cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy logic for bridge rating using an eigenvector of priority settings

To avoid possible inconsistencies in the inspection and rating of highway bridges, a fuzzy inference model based on a priority setting obtained through the solution of an eigenvector problem invoking a pairwise comparison matrix of importance is presented. This method and the associated solution technique, originally developed for general use in multi-attribute decision making, are used to implement a computer program written in CLIPS and C language in a knowledge-based expert system environment. The computer program was verified using actual bridge inspection data. The advantage of the proposed model is that, when applied to bridge rating, it provides priority settings of the individual elements of a bridge component in addition to the final rating of that component. >
Multi-aspect pattern classification using predictive networks and error mapping

A classification scheme is developed for classifying underwater mine-like and non-mine-like objects from acoustic backscattered signals. This scheme uses a predictive network along with a neural network classifier. The results of this scheme on an acoustic backscattered data set are given.
Measuring Young Children’s Attitudes Toward Peers With Disabilities: Highlights From the Research

Young children with disabilities are increasingly attending inclusive early childhood programs with their typically developing peers. Within these programs, research efforts and practice have suppo...
Dynamic load shedding for shipboard power systems using the non-intrusive load monitor

This paper presents a dynamic load-shedding scheme that uses a network of non-intrusive load monitors (NILMs). These devices, which can monitor the status of multiple loads using only a single set of aggregate voltage and current transducers, can log important real-time information about individual loads. This information can be used as part of a dynamic load-shedding scheme. The proposed approach is tested using a simulation model constructed in the Alternative Transients Program (ATP). Results demonstrate its effectiveness.
Stabilizing controllers for systems with sensor or actuator failures

The author parameterizes the set of all controllers such that the standard unity-feedback system is stable in the presence of arbitrary sensor or actuator failures. The characterization of controllers in this parameterization is not independent of the failures. Linear, time-invariant, multi-input, multi-output feedback systems are discussed. Two classes of failures are considered, the failure of one connection and the failure of any number of connections provided that at least one connection does not fail. >
The Effect of Retail Atmospherics on Customers' Perceptions of Salespeople and Customer Persuasion:: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract Research in retailing suggests that atmospherics influence store image and expectations of service and merchandise (Baker, Grewal, and Parasuraman: The Influence of Store Environment on Quality Inferences and Store Image. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 22 (Summer 1994) 328–339. Implicit to this stream of research is the realization that store atmospherics can enhance customers' quality perceptions, which lead, in turn, to higher levels of persuasion. This article examines an unexplored but potentially important area: the influence of store atmospherics on the level of persuasion induced by retail salespeople. The results of the research suggest that store ambience and design positively affect customers' persuasion as well as customers' positive perceptions of salespeople. Additionally, the research suggests that in “prestige ambience” stores, a reduction in the number of retail salespeople does not significantly affect customers' buying intentions. In contrast, in “discount ambience” stores, an increase in the number of retail salespeople dramatically enhances customers' buying intentions. Managerial implications of the research are suggested, and directions for future research are proposed. J BUSN RES 2000. 49. 183–191.
Acoustic and perceptual measures of SATB choir performances on two types of portable choral riser units in three singer-spacing conditions

Under controlled conditions, we assessed acoustically (long-term average spectra) and perceptually (singer survey, listener survey) six performances of an soprano, alto, tenor, and bass (SATB) choi...
Femtosecond pulse second harmonic generation under large depletion conditions in long PPLN waveguides

Summary form only given. Efficient second-harmonic generation (SHG) of ultrashort optical pulses under the large group-velocity mismatch (GVM) condition may have interesting applications. As a parameter range largely unexplored experimentally, it has been shown recently that this process could lead to highly efficient generation of blue light and realization of an all-optical signal processing function. It was also demonstrated that, by using long periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguides, a small-signal SHG efficiency as high as tens of percents per pJ can be realized for femtosecond pulses. Highly efficient SHG with very low average pump power could be possible and may find interesting applications. We study the femtosecond-pulse SHG process under the large depletion, large GVM condition and study the factors affecting the saturation of the conversion efficiency. We observed a maximum SHG efficiency of /spl sim/60%. In order to understand the factors that limit the SHG efficiency, we thoroughly analyzed the throughput fundamental signal. Strong spectral and temporal amplitude distortions of the pump were observed. Our simulations suggest that interactions between SHG, GVM and nonlinear spectral phase distortion are responsible for the observed spectral amplitude modulation in the pump spectrum. Spatially nonuniform distribution of phase velocity mismatch may also strongly, impact, the yield of the SHG process.
Die angebliche Bedeutung der salpetrigen Säure bei der Bildung von Stickstoffwasserstoffsäure durch Oxydation von Hydrazin

