efficiency measurements performed at discharge powers ranging from 4.5 to 9 kW indicate that the anode efficiency of krypton is 9%–18% lower than that of xenon. This difference is comparable to previous measurements reported for unshielded Hall thrusters, although it is found that unlike in previous studies, the efficiency ratio widens with increasing discharge voltage. Far-field probes are employed to measure the contributions to anode efficiency at conditions of 4.5 and 6 kW. These results indicate that mass utilization has the largest impact on the difference in performance between xenon and krypton. Assuming this mass utilization remains the dominant driver at higher voltages, it is proposed that the higher electron temperature of shielded thrusters along channel centerline coupled with the nonlinearity of the ionization cross section may explain why the efficiency gap widens with increasing voltage for shielded thrusters. The results are discussed in the context of optimizing magnetically shielded Hall thrusters for improved performance on krypton propellant.
US Navy Next Generation Computer Resources Operating System Performance Measurement Guidelines

This effort was originated to provide guidance to application developers for evaluating implementations of the Next Generation Computer Resources (NGCR) Operating System Interface Standard (poslx) and to define a common terminology. The results were developed by a joint effort between the following Navy Laboratories: NSWCDD, NAWC AD, NAWC AD Indianapolis, NRaD, NAWCWPNS, and NUWC DIV NPT.
Matchings and Related Structures

The spaces of a system were studied in Chapter II in Chapter III they were interpreted in the context of multigraphs and in Chapter IV in the context of networks. Once again we shall see how a single combinatorial notion transcends the peculiarities of the model which serves as the vehicle for its presentation. The Main Matching Theorem, to be presented and proved in the first section of this chapter, is the keystone for the rest of the chapter. Initially the vehicle for presentation is the bipartite graph. In the subsequent sections, the Main Matching Theorem will give information about many outwardly dissimilar yet nearly equivalent structures.
Analysis of the Holonomic Constraint in the Whipple Bicycle Model (P267)

In this work, we examine the holonomic constraint of the Whipple bicycle model on a level surface. In the Whipple model, one must enforce a constraint which ensures that the front and rear wheels touch the ground. We first derive the constraint in an intuitive geometric fashion and then verify that the constraint can be expressed as quartic polynomial in the sine of the frame pitch. We present three methods for enforcing the constraint in a dynamic model and comment on the differences and practical issues involved in each method.
DFT strategy for Intel microprocessors

This paper describes the progress in DFT techniques applied to Intel's X86-family microprocessors. The approach described here shows a progressive approach to increasing the level of DFT with increasing size and complexity of the design. Implementation of DFT is based on the needs of a given functional block and that of the overall chip. Test generation strategy to augment the coverage provided by DFT features is highlighted.
Portable and Adaptable Compilers

To say that a program is “portable” implies that it is a relatively easy and straight forward task to move it from one machine to another; if the effort to move the program is considerably less than the effort required to write it initially, then we can say that the program is “highly portable”. An “adaptable” program, on the other hand, is one that can readily be modified to meet a wide range of user and system requirements; again, if the effort to vary the characteristics or behaviour of the program is much less than that required to produce a specialized program for the same task, then the program is “highly adaptable”.
Toward a Resolution of an American Tension: Some Applications of the Helping Model of Affirmative Action to Schooling

Publisher Summary This chapter explains some applications of the helping model of affirmative action to schooling toward a resolution of an American tension. There is a fundamental tension in the American schooling system—an unresolved dilemma between the ideals of what a school should be in a democracy and what American schools actually offer its citizens. The demand of democracy that all human beings are endowed with certain unalienable rights is in direct conflict with the belief that one race is superior to another. The chapter believes that a strong public education system is essential for a democracy because it would allow a strong middle class to prosper and thus, thwart attempts to re-establish a monarchy or other forms of autocratic government. Critics of schooling in America, however, have claimed that it does little more than maintain and promote the status. One of the educational facts of life is that in-group members often outperform members of America's out-groups while they are in school. In college, women drop out of the physical sciences, math, and engineering at a rate two and a half times that of men. The chapter concludes and visualizes education as a way of expanding the horizons of its participants, providing opportunity for people of different social groups to share common interests, and building character appropriate to democratic life including cooperation, flexibility, and concern for the welfare of others.
Efficient cascaded half-harmonic generation of femtosecond frequency combs centered at 2.09 μm and 4.18 μm from a mode-locked Yb:Fiber laser

