cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can technology build organizational social capital?: the case of a global IT consulting firm

Knowledge management (KM) and knowledge management systems (KMS) have been positioned as strategies and tools that enable organizations to create and transfer knowledge in order to sustain competitive advantage. While KM as a strategy gained legitimacy, KMS have struggled to show a causal relationship to knowledge creation and knowledge transfer. KMS contribution to the economic performance of organizations has been harder to prove, mainly because of a lack of collection of data and thus analysis of knowledge metrics. This has lead to an unjustifiable move to underplay the role of technology in creating and transferring knowledge. We strived to revive interest in KMS by exploring their ability to accumulate social capital and showing its effect on the creation and transfer of knowledge. We posited that social capital was the mediating factor between KMS and knowledge creation and transfer and hypothesized that: (1) KMS will positively affect an organization's ability to build social capital, and that (2) social capital will enhance a firm's ability to create and transfer knowledge. Qualitative data collected from a multinational IT consulting firm was used to validate the framework.
Axisymmetric soil–structure interaction by global–local finite elements

A version of the global–local finite element method is presented for studying dynamic steady-state soil–structure interaction wherein the soil medium extends to infinity. Herein, only axisymmetric behaviour is considered. In this approach, conventional finite elements are used to model the structure and some portion of the surrounding soil medium considered to be homogeneous and isotropic. A complete set of outgoing waves in the form of spherical harmonics for the entire space is used to represent the behaviour in the half-space beyond the finite element mesh and these are termed the global functions. Full traction and displacement continuity is enforced at the finite element mesh interface with the outer region. On the free surface of the half-space in the outer field, traction-free surface conditions are enforced by demanding that a sequence of integrals of the weighted-average tractions must vanish. Numerical examples are presented for the response of different shaped foundations, resting on the free surface or at various submerged levels, due to a normal seismic plane compressional wave. Plots of differential scattering cross-sections show the angular distribution of the energy (its directional nature) of the scattered field.
Gases and water isotopes in a geochemical section across the Larderello, Italy, geothermal field

Steam samples from six wells (Colombaia, Pineta, Larderello 57, Larderello 155, Gabbro 6, and Gabbro 1) in a south to north section across the Larderello geothermal field have been analyzed for inorganic and hydrocarbon gases and for oxygen-18 and deuterium of steam. The wells generally decrease in depth and increase in age toward the south. The steam samples are generally characterized by (1) Total gas contents increasing south to north from 0.003 to 0.05 mole fraction; (2) Constant CO2 (95 ± 2 percent); near constant H2S (1.6 ± 0.8), N2 (1.2 ± 0.8), H2 (2 ± 1), CH4 (1.2 ± 1), and no O2 in the dry gas; (3) Presence of numerous, straight chain and branched C2 to C6 hydrocarbons plus benzene in amounts independent of CH4 contents with highest concentrations in the deeper wells; (4) Oxygen-18 contents of steam increasing south to north from -5.0‱ to -0.4‱ with little change in deuterium (-42 ± 2‱).
Gait Biomechanics, Spatial and Temporal Characteristics, and the Energy Cost of Walking in Older Adults With Impaired Mobility

Background Abnormalities of gait and changes in posture during walking are more common in older adults than in young adults and may contribute to an increase in the energy expended for walking. Objective The objective of this study was to examine the contributions of abnormalities of gait biomechanics (hip extension, trunk flexion, and foot-floor angle at heel-strike) and gait characteristics (step width, stance time, and cadence) to the energy cost of walking in older adults with impaired mobility. Design A cross-sectional design was used. Methods Gait speed, step width, stance time, and cadence were derived during walking on an instrumented walkway. Trunk flexion, hip extension, and foot-floor angle at heel contact were assessed during overground walking. The energy cost of walking was determined from oxygen consumption data collected during treadmill walking. All measurements were collected at the participants' usual, self-selected walking speed. Results Fifty community-dwelling older adults with slow and variable gait participated. Hip extension, trunk flexion, and step width were factors related to the energy cost of walking. Hip extension, step width, and cadence were the only gait measures beyond age and gait speed that provided additional contributions to the variance of the energy cost, with mean R 2 changes of .22, .12, and .07, respectively. Limitations Other factors not investigated in this study (interactions among variables, psychosocial factors, muscle strength [force-generating capacity], range of motion, body composition, and resting metabolic rate) may further explain the greater energy cost of walking in older adults with slow and variable gait. Conclusions Closer inspection of hip extension, step width, and cadence during physical therapy gait assessments may assist physical therapists in recognizing factors that contribute to the greater energy cost of walking in older adults.
Efficient modeling of Compton diode gamma radiation detectors

The CEPXS/ONELD code package proved to be significantly more efficient than electron Monte Carlo for computing spherical Compton diode response to gamma irradiation. The authors review the mechanism responsible for the production of electric currents in Compton diodes, describe the calculation method, and present results for a few representative Compton diodes. The adjoint capability of CEPXS/ONELD allows the complete energy-angle response of a Compton diode to be determined with a single transport calculation. The calculated results compare well with measurement for energies between 0.5 MeV and 4.4 MeV. Because the calculations are so fast, many potential Compton diode designs with different dimensions and materials can be modeled, and the best design chosen for production. >
Palmar cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve

