cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aggregated modeling and control of air conditioning loads for demand response

Demand response is playing an increasingly important role in the efficient and reliable operation of the electric grid. Modeling the dynamic behavior of a large population of responsive loads is especially important to evaluate the effectiveness of various demand response strategies. In this paper, a highly accurate aggregated model is developed for a population of air conditioning loads. The model effectively includes statistical information of the load population, systematically deals with load heterogeneity, and accounts for second-order dynamics necessary to accurately capture the transient dynamics in the collective response. Based on the model, a novel aggregated control strategy is designed for the load population under realistic conditions. The proposed controller is fully responsive and achieves the control objective without sacrificing end-use performance. The proposed aggregated modeling and control strategy is validated through realistic simulations using GridLAB-D. Extensive simulation results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively manage a large number of air conditioning systems to provide various demand response services, such as frequency regulation and peak load reduction.
Disturbance and net ecosystem production across three climatically distinct forest landscapes

[1] Biometric techniques were used to measure net ecosystem production (NEP) across three climatically distinct forest chronosequences in Oregon. NEP was highly negative immediately following stand-replacing disturbance in all forests and recovered to positive values by 10, 20, and 30 years of age for the mild and mesic Coast Range, mesic West Cascades, and semi-arid East Cascades, respectively. The response of stand-level NEP to individual disturbance events is greater than that attributable to edaphoclimatic differences between forest type. However, regional age class distributions are such that the variability in landscape-level NEP attributable to disturbance regimes is equivalent to that attributable to regional edaphoclimatic differences between forest types. Simulations of age class distribution under varying disturbance frequencies suggest that the sensitivity of landscape-level NEP to changes in disturbance regime varies among forest types and is linked to both remnant detritus and photosynthetic recovery rate that are partly a function of edaphoclimatic differences.
Extension of the PAC framework to finite and countable Markov chains

We consider a model of learning in which the successive observations follow a certain Markov chain. The observations are labeled according to a membership to some unknown target set. For a Markov chain with finitely many states we show that, if the target set belongs to a family of sets with a finite Vapnik-Chervonenkis (1995) dimension, then probably approximately correct (PAC) learning of this set is possible with polynomially large samples. Specifically for observations following a random walk with a state space /spl Xscr/ and uniform stationary distribution, the sample size required is no more than /spl Omega/(t/sub 0//1-/spl lambda//sub 2/log(t/sub 0/|/spl chi/|1//spl delta/)), where /spl delta/ is the confidence level, /spl lambda//sub 2/ is the second largest eigenvalue of the transition matrix, and t/sub 0/ is the sample size sufficient for learning from independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) observations. We then obtain similar results for Markov chains with countably many states using Lyapunov function technique and results on mixing properties of infinite state Markov chains.
Nonaqueous liquid electrolytes for lithium-based rechargeable batteries.

2.1. Solvents 4307 2.1.1. Propylene Carbonate (PC) 4308 2.1.2. Ethers 4308 2.1.3. Ethylene Carbonate (EC) 4309 2.1.4. Linear Dialkyl Carbonates 4310 2.2. Lithium Salts 4310 2.2.1. Lithium Perchlorate (LiClO4) 4311 2.2.2. Lithium Hexafluoroarsenate (LiAsF6) 4312 2.2.3. Lithium Tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4) 4312 2.2.4. Lithium Trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiTf) 4312 2.2.5. Lithium Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiIm) and Its Derivatives 4313
Bispectral index monitoring documents burst suppression during pentobarbital coma.

During pentobarbital coma, electroencephalographic monitoring is used to document burst suppression (3-5 episodes of electrical activity/min). The current study evaluates the association of the bispectral index number and suppression ratio with a burst suppression pattern on electroencephalograph. The records of 7 patients (aged 2.9-14 years) who received pentobarbital for elevated intracranial pressure were retrospectively reviewed. The bispectral index number was 7 +/- 5, 14 +/- 3, and 37 +/- 12, whereas the suppression ratio was 93 +/- 7%, 75 +/- 6%, and 29 +/- 18% when the electroencephalograph showed or= 6 bursts/min, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of a bispectral index value of 10 to 20 were 96% and 92%, respectively, whereas the sensitivity and specificity of a suppression ratio of 65% to 85% were 89% and 88%, respectively, in demonstrating the presence of 3 to 5 bursts/min. Bispectral index monitoring may be easier to perform and may require less technical expertise to interpret.
Keck Pencil-Beam Survey for Faint Kuiper Belt Objects

