cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improvement of 90nm KrF Cu process window by minimizing via deformation caused by low-frequency resonance of scanner projection lens

There are many works on extension of KrF lithography for 90 nm logic generation, especially for those back end of line (BEOL) layers. High cost and immaturity of ArF tools and photoresists are the major factors that make IC manufacturers try to seek for the possibility of KrF lithography. For mass production of 130 nm node, KrF lithography has been pushed hard to achieve 160 nm contact holes with 320 nm pitch. However, with pushing KrF lithography further, printing of 140 nm via holes with the minimum pitch of 280 nm was required by the tight 90 nm design rules. Optimizing illumination settings is one way to obtain reasonable process windows through all the pitches for mass production of 90 nm node logic devices, and maintaining exposure tools in good conditions is the other. The control of pattern deformation becomes more and more significant when the critical dimension is drove to the limit. In this paper, oval shaped via holes were found for symmetrical pitch patterns. Lens aberration and synchronization errors of scanners are always the first considerations when pattern deformation happened. But after investigations, improvement of via pattern deformation control has been demonstrated by reducing the low frequency resonance of scanner projection lens. The via deformation is investigated in combination of different scanning and stepping speed of scanner stages, which will cause different amplitude of projection lens resonance. Low frequency region of projection lens resonance spectra showed less amplitude while scanning or stepping speed was slow. Pattern distortion was also reduced as amplitude of low frequency project lens resonance went low. Common process window was then improved due to the elimination of via cd difference between x and y direction. With this improvement, reasonable process window (DOF ~ 0.3 um) can be achieved for mass production of 90 nm devices on KrF lithography tools.
Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia and Alcoholism: A Review of the Evidence and Findings on the Effects of Treatment on Cognitive Functioning in Patients With Dual Diagnoses

Objective: Although cognitive deficits have been carefully studied in both schizophrenia disorders and alcohol use disorders, comparatively little is known about cognitive deficits in patients with dual diagnoses of schizophrenia and alcohol use disorders. The main objectives of this article are (a) to review the literature on cognitive functioning in patients with dual diagnoses of schizophrenia and alcohol use disorders, and (b) to summarize the studies that have examined the effects of treatments on cognitive functioning in patients with these dual diagnoses. Methods: We identified and reviewed 10 studies that examined cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia and alcohol use disorders. We also identified and reviewed three studies that reported on treatments for cognitive deficits in patients with dual diagnoses of schizophrenia and alcohol use disorders. Results: Overall, patients with dual diagnoses of schizophrenia and alcohol use disorders were more cognitively impaired than those with ...
Thriving Earth Exchange: AGU's new grand challenge

Imagine a world where scientists are acknowledged and celebrated for their good works. Imagine being able to make a powerful impact, applying your expertise and experience to create real solutions to ensure a sustainable future. Now imagine those two ideas linked: AGU scientists engaged in creating solutions that are recognized and celebrated for their positive impact on our world. The AGU Grand Challenge: Thriving Earth Exchange, a new idea from our member leaders, is about making this dream real.
Large magnetoresistance at room-temperature in small-molecular-weight organic semiconductor sandwich devices

Abstract We present an extensive study of a large, room temperature magnetoresistance (MR) effect in tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum sandwich devices. The effect is similar to that previously discovered in π-conjugated polymer devices. We characterize this effect and discuss its dependence on magnetic field direction, voltage, temperature, film thickness, and electrode materials. The MR effect reaches almost 10% at fields of 10 mT at room temperature. The effect shows only a weak temperature dependence and is independent of the sign and direction of the magnetic field. Measuring the devices' current–voltage characteristics, we find that the current depends on the voltage through a power-law. We find that the magnetic field changes the prefactor of the power-law. We also studied the effect of the magnetic field on the electroluminescence (MEL) of the devices and analyze the relationship between MR and MEL.
Undersampled phase-contrast imaging of the carotid arteries

Introduction For dynamic MRI, in order to balance the tradeoff between spatial resolution and temporal resolution, one strategy is to reduce data sampling at every time frame and add constraints to compensate for the information loss [14]. Here a temporal constraint was applied to reconstruct the carotid artery velocity over time. Undersampled data was simulated by omitting lines in the PE direction. Different forms of a temporal TV constraint were compared here, and projection onto convex sets (POCS) was used to reconstruct the dynamic MRI images.
A comparative analysis of microarchitecture effects on CPU and GPU memory system behavior