We report efficient generation of sub-50-fs pulses at 2.09 μm and 110-fs pulses at 4.18 μm from two cascaded half-harmonic PPLN-based OPOs, which are intrinsically phase-locked to the 250-MHz mode-locked fiber laser pump.
Hydrogen No-Vent Fill Testing in a 34 Liter (1.2 Cubic Foot) Tank

Experimental results of no-vent fill testing with liquid hydrogen in a 34 liter stainless steel tank are presented. More than 40 tests were performed with various liquid inlet temperatures, inlet flowrates, initial tank wall temperatures, and liquid injection techniques. Maximum pressure within the receiver tank was limited to 0.207 MPa (30 psia), and fill levels equal to or exceeding 90 percent by volume were achieved in 40 percent of the tests. Three liquid injection techniques were employed; top spray, upward pipe discharge, and bottom diffuser. Effects of each of the varied parameters on the tank pressure history and final fill level are evaluated. The final fill level is found to be indirectly proportional to the initial wall and inlet liquid temperatures and directly proportional to the inlet liquid flowrate. Furthermore, the top spray is the most efficient no-vent fill method of the three configurations examined. The success of this injection method is primarily due to condensation of the ullage vapor onto the incoming liquid droplets. Ullage condensation counteracts the tank pressure rise resulting from energy exchange between the fluid and the warmer tank walls, and ullage compression.
Estimating frequencies of interferometer type data with decimated auto-regressive techniques

A method of analysis will be presented to estimate many sinusoids in large data sets. The method relies on using disjoint subsets of the original data set. A subset is formed by taking values of the original data at a sample rate, D, and these subsets cover the original data set. This D is called the "decimation" rate and the approach is called the "decimation method". The method was applied to interferometer data.
CDB-PV: a constraint database-based program verifier

In this paper we present a new system called CDB-PV that uses constraint databases (CDBs) for program verification (PV). The CDB-PV system was implemented in C++ and tested on several sample programs that are difficult to verify using other methods. The CDB-PV system also runs efficiently for the sample programs. The CDB-PV approach is similar to abstract interpretation but it allows non-convex approximations.
Genetic Analysis of the Role of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoprotein K in Infectious Virus Production and Egress

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (KOS)ΔgK is a mutant virus which lacks glycoprotein K (gK) and exhibits defects in virion egress (S. Jayachandra, A. Baghian, and K. G. Kousoulas, J. Virol. 69:5401–5413, 1997). To further understand the role of gK in virus egress, we constructed recombinant viruses, ΔgKhpd-1, -2, -3, and -4, that specified gK amino-terminal portions of 139, 239, 268, and 326 amino acids, respectively, corresponding to truncations immediately after each of the four putative membrane-spanning domains of gK. ΔgKhpd-1 and ΔgKhpd-2 viruses produced lower yields and smaller plaques than ΔgK. Numerous ΔgKhpd-1 capsids accumulated predominately within large double-membrane vesicles of which the inner membrane appeared to be derived from viral envelopes while the outer membrane appeared to originate from the outer nuclear membrane. The mutant virus ΔgKhpd-3 produced higher yields and larger plaques than the ΔgK virus. The mutant virus ΔgKhpd-4 produced yields and plaques similar to those of the wild-type virus strain KOS, indicating that deletion of the carboxy-terminal 12 amino acids did not adversely affect virus replication and egress. Comparisons of the gK primary sequences specified by alphaherpesviruses revealed the presence of a cysteine-rich motif (CXXCC), located within domain III in the lumen side of gK, and a tyrosine-based motif, YTKΦ (where Φ is any bulky hydrophobic amino acid), located between the second and third hydrophobic domains (domain II) in the cytoplasmic side of gK. The mutant virus gK/Y183S, which was constructed to specify gK with a single-amino-acid change (Y to S) within the YTKΦ motif, replicated less efficiently than the ΔgK virus. The mutant virus gK/C304S-C307S, which was constructed to specify two serine instead of cysteine residues within the cysteine-rich motif (CXXCC changed to SXXSC) of gK domain III, replicated more efficiently than the ΔgK virus. Our data suggests that gK contains domains in its amino-terminal portion that promote aberrant nucleocapsid envelopment and/or membrane fusion between different virion envelopes and contains domains within its domains II and III that function in virus replication and egress.
Source-to-source optimization of CUDA C for GPU accelerated cardiac cell modeling

Large and complex systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) arise in diverse areas of science and engineering, and pose special challenges on a streaming processor owing to the large amount of state they manipulate. We describe a set of domain-specific source transformations on CUDA C that improved performance by ×6.7 on a system of ODEs arising in cardiac electrophysiology running on the nVidia GTX- 295, without requiring expert knowledge of the GPU. Our transformations should apply to a wide range of reaction-diffusion systems.
Dimensions of Functional Social Support and Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal Investigation of Women Seeking Help for Intimate Partner Violence.

