cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Selecting and Optimizing Color Scheme in Web Design

Based on the foundation of color theory, the symbolism and human emotions commonly attached to color, and how these factors can directly influence business branding, we developed a framework that helps web designers to select and optimize color scheme for websites and web applications, while avoiding common pitfalls that drive customers away, and standing out in today's fiercely competitive Internet marketplace. To evaluate the effectiveness of the framework, we conducted an experiment where subjects were asked to design the color scheme for a website. The experimental group was introduced to the web color framework before being evaluated, while the control group was evaluated based only off their personal knowledge and experience. We concluded with overall positive results in favor of the framework.
COMPUTER PROGRAMS FOR CONSTRUCTING POLYCLAVE KEYS FROM DATA MATRICES

One of the most useful and most used products of taxonomy is a key to the taxa of a group under study. The key, along with descriptions of the taxa, forms the principal interface between taxonomists and the outside world. A key in its usual form, the dichotomous printed key, however, has drawbacks. The writer of the dichotomous key may have overlooked useful characters; or he may have chosen to omit some characters, in favor of the one most useful character at each dichotomy. Or, the user of a dichotomous key may have a specimen that does not possess the organ discussed in the key, either because of insufficient collection or collection at a different phenological stage. One result of these difficulties is that a user of a dichotomous key often must expend considerable time to familiarize himself with the terminology and philosophy of the writer of the key; truly dichotomous characters are rarely discovered, and overlapping character states are common (see definitions of the terms in Morse, Pankhurst, and Rypka, 1975). This is even more the case in difficult groups, where the keys are difficult as well. There has been increasing interest recently in polyclave keys. Morse, Pankhurst, and Rypka (1975) define polyclave as "a multiple-entry punched-card or overlay-card key with one card per characteristic, used in a 'peek-a-boo' fashion." Many of these have been constructed (review in Pankhurst and Aitchison, 1975); most of these have been hand-made, or mass-produced from a hand-made master. Perhaps the bestknown of these is Hansen and Rahn's (1969) polyclave key to the families of flowering plants. In recent years, personnel at the University of Colorado Museum have produced a number of polyclave keys using standard 80-column computer cards. There have been keys to Colorado moss genera, Colorado and Wyoming Carex species, ColoradoAstragalus species, and Colorado flowering-plant genera (except Compositae). Recently, keys to the species of Carex in central-western U.S.A., to the Colorado genera of Compositae, and to California Carex species have been completed. Polyclave card-keys have many advantages over conventional dichotomous keys, among which are:
Energy Harvesting With a Piezoelectric THUNDER

In this work the energy harvesting performance of a piezoelectric curved energy generator (THUNDER) is studied via experimental and analytical methods. The analytical model of the THUNDER is created based on the linear mechanical electrical constitutive law of the piezoelectric material, the linear elastic constitutive law of the substrate, and the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. With these linear modal functions, the Rayleigh-Ritz approach was used to then obtain the reduced mechanical electrical coupled modulation equations.With above analytical model two types of energy harvest circuit are proposed and compared: 1) directly charging mode at low level excitation, and 2) memory stored optimal duty cycle step-down converter mode at high level excitation. The value of the optimal duty cycle is determined based on the characteristics of the vibration signals of the ambient vibration source. To reduce the energy consumption of the microcontroller, the optimum duty cycle values are stored in the microprocessor instead of doing onsite computing during energy harvesting process. For the purpose of designing a low power cost mechanical switch to control the operation of both modes, the threshold voltage between these two operation modes is converted into threshold displacement.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Epidemiological Analysis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Sandu County during 2004-2007