While heterogeneous CPU/GPU systems have been traditionally implemented on separate chips, each with their own private DRAM, heterogeneous processors are integrating these different core types on the same die with access to a common physical memory. Further, emerging heterogeneous CPU-GPU processors promise to offer tighter coupling between core types via a unified virtual address space and cache coherence. To adequately address the potential opportunities and pitfalls that may arise from this tighter coupling, it is important to have a deep understanding of application- and memory-level demands from both CPU and GPU cores. This paper presents a detailed comparison of memory access behavior for parallel applications executing on each core type in tightly-controlled heterogeneous CPU-GPU processor simulation. This characterization indicates that applications are typically designed with similar algorithmic structures for CPU and GPU cores, and each core type's memory access path has a similar locality filtering role. However, the different core and cache microarchitectures expose substantially different memory-level parallelism (MLP), which results in different instantaneous memory access rates and sensitivity to memory hierarchy architecture.
Negative repeat transurethral resection of prostate fails to identify patients with stage A1 prostatc carcinoma at lower risk of progression: A long-term study

Stage A1 (low-grade and low-volume) adenocarcinoma is associated with a low likelihood of progression. Repeat transurethral resection has been used to identify patients at increased risk (residual cancer noted) as well as those at low risk of progression (no residual cancer noted). We recently evaluated the ability of this technique to define a low-risk patient population. We reviewed the records of 24 patients who underwent repeat transurethral resection after they were identified as having Stage A1 prostatic cancer on initial resection (Gleason score < 5, tumor volume comprising < 5% of the resection specimen). Despite no evidence of residual carcinoma on repeat resection, 3 patients (13%) progressed at a mean follow-up of seven years (2 locally, 1 locally and distantly). We conclude that repeat resection does not effectively evaluate the risk of progression and that other techniques including transrectal ultrasonography and serial prostate-specific antigen measurements should be similarly evaluated.
Adventures in the Postmodernist Kitchen: The Cuisine of Wolfgang Puck

« Pourquoi les gens mangent-ils ce qu'ils mangent ? » A travers l'etude de la cuisine de Wolfgang Puck, grand chef a Los Angeles, l'A. examine les habitudes culinaires postmodernes des Americains. Puck a des origines australiennes, une experience americaine et pratique une cuisine a la francaise, qui font de ses recettes un savant melange d'ethnicite, de culture, de region et de genre. Si l'art culinaire traditionnel permettait de classer les populations par categories (« Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai qui tu es »), l'exemple de Puck demontre l'impossibilite desormais de respecter ces structures car l'heure est a l'eclectisme
Families Help Homeless and Disabled Relatives Providing Support is More Stressful with “Double Troubles”

People provide help and support to disabled homeless relatives as part of a system of care for homeless adults. This family support is stronger, and stress on relatives is greater, when people who are homeless experience difficulties or disorders related to a disability. Research analyzes data from a study of people with homeless relatives.1 Results show that people spend more time and money caring for a homeless relative who is disabled. Results also show that helping a relative living with a disability is associated with significantly more stress on family caregivers. This relationship varies somewhat depending on the nature of the disability. Since research shows that family caregiving supplements community services for homeless adults, and since results support hypotheses to show how family support is more stressful in the context of disability, social service systems can help by encouraging and providing community support for both disabled homeless adults and for their family caregivers.
Connecting to patients via social media: A hype or a reality?:

Although healthcare professionals have done much to take advantage of social media for healthcare purposes, few empirical studies have investigated such practices. It is not known whether hospitals are using social media mainly as a marketing tool or as a way to friend, listen to, and interact with their visitors. Through a content analysis of 23,300 posts/tweets on 172 US hospitals’ Facebook and Twitter pages in a systematic probability sample, this study found that the flow of information on hospital Facebook pages, and especially Twitter pages, is dominantly one-way; nevertheless, hospitals, especially larger hospitals, have made great effort to interact with their Facebook visitors while marketing themselves, though such interaction is minimal. The study also found that it is very important for hospitals to encourage a large visitor base on Facebook because the more visitors a hospital attracts to its Facebook page, the more ‘Likes’ and posts the hospital will attract, the more people will comment on ...
Photons from axial vector radiative decay in a hadron gas

Strange and nonstrange axial-vector meson radiative decays contribute to photon production in hadron gas. One- and two-hadron radiative decay modes of ${\mathit{b}}_{1}$(1235), ${\mathit{a}}_{1}$(1260), and ${\mathit{K}}_{1}$(1270) are studied. At 200 MeV temperature and for a narrow range in photon energies they contribute more to the net thermal photon production rate than \ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\gamma}, \ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\gamma}, or \ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\gamma}. They provide significant contribution to the rate for photon energies as high as 1.5--2.0 GeV. For higher energies they are less important.
Tocqueville in English

Tocqueville's two major works, Democracy in America and The Old regime and the revolution, have fared very differently in English translation. The Lawrence translation of Democracy in America is essentially accurate, except for a handful of mistakes. The classical translation by Gilbert of The Old Regime was excessively free and rhetorical, but did not betray lack of understanding of French language or history. A new translation published by University of Chicago Press suffers from the opposite flaws. While trying to follow the original very closely, the translator got many things wrong because of a demonstrable lack of proficiency in French.
Biotransformations of 2-Methylisoborneol by Camphor-Degrading Bacteria

