cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐DD‐A2‐06: Improved Phantom and Method for Measuring the Low Contrast Detectability Performance of Fluoroscopic and Radiographic Systems

Purpose: To develop an easy and reliable method of determining the low contrast detectability (LCD) performance of fluoroscopic and radiographicimagingsystemsMethod and Materials: A phantom has been developed containing objects made of water equivalent material of varying contrast and diameters. Randomization of the positions of these objects is easily accomplished via the design of the phantom. To measure the LCD one would first decide what objects are visible in the fluoroscopic image. The phantom is then designed to allow one to easily see the actual positions of the objects in the phantom, once this visual judgment is made. Only correctly identified objects are scored. This method greatly reduces the subjectivity of present methods of performing this test, including the eventual memorization of a fixed “random” phantoms. The use of tissue equivalent materials for this test also gives a more true result of LCD for clinical studies and is much less biased by changes in kV and grid use. The use of this phantom can also be extended into evaluation of radiographic and digital imagingsystems.Results: The use of this phantom provides accurate, reproducible measurements of LCD for fluoroscopic imaging as long as certain viewing precautions are observed for the fluoroscopic image.Conclusion: Current methods of evaluating fluoroscopic and radiographicimage quality by means of LCD performance are relatively unreliable and quite variable between different observers. This new method allow for more accurate, reproducible LCD measurement.
A Universal Mathematical Model for a New Combined-Cycle, Fossil-Fuel Power System (LAJ Cycle): Part 1 — Static Model

A universal mathematical model (UMM) has been developed and applied to the LAJ (for Labinov, Armstrong, and Judkins) cycle, a new combined-cycle, fossil-fuel power system. The UMM includes static and dynamic models of the system. The static model allows for thermodynamic and thermochemical analyses of the basic system components (reformer, turbine, membrane separator, fuel cell, air compressor, heat exchanger, and other components) and the entire system. Equilibrium compositions of reforming products are defined by minimizing Gibbs free energy of the mixtures using the Lagrangian multiplier method. The dependence of the main system parameters on pressure (P), temperature (T), and water-to-methane molar ratios (N) at the steam reformer have been evaluated. For selected reforming parameters, viz., P = 4.0 MPa and T = 1200 K, the degree of methane conversion is near 95% with N = 5. However, in view of mass and size limitations on equipment, a lower value of N = 3 is preferred, in which case the degree of methane conversion is 88%. The dependence of the system static model parameters on N has been investigated, and economic characteristics of the model have been evaluated for an output power of 250 kW. It is shown that when, N = 3, the fuel cost contribution to overall electricity costs is 1 cent/kWh.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
An aspect-oriented approach for the systematic security hardening of code

In this paper, we present an aspect-oriented approach for the systematic security hardening of source code. It aims at allowing developers to perform software security hardening by providing an abstraction over the actions required to improve the security of the program. This is done by giving them the capabilities to specify high-level security hardening plans that leverage a priori defined security hardening patterns. These patterns describe the required steps and actions to harden security code, including detailed information on how and where to inject the security code. We show the viability and relevance of our approach by: (1) elaborating security hardening patterns and plans to common security hardening practices, (2) realizing these patterns by implementing them into aspect-oriented languages, (3) applying them to secure applications, (4) testing the hardened applications. Furthermore, we discuss, in this paper, our insights on the appropriateness, strengths and limitations of the aspect-oriented paradigm for security hardening.
A theory of delegated search for the best alternative

Searching for the best worker, a reliable supply alternative, or the most profitable investment is frequently delegated to an agent. This article develops a theory of delegated search. We show that the principal’s ability to delegate depends on the agent’s luck, her initial resources, and the contract that governs her search. With moral hazard, the optimal contract is characterized by performance deadlines with bonuses for early completion. If performance cannot be specified, the optimal search is implemented by an option-to-buy contract for the principal. If performance is partially specified, the optimal contract is a standard pay-for-performance arrangement.
Genetic Code: What Nature Missed

Abstract New studies are challenging the invariance of the building blocks of naturally occurring proteins by incorporating unnatural amino acids in the genetic code. These methodologies hold great promise for the study of genetic code evolvability.
Solvent treatment of coals. 2. Effects on microporosity of extractions in the presence of ultrasonic energy