Objective: We examined 4 separate dimensions of functional social support (tangible, appraisal, self-esteem, and belonging) as predictors of change in depression over 4.5 years in a sample of women reporting intimate partner violence. Method: Participants were recruited as they sought help for violence perpetrated by a current or former male partner. Three hundred eighty-eight participants completed the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (Cohen, Mermelstein, Kamarck, & Hoberman, 1985), the Conflict Tactics Scale-2 (Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 1996), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) at the baseline assessment. Participants were reevaluated on 9 follow-up assessment occasions over approximately 4.5 years, during which they completed the CES-D. Results: Growth curve analyses revealed that belonging, or the perceived availability of people one can do things with, was the only dimension that predicted changes in depressive symptoms when controlling for initial depressive symptom levels. Higher levels of belonging support reported at the baseline assessment were associated with larger decreases in depression. Conclusions: The findings of the current study suggest that interventions should consider ways to get survivors connected to informal social networks. Neither perceived availability of material aid nor availability of someone to talk about one's problems or serve as a positive comparison when comparing oneself to others was associated with decreased depression over time. Only perceived availability of people one can do things with (i.e., belonging support) exhibited salutary effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
Cranioplasty: a review of 1030 cases of penetrating head injury.

A total of 491 cranioplasties performed in a population of 1030 cases of penetrating head injury are reviewed. The morbidity rate was 5.5%, and the mortality rate was 0.2%. The clinical criteria of improving cosmetic defects and restoring craniocerebral protection are established, based on the location and size of the skull defect. Cranioplasty after penetrating head injury should be deferred for a minimum of 1 year to control morbidity. Complication of the original injury and surgical debridement increase the morbidity rate of cranioplasty. Post-traumatic epilepsy is not related to skull defects per se; neither is it affected by cranioplasty. Acrylic is an acceptable cranioplasty material if there is strict adherence to good surgical technique. Language: en
Predicting plastic flow and irradiation hardening of iron single crystal with mechanism-based continuum dislocation dynamics

Abstract Continuum dislocation dynamics (CDD) with a novel constitutive law based on dislocation density evolution mechanisms was developed to investigate the deformation behaviors of single crystals. The dislocation density evolution law in this model is mechanism-based, with parameters predicted by lower-length scale models or measured from experiments, not an empirical law with parameters back-fitted from the flow curves. Applied on iron single crystal, this model was validated by experimental data and compared with traditional single crystal constitutive models using a Hutchinson-type hardening law or a dislocation-based hardening law. The CDD model demonstrated higher fidelity than other constitutive models when anisotropic single crystal deformation behaviors were investigated. The traditional Hutchinson type hardening laws and other constitutive laws based on a Kocks formulated dislocation density evolution law will only succeed in a limited number of loading directions. The main advantage of CDD is the novel physics-based dislocation density evolution laws in describing the meso-scale microstructure evolution. Another advantage of CDD is on cross-slip, which is very important when loading conditions activate only one primary slip system. In addition to the dislocation hardening, CDD also takes into consideration dislocation defect interactions. Irradiation hardening of iron single crystal was simulated with validation from experimental results.
Context-dependent Voting

In recent decades psychologists have shown that the standard model of individual choice is often violated as choices are influenced by the decision context. We propose that voting behavior may be similarly influenced and we introduce a theory of context-dependent voting . Context-dependence implies that preferences over any pair of alternatives may depend not just on the two options but on the entire choice set. With an analysis of data gathered during the 1996 U.S. congressional election we confirm the presence of a significant context-dependent effect on voting behavior. In addition, we demonstrate that, when applied to a simple, standard model of electoral competition, context-dependent voting yields an equilibrium in which only two candidates compete and adopt divergent policy platforms, thereby deterring additional entry. The equilibrium is simultaneously consistent with policy divergence and the stability of two-party political systems that underlies Duverger's Law.
Establishing Technically Adequate Measures of Progress in Early Numeracy