We present the results of a pencil-beam survey of the Kuiper Belt using the Keck 10 m telescope. A single 0.01 deg^2 field is imaged 29 times for a total integration time of 4.8 hr. Combining exposures in software allows the detection of Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) having visual magnitude m_V ≾ 27.9. Two new KBOs are discovered. One object having m_V = 25.5 lies at a probable heliocentric distance R ≈ 33 AU. The second object at m_V = 27.2 is located at R ≈ 44 AU. Both KBOs have diameters of about 50 km, assuming comet-like albedos of 4%. Data from all surveys are pooled to construct the luminosity function from m_R = 20 to 27. The cumulative number of objects per square degree, Σ(<m_R), is fitted to a power law of the form log_(10) Σ = α(m_R - 23.5), where the slope α = 0.52 ± 0.02. Differences between slopes reported in the literature are due mainly to which survey data are incorporated in the fit and not to the method of analysis. The luminosity function is consistent with a power-law size distribution for objects having diameters s = 50–500 km within 50 AU; dN ∝ s^(-q) ds, where the differential size index q = 3.6 ± 0.1. We estimate to order of magnitude that 0.2 M_⊕ and 1 × 10^(10) comet progenitors lie between 30 and 50 AU. Though our inferred size index nearly matches that derived by Dohnanyi, it is unknown whether catastrophic collisions are responsible for shaping the size distribution. Impact strengths may increase strongly with size from 50 to 500 km, whereas the derivation by Dohnanyi assumes impact strength to be independent of size. Collisional lifetimes of KBOs having diameters 50–500 km exceed the age of the solar system by at least 2 orders of magnitude in the present-day Belt, assuming bodies consist of solid, cohesive rock. Implications of the absence of detections of classical KBOs beyond 50 AU are discussed.
Hybrid ARQ in Multiple-Antenna Slow Fading Channels: Performance Limits and Optimal Linear Dispersion Code Design

This paper focuses on studying the fundamental performance limits and linear dispersion code design for the MIMO-ARQ slow fading channel. The optimal average rate of well-known HARQ protocols is analyzed. The optimal design of space-time coding for the MIMO-ARQ channel is discussed. Information-theoretic measures are used to optimize the rate assignment and derive the optimum design criterion, which is then used to evaluate the optimality of existing space-time codes. A different design criterion, which is obtained from the error probability analysis of space-time coded MIMO-HARQ, is presented. Examples are studied to reveal the gain of ARQ feedback in space-time coded MIMO systems.
MapReduce: simplified data processing on large clusters

MapReduce is a programming model and an associated implementation for processing and generating large datasets that is amenable to a broad variety of real-world tasks. Users specify the computation in terms of a map and a reduce function, and the underlying runtime system automatically parallelizes the computation across large-scale clusters of machines, handles machine failures, and schedules inter-machine communication to make efficient use of the network and disks. Programmers find the system easy to use: more than ten thousand distinct MapReduce programs have been implemented internally at Google over the past four years, and an average of one hundred thousand MapReduce jobs are executed on Google's clusters every day, processing a total of more than twenty petabytes of data per day.
A 1.488 approximation algorithm for the uncapacitated facility location problem

We present a 1.488-approximation algorithm for the metric uncapacitated facility location (UFL) problem. Previously, the best algorithm was due to Byrka (2007). Byrka proposed an algorithm parametrized by @c and used it with @c~1.6774. By either running his algorithm or the algorithm proposed by Jain, Mahdian and Saberi ([email protected]?02), Byrka obtained an algorithm that gives expected approximation ratio 1.5. We show that if @c is randomly selected, the approximation ratio can be improved to 1.488. Our algorithm cuts the gap with the 1.463 approximability lower bound by almost 1/3.
Tetrahydroquinoline-Based selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)

A new series of estrogen receptor ligands based on a 6-hydroxy-tetrahydroquinoline scaffold is described, in addition to their binding affinity and functional activity in MCF-7 cells. Several 1,2-disubstituted tetrahydroquinolines bearing a basic side chain were shown to be high affinity ligands and antagonists in the MCF-7 proliferation assay. Compounds lacking the basic side chain were agonists in the MCF-7 assay.
Total synthesis of (−)-centrolobine: β-C-glycoside formation via a tandem Grignard addition and stereoselective hemi-ketal reduction

It has been demonstrated that an aryl-β-C-glycoside can be efficiently constructed via a sequence consisting of Brown asymmetric allylation, ring-closing metathesis, hydrogenation, nucleophilic addition, and stereoselective Et3SiH reduction. The antibiotic natural product (−)-centrolobine was synthesized in this manner utilizing only five steps with an overall 53% yield.
Novel approach to pro-drugs of lactones: water soluble imidate and ortho-ester derivatives of a furanone-based COX-2 selective inhibitor

Interest in water soluble COX-2 inhibitors that can be administered intravenously led to the development of novel pro-drugs of a furanone based COX-2 inhibitor 2. Transforming the lactone moiety of the furanone to an imidate or an ortho-ester with a hydrophilic, endogenous appendage resulted in water soluble pro-drugs that converted to the parent drug in vivo.
Computer generation of vertex graphs