Abstract Three bituminous coals were extracted with 12 different solvents and one solvent mixture in the presence of ultrasonic energy at ambient temperature. The effects of the extraction on the microporosity of the coals was determined by measuring the adsorption of CO 2 at 298 and 195 K and of N 2 at 77 K. It was found that with pyridine, ethylenediamine, THF, DMSO, methylpyrolidinone and DMF the ultrasonic energy enhanced the effectiveness of the solvents in increasing the total surface area of the coals as measured by CO 2 at 298 K and also increased the rate of extraction. Only those solvents which satisfy the electron donor and acceptor number requirements of the donor-acceptor model of coal extraction were effective. The substantially greater increase in CO 2 surface areas of the coals when extracted in the presence of ultrasound indicate that more micropores are opened and widened and suggests that ultrasound weakens or breaks network-pore molecule bonds and facilitates extraction of pore molecules. Correlation between surface area increase and various solvent parameters was sought and excellent correlation was found with the ratio of donor number to acceptor number (DN/AN), a measure of the relative contribution of donor versus receptor sites on the coal surface, suggesting the use of DN/AN as a predictor of solvent effectiveness for bituminous coals.
The Effect of a First‐Year Integrated Engineering Curriculum on Graduation Rates and Student Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study

This paper reports on the long-term results of a two-year experiment conducted in the 1994–1995 and 1995–1996 academic years in which a group of “average” engineering students was recruited for a first-year program that integrated curricula and fostered a learning community. Students who participated in the Connections program graduated at a significantly higher rate than their peers and reflected retrospectively that the program had a strong positive effect on their college careers.
CLIMATOLOGY OF CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING IN GEORGIA, USA, 1992-2003

A 12-year climatology of lightning cloud-to-ground flash activity for Georgia revealed the existence of three primary regions of high lightning activity: the area surrounding the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area, east-central Georgia along the fall line, and along the Atlantic coast. Over 8.2 million ground flashes were identified during the climatology. July was the most active lightning month and December was the least active. Annual, seasonal, and diurnal distributions of cloud-to-ground flashes were also examined. These patterns illustrated the interacting effects of land cover, topography, and convective instability in enhancing lightning activity throughout Georgia. A synoptic analysis of the ten highest lightning days during the summer and winter revealed the importance of frontal boundaries in organizing convection and high lightning activity during both seasons. The prominence of convective instability during the summer and strong dynamical forcing in the winter was also found to lead to outbreaks of high lightning activity. Copyright  2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
Defining health and unhealthiness: Perceptions held by Native American Indians with persistent mental illness1

Discrepancies in definitions of health exist. These discrepancies, if not acknowledged, create major communication gaps between health-care professionals and their clients, which interferes with the provision of culturally responsive care. The purpose of this study was to understand how Native American Indians experiencing persistent mental illness (PMI) define/describe being healthy and being unhealthy. Grounded theory design was used in conducting data gathering (semistructured interviews) and analysis (constant comparative) because the study focuses on generating social/psychological phenomena or process. Forty-four audiotaped interviews were conducted and transcribed. Symbolic interactionism is this study's framework. During data analysis, health emerged as being in balance/equilibrium, having a sense of harmony, and not being out of control of spiritual, cognitive, emotional, and physical domains. Furthermore, as this study reflects, the modified Circle of Wellness model emerges as a better fit for N...
Fruits of icacinaceae (tribe iodeae) from the late paleocene of Western north america.

The Icacinaceae occur pantropically today, but are well represented by fossil fruits of the warm Early Middle Eocene, when tropical plants that currently occupy low latitudes were more widely distributed in higher latitudes. Members of this family are fi rst known in the Late Cretaceous; however, fossil fruits of tribe Iodeae are quite rare before the Eocene. In this paper we describe the fi rst formally recognized Late Paleocene icacinaceous taxa from western North America. We name two new species of Icacinicarya based on anatomically preserved fruits and establish a new genus, Icacinicaryites, for impressions with a strong similarity to Icacinicarya that lack anatomical preservation. These new records from the Almont/Beicegel Creek fl ora in North Dakota and several localities in Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana complement records known from the Early Eocene of England and document an increased diversity of Iodeae and related forms in the Paleogene of western North America.
Security upgrades for SNM processing facilities at LLNL

Describes the construction of a perimeter-protection area around several facilities that handle and store special nuclear materials (SNM) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The author discusses the criteria for design of the perimeter-protection area and the problems inherent in implementing deterrents against physical penetration while attempting to maintain the laboratory's traditional campus-like environment. >
Developmental progression of feeding skills: an approach to supporting feeding in preterm infants

Infants born prematurely, with congenital or acquired medical conditions, or who have extended stays in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at higher risk of developing feeding and nutritional problems than are full-term, healthy newborns. Because of the complex nature of feeding, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the developmental nature of this skill. The importance of recognizing stability in the physiologic, motor and state systems and using stability to determine both readiness to begin nipple feeding and progress in feeding, is discussed. Intervention strategies to promote stability leading to successful feeding are also described. Viewing infant feeding from a developmental skill acquisition perspective can guide the caregiver in determining how challenging it is for the infant, and therefore is useful in supporting the progression of feeding.
We sacrifice and eat less : The structural complexities of microfinance participation

