cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Issues related to determining burial chronology by fluoride analysis of bone from the Maya archaeological site of Chau Hiix, Belize

Fluoride percentage of bone is often used to determine relative dates of burials in archaeological contexts. An analysis of prehistoric Maya burials at Chau Hiix, Belize, identifies taphonomic factors, including soil composition, grave depth, soil disturbance, age at death and cortical bone thickness, that cause variations in the rate of fluoride absorption by altering the access of water to bone. This example demonstrates that fluoride dating is unlikely to be useful at most prehistoric Maya sites because of the inconsistent taphonomy due to typically diverse mortuary practices, and it also serves as a cautionary tale for applications of this methodology in other contexts.
Black carbon radiative heating effects on cloud microphysics and implications for the aerosol indirect effect 2. Cloud microphysics

[1] This work examines the effect of black carbon (BC) radiative heating on cloud droplet formation. Changes in cloud droplet concentration and cloud albedo due to the presence of black carbon are computed for different cases of aerosol size distributions, meteorological conditions, BC mixing state, and aerosol composition. We examine the effect of three new mechanisms (that result from BC heating) that can affect cloud droplet number and lifetime. Two of these mechanisms act to increase cloud droplet number or lifetime: (1) the ability of BC to decrease the collection efficiency of giant cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and (2) the delayed growth of low-Sc CCN that allow higher-Sc CCN to form droplets. These two mechanisms complement each other in terms of increasing cloud droplet number, since it is shown that the former is most efficient at strong updrafts and the latter is most efficient at low updraft velocities. A third mechanism identified, gas-phase heating (which is different from the so-called “semi-direct effect”), in our simulations acts to decrease LWC, and thus albedo; however, the droplet number concentration does not change significantly due to dynamic readjustments in cloud supersaturation. The simulations indicate that the mixing state of BC with the CCN population can have an important influence on the effect of BC heating on the droplet population. Although additional work is necessary to fully assess the effects of BC heating on cloud microphysics and climate, this work shows that these effects are more complex than currently thought.
Multithermodynamic phase lattice-gas automata incorporating interparticle potentials.

An extension of the lattice-gas automaton model for fluid equations is presented which has nonideal-gas thermodynamic properties reminiscent of first-order phase transitions. The new idea in this model is an algorithm for including interparticle potentials.
Study of Plasma-Propellant Interaction During Normal Impingement

This paper describes an effort to investigate the transient process of an electrothermal plasma normally impinging on a plate or a solid propellant. The objective of this effort was to develop a better understanding of the fundamental aspects of this process to facilitate the development of the plasma ignition system for use in electrothermal chemical propulsion applications. The plasma is produced through an electrical discharge occurring within a polyethylene capillary. The high-temperature and high-pressure plasma exited from the capillary into an ambient air environment and impinged normally onto a plate. Pressure transducers mounted on the plate were used to obtain the stagnation pressure of the plasma jet, and a multiple CCD imaging system was used to visualize this highly transient process. Tests were also performed with the stagnation plate replaced by a solid propellant sample. Plasma-induced surface changes were examined using a scanning electron microscope, mass loss of the propellant was measured, and decomposition species were analyzed using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The results show that when the distance between the capillary exit port and the plate was varied, changes in plasma jet structure, stagnation pressures, and mass losses of the propellant were significant.
Semiparametric and nonparametric modeling for effect modification in matched studies

Abstract This study describes a new graphical method for assessing and characterizing effect modification by a matching covariate in matched case–control studies. This method to understand effect modification is based on a semiparametric model using a varying coefficient model. The method allows for nonparametric relationships between effect modification and other covariates, or can be useful in suggesting parametric models. This method can be applied to examining effect modification by any ordered categorical or continuous covariates for which cases have been matched with controls. The method applies to effect modification when causality might be reasonably assumed. An example from veterinary medicine is used to demonstrate our approach. The simulation results show that this method, when based on linear, quadratic and nonparametric effect modification, can be more powerful than both a parametric multiplicative model fit and a fully nonparametric generalized additive model fit.
HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY IN THE INDO‐PACIFIC: A CLADISTIC APPROACH

— The history of biogeographic theories about the Indo-Pacific is reviewed. The methods of cladistic biogeography are introduced and 10 monophyletic groups of Miridae (Insecta: Heteroptera) are used to apply these methods in the Indo-Pacific. The results are summarized and then combined with those of Duffels on cicadas. The results of most previous schemes are rejected on the basis of new results because the prior studies applied methods which failed to correctly interrelate areas of endemism within the Indo-Pacific and between this and other regions. The composite biotic nature of New Guinea is stressed. “it is the presence in and not the absence from land areas of organisms that calls for reasoned explanations” (Evans, 1959)
Independent component analysis-based dimensionality reduction with applications in hyperspectral image analysis

