cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plantar pressures in identical and non-identical twins

Identifying environmental risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders is challenging due to the number of potential confounders. Twins are of particular interest for researchers interested in studying these types of problems due to their inherent control for the influence of genetic factors. In twin studies, this population can allow environmental risk factors to be more easily identified, and this type of study design may allow the role of biomechanics in injury and disease to be further explored. At present, it is unclear if foot function displays more similarity between certain types of twins. In this study, we hypothesized that the plantar pressures of monozygotic (identical) twins would be more similar between pairs than dizygotic (non-identical) twins. We measured static and dynamic plantar pressures from five pairs of each twin type. Statistical parametric modeling was used to compare pressure distributions at the sensor level. For >80% of stance phase, the pixel level analysis indicated that monozygotic twins had less variation in plantar pressure between pairs. The average z-statistic across the entire trial was 0.88 for the monozygotic group and 1.13 for the dizygotic group. In this study we provide evidence of greater similarity of plantar pressures in monozygotic twin pairs compared to dizygotic twins. This finding supports the use of co-twin studies investigating potentially modifiable environmental and biomechanical risk factors for musculoskeletal conditions that affect the foot and ankle.
Prevalence of 3 Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Among US Adults With and Without History of Stroke.

Introduction Engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors decreases risk for cardiometabolic complications, which is of particular concern for stroke survivors whose history of stroke (HOS) increases cardiometabolic risk. Population-based estimates of healthy behaviors in adults with HOS are lacking but could be used to inform research, policy, and health care practice. The objective of this study was to calculate and compare population-based estimates of the prevalence of consuming 1 or more fruit and 1 or more vegetable daily, meeting weekly aerobic physical activity recommendations, having a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 kg/m2, and the number of healthy behaviors among US adults with and without HOS. Methods We used data from the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Weighted and age-adjusted (to the 2000 US standard population) prevalence estimates and adjusted odds ratios (AORs, adjusted for demographic variables) were computed for study variables. Results Adults with HOS were less likely than adults without HOS to consume 1 or more fruit and 1 or more vegetable daily (AOR = 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-0.91), meet weekly aerobic physical activity recommendations (AOR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.67-0.78), and engage in 2 (AOR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.94) or 3 (AOR = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64-0.82) healthy behaviors. Adults with HOS were more likely to engage in 0 healthy behaviors (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.16-1.37). Having a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 and engaging in 1 healthy behavior were similar between groups. Conclusion Prevalence of individual and total number of healthy behaviors was lower in adults with HOS for several healthy behaviors. Future research, policy, and health care practice is needed to promote healthy behaviors in adults with HOS.
Energy Technology Adoption: Case of Solar Photovoltaic in the Pacific Northwest USA

Abstract Current political, economic, and environmental issues have made energy source selection a delicate decision. These pressures concurrent with the decrease in sustainable energy costs have increased the interest in cleaner alternative energies such as solar and wind in order to mitigate the environmental consequences. Among these energies, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is one of the most promising sources of power with the potential of providing one fifth of the annual energy in US alone. The purpose of this study is to analyze the associations and correlations of income, education, and solar adoption through surveys and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) respectively. Results from GIS analysis and linear regression show correlations between education, income levels, and the number of solar PV adopters in Oregon census tracts. By identifying adoption hotspots, this study recommends four areas in Oregon State which are ideal for energy companies to promote, educate, and incentivize Solarize programs in order to bolster the adoption and diffusion of solar PVs. The selected areas have high income and education levels but the number of solar adoptions are not significant which makes them good candidates for more analysis and potentially incentives and education programs.
Republican Home-Owning

Ten years after failing and being rescued by our federal government, our nation’s principal secondary market makers in home mortgage loans – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – remain in federal receivership. The proximate reason for this is that neither Republicans nor Democrats in Congress have been able to find consensus – interparty or intraparty consensus – on what should be done with our home mortgage GSEs post-crisis. The deeper reason is that public – that is to say, citizen – ownership of secondary market makers in home loans is in a certain sense ‘natural’ in any republic, such as our own, where both middle class standing and that standing’s primary indicator – home-owning – are deeply ingrained in the citizenry’s self-ascribed national identity. This truth is yet more compelling when home prices, as they are bound to do anywhere homes are the primary middle class asset, become what I call 'systemically significant' - that is, when they become pervasive determinants both of other prices and of broader macroeconomic wellbeing. I conclude that the only sustainable future for Fannie and Freddie, not to say for the American middle class and our other GSEs (including our student loan GSEs), is to be found in their past. Fannie and Freddie should be forthrightly made citizen-owned once again as Fannie was through our home markets’ healthiest decades.
Development and case study of the liquid desiccant system module in sorption system simulation program (SorpSim)