Having borrowed money from a microfinance organization to start a small business many women in El Alto Bolivia are unable to generate sufficient income to repay their loans and so must draw upon household resources. Working from the womens experience and words this article explores the range of factors that condition and constrain their success as entrepreneurs. The central theme is that while providing the poor access to credit is currently very popular in development circles the social and structural context within which some women operate so strongly constrains their productive activity that they realize a net income loss at the household level instead of the promised benefits of entrepreneurship. This paper explores the social and structural realities in which women seek out and accept debt beyond their capacity to repay from the proceeds of their business enterprise. By examining some of the "hidden costs" of microfinance participation this paper argues for a shift from evaluation on outcomes at the institutional level to outcomes at the household level to identify the forces and factors that condition womens success as micro-entrepreneurs. While there has been much discussion on the benefits of microcredit lending and increasing critique of it on both ideological and substantive grounds there have been few ethnographically informed studies on consequences to users. (authors)
Full Capability Formation Flight Control

Abstract : The subject of automatic formation flight control is of current interest to the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Previous control approaches have been refined in this work to allow more robust maneuvering and to include a fourth control parameter. The equations of motion for each aircraft as a point mass, expressed in a wind-axis coordinate system, are coupled into differential equations that model the two aircraft system dynamics. Control laws are developed that include proportional and integral action. Gains are determined based on formation performance. Lead maneuvers are simulated and the controller is gauged on its ability to maintain the commanded formations in and out of the vortex wake generated by the lead aircraft. A Dryden wind model at varying intensities is applied to the system. In simulation the controller maintained acceptable performance in all maneuvers tested. A slightly modified controller was applied to a USAF NF-16D aircraft for flight testing. Utilizing a data link system and a virtual lead aircraft generated from a ground based control station, the NF-16D was able to flight test the controller. In-flight, the controller was stable, and able to perform all of the desired formation hold and change maneuvers.
Casimir forces and graphene sheets

The Casimir force between two infinitely thin parallel sheets in a setting of $N$ such sheets is found. The finite two-dimensional conductivities, which describe the dispersive and absorptive properties of each sheet, are taken into account, whereupon the theory is applied to interacting graphenes. By exploring similarities with in-plane optical spectra for graphite, the conductivity of graphene is modeled as a combination of Lorentz-type oscillators. We find that the graphene transparency and the existence of a universal constant conductivity ${e}^{2}/(4\ensuremath{\hbar})$ result in the graphene/graphene Casimir interaction at large separations to have the same distance dependence as the one for perfect conductors but with much smaller magnitude. The Casimir force is also studied when the graphene system is above a substrate or immersed in a medium. It is found that the response properties of the environmental materials can strongly affect the graphene interaction.
Repairing of Osteochondral Defects in Joint Using Beta-TCP/ Carboxymethyl Chitin Composite

Beta-tricalcium phosphate/carboxymethyl chitin composites [TCP/CMCh] of various ratios of TCP granules and CMCh were made and their mechanical properties, handling properties and repair performance for bone defects and for osteochondral defects were investigated. Water pooling ratio of CMCh was approximately 40 times the weight itself. TCP/CMCh of a higher TCP ratio had higher stress at 50%-strain. The stress at 50%-strain of TCP/CMCh with 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10 TCP ratios was 0.12, 0.51, 1.08, 1.46, 1.67 (MPa, n=5), respectively. The TCP/CMCh with 5.0 TCP ratios had the best total scores in handling tests. The bone repair rate of TCP/CMCh was TCP ratio 2.5
The Cycles of Social Work Practice

The social work profession has vascillated between addressing two different priorities during its history: personal troubles and public issues. The focus on personal troubles emphasizes the private interests, rehabilitation, and self-actualization needs of individuals. Public issues refers to collective needs, social action, and social reform. These riorities shaped the emergence of three distinct methods of social work practice-casework, groupwork, and community organization. This paper links these cyclical shifts in priorities to the socio-economic and political forces in American society, and suggests ways that the profession might sustain a practice framework that IS not so easily influenced by political cycles.
Generalized switch-and-examine combining (GSEC): a low-complexity combining scheme for diversity-rich environments