In hyperspectral image analysis, the principal components analysis (PCA) and the maximum noise fraction (MNF) are most commonly used techniques for dimensionality reduction (DR), referred to as PCA-DR and MNF-DR, respectively. The criteria used by the PCA-DR and the MNF-DR are data variance and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) which are designed to measure data second-order statistics. This paper presents an independent component analysis (ICA) approach to DR, to be called ICA-DR which uses mutual information as a criterion to measure data statistical independency that exceeds second-order statistics. As a result, the ICA-DR can capture information that cannot be retained or preserved by second-order statistics-based DR techniques. In order for the ICA-DR to perform effectively, the virtual dimensionality (VD) is introduced to estimate number of dimensions needed to be retained as opposed to the energy percentage that has been used by the PCA-DR and MNF-DR to determine energies contributed by signal sources and noise. Since there is no prioritization among components generated by the ICA-DR due to the use of random initial projection vectors, we further develop criteria and algorithms to measure the significance of information contained in each of ICA-generated components for component prioritization. Finally, a comparative study and analysis is conducted among the three DR techniques, PCA-DR, MNF-DR, and ICA-DR in two applications, endmember extraction and data compression where the proposed ICA-DR has been shown to provide advantages over the PCA-DR and MNF-DR.
Constructing Threat and Appropriating “Civil Rights”: Rhetorical Strategies of Gun Rights and English Only Leaders

Using a grounded theory method, we analyze the framing strategies of organizational leaders of the gun rights and English Only movements. Although we find greater variability in the framing strategies of English Only leaders, leaders of both movements mobilize fear by rhetorically constructing moral threats to American society in ways that draw on, and uphold, the ideals and practices of dominant social groups. In doing so, they appeal to their constituents’ status anxieties. We also find that these movements engage in a particular form of frame transformation that we call “frame appropriation” to counter opponents’ claims and broaden their support. Future research should examine when and how, and to what effect, other social movements similarly mobilize fear and engage in frame appropriation.
Viruses and STAT Proteins

Ten years ago the STAT protein family was discovered by human scientists studying gene regulation events initiated by interferon (IFN) signals. However, the first organisms to uncover STAT protein functions in the IFN system were the viruses that co-evolved with the cellular innate antiviral response. STAT proteins are often activated by virus infection, frequently as the result of virus-induced production of host cytokines, exemplified by the commonly observed activation of STAT1 and STAT2 downstream of virus-induced IFN production. Alternatively, viruses themselves may encode homologs of host cytokines capable of stimulating signaling pathways, thereby activating STATs. This is the case for the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or HHV8), which activates STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 downstream of a viral IL6 homolog (1). Distinctly, for hepatitis C virus, the viral Core protein has been reported to directly bind to and induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT3, through an undefined mechanism (2). While the precise incentives for viral activation of STATs are obscure, enhancement of cell growth rates, avoidance of apoptosis, and other advantages to virus replication can be readily invoked by alteration of STAT-dependent gene expression profiles. Furthermore, a virus may itself utilize the activated STATs to drive expression of its own genes. For instance, Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) promoters contain binding sites for activated STAT3 or STAT5, which are stimulated by EBV infection in part through actions of the LMP1 protein (3–9). The study of virus activation of STAT signaling will further our understanding of the complexity of virus-host interactions with respect to STAT activation, and undoubtedly reveal novel aspects of STAT protein function in innate and adaptive antiviral immunity.
Experiments with parallelizing a tribology application

Different parallelization methods vary in their system requirements, programming styles, efficiency of exploring parallelism, and the application characteristics they can handle. Different applications can exhibit totally different performance gains depending on the parallelization method used. The paper compares OpenMP, MPI, and Strings (a distributed shared memory) for parallelizing a complicated tribology problem. The problem size and computing infrastructure are changed and their impacts on the parallelization methods are studied. All of the methods studied exhibit good performance improvements. The paper exhibits the benefits that are the result of applying parallelization techniques to applications in this field.
Methodology to simplify the tuning process of self-organizing fuzzy logic controllers

The tuning process of Fuzzy Logic Controllers (FLCs) through trial-and-error is usually a tedious and time-consuming task. The significant amount of computation imposed by current techniques used in self organized FLCs coupled with the need for a shortened development cycle in today's fast manufacturing environment, make existing methods practically obsolete. This paper introduces and demonstrates a methodology to simplify the tuning process of self organized FLC. Through identifying what will be described as core membership functions MFs, limiting the tuning process to core MFs, utilizing knowledge from domain experts, and mathematically derive other important MFs from core MFs once the tuning is completed, it will be demonstrated in this paper that the tuning process of FLCs can be greatly simplified.
Five-Year Survival in a Program of All-Inclusive Care For Elderly Compared With Alternative Institutional and Home- and Community-Based Care