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of three early numeracy measures to monitor the mathematics progress of students across time. One hundred and seven kindergarten and Grade 1 students were administered quantity discrimination, number identification, and missing-number measures once each month for 7 months. Alternate form reliability was adequate for instructional decision making, whereas criterion validity coefficients comparing the early numeracy measures to teacher judgment of student proficiency in mathematics and students' performance on a district-administered standardized test were lower than those observed in previous research. We used hierarchical linear modeling at each grade level to examine the ability of the three measures to model growth across time. All measures produced growth rates that were significant across time, for each grade level, with linear growth observed for the Number Identification measure only.
The changing roles of non-governmental organizations in the field of education (in the context of changing relationships with the state)☆

Abstract Historically NGOs have played a significant role in promoting Non-Formal Education. However, in the context of Structural Adjustment Programmes NGOs are now under increasing pressure to fill in the gaps left by declining State provision in the formal education sector. In doing so, NGOs can become, often unwittingly, agents of privatisation. This paper draws on studies from four countries (El Salvador, Bangladesh, India and Uganda) to chart and review the changing roles of NGOs in the education sector (and in their relationships with Ministries of Education) and tries to identify both positive and problematic practices. The paper concludes that service delivery in the education sector is inherently problematic for NGOs and stresses the importance of NGOs as innovators who must document their work more rigorously than in the past in order to feed into policy debates and influence major players.
Supporting Working-Class Students in Higher Education.

Utilizing data from the multi-institutional Student Experience in the Research University survey, we examined self-identified working-class students' experiences in higher education. The results su...
Tunable transmission filters based on corrugated sidewall Bragg gratings in polymer waveguides

We fabricate different bandpass filters based on polymeric waveguide gratings by introducing phase shift defects and integrating with a 3 dB MMI coupler. We also use thermo-optic effects to dynamically tune the designed filter
The Respiratory Burst Oxidase and the Molecular Genetics of Chronic Granulomatous Disease

The phagocyte respiratory burst oxidase plays a central role in the inflammatory response. This membrane-bound enzyme complex is comprised of both integral membrane and cytosolic proteins and catalyzes the formation of large quantities of superoxide in response to inflammatory stimuli. While superoxide and its oxidant derivatives normally serve a microbicidal function, excessive or inappropriate release of these products contribute to inflammatory tissue injury. Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a group of inherited disorders characterized by an absent neutrophil respiratory burst, which leads to recurrent and often life-threatening infections in affected patients. The analysis of the specific cellular defects in CGD has been instrumental in the identification and characterization of individual oxidase components. Four distinct genetic subgroups are presently recognized, each involving a different protein essential for respiratory burst oxidase function. This article summarizes recent advances in the characterization of the protein components and cellular biochemistry of the respiratory burst oxidase and reviews the classification and molecular genetics of CGD. The application of these findings to new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of CGD are also reviewed.
A theory of material divagation

Abstract The objective of this paper is to set forth a definition and the properties of a material damage or enhancement measure (i.e. divagation). The divagation of the mechanical response of a simple material is defined for a homogeneous deformation and a representation is obtained by assuming the existence of the Frechet differential of the material functional with respect to the deformation of history. The tensorial measure of material divagation is later extended to include the history of any set of constitutive parameters. The tensorial measure of material divagation is later extended to include the history of any set of constitutive parameters. Two representations for the material divagation tensor are developed from the definition and are used to establish other properties including: the definition of an ideal material, the structure of the coupling between different independent variables such as mechanical and thermal histories, a measure of the divagation using remote sensing devices, the relationship to thermodynamic dissipation, and a divagation calculation for classical viscoelasticity.
Children with autism spectrum disorders: A comparison of those who regress vs. those who do not

Objective: While autism spectrum disorders (ASD) constitute a group of similar conditions, considerable heterogeneity in symptoms of these neurodevelopmental disorders have been noted. One of the m...
Air-cathode microbial fuel cell array: a device for identifying and characterizing electrochemically active microbes.

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have generated excitement in environmental and bioenergy communities due to their potential for coupling wastewater treatment with energy generation and powering diverse devices. The pursuit of strategies such as improving microbial cultivation practices and optimizing MFC devices has increased power generating capacities of MFCs. However, surprisingly few microbial species with electrochemical activity in MFCs have been identified because current devices do not support parallel analyses or high throughput screening. We have recently demonstrated the feasibility of using advanced microfabrication methods to fabricate an MFC microarray. Here, we extend these studies by demonstrating a microfabricated air-cathode MFC array system. The system contains 24 individual air-cathode MFCs integrated onto a single chip. The device enables the direct and parallel comparison of different microbes loaded onto the array. Environmental samples were used to validate the utility of the air-cathode MFC array system and two previously identified isolates, 7Ca ( Shewanella sp.) and 3C ( Arthrobacter sp.), were shown to display enhanced electrochemical activities of 2.69 mW/m 2 and 1.86 mW/m 2 , respectively. Experiments using a large scale conventional air-cathode MFC validated these findings. The parallel air-cathode MFC array system demonstrated here is expected to promote and accelerate the discovery and characterization of electrochemically active microbes.
Soybean row-spacing: Effects on arthropod population patterns and sampling considerations

