cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chlorate brines on Mars: Implications for the occurrence of liquid water and deliquescence

Abstract Oxychlorine salts (chlorates and perchlorates) are globally important components of surface soils on Mars, and could form liquid water in concentrated salt solutions despite prevailing cold and dry conditions. Although perchlorate salts are well-characterized, basic thermodynamic properties of chlorate solutions, such as water activity ( a w ) and even solubility, are poorly known. To address this knowledge-gap, we measured water activities and solubilities in the Na–Ca–Mg–ClO 3 system at 25 °C using the isopiestic method, and fit the data to an aqueous ion-interaction Pitzer model. We find that chlorate solutions have extremely low water activities that could allow liquid water to form on the surface of Mars. Compared to perchlorates, chlorates generally have higher water activities at the same concentration; however, saturated Mg(ClO 3 ) 2 solutions, in particular, are extremely concentrated (7.59 mol kg −1 ) and have a w = 0.2 at 25 °C, substantially below saturated Mg(ClO 4 ) 2 solutions ( a w = 0.4 ) . If Mg(ClO 3 ) 2 salts are present on Mars' surface, then our results suggest a much greater potential for liquid water formation in soils due to freezing point depression or deliquescence than with perchlorates.
Off and On Equilibrium Analysis of Stackelberg Leader Model in Terms of Marginal Profit Gap and Adjustment Weights.

For a Stackelberg leader model, this paper derives the monopoly reaction function of the follower and residual inverse demand for the leader in terms of adjustment weights. It derives all the off equilibrium formulae of interest in terms of monopoly marginal profit gap of the leader and the adjustment weights and then derives all the equilibrium formulae in terms of adjustment weights by adjusting the marginal profit gap. It finds a formula for the absolute point price elasticity of demand at the equilibrium price and this absolute price elasticity demand has a lower bound of one-third.
Seeing Through Water: Underwater Scene Reconstruction

Several attempts have been lately proposed to tackle the problem of recovering the original image of an underwater scene using a sequence distorted by water waves. The main drawback of the state of the art is that it heavily depends on modelling the waves, which in fact is ill-posed since the actual behavior of the waves along with the imaging process are complicated and include several noise components; therefore, their results are not satisfactory. In this chapter, we address the problem by formulating a data-driven two-stage approach, each stage is targeted towards a certain type of noise. The first stage leverages the temporal mean of the sequence to overcome the structured turbulence of the waves through an iterative registration algorithm. The result of the first stage is a better structured sequence, in which the low-rank property is uncovered, thus allowing us to employ low-rank optimization as a second stage in order to eliminate the remaining sparse noise.
Unpacking the paradox of neighboring ties: the moderating effect of criminal context on victimization

ABSTRACTThe consistency of the finding that neighboring ties produce social control has been challenged in recent work, leading to more nuanced theorizing. Negotiated coexistence theory posits that neighboring ties between criminal and non-criminal residents reduce social control by increasing the negotiating power of the criminal element. The present study tests whether criminal context moderates the relationship between neighboring and victimization. The effect of neighboring, criminal context, and their interaction on victimization outcomes is estimated while controlling for neighborhood disadvantage using ordinary least squares regression among an urban African American cohort. In support of negotiated coexistence theory, findings show that involvement in neighboring within a criminal context is associated with higher violent victimization among men in young adulthood, while neighboring within a non-criminal context is associated with lower young men’s violent victimization. Yet, this relationship doe...
I’m Too Old for This: Time Demands and Older, Early-Career Employees’ Receptivity to Supervisor Support:

This study explores how age and career stage affect receptivity to supervisor support using a multi-wave field sample of 528 employees. Following conservation of resources theory, we suggest that f...
Theoretical Phase Resolved Ammonia-Ammonium Nitrogen Equilibrium Isotope Exchange Fractionations: Applications for Tracking Atmospheric Ammonia Gas-to-Particle Conversion

Nitrogen (N) equilibrium isotope fractionation (15α) involving gaseous, dissolved, and solid phases of ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) (e.g., NH3(g)–NH3(aq)–NH4+(aq)–NH4+(s)) represents a fundamental chemical process that has important implications for understanding the environmental dynamics involving NHx (NH3 + NH4+). However, recent literature disagrees with early experimental results from Urey and co-workers, suggesting the need for an update on theoretical estimates. Here, we have calculated theoretical 15α values for NH4+(g)/NH3(g), NH3(aq)/NH3(g), NH4+(aq)/NH3(g), NH4+(aq)/NH3(aq), and NH4+(s)/NH3(g) using HF/6-31G(d) and B3LYP/6-31G(d) levels of theory. Overall, our theoretical calculated values matched experimental data reported by Urey and co-workers, with best agreement obtained at the HF/6-31G(d) level of theory with solvent effect accounted for using water cluster calculations. Our calculated results have important implications for tracing NH3 gas-to-particle phase conversions that may have...
Evidence for Incomplete Neutralization in Chilean Spanish.

