cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“I Went by Twos, He Went by One”: Multiple Interpretations of Inscriptions as Resources for Mathematical Discussions

This article examines a classroom discussion of multiple interpretations of the scales on two distance versus time graphs. The analysis describes how two students and a teacher used multiple meanings for phrases of the form “I went by” and coordinated these meanings with different views of the scales. Students' ambiguous and shifting meanings did not prove to be obstacles to this discussion. Instead, this teacher used student interpretations as resources, built on them, and connected them to canonical mathematical concepts—in particular by highlighting (Goodwin, 1994) a “unitized” (Lamon, 1994, 1996, 2007) view of the scales. Research in mathematics education describes teaching that promotes conceptual development as having two central features: One is that teachers and students attend explicitly to concepts, and the other is that students wrestle with important mathematics (Hiebert & Grouws, 2007). Not only does this classroom discussion provide an example that it is possible to balance these two feature...
Chaotic States of Anharmonic Systems in Periodic Fields

It is shown that the nonlinear dynamics of anharmonically interacting particles in the presence of periodic fields leads to a set of cascading bifurcations into a chaotic state. This state is characterized by the existence of a strange attractor in phase space and associated broadband noise in the spectral density. It is suggested that solid-state turbulence is likely to be found in weakly pinned charge-density-wave systems and superionic conductors.
EXPRESSION OF IL-15 AND IL-4 IN IFN-γ-INDEPENDENT CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTAL HUMAN CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARVUM INFECTION

Abstract We have previously demonstrated interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in intestinal mucosa after experimental human Cryptosporidium parvum infection, but expression was limited to sensitized volunteers. To characterize IFN-γ-independent mechanisms in control of infection, jejunal biopsies from immunocompetent volunteers experimentally challenged with C. parvum were examined by in situ hybridization for interleukin (IL-)15 and IL-4 mRNA with confirmation by immunohistochemistry. Cytokine expression was correlated with prechallenge anti- C. parvum IgG, symptoms, oocyst shedding, and prior IFN-γ expression data. IL-15 expression was noted only in those without prior sensitization, who did not express IFN-γ. By contrast, expression of IL-4 was associated with prior sensitization. IL-15 was only detected in those with symptoms (6/14 symptomatic vs 0/3 asymptomatic, P
Analysis of stresses in aluminum–silicon alloys

Abstract Two-phase aluminum–silicon-based alloys are widely used for premium quality castings for aerospace and automotive applications. While it is clear that silicon improves fluidity in the molten state, providing excellent castability to the alloy, and increases the tensile strength of the alloy, much needs to be done to improve the understanding of the structure–property relationships in castings. This paper deals with the application of a microstructural finite element method and the OOF program to study the effect of size and shape of silicon particles on the stresses in the silicon particles and the aluminum matrix. The highest stress in the matrix increases with increasing particle size for a given volume fraction of silicon particles. Therefore, the yield strength of a microstructure containing coarse particles would be lower than one containing fine particles. Once the silicon particles with large aspect ratios crack or the microstructure containing large silicon particles yield, the effective stiffness of the aluminum matrix decreases which significantly increases the average stress in the silicon particles and the highest stresses in both the silicon particles and the aluminum matrix. This indicates that once the matrix yields, the potential for particle cracking increases dramatically.
Fluctuations within the Hydrogen Bond Network Modulate Cooperativity Across the Conformational Ensemble of Protein Structures

Proteins are dynamic molecules that exhibit conformational changes limited by cross-linking H-bonds. Here we monitor how fluctuations within the hydrogen bond network (HBN) alter protein flexibility. Specifically, we characterize fluctuations in the HBN within two TEM β-lactamase enzymes by employing the Distance Constraint Model (DCM) on 100 ns explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories. A key feature of the DCM is that it employs network rigidity explicitly as a long-range mechanical interaction that accounts for nonadditivity in conformational entropy. Taking advantage of the fundamental link between mechanical and thermodynamic properties, we quantify protein flexibility using a variety of metrics that are calculated within the native state ensemble, and elucidate how fluctuations in the HBN modulate protein flexibility. We observe that the overall flexibility of the proteins is weakly anti-correlated to the overall strength of the HBN. Interestingly, equilibrium fluctuations lead to dramatic loss/gain in correlated rigidity throughout the structure. This translates to conformations that are more flexible, characterized by redundant cross-linking H-bonds break more readily upon slight temperature increases. These conformations also have tendency towards reduced cooperativity within unfolding transitions. The essential property leading to cooperative and non-cooperative structural networks is H-bond independence, which strongly depends on how the H-bonds are distributed. Dense regions of H-bonds that form rigid clusters do so with reduced conformational entropy reductions, thus increasing cooperativity within the folding transition and increasing the co-rigid nature of the native structure. A less dense HBN reduces molecular cooperativity because H-bonds are more likely to be independent. While cooperativity is a hallmark of protein stability, the extent of this cooperativity is modulated by fluctuations within the HBN. Consequently, native state HBN fluctuations have important ramifications to function, suggesting a more complete paradigm of structure/flexibility/function.
Computer science curriculum in a liberal arts setting: Case studies at the University of San Diego