Bei den oben beschriebenen Untersuchungen ist folgendes gezeigt worden: 1 Durch Behandlung von Ammoniumsulfat in schwefelsaurer Losung mit Oxydationsmitteln (Wasserstoffperoxyd, Kaliumchlorat, Kaliumpersulfat, Kaliumpermanganat, Eisenhydroxyd (FeIII), Kaliumjodat, Merkurioxyd und Merkurichlorid) unter den Bedingungen der fruheren Versuche von BROWNE und SHETTERLY uber die Oxydation von Hydrazin konnte keine Andeutung fur die Bildung merklicher Mengen von Salpetersaure und salpetriger Saure gefunden werden. 2 In stark schwefelsaurer Losung wird Ammoniumsulfat durch langere Behandlung mit Oxydationsmitteln (Wasserstoffperoxyd, Kaliumchlorat, Kaliumpersulfat) bei Siedetemperatur nur wenig angegriffen. 3 Durch Zusatz von Ammoniumsulfat zu einem Gemisch iron Hydrazinsulfat, Schwefelsaure und Wasserstoffperoxyd findet Keine Vermehrung, sondern eher eine Abnahme der Ausbeute an Stickstoffwasserstoffsaure statt.
Realism, power shifts, and major war

(2001). Realism, power shifts, and major war. Security Studies: Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 145-178.
Enhancement and Analysis of VANET One-Hop Event-Driven Emergency Services

In this paper, we propose a reliable dual-radio based DSRC channel assignment scheme and a new application- level based receiver-oriented repetition (AROR) scheme for one-hop event-driven emergency message broadcast in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). The new scheme takes advantage of DSRC dual-radio devices to provide preemptive access for one-hop event-driven safety services without conflicts with basic safety message (BSM) based services. Furthermore, an application-level concept of region of interest (ROI) is introduced in selecting nodes for rebroadcast and repetitions of one-hop emergency warning message. In this way, both the reliability and transmission delay can be significantly improved. Additionally, we investigate and compare the reliability and performance of the proposed scheme and other broadcast schemes for DSRC VANET safety services on highway analytically and by simulations. The new analytic model accounts for the impact of the Nakagami fading channel with distance dependent path loss on the reliability and performance. The numerical results verify effectiveness of the new proposed schemes and correctness of the analytic model.
Translating diagnostic assays from the laboratory to the clinic: analytical and clinical metrics for device development and evaluation

As lab-on-a-chip health diagnostic technologies mature, there is a push to translate them from the laboratory to the clinic. For these diagnostics to achieve maximum impact on patient care, scientists and engineers developing the tests should understand the analytical and clinical statistical metrics that determine the efficacy of the test. Appreciating and using these metrics will benefit test developers by providing consistent measures to evaluate analytical and clinical test performance, as well as guide the design of tests that will most benefit clinicians and patients. This paper is broken into four sections that discuss metrics related to general stages of development including: (1) laboratory assay development (analytical sensitivity, limit of detection, analytical selectivity, and trueness/precision), (2) pre-clinical development (diagnostic sensitivity, diagnostic specificity, clinical cutoffs, and receiver-operator curves), (3) clinical use (prevalence, predictive values, and likelihood ratios), and (4) case studies from existing clinical data for tests relevant to the lab-on-a-chip community (HIV, group A strep, and chlamydia). Each section contains definitions of recommended statistical measures, as well as examples demonstrating the importance of these metrics at various stages of the development process. Increasing the use of these metrics in lab-on-a-chip research will improve the rigor of diagnostic performance reporting and provide a better understanding of how to design tests that will ultimately meet clinical needs.
Molecular transport junctions: An introduction

This issue of MRS Bulletin on molecular transport junctions highlights the current experimental and theoretical understanding of molecular charge transport and its extension to the rapidly growing areas of molecular and carbon nanotube electronics. This introduction will outline the progress that has been made in understanding the mechanisms of molecular junction transport and the challenges and future directions in exploring charge transport on the molecular scale. In spite of the substantial challenges, molecular charge transport is of great interest for its intrinsic importance to potential single-molecule electronic, thin-film electronic, and optoelectronic applications.
MEASURES OF PHENOTYPIC SELECTION ARE BIASED BY PARTIAL INBREEDING.

When populations are partially inbred due to the population structure or to a mixed mating system like partial self-fertilization, some individuals will be more inbred than others. This heterogeneity among individuals in the history of inbreeding can greatly complicate the interpretation of measures of quantitative genetic variability when the traits studied exhibit inbreeding depression. Partial inbreeding can also bias measures of phenotypic selection toward the detection of strong directional and stabilizing selection. In this paper, data are presented from several inbreeding experiments conducted on two partially selfing, annual populations of the monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus that show that the means of many of the morphological and phenological traits measured were affected by inbreeding. These findings imply that estimates of heritabilities and additive genetic covariances would not reflect the potential for these populations to respond to selection. Phenotypic selection analyses conducted on naturally occurring plants, involving linear regressions of relative seed production on the traits, revealed significant directional selection on many of the same quantitative traits measured in the inbreeding studies. However, when the same selection analyses were performed on plants with known histories of inbreeding, part of the statistical relationship between relative seed number and the traits was found to be due to the mating system: inbred individuals had both lower seed production and different mean values for the traits than outcrossed individuals. It is also shown, with a hypothetical example, that partial inbreeding can bias measures of stabilizing selection toward the detection of strong stabilizing selection. Partial inbreeding therefore tends to make directional and stabilizing selection appear stronger than it is, and it may be that natural selection in the wild is actually weaker than many studies of partially inbred species suggest.
Organothiols Self-Assembled onto Gold: Evidence for Deprotonation of the Sulfur-Bound Hydrogen and Charge Transfer from Thiolate