Two soybean field experiments were conducted during 1979 to investigate the effects of different row-spacing patterns (1.0 m vs 0.5 m, and 1.0 m vs broadcast) on population levels of selected herbivorous and beneficial arthropods. Sweepnet sampling was used in both experiments, and the ground-cloth shake method was also used in the 1.0-m vs 0.5-m study. Sweepnet results suggested that both herbivorous and beneficial arthropods tended to be more abundant in narrow row-spacings. However, there were exceptions among both groups, with some species (for example, bean leaf beetle) being more abundant in the conventional row-spacing in one experiment, and with several other species (for example, bigeyed bugs) showing no significant differences. Also, ground-cloth data for lepidopteran larvae showed trends opposite to those from sweepnet data in the 1,0-m vs 0.5-m experiment. Results clearly illustrate the importance of sampling methodology in the interpretation of soybean row-spacing research.
Comparison of pinocytosis and phagocytosis in Acanthamoeba castellanii.

Abstract Acanthamoeba, with high rates of phagocytosis and pinocytosis of the non-concentrative type, offers favorable experimental material for investigation of similarities and possible differences in these two modes of uptake. Phagocytosis was measured by the rate of uptake of latex beads and pinocytosis by the rate of uptake of radioactive inulin and albumin. The effects of the metabolic inhibitors NaN3, NaCN, NaF, iodoacetate, 2,4-dinitrophenol and cold were found to be identical on both forms of endocytosis. Both endocytic processes were suppressed by inhibitors of aerobic metabolism and low temperature and were not appreciably affected by inhibitors of glycolysis. The cells recovered capacity to endocytose after exposure to all these compounds except 2,4-dinitrophenol, which was irreversibly toxic. Endocytosis and O2 consumption were measured as a function of temperature. Below 5 °C both phagocytosis and pinocytosis ceased; between 9 and 15 °C uptake was less than 10% that at 29 °C. From 16 to 29 °C uptake was a linear function of temperature for both pinocytosis and phagocytosis. Curves for O2 consumption and endocytosis both showed breaks at about 16 °C. Concanavalin A (ConA) inhibited both types of endocytosis more than 50% at concentrations as low as 5 μg/2 × 105 cells/ml. Pinocytosis and phagocytosis were also measured simultaneously in the same cells. Increasing the rate of phagocytosis suppressed pinocytosis, but the combined volume of the two forms of uptake was essentially constant. In contrast, the estimated combined surface intake varied over a two-fold range. These data show no differences between phagocytosis and pinocytosis of the non-concentrative type, and suggest that control of the rate of endocytosis is determined by the volume of an internal compartment. The volume of this compartment, estimated by measuring the volume of latex beads that “saturate” the phagocytic mechanism, amounted to about 500 μm3/cell or roughly 15% of the cell volume.
Temporary negative ion resonance of pyridine

Abstract Two temporary negative ion states of pyridine are observed with the electron scavenger technique. The two states are believed to arise from a splitting of the two lowest unfiled π-electron orbitals of the negative ion.
Moduli of continuity of local times of strongly symmetric Markov processes via Gaussian processes

LetX be a strongly symmetric standard Markov process on a locally compact metric spaceS with 1-potential densityu 1(x, y). Let {L t y , (t, y)∈R +×S} denote the local times ofX and letG={G(y), y∈S} be a mean zero Gaussian process with covarianceu 1(x, y). In this paper results about the moduli of continuity ofG are carried over to give similar moduli of continuity results aboutL t y considered as a function ofy. Several examples are given with particular attention paid to symmetric Levy processes.
Work in progress — Using the levenshtein distance to examine changes to teams' model-eliciting activity solutions throughout a semester