The Mathematics and Computer Science Department at the University of San Diego recently revised the curriculum for its B.A. in Computer Science program to make it more compatible with a liberal arts college setting. In this paper, we present our process of revision, including a discussion on the LACS 2007 model we adopted and how to reflect accreditation requirement at the same time. We also discussed how the revised curriculum can incorporate high impact educational practices.
Separation, Identification, and Quantitation of Anthralin and Its Decomposition Products

Anthralin and its decomposition products were separated by both column chromatographic and TLC techniques. Two decomposition products were characterized by TLC, melting-point data, and UV and IR spectroscopy. Pure anthralin and its decomposition products also were determined quantitatively.
Theory of nuclear quadrupole interaction in hexagonal close packed metals—cadmium and zinc

The conduction-electron contribution to the electric field gradient has been calculated for zinc and cadmium. From a study of the conduction and core electron distributions relative to each other, it is concluded that different components of the field gradient due to the conduction electrons, such as from the local and plane-wave components of the conduction-electron densities, should be shielded differently. A value of about ..gamma../sub infinity/is estimated for the field gradient due to the plane-wave component of the density. Using the calculated field gradients in the two metals, the quadrupole moments of /sup 67/Zn and /sup 111/Cd are obtained as 0.50 and 0.76 b, the latter being in good agreement with the value derived earlier from ionic crystal measurements. The effect of the larger antishielding factor on the earlier calculated field gradients in beryllium and magnesium is discussed and it is concluded that the earlier good agreement between theory and experiment for these metals is not significantly affected. Finally, the bearing of the results of the present work on the empirical correlation obtained recently between the conduction-electron and lattice contributions is discussed.
Why Do Bad Management Theories Persist? A Comment on Ghoshal

This article comments on a paper by Sumantra Ghoshal published in this issue of Academy of Management Learning & Education which argues that academic research related to the conduct of business and...
Optimizing gold nanoparticle seeding density on DNA origami

DNA origami is a valuable technique in arranging nanoparticles into various geometries with a ∼100 nm footprint, high resolution, and experimental simplicity. Aligned nanoparticles, in addition to being used for photonics, can also be utilized to create thin metal wires with intricate and asymmetric junctions. Many factors affect the yield and density of nanoparticles attached to DNA origami structures, including the length and number of attachment sequences, the reaction ratio of nanoparticles to DNA origami, the hybridization temperature, and age of the solutions. This work investigates the alignment of closely packed 5 nm gold nanoparticles along thin DNA origami structures. Several reaction conditions, including hybridization time, magnesium ion concentration, ratio of nanoparticles to DNA origami, and age of the nanoparticle solution, were explored to optimize nanoparticle attachment density and spacing. Optimum ranges of conditions were identified, yielding new insights into high-density nanoparticle attachment to thin DNA origami structures, with potential for application in nanowire and nanoelectronics construction.
Effects of Composition on the Mechanical Properties of Tough, High-temperature Intermetallic Compounds

From measurements on more than two hundred alloys four binary intermetallic compounds have been identified that melt above 1900°C and are tough at ambient temperature. Effects of alloying on elastic properties and room-temperature toughness are given for two of these compounds, RuTa (an L10(tP4) structure) and AIRu (a B2(cP2) structure). For selected alloys other mechanical data are presented. The high-temperature hardness of AIRu alloys are improved by 4%Sc, 0.5%B doubles the compressional strain to fracture, and Cr aids the oxidation resistance.
A Note On Mignosi′s Generalization of the (3X+1)-Problem

Abstract A special class of cases is produced for which Mignosi′s generalization of the (3X + 1)-problem has a negative solution.
Vascular endothelium-specific overexpression of human catalase in cloned pigs

The objective of this study was to develop transgenic Yucatan minipigs that overexpress human catalase (hCat) in an endothelial-specific manner. Catalase metabolizes hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an important regulator of vascular tone that contributes to diseases such as atherosclerosis and preeclampsia. A large animal model to study reduced endothelium-derived H2O2 would therefore generate valuable translational data on vascular regulation in health and disease. Yucatan minipig fetal fibroblasts stably co-transfected with human catalase (Tie2-hCat) and eGFP expression constructs were isolated into single-cell populations. The presence of the Tie2-hCat transgene in individual colonies of fibroblasts was determined by PCR. Transgenic fibroblasts were used for nuclear transfer into enucleated oocytes by electrofusion. A minimum of 140 cloned embryos were transferred per surrogate sow (n = 4). All four surrogates maintained pregnancies and piglets were delivered by cesarean section. Nine male piglets from three of the four litters carried the Tie2-hCat transgene. Expression of human catalase mRNA and overall elevated catalase protein in isolated umbilical endothelial cells from transgenic piglets were verified by RT–PCR and western blot, respectively, and endothelial localization was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Increased enzymatic activity of catalase in transgenic versus wild-type endothelial cells was inferred based on significantly reduced levels of H2O2 in culture. The similarities in swine and human cardiovascular anatomy and physiology will make this pig model a valuable source of information on the putative role of endothelium-derived H2O2 in vasodilation and in the mechanisms underlying vascular health and disease.
College Classrooms of the Future: Megatrends to Paradigm Shifts.