Many camphor-degrading bacteria that are able to transform 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) have been identified. Three of these strains have been examined in detail. Rhodococcus ruber T1 metabolizes camphor through 6-hydroxycamphor but converts 2-MIB to 3-hydroxy-2-MIB. Pseudomonas putida G1, which metabolizes camphor through 5-hydroxycamphor, converts MIB primarily to 6-hydroxy-2-MIB. Rhodococcus wratislaviensis DLC-cam converts 2-MIB through 5-hydroxy-2-MIB to 5-keto-2-MIB. Together, these three strains produce metabolites resulting from hydroxylation at all of the three available secondary carbons on the six-member ring of 2-MIB.
Investigation of electronic assembly design alternatives through production modeling of life cycle impacts, costs, and yield

Environmental legislation, technological advances and increasingly competitive global markets have led to a number of different product and process design choices for electronics assemblies. Decision tools to aid in the selection of a product and process design have been limited to qualitative methodologies. In addition, trade-offs between environmental impacts, yield, and reliability have not been analyzed. In this paper, electronic assembly product and process design alternatives are investigated using a quantitative methodology with life cycle considerations for environmental impacts. These impacts include energy usage, material consumption, waste generation, process yield, and product reliability.
Standing in Their Shoes: Student Immersion in the Community Using Service-Learning with At-Risk Teens

The purpose of this study was to explicate students' perceptions of working with at-risk teens in a service-learning experience. In rural North Carolina, nursing students co-facilitated a wellness series for at-risk teens. A focus group explored students' perceptions. The focus group of ten students was recorded with participants' written consent and transcribed verbatim. Heideggerian hermeneutics guided thematic analysis. Five themes described students' perceptions: (a) Catching ourselves, (b) Learning how to drive home a concept, (c) Teaching is difficult, (d) Self as teacher/Self as learner, and (e) Seeing myself as a nurse. There was an overarching pattern of “Standing in their shoes.”
Numerical simulation of an airfoil at low Reynolds number

Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) are noted for their small size and low-Reynolds number flight regime. The aerodynamic behavior for this class of aircraft is mostly governed by unsteadiness and a laminar separation bubble. To this end, numerical simulations are performed for the Eppler 387 airfoil at a variety of angles of attack. The simulations are quasi-two dimensional in nature; that is, they are perfomed with a three-dimensional code in a manner that produces two-dimensional results. Drag polar, time averaged lift histories, pressure distribution, are skin friction distribution on the airfoil are examined. These simulations are a stepping stone to analysis of the three-dimensional eects in this flow.
Antipsychotic medication and the death penalty.

In the health care environment, a patient’s right to accept or reject recommended treatment (i.e., self-determination) is long held and well established. This right has been validated by numerous court decisions.[1][1],[2][2] Self-determination is a value that seems to be increasing in importance
Motor Cortical Representation of Position and Velocity During Reaching

This study examines motor cortical representation of hand position and its relationship to the representation of hand velocity during reaching movements. In all, 978 motor cortical neurons were rec...
Solution Structure of Acyl Carrier Protein

The role of acyl carrier protein (ACP) in the biosynthesis of membrane lipid precursors is well established (for review see Vagelos, 1971, 1973; Prescott and Vagelos, 1972). ACP and its thioesters interact specifically with at least a dozen enzymes of fatty acid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, and acyl-ACPs are substrates for the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase. The complete primary structure of ACP is known (Vanaman et al., 1968). The molecular weight is 8847, and the protein contains a 4′-phosphopantetheine moiety as a prosthetic group attached via a phosphodiester linkage to Ser 36. The acyl intermediates are attached as thioesters to the terminal sulfhydryl of the prosthetic group. Recent work on the regulation of membrane lipid biogenesis has focused attention on several enzyme systems that utilize acyl-ACP substrates. The involvement of ACP in these pathways has renewed interest in the solution structure of ACP and how it relates to the biochemical behavior of this protein. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize and review recent experimental findings on the structure of ACP particularly with regard to lipid-protein interactions.
Agents of Imperialism: Missionaries and Merchants in Early-Nineteenth-Century Hawaii

Although Western traders and American Calvinist missionaries in early-nineteenth-century Hawaii represented native Hawaiians in similar ways, they held different philosophies about the Sandwich Islands and their people. These differing imperialist agendas led to constant tension and clashes between the two Western groups, especially over commerce and access to native labor.
Mutational analysis of the energetics of the GrpE.DnaK binding interface: equilibrium association constants by sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation.