In connection with the problem of generating all multigraphs having a specified vertex-degree list, Lederberg1 has presented a tree-generation algorithm which, exploiting a canonical-lexical notational system, constructs the complete set of solutions in canonically increasing order, without redundancy. Brown2, et. al., have expanded the scope generation to cyclic graphs. Their method relies upon the existence of a complete and irredundant set of “vertex-graphs” and the procedure consists of a series of graph labelling steps. Graph labelling allows one to assign labels from a given set to the vertices (edges) of a graph, in such a way that knowing the symmetry group of the graph, equivalent label assignments are avoided prospectively. Recent work has been directed towards supplying the vertex-graphs needed by the generator. A program has been written to generate all graphs with t trivalent and q quadrivalent vertices, from graphs having (t + 2q) trivalent vertices. This method, however, will generate redundant vertex-graphs and some issues in isomorph elimination are considered in this presentation.
High Dynamic Range Pixel Array Detector for Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

We describe a hybrid pixel array detector (electron microscope pixel array detector, or EMPAD) adapted for use in electron microscope applications, especially as a universal detector for scanning transmission electron microscopy. The 128×128 pixel detector consists of a 500 µm thick silicon diode array bump-bonded pixel-by-pixel to an application-specific integrated circuit. The in-pixel circuitry provides a 1,000,000:1 dynamic range within a single frame, allowing the direct electron beam to be imaged while still maintaining single electron sensitivity. A 1.1 kHz framing rate enables rapid data collection and minimizes sample drift distortions while scanning. By capturing the entire unsaturated diffraction pattern in scanning mode, one can simultaneously capture bright field, dark field, and phase contrast information, as well as being able to analyze the full scattering distribution, allowing true center of mass imaging. The scattering is recorded on an absolute scale, so that information such as local sample thickness can be directly determined. This paper describes the detector architecture, data acquisition system, and preliminary results from experiments with 80–200 keV electron beams.
Section-Based Program Analysis to Reduce Overhead of Detecting Unsynchronized Thread Communication

Most systems that test and verify parallel programs, such as deterministic execution engines, data race detectors, and software transactional memory systems, require instrumenting loads and stores in an application. This can cause a very significant runtime and memory overhead compared to executing uninstrumented code. Multithreaded programming typically allows any thread to perform loads and stores to any location in the process’s address space independently, and such tools monitor all these memory accesses. However, many of the addresses in these unsynchronized memory accesses are only used by a single thread and do not affect other executing threads. We propose Section-Based Program Analysis (SBPA), a novel way to decompose the program into disjoint code sections to identify and eliminate instrumenting such loads and stores during program compilation so that the program runtime overhead is significantly reduced. Our analysis includes improvements to pointer analysis and uses a few user directives to increase the effectiveness of SBPA further. We implemented SBPA for a deterministic execution runtime environment and were able to eliminate 51p of dynamic memory access instrumentations. When combined with directives, such reduction increased to 63p. We also integrated SBPA with ThreadSanitizer, a state-of-the-art dynamic race detector, and achieved a speedup of 2.43 (2.74 with directives) on a geometric mean basis.
Wide or narrow? The phenomenology of 750 GeV diphotons

I perform a combined analysis of the ATLAS and CMS diphoton data, using both Run-I and Run-II results, including those released at the 2016 Moriond conference. I find combining the ATLAS and CMS results from Run-II increases the statistical significance of the reported 750 GeV anomaly, assuming a spin-0 mediator coupling to gluons or heavy quarks with a width much smaller than the detector resolution. This significance does not decrease when the 8 TeV data is included. A spin-2 mediator is disfavored compared to the spin-0 case. The cross section required to fit the ATLAS anomaly is in tension with the aggregate data, all of which prefers a smaller value. The best fit for all models I consider is a 4.0\(\sigma \) local significance for a 750 GeV spin-0 mediator coupling to gluons with a cross section of 4 fb at 13 TeV (assuming narrow width) or 10 fb (assuming \(\Gamma =45\) GeV).
Unparticles and anomalous dimensions in the cuprates

Motivated by the overwhelming evidence some type of quantum criticality underlies the power-law for the optical conductivity and T−linear resistivity in the cuprates, we demonstrate here how a scale-invariant or unparticle sector can lead to a unifying description of the observed scaling forms. We adopt the continuous mass formalism or multi band (flavor) formalism of the unparticle sector by letting various microscopic parameters be mass-dependent. In particular, we show that an effective mass that varies with the flavor index as well as a running band edge and lifetime capture the AC and DC transport phenomenology of the cuprates. A key consequence of the running mass is that the effective dynamical exponent can differ from the underlying bare critical exponent, thereby providing a mechanism for realizing the fractional values of the dynamical exponent required in a previous analysis [1]. We also predict that regardless of the bare dynamical exponent, z, a non-zero anomalous dimension for the current is required. Physically, the anomalous dimension arises because the charge depends on the flavor, mass or energy. The equivalent phenomenon in a d + 1 gravitational construction is the running of the charge along the radial direction. The nature of the superconducting instability in the presence of scale invariant stuff shows that the transition temperature is not necessarily a monotonic function of the pairing interaction.
Fused Catechol Ethers from Gold(I)-Catalyzed Intramolecular Reaction of Propargyl Ethers with Acetals.