In the fall semester of 2008, students in a first-year engineering course at Purdue University completed three Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs): Paper Airplane Challenge, Just-In-Time Manufacturing, and Travel Mode Selection. MEAs are realistic, open-ended, client-driven engineering problems designed to foster students' mathematical modeling abilities. The primary artifact produced by each team (N=295 teams, 1166 students) is a memo to the client describing a procedure for solving the engineering problem. Within each MEA, teams of students produced three iterations of their procedure, receiving feedback after each iteration. Between versions of student work, we compute a normalized measure of the addition, substitution and deletion of words between drafts. We found that student drafts changed an average of 105.4% from draft 1 to 2, and 43.8% from draft 2 to 3. Of this change, we can attribute all but 37.7% of the change from draft 1 to 2 to increased length, and all but 23.6% of the change from draft 2 to 3 to increased submission length. Knowing how much change is induced with each iteration of feedback, and how this change is related to the source and number of feedback iterations, has important implications for instructors planning feedback activities in the classroom.
Developing and Validating a New Classroom Climate Observation Assessment Tool

The climate of school classrooms, shaped by a combination of teacher practices and peer processes, is an important determinant for children's psychosocial functioning and is a primary factor affecting bullying and victimization. Given that there are relatively few theoretically grounded and validated assessment tools designed to measure the social climate of classrooms, our research team developed an observation tool through participatory action research (PAR). This article details how the assessment tool was designed and preliminarily validated in 18 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classrooms in a large urban public school district. The goals of this study are to illustrate the feasibility of a PAR paradigm in measurement development, ascertain the psychometric properties of the assessment tool, and determine associations with different indices of classroom levels of relational and physical aggression.
Restorative justice and offender screening

Abstract A principal goal of restorative justice programs is to right the wrongs done to crime victims. Dialogue is the recommended mechanism to begin the process of righting wrongs, though it also involves risk of emotional trauma to victims. Offenders deficient in particular social, cognitive, and psychological characteristics are those who might interfere with victim healing. Current methods for screening offenders for restorative justice are generally inattentive to offender traits, and methods used by correctional treatment programs are driven by risk of offender recidivism, which is not the focus of restorative justice. This article argues for a victim-centered offender screening tool.
Application of the "two-slit" photometric technique to the measurement of microvascular volumetric flow rates.

Abstract In vitro studies of red cell suspensions flowing through glass tubes were performed to provide additional details on the empirical relationship between red cell velocity measured by the “twoslit” photometric technique along the vessel centerline, V , and the mean velocity of cells plus plasma, Vmean. Small bore glass tubes (17- to 60-μm internal diameter) were used to simulate a blanket application of this method to the microcirculation. The previously established ratio, V V mean = 1.6 , was found to be valid within 5 to 10% in these tubes and for velocities within the physiological range. For tube diameters decreasing from 60 to 17 μm, V V mean was found to increase slightly but was still within 10% of the 1.6 ratio. Analysis of earlier in vivo studies of the single-file motion of red cells in 6- to 10-μm capillaries, suggests that below 10 μm, V V mean should approach a value on the order of 1.3, or 19% below the 1.6 factor.
Quantum theory of 1/ƒ noise

Abstract Due to interaction with the quantized electromagnetic field, any current carrier involved in some scattering process may emit low frequency photons. This photon emission carries neglible energy but modulates the current nevertheless, resulting in 1/ƒ and 1/Δƒ noise.
Induction of antibody-dependent and nonspecific tumor killing in human monocytic leukemia cells by nonlymphocyte factors and phorbol ester.

Abstract Induction of human cell lines to express properties characteristic of differentiated mononuclear phagocytes was investigated. Phagocytosis and receptors for immunoglobulin Fc and complement were induced or increased to variable extents in histiocytic lymphoma line U937, myeloblast line KG-1, and myelomonocytic line RC-2A. The active agents used were tumor promoter phorbol myristic acetate (PMA), supernatants of human bladder carcinoma line 5637, and lymphokine preparations. The strong induction of these properties concomitant with growth inhibition of the U937 line was suggestive of a terminal differentiation process. Incubation of U937 with these agents for several days induced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) to tumor targets in the monocyte-related line. Factors inducing U937 maturation appear to be distinct from myeloid colony-stimulating activity (CSA) since the former is present in 2-day LK, whereas more than 2 days is required for the production of most CSA. In addition to ADCC, PMA also induced nonspecific tumoricidal activity in U937. These experiments show that (i) the same monocyte cell type can mediate both nonspecific and antibody-dependent lysis of tumor targets; (ii) exogenous agents and endogenous factors other than lymphokine preparations can induce ADCC; (iii) the U937 line can be used as a model for detecting nonlymphoid as well as lymphoid factors stimulating differentiation or maturation of human monocytic cells.
Development and test of a liquid-argon shower detector