BACKGROUND/AIMS In Chilean Spanish, syllable- and word-final /s/ are frequently weakened to an [h]-like segment or completely deleted. In word-final position, /s/ serves as the plural morpheme, so its deletion renders a site for potential neutralization with singular items. Chilean scholars have previously described differences in the vowel preceding weakened or deleted /s/ distinguishing it from non-/s/-final words, but this putative incomplete neutralization has not yet been acoustically verified, nor have its conditioning factors been explored. The primary purpose of this study was to assess via phonetic analysis of spontaneous speech whether neutralization of final vowels in singular words and plural words in Chilean Spanish is indeed incomplete, as hypothesized by scholars during the 20th century. Additionally, these vowels were also compared to the vowels of monomorphemic /s/-final words in order to ensure that the attested singular-versus-plural differences were not simply indicative of closed syllable laxing processes. METHODS Vowels were extracted from the spontaneous speech of 20 Chilean Spanish speakers and acoustically analyzed via VoiceSauce. RESULTS The results revealed that final /a/ vowels of plural words were found to be breathier than singular vowels but less breathy than the final vowels of monomorphemic words, and that plural /o/ was significantly fronted. They also demonstrated increased breathiness on /e/ vowels closed by /s/, regardless of morphological status. CONCLUSION These results provide the first account of incomplete neutralization of plural vowel correlates in spontaneous speech in Chilean Spanish, and they offer evidence for closed syllable processes in this particular dialect, in alignment with an exemplar-theoretic approach.
Chronic epigastric pain associated with gastric anisakidosis.

Abstract Anisakidosis is an acute and, less commonly, chronic gastrointestinal tract disease caused by the ingestion of nematode larvae contained within raw or undercooked seafood. We describe a case of chronic gastric anisakidosis diagnosed by endoscopic resection of submucosal nodules in a patient with a multi-year history of epigastric abdominal pain. This case illustrates the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for this diagnosis, even in patients with a remote history of seafood consumption or a chronic presentation of abdominal pain.
AV fistula rates: changing the culture of vascular access.

PURPOSE Data from the United States Renal Data System show about 30% of prevailing hemodialysis (HD) patients use arteriovenous fistulae (AVF), which falls far short of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) goals of 40-50%. Recent initiatives to increase the use of AVF in HD patients have been criticized as unachievable under realistic practice conditions. METHODS A multidisciplinary effort to increase AVF use was undertaken at an outpatient HD center beginning in 1998. Strategies focused on education and recruitment of patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, preservation of veins, pre-operative vein mapping, and education of staff. RESULTS AVF rates increased from 32%, to 72% over 6 years. The percentage of prosthetic grafts decreased from 40% to 13%. Central venous catheters fell from 28% to 15%. Among residual patients with catheters, 77% had maturing fistulae, as well. Infection rates in the dialysis unit decreased by 39%. Bacteremia declined by 47%. These improvements have been sustainable over the past 12 months. CONCLUSIONS Adherence to a strategic program similar to the Fistula First Initiative can increase fistula rates under ordinary practice conditions. High fistula rates can be achieved in male and female patients. Unanimous commitment among all members of the health care team is needed. Reduction in the risks of infection, bacteremia, endocarditis, and death may be derived from achievable changes in practice.
4-Hydroxybutyrate Promotes Endogenous Antimicrobial Peptide Expression in Macrophages

Naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are effector molecules secreted by several cell types but especially by cells of the innate immune system such as macrophages. AMPs largely avoid r...
Spatial Motifs for Device-to-Device Network Analysis in Cellular Networks

Device-to-device (D2D) communication is a promising approach to efficiently disseminate critical or viral information. Reaping the benefits of D2D-enabled networks is contingent upon choosing the optimal content dissemination policy subject to resource and user distribution constraints. In this paper, a novel D2D network analysis framework is proposed to study the impacts of frequently occurring subgraphs, known as motifs, on D2D network performance and to determine an effective content dissemination strategy. In the proposed framework, the distribution of devices in the D2D network is modeled as a Thomas cluster process (TCP), and two graph structures, the star, and chain motifs, are studied in the communication graph. Based on the properties of the TCP, the closed-form analytical expressions for the statistical significance, the outage probability, as well as the average throughput per device, are derived. The simulation results corroborate the analytical derivations and show the influence of different system topologies on the occurrence of motifs and the D2D system throughput. More importantly, the results highlight that, as the statistical significance of motifs increases, the system throughput will initially increase and then subsequently decreases. Hence, the network operators can obtain statistical significance regions for chain and star motifs that map to the optimal content dissemination performance. Furthermore, using the obtained regions and the analytical expressions for statistical significance, network operators can effectively identify which clusters of devices can be leveraged for D2D communications while determining the number of serving devices in each identified cluster.
Locked-in Data Production: User Dignity and Capture in the Platform Economy