(1994). College Classrooms of the Future: Megatrends to Paradigm Shifts. College Teaching: Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 27-31.
Structural Morphing using Piezoelectric Modulation of Joint Friction

An innovative approach to morphing/reconfiguration in flexible structures through friction control in joints is proposed and theoretically explored in this study. The customary method of morphing structures through embedded actuators suffers from the fact that actuators have limited authority and high density, and that the presence of integrated/ embedded actuation devices results in stress concentrations in the substrate. As opposed to using induced elastic strain to cause morphing in elastic structures, the concept presented utilizes piezoelectric control of friction for locking/unlocking in structural joints, and sensors for sensing the structural vibration state in conjunction with naturally occurring or excitation vibration energy, to morph the structure under control. The applications of this concept are not limited to morphing alone but in a broader sense, encompass fields of reconfigurable and fault/damage tolerant structures, having characteristics typically desirable in space structures such as ...
Beam Deflection for Time-resolved Measurement of Nonlinear Refraction

We modify the photothermal beam deflection technique for the sensitive measurement of ultrafast nonlinear refraction (λ/5000 sensitivity to nonlinearly-induced phase changes). This allows direct measurement of the temporal dynamics and polarization dependence of nonlinear refraction.
Self-reported suicide attempts by adolescents.

A thorough medical literature review of adolescent self-reported suicide attempts focused on comparing the following: (1) the prevalence of attempts in anonymous vs. face-to-face surveys; (2) the prevalence rates in the United States and Canada vs. those reported elsewhere; and (3) the prevalence of attempt findings vs. self-harm behavior in anonymous surveys. The major findings were: (1) 29 anonymous self-report questionnaire studies from nine countries revealed that a median of 7–10% of adolescent students acknowledged having made one or more suicide attempts; (2) seven structured interview studies revealed a 3–4% lifetime prevalence of attempted suicide by adolescents; (3) self-report questionnaire responses failed to reveal any overlap between deliberate self-harm behavior and suicide attempts; (4) nonanonymous studies had an unusually high rate of refusal. Thus, self-reported suicide attempts are surprisingly frequent in adolescence and are reported two to three times more often under conditions of anonymity. Furthermore, youths report self-harm behavior as distinct from suicide attempts.
Cyberbullying among gifted children

Peer victimization, or bullying, is a phenomenon that has received increasing global attention, and the use of technology, or cyberbullying, to bring about acts of bullying has certainly increased as access to various technological tools has escalated. While it is unclear whether this attention is a function of actual increases in cyberbullying or is simply a function of the fact that the same boom in technological access also enables more rapid reporting of such incidents, the reality remains the same: a number of young people use cyberspace as a means for attacking peers. An examination of the literature pertaining to cyberbullying serves as a backdrop for considering cyberbullying and its particular effects on gifted and talented students, and a call for increasing research efforts in this arena is issued.
Characterization of ResDE-Dependent fnr Transcription in Bacillus subtilis

The ResD-ResE signal transduction system is required for transcription of genes involved in aerobic and anaerobic respiration in Bacillus subtilis. Phosphorylated ResD (ResD approximately P) interacts with target DNA to activate transcription. A strong sequence similarity was detected in promoter regions of some ResD-controlled genes including fnr and resA. Single-base substitutions in the fnr and resA promoters were performed to determine a ResD-binding sequence. DNase I footprinting analysis indicated that ResD approximately P itself does not bind to fnr, but interaction of ResD approximately P with the C-terminal domain of the alpha subunit (alphaCTD) of RNA polymerase (RNAP) facilitates cooperative binding of ResD approximately P and RNAP, thereby increasing fnr transcription initiation. Consistent with this result, amino acid substitutions in alphaCTD, such as Y263A, K267A, A269I, or N290A, sharply reduced fnr transcription in vivo, and the K267A alphaCTD protein, unlike the wild-type protein, did not increase ResD approximately P binding to the fnr promoter. Amino acid residues of alphaCTD required for ResD-dependent fnr transcription, with the exception of N290, which may interact with DNA, constitute a distinct surface, suggesting that these residues likely interact with ResD approximately P.
Postvaccine Genetic Structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 19A from Children in the United States