Abstract We have designed and constructed a liquid-argon shower detector, consisting of 30 sequential ionization chambers with interleaved converters. We have introduced a simple scheme to keep capacities low. The test of this detector in a 1.3 GeV/ cπ − beam was satisfactory.
Processing and mechanical characterization of lightweight polyurethane composites

A simple procedure was established to fabricate polyurethane-cenosphere particulate composite materials. Composites having four different volume fractions of cenospheres (hollow ceramic microspheres) ranging from 10 to 40% in increments of 10% were prepared and their mechanical properties were evaluated. A predictive model to estimate the fracture toughness of the composite was developed. The dynamic constitutive behavior of the composite in compression was investigated using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique in conjunction with high-speed photography. The results of the material characterization indicated that addition of cenospheres decreased the density of the composite. The quasi-static stiffness, both in tension and compression, and the quasi-static fracture toughness of the composite increased with addition of cenospheres. The high strain rate constitutive behavior of 100% polyurethane showed monotonic stiffening whereas the composite at higher cenosphere volume fractions (40%) exhibited a stiffening-softening-stiffening behavior. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies were also carried out to determine the failure mechanisms of the composite.
WATER AND ELECTROLYTE METABOLISM OF THE MICROPREMIE

There are five problem schemas presented in this article that indicate potential contradictions in therapeutic goals: (1) shock and edema presenting upon premature birth; (2) the hyperosmolar state, problematic in patients less than 750 g birth weight; (3) the respiratory distress syndrome and respiratory failure, often complicated by patent ductus arteriosus; (4) bronchopulmonary dysplasia, resulting from prematurity and mechanical ventilation; and (5) late onset of hyponatremia, sometimes accompanied by growth failure in the recovering premature. These five problems considered together comprise a developmental continuum of illness and recovery, where appropriate fluid management has recently been demonstrated to benefit outcomes greatly. Clinicians over the past decade have encountered all of the fluid and electrolyte nightmares. Although there are many different formulations for treating each of these scenarios, recommending one approach for all patients is likely to be incorrect much of the time.
The interaction of H2 with a jellium surface

Abstract We calculate the interaction between a H 2 molecule and metal surface, represented by r s =2 jellium, using the Gordon—Kim method. The adsoprtion curves for H 2 parallel and perpendicular to the surface are presented, and analyzed using an independent-atom effective potential. The molecular potential curve for H 2 near the surface is also analyzed.
Mathematical model for calculating speckle contrast through focus

The significantly reduced wavelength and the reflective nature of EUV masks causes phase variations resulting from roughness on the mask to result in intensity variations when the wafer is out of focus. These variations should be understood and modeled to control LER and device yield. A typical approach to modeling the effects of roughness is to image many masks using a thin mask simulator. These images can then be statistically analyzed to get the speckle properties. A model already exists that can relate speckle contrast to LER. This paper presents a method to compute the speckle image intensity using a single convolution with the roughness. This can be used to compute speckle through focus quickly. The presented technique takes into account defocus and the illumination coherence. It can be applied to phase roughness and amplitude roughness (reflectivity variations). In addition to speed improvements, the convolution kernel provides insights into the interaction of the source mask and mask roughness showing that, depending on the illumination coherence and defocus, not all roughness frequencies are attenuated equally.
Effects of Eprosartan Versus Enalapril in Hypertensive Patients on the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System and Safety Parameters: Results from a 26-Week, Double-blind, Multicentre Study

SummaryA double-blind comparator study was performed in 528 hypertensive patients [baseline sitting diastolic blood pressure (SitDBP) 95–114 mmHg]. The primary objective was to compare the incidence of drug-related cough in patients treated with enalapril and eprosartan. The secondary objective was to compare antihypertensive efficacy between treatments. This paper reports the effects seen on the safety profile, plasma renin activity, aldosterone and angiotensin II (A-II) in each treatment group. Eprosartan was titrated from 200 mg b.i.d. to 300mg b.i.d. and enalapril from 5mg o.d. to 20 mg o.d. over 12 weeks. Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 12.5–25 mg o.d. could be added where required to the treatment for the final six weeks of the titration phase if SitDBP ≥ 90 mmHg. Patients received the maximum titrated dosage during the maintenance phase. In the study overall, similar mean changes in blood pressure from baseline were evident with each treatment. Measurement of mean plasma neurohormone levels showed signi...
Using intermediate objects to improve the efficiency of visual search