Abstract DnaK, the prokaryotic Hsp70 molecular chaperone, requires the nucleotide exchange factor and heat shock protein GrpE to release ADP. GrpE and DnaK are tightly associated molecules with an extensive protein–protein interface, and in the absence of ADP, the dissociation constant for GrpE and DnaK is in the low nanomolar range. GrpE reduces the affinity of DnaK for ADP, and the reciprocal linkage is also true: ADP reduces the affinity of DnaK for GrpE. The energetic contributions of GrpE side-chains to GrpE–DnaK binding were probed by alanine-scanning mutagenesis. Sedimentation velocity (SV) analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) was used to measure the equilibrium constants (Keq) for GrpE binding to the ATPase domain of DnaK in the presence of ADP. ADP-bound DnaK is the natural target of GrpE, and the addition of ADP (final concentration of 5 μM) to the preformed GrpE–DnaKATPase complexes allowed the equilibrium association constants to be brought into an experimentally accessible range. Under these experimental conditions, the substitution of one single GrpE amino acid residue, arginine 183 with alanine, resulted in a GrpE–DnaKATPase complex that was weakly associated (Keq=9.4×104 M). This residue has been previously shown to be part of a thermodynamic linkage between two structural domains of GrpE: the thermosensing long helices and the C-terminal β-domains. Several other GrpE side-chains were found to have a significant change in the free energy of binding (ΔΔG∼1.5 to 1.7 kcal mol−1), compared to wild-type GrpE·DnaKATPase in the same experimental conditions. Overall, the strong interactions between GrpE and DnaK appear to be dominated by electrostatics, not unlike barnase and barstar, another well-characterized protein–protein interaction. GrpE, an inherent thermosensor, exhibits non-Arrhenius behavior with respect to its nucleotide exchange function at bacterial heat shock temperatures, and mutation of several solvent-exposed side-chains located along the thermosensing indicated that these residues are indeed important for GrpE–DnaK interactions.
Induction of a Rapid and Strong Antigen-Specific Intraepithelial Lymphocyte Response during Oral Encephalitozoon cuniculi Infection

Encephalitozoon cuniculi continues to pose a problem for immunocompromised patients. Previous studies from our laboratory have elucidated the importance of the CD8+ T cell subset in the protection against systemic parasite infection. There have been no studies related to the mucosal immunity induced against this orally acquired pathogen. In the present study, the immune response generated in the gut after oral E. cuniculi infection was evaluated. An early and rapid increase of the intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) population of orally infected animals was observed. This increase in the IEL population started as early as day 3 and peaked at day 7 postinfection with persistent elevation thereafter. At day 7 postinfection, IELs expressed strong cytokine messages (IFN-γ and IL-10) and were highly cytotoxic for parasite-infected syngeneic macrophages. At an E:T ratio of 80:1, these cells were able to cause >60% Ag-specific target cell lysis. A significant increase in the CD8αα subset of IEL in response to an oral E. cuniculi infection was observed. To the best of our knowledge, such an early expansion of an IEL population exhibiting strong ex vivo cytotoxicity has not been reported with infectious models. These data suggest that IELs act as important barriers for multiplication of this organism leading to the successful resolution of infection. The protective role of IELs may be due both to their inflammatory (IFN-γ production and cytotoxic response) as well as immunoregulatory (IL-10 production) properties.
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Structure and Functional Properties that Promote Long-Lasting Calcium Sparks.

Calcium (Ca) sparks are the fundamental sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca release events in cardiac myocytes, and they have a typical duration of 20-40 ms. However, when a fraction of ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are blocked by tetracaine or ruthenium red, Ca sparks lasting hundreds of milliseconds have been observed experimentally. The fundamental mechanism underlying these extremely prolonged Ca sparks is not understood. In this study, we use a physiologically detailed mathematical model of subcellular Ca cycling to examine how Ca spark duration is influenced by the number of functional RyRs in a junctional cluster (which is reduced by tetracaine or ruthenium red) and other SR Ca handling properties. One RyR cluster contains a few to several hundred RyRs, and we use a four-state Markov RyR gating model. Each RyR opens stochastically and is regulated by cytosolic and luminal Ca. We varied the number of functional RyRs in the single cluster, diffusion within the SR network, diffusion between network and junctional SR, cytosolic Ca diffusion, SERCA uptake activity, and RyR open probability. For long-lasting Ca release events, opening events within the cluster must occur continuously because the typical open time of the RyR is only a few milliseconds. We found the following: 1) if the number of RyRs is too small, it is difficult to maintain consecutive openings and stochastic attrition terminates the release; 2) if the number of RyRs is too large, the depletion of Ca from the junctional SR terminates the release; and 3) very long release events require relatively small-sized RyR clusters (reducing flux as seen experimentally with tetracaine) and sufficiently rapid intra-SR Ca diffusion, such that local junctional intra-SR [Ca] can be maintained by intra-SR diffusion and overall SR Ca reuptake.
High-Temperature Curing of Radial Passenger Tires