Organothiol (OT) adsorption onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and gold powder was studied in 50% aqueous ethanol and in water. The OT solution rapidly acidifies upon addition of AuNPs or Au powder, and the number of protons released into the solution is proportional to the amount of OT adsorbed onto the gold surface. Theoretical calculations and normal Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) measurements show that the pKa of the OTs adsorbed onto AuNP can be more than 10 pKa units smaller than the pKa of OT in solution. The pH measurements suggest that there is a substantial fraction (up to 45%) of the protons derived from the surface-adsorbed OTs retained close to the gold surface, presumably as the counterion to the negatively charged, thiolate-covered AuNPs. Charge transfer between the surface-adsorbed thiolate and the AuNPs is demonstrated by the quenching of the OT UV–vis absorption when the OTs are adsorbed onto the synthesized AuNPs or bovine serum albumin-stabilized AuNPs.
17 ASSESSING MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS' ATTITUDES CONCERNING CARE AT THE END-OF-LIFE: DEVELOPING AN END-OF-LIFE SELF-EFFICACY SURVEY

Purpose To describe and compare the attitudes of family physicians and internists in training and practice regarding perceived self-efficacy in delivering quality end-of-life care. Methods We created a tool to measure self-efficacy for this cross-sectional survey. Using a five-point Likert scale, we measured physician9s attitudes and perceptions of their abilities. An on-line self-administered survey was placed on a secure site, accessible to those selected to participate in the study. All faculty and residents in the departments of Family and Community Medicine and Internal Medicine were considered prospective participants and emailed accordingly (n =340). Measures were self-reported perceptions within four end-of-life care domains (physician9s own ability - general, physician9s own ability - symptom treatment, crucial areas of training and effective training modalities). Results Of the 78 respondents (23% response rate), the mean age was 41-42 (range 26-67) and the majority were female (53%). Fifty-seven percent of the respondents had completed residency at the time of participation and approximately two-thirds were board certified. The majority of respondents were in the field of internal medicine (61%). Overall, participants felt fairly confident in their ability to help patients and their families with end-of-life issues and care and found most methods of end-of-life training useful. Discussion Despite educational initiatives and recommendations by various oversight, evaluation and licensing committees, paucity of end-of-life training pervades not only undergraduate medical education, but also residency training and beyond. Based on our review of the literature, our results appears to convey a disconnect between physician9s perceived abilities in end-of-life care and what may be happening in the field. This study helps to describe practitioners9 personal attitudes regarding their ability to deliver end-of-life care as a measure of self-efficacy and how this measure varies by demographic factors. In addition, it lends some insight into the practitioners9 needs and priorities with respect to end-of-life education and training.
Taxonomic notes on Louisiana fungi.

This paper is one of a proposed series of papers in which the writer plans to present new data on the fungus flora of Louisiana. The description of new species as well as the report of new host records and noteworthy information on distribution of the fungi will be included. Both saprophytic and parasitic species will be considered. The present paper includes a description of several new genera and species of parasitic fungi found in Louisiana, in addition to new distributional and host records for several other species.
Anything but boring: A cultural criminological exploration of boredom

There is perhaps no experience in late modernity more universal than boredom. This analysis therefore responds to Ferrell’s call to take boredom seriously in the study of crime and crime control. Our analysis of boredom draws from three separate qualitative analyses of police detectives, computer hackers, and prisoners serving life sentences to reveal boredom’s influence across the criminological spectrum. Drawing from cultural criminology, this study frames boredom as a social condition that works in a dialectic with excitement. It rests betwixt and between the nuances of everyday life and saturates the periphery of experience among the three groups studied. Boredom is thus described as an inseparable component of the dynamics of crime and crime control under late modernity.
In Vitro Assessment of Cell-mediated Immunity in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma

AbstractWe evaluated 25 patients with renal cell carcinoma for cell-mediated Immunity using the microtox-Icity assay. Normal controls frequently exhibited significant cell inhibition. The mean percentage cell inhibition in patients after nephrectomy was significantly higher than in patients before nephrectomy and significantly higher than normal male subjects. No other correlation was found with respect to the stage of the disease. The incidence of significant autoblocking activity was noted more commonly in patients after nephrectomy than in patients before nephrectomy.
Sedimentation patterns across a Coastal Plain floodplain: The importance of hydrogeomorphic influences and cross-floodplain connectivity