BACKGROUND Community-based services are preferred to institutional care for people requiring long-term care (LTC). States are increasing their Medicaid waiver programs, although Program of All-Inclusive Care For Elderly (PACE)-prepaid, community-based comprehensive care-is available in 31 states. Despite emerging alternatives, little is known about their comparative effectiveness. METHODS For a two-county region of South Carolina, we contrast long-term survival among entrants (n = 2040) to an aged and disabled waiver program, PACE, and nursing homes (NHs), stratifying for risk. Participants were followed for 5 years or until death; those lost to follow-up or surviving less than 5 years as on August 8, 2005 were censored. Analyses included admission descriptive statistics and Kaplan-Meier curves. To address cohort risk imbalance, we employed an established mortality risk index, which showed external validity in waiver, PACE, and NH cohorts (log-rank tests = 105.42, 28.72, and 52.23, respectively, all p < .001; c-statistics = .67, .58, .65, p < .001). RESULTS Compared with waiver (n = 1,018) and NH (n = 468) admissions, PACE participants (n = 554) were older, more cognitively impaired, and had intermediate activities of daily living dependency. PACE mortality risk (72.6% high-to-intermediate) was greater than in waiver (58.8%), and similar to NH (71.6%). Median NH survival was 2.3 years. Median PACE survival was 4.2 years versus 3.5 in waiver (unstratified, log rank = .394; p = .53), but accounting for risk, PACE's advantage is significant (log rank = 5.941 (1); p = .015). Compared with waiver, higher risk admissions to PACE were most likely to benefit (moderate: PACE median survival = 4.7 years vs waiver 3.4; high risk: 3.0 vs 2.0). CONCLUSION Long-term outcomes of LTC alternatives warrant greater research and policy attention.
Effects of metal-cap coverage on electro-migration (EM) tolerance for scaled-down Cu interconnects

Ultra-high electro-migration tolerant Cu interconnect was achieved by full-coverage metal-cap combined with a porous low-k film having a closed-pore structure such as a molecular-pore-stack (MPS) SiOCH film (k∼2.5). We found that the key feature for the high reliability is “full coverage” of the Cu surface with Co-based metal-cap without Co-penetration into the porous film. The full-coverage metal cap on the pure Cu interconnect improved EM lifetime drastically by “6000 times”, while a partial-coverage metal cap limits the improvement only by 10 times. The interconnect resistance was kept low within +3.2% increment from the pure Cu one, which is far less than that of a Cu-alloy interconnect. Perfect block of the Cu surface-diffusion by the metal cap takes us into another dimension regarding the Cu interconnect reliability, desirable for deeply scaled-down SoCs below 20nm-nodes and/or MCUs under very high temperature environments.
HAPTICS-AUGMENTED TRAINING SOFTWARE FOR UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING MECHANICS

This paper presents the development efforts for a set of software activities and tutorials to augment teaching and learning in standard required undergraduate engineering mechanics courses. Using these software activities, students can change parameters, predict answers, compare outcomes, interact with animations, and feel the results. The overall system aims to increase teaching and learning effectiveness by rendering the concepts compelling, fun, and engaging. The problem with current examples and homework problems is that they are flat, static, boring, and non-engaging, which may lead to student attrition and a less than full grasp of fundamental principles. We implement integration of haptics technology with educational products to enable improvement in undergraduate engineering mechanics education. The current system is composed of a computer (laptop or desktop), a haptic device and a set of haptic modules. Currently, two modules, Interactive Free-Body Diagram (Box Motion) and Rigid Body Dynamics (Box Motion), were developed and several others are under development.
Nematode predation by oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida)

Abstract Oribatid mites in 14 different genera were maintained or cultured in the laboratory and their possible nematophagous habits observed. Individuals of Pergalumna spp. displayed the greatest predilection for nematophagy. Specimens of Galumna sp., Fuscozetes sp., and Nothrus sp. fed less frequently. Excluding a Ceratozetes sp. which chewed on but did not devour nematodes, all other mites representing 9 genera were non-nematophagous.
Disaffected Democracies: What's Troubling the Trilateral Countries Edited by Susan J. Pharr and Robert D. Putnam. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000. 348p. $65.00 cloth, $19.95 paper.