As public attention around data governance grows, a number of proposals are emerging each purporting to lead to a more just data ecosystem. Most prominent amongst these seem to be solutions that seek to compensate individuals for their data through monetary rewards. These range in scope and aim from the creation of private ownership rights over personal data, to the creation of a new market for trading personal data with platforms, to the creation of a technical layer which would enable consumers to better control information about themselves. This paper argues that a normative misdirection underlies these proposals. Taking a market-based mechanism that compensates individuals for their data contributions as being the primary means of correcting the data economy’s harms - surveillance, commodification, exclusion - is not just impossible but perpetuates harm. The distribution of economic benefits is inextricably linked to how other rights and harms are being shared and to the way the relationship of dependency between users and platforms is structured. The former cannot be justified without a prior deep understanding and scrutiny of the latter. The paper articulates four modular normative positions, each of which is a way of devising and justifying the distribution of economic benefits in the data economy: (a) claims to data ownership as the product of our labor (Private Ownership), (b) claims to be compensated in the form of wages, discounts, or other non-monetary tokens or privileges on the basis of participatory contributions (Compensation), (c) claims to an ability to auction out personal data to platforms and other actors (Auctions), (d) claims to share in the profits made on the basis of our data contributions (Share of Profits). Each of these visions is discussed at a level of detail that allows their respective implications to come to the surface. While none of them can be a panacea solution to governing the data economy, each may play a role if considered in context and if limited in scope by the prior question of protecting human dignity. Overall, individuals should have a say over how data is collected, used and stored, and not only a right to be compensated for uses of their data determined by others.
Noncollinear Enhancement Cavity for Record-High Out-Coupling Efficiency of an Extreme-UV Frequency Comb

We demonstrate a femtosecond enhancement cavity with a crossed-beam geometry for efficient generation and extraction of extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) frequency combs at a 154 MHz repetition rate. We achieve a record-high out-coupled power of 600 μW, directly usable for spectroscopy, at a wavelength of 97 nm. This corresponds to a >60% out-coupling efficiency. The XUV power scaling and generation efficiency are similar to that achieved with a single Gaussian-mode fundamental beam inside a collinear enhancement cavity. The noncollinear geometry also opens the door for the generation of isolated attosecond pulses at >100 MHz repetition rate.
Exploring the Effects of Pet Preference, Presence, and Personality on Depression Symptoms

Pets live in nearly two-thirds of US households and are thought to increase wellbeing. However, previous research is mixed regarding the extent to which pets actually provide benefits. One understu...
Gauged B-3L_tau and Radiative Neutrino Masses

If the minimal standard model of quarks and leptons is extended to include just a righthanded partner to nu_tau, then the quantum number B-3L_tau can be added as a gauge symmetry without the appearance of anomalies. A suitable extension of the scalar sector allows one neutrino to have a seesaw mass, and the other two to have radiative masses, with acceptable phenomenological values for neutrino oscillations. The B-3L_tau gauge boson may be light and be observable through its decay into tau^+ tau^-.
Pathology of the Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps): a Retrospective Analysis of 36 Cases.

Summary The bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) is a common species in the pet reptile trade and in zoological collections. Despite this, only a few reviews detailing common causes of mortality have been published. The goal of this retrospective study was to compile information related to the presence and prevalence of various diseases in bearded dragons in several private and one zoological collection. Findings from 36 animals, necropsied over a 20-year period were categorized on the basis of the cause of death or euthanasia and the organ system affected. Multiple contributors to death were identified in a subset of animals (n = 12; 33.33%) and were counted in more than one category. The most common contributors to death by category were inflammatory (infectious or non-infectious) diseases (n = 25; 69.44%), followed by chronic/degenerative diseases (n = 17; 47.22%). Diseases or conditions that were systemic, or affected the hepatobiliary system, were the most commonly implicated in death. The most frequent histological findings included hepatic fatty change, renal tubular epithelial pigmentation and the presence of faveolar hyaline-like material. Although Chi square testing did not reveal an association between these common findings and comorbidities, a statistically significant association was found between chronic/degenerative causes of death and renal tubular epithelial pigment. Chi square testing of categorical variables, including contributors to death, primary organ(s) affected, sex, age class and institution, identified statistically significant associations between males and chronic/degenerative disease (P = 0.043) and inflammatory contributors to death and private collection animals (P = 0.039). Death due to inflammatory contributors was significantly higher in the 1–5-year-old and >5-year-old age classes (P = 0.02).
A remark on barely Ḣsp-supercritical wave equations