When using a mobile camera to search for a target object, it is often important to maximize the efficiency of the search. We consider a method for increasing efficiency by searching only those subregions that are especially likely to contain the object. These subregions are identified via spatial relationships. Searches that use this method repeatedly find an “intermediate” object that commonly participates in a spatial relationship with the target object, and then look for the target in the restricted region specified by this relationship. Intuitively, such searches, calledindirect searches, seem likely to provide efficiency increases when the intermediate objects can be recognized at low resolutions and hence can be found with little extra overhead, and when they significantly restrict the area that must be searched for the target. But what is the magnitude of this increase, and upon what other factors does efficiency depend? Although the idea of exploiting spatial relationships has been used in vision systems before, few have quantitatively examined these questions.
How to Think, Say, or Do Precisely the Worst Thing for Any Occasion

In slapstick comedy, the worst thing that could happen usually does: The person with a sore toe manages to stub it, sometimes twice. Such errors also arise in daily life, and research traces the tendency to do precisely the worst thing to ironic processes of mental control. These monitoring processes keep us watchful for errors of thought, speech, and action and enable us to avoid the worst thing in most situations, but they also increase the likelihood of such errors when we attempt to exert control under mental load (stress, time pressure, or distraction). Ironic errors in attention and memory occur with identifiable brain activity and prompt recurrent unwanted thoughts; attraction to forbidden desires; expression of objectionable social prejudices; production of movement errors; and rebounds of negative experiences such as anxiety, pain, and depression. Such ironies can be overcome when effective control strategies are deployed and mental load is minimized.
Association of facet tropism and progressive facet arthrosis after lumbar total disc replacement using ProDisc-L.

Purpose The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the association of facet tropism and progressive facet arthrosis (PFA) after lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) surgery using ProDisc-L®.
Ovarian stimulation and in-vitro fertilization outcomes of cancer patients undergoing fertility preservation compared to age matched controls: a 17-year experience

Purpose To compare the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes of cancer patients who underwent oocyte retrieval and embryo/oocyte cryopreservation prior to gonadotoxic therapy to those of age and time-matched controls with tubal factor infertility.
A remote computation facility for a heterogeneous environment

The authors describe THERE (the heterogeneous environment for remote execution), a general-purpose facility designed to simplify the adaptation of nonnetworked, nonheterogeneous applications to a distributed heterogeneous environment. Existing applications made accessible with THERE become heterogeneous network services, and users of those services become heterogeneous network clients. They discuss the problems of remote computation, provide an overview of THERE, and describe the building of THERE applications. They present TPL, THERE programming language, which is tailored toward building execution environments for application programs (on the server sided), defining client interfaces to remote services (on the client side), and providing system-independent communication between client and server interfaces. >
Free-radical retrograde-precipitation copolymerization of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid

Free-radical chain polymerization kinetics of vinyl acetate (VA) and acrylic acid (AA) exhibit some unusual control features. The VA radicals have a high rate of chain transfer leading to relatively sluggish propagation rates. Polymerization of AA, however, is prone to autoacceleration behavior in bulk, solution, and precipitating media. Thus, conventional statistical copolymerization of VA and AA would result in the preferential formation of high AA content copolymer. However, when the reaction medium is chosen in such a way that the copolymer precipitates above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), propagation control and even monomer sequence control are obtained. Under these conditions, when the VA charge is much greater than AA, a tapered block copolymer (VA-t-AA) is obtained. We report a single stage polymerization process for the synthesis of such materials. The presence of VA-t-AA products is verified by emulsification, solubility, fractionation, size exclusion chromatography, NMR, and thermal analyses. In addition, propagation control can virtually eliminate formation of bimodal MWD and random/ homopolymer materials that are associated with various chain transfer mechanisms in conventional polymerization routes.
Pulmonary CD103(+) dendritic cells prime Th2 responses to inhaled allergens.

Allergic asthma stems largely from the actions of T helper 2 (Th2) cells, but the pathways that initiate Th2 responses to inhaled allergens are not fully understood. In the lung, there are two major subsets of dendritic cells (DCs), displaying CD11b or CD103. We found that after taking up inhaled ovalbumin in vivo, purified CD103+ DCs from the lung or lung-draining lymph nodes primed Th2 differentiation ex vivo. Th2 induction by CD103+ DCs was also seen when cockroach or house dust mite allergens were used. In contrast, CD11bhi DCs primed Th1 differentiation. Moreover, mice lacking CD103+ DCs displayed diminished Th2 priming to various inhaled allergens and did not develop asthma-like responses following subsequent allergen challenge. Low-level antigen presentation by CD103+ DCs was necessary, but not sufficient for Th2 priming. Together, these findings show that CD103+ DCs have a significant role in priming Th2 responses to inhaled allergens.