With recent attention being placed on the median palmar cutaneous nerve, a surgical approach, ulnar to the axis of the ring finger ray, has been advocated for median nerve decompression at the wrist. Painful hypothenar neuromas have developed in two patients with this type of incision. After dissecting 21 cadaver forearms and hands, three classic and two variants of the ulnar palmar cutaneous nerve were identified and found to emerge in the subcutaneous tissue ulnar to the ring finger ray. The terminal branches supplied the hypothenar skin and extended radially to the ring finger ray axis. Because of these anatomic findings, we recommend an incision in line with the ring finger ray axis in an attempt to avoid injury to both ulnar and median palmar cutaneous nerves.
Matrix solution of pseudospin equations for three-level systems

The dynamics of a three-level system is investigated within the rotating-wave approximation using the generalized pseudospin formalism of Hioe Eberly [ Phys. Rev. Lett.47, 838 ( 1981)]. The Cayley–Hamilton theorem is used to obtain a matrix solution to the problem valid for arbitrary initial conditions. The pseudospin equations are phenomenologically extended to include relaxation effects, and solutions are also presented in this case. The von Neumann entropy of the system is introduced as a dynamic variable and is used to study the system’s irreversible approach to equilibrium when it is subjected to relaxation effects. An oscillatory behavior of the entropy is noted, and its origin is elucidated.
Neural plasticity and the development of attention: Intrinsic and extrinsic influences

The development of attention has been strongly linked to the regulation of emotion and behavior and has therefore been of particular interest to researchers aiming to better understand precursors to behavioral maladjustment. In the current paper, we utilize a developmental psychopathology and neural plasticity framework to highlight the importance of both intrinsic (i.e., infant neural functioning) and extrinsic (i.e., caregiver behavior) factors for the development of attentional control across the first year. We begin by highlighting the importance of attention for children's emotion regulation abilities and mental health. We then review the development of attention behavior and underscore the importance of neural development and caregiver behavior for shaping attentional control. Finally, we posit that neural activation associated with the development of the executive attention network may be one mechanism through which maternal caregiving behavior influences the development of infants' attentional control and subsequent emotion regulation abilities known to be influential to childhood psychopathology.
Bacterial assisted degradation of chlorpyrifos: The key role of environmental conditions, trace metals and organic solvents

Wastewater from pesticide industries, agricultural or surface runoff containing pesticides and their residues has adverse environmental impacts. Present study demonstrates effect of petrochemicals and trace metals on chlorpyrifos (CP) biotransformation often released in wastewater of agrochemical industry. Biodegradation was investigated using bacterial strain Pseudomonas kilonensis SRK1 isolated from wastewater spiked with CP. Optimal environmental conditions for CP removal were CFU (306 × 10(6)), pH (8); initial CP concentration (150 mg/L) and glucose as additional carbon source. Among various organic solvents (petrochemicals) used in this study toluene has stimulatory effect on CP degradation process using SRK1, contrary to this benzene and phenol negatively inhibited degradation process. Application of metal ions (Cu (II), Fe (II) Zn (II) at low concentration (1 mg/L) took part in biochemical reaction and positively stimulated CP degradation process. Metal ions at high concentrations have inhibitory effect on degradation process. A first order growth model was shown to fit the data. It could be concluded that both type and concentration of metal ions and petrochemicals can affect CP degradation process.
Diet and adipose tissue distributions: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract Background and aims Dietary quality affects cardiometabolic risk, yet its pathways of influence on regional adipose tissue depots involved in metabolic and diabetes risk are not well established. We aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary quality and regional adiposity. Methods and results We investigated 5079 individuals in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) who had food-frequency questionnaires and measurement of pericardial fat and hepatic attenuation at the baseline study visit in MESA, as well as a subgroup with imaging for visceral and subcutaneous fat ( N = 1390). A dietary quality score (DietQuality) was constructed to include established food group constituents of a Mediterranean-type diet. Linear models estimated associations of dietary score as well as its constituents with regional adiposity. Baseline mean age was 61 (±10) years, and approximately half of the participants (47%) were male. Those with a higher DietQuality score were generally older, female, with a lower body mass index, C-reactive protein, and markers of insulin resistance. After adjustment, a higher DietQuality score was associated with lower visceral fat (lowest vs. highest dietary score quartile: 523.6 vs. 460.5 cm 2 /m; P 3 /m; P P P = 0.39). Greater fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds/nuts and yogurt intake were associated with decreased adiposity, while red/processed meats were associated with greater regional adiposity. Conclusion A higher quality diet pattern is associated with less regional adiposity, suggesting a potential mechanism of beneficial dietary effects on diabetes, metabolic, and cardiovascular risk.
Aeroelastic energy harvesting: A review