A specter is haunting the Trilateral Democracies—this specter is called civic malaise. It has visited these countries before; rearing its head for the first time a quarter-century ago, proclaiming the demise of democracy due to the inability of governments to respond to the onslaught of waves of new forms of participatory democracy and political action. (Michel Crozier, Samuel P. Huntington, and Joji Watanuki, The Crisis of Democracy: Report on the Governability of Democracies to the Trilateral Commission, 1975). Too much democracy, as it were, may be too much of a good thing. Fortunately many of these dire predictions have not materialized, perhaps partly because they were highlighted a quarter-century ago. The sequel, Disaffected Democracies, celebrates the silver anniversary of the original Crisis of Democracy. This successor volume is similarly concerned with the fate of democracy in rich countries. These democracies are “troubled” (p. 7), so the argument goes, because their public institutions are undermined by declining confidence in government and sagging interpersonal social trust. The authors of this edited volume situate the sources of these “disturbing” (p.13) developments squarely in the political sphere. In other words, the origins of the decline in confidence in political institutions is not explained by a frail social fabric but, rather, by failures of government and politics themselves. Despite a tight focus on the temporal (the last 25 years) and spatial (the Trilateral countries) parameters of this edited volume, it is refreshing to see so many diverse and innovative diagnoses as to what is ailing the rich democracies.
The reactions of organoboranes with N-chloro-N-sodiocarbamates: A novel synthesis of N-alkylcarbamates.

Abstract Trialkylboranes react with N-chloro-N-sodiocarbamates to form N-alkylcarbamates in yields ranging from 50–88%. The reaction is best carried out without intermediate isolation of the N-chlorocarbamate salt. Only one of the alkyl groups of the trialkylborane is utilized.
Estimation of Regional Scale Evapotranspiration Through Analysis of Satellite Thermal-infrared Data

Since the mid 70's the LANDSAT series of satelites has acquired visible and near-infrared observations of the earth at a frequency and spatial resolution suitable for agriculture assessment purposes. More recently satellite systems have acquired high precision thermalinfrared data relating to surface thermal properties and moisture status. A data set from the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission [1] illustrates the potential applications of such data for inferring evapotranspiration on a regional scale. Methods described previously [2] are utilized to estimate evapotranspiration rates, yielding results which are consistent with surface measurements of pan evaporation.
The Cardiology Lesson

The secret to lessons in illness, they said, was to find the story. Patients became stories, with background, foreshadowing, and crisis. …
Hobbes's Counsel to Sovereigns

Hobbes's political philosophy is often seen as a project of civic education whose goal is to teach citizens how to obey. But this educational goal seems to expose fundamental tensions in Hobbes's work. How, for example, is a project of broad public education to be reconciled with a mechanistic ontology and a political absolutism? These tensions may be addressed by seeing Hobbes's Leviathan as, in part, counsel to the perceptive sovereign. The form of Hobbes's counsel reveals the limits of mechanistic science; its substance underscores the primacy of those activities which absolute sovereignty protects. The complexity of Hobbesian counsel illustrates the richness of Hobbes's liberalism, which both recognizes the need for a certain kind of public spirit and rejects possibilities for political neutrality regarding ways of life. This richer position revealed by Hobbes's counsel supplies perhaps the clearest basis for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of philosophical liberalism whose roots have been just...
A new implementation of the co-VAT algorithm for visual assessment of clusters in rectangular relational data

This paper presents a new implementation of the co-VAT algorithm. We assume we have an m × n matrix D, where the elements of D are pairwise dissimilarities between m row objects Or and n column objects Oc. The union of these disjoint sets are (N = m + n) objects O. Clustering tendency assessment is the process by which a data set is analyzed to determine the number(s) of clusters present. In 2007, the co-Visual Assessment of Tendency (co-VAT) algorithm was proposed for rectangular data such as these. co-VAT is a visual approach that addresses four clustering tendency questions: i) How many clusters are in the row objects Or? ii) How many clusters are in the column objects Oc? iii) How many clusters are in the union of the row and column objects Or ∪ Oc? And, iv) How many (co)-clusters are there that contain at least one of each type? co-VAT first imputes pair-wise dissimilarity values among the row objects, the square relational matrix Dr, and the column objects, the square relational matrix Dc, and then builds a larger square dissimilarity matrix Dr∪c. The clustering questions can then be addressed by using the VAT algorithm on Dr, Dc, and Dr∪c; D is reordered by shuffling the reordering indices of Dr∪c. Subsequently, the co-VAT image of D may show tendency for co-clusters (problem iv). We first discuss a different way to construct this image, and then we also extend a path-based distance transform, which is used in the iVAT algorithm, to co-VAT. The new algorithm, co-iVAT, shows dramatic improvement in the ability of co-VAT to show cluster tendency in rectangular dissimilarity data.
The Checkered Career of “Jew” King: A Study in Anglo-Jewish Social History

Contemporary Jewish historiography has tended to ignore the private side of the struggle for Jewish integration into European society in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Instead, most work has concentrated on public efforts to achieve acceptance and respectability—programs to modernize Jewish education, reform Jewish worship, normalize Jewish occupations, and apply critical standards and methods to Jewish scholarship. In particular, historians have focused their attention on that small group of notables who managed the affairs of the organized Jewish community, that is, those wealthy Jews who everywhere directed the campaign for emancipation and the modernization of Jewish life and later the defense of Judaism in the face of a renewed antisemitism.Needless to say, this group hardly constituted a majority of the community in any locality and in many places probably not even a majority of the Jewish haute bourgeoisie. Yet many of these well-to-do Jews who took no active part in communal affairs were as eager as the communal notables to gain acceptance for themselves outside the Jewish community. Indeed, in most cases their ties to Judaism and the Jewish community were weaker; conversely, their desire for integration into non-Jewish spheres usually stronger.
EFIE analysis of reflector antennas with entire domain basis functions