Abstract Liquid desiccant systems (LDS) have recently seen an increase in research interest as they can utilize low-grade heat resources and separate the sensible and latent cooling loads by efficiently removing moisture in the air without cooling it to the dew point. However, simulation and analysis of LDS had remained complex and demanding due to the limited resources of LDS simulation tools. This work presents the new LDS module developed in the Sorption system Simulation program (SorpSim), which is an open-source and flexible platform for steady-state simulation and analysis of various sorption systems. First, the new LDS module containing a finite-difference model and an effectiveness-NTU model for the heat and mass transfer in LDS dehumidifier/regenerator component was introduced. Then the simulation results of the new module were verified using data from the literature. Finally, a case study was carried out in SorpSim where an LDS cycle was built and simulated using the new module. The impacts of design and operating parameters on the simulated LDS performance were investigated. The parametric study revealed that a high source temperature improved moisture removal rate (MRR) but reduced the system coefficient of performance (COP); the COP increased monotonically with the desiccant solution recirculation ratio, while the MRR peaked at a ratio of 85%; and an internal solution heat exchanger with UA of 800 W/K was found to be sufficient for optimal performance under high recirculation ratios. The case study demonstrated the LDS module’s capability to facilitate the analysis of LDS design and operation. The LDS module can be further coupled with other component models in SorpSim to simulate and analyze various liquid-desiccant-based systems.
Fly foregut and transmission of microbes

Two areas of research that have greatly increased in attention are: dipterans as vectors and the microbes they are capable of vectoring. Because it is the front-end of the fly that first encounters these microbes, this review focuses on the legs, mouthparts, and foregut, which includes the crop as major structures involved in dipteran vectoring ability. The legs and mouthparts are generally involved in mechanical transmission of microbes. However, the crop is involved in more than just mechanical transmission, for it is within the lumen of the crop that microbes are taken up with the meal of the fly, stored, and it is within the lumen that horizontal transmission of bacterial resistance has been demonstrated. In addition to storage of microbes, the crop is also involved in depositing the microbes via a process known as regurgitation. Various aspects of crop regulation are discussed and specific examples of crop involvement with microorganisms are discussed. The importance of biofilm and biofilm formation are presented, as well as, some physical parameters of the crop that might either facilitate or inhibit biofilm formation. Finally, there is a brief discussion of dipteran model systems for studying crop microbe interactions.
In vivo assessment of photoreceptor function in human diseases caused by photoreceptor-specific gene mutations.

Publisher Summary Many human hereditary retinal degenerations are now known to be caused by mutations in genes that encode proteins exclusively expressed in photoreceptors. Currently, electroretinogram (ERG) photoresponses constitute the most direct noninvasive measure of rod and cone photoreceptor function in isolation. The ERG is a light-evoked field potential generated across the retina and is recorded with an electrode placed on the cornea. This chapter outlines the details of this new methodology and its application to patients with retinal degenerations caused by mutations in two photoreceptor-specific genes: rhodopsin and peripherin/RDS. ERG photoresponse recordings constitute a simple, direct, and in vivo method to quantify rod and cone dysfunction for better understanding of the initial functional insult in human photoreceptor degenerations. Naturally occurring or genetically engineered models of the human disease are being used increasingly to elucidate disease mechanisms. ERG photoresponses performed similarly in humans and animals may provide a common ground for interspecies comparison of dysfunction and allow the outcomes of potential forms of treatment applied to animal models to be extrapolated to human patients.
Occurrence of Didemnum perlucidum Monniot F., 1983 on artificial substrates along the Mediterranean coast of Israel

Introductions of non-indigenous ascidian species are highly common nowadays due to their ability to establish successfully on artificial substrates. Didemnid species are of particular concern because of their rapid a-sexual growth and high fecundity. The colonial ascidian Didemnum perlucidum Monniot F., 1983 was first described from Guadeloupe Island in the Caribbean, although its native range remains unknown. To date, it has been recorded from numerous sites across the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Here, having employed both classic taxonomy and genetic tools to verify its identification, we document for the first time its occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea – on two artificial substrates along the Israeli coast. The ability of D. perlucidum to establish reproductive populations despite the harsh environmental conditions of this region, with temperature fluctuations between 16-31°C and a salinity of 38-39 ppt, raises concern regarding this species’ potential for introductions at numerous sites across the Mediterranean.
Chapter 239 – Spermatheca