In diversity-rich environments, there is a tradeoff between performance and complexity. While combining a large number of diversity paths improves the system performance, it also increases the receiver complexity. With this in mind, we propose generalized switch and examine combining (GSEC) as a good candidate combining scheme for such environments. Description of the GSEC mode of operation shows that this scheme conserves a fixed complexity as the number of diversity paths increases, and offers a considerable complexity savings over traditional maximum ratio combining and even other low-complexity schemes, such as generalized selection combining. In this paper, we look into the design and performance analysis of GSEC over independent and identically distributed diversity paths. As an illustration of the mathematical formalism, selected numerical examples are provided, together with some related discussions and interpretations.
The stress intensity factor of a Griffith crack which is opened by a thin symmetric wedge

In this paper, the author makes use of a recent development in the theory of triple integral equations to derive formulae for the stress intensity factor and crack shape of a Griffith crack which is opened by a thin symmetric wedge. The use of these formulae is then illustrated by a consideration of two particular cases.
Breast cancer diagnosis using level-set statistics and support vector machines

Breast cancer diagnosis based on microscopic biopsy images and machine learning has demonstrated great promise in the past two decades. Various feature selection (or extraction) and classification algorithms have been attempted with success. However, some feature selection processes are complex and the number of features used can be quite large. We propose a new feature selection method based on level-set statistics. This procedure is simple and, when used with support vector machines (SVM), only a small number of features is needed to achieve satisfactory accuracy that is comparable to those using more sophisticated features. Therefore, the classification can be completed in much shorter time. We use multi-class support vector machines as the classification tool. Numerical results are reported to support the viability of this new procedure.
A unified approach to RF and microwave noise parameter modeling in bipolar transistors

A unified approach to RF and microwave noise parameter modeling in bipolar transistors is presented. Circuit level noise parameters including the minimum noise figure, the optimum generator admittance, and the noise resistance are analytically linked to the fundamental noise sources and the y-parameters of the transistor through circuit analysis of the chain noisy two-port representation. Comparisons of circuit level noise parameters from different physical models of noise sources in the transistor were made against measurements in UHV/CVD SiGe HBTs. A new model for the collector shot noise is then proposed which produces better noise parameter agreement with measured data than the SPICE noise model and the thermodynamic noise model, the two most recent Y-parameter based noise models.
Board level drop test modeling for system-in-packages

Recently, drop test reliability has become a major concern for mobile electronic products . Especially, system-in-package (SIP) like stacked-die-package and package-on-package may lead to increased stress in solder joints during drop impacts due to their complicate structures. In this study, the evaluation of drop test reliability was performed for SIPs using modeling and drop test. 3D-dynamic nonlinear finite element analyses were performed for drop test modeling. After the correlation was observed between modeling and drop test, the optimization of material properties was studied for these packages.
The macrosatellite DXZ4 mediates CTCF-dependent long-range intrachromosomal interactions on the human inactive X chromosome

The human X-linked macrosatellite DXZ4 is a large tandem repeat located at Xq23 that is packaged into heterochromatin on the male X chromosome and female active X chromosome and, in response to X chromosome, inactivation is organized into euchromatin bound by the insulator protein CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) on the inactive X chromosome (Xi). The purpose served by this unusual epigenetic regulation is unclear, but suggests a Xi-specific gain of function for DXZ4. Other less extensive bands of euchromatin can be observed on the Xi, but the identity of the underlying DNA sequences is unknown. Here, we report the identification of two novel human X-linked tandem repeats, located 58 Mb proximal and 16 Mb distal to the macrosatellite DXZ4. Both tandem repeats are entirely contained within the transcriptional unit of novel spliced transcripts. Like DXZ4, the tandem repeats are packaged into Xi-specific CTCF-bound euchromatin. These sequences undergo frequent CTCF-dependent interactions with DXZ4 on the Xi, implicating DXZ4 as an epigenetically regulated Xi-specific structural element and providing the first putative functional attribute of a macrosatellite in the human genome.
Mining soft-matching association rules

Variation and noise in database entries can prevent data mining algorithms, such as association rule mining, from discovering important regularities. In particular, textual fields can exhibit variation due to typographical errors, mispellings, abbreviations, etc.. By allowing partial or "soft matching" of items based on a similarity metric such as edit-distance or cosine similarity, additional important patterns can be detected. This paper introduces an algorithm, SoftApriori that discovers soft-matching association rules given a user-supplied similarity metric for each field. Experimental results on several "noisy" datasets extracted from text demonstrate that SoftApriori discovers additional relationships that more accurately reflect regularities in the data.
Direct Stimulation of Nucleoside Triphosphatase Activity in Human Ovarian Nuclear Membranes by Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