Background. The introduction of the 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) in children may result in serotype replacement. We estimated the rate of increase of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) caused by serotype 19A in children <5 years old and determined the genetic composition of these isolates. Methods. Cases of IPD between July 1999 and June 2004 were identified through the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance. Serotype 19A isolates obtained from children <5 years old between January 2003 and June 2004 were characterized by serotyping, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Select isolates representing homologous PFGE clusters were subjected to multilocus sequence typing, and eBURST was used to delineate clonal groups. Results. Between July 1999 and June 2004, the overall rate of IPD decreased from 23.3 to 13.1 cases/100,000 population (P<.00001). In children <5 years old, the rate decreased from 88.7 to 22.4 cases/100,000 population (P<.00001), whereas the rate in persons ≥5 years old decreased from 18.4 to 12.4 cases/100,000 population (P<.0001). The rate of serotype 19A IPD in children <5 years old increased significantly from 2.6 cases/100,000 population in 1999-2000 to 6.5 cases/100,000 population in 2003-2004; this was accompanied by significant increases in penicillin nonsusceptibility (P =.008) and multidrug resistance (P =.002) among serotype 19A isolates. As was observed during the pre-PCV7 era, clonal complex (CC) 199 predominated within serotype 19A, representing ∼70% of invasive serotype 19A isolates from children <5 years old during 2003-2004. New serotype 19A genotypes were observed during 2003-2004, including 6 CCs that were not found among pneumococcal serotype 19A isolates during surveillance in 1999. Conclusion. Serotype 19A is, at present, the most important cause of IPD by replacement serotypes, and it is increasingly drug resistant. CC199 is the predominant CC among type 19A serotypes in children <5 years old. Our data suggest that some of the increase in rates of infection with serotype 19A may be due to serotype switching within certain vaccine type strains.
A rare ovarian tumour in a 5-month-old infant

A 5-month-old infant presented with a week's history of progressive abdominal distension. Three weeks previously she had developed pubic hair and breast development. On examination, she had gross abdominal distension with Tanner stage 3 breasts and pubic hair, with mild cliteromegaly (figure 1). Figure 1 Abdominal distension bilateral breast buds Tanner stage 3, pubic hair and darkened rugosed labial folds. A massively enlarged right ovary (10 cm×6.7 cm×7.7 cm) was identified …
Micromechanical Modeling of Honeycomb Structures Based on a Modified Couple Stress Theory

A micromechanics model is developed for hexagonal honeycomb structures by using a modified couple stress theory. The formulation is based on structural analysis of repeating units and a homogenization procedure. Both bending and axial deformations of cell walls are considered here, unlike earlier models. The closed-form expressions for five effective in-plane elastic constants (including two Young's moduli, one shear modulus and two Poisson's ratios) of a honeycomb structure are derived in terms of the Young's modulus of the cell wall material and the slenderness (length-to-thickness) ratio of the cell wall. The formulas for two length scale parameters are obtained in terms of the slenderness ratio and thickness of the cell wall, thereby providing a direct measure of the microstructure of the honeycomb. The constitutive relations for the two-dimensional couple stress continuum equivalently representing the discrete honeycomb structure are provided using the five effective elastic constants and two length ...
Ahrens receives the Hess Medal

Tom Ahrens was awarded the Harry H. Hess Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honor Ceremony on December 17, 1996, in San Francisco. The Hess Medal recognizes outstanding achievements in research in the constitution and evolution of Earth and its sister planets. The award citation and Ahren's response are given here.
WE-EF-210-06: Ultrasound 2D Strain Measurement of Radiation-Induced Toxicity: Phantom and Ex Vivo Experiments

Purpose: Radiation-induced fibrosis is a common long-term complication affecting many patients following cancer radiotherapy. Standard clinical assessment of subcutaneous fibrosis is subjective and often limited to visual inspection and palpation. Ultrasound strain imaging describes the compressibility (elasticity) of biological tissues. This study’s purpose is to develop a quantitative ultrasound strain imaging that can consistently and accurately characterize radiation-induce fibrosis. Methods: In this study, we propose a 2D strain imaging method based on deformable image registration. A combined affine and B-spline transformation model is used to calculate the displacement of tissue between pre-stress and post-stress B-mode image sequences. The 2D displacement is estimated through a hybrid image similarity measure metric, which is a combination of the normalized mutual information (NMI) and normalized sum-of-squared-differences (NSSD). And 2D strain is obtained from the gradient of the local displacement. We conducted phantom experiments under various compressions and compared the performance of our proposed method with the standard cross-correlation (CC)- based method using the signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNS) ratios. In addition, we conducted ex-vivo beef muscle experiment to further validate the proposed method. Results: For phantom study, the SNR and CNS values of the proposed method were significantly higher than those calculated from the CC-based method under different strains. The SNR and CNR increased by a factor of 1.9 and 2.7 comparing to the CC-based method. For the ex-vivo experiment, the CC-based method failed to work due to large deformation (6.7%), while our proposed method could accurately detect the stiffness change. Conclusion: We have developed a 2D strain imaging technique based on the deformable image registration, validated its accuracy and feasibility with phantom and ex-vivo data. This 2D ultrasound strain imaging technology may be valuable as physicians try to eliminate radiation-induce fibrosis and improve the therapeutic ratio of cancer radiotherapy. This research is supported in part by DOD PCRP Award W81XWH-13-1-0269, and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Grant CA114313.
β2-Glycoprotein I Promotes the Binding of Anionic Phospholipid Vesicles by Macrophages