We prove that a good Ḣsp critical theory for the 3D wave equation ∂ttu−△u=−|u|p−1u can be extended to prove global well-posedness of smooth solutions of at least one 3D barely Ḣsp-supercritical wave equation ∂ttu−△u=−|u|p−1ug(|u|), with g growing slowly to infinity, provided that a Kenig-Merle type condition is satisfied. This result is related to those obtained by Tao and the author for the particular case sp=1, showing global regularity for g growing logarithmically with radial data and for g growing doubly logarithmically with general data.
POOL BOILING OF HIGH FREQUENCY CONDUCTORS

This study presents development of a unique, powerful method for cooling high-frequency, AC conductors that can benefit end users of transformer windings, electrical machine windings, and magnet coils. This method of heat removal involves boiling a dielectric, fluorinert refrigerant that is in direct contact with litz wire conductors. A pool boiling test vessel is constructed, which provides for temperature control of the pool of fluorinert liquid. The test vessel is fitted with viewing ports so that the experiments are observed and studied with the aid of high-speed photography. Tests are performed on a variety of litz wire conductors. The boiling heat transfer coefficient is dependent on the conductor surface roughness. The size of the features on the conductor surface depends on the single-strand wire gage from which the conductor is constructed. All tests are performed with the conductors mounted horizontally. These tests are performed using a DC power supply. The results of these experiments will aid in the design of future cooling systems.
Real-time rendering of real world environments

One of the most important goals of interactive computer graphics is to allow a user to freely walk around a virtual recreation of a real environment that looks as real as the world around us. But hand-modeling such a virtual environment is inherently limited and acquiring the scene model using devices also presents challenges. Interactively rendering such a detailed model is beyond the limits of current graphics hardware, but image-based approaches can significantly improve the status quo. We present an end-to-end system for acquiring highly detailed scans of large real world spaces, consisting of forty to eighty million range and color samples, using a digital camera and laser rangefinder. We explain successful techniques to represent these large data sets as image-based models and present contributions to image-based rendering that allow these models to be rendered in real time on existing graphics hardware without sacrificing the high resolution at which the data sets were acquired.
Factors Affecting Left Ventricular Mass in Childhood: The Muscatine Study

Objective. To examine the contribution of age, body size, and blood pressure to left ventricular mass (LVM) in childhood and develop a population-based reference of normative LVM data. Methods. Age, sex, height, weight, and auscultatory systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured and an echocardiogram was performed to estimate LVM in 904 normal children, aged 6 to 16 years, in Muscatine, IA. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were determined to describe the degree of linear association between LVM and age, body size, and blood pressure. Age-sex-, weight-sex-, and height-sex-spedfic Z scores were determined for LVM, age, weight, height, and blood pressure. Sex-specific LVM prediction equations were derived using weighted-least-squares regression analysis. Results. A strong positive linear association of LVM with age, weight, height, Quetelet index, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure was demonstrated. Z scores for eight different LVM quintile patterns revealed that age, height, weight, and blood pressure each exert an independent influence on LVM in children. Sex-specific predicted M-mode LVM and upper limits of the 90% prediction intervals based on age and height are presented. Conclusion. Since age, height, weight, and blood pressure may each exert an independent influence on LVM in children, each factor must be considered when interpreting LVM in childhood. While age, sex, and height are unalterable, both weight and blood pressure can be modified. Thus the pathologic contribution of excess weight and blood pressure ought not be masked by statistical adjustments in reference values for LVM. Sexspecific values of LVM and the 90% and 95% prediction intervals of LVM that do not factor out the effects of obesity or blood pressure are presented. These provide the upper-limit reference values of LVM for the evaluation of children in whom increased LVM is suspected.
Cloning of Protocatechuate 3,4-Dioxygenase Genes from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110.

Abstract A heterologous gene probe encoding the α and β subunits of the Pseudomonas cepacia protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (PCD) was used to detect its homolog in the genome of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110. Three cosmid clones carrying a 2.2-kb BamHI insert showed high levels of PCD activity. SacI digestion of one of the genomic clones, pBjG17, produced a 2.5-kb insert DNA that complemented a PCD mutant of P. cepacia.
Continuous video-EEG monitoring in pediatric intensive care units.

Summary Purpose: Several studies indicate a higher occurrence than might be expected of seizures in intensive care unit patients, many of which are not clinically apparent. Few of these studies are devoted exclusively to pediatric patients. The purpose of this study is to determine the occurrence of seizures in a cohort of pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit patients. Methods: Long-term video electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring studies performed in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units were reviewed. Age, gender, diagnosis, EEG background, epileptiform activity, time of onset and duration of seizures, presence of electroclinical or electrographic seizures, and survival were collected. Key Findings: One hundred thirty-eight recordings encompassing 122 patients were identified. Thirty-four percent of the sessions identified seizures in the first 24 h (38% of the cohort experienced a seizure at some time during monitoring, which ranged from 1–22 days): 17% captured only electroclinical seizures, 49% were electrographic only, and 34% had both electroclinical and electrographic seizures. Seventy percent of those patients experiencing seizures had their first seizure within the first hour of EEG recording. Younger age and epileptiform activity (including periodic) were associated with the occurrence of seizures. Diagnoses of head trauma and status epilepticus/recent prior seizure were more likely than other at-risk diagnoses to be associated with seizures; cardiac arrest managed with hypothermia was less likely to be associated with seizures. One-fourth of the recordings identified nonepileptic events. Significance: Seizures occurred in one-third of critically ill pediatric patients at risk for seizures who underwent video-EEG monitoring, and many of these seizures did not have a clinical correlate. In those at risk for seizures in intensive care units, there should be a low threshold for obtaining long-term monitoring.
Optimal groundwater remediation design subject to uncertainty in hydraulic conductivity with regional geologic variations