We previously reported that nuclei isolated from ovaries of premenopausal women contain binding sites for hCG/ human LH (hLH). This study was undertaken to determine the possible functional significance of these nuclear binding sites. Upon addition to isolated ovarian (mostly luteal cells) nuclear membranes, hCG and hLH stimulated nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase), an enzyme involved in nucleocytoplasmic transfer of mRNA, but not Mg2+-ATPase or NADH cytochrome c reductase activities, in a concentration-dependent manner. Heat-denatured hCG, isolated α-and β-subunits of hCG, human FSH, PRL, and porcine relaxin had no effect on the enzyme. Addition of hCG antiserum blocked hCG's ability to stimulate NTPase activity. cAMP, which is a second messenger in hCG-and hLHstimulated steroidogenesis, had no effect on NTPase activity. These results, which demonstrate that hCG acts on human ovarian nuclei directly, raise the possibility that internalized hCG might influence nuclear function(s) before it is eventually d...
A knowledge-based framework for automating HAZOP analysis

Hazard and operability (HAZOP) analysis is the study of systematically identifying every conceivable abnormal process deviation, its abnormal causes and adverse hazardous consequences in a chemical plant. HAZOP analysis is a difficult, time-consuming, and labor-intensive activity. An automated HAZOP system can reduce the time and effort involved in a HAZOP review, make the review more thorough and detailed, and minimize or eliminate human errors. Towards that goal, a knowledge-based system, called HAZOPExpert, has been proposed in this article. In this approach, HAZOP knowledge is divided into process-specific and process-independent components in a model-based manner. The framework allows for these two components to interact during the analysis to address the process-specific aspects of HAZOP analysis while maintaining the generality of the generality of the system. Process-general knowledge is represented as HAZOP models that are developed in a process-independent manner and are applicable to a wide variety of process flowsheets. The important features of HAZOPExpert and its performance on an industrial case study are described.
Selfish grid computing: game-theoretic modeling and NAS performance results

Selfish behaviors of individual machines in a grid can potentially damage the performance of the system as a whole. However, scrutinizing the grid by taking into account the non-cooperativeness of machines is a largely unexplored research problem. In this paper, we first present a new hierarchical game-theoretic model of the grid that matches well with the physical administrative structure in real-life situations. We then focus on the impact of selfishness in intra-site job execution mechanisms. Based on our novel utility functions, we analytically derive the Nash equilibrium and optimal strategies for the general case. To study the effects of different strategies, we have also performed extensive simulations by using a well-known practical scheduling algorithm over the NAS (Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation) workload. We have studied overall job execution performance of the grid system under a wide range of parameters. Specifically, we find that the optimal selfish strategy significantly outperforms the Nash selfish strategy. Our performance evaluation results can serve as valuable reference for designing appropriate strategies in a practical grid.
Carbocyclic ring expansions with alkyne and carbene sources mediated by nickel(0) complexes: Structure of the critical organonickel intermediates

Abstract Experimental evidence is assessed concerning the nature of organonickel intermediates involved in the cyclotrimerization and the cyclotetramerization of alkynes, as well as the cross -oligomerization of alkynes with carbene sources, as mediated by nickel(0) complexes. In the former processes a sequential series of nickelacycloalkapolyenes are the productive intermediates and in the latter cross -oligomerizations nickel(0)-carbene complexes themselves are critical precursors to the ultimately generated carbocycles.
Robotic therapy for chronic motor impairments after stroke: Follow-up results.

Abstract Fasoli SE, Krebs HI, Stein J, Frontera WR, Hughes R, Hogan N. Robotic therapy for chronic motor impairments after stroke: follow-up results. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:1106-11. Objectives To study the effects of robotic rehabilitation in persons with chronic motor impairments after stroke and to examine whether improvements in motor abilities were sustained 4 months after the end of therapy. Design Pretest-posttest design. Setting Rehabilitation hospital, outpatient care. Participants Volunteer sample of 42 persons with persistent hemiparesis from a single, unilateral stroke within the past 1 to 5 years. Intervention Robotic therapy for the paretic upper limb consisted of either sensorimotor active-assistive exercise, or progressive-resistive training during repetitive, planar reaching tasks, 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Main outcome measures Modified Ashworth Scale, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Motor Status Scale (MSS) score, and Medical Research Council motor power score. Results No significant differences were found among pretreatment clinical evaluations. Statistically significant gains from admission to discharge and from admission to follow-up ( P Conclusions Short-term, goal-directed robotic therapy can significantly improve motor abilities of the exercised limb segments in persons with chronic stroke that are sustained 4 months after discharge. This suggests that motor recovery can be enhanced by repetitive exercise training more than 1 year after stroke.
The S40 residue in HIV-1 Gag p6 impacts local and distal budding determinants, revealing additional late domain activities.