Beta(2)-Glycoprotein I is a single-chain 50-kDa protein that circulates in plasma at a concentration of approximately 200 microg/mL. Its physiological role remains uncertain, but an important clue is the frequent presence of antibodies to this protein in patients with recurrent thrombosis. We have isolated beta(2)-glycoprotein I and examined its effect on the binding of phosphatidylserine (PS) vesicles by human monocyte-derived macrophages and by phorbol ester-stimulated THP-1 cells. beta(2)-Glycoprotein I stimulated the binding of PS vesicles by these cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Vesicles containing other anionic phospholipids, such as cardiolipin, phosphatidic acid, or cardiolipin, inhibited the binding, whereas PC vesicles had no effect. Platelet-derived microvesicles, which contain anionic phospholipid on the outer leaflet of their phospholipid bilayer, also inhibited beta(2)-glycoprotein I-dependent binding of anionic phospholipid vesicles. The binding is associated with incorporation of phospholipid in the cell membrane and internalization of beta(2)-glycoprotein I. These findings suggest a physiological function for beta(2)-glycoprotein I in the clearance of procoagulant anionic phospholipid-containing cell surfaces from the circulation.
Syllable-proximity evaluation in automatic speech recognition using fuzzy measures and a fuzzy integral

This paper describes a syllable-proximity evaluation task within the context of an automatic speech recognition application. This task is well suited to a multiple-information aggregation framework in which preliminary evaluations of separate information sources are combined to produce a more accurate and reliable overall evaluation than would otherwise be the case. An aggregation operator using fuzzy measures and a fuzzy integral is adopted that possesses a number of desirable properties and the fuzzy-measure parameters can be automatically learned from training data by re-casting the syllable-proximity evaluation as a classification problem. Experiments performed on spontaneous speech material demonstrate that the fuzzy-integration-based aggregation approach has many advantages over alternative techniques in terms of both performance and interpretability of the system.
Structural and functional implications of p53 missense cancer mutations.

Most human cancers contain mutations in the transcription factor p53 and majority of these are missense and located in the DNA binding core domain. In this study, the stabilities of all core domain missense mutations are predicted and are used to infer their likely inactivation mechanisms. Overall, 47.0% non-PRO/GLY mutants are stable (ΔΔG 3.0 kT), 12.2% mutants are with 1.0 kT < ΔΔG < 3.0 kT. Only 4.5% mutants are with no conclusive predictions. Certain types of either stable or unstable mutations are found not to depend on their local structures. Y, I, C, V, F and W (W, R and F) are the most common residues before (after) mutation in unstable mutants. Q, N, K, D, A, S and T (I, T, L and V) are the most common residues before (after) mutation in stable mutants. The stability correlations with sequence, structure, and molecular contacts are also analyzed. No direct correlation between secondary structure and stability is apparent, but a strong correlation between solvent exposure and stability is noticeable. Our correlation analysis shows that loss of protein-protein contacts may be an alternative cause for p53 inactivation. Correlation with clinical data shows that loss of stability and loss of DNA contacts are the two main inactivation mechanisms. Finally, correlation with functional data shows that most mutations which retain functions are stable, and most mutations that gain functions are unstable, indicating destabilized and deformed p53 proteins are more likely to find new binding partners.
Does Microbial Diversity Confound General Predictions

Microbes show more geographic diversity than previously expected, a serious challenge for ecological prediction. However, a recent study shows that microbial communities from a global grassland plot network responded consistently to nutrient addition. These results highlight the risks of nutrient deposition, but also hope for generalized understanding of microbial communities.
Reliability of center of pressure measures for assessing the development of sitting postural control.