Abstract Energy harvesting is the process by which light, thermal, solar, and kinetic energy can be converted to a usable form of energy with the ultimate objective of developing self-powered sensors, actuators, and other electronic devices. Each of these sources of energy can be used to power remote sensors, however, many researchers have emphasized on vibration-based energy harvesting. Converting ambient and aeroelastic vibrations can be achieved using either electromagnetic, electrostatic or piezoelectric transduction mechanisms. The piezoelectric option has attracted significant interest because it can be used to harvest energy over a wide range of frequencies and the ease of its application. Many researchers have used the piezoelectric transducer to develop simple and efficient energy harvesting devices from vibrations. In this paper, we review recent literature in the field of energy harvesting from aeroelastic vibrations during the last few years. Various types of aeroelastic vibration mechanisms and representative mathematical models are also reviewed. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons between different existing flow-induced vibrations energy harvesters are discussed. Limitations and future recommendations are also presented.
A Filtering Approach for Image-Guided Surgery With a Highly Articulated Surgical Snake Robot

Goal: The objective of this paper is to introduce a probabilistic filtering approach to estimate the pose and internal shape of a highly flexible surgical snake robot during minimally invasive surgery. Methods: Our approach renders a depiction of the robot that is registered to preoperatively reconstructed organ models to produce a 3-D visualization that can be used for surgical feedback. Our filtering method estimates the robot shape using an extended Kalman filter that fuses magnetic tracker data with kinematic models that define the motion of the robot. Using Lie derivative analysis, we show that this estimation problem is observable, and thus, the shape and configuration of the robot can be successfully recovered with a sufficient number of magnetic tracker measurements. Results: We validate this study with benchtop and in-vivo image-guidance experiments in which the surgical robot was driven along the epicardial surface of a porcine heart. Conclusion: This paper introduces a filtering approach for shape estimation that can be used for image guidance during minimally invasive surgery. Significance: The methods being introduced in this paper enable informative image guidance for highly articulated surgical robots, which benefits the advancement of robotic surgery.
Today's Program Is Brought to You by the Letters--Debit and Credit and by the Number Income.

As each generation comes of age they receive a label. Currently, we are teaching the new millennials. Their learning style and time management preferences may respond better to a constant task and feedback cycle similar to the popular Public Television Series, Sesame Street. This paper examines the effects of requiring student to take an assessment as part of the grade in principles of financial accounting. In particular, this paper attempts to identify the effects on both performance and satisfaction.
Through-the-thickness response of hybrid 2D and 3D woven composites

3D woven materials are investigated for their through-the-thickness response. In this study, hybrid 3D woven composites, consisting of multiple fiber tows (carbon, glass and kevlar) have been investigated. Quasi-static tests were performed to determine the effective through-the-thickness response when subjected to confined compression. Confined compression was chosen because it shows similar failure modes to those seen under dynamic loading. The results presented in this paper show a correlation to changes in strength based on hybridization, however some of the observed results were not as expected.
Local Tissue Reaction to the Implantation of Crystals and Pellets of Estrogenic Hormone

Summary and ConclusionsThe local tissue response to implanted crystals and pellets is a typical non-specific foreign body reaction. Following the implantation of crystals of a-estradiol and a-estradiol benzoate, the tissue surrounding the crystals responds by the formation of tiny nodules. In contrast to this type of reaction, a thick avascular capsule forms about the pellets of the implanted hormone. It is important to note that the epidermis overlying the implants showed no evidence of cellular atypism and, similarly, in no instance did the subcutaneous tissues in contact with, and adjacent to, the implanted hormone show any abnormal cellular proliferation.A significant observation which emerges from this study is the probable effect that the thick avascular capsule has on the absorption rate of the estrogenic substances employed. It was noted that the crystals had a strikingly more prolonged therapeutic and physiologic effect than the pellets composed of the same estrogenic substance and of comparable ...
Adhesion of committed human hematopoietic progenitors to synthetic peptides from the C-terminal heparin-binding domain of fibronectin: cooperation between the integrin alpha 4 beta 1 and the CD44 adhesion receptor