[Objective]To understand the level of incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis(TB)prevalence and its characteristics in Sandu county,and provide scientific evidence for effective tuberculosis control and management.[Methods] Method of descriptive epidemiology was applied to analyze the monitoring data of TB in Sandu county during 2004-2007.[Results] A total of 825 cases of TB were reported,with average annual incidence rate of 64.43/100 000.Various areas throughout the county have reported cases.It mainly concentrated in densely populated and large personnel fluidity towns,such as Sanhe,Jiaoli,Puan,Fengle and Hejiang.In total,453 tuberculosis cases were reported in those towns,accounted for 54.91% of the total cases in the county.The highest incidence was in January to March,with a total of 365 cases accounted for 44.24% of the cases in whole year.Incidence in the age group 0 to 14 is the lowest.Only 33 cases were reported,accounted for 4%;while 20 to 59 was the highest incidence age group,with 615 cases reported,accounted for 74.55%.AS for occupation,peasants were reported to have the highest incidence,with a total of 668 cases,accounted for 80.97%.As for sex,male has higher incidence with 576 cases,accounted for 69.8%.And the sex ratio of male to female rate is 1:0.43.[Conclusion] Tuberculosis is easily spread in densely populated areas where there is large and frequent person movement,and where the weather is relatively colder.Some middle-aged men have more chance to get the disease,for their going out more and taking wide range of activities,and thus have more chance to contact one another.Besides,poor awareness of disease prevention,living in poverty,malnutrition and exhaustion also cause the highly spread among peasants.Therefore,increasing the BCG vaccination rate,finding patients of tuberculosis as early as possible,increasing the cure rate are the main control measures.
Discussion about How to Improve Effectiveness of Medical Equipment Maintenance

Because clinical diagnosis and treatments increasingly rely on the medical equipment,the medical engineering department should improve maintenance effectiveness.In this paper,the reasons of low effectiveness are briefly analyzed,the measurements of construction of talented persons and system,enhancement of technology training,establishment of technical archives,strengthening the parts supply are discussed in detail.
Research on innovation of agricultural enterprization VI:Proposal to policy of agricultural enterprization's management

The development of agricultural enterprization is a systematic project.The key to it is to solve the problems of understanding.Experiment site of comprehensive reform of agricultural enterprization throughout the country should be set up to advance agricultural enterprization in a larger scale and higher level.The reasonable core of "Household contract responsibility system" should be adhered to further innovate the institution of new rural lands.All kinds and levels of organizations,especially the "two committees" in the villages and cooperation economic organization of farmers should take more efforts to raise the standards of farmer organization.Long term and effective investment mechanism of agricultural enterprization should be established and micro-agriculture investment mechanism should be reconstructed.Mechanism of interests bonding between agriculture and peasant should be paid more attention and innovated.
Posterolateral Reconstruction of the Knee: Two-Tailed Surgical Techniques

Reconstruction of the posterolateral corner of the knee using two-tailed techniques involved grafts originating from the femur and inserting on the proximal tibia and fibular head. This method reconstructs the fibular collateral ligament, popliteofibular ligament, and popliteus tendon using anatomically placed grafts. This article describes the history, anatomy, indications, and authors' preferred technique for a two-tailed posterolateral corner reconstruction. In addition, biomechanical and clinical outcomes of this technique will be compared.
Angiography in Patients with Blunt Trauma to the Chest and Abdomen

If indications for surgery are equivocal after utilization of the usual noninvasive methods of diagnosis, selective angiography will be helpful in the evaluation of visceral injury. Indications, methods, and findings in various types of abdominal and thoracic injuries are presented.
SU-F-J-107: Online Adaptive VMAT Planning Based On Deformed Dose

Purpose: Prostate treatment with volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in conjunction with small PTV margins, allows the dose to the rectum and bladder to be minimized, at the potential cost of prostate coverage. Coverage can be restored by online adaptive planning. Here, the deformed planning dose is used as the goal for adaptive plan optimization. Methods: 9 prostate patients with CT-on-Rails (CTOR) imaging were replanned using Monaco (Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) with 2 VMAT arcs, and 70 Gy to 95% of the PTV. A variable margin of 4–6 mm was used. The planning CT was deformably registered to each CTOR, the resulting deformation field was then applied to morph the structures and dose to the CTORs, using ADMIRE (Elekta AB, Stockholm Sweden). The deformed dose, edited contours and CTOR were imported into Monaco, and the dose referred as a guide for plan optimization. The original treatment plan was also copied to the CTOR, keeping the center of the prostate as the isocenter, to mimic the current repositioning based therapy. Results: The deformed dose guided optimization maintained the prostate coverage and the sparing of OAR. The shifted plan was unable to do both. The mean percentage volume covered by 100% isodose line increased from 96.11±2.04 to 99.74±0.10 for prostate, and 83.48±2.63 to 94.61±0.34 for PTV by adapting the deformed dose guided optimization. PTV coverage is of some interest, as there still needs to be some margin for intra-fraction motion. Besides, the resulting lower inter-fraction dose variation of optimized plan implied a better dose delivery consistency. Conclusion: Using the planned dose, deformed to the daily CTOR provided a successful goal for adaptive optimization, allowing reduced margins, increased OAR sparing, and maintained prostate coverage. Godley receives research grant from Elekta.
Total business excellence – a new management model for operationalizing excellence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and address the underlying causes of costly quality/ethical problems that have prevented companies to achieve and sustain excellence. More broadly, the study has leveraged data from multiple sources to determine root-cause issues and propose a new management model that enables leadership to prevent and effectively address quality/ethical problems by operationalizing excellence. For the purpose of this research, operationalization is defined in terms of developing a sustained culture of excellence and enabling a firm to systematically prevent, detect, and address costly problems in their daily operations. Design/methodology/approach – The study has defined the concept of excellence in terms of measurable results based on ten critical success factors: products, financials, stakeholders, employees, leadership, societal, operational, innovation, alignment, and ethical excellence. To identify and address the underlying causes, this study has used a spiral rese...
Gender-Based Differences in Hemostatic Responses. Implications in Effective Anticoagulant Management.