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the spermathecas, a special pouch in the female in which spermatozoa are stored and maintained after mating. In more advanced insects, the male deposits seminal fluid or a spermatophore into the bursa copulatrix, and the sperm then move from the bursa into the spermatheca. The sperm often remain viable within the female's spermatheca for her entire life, which may be as long as 3–4 years for social insects such as the honey bee queen. The sperm are released from the spermatheca only when eggs pass down the oviduct, so fertilization may occur just before the eggs are laid. A female insect typically has only one spermatheca, but some coleopterans have two, and there are three spermathecae in some dipterans. These multiple storage organs may allow the female to segregate and manipulate the sperm. The spermathecae vary considerably in their overall structure from insect to insect, but as outgrowths of the median oviduct, they are all ectodermal in origin and produce a cuticular lining. They generally arise from the median oviduct near or on the genital chamber. The spermathecal sac (or receptaculum seminis) is connected to the genital chamber by a secretory duct (or ductus seminalis) through which the sperm are discharged.
Ballot-marking devices cannot ensure the will of the voters

The complexity of U.S. elections usually requires computers to count ballots—but computers can be hacked, so election integrity requires a voting system in which paper ballots can be recounted by h...
Remote sensing and statistical analysis of the effects of hurricane María on the forests of Puerto Rico

Widely recognized as one of the worst natural disaster in Puerto Rico's history, hurricane Maria made landfall on September 20, 2017 in southeast Puerto Rico as a high-end category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale causing widespread destruction, fatalities and forest disturbance. This study focused on hurricane Maria's effect on Puerto Rico's forests as well as the effect of landform and forest characteristics on observed disturbance patterns. We used Google Earth Engine (GEE) to assess the severity of forest disturbance using a disturbance metric based on Landsat 8 satellite data composites with pre and post-hurricane Maria. Forest structure, tree phenology characteristics, and landforms were obtained from satellite data products, including digital elevation model and global forest canopy height. Our analyses showed that forest structure, and characteristics such as forest age and forest type affected patterns of forest disturbance. Among forest types, highest disturbance values were found in sierra palm, transitional, and tall cloud forests; seasonal evergreen forests with coconut palm; and mangrove forests. For landforms, greatest disturbance metrics was found at high elevations, steeper slopes, and windward surfaces. As expected, high levels of disturbance were also found close to the hurricane track, with disturbance less severe as hurricane Maria moved inland. Results demonstrated that forest and landform characteristics accounted for 34% of the variation in spatial forest spectral disturbance patterns. This study demonstrated an informative regional approach, combining remote sensing with statistical analyses to investigate factors that result in variability in hurricane effects on forest ecosystems.
Microbiota influences on systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome

Abstract Commensal bacteria colonizing the gut, skin, and mucus membranes have recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren’s syndrome. The microbiota contributes to innate and adaptive immune responses that lead to systemic autoimmunity. We review here the role of the microbiota in animal models for SLE and Sjogren’s syndrome as well as human associative and mechanistic studies. We cover host-microbial mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmunity including innate triggers of toll-like receptors, translocation of live bacteria into host tissues, and cross-reactivity of conserved structures within the microbiome with human autoantigens. In summary, both innate and adaptive immunity within and outside barrier organs are elicited by the microbiota. These responses lead to systemic autoimmunity and inflammation in genetically prone hosts.
A Panoramic Review of the Macromarketing Literature

This contribution benchmarks the 40th anniversary issue of the Journal of Macromarketing with an updated and topically organized bibliography of articles that can be used by interested researchers ...
Numerical study of non-uniqueness for 2D compressible isentropic Euler equations

Abstract In this paper, we numerically study a class of solutions with spiraling singularities in vorticity for two-dimensional, inviscid, compressible Euler systems, where the initial data have an algebraic singularity in vorticity at the origin. These are different from the multi-dimensional Riemann problems widely studied in the literature. Our computations provide numerical evidence of the existence of initial value problems with multiple solutions, thus revealing a fundamental obstruction toward the well-posedness of the governing equations. The compressible Euler equations are solved using the positivity-preserving discontinuous Galerkin method.
Risk-aware Energy Management of Extended Range Electric Delivery Vehicles with Implicit Quantile Network

Model-free reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms are used to solve sequential decision-making problems under uncertainty. They are data-driven methods and do not require an explicit model of the studied system or environment. Because of this characteristic, they are widely utilized in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), as real-world transportation systems are highly complex and extremely difficult to model. However, in most literature, decisions are made according to the expected long-term return estimated by the RL algorithm, ignoring the underlying risk. In this work, a distributional RL algorithm called implicit quantile network is adapted for the energy management problem of a delivery vehicle. Instead of only estimating the expected long-term return, the full return distribution is estimated implicitly. This is highly beneficial for applications in ITS, as uncertainty and randomness are intrinsic characteristics of transportation systems. In addition, risk-aware strategies are integrated into the algorithm with the risk measure of conditional value at risk. In this study, we demonstrate that by changing a hyperparameter, the trade-off between fuel efficiency and the risk of running out of battery power during a delivery trip can be controlled according to different application scenarios and personal preferences.
9.13 – Chronometry of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary rocks are commonly organized into discrete strata. The strata are composed of materials, diverse particles of inorganic and/or organic origin, that reflect aspects of the environmental conditions under which they got accumulated. Sequences of sedimentary rock layers were observed and studied initially in cliffs, man-made exposures, and sites where the vegetation was not thick enough to obscure the rock layers. It was in mines, however, that sequences of strata came to be examined closely. Miners' observations of the succession of sedimentary rock layers they saw and quarried below the Earth's surface gave birth to a domain, that is, stratigraphy, and an understanding of sedimentary rocks. The need for sedimentary rock chronometry and its application remains as valuable a tool in finding and recovering nature's resources today as it was in William Smith's day. Deep ocean-floor explorations have added an interesting, exciting, and still-expanding dimension to sedimentary rock chronometry.
Legacy of bark beetles (Dendroctonus spp.) on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling seven years after forest infestation