Close interaction of human hematopoietic progenitors with the bone marrow microenvironment is important for the ordered progression of human hematopoiesis. Progenitor cell adhesion to stroma has a complex molecular basis, involving various cell-extracellular matrix and cell-cell interactions. We have previously shown that adhesion of colony-forming cells (CFC) to fibronectin, present in stromal extracellular matrix, involves multiple sites, including two heparin-binding synthetic peptides (FN-C/H I and FN-C/H II) and the alpha 4 beta 1 integrin-binding peptide CS1. These synthetic peptides are located in close proximity in the type III repeat 14 and the immediately adjacent type IIIcs region of fibronectin. In the current study, we evaluate receptors expressed by CFC responsible for their adhesion to fibronectin. We show that the alpha 4 beta 1 integrin mediates adhesion to CFC to the peptides FN-C/H I and CS1. Adhesion of CFC to fibronectin is also mediated by proteoglycans, because removal of cell surface chondroitin-sulfate proteoglycans resulted in decreased adhesion of CFC to FN-C/ I and FN-C/H II. The core protein of this proteoglycan was identified by immunoprecipitation as a 90-kD member of the CD44 group of adhesion molecules. Interestingly, although the proteoglycan core protein failed to adhere to FN-C/H II affinity columns, anti-CD44 monoclonal antibodies blocked CFC adhesion to FN-C/H II, indicating that these monoclonal antibodies may interfere with core protein-mediated intracellular signalling. Finally, we show that CD44 and alpha 4 beta 1 may cooperate in establishing progenitor adhesion, because anti-CD44 antibodies potentiated the adhesion-inhibitory effects of suboptimal concentrations of anti-alpha 4 or anti-beta 1 monoclonal antibodies. These results provide a working model for progenitor cell recognition of fibronectin (and possibly the marrow micro-environment) in which the coordinated action of integrins and cell surface proteoglycans is necessary for cell adhesion. This model can now be used to study the complex relationship between progenitor cell adhesion and the regulation of their proliferation and differentiation.
A new form of chemisorbed photo- and electro-active atomic H species on the TiO2(110) surface

Abstract Hydrogen adsorption on TiO 2 is of importance in chemical and photochemical reduction processes. Using several surface science methods, we clearly distinguish two kinds of H species on the surface of rutile TiO 2 (110)-1 × 1. In contrast with the well-studied bridge-bonded OH species (α-H) originating from H 2 O dissociation on the surface oxygen vacancy site on TiO 2 (110), atomic H adsorption on the TiO 2 (110) (denoted as β-H) exhibits special high sensitivity to the electronic excitation of the TiO 2 (110) by either electrons or UV photons. The formation of molecular H 2 gas by photoexcitation of β-H/TiO 2 (110) surfaces has been observed, which may shed light on the basic understanding of the processes of photocatalytic H 2 production by splitting water.
Impact of microbial derived secondary bile acids on colonization resistance against Clostridium difficile in the gastrointestinal tract

Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacillus that is the leading cause of nosocomial gastroenteritis. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality, consequently posing an urgent threat to public health. Recurrence of CDI after successful treatment with antibiotics is high, thus necessitating discovery of novel therapeutics against this pathogen. Susceptibility to CDI is associated with alterations in the gut microbiota composition and bile acid metabolome, specifically a loss of microbial derived secondary bile acids. This review aims to summarize in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies done by our group and others that demonstrate how secondary bile acids affect the different stages of the C. difficile life cycle. Understanding the dynamic interplay of C. difficile and microbial derived secondary bile acids within the gastrointestinal tract will shed light on how bile acids play a role in colonization resistance against C. difficile. Rational manipulation of secondary bile acids may prove beneficial as a treatment for patients with CDI.
Comparison of plasma proteomics of two group patients with non small cell lung cancer

【Objective】To detect the plasma of two group patients with non-small-cell-lung cancer,find the metastasis-associated plasma protein markers.【Methods】Use two-dimensional gel electrophoresis technical to separate the protein which come from the plasma of two different group patients with non-small-cell-lung cancer: Systemic multiple transfer to no transfer.Screen differentially expressed proteins point with the PDQuest7.1.0 image analysis software.Use MALDI-TOF-MS and LC-ESI-MS/MS to identify the differentially expressed proteins spots.【Results】We screened 12 protein spots with the image analysis software and 10 protein spots was identified with the MALDI-TOF-MS,the remaining 2 spots was identified with the LC-ESI-MS/MS.【Conclusions】The expressed level of Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 and Apolipo-protein E were up regulated in multiple metastasis patient group.Isoform 2 of Serum albumin.Transthyretin,Iimmunoglobulin lambda-chain Corticosteroid-binding globulin was down regulated in non transfer patients group.These proteins can be recognized as the protein markers which associated with multiple metastasis in the plasma of non-small-cell-lung cancer patients.
Caries prevalence survey among primary and high school students in Pingxiang City of Guangxi Province

[Objective]To understand the prevalence rate of dental caries among primary and high school students in Pingxiang City,and provide scientific evidence for carrying out students caries prevention. [Methods]The investigation was based on the"Epidemiological Survey Methodology and Diagnostic Criteria of Caries"recommended by World Health Organization.[Results]A total of 8 143 primary and high school students were detected,the prevalence rate of dental caries was 64. 88%,with significance between age groups(χ2= 812. 98,P 0. 01). The prevalence rate of primary school students was higher than junior high school and high school students,girls higher than boys. The prevalence rate was not significantly different between urban and rural areas(χ2= 0. 38,P 0. 05).[Conclusion]The prevalence of dental caries is relatively high among primary and high school students.Therefore,it is necessary to strengthen the health education about dental caries control among students.
Relationship between Decorative Blue and White Porcelain and Space

Adornment is an important part of the original function for ceramics.Besides the fulfillment of the basic needs of utility,it raises the material enjoyment to the height of both the material and the spiritual.Blue and white porcelain as the mainstream variety of Chinese porcelain products has the distinctive characteristics of its time,locality and nationality.Its unique adornment is the most important.With the change of time and space as well as the introduction of new ideas,how to fit blue and white porcelain in modern space is a need to meet for diversified expression of ceramic art It also sets a new direction for more individualized ceramic art of the new age.
Broadband room service by light.