Abstract The floodplains of large Coastal Plain rivers in the southeastern U.S. are important long-term storage sites for alluvial sediment and nutrients. Yet considerable uncertainty surrounds sediment dynamics on many large river floodplains and, in particular, the local scale factors that affect the flux of sediment and nutrients from rivers onto their floodplains and their subsequent deposition. This research quantifies short-term rates of sediment deposition from 2012 to 2014 on floodplain sites at Congaree National Park using feldspar pads. Sediment deposition rates ranged from 0.1 to 15.6 cm (median = 1.46 cm) and were closely associated with inundation frequency and geomorphic position. Cross-floodplain distributary channels served as particularly important conduits for moving sediment onto the floodplain. Physical and chemical analyses of soil samples demonstrated that the most flood-exposed sites had higher major nutrient and micronutrient levels (especially of phosphorus) and more diverse nutrient compositions. This research advances current understandings of lateral floodplain connectivity by demonstrating the complex effects of regional hydrology and local floodplain environmental characteristics on the supply of sediment and nutrients.
Diagnostic virology in clinical practice.

SUMMARY Viral illnesses are among the most common clinical problems encountered in medicine. Some have important epidemiologic implications and some are preventable by immunization, improved sanitation or other means. Recently, drugs have been developed which show promise for specific prophylaxis or treatment. It is thus increasingly important that physicians in practice be acquainted with methods of identification of common viral illnesses so they can intervene with appropriate counsel, preventive measures or treatment for their own patients. Physicians should also consider the larger epidemiologic implications of many viral illnesses and cooperate with local, state and national efforts to accurately determine the number of patients involved and the severity of their illnesses. It is only with this sort of information that an estimate of medical, social and economic impact of the common viral diseases can be made, so that attention will be given to development of better prevention and methods of control.
PSD and ESD of Condensed Films: Relevance to the Mechanism of Ion Formation and Desorption

We report here results of photon-and electron-stimulated desorption experiments performed to study the electronic processes leading to ion formation in condensed films of the hydrogen-containing molecules water [1], methanol (CH3OH) [2], and cyclohexane (C6H12) [3].
An evaluation of HVAC energy usage and occupant comfort in religious facilities

Abstract To date, religious facilities have received little attention in the published literature regarding energy use and efficiency. With unique operating and building characteristics, these buildings have distinct opportunities for analysis in regards to building energy use and occupant comfort. With overall lower average energy intensity, religious facilities rarely receive energy assessments or are operated by experienced personnel. Therefore, identifying common issues is critical for training church owners in energy efficiency. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and occupant comfort in two religious facilities. The analysis reveals that the largest opportunities for reduction in energy use come from proper maintenance and operation of HVAC equipment and schedules. Temperature setbacks are shown to be an important operational setting to reduce energy usage. An accompanying analysis on thermal comfort reveals that temperature setbacks must be coupled with sufficient preconditioning of the space to ensure occupant comfort during intermittent building occupancy. An analysis of CO 2 levels in the building during occupancy reveals the need for sufficient outside air to meet ventilation standards.
Lone Dog’s Winter Count

Like many other native societies, American Indians often have been regarded as “people without history” before Europeans arrived to record what was going on.1 In reality, of course, all peoples, whether literate or not, devise ways of recording their history and preserving for posterity the events that give meaning to their collective lives. In oral cultures like those of the Plains Indians, the memories of the elders served as repositories of tribal histories, and songs, stories, dances, and other public performances fastened traditions in the lives of successive generations. But Indian people also made visual records of noteworthy events: Individual warriors recorded their own heroic deeds; tribal historians compiled winter counts or calendars of events significant to the community as a whole.
Hyperglycemia in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Is Associated with Increased Hospital Mortality.

Abstract Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who receive therapy for their disease are at significant risk for infections. One risk factor for infections is hyperglycemia which can often be observed in medically ill patients. In post-operative critically ill patients, intensive insulin therapy has been shown to reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections. (Van den Berghe, 2001) In one study of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, hyperglycemia during induction therapy was associated with more infections and shorter disease free survival. (Weiser, 2004) We hypothesized that hyperglycemia is associated with worse outcomes in AML due to increased incidence and severity of infectious complications. We performed a retrospective cohort study to determine if there was an association between hyperglycemia and hospital mortality in hospitalized patients with AML. Four-hundred and sixty-four adult patients were identified through a search of our administrative databases as having the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia over a three year period. These individuals experienced 1,004 admissions to the hospital. The occurrence of increasing hyperglycemia, defined as the proportion of glucose assessments above normal (>110 mg/dL), during all hospital days was associated with increased odds of hospital mortality [OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.13–1.36, p
Effect of micropillar with free-end on heat transfer