Background HIV-1 budding is directed primarily by two motifs in Gag p6 designated as late domain-1 and −2 that recruit ESCRT machinery by binding Tsg101 and Alix, respectively, and by poorly characterized determinants in the capsid (CA) domain. Here, we report that a conserved Gag p6 residue, S40, impacts budding mediated by all of these determinants.
How Can We Efficiently Cover the Uninsured? A Micro-Simulation Model of Health Insurance Coverage

The number of uninsured people in the U.S. is increasing, and various policies have been discussed and introduced to extend health insurance coverage. To analyze the effects of these policies, it is essential to consider the complexity of the problem of the uninsured. This paper employs simulation approach to develop a model of health insurance coverage, and uses this model to analyze the effects of various policies. The model is a microeconomic model of individual decision making with regard to health insurance coverage and health care consumption, and insurer determination of premiums. The parameters of the model are calibrated by using simulated method of moments (SMM). The model is calibrated to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) in 2003. This model is then used to predict the change in the number of the uninsured and to evaluate the change in social welfare caused by the following policies to cover the uninsured: introduction of health insurance vouchers, CDHP (Consumer Driven Health Plan)-type high deductible plans and regulation of charity care. The analysis is restricted to single-person households. Introduction of a health insurance voucher in individual health insurance market reduces uninsured rate from 20.4% to 16.4%, while introducing the voucher in all health insurance market reduces the rate to 9.2%. The change in social welfare is almost negligible under the former policy, while social welfare is decreased by 5.9% under the latter. Mandating CDHP-type high deductible plans decreases the rate of the uninsured to 13.2%, and social welfare is increased by 21.4%. Eliminating discounted charity care but sustaining free charity care is found to reduce uninsured rate to 6.1% and increase social welfare by 0.6%. This study is a first step towards a comprehensive and coherent framework for the evaluation of policies for the uninsured. Further development of the model, such as incorporating employers' health insurance offer decisions, will enable us to make more precise prediction of the effects of the policies.
Half-Life of Zr 88

The half-life of ${\mathrm{Zr}}^{88}$ has been determined to be 85 days by following the growth and decay of its 105-day ${\mathrm{Y}}^{88}$ daughter.
Making a tough personnel decision at Nova Waterfront Hotel

Synopsis Laura Green, Director of Event Planning at the Nova Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, had been through the hiring process many times. She was comfortable with Nova's selection and behavioral interviewing processes. They had only interviewed two candidates for the open senior event manager position, yet they had been discussing what decision to make for two and a half hours. Normally, these kinds of meetings wrapped up in 30 minutes with a clear consensus. Today, they were gridlocked, unable to agree on a path forward. Green suggested that they all “sleep on it.” They would get together first thing in the morning, when they were fresh, and decide what to do. Research methodology The data for this case were collected via personal interviews with employees of the hotel and from information on the company's website, other company resources, and publicly available information about the company. Only the hotel's name, parent company's name, and people's names have been disguised to protect the confidentia...
The GNAT nonlinear model reduction method and its application to uid dynamics problems

nite-volume-based uid dynamics models at low computational cost. To accomplish this objective, this work employs the Gauss{ Newton with approximated tensors (GNAT) nonlinear model reduction method originally presented in Ref. 1. This technique decreases the system dimension by a least-squares Petrov{Galerkin projection, and decreases computational complexity by approximating the residual and Jacobian using the \Gappy POD" method; the latter requires computing only a few rows of the approximated quantities. This work introduces an ecient implementation of the GNAT method based on a novel \sample mesh" concept tailored for the nite volume formulation. When the reduced-order model is evaluated, this approach loads into memory only the subset of the mesh needed to sample the residual and Jacobian. This minimizes required computational resources, communication overhead, and computational complexity. A post-processing step that employs only the subset of the mesh needed for computing outputs is also proposed. Results obtained for a one-dimensional shock propagation problem highlight the method’s capability to decrease solution times by orders of magnitude while retaining high levels of accuracy, even in predictive scenarios. The application of GNAT to a large-scale, compressible, turbulent ow problem with over 17 million unknowns illustrates the method’s favorable performance compared with other nonlinear model reduction techniques (including collocation and discrete empirical interpolation approaches), and speedups exceeding 350 with errors less than 1% are observed. Finally, results show that the sample mesh enables the GNAT model to use many fewer processors compared with the full-order simulation.
Male prairie voles with different avpr1a microsatellite lengths do not differ in courtship behaviour