Abstract Between years 2007 and 2013, an outbreak of pine- and spruce-bark beetles (Dendroctonus spp.) has decimated coniferous forests of the northwestern United States. Beetles introduced blue stain fungus to the tree xylem that caused blockage and discontinuation of plant water conductance. One of the immediate disease symptoms was premature and immediate drop-off of all needles rich in nitrogen (N). Soil surface-accumulated needle litter in combination with elevated soil water levels, have led to accelerated N and carbon (C) mineralization. Understanding of the soil C and N cycling during forest transition from “standing dead trees” to “snagfall and forest regrowth” is still unclear. Specifically, the potential lasting legacy of beetle-caused surface-deposited tree litter is of importance in order to assess long-term forest health. The main objective of this study was to assess whether soil C and N mineralization continues to be affected by litter chemistry in this transitional period of post beetle disturbance ecosystem recovery. Mineral soil (0–10 cm) and corresponding surface tree litter were obtained from beneath dead and live tree clusters in three forest types in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest in Wyoming, USA. All forests were located in the same watershed, grew on similar soils, experienced up to 35% of forest mortality and consisted of: Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) mixed with lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), and lodgepole pine alone. Results suggest that tree litter uniformly affected mineral soils across all forest types regardless of beetle infestation. In laboratory incubations, the presence of litter doubled mineral soil heterotrophic respiration. While litter had the most uniform effect on soils, beetle infestation and forest type resulted in a number of differences. Soils beneath dead tree clusters continued to have elevated inorganic N concentrations when normalized by total N, which was twice as high compared to soils beneath live tree clusters across all forest types. The lowest NH4+ concentrations were observed in soils beneath lodgepole pine trees, which was accompanied by the highest C to N ratio of microbially available substrates. In conclusion, the legacy of forest die-offs caused by bark beetle infestation was still observable seven years later during the early transitional period. This confirms ecosystem modeling simulations that, while entering decadal stage of forest recovery, forest structure may differ depending on the forest type, and that the forest types that contain lodgepole pines may encounter an earlier onset of potential N limitation.
Introduction, Diagnostic Criteria, Pharmacotherapy, and Dental Management

The focus of this chapter is to present the basic clinical signs and symptoms, diagnostic strategies, and management approaches of SS for the oral health team. As the disease spectrum for SS is wide and quite variable, diagnosis can be challenging. This chapter will present evidence-based diagnostic and management strategies in a sequential fashion. More specifically, these include published diagnostic criteria, signs and symptoms, selected chairside patient questions suggestive of SS, and distinctions between xerostomia and hyposalivation. Chairside procedures to measure salivary flow rates and perform labial salivary gland biopsies are presented as well. Essential serological screening tests for diagnosis of SS and the subsequent need for interprofessional involvement are reviewed. Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments provided by the oral health care team for SS are detailed. These include products to relieve dry mouth, caries prevention agents, and medications to manage the oral manifestations SS. The dental management section includes patient counseling, caries management, discussion of TMD symptoms, association of SS and periodontal disease, and implant therapy. A positive and supportive approach to managing SS patients will empower them to take an active role in their oral health and improve their quality of life. Any patient presenting with xerostomia should receive a thorough evaluation. Of significance, the dentist and/or dental hygienist may be the first health care professional to suspect and facilitate the diagnosis of SS. This chapter will sequentially present the key elements in the management of patients with xerostomia, hyposalivation, and rheumatic diseases such as SS. This clinical-based approach will serve as a valuable reference for the oral health team as well as the interprofessional medical team consisting of (at a minimum) rheumatologists, ophthalmologists, and primary care physicians.
Structurally constrained phosphonate internucleotide linkage impacts oligonucleotide-enzyme interaction, and modulates siRNA activity and allele specificity.