At present study, conjugate heat transfer effects of a free-ended micropillar within a channel was investigated numerically. There is a gap between pillar tip and upper channel wall while the pillar is attached to the end wall at the other side. Two design configurations were considered based on the heater location. In one design, the bottom channel wall where the pillar is attached is the heated surface while in the other design, the heater is located on the opposite wall of a pillar with tip gap. Also, a full height pillar attached to the ends walls from both sides is modeled as a baseline for comparison. In all designs, the heater was deposited onto a Pyrex substrate. Different tip gaps were investigated and results show that introducing free-ended pillar change the heat flux distribution over the heater. Average Nusselt number over the heated surface show a minimal decrease in both designs compared to the full pillar. Nusselt number in the wake region downstream the pillar significantly increases when the heater is located at the opposite side of the tip gap.
Comments on: “Measurements of sound pressure in the coch1eae of anesthetized cats” (V. Nedzelnitsky)

I would like to utilize Dr. Nedzelnitsky’s excellent results to provide yet one more indication of how well differentially recorded cochlear microphonic potentials (CM) reflect the hydromechanical phenomena that precede them. In the attached figure, Dr. Nedzelnitsky’s Fig. 3 is reproduced and some CM data are superimposed. The latter show CM sensitivity (SPL at 3μV CM, arbitrary vertical reference point) and CM phase referred to the phase of the sound field at the eardrum. The data points are for one animal that best matched the median curves published previously (Dallos, 1970). The CM data were obtained with differential electrodes in the basal turn of the cat, the bulla was opened and the septum was removed. The agreement between the CM and the pressure difference data is quite remarkable, indicating that the normal CM appropriately reflects (at least at low sound levels) the displacement of the cochlear partition, which is proportional to the pressure differential across it.
An Experiential Approach to Integrating ANOVA Concepts

This paper presents a data set based on an industrial case study using design of experiments. The data set is pedagogically rich because it has a rather large total sample size from an industrial s...
Distinct signal transductions in fast- and slow- twitch muscles upon denervation.

Abstract Denervation induces skeletal muscle atrophy, which primarily impairs oxidative slow twitch fibers. The underlying mechanism of this phenomenon, however, remains to be addressed. We hypothesize that denervation‐induced fiber‐specific atrophy may result from the distinct activities of different signaling pathways that are involved in protein synthesis and degradation in fast‐ and slow‐twitch fibers. In this study, 1‐month‐old male mice were subjected to unilateral sciatic denervation for 4 days. Fast‐twitch muscle extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and slow‐twitch muscle soleus were collected from the denervated side and the control side of hind limbs. Total and phosphorylated protein levels of key factors of major signaling pathways in these tissues were determined using western blot assay. Our data showed that total AKT and FoxO3 protein levels were upregulated in denervated muscles as compared with control sides. Phosphorylation of AKT and FoxO3 were proportionally enhanced in denervated EDL but not soleus, indicating AKT activation drives phosphorylation of FoxO3 in EDL but not in soleus upon denervation. As a result, FoxO3‐targeted atrogenes MurF1 and Atrogin1 protein abundances were reduced in denervated EDL but not altered in soleus. In consistent with this change, polyubiquitination were significantly increased in denervated soleus, but only a slight increase in ubiquitination was found in denervated EDL. Autophagy marker LC3 protein level was significantly increased in both muscle types, but in greater extent in EDL after denervation. IRS1 protein level and active ERK were reduced in both muscles upon denervation, which might contribute to the upregulation of total AKT protein level and FoxO3 abundance in EDL and soleus. Total and phosphorylated AMPK protein levels were increased in denervated soleus but not in EDL. Overall, these data reveal that the key signaling pathways that regulate protein synthesis and degradation are more sensitive in soleus than EDL in response to denervation.
Family resiliency during resettlement: A comparative study of two Syrian families resettled in an Arctic nation

The experiences of two refugee families from Syria, both of whom resettled at the same time in an arctic city, are compared to better understand the stressors and challenges that impede resettlemen...
Which neuropsychological functions predict various processing speed components in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?

We identified statistical predictors of four processing speed (PS) components in a sample of 151 children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Performance on perceptual...
Student Mobility in Multilevel Growth Modeling: A Multiple Membership Piecewise Growth Model

This study proposes a new model, termed the multiple membership piecewise growth model (MM-PGM), to handle individual mobility across clusters frequently encountered in longitudinal studies, especi...
Anti-Müllerian hormone type II receptor in avian follicle development.

Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) helps maintain the ovarian reserve by regulating primordial follicle activation and follicular selection in mammals, although its role within the avian ovary is unknown. In mammals, AMH is primarily produced in granulosa cells of preantral and early antral follicles. Similarly, in the hen, the granulosa cells of smaller follicles are the predominant source of AMH. The importance of AMH in mammalian ovarian dynamics suggests the protein and its specific Type II receptor, AMHRII, may have conserved functions in the hen. AMHRII mRNA expression is highest (P < 0.01) in small follicles of the hen and decreases as follicle size increases. Similarly, expression of AMHRII and AMH is highest in granulosa cells from small follicles as compared to larger follicles. Dissection of 3-5 mm follicles into ooplasm and granulosa components shows that AMHRII mRNA levels are greater in ooplasm than granulosa cells. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry also revealed AMHRII staining in the oocyte and granulosa cells. AMH expression in mammals is elevated during periods of reproductive dormancy, possibly protecting the ovarian reserve. AMHRII and AMH mRNA were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in nonlaying ovaries of broiler hens. In molting layer hens, AMHRII mRNA was significantly greater (P < 0.05) compared to nonmolting hen ovaries. These results suggest that AMH may have a direct effect on the oocyte and, thereby, contribute to bidirectional communication between oocyte and granulosa cells. Enhanced expression of AMHRII and AMH during reproductive quiescence supports a potential role of AMH in protecting the ovarian reserve in hens.
A Study of issues related to privatization of workers’ compensation in Nevada

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 5 Purpose 7 Research Questions 8 Significance of the Study 8 Definition of Terms 9 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND 13 History of Workers Compensation 13 Workers Compensation in Nevada 14 Review of Legislative Initiatives 17 CHAPTER 3: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 25 Workers’ Compensation in Neighboring States 25 Movement from Public to Private Sector 27 Privatization: What is it? 30 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY 34 CHAPTER 5: THE CASE STUDY 36 Factors that Contributed to Nevada’s Problems 36 Transition from Public to Private 43 Barriers to the Transition 44 Actions toward Privatization 46 Outcomes Measures of Reform 49 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS 52 Recommendations for Further Research 55 APPENDIX 1: Workers’ Compensation Comparison, 1999 57 APPENDIX 2: Nevada Workers’ Compensation Time Line 58 APPENDIX 3: Interview Questions—Douglas D. Dirks 59 REFERENCES 60 VITA 64
Microbial Turn-over of Volatile Sulfur Compounds

Biological production and consumption of sulfur gases include compounds such as H2S, methylsulfides (CH3SH, (CH3) 2S, (CH3S)2), methanesulfonate (CH3SO3H), sulfoxides (SO2), carbon disulfide (CS2) and carbonyl sulfide (COS). Only H2S, COS, SO2 and CH3SH are true gases under most environmental conditions, but other sulfur compounds, such as dimethylsulfide (DMS; (CH3)S), dimethyldisulfide (DMDS; (CH3S)2), CS2, and ethanethiol (ESH; C2H5SH) are liquids with vapor pressures which allow volatilization. Therefore, most of these sulfur compounds are gaseous and play a role in the global flux (estimated to be 210 Tg S y-1 Table 1) from aquatic and terrestrial environments to the atmosphere. There, these gases engage in various (photo)chemical reactions, often mediated by radicals such as OH, NO3 and IO (Plane 1989), and O3 (Lee and Zhou 1994). Chemical reactions yield methanesulfonate (MSA) , SO2 and SO4 2- (non-sea salt sulfate, nss). As in the sulfur cycle in the geosphere, atmospheric sulfur (S2- to S4+) is ultimately oxidized to sulfate (S 6+ ), and may return to the Earth’s surface by wet and dry deposition.
Staging Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is becoming a common malignancy. It has been considered a family of malignancies arising within the ovary rather than a single entity. The ovary is complex in its embryology, histology, steroidogenesis, and potential for malignancy. It is made up of germ cells, gonadal stromal cells, and cells of the mesenchymal tissue, each with its own potential to form a tumor. Although sex is determined genetically at fertilization, the ovary passes through its early phases as an indifferent organ with parallel development that could allow it to become an ovary or a testis. Alterations or imbalances during these steps of development may provide the setting for the later cellular malfunctioning that produces endocrine imbalances as well as malignancy. The ovary is unique in that it not only gives rise to a great variety of malignancies but itself is a favorite site for metastases from many other organs.
A Typology of Mansionization in the Inner-Ring Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, 2000–2015

ABSTRACTMansionization—the process in which original single-family houses are demolished and replaced with larger houses—in the older inner-ring suburbs of U.S. cities is a contentious and importan...
Cuban and Danish Agriculture, The Rochdale Principles, and the Renovation of Socialism:

In 2011, the Guidelines for Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution announced Cuba's intentions to decentralize state power and economic decision-making, shift toward a mixed eco...
Perceptions are Reality: A Framework for Understanding Governance

In this article, we present a theoretical framework for understanding public governance based on human perceptions. We argue that governance is at its core a human enterprise, and concepts such as ...
8.3 A 10.9W 93.4%-Efficient (27W 97%-Efficient) Flying-Inductor Hybrid DC-DC Converter Suitable for 1-Cell (2-Cell) Battery Charging Applications