Females are generally expected to be selective when choosing their social and sexual partners. In a previous laboratory study, female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) showed significant social and sexual preferences for males with longer microsatellite DNA within the avpr1a gene encoding the vasopressin 1a receptor, as predicted if females select mates whose parental behaviour should increase female reproductive success. We tested the hypothesis that males with short versus long avpr1a microsatellite alleles exhibit differences in courtship behaviour, which could act as cues for female mate preference. The only behavioural difference we detected between males with short versus long avpr1a microsatellite alleles in mate preference trials was that males with short avpr1a microsatellite alleles sniffed the anogenital region of females more frequently during the first two days of the trials. Our results did not strongly support the hypothesis that a male's avpr1a genotype predicts the courtship behaviours we measured and suggests that other courtship behaviours or traits, such as odour and vocalizations, may be more important to female prairie voles when choosing mates. Additional studies using a wider array of species are needed to assess the degree to which male mammal courtship behaviour provides information on mate quality to females.
Improve and Optimize Current Sharing Coefficient Excitation

along with the increasing of generator self shunt unit,the importance of excitation system of parallel silicon controlled rectifier operation also increase continuously.Current sharing problem to deal with silicon controlled rectifier device,to improve the reliability of excitation system,ensure the safe and reliable operation of the power plant is very important.In this paper,the excitation rectifier current sharing issues to do in- depth analysis,and improve and optimize the current sharing coefficient combining with practical.
What'll ya have?

Before choosing a plan to finance healthcare, we must decide whether we consider ourselves subscribers or patients, Mr. Hage says. And we each must decide how healthy we are, because that determines how much we're willing to pay for medical coverage, he adds. In the article, Mr. Hage describes two proposed financing approaches and tells why he thinks both of them miss the mark.
Content Analysis of Virtual Reference Data: Reshaping Library Website Design

An academic health sciences library wanted to redesign its website to provide better access to health information in the community. Virtual reference data were used to provide information about user searching behavior. This study analyzed three years (2012-2014) of virtual reference data, including e-mail questions, text messaging, and live chat transcripts, to evaluate the library website for redesigning, especially in areas such as the home page, patrons' terminology, and issues prompting patrons to ask for help. A coding system based on information links in the current library website was created to analyze the data.
Drama and Social History

Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Howard Zinn (The Optimism of Uncertainty, 2004)
Experimental markup in a TEI-conformant setting

Work on the documentary edition of Huntington Library manuscript Hm 114 of Piers Plowman (Ht) has demonstrated that it is difficult yet possible to use TEI-inspired markup in an experimental way within the scope of a larger TEI-conformant project. Moreover, such experiment is essential. Although much productive work can be done with specifications limited to the texts of manuscripts—including texts as eccentric as that of Ht—such texts cannot be fully modeled and examined without the application of experimental markup.The attempt to carry out such experimentation within the context of the larger TEI-conformant Piers Plowman Electronic Archive (PPEA) project demonstrates the need to develop community-wide recommendations for best practices in controlled experimentation. Text, scribal paratext, and codex co-exist in every manuscript artifact and present patterns of evidence—as yet only partially provided for in the TEI P4 and emerging P5 recommendations—that are eminently suited to machine analysis.
Inventing and Defending the General Education of Literature

French pedagogues of the late nineteenth century saw the urgent need to emancipate literary pedagogy from classical rhetoric, and as a result, candidates for the baccalaureat examination in 1902 no longer were required to demonstrate proficiency in Latin or Greek. In practice, the reforms met opposition from the public and from teachers of literature, providing a case study in the resistance to change, even (or especially) when it is badly needed. The debate at the turn of the twentieth century foreshadowed the current one over the general relevance of literary education, such as the argument that literature is to be universally taught only insofar as it cultivates marketable skills.
Redesign of a Pyrylium Photoredox Catalyst and Its Application to the Generation of Carbonyl Ylides

We report the exploration into photoredox generation of carbonyl ylides from benzylic epoxides using newly designed 4-mesityl-2,6-diphenylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate (MDPT) and 4-mesityl-2,6-di-p-tolylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate (MD(p-tolyl)PT) catalysts. These catalysts are excited at visible wavelengths, are highly robust, and exhibit some of the highest oxidation potentials reported. Their utility was demonstrated in the mild and efficient generation of carbonyl ylides from benzylic epoxides that otherwise could not be carried out by current common photoredox catalysts.
Trajectories of thermospheric air parcels flowing over Alaska, reconstructed from ground‐based wind measurements