Oligonucleotides is an emerging class of chemically-distinct therapeutic modalities, where extensive chemical modifications are fundamental for their clinical applications. Inter-nucleotide backbones are critical to the behaviour of therapeutic oligonucleotides, but clinically explored backbone analogues are, effectively, limited to phosphorothioates. Here, we describe the synthesis and bio-functional characterization of an internucleotide (E)-vinylphosphonate (iE-VP) backbone, where bridging oxygen is substituted with carbon in a locked stereo-conformation. After optimizing synthetic pathways for iE-VP-linked dimer phosphoramidites in different sugar contexts, we systematically evaluated the impact of the iE-VP backbone on oligonucleotide interactions with a variety of cellular proteins. Furthermore, we systematically evaluated the impact of iE-VP on RNA-Induced Silencing Complex (RISC) activity, where backbone stereo-constraining has profound position-specific effects. Using Huntingtin (HTT) gene causative of Huntington's disease as an example, iE-VP at position 6 significantly enhanced the single mismatch discrimination ability of the RISC without negative impact on silencing of targeting wild type htt gene. These findings suggest that the iE-VP backbone can be used to modulate the activity and specificity of RISC. Our study provides (i) a new chemical tool to alter oligonucleotide-enzyme interactions and metabolic stability, (ii) insight into RISC dynamics and (iii) a new strategy for highly selective SNP-discriminating siRNAs.
Do Nutritional Knowledge and Depth of Processing Influence the Recall of Nutritional Information

Several researchers have suggested that in order to develop nutritional information programs that consumers find useful, we must understand how people cognitively process and learn nutritional information. In this study we make just such an effort. Our results suggest that more knowledgeable consumers learn new nutritional information more easily, because not only does greater knowledge directly effect recall, but it also permits people to process new information at deeper semantic levels.
Empirical study of the effect of count time on the precision and accuracy of pXRF data

Abstract As a cost-effective and non-destructive method for multi-element analysis, portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) has the potential for broad archeological application; however, recent applications of pXRF remain inconsistent. For example, sourcing studies using pXRF have irradiated artifacts and geologic source materials for widely varying amounts of time. In this study, we investigate the effect of count time on the precision and accuracy of pXRF data obtained for two geologic standards, as well as for obsidian, fine-grained volcanic (e.g., andesites, dacites), metamorphic, and chert specimens from the North American Great Basin. We find that the precision and reliability of pXRF data does not improve significantly at count times greater than 180 s. Our analysis also indicates that count time has little bearing on the accuracy or validity of pXRF data, as expected from the mathematical relationships between count time, intensity, and concentration. Finally, we demonstrate that a well-calibrated pXRF instrument generates compositional data comparable to data obtained using other analytical methods. We offer this study as a step toward the development of a consistent and rigorous analytical protocol for archeological applications of pXRF.
On the Mechanisms Leading to Exfoliated Nanocomposites Prepared by Mixing

For most industrial applications, exfoliation is much preferred to intercalation in organoclay nanocomposites. Mechanisms leading to exfoliated nanocomposites prepared by mixing are presented with specific examples reported in the literature. It is pointed out that in the preparation, via mixing, of nanocomposites based on thermoplastic polymers or thermoplastic elastomers, exfoliation of the aggregates of layered silicate platelets requires strong attractive interactions between the clay surface (with or without chemical modification) and polymer matrix, giving rise to enhanced compatibility between the two and hence a highly dispersed (nearly exfoliated) nanocomposite. In this chapter, four different specific interactions (ionic, ion–dipole, hydrogen bonding, and coulombic) are illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness of offering strong attractive interactions between the clay surface (with or without chemical modifications) and the polymer matrix in the preparation of exfoliated nanocomposites based on thermoplastic polymers or thermoplastic elastomers by mixing. It is pointed out further that van der Waals force is not strong enough to exfoliate the aggregates of layered silicate platelets, giving rise to intercalated nanocomposites at best.
THERAPEUTIC ABORTION, STERILIZATION, AND CONTRACEPTION.

On Sept. 1, 1955, a Therapeutic Abortion Board was formed at Sloane Hospital. Prior to this date the mechanism for obtaining permission to perform an abortion, although it entailed approval of the Chief of Service, was considerably less formal. Since this date abortion applications have been reviewed by a three-member board composed of a senior obstetrician, internist, and psychiatrist. Because of this abrupt change in policy, the abortion cases for this study were selected from the time period between Sept. 1, 1950, and August 31, 1960. Incidence. During these study years, the ratio of therapeutic abortions to deliveries was as follows:
Boosting MUS extraction