The annual increase in performance and feature density of mobile products has driven the need for batteries with higher capacity and thus higher power-delivery solutions to maintain sensible charging times. The USB-C power-delivery specification was developed to meet these higher demands by enabling the input supply V BUS voltage at a higher setting, e.g., 9V, to allow higher power delivery, up to 100W, while minimizing current levels and associated IR drops across the USB-C cable. To bridge the increased gap from this input voltage to charge one-and two-cell battery products, a power-and space-efficient DC-DC converter is desirable.
Parametrically Enhanced Delay Line with Monolithically Integrated Time-varying Transmission Lines (TVTL)

The insertion loss of on-chip passive components such as delay lines, phase shifters, inductors, and filters attributed by the finite conductivity of metal layers often limits their performance. Moreover, the insertion loss of a passive component determines its noise figure and degrades the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a system. In this paper, a novel low-loss and low-noise delay line is proposed with the exponential parametric amplification effect in time-varying transmission lines (TVTLs). It is shown in the experiment that zero insertion loss or even small gain can be achieved in a delay line with TVTL. Furthermore, the noise figure of it is generally better than that of its passive counterpart.
Peripus , a new genus of Xanthopygina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from South America

We describe a new genus of Xanthopygina as Peripus gen. n. Chatzimanolis & Hightower and include the following species: P. brunkei sp. n. Chatzimanolis & Hightower, P. didontus sp. n. Chatzimanolis & Hightower, P. madrededios sp. n. Chatzimanolis & Hightower, and P. monodontus sp. n. Chatzimanolis & Hightower. Peripus belongs in the Isanopus group of genera of Xanthopygina. We provide photographs, illustrations and a key for the identification of species.
Examining Psychological Self-Sufficiency among African American Low-Income Jobseekers in a Health Profession Career Pathways Program.

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of low-income African American jobseekers participating in the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program by employing ...
Double Vision on Social Media: How Self-Generated Alcohol-Related Content Posts Moderate the Link between Viewing Others' Posts and Drinking.

A robust finding is the positive association between self-generated alcohol-related content (SG-ARC) on social media (SM) and drinking among emerging adults; however, the reasons for this relations...
Predictive modeling of novel acceptor layer technology for diamond electronics

Surface induced transfer doping (SITD) is a novel, highly efficiency doping technique that is being used to invoke the p-type surface conductivity of intrinsic diamond for high-frequency, high-power electronic devices. In the SITD process, a high electron affinity (EA) thin film acceptor layer is interfaced with the hydrogenated diamond surface with negative electron affinity (NEA) to induce the effective p-type doping on the diamond surface. Overall, device performance of the SITD doped devices is contingent on the type and quality of the interface between the acceptor layer and hydrogenated diamond surfaces. Motivated by this, our internal theoretical modeling efforts based on a hybrid approach of machine learning and first principle calculations have focused on performing bottom-up design of novel acceptor layers with higher stability and improved device performance, e.g., doped TMOs and 2D layer. In this talk, recent results from our predictive modeling effort will be presented.
Abstract P003: Effectiveness And Safety Of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Compared With Warfarin In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Across Body Mass Index Categories

Background: Although direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are preferred for most patients needing anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (AF), uncertainty remains in the effectiveness and safety of ...
Binaural Audio-Visual Localization

Localizing sound sources in a visual scene has many important applications and quite a few traditional or learning-based methods have been proposed for this task. Humans have the ability to roughly localize sound sources within or beyond the range of the vision using their binaural system. However most existing methods use monaural audio, instead of binaural audio, as a modality to help the localization. In addition, prior works usually localize sound sources in the form of object-level bounding boxes in images or videos and evaluate the localization accuracy by examining the overlap between the ground-truth and predicted bounding boxes. This is too rough since a real sound source is often only a part of an object. In this paper, we propose a deep learning method for pixel-level sound source localization by leveraging both binaural recordings and the corresponding videos. Specifically, we design a novel Binaural Audio-Visual Network (BAVNet), which concurrently extracts and integrates features from binaural recordings and videos. We also propose a point-annotation strategy to construct pixel-level ground truth for network training and performance evaluation. Experimental results on Fair-Play and YT-Music datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and show that binaural audio can greatly improve the performance of localizing the sound sources, especially when the quality of the visual information is limited.
Auditory Psychomotor Coordination

A series of choice-reaction time experiments are described in which subjects were required to locate and identify the information contained on a small visual target. Across trials, the lateral position of the target was randomly varied across a 240° region (± 120° relative to the subject's initial line of gaze). The vertical position of the target was either fixed at 0° elevation or varied by ± 46°. Whether the target was in the forward or lateral field, a significant reduction in the visual search period was evident when an acoustic signal indicated the location of the visual target. Auditory spatial information was particularly effective in improving performance when the position of the target was varied in elevation or the target was located in the rear field. The current results support the notion that the auditory system can be used to direct eye-head movements toward a remote visual target.
Progress report on mariner 2.