Abstract High temperature curing is feasible with adequate curative modifications. NR-containing compounds are prime considerations. Cure time reductions of about 35% or more are entirely within reason. Use of the modified compounds at conventional or low curing temperatures makes possible significant improvements in performance.
The Diseconomies of Do-it-Yourself

I argue that, due to mistrust of markets, households engage in excessive household production and too little market exchange, primarily due to anti-market bias. “Do-It-Yourself,” commonly engaged in for the purposes of prudence, contradicts the concept of comparative advantage under the conditions of perfect markets. Imperfections in real-life markets are insufficient as an explanation for the ubiquity of household production that could plausibly be purchased in markets. The optimality conditions set forth by Becker (1965) are unlikely to hold.
The Code of Silence in Schools: An Assessment of a Socio-Ecological Model of Youth’s Willingness to Report School Misbehavior

Socio-ecological models of victimization reporting incorporate normative constraints and instrumental considerations at the individual and contextual levels. Drawing on this model, we explore facto...
Detonation Chemistry Of Glycidyl Azide Polymer

The initial step of chemical reaction initiated by laser-generated shock waves has been observed in glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) in condensed phase. Shocks are generated by pulsed laser vaporization of thin aluminum films and launched into adjacent films of GAP at 77 K. Comparison of FTIR spectra obtained before and after shock passage shows that initial reaction involves elimination of molecular nitrogen from the azide functional groups of the polymer. The shock arrival time has been measured by a velocity interferometer as a function of thickness of GAP and laser fluence. The shock pressure has been calculated by using a universal liquid state Hugoniot. A simple model is proposed to calculate shock velocity and pressure as a function of laser fluence. The results are in agreement with experimental data.
Absence of static Einstein-Yang-Mills excitations in three dimensions

There are no static asymptotically vanishing excitations of coupled Einstein-Yang-Mills theory in three-dimensional spacetime.
Assessment of Cholinergic and Cognitive Function in Healthy Young Adults Using Pharmacologic ASL Perfusion MRI (S29.003)

Objective: To examine the cholinergic system in vivo using pharmacologic arterial spin-labeling (ASL) perfusion MRI. Background In vivo imaging of cholinergic function has the potential of advancing our understanding of the important role it plays in cognition. Pharmacologic MRI, by examining changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) following drug administration, can elucidate physiological effects with high anatomic resolution in vivo and thereby link the cognitive effects of cholinergic modulation to specific anatomical structures. Design/Methods: Healthy young adults participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study (n=15). Each underwent four pharmacologic conditions (placebo, mecamylamine, scopolamine, mecamylamine+scopolamine) on four separate days. ASL scans were obtained at the time of peak drug concentration, and cognitive performance was assessed with a neuropsychological battery. SPM was used to identify regions of significantly altered CBF in clusters of at least 1800 voxels. Cognitive performance was analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA. Results: With scopolamine, CBF was decreased bilaterally in thalamus, frontal cortex, and supplementary motor area and increased in occipital cortex, postcentral gyrus, insula, hippocampus, and superior temporal pole (corrected p-value Conclusions: These results confirm previous findings of decreased frontal and thalamic perfusion and cognitive deficits with scopolamine and reveal other areas implicated in cognition with cholinergically modulated blood flow, suggesting that ASL may be more sensitive to the perfusion changes under study. The cognitive impairments with cholinergic antagonism, including impaired attention and encoding, are consistent with disruption of the attention network (eg. frontal cortex, supplementary motor area, thalamus, basal ganglia). Likewise memory deficits could result from disruptions of known memory structures (eg. hippocampus) or decreased activity of inhibitory thalamic projections to cortical structures. Supported by: This project was funded by the American Federation for Aging Research Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program, NIH/NIA grants T35AG038027, T32AG023480, K23AG031320, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, and the American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Summer Research Scholarship. Disclosure: Dr. Huang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dai has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alsop has nothing to disclose. Dr. Waterston has nothing to disclose. Dr. Inouye has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fong has nothing to disclose.
Software Reuse Technology Based on Stock Managment Domain

Reuse-based software technology reduces time and expenses for software development,enhances the flexibility,maintainability and reliability,and shortens the development cycle of software.This paper studies software reuse technology,proposes a software reuse idea in stock managing domain.Based on the spare parts stock managment system produced by Qingdao MESNAC Co.,Ltd.,building process of the software is described.Experimental results show the technology is effective.
Transmission block technique for the treatment of the pelvis and perineum including the inguinal lymph nodes: dosimetric considerations.