Entire domain functions are applied to the analysis of reflector antennas. This leads to a reduction of the linear system under evaluation and enables the examination of larger configurations than is possible with subdomain functions. This technique is illustrated for paraboloidal and hyperboloidal reflectors, and the results are compared with data from both the Harrington and Mautz moment method and physical optics. In both cases, the patterns computed via this method are in good agreement with the available results. Although an increase in the matrix fill time occurs, a reduction in matrix size in excess of 95% is obtained. >
Moist convection on Neptune

A study of methane moist convection on Neptune examines the stability conditions which initiate moist convection of methane clouds. Temperature lapse rates that are unstable to moist convection are subadiabatic by a factor of two or more, while adiabatic and superadiabatic lapse rates are stable. In the observed Neptune temperature structure, vertical velocities greater than 40 m/s are required to lift moist air above the stable region and initiate moist convection. Alternatively, moist convection could be initiated by air that is slightly drier than its surroundings. Moist convective clouds achieve altitudes up to 100 mb, thereby exceeding the temperature minimum and depositing methane in the Neptune stratosphere. At least 2000 such clouds penetrate the Neptune stratosphere/hour.
Nuclear and chloroplast DNA suggest a complex single origin for the threatened allopolyploid Solidago houghtonii (Asteraceae) involving reticulate evolution and introgression

Abstract Solidago houghtonii Torrey & A. Gray ex Gray is a federally threatened polyploid plant species likely of hybrid origin. Several hypothesized combinations of parental species have been suggested but none have been phylogenetically tested. Additionally, it is unclear whether the species is of single or polytopic origin. To study the evolutionary history of S. houghtonii we sequenced four noncoding cpDNA loci (accD-psaI, psbA-trnH, trnL-trnF, rps16-trnQ), and the ITS and 3′ETS regions for four accessions of S. houghtonii, which span its geographic range, and 25 other species of Solidago including all sympatric species. Polymorphisms within the direct nrDNA sequences of all S. houghtonii accessions indicated the presence of multiple homoeologue types. These were separated by molecular cloning of the 3055 bp 3′ETS — ITS region, allowing us to positively link the ETS and ITS homoeologue types. Phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear and chloroplast datasets revealed incongruent topologies. Analysis of clo...
SEM-AIA Measurement of the Association of Mineral Matter with the Organic Coal Matrix for Predicting Fine Coal Cleanability

Scanning electron microscope-based automated image analysis (SEM-AIA) is a technique of characterizing particles for size and shape from SEM images and for elemental composition from energy-dispersive X-ray spectra, and because it is automated it can provide data for a statistically significant number of particles. It was used to characterize the association of mineral matter with organic coal components in order to predict cleanability for both density-based and surface-based cleaning processes. Selected samples of coals from Pittsburgh No. 8, Upper Freeport, and Illinois No. 6 seams, ground by two different research groups to a nominal 200-mesh particle size, were characterized using this technique. SEM-AIA results indicated significant differences in the overall particle size distributions between the Pittsburgh No. 8 coal samples from the two groups, which were reflected in the association of coal and mineral matter. Coal and mineral phases within composite coal-mineral particles were characterized in...
Orthopaedic alloy electrochemical behavior: the case of Ti-6Al-7Nb

The static electrochemical behavior of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy specimens in three lactated Ringer's solution-based electrolytes was investigated using the d.c. polarization method. It was found that, relative to the case with Ringer's solution having pH = 6.25, decreasing the solution pH to 1 increases the corrosion rate of the alloy but adding bovine serum to the solution only marginally affects the rate. A critical appraisal of the polarization method is presented, and comments on the clinical usefulness of the results are included.
Boron Diffusion and Silicon Self-Interstitial Recycling between SiGeC layers

Substitutional carbon is known to locally reduce silicon self-interstitial concentrations and act as a barrier to self-interstitial migration through the carbon rich regions. A silicon spacer between two carbon rich SiGe layers is fabricated in this work to examine self-interstitial generation in a region that is isolated from self-interstitial formation at the surface or in the silicon bulk. Boron marker layers above, below and in between two SiGeC layers are used to monitor the self-interstitial concentration between the substitutional carbon. No evidence of self- interstitial depletion in the silicon spacer is observed, despite annealing in conditions believed sufficient to allow the self-interstitials to reach and react with surrounding substitutional carbon. Simulations of the self-interstitial and carbon indicate that the silicon self interstitial concentration in the spacer layer can be sustained in part due to a silicon self-interstitial recycling process through a reverse “kick-out” reaction.
Accelerating Reading Progress in Early Literacy Project Classrooms Three Exploratory Studies