If a CSP instance has no solution, it contains a smaller unsolvable subproblem that makes unsolvable the whole problem. When solving such instance, instead of just returning the "no solution" message, it is of interest to return an unsolvable subproblem. The detection of such unsolvable subproblems has many applications: failure explanation, error diagnosis, planning, intelligent backtracking, etc. In this paper, we give a method for extracting a Minimal Unsolvable Subproblem (MUS) from a CSP based on a Forward Checking algorithm with Dynamic Variable Ordering (FC-DVO). We propose an approach that improves existing techniques using a two steps algorithm. In the first step, we detect an unsolvable subproblem selecting a set of constraints, while in the second step we refine this unsolvable subproblem until a MUS is obtained. We provide experimental results that show how our approach improves other approaches based on MAC-DVO algorithms.
A signature analysis method for IC failure analysis

A new method of signature analysis is presented and explained. This method of signature analysis can be based on either experiential knowledge of failure analysis, observed data, or a combination of both. The method can also be used on low numbers of failures or even single failures. It uses the Dempster-Shafer theory to calculate failure mechanism confidence. The model is developed in the paper and an example is given for its use. 9 refs., 5 figs., 9 tabs.
Ecology and Taxonomy of Halimeda: Primary Producer of Coral Reefs

Publisher Summary The first English description of Halimeda was given by Parkinson in the 1640s. He called it Opuntia marina (the sea garland) and captured the essence of the species then known as “H. tuna” of the Mediterranean. The discovery of other species, in the intervening years, has shown that the genus is not always dainty, and the descriptive terminology has grown accordingly. The overall appearance of the genus is characteristic. It can be identified almost at once because it looks like some form of underwater cactus, with photosynthetic portions consisting of a series of calcified segments or joints, the strung leaves of Parkinson, which may be arranged in some branching pattern. The plant body, or Thallus, also possesses a holdfast that provides attachment to or in the substrate. This chapter explains the structure and composition of this cellulose free plant and summarizes the unusual structure and chemistry of Halimeda. It outlines the history of Halimeda studies, discoveries, various old and modern taxonomies, the culture procedures for field and laboratory, its growth and calcification, reproduction, biogeography, and phylogeny and productivity. The chapter also discusses the distribution of Halimeda in two reef systems: The Glory Be Reef and the Enewetak Atoll.
Thermo‐mechanical Behavior and Cracking Susceptibility of Solidifying Shell in Continuous Casting Mold

Based on a microsegregation model of solute elements in mushy zone and a two dimensional transient thermo-mechanical coupled finite element model for describing the growth of solidifying shell in slab continuous casting mold, the solute microsegregation behavior at dendrite boundary and the thermo-mechanical behaviors of solidifying shell, including the dynamic formation of air gap and the distribution of mold flux film between shell and mold, were analyzed during continuous casting of peritectic steel. A CSC (Cracking Susceptibility Coefficient) analytical model to represent quantitatively the cracking possibility of solidifying shell in mold was proposed, and the variation of shell cracking susceptibility in slab mold during a typical peritectic steel continuous casting process was investigated by analyzing the shell CSC distribution.
Memory Formalism, Nonlinear Techniques, and Kinetic Equation Approaches

Distinct applications of the tools of statistical mechanics to address several unconnected complex observations in interdisciplinary science are explained in four parts. The first deals with the memory function formalism and its application to varied topics: the origin of irreversibility, photosynthesis, sensitized luminescence, stress distribution in granular compacts, and magnetic resonance imaging. The second focuses on techniques of nonlinear equations applied to problems ranging from the Davydov soliton and the discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation, to the propagation of epidemics and the Fisher equation. The third part discusses a few meeting places for the twin procedures of memory methods and nonlinear techniques. The fourth describes miscellaneous applications based on the Fokker‐Planck and the Boltzmann equations to topics of current interest in ceramic science and condensed matter physics.
Can Jannie verify? Usability of display-equipped RFID tags for security purposes

The recent emergence of RFID tags capable of performing public key operations enables a number of new applications in commerce e.g., RFID-enabled credit cards and security e.g., ePassports and access-control badges. While the use of public key cryptography in RFID tags mitigates many difficult security issues, certain important usability-related issues remain, particularly when RFID tags are used for financial transactions or bearer identification.In this paper, we focus exclusively on techniques with user involvement for secure user-to-tag authentication, transaction verification, reader expiration and revocation checking, as well as pairing of RFID tags with other personal devices. Our approach is based on two factors: 1 recent advances in hardware and manufacturing have made it possible to mass-produce inexpensive passive display-equipped RFID tags, and 2 high-end RFID tags used in financial transactions or identification are attended by a human user typically, their owner. Our techniques rely on user involvement coupled with on-tag displays to achieve better security and privacy. Since user acceptance is a crucial factor in this context, we conducted comprehensive user studies to assess usability of all considered methods. This paper reports on our findings.
Chapter 10 Climatic Change and Acclimatization