Abstract Radical radiotherapy of pelvic malignancies (e.g., vulva, anus) includes therapeutic dosage to the inguinal nodes. To minimize the dosage to the femoral head, the transmission block technique has been developed to fully irradiate the central pelvis midplane and inguinal nodes. Originally, this technique compensated for dose inhomogeniety in the transverse plane only. In some patients, however, we have observed a significant dose variation along the sagittal plane. The authors have developed a lead compensation technique to homogenize the sagittal dose variations due to the longitudinal sloping in the patient, along with further refinements in this technique. Dosimetric and technical details are also discussed.
Optimal Control of Nonlinear Systems with Temporal Logic Specifications

We present a mathematical programming-based method for optimal control of nonlinear systems subject to temporal logic task specifications. We specify tasks using a fragment of linear temporal logic (LTL) that allows both finite- and infinite-horizon properties to be specified, including tasks such as surveillance, periodic motion, repeated assembly, and environmental monitoring. Our method directly encodes an LTL formula as mixed-integer linear constraints on the system variables, avoiding the computationally expensive process of creating a finite abstraction. Our approach is efficient; for common tasks our formulation uses significantly fewer binary variables than related approaches and gives the tightest possible convex relaxation. We apply our method on piecewise affine systems and certain classes of differentially flat systems. In numerical experiments, we solve temporal logic motion planning tasks for high-dimensional (10\(+\) continuous state) systems.
Is Physician-Assisted Suicide Ever Permissible?

As we travel ever deeper into the new century and millennium, the struggle over legalizing assisted suicide is increasingly taking center stage. The cultural stakes could not be higher. The manner in which the nation ultimately decides this crucial legal and moral issue will test our cultures commitment to the sanctity/equality of human life; define for our posterity society’s cultural attitudes toward elderly, disabled, and dying people; and determine the continuing commitment of medicine to the “do no harm” ethical ideal embodied in the Hippocratic Oath.
Effect of Time and Deposition Method on Quality of Phosphonic Acid Modifier Self-Assembled Monolayers on Indium Zinc Oxide

Abstract Phosphonic acid (PA) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are utilized at critical interfaces between transparent conductive oxides (TCO) and organic active layers in organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). The effects of PA deposition method and time on the formation of close-packed, high-quality monolayers is investigated here for SAMs fabricated by solution deposition, micro-contact printing, and spray coating. The solution deposition isotherm for pentafluorinated benzylphosphonic acid (F 5 BnPA) on indium-doped zinc oxide (IZO) is studied using polarization modulation-infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) at room temperature as a model PA/IZO system. Fast surface adsorption occurs within the first min; however, well-oriented high-quality SAMs are reached only after ∼48 h, presumably through a continual process of molecular adsorption/desorption and monolayer filling accompanied by molecular reorientation. Two other rapid, soak-free deposition techniques, micro-contact printing and spray coating, are also explored. SAM quality is compared for deposition of phenyl phosphonic acid (PPA), F 13 -octylphosphonic acid (F 13 OPA), and pentafluorinated benzyl phosphonic acid (F 5 BnPA) by solution deposition, micro-contact printing and spray coating using PM-IRRAS. In contrast to micro-contact printing and spray coating techniques, 48–168 h solution deposition at both room temperature and 70 °C result in contamination- and surface etch-free close-packed monolayers with good reproducibility. SAMs fabricated by micro-contact printing and spray coating are much less well ordered.
Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia Bordering on Ductal Carcinoma In Situ.

Background. The clinical implications of the diagnosis of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are very different. Yet there are “borderline” breast lesions that ha...
Long-term Follow-Up of Psilocybin-Facilitated Smoking Cessation

ABSTRACTBackground: A recent open-label pilot study (N = 15) found that two to three moderate to high doses (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) of the serotonin 2A receptor agonist, psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in substantially higher 6-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically observed with other medications or CBT alone. Objectives: To assess long-term effects of a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation program at ≥12 months after psilocybin administration. Methods: The present report describes biologically verified smoking abstinence outcomes of the previous pilot study at ≥12 months, and related data on subjective effects of psilocybin. Results: All 15 participants completed a 12-month follow-up, and 12 (80%) returned for a long-term (≥16 months) follow-up, with a mean interval of 30 months (range = 16–57 months) between target-quit date (i.e., first psilocybin session) and long-term follow-up. At 12-month follow-up, 10 participants (67%...
Modeling Services of Financial Institutions in Emerging Markets

The success of financial institutions expanding into emerging markets is a function of the services provided. Competitive positioning of institutions relative to competitors includes location of customer access, services provided, and timing and quality of service. The methodology described in this chapter is intended to infer strategies that will optimize management’s objectives and indicate changing dynamics in the marketplace.
Non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcoma

Soft-tissue sarcomas in children include a vast number of histologies accompanied by very different optimal treatment strategies. They are broadly separated into two groups: rhabdomyosarcoma and non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcomas. Because benign soft-tissue “lumps and bumps” on the extremities and trunk are very common in children, much more common than soft-tissue malignancies, a working knowledge of the treatment strategies is necessary. Although it is not necessary or even possible for pediatric surgeons to know the specifics of the clinical behavior and treatment of every histologic subtype of soft-tissue sarcomas, there are basic principles that should be adhered to when faced with a potentially malignant soft-tissue lesion in order to maximize the survival and quality of life of the child regardless of the specific type. Likewise, there are several types of sarcoma that are relatively more commonly seen and which pediatric surgeons should be familiar with and comfortable treating.
Seafood Safety and Quality: The Consumer’s Role