Groundwater pump-and-treat remediation designs where contaminant containment is the objective are developed using predictive groundwater flow models. The uncertainty of the hydraulic conductivity of an aquifer is included in the optimal cost remediation design by using a multi-scenario approach called robust optimization. Multiple regions within the optimization model are examined in this research. Each region represents a different geologic formation and as such is modeled with different hydraulic-conductivity fields. The variability of these fields is modeled using statistically distinctive distribution curves. In each scenario individual regions are represented with one hydraulic-conductivity value that is determined through sampling the associated distribution. Initially all combinations of all sampled hydraulic-conductivity values, say n values, for all regions, say r regions, are examined such that n r scenarios are considered in the robust-optimization model. This approach is then compared with a more simple approach whereby each distribution field is sampled n times and the hydraulic-conductivity values for each region in the k th scenario is assigned the k th lowest value sampled so that only n scenarios are examined in the robust-optimization model. The more simple approach to determining the hydrologic features of each scenario is an attempt to create a optimization model that is both computationally reasonable while representative of the uncertainty in the groundwater model.
Value orientations of social welfare policy structures

Substantial literature exists around the variation of welfare policy development in liberal democracies. The contrast of the American welfare state to those in Europe has sparked significant analytical literature about which factors are most significant in the variation. The literature extensively examines many of these factors but has neglected the significance of social values. This article discusses values and policy development as a foundation for further studies linking specific values to policy and institutional development. First, I discuss theorists who have identified value orientation as significant to welfare state variation; second, I review the major comparative welfare state literature. Finally, I discuss the major variation categories through the lens of social values by identifying the significant value orientation of sample policy structures. Comparative welfare state literature benefits from elucidating the values orientation of welfare policies that define the welfare state typological categories. Including the role of social values in welfare state comparisons promotes greater understanding of the origins and trajectory of current policy. Key Practitioner Message: ● Increase understanding of welfare state variation factors; ● Frame questions about social values reflected in social policy.
Static anti-windup controller synthesis using simultaneous convex design

By combining results from Mulder et al. (2001) and Scherer et al. (1997), we present a method for the synthesis of a control law which incorporates both a traditional linear output-feedback controller as well as a static anti-windup compensator. Unlike traditional anti-windup control design, in which the linear controller and anti-windup compensator are synthesized sequentially, our method synthesizes all controller parameters simultaneously, thus providing an a priori account of the effect of saturation on the closed-loop dynamics. Moreover, we derive sufficient conditions for quadratic stability and (possibly) multiple performance bounds on the closed-loop dynamics such that the entire synthesis is cast as an optimization problem over linear matrix inequalities (LMIs).
Fabrication of low voltage gated microtip arrays with low work function Cu-Li alloy or amorphous diamond coatings and comparison of field emission properties

We have developed a method to produce gated Cu-Li alloy-coated emitter tip arrays that produce device-compatible electron emission at voltages in the range 20-30 V. The technique involves selective deposition of Cu-Li alloy coatings on field emitter tips, using a collimated magnetron sputter deposition process. In this method, the component of the sputter flux normal to the surface of the substrate is preferentially selected from the cosine-distributed sputtered flux from the target by passing this flux through a physical collimator. This collimated sputter deposition method results in a selective growth of Cu-Li on the Si tip, as demonstrated by EDX analysis. The selective Cu-Li deposition results in field emitter tips electrically isolated from the gate with good I vs. V and Fowler-Nordheim behavior. We can also produce low voltage gated field emitter tip arrays coated with amorphous diamond, using the same collimated sputter deposition technique described above. Comparisons of the emission properties between the amorphous diamond and Cu-Li-coated field emitters is presented.
Nitrogen base inhibition of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase.