Selective gold(I)-catalyzed rearrangement of aromatic methoxypropynyl acetals leads to fused catechol ethers (1,2-dialkoxynapthalenes) in excellent yields. Furthermore, this process extends to the analogous heterocyclic and aliphatic substrates. Alkyne activation triggers nucleophilic addition of the acetal oxygen that leads to an equilibrating mixture of oxonium ions of similar stability. This mixture is “kinetically self-sorted” via a highly exothermic cyclization. Selective formation of 1,2-dialkoxy naphthalenes originates from chemoselective aromatization of the cyclic intermediate via 1,4-elimination of methanol.
A Splice Variant of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome 5 (BBS5) Protein that Is Selectively Expressed in Retina

Purpose Bardet-Biedl syndrome is a complex ciliopathy that usually manifests with some form of retinal degeneration, amongst other ciliary-related deficiencies. One of the genetic causes of this syndrome results from a defect in Bardet-Biedl Syndrome 5 (BBS5) protein. BBS5 is one component of the BBSome, a complex of proteins that regulates the protein composition in cilia. In this study, we identify a smaller molecular mass form of BBS5 as a variant formed by alternative splicing and show that expression of this splice variant is restricted to the retina. Methods Reverse transcription PCR from RNA was used to isolate and identify potential alternative transcripts of Bbs5. A peptide unique to the C-terminus of the BBS5 splice variant was synthesized and used to prepare antibodies that selectively recognized the BBS5 splice variant. These antibodies were used on immunoblots of tissue extracts to determine the extent of expression of the alternative transcript and on tissue slices to determine the localization of expressed protein. Pull-down of fluorescently labeled arrestin1 by immunoprecipitation of the BBS5 splice variant was performed to assess functional interaction between the two proteins. Results PCR from mouse retinal cDNA using Bbs5-specific primers amplified a unique cDNA that was shown to be a splice variant of BBS5 resulting from the use of cryptic splicing sites in Intron 7. The resulting transcript codes for a truncated form of the BBS5 protein with a unique 24 amino acid C-terminus, and predicted 26.5 kD molecular mass. PCR screening of RNA isolated from various ciliated tissues and immunoblots of protein extracts from these same tissues showed that this splice variant was expressed in retina, but not brain, heart, kidney, or testes. Quantitative PCR showed that the splice variant transcript is 8.9-fold (+/- 1.1-fold) less abundant than the full-length transcript. In the retina, the splice variant of BBS5 appears to be most abundant in the connecting cilium of photoreceptors, where BBS5 is also localized. Like BBS5, the binding of BBS5L to arrestin1 can be modulated by phosphorylation through protein kinase C. Conclusions In this study we have identified a novel splice variant of BBS5 that appears to be expressed only in the retina. The BBS5 splice variant is expressed at approximately 10% of full-length BBS5 level. No unique functional or localization properties could be identified for the splice variant compared to BBS5.
Novel Interfacial Adhesion Experiments with Individual Carbon Nanofibers

A novel experimental method for the interfacial mechanics of nanofibers embedded in polymeric matrices was developed. The debond force was determined by MEMS devices whose motion was precisely measured from optical images by digital image correlation. This method is based on a novel approach to embed nanofiber and nanotubes in a thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer with submicron control of the embedded length and orientation of the nanofiber. The cross-head displacement resolution of this optical method is ~20 nm and the force resolution is of the order of nanonewtons. A traceable force calibration technique was integrated to calibrate the MEMS force sensors. Experiments were conducted for the first time with vapor grown carbon nanofibers embedded in EPON epoxy to reveal the role of nanofiber surface roughness and functionalization in the interfacial shear strength. It was established that the nanoscale surface roughness of nanofibers strongly promotes interfacial strength while surface functionalization can increase the interfacial adhesion strength by more than a factor of three. The present experiments are the first of their kind both in their fidelity and accuracy of the applied experimental method and the data scatter is dramatically reduced compared to prior experimental attempts.
Drainage Problems of the San Joaquin Valley

The geography and geology of the San Joaquin Valley of California are outlined herein, with special emphasis on the factors affecting drainage. The existing drainage problems (1959) are unfolded th...
Steps Toward a Modular Library for Turning Any Evolutionary Domain into an Online Interactive Platform

Natural evolution inspires the fields of evolutionary computation (EC) and artificial life (ALife). A prominent feature of natural evolution is that it effectively never ends. However, most EC and ALife experiments are only run for several days or weeks at a time. Once an experiment concludes, reproducing, observing, or extending the results often requires considerable effort. In contrast, some Collaborative Interactive Evolution (CIE) systems, e.g. Picbreeder, were designed to preserve results as potential stepping stones to build upon later while taking advantage of human insight to solve challenging problems. Traditionally, building long-running and open experiments similar to Picbreeder presents a complex and timeconsuming software challenge. To reduce this challenge and thereby remove the barrier to situating almost any experiment within an interactive online framework, this paper presents the initial prototype for Worldwide Infrastructure for Neuroevolution (WIN). Built in the model of Picbreeder, WIN is a modular library for significantly reducing the complexity of creating fully persistent, online, and interactive evolutionary platforms for any new or existing domain. WIN Online, the public interface for WIN, provides an online collection of domains built with WIN that lets novice and expert users browse and meaningfully contribute to ongoing experiments. Two example experiments in this paper demonstrate WIN’s potential to quickly bootstrap any evolutionary domain with online and interactive capabilities.
On the Sale of Package Tours to Infinitely Many Possible Types of Tourists