Abstract Kyvelidou A, Harbourne RT, Stuberg WA, Sun J, Stergiou N. Reliability of center of pressure measures for assessing the development of sitting postural control. Objectives To determine the reliability of linear and nonlinear tools, including intrasession and intersession reliability, when used to analyze the center of pressure (COP) time series during the development of infant sitting postural control. Design Longitudinal study. Setting University hospital laboratory. Participants Typically developing infants (N=33; mean ± SD age at entry in the study, 152.4±17.6d). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Infants were tested twice in 1 week at each of the 4 months of the study. Sitting COP data were recorded for 3 trials at each session (2 each month within 1 week). The linear COP parameters of root mean square and range of sway for both the anterior-posterior and the medial-lateral directions, and the sway path, were calculated. The nonlinear parameters of approximate entropy, Lyapunov exponent, and correlation dimension for both directions were also calculated. Intrasession and intersession reliability was quantified by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results The nonlinear tool of approximate entropy presented high intrasession and intersession ICC values compared with all other parameters evaluated. Generally, intrasession and intersession reliability increased in the last 2 months of the data collection and as sitting posture matured. Conclusions Our results showed that the evaluation of COP data is a reliable method of investigating the development of sitting postural control. The present study emphasizes the need for establishing COP reliability before using it as a method of examining intervention progress directed at improving the sitting postural abilities in infants with motor developmental delays.
An adaptive grid version of CMAQ for improving the resolution of plumes

Abstract Atmospheric pollutant plumes are not well resolved in current air quality models due to limitations in grid resolution. Examples of these include power plant and biomass burning plumes. Adequate resolution of these plumes necessitates multiscale air quality modeling at much finer scales than currently employed and we believe that adaptive grids could be the best approach to accurate fine–scale modeling of air pollution dynamics and chemistry. An adaptive grid version of the CMAQ model with all necessary functions for tracking gaseous pollutants and particulate matter has been developed. The model incorporates a dynamic, solution–adaptive grid algorithm and a variable time step algorithm into CMAQ, while retaining the original functionality, concept of modularity, and grid topology. The adaptive model was evaluated by comparing its performance to that of the standard, static grid CMAQ in simulating particulate matter concentrations from a biomass burning air pollution incident affecting a large urban area. The adaptive grid model significantly reduced numerical diffusion, produced better defined plumes, and exhibited closer agreement with monitoring site measurements. The adaptive grid also allows impacts at specified locations to be attributed to a specific pollutant source and provides insight into air pollution dynamics unattainable with a static grid model. Potential applications of adaptive grid modeling need not be limited to air quality simulation, but could be useful in meteorological and climate models as well.
Robust Small Robot Localization From Highly Uncertain Sensors

Localization is arguably the most important goal for a robot to solve-without knowledge of its place in the world, a robot cannot do useful work. The current best practice for providing accurate localization given uncertain sensors involves the use of sensor fusion, or combining sensor data in order to derive a better pose estimation for the robot. Small robots add another problem that needs to be solved-limited power, computational ability, and weight/space constrain both the sensors available and the filters that can be used. This paper provides a detailed example in simulation of four filter types: the extended Kalman filter, the Fuzzy EKF, the sigma-point KF (SPKF), and the double fuzzy SPKF, while discussing the strengths and weaknesses of all current state of the art sensor methods. While the field is relatively mature, there has been little to no comparative analysis of different filters performed-what roles do they best serve, how to select the “best” filter, and what tradeoffs must be made for each type. This paper analyzes the current state of the art filters of all categories and determines their applicability to the small robot problem.
Single machine scheduling with interfering job sets

We consider two single machine bicriteria scheduling problems in which jobs belong to either of two different disjoint sets, each set having its own performance measure. The problem has been referred to as interfering job sets in the scheduling literature and also been called multi-agent scheduling where each agent's objective function is to be minimized. In the first problem (P1) we look at minimizing total completion time and number of tardy jobs for the two sets of jobs and present a forward SPT-EDD heuristic that attempts to generate the set of non-dominated solutions. The complexity of this specific problem is NP-hard; however some pseudo-polynomial algorithms have been suggested by earlier researchers and they have been used to compare the results from the proposed heuristic. In the second problem (P2) we look at minimizing total weighted completion time and maximum lateness. This is an established NP-hard problem for which we propose a forward WSPT-EDD heuristic that attempts to generate the set of supported points and compare our solution quality with MIP formulations. For both of these problems, we assume that all jobs are available at time zero and the jobs are not allowed to be preempted.
Water Dimers in the Atmosphere: Equilibrium Constant for Water Dimerization from the VRT(ASP-W) Potential Surface

The equilibrium constant for water dimerization (KP) was determined as a function of temperature via rigorous calculation of the canonical (H2O)2 partition function using the recently developed split Wigner pseudo-spectral method and the VRT(ASP-W) pair potential. Our KP(T) values are significantly larger than those from previous theoretical treatments but somewhat smaller than literature experimental values, which exist, however, only over a very limited temperature range. These results indicate that water dimers can exist in sufficient concentrations (e.g., 1016 cm-3 at 40 °C and 100% relative humidity) to affect physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere.
Reading the Bible in America: The Moral and Political Attitude Effect