Summary The oxidation of ethanol as catalyzed by yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (alcohol: NAD + oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1) is inhibited by a variety of nitrogen bases. Inhibition by 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, 1,5-phenanthroline, 5,6-benzoquinoline, 7,8-benzoquinoline, quinoline and adenosine was in each case shown to be competitive with respect to NAD + in these reactions. With the exception of adenosine, these nitrogen bases are bound to the enzyme more effectively than is 1,10-phenanthroline. The data indicate that the binding of phenanthrolines, benzoquinolines and quinoline to the enzyme occurs at the pyridinium ring region of the NAD + binding site and is stabilized through hydrophobic interactions rather than by zinc chelation.
Race unconsciousness and the white male

D uring the past twenty years, a combination of cultural, social, and political factors produced a powerful taboo deflecting attention from affirmative action's effects upon young, working and middle-class white males. This massive "race unconsciousness" effectively devictimized them. Protests and grievances voiced by white males were ignored or jeered by influential individuals and institutions. Ironically, in a society dominated by a white-male power structure, few powerful white males concerned themselves with the fate of younger, workingand middle-class white males under affirmative action. Exploring the structural matrix and the ideological roots of this institutional inattention is the aim of this analysis. Race-unconsciousness toward white males has crippled the formulation, implementation and assessment of race-conscious programs. Whether or not journalists, social scientists, and policy makers acknowledge the white males' responses to affirmative action, the sociological and political consequences are significant. Intellectual self-censorship and devictimization of any class of human beings are ominous developments in societies committed to individual rights, democratic processes and the free exchange of ideas. How censorship develops among the highly-educated classes of a post-industrial society merits investigation.
An analytical stochastic controller

This paper addresses the problem of determiining an analytical stochastic controller for achieving docking between two vehicles. With the use of simplifying assumptions, analytical RMS docking errors are determined. The analytical approach presented is considered to be a powerful preliminary design tool in assessing the effects of sensor errors and plant disturbances on docking errors.
STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING ADOLESCENT GIRLS AT AN EMERGENCY SHELTER IN A THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE GIRLS THEMSELVES

Engaging clients is an extremely important part of the therapeutic process. Although there is a literature on adult engagement, few articles discuss adolescent engagement. Those articles that do discuss adolescent engagement have been conducted from the perspective of adults. The purpose of this study was to explore, from the client's perspective, ways to engage and build a positive therapeutic alliance with adolescent girls. A focus group (N = 5) was conducted with residents of an emergency shelter for adolescent girls in an urban area. Clients were asked three questions: ‘If you could tell a counselor anything, what would you tell her/him?’ .‘What do counselors need to know?’ and ‘How can a counselor get you to talk?’ Seven messages emerged from the clients' responses, which focused on a request to be respected, listened to, and not judged. More specifically, themes included ‘Treat me like I'm on your level’, ‘Tell me a little about yourself’, ‘Ask my permission to take notes’, ‘Pay attention to what I'...
Polymeric Micelles Based on Amphiphilic Scorpion-like Macromolecules: Novel Carriers for Water-Insoluble Drugs

Purpose. The objective was to evaluate amphiphilic scorpion-like macromolecules (AScMs) as drug carriers for hydrophobic drugs.
Optimal Timing of Reviews in Concurrent Design for Manufacturability

Concurrent design can reduce the time required to develop new products and redesign old ones. In contrast to the conventional approach, in which the product design is nearly completed before it is "thrown over the wall" to the process design group, concurrent design for manufacturability, as conceptualized here, conducts a number of progress reviews during the product design process. Frequent reviews have two benefits: 1 Parallel Development process designers receive sufficient information about the design to enable them to work in parallel with the product designers, and 2 Quality Control flaws in the design are discovered soon after they are introduced, saving the time and resources required for redesign later. The disadvantage of frequent reviews is that each review requires setup/penalty time that otherwise would not be required. The optimal policy is derived for some special stationary cases of the model. When the parallel development benefit dominates, the review periods either increase or decrease according to the rate at which product design work empowers useful process design work to be conducted. When the quality control benefit dominates, the review periods will vary only to the extent that the quality related parameters change. Numerical examples illustrate the insights gained from the analysis.
Food Allergy Overview in Children

Food allergies have increased significantly in the past decade. An accurate history is crucial in approaching the management. At the outset, food intolerance must be distinguished from food allergies and, furthermore, these allergies should be classified into either an IgE, Non-IgE, or a mixed response. The clinical features vary from life-threatening anaphylaxis to milder IgE-mediated responses, atopic dermatitis, and gastrointestinal symptoms. The severity of the reaction and the potential risk for anaphylaxis on reexposure should be assessed. Milk, soy, egg, wheat, and peanut allergies are common in children, whereas peanut, tree nut, fish, shell fish allergies, and allergies to fruits and vegetables are common in adults. Structural proteins are important determinants of the severity of the reactions and may often predict the natural history and cross reactivity. Diagnostic work up must be guided by the clinical history. Skin testing and food-specific IgE done by standard methods are very useful, whereas oral challenges may be indicated in some situations. Majority of the patients outgrow their allergies to milk, soy, egg, and wheat, and some to peanut also, therefore, patients should be periodically reassessed. Novel diagnostic techniques which detect specific allergenic epitopes have been developed. Several newer therapies are promising.
Processing of calling songs by an L-shaped neuron in the prothoracic ganglion of the female cricket, Acheta domesticus