This article reports the results of three studies conducted to determine the efficacy of the Early Literacy Project (ELP) in improving the reading performance of students with mild disabilities. The combined studies focused on three questions: (1) What is the potential of the ELP for accelerating literacy learning? (2) What is the nature of literacy learning among four levels of beginning readers? (3) What are the effects of the ELP when it is embedded In a general education curriculum? The results of these exploratory studies suggest that the ELP has been effective In accelerating literacy learning, but that the annual gains of students might be different depending on their entry-level skills In reading. Additionally, the results suggest that the ELP curricular approach can be successfully integrated into the general education curriculum, although further research on the efficacy of Its use In general education contexts is necessary.
JOB COMPETITION, CROWDING OUT, AND UNEMPLOYMENT FLUCTUATIONS

This paper attempts to determine the factors generating the persistence of unemployment over the business cycle. The observations show that the total unemployment rate is highly persistent, and that the persistence of the unemployment rate of unskilled workers is higher than that of skilled workers. To account for these observations, the paper develops a framework that features search frictions. Individuals are either high educated or low educated, and firms post two types of vacancies: the complex, which can be matched with the high educated, and the simple, which can be matched with the high and the low educated. On-the-job search for a complex occupation is undertaken by the high educated in simple occupations. A negative aggregate technological shock induces the high educated unemployed to compete with the low educated by increasing their search intensity for simple vacancies. As the high educated occupy simple vacancies, they crowd out the low educated into unemployment. This downgrading of jobs in a cyclical downturn, or the increase in the labor input of the high educated in simple occupations, and the subsequent crowding out of the low educated into unemployment, provide a possible explanation for unemployment persistence.
Coffee senna (Cassia occidentalis) germination and emergence is affected by environmental factors and seeding depth

Abstract Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effect of light, temperature, moisture stress, solution pH, and burial depth on coffee senna germination and emergence. Seeds germinated equally with or without light, and pretreatment with red or far-red light did not affect germination. Optimum temperature for germination was 25 C, and a high germination percentage (> 70%) occurred from 12.5 to 30 C. The low temperature threshold for germination was between 10 and 12.5 C, whereas the upper threshold was near 45 C. Coffee senna germination in response to moisture stress and solution pH differed at 15 and 30 C. At −0.4 MPa, no germination occurred at 15 C, whereas 15% germination occurred at 30 C. Optimum germination was at pH 6, but further increases in pH had a more negative effect on germination at 15 C than at 30 C. Coffee senna germination ranged from 9 to 12% at pH 3, but was 0% at pH 10, which indicates that coffee senna germination was more tolerant of acidic than basic...
Ethnic/Racial Identity among Minority Youth

The study of ethnic and racial identity among minority group members has been one of the most prolific areas of inquiry within the field of Psychology. Given the increasing diversity apparent in American society, the burgeoning literature has shed light on how minority group members identify and develop notions related to their ethnic or racial group membership. There are three conceptual frameworks that have guided the study of ethnic/racial identity and they include the Nigresence model, the Identity Formation Model, and the Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity. There is an expansive literature that has examined the ways in which ethnic/racial identity develops, the associations this identity has with various outcomes such as mental health and academic achievement, and the buffering capacity of ethnic/racial identity with perceptions of discrimination. The literature suggests that the identity tied to one's ethnic or racial group serves an important function for minority group members in American society.
Quenching and channeling of nuclear recoils in NaI(Tl): Implications for dark-matter searches

A new experimental evaluation of the quenching factor for nuclear recoils in NaI[Tl] is described. Systematics affecting previous measurements are addressed by careful characterization of the emission spectrum of the neutron source, use of a small scintillator coupled to an ultra-bialkali high-quantum-efficiency photomultiplier, and evaluation of nonlinearities in the electron recoil response via Compton scattering. A trend towards a rapidly diminishing quenching factor with decreasing sodium recoil energy is revealed. Additionally, no evidence for crystal lattice channeling of low-energy recoiling ions is found in a scintillator of known crystallographic orientation. A discussion on how these findings affect dark matter searches employing NaI[Tl] (e.g., DAMA/LIBRA) is offered.
The Cell Cycle of Leukemia L1210 Cells in vivo and in vitro.