Alao and Batabyal (2013) have recently used contract theory to study the sale of package tours to tourists when the tourists can be of two possible types. In this note, we first generalize their analysis by studying the case in which the tourists can be of infinitely many types. Next, we compare our results with those obtained by Alao and Batabyal. Finally, we conclude and then discuss extensions of this note's research. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of Effective Crosslink Density in Silicone Rubber

Abstract As a result of the investigations reported here, a simple and precise method was evised to measure the compression-deflection of solvent-swollen silicone rubber. The method was found to be reliable, and the resultant data were used to calculate effective crosslink densities of solid and cellular silicone rubber compounds. Empirical equations were derived relating compression and deflection to effective crosslinking of solid and cellular silicone rubber swollen in toluene. The weak swelling action of MEK precludes the derivation of empirical relationships between compression, deflection, and effective cross-linking of the rubber. The investigation further showed that toluene is a better and more useful swelling agent than methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). The volume swelling ratios for toluene and MEK were determined. Toluene was found to be about 1.4 times more effective as a swelling agent than MEK. Limited laboratory physical test data show a reasonable correlation to νe/Vr data. (More testing will be...
Divorce after long term marriages: former spouse relationships

As divorce rates continue to increase among older adults, many divorcees face rebuilding their lives after dissolution of long term marriages. This study explored relationships with former spouses in a sample of 31 men and women divorced after marriages of 15 years or more. Generally, interaction with former spouses was minimal. However, greater interaction (parental and nonparental) with former spouses was related to mental health and well being. Additionally, greater nonparental interaction was related to less psychological distress. Findings suggest that easing tensions with the former spouse, where possible, may enhance adjustment, provide continuity and aid the grieving process.
One-pot cascade approach to phenanthridine-fused quinazoliniminiums from heteroenyne-allenes.

A one-pot cascade method to obtain functionalized phenanthridine-fused quinazoliniminiums from a variety of heteroenyne-allenes is described. This protocol involves formation of C–N and C–C bonds in a single step in the presence of a Lewis acid and trace water to afford pentacyclic title compounds in moderate to good yields.
Copper-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of arylboronate esters: transmetalation with (PN)CuF and identification of intermediates.

An efficient CuI-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura reaction was developed for the coupling of aryl- and heteroarylboronate esters with aryl and heteroaryl iodides at low catalyst loadings (2 mol %). The reaction proceeds under ligand-free conditions for aryl–heteroaryl and heteroaryl–heteroaryl couplings. We also conducted the first detailed mechanistic studies by synthesizing [(PN-2)CuI]2, [(PN-2)CuF]2, and (PN-2)CuPh (PN-2 = o-(di-tert-butylphosphino)-N,N-dimethylaniline) and demonstrated that [(PN-2)CuF]2 is the species that undergoes transmetalation with arylboronate esters.
Field Bioassay of Pheromone Lures and Trap Designs for Monitoring Adult Corn Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Sweet Corn in Southern New England

Four commercial pheromones attractive to Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) were used as baits in four insect traps to attract moths in fresh market sweet corn. Moth catches were monitored for 10 wk in nine sites in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Zealure attracted twice as many moths as Scentry’s corn earworm lure and nine times as many as Pherocon’s corn earworm lure. Consep Membrane’s Biolure attracted few moths. Hartstack traps caught three times more moths than Heliothis net traps and 15 times more than Multi-pher or International Pheromone Systems traps. Results suggest the need for reference standards in management programs that use pheromones to monitor corn earworm populations.
When Does Government Debt Crowd Out Investment

Summary We examine when government debt crowds out investment for the US economy using an estimated New Keynesian model with detailed fiscal specifications and accounting for monetary and fiscal policy interactions. Whether investment is crowded in or out in the short term depends on policy shocks triggering debt expansions: higher debt can crowd in investment for cutting capital tax rates or increasing government investment. Contrary to the conventional view, no systematic relationships between real interest rates and investment exist, explaining why reduced-form regressions are inconclusive about crowding out. At longer horizons, distortionary financing is important for the negative investment response to debt. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonlinear Deep Tissue Imaging with Advanced Soliton Sources

Deep tissue multiphoton microscopy (MPM) using solitons generated from optical fibers are reviewed. The main characteristics of the excitation source for deep tissue MPM, such as wavelength, pulse energy, and repetition rate, are discussed.
Jurisprudential Theories and First-Order Legal Judgments