Publisher Summary This chapter describes some of the physiological adjustments during acclimatization. The climatological literature suggests that, within 50years, heavily inhabited regions may experience significant changes of climate. The proof lies in the story of the Norsemen in Greenland. If similar changes to those they experienced occur again and are prolonged, then large human populations may need to develop more profuse sweating or greater capacity for non-shivering thermogenesis. Domestic animals may present special problems if breeding is affected. To prepare for the future, one must extrapolate to expected environmental demands. When they occur, large populations may experience acclimatization for the first time, or perhaps others must experience new versions of acclimatization carried to its limits. The greatest effect of changing climate on acclimatization may be in the area of nutrition. There are few papers, if any, which report on the acclimatization to heat or cold of the malnourished individual, yet, according to calculations, there were 460 million malnourished people in the world in 1976. If malnourished people cannot acclimatize, or they acclimatize to a lesser extent than the well fed subjects, then they are at greater risk from climatic change. Certainly investigators studying thermal physiology should give more attention to the malnourished human.
Liquid Metal: Object-Oriented Programming Across the Hardware/Software Boundary

The paradigm shift in processor design from monolithic processors to multicore has renewed interest in programming models that facilitate parallelism. While multicores are here today, the future is likely to witness architectures that use reconfigurable fabrics (FPGAs) as coprocessors. FPGAs provide an unmatched ability to tailor their circuitry per application, leading to better performance at lower power. Unfortunately, the skills required to program FPGAs are beyond the expertise of skilled software programmers. This paper shows how to bridge the gap between programming software vs. hardware. We introduce Lime, a new Object-Oriented language that can be compiled for the JVM or into a synthesizable hardware description language. Lime extends Java with features that provide a way to carry OO concepts into efficient hardware. We detail an end-to-end system from the language down to hardware synthesis and demonstrate a Lime program running on both a conventional processor and in an FPGA.
Recent VECSEL developments for sensors applications

Vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSELs) have proven themselves to be a suitable semiconductor answer to many solid-state lasers. Their simplicity makes them a very versatile platform for accessing wavelengths from the UV through the THz through direct and frequency-converted emission. This wavelength flexibility, combined with an optical cavity accommodating additional tuning or nonlinear elements, make the VECSEL a uniquely suited solution to a variety of applications. We will present recent AFRL progress in VECSELs and potential applications for these lasers.
Tensile creep of Ti2AlC in air in the temperature range 1000–1150 °C

In the secondary regime of the tensile creep of Ti2AlC, made with commercial powders with a grain size of 14 ± 8 μm, the minimum creep rate is given by a power law, with a stress exponent of 2.5 ± 0.3 and an activation energy of 362 ± 88 kJ mol−1. Dislocation creep—with possibly grain boundary sliding—are presumed to be the dominant creep mechanism(s). The high failure strains (>15%) can be partially attributed to substantial grain kinking near the fracture surface and concomitant damage tolerance.
Challenges in achieving a fundamental model for ESI

The relative intensities of the ions in an electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrum typically do not reflect the relative concentrations of the ions in solution. A partitioning equilibrium model was developed to explain in quantitative detail many of the behaviors observed in ESI in terms of matrix effects. The fundamental experiments required to validate this model presented several challenges in terms of instrumentation, interpretation, and application. The most basic requirement is a stable spray current that can be measured with accuracy and precision since several factors depend on the spray current. Modifications to the instrument used for these experiments resulted in a stable spray current that could be measured accurately, minimum drifting of the total ion current (TIC), and removal of risking damage to the instrument if arcing occurs. The presence of multiple analyte and electrolyte peaks due to fragment and cluster ions, in addition to solvent and impurity ion peaks, require care in distinguishing and accounting for each component in the solution. The dependence of the spray current on several parameters (analyte and electrolyte concentrations, flow rate, needle voltage, and needle position) as well as the interdependencies among these parameters presented other challenges. The limited the range of variability of each parameter due to these interdependencies was extended by extending the range of stability of the spray current by replacing the metal needle with a glass capillary needle. Overcoming these challenges has enabled us to carry out the quantitative fundamental experiments required to establish a working ESI model with broad applications.
Behavior of Migrant Shorebirds in Playas of the Southern High Plains, Texas

Playas in the Southern High Plains (SHP) are important for migrant shorebirds, but the functional role of playas to migrant shorebirds is not clearly understood. We conducted diurnal time-activity budgets on American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana), Long-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus scolopaieus), Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla), and Western Sandpipers (C. mauri) in spring and fall 1993 and 1994 in 69 playas on the SHP of Texas. During both seasons, Least and Western Sandpipers spent 70-80% of their time feeding. Long-billed Dowitchers spent 77% of their time feeding in spring, but spent more time sleeping and less feeding in fall. American Avocets spent 41-50% of their time feeding and 34-40% of their time sleeping during each season. All four species spent minimal time engaged in locomotion, body maintenance, alert, and aggressive behaviors. American Avocets and Long-billed Dowitchers fed most during the midday and late periods and slept most during the early period. Least Sandpipers fed most during the early period, whereas feeding activities of Western Sandpipers remained 70-80% throughout the day. Each of these species use different behavioral strategies in response to such factors as migration distances, energetic needs, differential predation. nocturnal foraging, and diet. Playas appear to serve as important intermediate stopover sites for shorebirds during migration.
Association of cocaine withdrawal symptoms with more severe dependence and enhanced subjective response to cocaine