This article explores the wireless delivery of multimedia Internet services to multiple users. The author suggests that light beams may be a better transmission medium than radio waves. Light photons offer a broader bandwidth that allows many users to operate simultaneously. Photons do not interfere with each other as radio waves can and they do not pass through walls which would provide for better privacy. INSETS: KEY CONCEPTS;RADIO VS. INFRARED;Optical Wireless Network;HOLOGRAPHIC FILTERS DEFEAT ECHOES
Action of hydroxyethyl starch on the flow properties of human erythrocyte suspensions

Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) has often been used as a plasma expander, but questions still remain concerning the mechanisms by which it produces changes in the rheological properties of blood and erythrocyte (RBC) suspensions under various flow conditions. The present investigation has shown that the dynamic viscosity of HES (232,000 and 565,000 daltons) solutions rises in a nonlinear fashion with increasing HES concentration, and for a given concentration of HES exhibits Newtonian behavior at shear rates between 0.15 to 124 sec-1. At low (less than 0.9 sec-1) shear rates the apparent viscosity of a 40% RBC suspension increases with lower concentrations of HES because of RBC aggregation. At higher concentrations of HES, increases in suspension viscosity are due to an increase in the viscosity of the continuous phase since the RBC are largely disaggregated. At high (greater than 36 sec-1) shear rates the relative viscosity (eta/eta O) of RBC suspensions slowly decreases with increasing HES concentration. At low shear rates eta/eta O increases and then decreases with increasing HES concentration. Evidence of the concentration-dependent effects of HES on RBC aggregation is provided not only by the viscometric analysis but also from measurements of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and the zeta sedimentation ratio (ZSR). HES is a more potent aggregating agent in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) than it is in plasma. Polymer size has only a slight effect on the extent of RBC aggregation produced, but does have a significant effect on the concentration of polymer at which maximum aggregation occurs. The viscosity-corrected electrophoretic mobility of RBC in HES rises monotonically with the concentration of HES in the suspending medium. Decreases in the extent of RBC aggregation with increasing polymer concentrations probably result from an increase in the electrostatic repulsive forces between the cells.
A New Economical Method for Determination of Triiodothyronine (T3) Uptake Using Talc Tablets

The determination of T3 uptake is necessary to find the free thyroxine index, increasingly used as the simplest accurate measure of thyroid dysfunction. A T3 uptake determination requires a reproducible, readily automated, and cost-effective method of adsorbent separation. Five adsorbent separating reagents were studied: hemoglobin-coated charcoal, dextrancoated charcoal, magnesium carbonate, anion-exchange resin, and talc tablets. Of these, binding efficiency was best with talc tablets. Talc binding was insensitive to incubation time, eliminating problems associated with other reagents. To maintain the conventional normal range for T3 uptake (25-35%), the quantities of talc, tracer, and serum used required adjustment. Results obtained with talc were compared to those obtained with a commercial kit, using paired sera from 897 patients. The correlation coefficient was 0.95 (P
Interinstitutional variability of follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol levels.

Objective To evaluate the variability of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E2) results from different laboratories. Design Prospective analyses of sera separated and frozen, obtained from 15 female patients in the follicular phase. All kits used for radioimmunoassay (RIA) for FSH were from the Second International Reference Preparation (IRP). Four different kits were used for FSH and three for E2. Setting Sera obtained from each patient were separated into five test tubes and frozen. Analysis of all samples was done on the same day in each one of five participating hospital-based RIA laboratories (North Shore, Cornell, Yale, Mount Sinai, and Norfolk). Participants Fifteen consecutive patients from the assisted reproductive technology program at North Shore University Hospital participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures After FSH and E2 levels were tabulated for each laboratory, mean levels were calculated. Results Using the Bonferroni adjusted pairwise multiple comparisons analysis, significant differences were found between three groups of laboratories within the FSH results and three different groups within the E2 results. Conclusions [1] Different results may be obtained on the same sera for FSH and E2 at different laboratories; [2] for FSH, even though the same IRP is used, different results are reached; [3] for E2 even when the same kits are used, results may be significantly different. These results suggest that specific FSH and E2 levels used to predict chances for achieving a viable pregnancy through in vitro fertilization should be interpreted with caution across institutions.
Effective Utilization of CUDA Hyper-Q for Improved Power and Performance Efficiency