The nature of the relation between jurisprudential theories and first-order legal judgments is a strangely uncontroversial matter in contemporary legal philosophy. There is one dominant conception of the relation according to which jurisprudential theories are second-order or meta-legal theories that specify the ultimate grounds of first-order legal judgments. According to this conception, difficult first-order legal disputes are to be resolved by jurisprudential theorizing. According to an alternative conception that Ronald Dworkin has influentially advocated, jurisprudential theories are not second-order theories about the nature of law, but instead covert first-order legal theories. These two conceptions of the relation between jurisprudential theories and first-order legal judgments dominate the contemporary legal philosophical scene and crowd out other possible conceptions. This article scrutinizes the two conceptions, and in the process raises the possibility of a different and arguably more credible conception. According to this new conception, our first-order legal views and a jurisprudential theory that we accept are supposed to form a mutually disciplining and supporting set of views that we accept in our pursuit of the epistemic ideal of wide reflective equilibrium. The two sets of views are supposed to constrain and discipline each other; but neither is meant to underwrite, certify, or ultimately determine the contents of the other. This new conception, which allows the relation between jurisprudential theories and first-order legal judgments to be much looser, untidier, and more complex than what the two dominant conceptions imply, should facilitate progress in legal philosophy and in first-order legal thinking.
An ensemble of specifically targeted proteins stabilizes cortical microtubules in the human parasite toxoplasma gondii

Although all microtubules within a single cell are polymerized from virtually identical subunits, different microtubule populations carry out specialized and diverse functions, including directional transport, force generation, and cellular morphogenesis. Functional differentiation requires specific targeting of associated proteins to subsets or even subregions of these polymers. The cytoskeleton of Toxoplasma gondii, an important human parasite, contains at least five distinct tubulin-based structures. In this work, we define the differential localization of proteins along the cortical microtubules of T. gondii, established during daughter biogenesis and regulated by protein expression and exchange. These proteins distinguish cortical from mitotic spindle microtubules, even though the assembly of these subsets is contemporaneous during cell division. Finally, proteins associated with cortical microtubules collectively protect the stability of the polymers with a remarkable degree of functional redundancy.
Hydroxyurea use in Children with Sickle Cell Disease: Do Severely Affected Patients Use It and Does It Impact Hospitalization Outcomes?

Background Expert guidelines recommend that hydroxyurea (HU) be offered to all children with hemoglobin SS and Sβ0 sickle cell disease (SCD) and be considered for children with clinically severe hemoglobin SC or Sβ+. This study aims to determine the rate of HU use in hospitalized children, if HU is differentially used in children with clinically severe SCD, and if HU users have shorter length of stay (LOS), fewer intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and fewer inpatient transfusions compared to nonusers. Procedure Using the Pediatric Health Information System, we performed a retrospective analysis of children ages 2–18 years with SCD discharged between January 1, 2011 and September 30, 2014. We defined patients as having clinically severe SCD if they had a recent ICU admission or ≥3 admissions in the preceding year. Results Of the 2,665 unique children identified, approximately 80% had an inpatient code indicating HU use. Significantly more (p < 0.001) nonusers (30.1%) had a recent ICU admission compared to HU users (18.7%). More nonusers (33.9%) had a history of ≥3 admissions compared to HU users (21.5%) (p < 0.001). After applying propensity score weighting, the groups did not differ in their LOS, prevalence of ICU admissions, or prevalence of transfusions. Conclusions HU use is high among hospitalized children with SCD. However, HU is not utilized by many children with clinically severe SCD. These results support that HU be considered in children with SCD to prevent hospitalization rather than as a treatment to improve hospitalization outcomes.
Two decades of progress in understanding and control of laser plasma instabilities in indirect drive inertial fusion

Our understanding of laser-plasma instability (LPI) physics has improved dramatically over the past two decades through advancements in experimental techniques, diagnostics, and theoretical and modeling approaches. We have progressed from single-beam experiments—ns pulses with ∼kJ energy incident on hundred-micron-scale target plasmas with ∼keV electron temperatures—to ones involving nearly 2 MJ energy in 192 beams onto multi-mm-scale plasmas with temperatures ∼4 keV. At the same time, we have also been able to use smaller-scale laser facilities to substantially improve our understanding of LPI physics and evaluate novel approaches to their control. These efforts have led to a change in paradigm for LPI research, ushering in an era of engineering LPI to accomplish specific objectives, from tuning capsule implosion symmetry to fixing nonlinear saturation of LPI processes at acceptable levels to enable the exploration of high energy density physics in novel plasma regimes. A tutorial is provided that reviews the progress in the field from the vantage of the foundational LPI experimental results. The pedagogical framework of the simplest models of LPI will be employed, but attention will also be paid to settings where more sophisticated models are needed to understand the observations. Prospects for the application of our improved understanding for inertial fusion (both indirect- and direct-drive) and other applications will also be discussed.
Transitioning HIV-Positive Adolescents to Adult Care: Lessons Learned From Twelve Adolescent Medicine Clinics.