SummaryThe cell cycles of Leukemia L1210 cells proliferating in mice after serial transplantation, proliferating in mice following inoculation of cultured cells, and proliferating in vitro in spinner cultures have been examined by the method of waves of labeled mitoses following pulse exposure to thymidine-(methyl-3H). The cycles for the 3 groups of cells were essentially the same. The following mean values were obtained: TC, 15.7 hr; TG2, 1.5 hr; TM, 0.5 hr; Ts, 11.7 hr; TG1, 2.0 hr.
Ethnic disparities in the issuance of multiple traffic citations to motorists in a southern suburban police agency

ABSTRACTThis study examines the issuance of multiple citations to single citations during traffic stops in a southern suburban community in the United States. The examination used logistic regression and simultaneously controlled for the ethnic dyad between the motorist and police officer. The results revealed Hispanics have the greatest odds of receiving multiple citations, followed by Blacks, regardless of the ethnicity of the officer. The findings provide additional evidence the police are more punitive towards Blacks and Hispanics in traffic citation issuance practices. The reason for the disparities is discussed using the tenets of focal concerns and social conditioning theories.
Egg substitutes: Chemical and biologic evaluations

The total lipid, cholesterol, phospholipid, and fatty acid content of dried whole egg (DWE), a refrigerated liquid egg substitute, a powdered egg substitute, and a commercial egg yolk replacer (EYR) were compared. All substitutes contained less total lipid, cholesterol, and phospholipid than DWE. The powdered substitute contained only half the total lipid content reported by the producers and only a fifth of the cholesterol of DWE, while the percentage distribution of fatty acids was similar to that of DWE. The liquid substitute and EYR had fatty acid distributions similar to soybean oil. Rat growth and lipid response were compared for diets containing either DWE or a mixture of EYR and egg white. Both diets were fed with and without vitamin and mineral supplements. Rat growth response was greatest on the DWE diets, either with or without the supplements, was intermediate on the supplemented EYR diets, and was least on the unsupplemented EYR diets. The consumption of DWE-containing diets, when compared with the EYR-containing diets, caused greater liver weight, greater liver total lipid and total cholesterol content, and slightly higher serum cholesterol.
Measurement of luciferase rhythms

Firefly luciferase (LUC) is a sensitive and versatile reporter for the analysis of gene expression. Transgenic plants carrying CLOCK GENE promoter:LUC fusions can be assayed with high temporal resolution. LUC measurement is sensitive, noninvasive, and nondestructive and can be readily automated, greatly facilitating genetic studies. For these reasons, LUC fusion analysis is a mainstay in the study of plant circadian clocks.
Pretransplantation seronegative Epstein-Barr virus status is the primary risk factor for posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder in adult heart, lung, and other solid organ transplantations.

BACKGROUND: The relative importance and interrelationship of risk factors for posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder are poorly understood. METHODS: The prospective pretransplantation serologic testing for Epstein-Barr virus of all nonrenal solid organ transplant recipients at our institution made it possible to assess the relative risk for posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder in seropositive and seronegative recipients. RESULTS: Fourteen cases of lymphoproliferative disorder were identified in the first 389 consecutive transplant recipients (288 liver, 44 heart, 20 lung, 37 kidney-pancreas) undergoing transplantation from 1985 to 1992 (mean follow-up 33 months). The incidence rates of lymphoproliferative disorder (per 100 person-years) during the first 2 years after transplantation (a period in which all cases occurred) were 1.4 for liver, 2.0 for heart, 6.2 for lung, and 5.2 for kidney-pancreas transplant recipients and were significantly different between liver and lung (p = 0.005) and liver and kidney-pancreas (p = 0.002) groups. Of 367 seropositive patients, lymphoproliferative disorder developed in only three. The incidence rate ratios between seronegative and seropositive recipients were as follows: 76 ([95% confidence interval; 46, 144], p = 0.0000) for any form of lymphoproliferative disorder and 145 ([60, 347], p = 0.0000) for fatal or brain forms. The incidence rate of lymphoproliferative disorder was significantly higher for seronegative recipients who required antilymphocyte antibody therapy for rejection than for those who received none. CONCLUSIONS: The high intrinsic risk for lymphoproliferative disorder in the Epstein-Barr virus seronegative patient, which is amplified by higher levels of immunosuppression, may, in some instances, preclude transplantation.
Matching and Minimizing Movement Time in Speed-Accuracy Tasks.

The goal of present experiment was to test whether different speed-accuracy paradigms outcomes (time minimization and time matching) were due to different temporal and spatial task constraints. Fifteen participants twice performed 100 trials of time minimization and time matching tasks with the yoked temporal and spatial requirements (criterion time and target width). The results showed that performing an aiming movement under the same spatial and temporal constraints resulted in similar outcomes with distributional properties (skewness and kurtosis) being slightly affected by practice effects. There was a trade-off in the information entropy for space and time (temporal information entropy decreased as spatial information entropy increased) with practice. Nevertheless, the joint space-time entropy of outcome did not change across tasks and conditions—revealing a common level of space-time entropy between these two categories of aiming tasks. These findings support the hypothesis that under the same spati...
Optically Detecting Wavefronts and Wave Speeds in Water Using Refracto-Vibrometry