The purpose of this two part study was to better characterize cocaine users based on self-reported cocaine withdrawal symptoms by examining screening data and response to smoked cocaine in the human laboratory. The first study sample included male and female non-treatment seeking cocaine users who were screened as potential subjects for inpatient studies. Of the 555 subjects, 462 (82%) endorsed symptoms consistent with DSM-IV criteria for cocaine withdrawal. Cocaine users who met criteria for cocaine withdrawal, compared with those who did not, reported a significantly higher amount of cocaine use and a history of medical and psychosocial problems. Cocaine users meeting DSM-IV withdrawal criteria, which included endorsement of depression, were also more likely to have a history of depression, to have seriously considered suicide, and to have had chemical dependency treatment even when amount spent on cocaine was covaried. The second study sample, which was a subset of Study I, included those who participated in human cocaine studies following the phone screening. Cocaine users who met criteria for cocaine withdrawal (n=34), compared with those who did not (n=10), had enhanced subjective ratings of 'high' and 'feel the effect of last dose' in response to a single delivery of 0.4 mg/kg of smoked cocaine. These results suggest that history of cocaine withdrawal symptoms may be associated with enhanced cocaine responses and greater severity of cocaine dependence.
Pr3+-doped Ge–S–I glasses as candidate materials for 1.3 μm optical fiber amplifiers

Abstract Pr3+-doped Ge–S–I samples, with compositions having an S/Ge ratio between 1.5 and 1.7 and iodine concentrations between 5 and 20 at.%, have been prepared by well-established glass-melting techniques. The thermal and spectroscopic properties of these glasses have been measured and evaluated to assess their suitability for a fiber amplifier application at 1.3 μm. Pr3+ ions were successfully dissolved in Ge35S56.5I8.5 glass at doping levels as large as 0.2 wt%. The glasses within the investigated compositional range are transparent at the excitation (1.02 μm) and emission (1.34 μm) wavelengths for Pr3+ ions. The 1 G 4– 3 H 5 emission band of Pr3+ had a peak at 1.344 μm and an effective linewidth of 85 nm in this host. A 1 G 4 level fluorescence lifetime of 368 μs was measured in a 500 ppm/wt Pr3+-doped Ge35S56.5I8.5 samples. Glass rods of Pr3+-doped Ge35S56.5I8.5 composition, with typical 5 cm lengths and 10 mm diameters, were produced for fiber drawing.
Role of cytogenetics for breeding management of squirrel monkey colonies

Breeding colonies of squirrel monkeys in zoos are often a mix of Saimiri taxa, which leads to the possibility of hybridization, loss of classification features, and possible reduction of fertility among hybrids. Two zoos, Potawatomi and Brookfield, were used to assess chromosomal composition of colonies. Chromosomes were analyzed from lymphocyte cultures and animals were classified into cytogenetic types. At both zoos there was a predominance of Peruvian types, but hybrids (Peruvian/Colombian) at Potawatomi and (Peruvian/Colombian and Peruvian/Guyanan) at Brookfield were also identified. Analysis of the Brookfield lineage (three generations) revealed karyotypic Peruvians derived from hybrid parents. The Gothic versus Roman arch of periocular white hair shows intermediate or quite variable expression in hybrids and offspring derived from hybrids. Given the relative length of both pericentric inversions and the segments distal to each, a detectable reduction in fertility is predicted when compared with similar-sized inversions in humans. Somatic segregation of inversion heterozygotes, which would reconstitute homozygosity and elevate fertility, was not detected.
NMR Studies of Quantum Rotors Confined in Zeolite

We report the results of NMR studies of methane trapped in zeolite at low temperatures. Samples were prepared to contain 1.0±0.2 molecules per α-sodalite cage of zeolite-13X. The NMR spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation times were measured for 4<T<95 K to determine the rotational dynamics of the molecules and the dependence on the concentration of the A, T and E-molecular species. The results are discussed relative to recent Monte Carlo calculations that show that the molecules are localized but free to tumble in the large α-cages at low temperatures. At higher temperatures there is an effective melting of the translational degrees of freedom for the lattice formed by the centers of the supercages. A sharp definitive jump in the NMR spin-spin relaxation is seen at this “melting” transition.