. An L-shaped auditory intemeuron (LI) has been recorded from extracellularly and intracellularly, and identified morphologically (by Lucifer yellow or cobalt injection) in the prothoracic ganglion of mature female Acheta domesticus. The morphology of the LI is very similar to ascending, prothoracic acoustic interneurons that are most sensitive to higher carrier frequencies in both A. domesticus and other gryllid species. Its terminations in the brain are similar to ascending acoustic interneurons found in other gryllids. The LI neuron is most sensitive to 4–5 kHz model calling songs (CSs), the main carrier frequency of the natural call. Thresholds to high frequencies (8–15 kHz) are 15–20 dB higher. Increasing CS intensities of up to 15 dB above threshold at 4–5 kHz result in increased firing rates by the LI. More than 15 dB increase in intensity causes saturation with little increase in spiking rate until the intensity surpasses 80 dB. In response to 70 dB or higher stimulus intensities, the LI responds to the second and third CS syllables with one or two spikes, pauses, and then produces a burst of nerve impulses with the same or greater latency than for lower intensity stimuli. In response to CS syllables of changing duration (10–30 ms) this neuron responds with a rather constant duration burst of impulses. Syllable periods of the CS stimuli were accurately encoded by the LI. Progressively stronger injection of hyperpolarizing current reduces, and ultimately stops spiking of the LI in response to CS stimuli. More intense stimulation with reduced hyperpolarization shows an initial spike, pause and burst of spikes. Intracellular recording from axonal regions of the neuron shows large spikes, small EPSPs and a developing hyperpolarization through the response to a CS chirp. Inhibitory input to the LI is demonstrated at 4.5, 8 and 16 kHz. This probably explains the specialized response characteristics of the LI which enhanced its encoding of CS syllable period.
Dynamics Equations of Planetary Gear Sets for Shift Quality by Lagrange Method

The equations of motion of planetary gear sets including pinion dynamics are derived using the Lagrange method. The Lagrange method provides a systematic procedure for derivation and yields a single set of equations that are valid for all gears and shifts for a given configuration. This procedure is applied to the coupled planetary gear set in GM Hydramatic 440 transmission. The planetary gear set equations along with a simplified engine, torque converter, friction elements and vehicle model are simulated for 2–3 and 3–4 shifts. The simulation results demonstrate that the equations derived for planetary gear sets can be used for studying shift quality.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Continuous electronic on-line cookness tester for potatoes.

An on-line instrument was developed to continuously measure the amount of cooking received by potatoes during processing. It correlates with our earlier work in which a batch back extrusion tester was used to develop a model for cooking. As a prototype, the on-line instrument was used in place of the conventional ricer in the instant potato flake process; but should be applicable to other food processes to optimize the amount of cooking a food product undergoes during processing.
Maximum likelihood estimation using differences in an autoregressive-1 process

In a first-order autoregressive (AR-1) process with unknown mean, conventional maximum likelihood analysis requires joint estimation of the mean and AR coefficient. Differencing the series removes the mean, and for short series it should be more efficient to estimate the AR coefficient from the likelihood function of the differences. The exact likelihood function of the differences is given. A computer simulation study compares the behavior of the estimator obtained by maximizing the likelihood of the differences with that of the conventional maximum likelihood estimator. A root-mean-squared-error criterion shows superiority of the estimator based on differences for series of 50 time points or less.
Phantom rectum following abdominoperineal excision for rectal neoplasm: appearance and disappearance.

Aim The sensation that the rectum remains or is functioning after abdominoperineal excision (APE) is called phantom rectum (PR). Its postoperative and long-term morbidity are not well documented. Informed consent may not include the risk and consequences of this condition. We assessed the incidence and morbidity of PR after APE and compared those with vs those without vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps. Method Patients who underwent APE between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2008 were identified. Preoperative radiation and operative reconstruction by vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous (VRAM) flaps were noted. Patients were interviewed by telephone to assess the presence and timing of PR symptoms and their effect on quality of life. Results Thirty-six of 80 patients who underwent APE were available for follow-up. Twenty-three (64%) described PR symptoms including urgency to evacuate [22 (61%)], sensation of faeces in the rectum [19 (52%)] and sensation of passing flatus [17 (48%)]. Eleven (47%) who had VRAM vs 25 who did not, reported having symptoms of PR at < 3 months after APE. Patients described their symptoms as ‘unchanged over time’ [20 (56%)], ‘gradually decreasing and ultimately disappearing’ [13 (35%)] or ‘worsening’ [3 (9%)]. Preoperative radiation and laparoscopic approach were not associated with PR symptoms. Significantly more patients having a VRAM flap reported early PR symptoms [7/11 (64%) vs 4/25 (16%)] (P = 0.008). Conclusion PR sensations were experienced by 23 (64%) patients who underwent APE for rectal cancer. VRAM reconstruction was associated with early PR presentation. The possibility of PR should be discussed preoperatively in patients undergoing APE for anorectal neoplasm.
High speed and parallel nanoimaging using an array of heated atomic force microscope cantilevers