The Bible is an important text in American history, but research ana- lyzing the social consequences of reading the Bible is very limited. Research focusing on religious practices or religiosity with Bible reading as part of a scale shows a tendency towards conservatism and traditionalism, as do more literalist views of the Bible. In the present study, biblical literalism is treated as a powerful context guiding one's reading. The focus here is a quantitative view of Bible reading, deploying two 'conservative' and two 'liberal' moral/political scales and two competing views for how Bible reading may function. Results indicate that Bible reading is positively related to both of the liberal scales as well as the con- servative scales for non-literalists, but not for those with literalist Bible views. The findings begin to show the importance of independent Bible reading, how it may function differently for literalists and non-literalists, and highlights the degree to which literalism and Bible reading are different constructs.
Barriers and Disparities in Emergency Medical Services 911 Calls for Stroke Symptoms in the United States Adult Population: 2009 BRFSS Survey

Introduction: This study examines barriers and disparities in the intentions of American citizens, when dealing with stroke symptoms, to call 911. This study hypothesizes that low socioeconomic populations are less likely to call 911 in response to stroke recognition. Methods: The study is a cross-sectional design analyzing data from the Centers for Disease Control’s 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, collected through a telephone-based survey from 18 states and the District of Columbia. The study identified the 5 most evident stroke-warning symptoms based on those given by the American Stroke Association. We conducted appropriate weighting procedures to account for the complex survey design. Results: A total of 131,988 respondents answered the following question: “If you thought someone was having a heart attack or a stroke, what is the first thing you would do?” A majority of those who said they would call 911 were insured (85.1%), had good health (84.1%), had no stroke history (97.3%), had a primary care physician (PCP) (81.4%), and had no burden of medical costs (84.9%). Those less likely to call 911 were found in the following groups: 65 years or older, men, other race, unmarried, less than or equal to high school degree, less than $25,000 family income, uninsured, no PCP, burden of medical costs, fair/poor health, previous history of strokes, or interaction between burden of medical costs and less than $50,000 family income (p<0.0001 by X2 tests). The only factors significantly associated with “would call 911” were age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, and previous history of strokes. Conclusion: Barriers and disparities exist among subpopulations of different socioeconomic statuses. This study suggests that some potential stroke victims could have limited access to EMS services. Greater effort targeting certain populations is needed to motivate citizens to call 911. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(2):251–259].
Managing the Records of Higher Education: The State of Records Management in American Colleges and Universities

A half century after the beginnings of records management and institutional archives in American colleges and universities, the authors undertook a broadly based national survey to analyze the state of records management in academe and to identify program characteristics. Campus-wide programs were identified at approximately one-third of the 449 responding colleges and universities, particularly at public institutions subject to state legal requirements for public accountability. The survey also identified widespread implementation of decentralized, office-centered records management programs by registrars and other campus officials. Archivists accounted for most of the survey respondents reporting no campus-wide programs. College and university archivists have long been tireless supporters of academic records management, believing that records management responsibility provides a legally mandated means to identify and accession records of enduring value. But archivists should modify their traditional app...
Material Innovation in Advancing Organometal Halide Perovskite Functionality.

Organometal halide perovskites (OMHPs) have garnered much attention recently for their unprecedented rate of increasing power conversion efficiency (PCE), positioning them as a promising basis for the next-generation photovoltaic devices. However, the gap between the rapid increasing PCE and the incomplete understanding of the structure–property–performance relationship prevents the realization of the true potential of OMHPs. This Perspective aims to provide a concise overview of the current status of OMHP research, highlighting the unique properties of OMHPs that are critical for solar applications but still not adequately explained. Stability and performance challenges of OMHP solar cells are discussed, calling upon combined experimental and theoretical efforts to address these challenges for pioneering commercialization of OMHP solar cells. Various material innovation strategies for improving the performance and stability of OMHPs are surveyed, showing that the OMHP architecture can serve as a promisin...
Enriched Autologous Facial Fat Grafts in Aesthetic Surgery: 3D Volumetric Results

Background Improved results with aesthetic fat augmentation of the face have been recently described by the concomitant use of autologous stem cells from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF). Objective There are no studies in the literature regarding facial fat augmentation results with the use of SVF using 3D computer volumetric analyses. This prospective study was thus undertaken to answer this question. Methods Fat was harvested by a standard liposuction technique for reinjection. A 50 cc aliquot of fat was also processed to obtain the SVF using a standard collagenase technique. A cell count was done using a cytometer, and the amount of injected fat and cells were recorded. The Vultus 3D photogrammetric scanning system was used to scan the face pre- and posttreatment and long-term, and volume changes were then calculated at the different time intervals. The data was then correlated to the variables. Results Ten subjects were included in the study, with an average follow-up of 12.6 months. The average amount of fat injected was 18.4 cc, of which 68% was retained. The average cell count of the SVF was 4.8 × 105. The amount of retained fat by volume was found to be positively correlated to the number of cells in the SVF. There was no correlation between the age and number of cells in the SVF. Conclusions There is a correlation between the number of cells in the SVF and the amount of fat retained. Level of Evidence 3![Graphic][1] Therapeutic [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Relative value unit-based compensation incentivization in an academic vascular practice improves productivity with no early adverse impact on quality