All the good news about seafood—the health and nutritional benefits, the wide varieties and flavors—has had a positive effect on consumption: people are eating more seafood (http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/seafood/pdfs/SeafoodSavvy.pdf). Yet consumers want to be assured that seafood is as safe as, or safer to eat than, other foods. When you hear “seafood safety”, think of a safety net designed to protect you, the consumer, from food-borne illness. Every facet of the seafood industry, from harvester to consumer, plays a role in holding up the safety net. The role of state and federal agencies, fishermen, aquaculturists, retailers, processors, restaurants, and scientists is to provide, update, and carry out the necessary handling, processing, and inspection procedures to give consumers the safest seafood possible. The consumer’s responsibility is to follow through with proper handling techniques, from purchase to preparation. It doesn’t matter how many regulations and inspection procedures are set up; the final edge of the safety net is held by the consumer. This article will give you the information you need to educate yourself and be assured that the fish and shellfish you consume are safe. The most common food-borne illnesses are caused by a combination of bacteria naturally present in our environment and food handling errors made in commercial settings, food service institutions, or at home.
A 0.3 nJ/bit super-regenerative pulse UWB receiver with track and detection

A low-power impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) receiver in 0.18 µm CMOS with a carrier frequency of 4.5 GHz and a bit rate of 4 Mb/s is presented. The receiver is based on a super-regenerative architecture that tracks the incoming signal carrier pulse and synchronizes it with an internal pulse quench signal. The energy consumption for this receiver is 0.3 nJ/bit.
The possibilities of history

Several kinds of historical alternatives are distinguished. Different kinds of historical alternatives are valuable to the practice of history for different reasons. Important uses for historical alternatives include representing different sides of historical disputes; distributing chances of different outcomes over alternatives; and offering explanations of why various alternatives did not in fact happen. Consideration of counterfactuals about what would have happened had things been different in particular ways plays particularly useful roles in reasoning about historical analogues of current conditions; reasoning about causal claims; and in evaluating historical explanations. When evaluating the role of alternative histories in historical thinking, we should keep in mind the uses of historical alternatives that go well beyond the long-term and specific scenarios that are the focus of so-called "counterfactual history".
Mapping pediatric injuries to target prevention, education, and outreach.

Abstract Background Initiatives exist to prevent pediatric injuries, but targeting these interventions to specific populations is challenging. We hypothesized that mapping pediatric injuries by zip code could be used to identify regions requiring more interventions and resources. Methods We queried the trauma registries of two level I trauma centers for children 0–17 years of age injured between 2009 and 2013 with home zip codes in our state. Maps were created to identify outlier zip codes. Multivariate linear regression analysis identified predictors within these zip codes. Results There were 5380 children who resided in the state and were admitted for traumatic injuries during the study period, with hospital costs totaling more than 200 million dollars. Choropleth mapping of patient addresses identified outlier zip codes in our metro area with higher incidences of specific mechanisms of injury and greater hospital charges. Multivariate analysis identified demographic features associated with higher rates of pediatric injuries and hospital charges, to further target interventions. Conclusions We identified outlier zip codes in our metro area with higher frequencies of pediatric injuries and higher costs for treatment. These data have helped obtain funding for prevention and education efforts. Techniques such as those presented here are becoming more important as evidence based public health initiatives expand. Level of evidence Type of Study: Cost Effectiveness, II.
Which functions assumed to be religious and spiritual in nature are ultimately attributable or reducible to purely secular mechanisms

ABSTRACTThere is a commonly held assumption that religiosity/spirituality (R/S) reflects unique causal mechanisms in areas such as prosociality, mental health, and in the debate regarding the evolutionary origins of religion. However, because most studies are unequipped to rule out the possibility that R/S features are actually attributable to nonreligious, secular causal mechanisms, this assumption represents a congruence fallacy. The solution to this problem is for studies to control for secular variables such as group attendance and demographics in order to determine whether religious belief adds incremental predictive variance. Experiments must use manipulations consisting of equivalent secular and religious stimuli, such as “dismantling” designs.
An electron transfer driven magnetic switch: ferromagnetic exchange and spin delocalization in iron verdazyl complexes