We report high speed and parallel nanotopography imaging using an array of heated microcantilevers integrated into a commercial atomic force microscope (AFM). The array has five silicon cantilevers with embedded resistive heaters whose temperatures can be controlled independently. The cantilever temperatures are independently controlled using feedback loops implemented via high speed analog circuitry. The heated cantilevers can measure surface nanotopograpy by measuring the changes in heat flow as the cantilevers scan over the surface. We demonstrate imaging of nanostructures of height 25-100 nm using the cantilever array over an area 550 μm × 90 μm. The resulting image was a 3.1 million pixel image, acquired in 62 seconds. The vertical resolution was 0.6 nm for a pixel size 351 nm × 45 nm.
ATKIN-LEHNER SYMMETRY

Abstract The vanishing of the one-loop string cosmological constant in nontrivial non supersymmetric backgrounds can be understood by viewing the path integral as an inner product of orthogonal wave functions. For special backgrounds the string theory has an extra symmetry, expressed as a transformation on moduli space. When left- and right-moving wave functions transform in different representations of this symmetry the cosmological constant must vanish. Specific examples of the mechanism are given at one loop for theories in two and four dimensions. Various suggestions are made for the higher loop extension of this idea.
Educating Our Own: The Historical Legacy of HBCUs and Their Relevance for Educating a New Generation of Leaders

Providing a brief history of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)—including how and why they were founded, funding sources and needs over time, and an examination of mission statements—the author considers the relevance of HBCUs in the current twenty-first century context. He makes an argument that the educational opportunities HBCUs offer continue to be strongly needed in the contemporary U.S. economic and sociopolitical climate. Finally, he offers HBCU faculty and administrators some suggestions for consideration as they face significant challenges ahead.
Initial estimates of Venus winds from ground-based radio tracking of the Vega balloons

A global array of 20 radio observatories was used to measure the three-dimensional position and velocity of the two meteorological balloons that were injected into the equatorial region of the Venus atmosphere by the Vega spacecraft. Initial analysis of only radial velocities indicates that each balloon was blown westward about 11,500 kilometers (8000 kilometers on the night side) by zonal winds with a mean speed of about 70 meters per second. Excursions of the data from a model of constant zonal velocity are generally less than 3-meters per second; however, a much larger variation is evident near the end of the flight of the second balloon. Consistent systematic trends in the residual for both balloons indicate the possibility of a solar-fixed atmospheric feature.
Diabetes and Co-morbid Depression Among Racially Diverse, Low-Income Adults

Background Research suggests individuals with diabetes are twice as likely as those without diabetes to be clinically depressed. Still unknown is the relationship between diabetes and depression in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.
A Theoretical and Experimental Comparison of Optimizing Angle of Twist Using BET and BEMT

Wind turbines are often designed using some form of Blade Element Model (BEM). However, different models can produce significantly different results when optimizing the angle of twist for power production. This paper compares the theoretical result of optimizing the angle of twist using Blade Element Theory (BET) and Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT) with a tip-loss correction for a 3-bladed, 1.15-m diameter wind turbine with a design tip speed ratio (TSR) of 5. These two theories have been chosen because they are readily available to small-scale designers. Additionally, the turbine was scaled for experimental testing in the Baylor Subsonic Wind Tunnel. Angle of twist distributions differed by as much as 15 degrees near the hub, and the coefficient of power differed as much as 0.08 for the wind speeds tested.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
PI3K inhibitors block skeletogenesis but not patterning in sea urchin embryos.

Skeletogenesis in the sea urchin embryo is a simple model of biomineralization, pattern formation, and cell– cell communication during embryonic development. The calcium carbonate skeletal spicules are secreted by primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs), but the skeletal pattern is dictated by the embryonic ectoderm. Although the process of skeletogenesis is well characterized, there is little molecular understanding of the basis of patterning within this system. In this study, we examined the contribution of phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-mediated signaling to the skeletogenic process in sea urchin embryos by using the well-established PI3K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin. Our results show that PI3K inhibitors specifically and reversibly block skeletogenesis, and that this blockade occurs within the PMCs rather than in the ectoderm, because the inhibitors block spiculogenesis in cultured micromeres. Our results are consistent with a model in which PI3K signaling is required, not for pattern sensing or interpretation but rather for the biomineralization process itself in the sea urchin embryo. Developmental Dynamics 229:713–721, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.