It is widely presumed that the convective stability and enormous kinematic viscosity of Earth's upper thermosphere hinders development of both horizontal and vertical wind shears and other gradients. Any strong local structure (over scale sizes of several hundreds of kilometers) that might somehow form would be expected to dissipate rapidly. Air flow in such an atmosphere should be relatively simple and transport effects only slowly disperse and mix air masses. However, our observations show that wind fields in Earth's thermosphere have much more local-scale structure than usually predicated by current modeling techniques, at least at auroral latitudes; they complicate air parcel trajectories enormously, relative to typical expectations. For tracing air parcels, we used wind measurements of an all-sky Scanning Doppler Fabry-Perot interferometer and reconstructed time-resolved two-dimensional maps of the horizontal vector wind field to infer forward and backward air parcel trajectories over time. This is the first comprehensive study to visualize the complex motions of thermospheric air parcels carried through the actual observed local-scale structures in the high-latitude winds. Results show that thermospheric air parcel transport is a very difficult observational problem, because the trajectories followed are very sensitive to the detailed features of the driving wind field. To reconstruct the actual motion of a given air parcel requires wind measurements everywhere along the trajectory followed, with spatial resolutions of 100 km or less, and temporal resolutions of a few minutes or better. Understanding such transport is important, for example in predicting the global-scale impacts of aurorally generated composition perturbations.
Objective of Theoretical Studies and Their Links with Experiment

Although theory and experiment are often portrayed to be two different disciplines (in whatever field), it is nevertheless the case that progress in one would not be made without the other, Objectively, at least in the physical sciences, the causa principali is the advancement or our understanding and knowledge of the “real world”.
Agency Theory in the Selection Context

Despite calls for development of a broader application of agency theory throughout the management literature (Jensen & Meckling, 1976; Eisenhardt, 1989; Shapiro, 2005), scholars typically have emphasized the importance of agency theory in more macro and strategic levels than micro contexts (e.g., staffing, selection). This paper examines agency theory within a selection context. First, we outline how agency theory manifests within the selection context. Second, we use an agency-based perspective to present a model of how social effectiveness disrupts selection procedures. Third and final, we discuss the various responses of organizations to this dilemma. Opportunities to strengthen agency theory through the adjustment of fundamental assumptions and the integration of complementary organizational theories are discussed, along with propositions for future research.
How to truly win in business with leadership - a case study report

This paper presents a case study analysis of the book entitled Winning, by Jack Welch (2005). It addresses the question of whether leadership styles should be result-oriented or people-oriented in the modern business environments. Jack Welch encompasses materials in his book that emphasise the importance of people-oriented leadership styles in order to reap the most benefits for a business. This paper presents a summary, the objective and target audience of the book, its structure and organisation, and an application of the book to choosing the best leadership style in modern business environments. The final section identifies the lessons that the reader ought to take away from reading the book.
Quality Management Training in Small to Midsized Manufacturing Firms

There is a substantial body of work in the literature linking quality management training to firm performance. Many of the conclusions and prescriptions are based on anecdotal evidence. In this pap...
Learning Wireless Networks’ Topologies Using Asymmetric Granger Causality

Sharing spectrum with a communicating incumbent user (IU) network requires avoiding interference to IU receivers. But since receivers are passive when in the receive mode and cannot be detected, the network topology can be used to predict the potential receivers of a currently active transmitter. For this purpose, this paper proposes a method to detect the directed links between IUs of time multiplexing communication networks from their transmission start and end times. It models the response mechanism of commonly used communication protocols using Granger causality: The probability of an IU starting a transmission after another IU's transmission ends increases if the former is a receiver of the latter. This paper proposes a nonparametric test statistic for detecting such behavior. To help differentiate between a response and the opportunistic access of the available spectrum, the same test statistic is used to estimate the response time of each link. The causal structure of the response is studied through a discrete time Markov chain that abstracts the IUs’ medium access protocol and focuses on the response time and response probability of 2 IUs. Through NS-3 simulations, it is shown that the proposed algorithm outperforms existing methods in accurately learning the topologies of infrastructure-based networks and that it can infer the directed data flow in ad hoc networks with finer time resolution than an existing method.
Health Risk Appraisals With Aging Adults: An Integrative Review:

Identification of risk factors unique to the aging experience is vital to support health promotion efforts and prevent loss of independence for the increasing aging population. Health risk appraisals are tools capable of identifying a broad range of factors that affect health; however, these tools were designed for use with predominantly healthy working-age adults. The purpose of this integrative review was to describe uses and adaptations of health risk appraisals with aging adults. A total of 43 articles met inclusion criteria, identifying multiple adaptations necessary to effectively identify the risks faced by aging adults, including those related to activities of daily living, pain, depression, social support/network, vision, hearing, and cognitive status. Uses included support for health promotion efforts and to determine risk for depression, falls, and loss of independence. Further research needs to be done to evaluate impact when used as a health promotion and prevention tool for aging adults.
Usability meets security: a database case study

Abstract In this paper, we review security and usability scenarios. We propose security enhancements without losing usability and apply a new approach to popular application systems. Specifically, we analyze database security for access control, auditing, authentication, encryption, integrity control, backups, separation of environment, and secure configuration. Finally, we present our recommendations for system security and usability that work together.