Abstract Objective Given the increased pressure from governmental programs to restructure reimbursements to reflect quality metrics achieved by physicians, review of current reimbursement schemes is necessary to ensure sustainability of the physician's performance while maintaining and ultimately improving patient outcomes. This study reviewed the impact of reimbursement incentives on evidence-based care outcomes within a vascular surgical program at an academic tertiary care center. Methods Data for patients with a confirmed 30-day follow-up for the vascular surgery subset of our institution's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program submission for the years 2013 and 2014 were reviewed. The outcomes reviewed included 30-day mortality, readmission, unplanned returns to the operating room, and all major morbidities. A comparison of both total charges and work relative value units (RVUs) generated was performed before and after changes were made from a salary-based to a productivity-based compensation model. P value analysis was used to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in patient outcomes between the two study years. Results No statistically significant difference in outcomes of the core measures studied was identified between the two periods. There was a trend toward a lower incidence of respiratory complications, largely driven by a lower incidence in pneumonia between 2013 and 2014. The vascular division had a net increase of 8.2% in total charges and 5.7% in work RVUs after the RVU-based incentivization program was instituted. Conclusions Revenue-improving measures can improve sustainability of a vascular program without negatively affecting patient care as evidenced by the lack of difference in evidence-based core outcome measures in our study period. Further studies are needed to elucidate the long-term effects of incentivization programs on both patient care and program viability.
Benefits, Challenges, and Perceptions of the Multiple Article Dissertation Format in Instructional Technology.

This study used survey data to investigate the benefits, challenges, perceptions, and current practices of the multiple article dissertation format in instructional technology. Online surveys were sent to current students, alumni, faculty, and department representatives of instructional technology programs, and data were analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. The surveys found that alumni who completed multiple article format dissertations received more citations for their dissertations than those who completed traditional dissertations, showing that the multiple article format can increase the likelihood of impact. Additionally, respondents reported that multiple article dissertation formats facilitate authenticity and collaboration and prepare students for a career in academia. However, some participants perceived the multiple article format to be less rigorous than traditional dissertations, with ambiguous requirements and expectations of quality. More research is needed in order to understand current practices for multiple article dissertation formats in instructional technology.
A Measure of Brand Acceptance

A measure of brand acceptance involves a refinement of the usual stochastic model market prediction. Using this measure, the effect of consumer promotions and purchasing habits on brand acceptance ...
Validity of the Lie Scale of University Personality Inventory (UPI)

Objective: To analyze the validity of the lie scale in University Personality Inventory (UPI). Methods: Relationship between choice of lie scale and UPI score , mental health was analyzed by UPI questionnaire of 2958 freshers.Results: Average every student chosed 2.37 lie items. Relationship between UPI score and numbers of the choosed lie items showed negative correlation. Numbers of lie items that was chosen by First class students was fewer than that was chosen by second class students, and numbers of lie items that was chosen by second class students was fewer than that was chosen by third class students.Conclusion:UPI lie scale had lost validity to evaluate attitude of respondent, so UPI lie scale should be revised.
Konvexe Mengen und Konvexe Funktionen

Seien E,F reelle Vektorraume, R die Menge der reellen Zahlen, \(\overline R = [ - \infty , + \infty ] = R \cup \{ - \infty \} \cup \{ + \infty \} \), R⊕ = [O,+∞[, R+ = ]O,+∞[, ... wobei [x,y] = {z|z = (1−λ)x +λ y, O ≤ λ ≤ 1} das abgeschlossene Intervall von x bis y (in \(E,R,\bar R,..\)) ist, entsprechend bezeichnet ]x,y[ das offene Intervall,...
Prenatal diagnosis and screening.

Prenatal diagnosis for many genodermatoses is available by amniocentesis, ultrasonography, chorionic villus sampling, and fetoscopy. As knowledge about the basic biochemical and DNA defects for the inherited disorders of the skin is gained, more disorders will be amenable to antenatal detection. Included is a discussion of currently available techniques and disorders successfully diagnosed or excluded.
Fracture characteristics of an Al-Si-Mg model composite system

Abstract The fracture toughness characteristics of an Al–Si–Mg model composite system were examined. Through manipulating composition and processing variables, controlled variations in particle volume fraction and matrix flow properties were produced and tested using JIC tests. Metallographic analysis shows that the fracture process proceeds by the cracking of Si particles ahead of the crack tip in a very localized region. This is compared with results from smooth uniaxial tensile specimens which, while exhibiting the same particle cracking mode of fracture, have damage distributed over a wider area of the spicimen. The results for the Al–Si–Mg model alloys are compared with JIC results for commercial composite systems, and the differences observed are discussed in terms of the characteristics of the reinforcement particles.