Purpose: To maximize positive health outcomes for youth with HIV as they transition from youth to adult care, clinical staff need strategies and protocols to help youth maintain clinic engagement and medication adherence. Accordingly, this paper describe transition processes across twelve clinics within the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) to provide lessons learned and inform the development of transition protocols to improve health outcomes as youth shift from adolescent to adult HIV care. Design and Methods: During a large multi-method Care Initiative program evaluation, three annual visits were completed at each site from 2010–2012 and conducted 174 semi-structured interviews with clinical and program staff (baseline n = 64, year 1 n = 56, year 2 = 54). Results: The results underscore the value of adhering to recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) transition recommendations, including: developing formal transition protocols, preparing youth for transition, facilitating youth's connection to the adult clinic, and identifying necessary strategies for transition evaluation. Conclusions: Transitioning youth with HIV involves targeting individual-, provider-, and system-level factors. Acknowledging and addressing key barriers is essential for developing streamlined, comprehensive, and context-specific transition protocols. Practice Implications: Adolescent and adult clinic involvement in transition is essential to reduce service fragmentation, provide coordinated and continuous care, and support individual and community level health.
DIMENSIONAL CHANGE OF UHMWPE AFTER AGING

Introduction Mechanical properties of irradiated Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) after aging have been well documented. However there was no sufficient data for the dimensional change due to irradiation and aging. This change may have adverse effects to the implant modular locking mechanism. The purpose of this study was to characterize the dimensional change of UHMWPE after irradiation and aging. Materials and Method Total (30) o15mm × 50mm virgin GUR 1050 UHMWPE rods were cleaned, dried, inspected, vacuum packaged and stored in 20°C environment for 2 days. Among them, (20) samples were measured along the 50mm length at 20°C +/-2°C before and after two conditions: 1, (10) were submerged in 40°C DI water for 2 hours and dried in 40°C to simulate the cleaning process and 2, (10) were soaked in 37°C saline for 14 days to simulate initial in-vivo environment. Remaining (10) samples were measured in the same way after irradiation of 30KGy dosage and then measured again after soaking in 37°C saline for 14 days to simulate the actual radiation sterilization and in-vivo soaking conditions. Same samples were measured once more after accelerated aging per ASTM-1980-07 for 80 days to simulate the 3 year in vivo life. The differences in measurements between virgin and end conditions were documented as the percentage dimensional change. After the measurements, in the groups of DI water, saline soaking and radiation + aging, (3) samples were randomly selected for DSC measurements. The results were compared with dimensional measurements. Statistical analysis was performed by the student t test to compare virgin condition and the conditions after each treatment. 95% significance level was assumed. Results As shown in Table 1, after water wash and saline soaking, the average dimensions increased but not statistically significant. Radiation alone caused the net decrease in sample dimensions and remained in negative after a saline soaking. Further significant dimensional decrease (P Discussion Study showed the net dimensional change of UHMWPE was shrinkage under simulated in-vivo enviroment. Aging caused further significant shrinkage which was likely related to the elevation of crytallinity. Significance With this shrinkage factor, the design of modular poly components may need to be compensated to avoid the loosening of modular components in-vivo condition.
Effect of four monthly doses of a human monoclonal anti-FGF23 antibody (KRN23) on quality of life in X-linked hypophosphatemia

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is characterized by lower extremity deformities that lead to bone and/or joint pain that result from decreased renal tubular reabsorption leading to hypophosphatemia caused by elevated levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23).
Effects of electrode surface roughness on motional heating of trapped ions

Electric-field noise is a major source of motional heating in trapped-ion quantum computation. While the influence of trap-electrode geometries on electric-field noise has been studied in patch potential and surface adsorbate models, only smooth surfaces are accounted for by current theory. The effects of roughness, a ubiquitous feature of surface electrodes, are poorly understood. We investigate its impact on electric-field noise by deriving a rough-surface Green's function and evaluating its effects on adsorbate-surface binding energies. At cryogenic temperatures, heating-rate contributions from adsorbates are predicted to exhibit an exponential sensitivity to local surface curvature, leading to either a large net enhancement or suppression over smooth surfaces. For typical experimental parameters, orders-of-magnitude variations in total heating rates can occur depending on the spatial distribution of adsorbates. Through careful engineering of electrode surface profiles, our results suggests that heating rates can be tuned over orders of magnitudes.
Single-Electron Transmetalation: Protecting-Group-Independent Synthesis of Secondary Benzylic Alcohol Derivatives via Photoredox/Nickel Dual Catalysis

Protecting-group-independent cross-coupling of α-alkoxyalkyl- and α-acyloxyalkyltrifluoroborates with aryl and heteroaryl bromides is achieved through application of photoredox/nickel dual catalysis. Reactions occur under exceptionally mild conditions, with outstanding functional group compatibility and excellent observed tolerance of heteroarenes. This method offers expedient access to protected secondary benzylic alcohol motifs bearing benzyl, pivaloyl, and N,N-diisopropylcarbamoyl protecting groups.
The state of the art in cartograms