Mariner 2, a space probe designed to fly near the planet Venus, was launching from Cape Canaveral at 0653 GMT on August 27, 1962. It successfully accomplished its mission, coming within 35, 000 km of the planet at 1959 GMT on December 14, 1962. Some 65 million bits of data were recovered, including fields-and-particles information throughout the flight, microwave and infrared observation of the planet, and engineering telemetry. Mariner 2 lost contact with earth on January 4, 1963.
Studying Sensorimotor Processing With Physiology in Behaving Drosophila

The neural underpinnings of sensorimotor integration are best studied in the context of well-characterized behavior. A rich trove of Drosophila behavioral genetics research offers a variety of well-studied behaviors and candidate brain regions that can form the bases of such studies. The development of tools to perform in vivo physiology from the Drosophila brain has made it possible to monitor activity in defined neurons in response to sensory stimuli. More recently still, it has become possible to perform recordings from identified neurons in the brain of head-fixed flies during walking or flight behaviors. In this chapter, we discuss how experiments that simultaneously monitor behavior and physiology in Drosophila can be combined with other techniques to produce testable models of sensorimotor circuit function.
Characterization of arginine decarboxylase in rat brain and liver: distinction from ornithine decarboxylase.

Abstract: We compared the properties of mammalian arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in rat liver and brain. Mammalian ADC is thermally unstable and associated with mitochondrial membranes. ADC decarboxylates both arginine (Km = 0.75 mM) and ornithine (Km = 0.25 mM), a reaction not inhibited by the specific ODC inhibitor, difluoromethylornithine. ADC activity is inhibited by Ca2+, Co2+, and polyamines, is present in many organs being highest in aorta and lowest in testis, and is not recognized by a specific monoclonal antibody to ODC. In contrast, ODC is thermally stable, cytosolic, and mitochondrial and is expressed at low levels in most organs except testis. Although ADC and ODC are expressed in cultured rat C6 glioma cells, the patterns of expression during growth and confluence are very different. We conclude that mammalian ADC differs from ADC isoforms expressed in plants, bacteria, or Caenorhabditis elegans and is distinct from ODC. ADC serves to synthesize agmatine in proximity to mitochondria, an organelle also harboring agmatine's degradative enzyme, agmatinase, and a class of imidazoline receptor (I2) to which agmatine binds with high affinity.
Global Supply Chain Management: Toward a Theoretically Driven Research Agenda

As competition becomes increasingly global in nature, the importance of global supply chain management grows. Yet, research attention on this matter has been limited. We seek to offer a strong foundation for future research on global supply chain management by examining it from the perspectives of six prominent organizational theories that range in emphasis from primarily endogenous to primarily exogenous influences. We, in turn, apply real options theory, internationalization theory, organizational economics, resource dependence theory, social network theory, and institutional theory. We also examine the implications for global supply chain management of juxtaposing the insights provided by multiple theories. Our hope is that the ideas generated by applying these theories set the stage for subsequent theoretically robust investigations of global supply chain management.
Subcutaneous immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis: an evidence based review of the recent literature with recommendations.

Background Allergic rhinitis is a common allergic disease with increasing prevalence in Western Societies. Medical therapy is first line treatment, and is aimed at reducing symptoms of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated inflammation of the nasal passages. In patients with disease refractory to medical therapy, subcutaneous immunotherapy is an option. The aim of this study is to update a recent Cochrane review with available level 1 evidence for seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis. Methods A systematic review of the literature was performed from 2006 to 2011 and compared with data from a 2007 Cochrane review on immunotherapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis. We included all studies of level 1 evidence. All forms of single extract immunotherapy were considered. Studies with primary asthma related end-points were excluded. Primary end-points were instruments of clinical efficacy (ie, symptom-medication scores) and adverse events. Results We retrieved 12 level 1 studies for review. In total, 1512 patients were randomized into treatment groups, alternative study groups (alternative duration of therapy or sublingual immunotherapy [SLIT]), or placebo. Efficacy was evaluated based on reported symptom and/or medication score, validated quality of life instruments, immunological assays, challenge testing, and adverse events. Conclusion Subcutaneous immunotherapy improves symptom and/or medication scores and validated quality of life measures. In addition, associated changes in surrogate markers of immunologic protection are observed. Subcutaneous immunotherapy is safe when administered to carefully selected patients and in settings capable of responding to systemic reactions. Subcutaneous immunotherapy is recommended for patients with seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis not responsive to conservative medical therapy, and whose symptoms significantly affect quality of life.
The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach

Merging cognitive science with educational agenda, Gardner makes an eloquent case for restructuring our schools by showing just how ill-suited our minds and natural patterns of learning are to the prevailing modes of education. This reissue includes a new introduction by the author.