High utilization of hardware resources is the key for designing performance and power optimized GPUapplications. The efficiency of applications and kernels, which do not fully utilize the GPU resources, can be improved through concurrent execution with independent kernels and/or applications. Hyper-Q enables multiple CPU threads or processes to launch work on a single GPU simultaneously for increased GPU utilization. However, without careful design, false serialization may occur due to the contention for shared hardware resources such as direct memory access (DMA) engines. In this paper, we reveal the impact of such contention on performance and assess a method for overcoming the limitation with minimal algorithmic overhead. We demonstrate a method to achieve up to 31.8% improvement in performance and 10.4%reduction in energy on average for a finite set of application tasks when maximizing GPU execution concurrency.
Later Labiche: Continuity and Renewal

In 1860 Labiche was already at the head of his profession, but in the next five years he was to give proof of depths not yet plumbed. The years from 1860 to 1864 are the most glorious of his career, containing as they do six of his finest plays: La Poudre aux yeux (Dust in the Eyes, 1861), La Station Champbaudet (The Champbaudet Stop, 1862), Celimare le bien aime (1863), La Cagnotte (1864), Moi (1864) and Le Point de mire (The Lodestone, 1864).
Left and right ventricular kinetic energy using time-resolved versus time-average ventricular volumes.

Purpose To measure the effects of using time-resolved (TR) versus time-averaged (TA) ventricular segmentation on four-dimensional flow-sensitive (4D flow) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) kinetic energy (KE) calculations. Materials and methods Right (RV) and left (LV) ventricular KE was calculated from 4D flow MRI data acquired at 3.0T in 10 healthy volunteers and five subjects with cardiac disease using TR and TA segmentation. KE was calculated from the mass of blood within the ventricles multiplied by the velocities squared. Differences in TR and TA KE and interobserver variability were quantified with Bland-Altman analysis. Results In healthy volunteers, peak systolic RV KE (KERV ) were 4.89 ± 1.49 mJ using TR and 5.53 ± 1.62 mJ using TA segmentation (P = 0.016); peak systolic LV KE (KELV ) were 3.29 ± 0.96 mJ and 4.16 ± 1.26 mJ (P = 0.005). Peak diastolic KERV were 3.33 ± 0.90 mJ (TR) and 3.61 ± 1.12 mJ (TA) (P = 0.082), while peak diastolic KELV were 4.90 ± 1.49 mJ and 5.31 ± 1.59 mJ (P = 0.044). In patient volunteers, peak systolic KERV were 4.34 ± 3.78 mJ using TR and 4.88 ± 3.98 mJ using TA segmentation (P = 0.26); peak systolic KELV were 4.39 ± 4.21 mJ and 4.36 ± 3.84 mJ (P = 0.91). Peak diastolic KERV were 3.34 ± 2.08 mJ (TR) and 4.05 ± 1.12 mJ (TA) (P = 0.08), while peak diastolic KELV were 4.34 ± 5.11 mJ and 4.06 ± 3.47 mJ (P = 0.75). Interobserver differences in KELV were greater for TR than TA calculations; bias ranged from 3 ± 30% for TA peak systolic KELV to 36 ± 30% for TR peak diastolic KELV . Conclusion Although qualitatively similar, KE values calculated through TA segmentation were consistently greater than TR KE, with differences more pronounced during systole and in the LV. Level of evidence 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:821-828.
A Tangible, Story-Construction Process Employing Spatial, Computational-Thinking

The outcome of a multidisciplinary and iterative process, CyberPLAYce is a tangible, interactive, cyber-physical learning tool for children supporting computational thinking and, particularly, playful storytelling. CyberPLAYce finds inspiration in the concept of child-computer interaction, where meaning is constructed through spatially reconfiguring the physical environment. The novel aspect of CyberPLAYce is its extension of cyber-learning to the dimension of space where children construct meaning at a larger physical scale. This paper outlines the motivations for CyberPLAYce, focuses on the full arc of design and evaluation activities concerning computational thinking (CT) practices that engaged 8-12-year-old storytellers, and concludes with a consideration of future work focusing on spatial thinking with CyberPLAYce. Results from our empirical study suggest that cyber-physical play afforded by CyberPLAYce scaffolds computational thinking, creating, and sharing in children. Particularly for IDC researchers in the educational domain, CyberPLAYce represents a Research-through-design exemplar supporting children's enjoyment of learning and meaning-construction.
Advanced Data Converters

Need to get up to speed quickly on the latest advances in high performance data converters? Want help choosing the best architecture for your application? With everything you need to know about the key new converter architectures, this guide is for you. It presents basic principles, circuit and system design techniques and associated trade-offs, doing away with lengthy mathematical proofs and providing intuitive descriptions upfront. Everything from time-to-digital converters to comparator-based/zero-crossing ADCs is covered and each topic is introduced with a short summary of the essential basics. Practical examples describing actual chips, along with extensive comparison between architectural or circuit options, ease architecture selection and help you cut design time and engineering risk. Trade-offs, advantages and disadvantages of each option are put into perspective with a discussion of future trends, showing where this field is heading, what is driving it and what the most important unanswered questions are.
Enforced Layer-by-Layer Stacking of Energetic Salts towards High-Performance Insensitive Energetic Materials