Refracto-vibrometry is a technique that uses a laser Doppler vibrometer to measure acoustic pressure fields. The vibrometer laser is directed through a medium towards a stationary retroreflective surface. Acoustic waves (density variations) for which the wavefronts pass through the laser, as the beam travels from the vibrometer to the retroreflector and back, cause variations in the integrated optical path length. This results in a time-varying modulation of the laser signal returning to the vibrometer, enabling optical detection of the acoustic wavefronts. In the current experiment, a Polytec PSV-400 scanning laser Doppler vibrometer, sampled at 100 MHz, monitored the waves emitted by a 1 MHz Panametrics V303 ultrasound transducer immersed in a water tank. The time-varying signal detected by the vibrometer at numerous scan points was used to generate videos of the time evolution of acoustic wavefronts; these videos will be presented. Refracto-vibrometry was also used for optical measurements of the time of flight of ultrasonic waves through different materials, including samples of lead and fabricated bone. This enabled determination of wave propagation speeds. The wave speeds obtained with optical detection using refracto-vibrometry were in agreement with measurements using a conventional ultrasonic transducer to detect the wavefronts.
Causes and cures IX: Consequences of violence

Abstract The past two years have been a landmark moment for violence prevention, with the publication of The Global Status Report on Violence Prevention 2014; a historic resolution on violence by the 67th World Health Assembly; and the release of multiple documents on violence by international and United Nations entities, with a corresponding building of momentum in scholarship. Most notably, in September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, addressing the need for violence prevention at an unprecedented scale. In this context, more than ever, violence studies have become a field of its own right. Still, a systematic approach of the topic has been lacking, and no textbook yet synthesizes the knowledge of multiple disciplines toward a cogent understanding. This article is the ninth of a series of fifteen articles that will cover, as an example, an outline of the Global Health Studies course entitled, “Violence: Causes and Cures,” reviewing the major bio-psycho-social and structural-environmental perspectives on violence. The costs and consequences of violence are vast. We review the consequences of youth violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child maltreatment, elder abuse, self-directed violence, and collective violence in order to assess the magnitude of the costs and the benefits of prevention.
Transforming Nevada into the Judicial Delaware of the West: How to Fix Nevada's Business Courts

Specialized business courts have become increasingly more popular throughout the United States as a way for states to speed up litigation for businesses and as a means of attracting businesses to their state. Nevada has been attempting to brand itself as “the Delaware of the West” in an attempt to lure businesses to incorporate or relocate to Nevada. Following the trend of other states, in 1999, Nevada created a business court within its general jurisdiction trial courts in both Washoe and Clark County, the two most populous counties in the state. However, the current Business Courts in Nevada have not succeeded in meeting the expectations set forth. This paper addresses the problems that the Nevada Business Courts have experienced during their existence. By examining and evaluating what has been successful in other state’s business courts, this paper will provide recommendations on how Nevada should reform its Business Courts in order for the state to reach its goal of becoming “the Delaware of the West” for business incorporation.
Wideband phased array radiator

Raytheon has developed a novel wide-band, dual-polarized, element with excellent cross-polarization isolation to populate the AMRFC high band transmit array. The electrically short crossed notch (ESCN) element consists of an orthogonal pair of tapered crossed-notch radiators with a balanced feed to increase polarization purity. The ECSN provides excellent polarization performance vs. scan (better than current notch capabilities). The measured co-pol and x-pol performance of the embedded element in the E-, H-, and diagonal planes and the swept gain performance will be discussed. Also discussed will be the modeling techniques used to design this wideband radiator.
Modeling the copper microstructure and elastic anisotropy and studying its impact on reliability in nanoscale interconnects

Copper is the primary metal used in integrated circuit manufacturing of today. Even though copper is face centered cubic it has significant mechanical anisotropy depending on the crystallographic orientations. Copper metal lines in integrated circuits are polycrystalline and typically have lognormal grain size distribution. The polycrystalline microstructure is known to impact the reliability and must be considered in modeling for better understanding of the failure mechanisms. In this work, we used Voronoi tessellation to model the polycrystalline microstructure with lognormal grainsize distribution for the copper metal lines in test structures. Each of the grains is then assigned an orientation with distinct probabilistic texture and corresponding anisotropic elastic constants based on the assigned orientation. The test structure is then subjected to a thermal stress. A significant variation in hydrostatic stresses at the grain boundaries is observed by subjecting the test structure to thermal stress due to the elastic anisotropy of copper. This introduces new weak points within the metal interconnects leading to failure. Inclusion of microstructures and corresponding anisotropic properties for copper grains is crucial to conduct a realistic study of stress voiding, hillock formation, delamination, and electromigration phenomena, especially at smaller nodes where the anisotropic effects are significant.