Cartograms combine statistical and geographical information in thematic maps, where areas of geographical regions (e.g., countries, states) are scaled in proportion to some statistic (e.g., population, income). Cartograms make it possible to gain insight into patterns and trends in the world around us and have been very popular visualizations for geo-referenced data for over a century. This work surveys cartogram research in visualization, cartography and geometry, covering a broad spectrum of different cartogram types: from the traditional rectangular and table cartograms, to Dorling and diffusion cartograms. A particular focus is the study of the major cartogram dimensions: statistical accuracy, geographical accuracy, and topological accuracy. We review the history of cartograms, describe the algorithms for generating them, and consider task taxonomies. We also review quantitative and qualitative evaluations, and we use these to arrive at design guidelines and research challenges.
Variational approach to solving the spectral Boltzmann transport equation in transient thermal grating for thin films

The phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) is widely utilized to study non-diffusive thermal transport. We find a solution of the BTE in the thin film transient thermal grating (TTG) experimental geometry by using a recently developed variational approach with a trial solution supplied by the Fourier heat conduction equation. We obtain an analytical expression for the thermal decay rate that shows excellent agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. We also obtain a closed form expression for the effective thermal conductivity that demonstrates the full material property and heat transfer geometry dependence, and recovers the limits of the one-dimensional TTG expression for very thick films and the Fuchs-Sondheimer expression for very large grating spacings. The results demonstrate the utility of the variational technique for analyzing non-diffusive phonon-mediated heat transport for nanostructures in multi-dimensional transport geometries, and will assist the probing of the mean free path distribution of materials via transient grating experiments.
GEFs and Rac GTPases control directional specificity of neurite extension along the anterior–posterior axis

Although previous studies have identified many extracellular guidance molecules and intracellular signaling proteins that regulate axonal outgrowth and extension, most were conducted in the context of unidirectional neurite growth, in which the guidance cues either attract or repel growth cones. Very few studies addressed how intracellular signaling molecules differentially specify bidirectional outgrowth. Here, using the bipolar PLM neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans, we show that the guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) UNC-73/Trio and TIAM-1 promote anterior and posterior neurite extension, respectively. The Rac subfamily GTPases act downstream of the GEFs; CED-10/Rac1 is activated by TIAM-1, whereas CED-10 and MIG-2/RhoG act redundantly downstream of UNC-73. Moreover, these two pathways antagonize each other and thus regulate the directional bias of neuritogenesis. Our study suggests that directional specificity of neurite extension is conferred through the intracellular activation of distinct GEFs and Rac GTPases.
Factors influencing human immunodeficiency virus postexposure prophylaxis requests after low-risk occupational exposure.

Objectives: To determine the factors influencing human immunodeficiency virus postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) requests after low-risk occupational exposure. Methods: We analyzed data from low-risk occupational exposures reported between January 1999 and May 2000. Results: A total of 318 low-risk occupational exposures were reported. No worker demographic variable, exposure method, or exposure type was associated with increased PEP requests. Exposed workers were more likely to request PEP if the source patient was unknown or 18 to 49 years old. No other source patient demographic variable was associated with increased PEP requests. Conclusions: We found that workers who experienced a low-risk occupational exposure were more likely to request PEP when the source patient was unknown or 18 to 49 years of age. No other factors were associated with increased PEP requests.
Synthesis and Site-Specific Incorporation of Red-Shifted Azobenzene Amino Acids into Proteins.

A series of red-shifted azobenzene amino acids were synthesized in moderate-to-excellent yields via a two-step procedure in which tyrosine derivatives were first oxidized to the corresponding quinonoidal spirolactones followed by ceric ammonium nitrate-catalyzed azo formation with the substituted phenylhydrazines. The resulting azobenzene–alanine derivatives exhibited efficient trans/cis photoswitching upon irradiation with a blue (448 nm) or green (530 nm) LED light. Moreover, nine superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) mutants carrying the azobenzene–alanine analogues were expressed in E. coli in good yields via amber codon suppression with an orthogonal tRNA/PylRS pair, and one of the mutants showed durable photoswitching with the LED light.
Gainfully Employed? Assessing the Employment and Earnings of For-Profit College Students Using Administrative Data

We draw on population-level administrative data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service to quantify the impact of for-profit college attendance on the employment and earnings of more than one million students. Using a matched comparison group difference-in-differences design, we find that certificate-seeking students in for-profit institutions are 1.5 percentage points less likely to be employed and, conditional on employment, have 11 percent lower earnings after attendance than students in public institutions. These results hold for both men and women and for seven of the top ten fields of study. We find that earnings and employment outcomes are particularly poor for students attending for-profit colleges that offer the majority of their courses online and for multicampus chains. We find that for-profit students experience small, statistically insignificant gains in annual earnings after attendance compared to a matched [End Page 342] control group of young individuals who do not attend college. A back-of-the-envelope comparison of these earnings gains to average debt burdens suggests that for-profit certificate programs do not pay off for the average student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]