Development of modern high-performance insensitive energetic materials is significant because of the increasing demands for both military and civilian applications. Here we propose a rapid and facile strategy called the “layer hydrogen bonding pairing approach” to organize energetic molecules via layer-by-layer stacking, which grants access to tunable energetic materials with targeted properties. Using this strategy, an unusual energetic salt, hydroxylammonium 4-amino-furazan-3-yl-tetrazol-1-olate, with good detonation performances and excellent sensitivities, was designed, synthesized, and fully characterized. In addition, the expected unique layer-by-layer structure with a high crystal packing coefficient was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Calculations indicate that the layer-stacking structure of this material can absorb the mechanical stimuli-induced kinetic energy by converting it to layer sliding, which results in low sensitivity.
Approach to Modeling Boundary Layer Ingestion Using a Fully Coupled Propulsion-RANS Model

Airframe-propulsion integration concepts that use boundary layer ingestion have the potential to reduce aircraft fuel burn. One concept that has been recently explored is NASA's Starc-ABL aircraft configuration, which offers the potential for 12% mission fuel burn reduction by using a turbo-electric propulsion system with an aft-mounted electrically driven boundary layer ingestion propulsor. This large potential for improved performance motivates a more detailed study of the boundary layer ingestion propulsor design, but to date, analyses of boundary layer ingestion have used uncoupled methods. These methods account for only aerodynamic effects on the propulsion system or propulsion system effects on the aerodynamics, but not both simultaneously. This work presents a new approach for building fully coupled propulsive-aerodynamic models of boundary layer ingestion propulsion systems. A 1D thermodynamic cycle analysis is coupled to a RANS simulation to model the Starc-ABL aft propulsor at a cruise condition and the effects variation in propulsor design on performance are examined. The results indicates that both propulsion and aerodynamic effects contribute equally toward the overall performance and that the fully coupled model yields substantially different results compared to uncoupled. The most significant finding is that boundary layer ingestion, while offering substantial fuel burn savings, introduces throttle dependent aerodynamics effects that need to be accounted for. This work represents a first step toward the multidisciplinary design optimization of boundary layer ingestion propulsion systems.
Nutrient recovery and biogas generation from the anaerobic digestion of waste biomass from algal biofuel production

Abstract Microalgae are gaining popularity as a source of biodiesel. Recycling fertilizer nutrients is critical to sustain large-scale biodiesel production because the global supply of surplus fertilizer is limited. This study demonstrates that anaerobic digestion of residual algal biomass from biodiesel production can provide additional nutrients and energy. Anaerobic digestion of Chlorella sorokiniana 1412 whole cell algae (WCA), sonicated algae (SA), and SA subjected to lipid extraction (LEA) in bench-scale batch reactors operated at 30 ± 2 °C for 42 days released a considerable amount of the nitrogen and phosphorus in the algal cells. Digestion of WCA, SA, LEA released 48.1, 77.4, and 61.5% of the total algal nitrogen as NH 4 + -N, and 87.7, 99.4, and 93.6% of the total algal P as soluble P, respectively. The energy recovery from algae biomass was quantified through the methane yield. The biochemical methane potential of WCA, SA and LEA was 0.298, 0.388 and 0.253 L methane per gram algal volatile solids, respectively. The conversion of LEA and WCA biomass to methane was very similar (38 and 41% on a COD basis, respectively), indicating that the energy yield was not significantly lowered by extraction of the lipid fraction (which accounted for 9% of algal dry weight). Sonication improved the access of hydrolytic enzymes to algal biopolymers (compensating in part for the energy lost due to lipid extraction). The results taken as a whole indicate that anaerobic digestion of LEA can provide considerable yields of methane and soluble nutrients.
Conflict Strategies in the Parent-Adult Child Tie: Generation Differences and Implications for Well-Being.

Objectives Irritations often arise in intergenerational ties. Middle-aged individuals report that their relationships with adult children are more important and more negative than ties with aging parents. However, it is unclear whether midlife individuals use different interpersonal conflict strategies with adult children compared to aging parents, and whether the strategies used have implications for psychological well-being. Method This study examined middle-aged individuals' reports of conflict strategies with their adult children and their aging parents and their own depressive symptoms. Participants were from the Family Exchanges Study; middle-aged adults (N = 365, ages 45 to 66 years) reported on the conflict strategies used with each of their adult children and their aging parents. Results Models revealed that middle-aged individuals use more active strategies (e.g., discussing problems) with their adult children than their aging parents. In contrast, individuals used more passive strategies (e.g., avoidance) with aging parents than adult children. Further, passive strategies used with adult children are associated with greater depressive symptoms. Discussion Findings are consistent with the intraindividual stake hypothesis and imply that conflict strategies used with adult children may be more consequential for psychological well-being than those used with aging parents.
Neural decomposition of time-series data