The verdazyl ‘pincer’ ligand, 1-isopropyl-3,5-dipyridyl-6-oxoverdazyl (dipyvd), coordinates iron to form a series of pseudooctahedral coordination compounds [Fe(dipyvd)2]n+ (n = 0–3). In the case where n = 2, the molecular geometry and physical and spectral properties are consistent with a low spin (S = 0) iron(II) ion coordinated by two ferromagnetically coupled radical ligands. Upon one electron reduction, the room temperature effective magnetic moment of the complex jumps from μeff = 2.64 to μeff = 5.86 as a result of spin crossover of the iron atom combined with very strong ferromagnetic coupling of the remaining ligand centered unpaired electron with the metal center. The sign of the exchange is opposite to that observed in other high spin iron/radical ligand systems and appears to be a result of delocalization of the ligand unpaired electron across the whole molecule. The large change in magnetic properties, combined with a delocalized electronic structure and accessible redox potentials, suggests the utility of this and related systems in the development of novel molecular spintronic devices.
Using Physical Activity to Teach Academic Content: A Review of the Literature and Evidence-Based Recommendations

There is currently considerable interest in increasing physical activity and improving early literacy in preschool children. Preschool academic lessons taught using physical activity have been shown to be an effective approach to increasing daily physical activity while also improving early literacy. In this chapter, we will provide teachers and practitioners with information on how to alter the classroom environment in order to use existing academic lessons taught using physical activity. The rationale and effectiveness of preschool academic lessons taught using physical activity on improving early literacy will be discussed. Low cost, practical examples and strategies will be provided and reviewed.
Effects of Mass Transfer and Flow Conditions on SRB Corrosion of Mild Steel

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) is a growing problem in the oil and gas industry resulting in huge financial losses. Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) are often the culprits although many other microorganisms can also be directly or indirectly involved. From the bioprocess engineering angle, mass transfer and flow conditions are very important in SRB biofilm formation and MIC corrosion rates. Experiments were carried out in a 2-liter electrochemical glass cell bioreactor with a carbon steel rotating cylinder coupon. ATCC 7757 strain of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans was used in this work with the ATCC 1249 medium. Experimental data indicated that mild agitations with a low linear velocity at increased cell growth and MIC corrosion compared to stagnant conditions, because mass transfer was facilitated. However, a high linear velocity exhibited inhibition of cell growth and MIC corrosion. The results have implications in predicting and controlling MIC in pipeline flow systems.
Statistical Thermodynamics of Polymer Blends

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an overview of the development, comparison, and application of Flory and lattice fluid theories. The Flory and lattice fluid theories represent promising alternatives to the solubility parameter approach for predicting polymer compatibility, which means thermodynamic miscibility. The Flory theory demonstrates that mixture thermodynamic properties depend on the thermodynamic properties of the pure components. In particular, lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) behavior can be understood in terms of the dissimilarity of the equation of state properties of polymer and solvent. In the Flory theory, each pure component is characterized by three equations of state parameters: (1) a characteristic temperature T*, (2) a characteristic pressure p*, and (3) a characteristic specific volume vsp*. The lattice fluid theory does not require separation of internal and external degrees of freedom as does the Flory theory and Prigogine corresponding state theories. Both the Flory and lattice fluid theories require three equations of state parameters for each pure component. For mixtures, both the theories reduce to the Flory–Huggins theory at very low temperatures. According to the lattice fluid theory, a fluid is completely characterized by three molecular parameters: (1) ɛ*, (2) ν*, and (3) r or equivalently, the three equation of state parameters T*, p*, and ρ*. The chapter presents the complete thermodynamic description of the model fluid. In both the theories, for the sake of clarity, only the results for binary mixtures are presented.
An evaluation of the ‘protect their future’ video intervention on parents’ intentions to immunize adolescents

Background: This study tested the influence of the ‘Protect Their Future’ video intervention on adult intentions to vaccinate their adolescents.Method: The study included 529 parents of 11- to 19-y...
High-resolution 3D microwave imaging of a moving target using optical motion capture

Active three-dimensional (3D) microwave and millimeter-wave imaging is useful for a variety of applications including concealed weapon detection, in-wall imaging, non-destructive evaluation, and others. High-resolution imaging is usually performed using a fixed two-dimensional planar or cylindrical aperture that is defined using a two-dimensional array or precise mechanical scanning of a transceiver or sequentially-switched linear antenna array. For some applications, it is more convenient to manually translate a linear array over the scene of interest, or equivalently, move the target in front of the linear array to scan an effective aperture. Manually scanning the array or target creates several challenges for accurately focusing, or reconstructing, an image of the target. The motion of the array or target must be known accurately, typically with precision of 0.05-0.1 wavelengths. Additionally, the image reconstruction algorithm needs to be able to compensate for aperture shapes which are highly non-uniformly sampled, and which are not of a specific canonical shape such as planar or cylindrical. This paper explores high-resolution 3D microwave imaging of a moving target by using optical motion capture to track the moving target and develops highly versatile image reconstruction techniques that account for the irregular motion. Several experimental results are shown for moving targets in front of a fixed linear array.