We present a neural network technique for the analysis and extrapolation of time-series data called Neural Decomposition (ND). Units with a sinusoidal activation function are used to perform a Fourier-like decomposition of training samples into a sum of sinusoids, augmented by units with nonperiodic activation functions to capture linear trends and other nonperiodic components. We show how careful weight initialization can be combined with regularization to form a simple model that generalizes well. Our method generalizes effectively on the Mackey-Glass series, a dataset of unemployment rates as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, a time-series of monthly international airline passengers, and an unevenly sampled time-series of oxygen isotope measurements from a cave in north India. We find that ND outperforms popular time-series forecasting techniques including LSTM, echo state networks, (S)ARIMA, and SVR with a radial basis function.
From SEZs to Thailand 4.0: Geopolitics of borderlands in the Thai state’s vision

This article uses the case of Thailand’s two economic policies –the border Special Economic Zones and the Thailand 4.0 model, to explore geopolitics of the Thai-Burmese borderland. It also discuss a theoretical gap in accounting the ways in which the state engages with transnational flows of capital and peoples, and proposes to use the concept of ‘border partial citizenship’ to bridge this gap. It argues that the shift in Thailand’s economic policy portrayed the different ways in which the Thai state envisaged its geographical territory in relations to capital and human mobility. In the border SEZ project, the Thai borderland is a site where the state loosened its relationship with its non-subjects. However, while the border regions seem increasingly opening for migrant mobility, the inner core of the Thai geo-body, a geographical territory that embodies nationhood, is proportionately hyper-sanitized by patriotic discourses of the national advancement in knowledge-based economy and the harsh policy toward undocumented migrant population
Black Teachers' Retention and Transfer Patterns in North Carolina: How Do Patterns Vary by Teacher Effectiveness, Subject, and School Conditions?.

Despite public interest and government action toward diversifying the teaching workforce in U.S. public schools, our knowledge about the retention and transfer patterns of Black teachers lacks spec...
On the Mechanism of the NO Reduction by Propylene Over Supported Pt Catalysts

Different mechanisms have been proposed in the literature for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by hydrocarbons (and in particular by propane and propylene) over supported Pt catalysts. This manuscript reviews the available experimental evidence in support of a scheme involving the initial partial oxidation of the hydrocarbon and the subsequent formation of a surface cyanide or isocyanate intermediate. Furthermore, we present results of reaction kinetics analyses which indicate that such a reaction scheme can describe the available kinetic data at a quantitative level.
Immunobiology of Human Breast Cancer

The analysis of surface membrane and intracellular antigens in breast carcinoma cells has been greatly accelerated by the discovery of monoclonal antibodies produced by somatic cell hybridization1. Such antibodies provide a large supply of a reagent which reproducibly recognizes a single antigenic epitope. This allows analysis of epitope and antigen expession as well as purification and characterization of the antigen.
Metal constitution of metallothionein influences inhibition of delta-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase (porphobilinogen synthase) by lead.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of Zn and Cd pretreatment on the inhibition of delta-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD; porphobilinogen synthase, EC 4.2.1.24) by Pb. Male CD rats were pretreated with 200 mumol of Zn/kg s.c. (subcutaneously) or 18 mumol of Cd/kg s.c., 48 and 24 h before assay of ALAD. Pretreatment with Zn resulted in activation of hepatic and renal ALAD and attenuated the inhibition of this enzyme by Pb in vitro. Pretreatment with Cd increased hepatic ALAD activity, and the inhibitory effect of Pb on the hepatic enzyme was attenuated in this group. In contrast with the situation in liver, pretreatment with Cd did not affect the activity of renal ALAD and did not alter the inhibitory effect of Pb on the renal enzyme. The Pb IC50 (concentration causing half-maximal inhibition) values for hepatic and renal ALAD in Zn-pretreated rats and for hepatic ALAD in Cd-pretreated rats were increased above control, whereas the IC50 for renal ALAD in Cd-pretreated rats was unchanged. Cytosolic binding patterns for the three metals were assessed by gel-filtration chromatography and disclosed that 203Pb was co-eluted with Zn and Cd bound to liver and kidney Zn-thioneins and liver Cd,Zn-thionein, although minimal binding of 203Pb to kidney Cd,Zn-thionein was observed. Estimation of the molar ratio of metals bound revealed Cd/Zn ratios of 2 and 5 for Cd,Zn-thioneins from liver and kidney respectively. The inhibition of purified ALAD by Pb was also attenuated by addition of purified Zn-thioneins and Cd,Zn-thioneins from liver and kidney in the following order: liver Zn-thionein = kidney Zn-thionein greater than liver Cd,Zn-thionein much greater than kidney Cd,Zn-thionein. Thus liver and kidney Zn-thioneins and liver Cd,Zn-thionein with a low Cd/Zn ratio readily decrease the free pool of Pb available to interact with ALAD. These data also demonstrate that the capacity of metallothionein to alter the intracellular distribution of Pb and mediate the inhibition of ALAD by Pb is dependent on the tissue source and relative metal constitution of the metallothionein.