Abstract 2103 Poster Board II-80 Abstract: Recent reports from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute indicate that as many as 3 million women (particularly young) in the United States suffer from a form of heart disease fundamentally different from that in men, characterized by more even plaque development inside major and smaller blood vessels, posing diagnostic and treatment challenges leading to increased morbidity and mortality. It is hypothesized that women have variable but attenuated hemostatic responses to anticoagulant drugs when compared to men. In order to validate this hypothesis the hemostatic responses in healthy males (n=10) and females (n=10) were evaluated by performing the global clotting assays, fibrinokinetic assays and thrombin generation assays in the presence of Rivaroxaban, an oral Factor Xa inhibitor likely to replace warfarin, Enoxaparin, a low molecular weight heparin and saline as a control. Blood (20 ml) was drawn from healthy volunteers, males (n=10) and females (n=10) and placed into citrated tubes with one part of 3.2% sodium citrate to 9 parts of blood. The citrated whole blood was supplemented with Rivaroxaban (FC=0.3mg/ml), Enoxaparin (FC=5mg/ml) and saline as a control. The samples were analyzed to determine the whole blood APTT and Heptest clotting assays. The remaining citrated blood was centrifuged at 3000 rpm to obtain platelet poor plasma that was aliquoted and kept frozen at -70°C until further analysis. The plasma was then thawed and supplemented with saline, rivaroxaban (FC=0.3mg/ml) and Enoxaparin (FC=5mg/ml). A statistically significant difference between males and females was noted in APTT (p=0.0442)) and Heptest (p=0.0345) assays in the saline control values. However, the anticoagulant response to supplementation of the plasma samples with rivaroxaban at a final concentration of 0.3ug/ml and Enoxaparin at 5 ug/ml showed a statistically significant difference between males and females in the Heptest (P=0.0423) while the APTT assay felt a little short of statistical significance (P=0.0511). Fibrinokinetics was performed and absorbance recorded (405 nm) at every minute for the next 30 minutes. There are gender-based differences in fibrinokinetic responses to anticoagulant drugs with females showing faster fibrin formation than males. The attenuated hemostatic responses observed in women compared to men may interfere in achieving adequate and effective anticoagulation leading to thrombotic complications. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A Clinical Procedures Course for Medical Students

Abstract Introduction Doctors perform many clinical procedures throughout their careers. It is important for students to learn these procedures in a nonthreatening environment. This clinical proced...
Continued Debate: The Truth about Domestic Violence

For the past 10 years, I have been involved in a serious manner with the issues associated with violence, providing consultation, train ing, mediation services, and board activity. So, I must tell you, when I read McNeely and Robinson-Simpson's article "The Truth about Domestic Violence: A Falsely Framed Issue" [Social Work, 32 (November December 1987), pp. 485-490], I was sur prised to learn that I have been operating on "an erroneous vision of physical abuse." (P. 485.) The amount of material presented in the article was overwhelming, to say the least; yet, the irony for me was that I have read a great deal of their sources, only to come away with a different perception of the problems. I tend to be skeptical about any body who purports to have the "truth," and now I know why. As a man who respects scientific methods, I wish to state unapolo getically, in a political fashion, that the authors reflect not one wisp of my experi ence. The extent of abuse on women in com bination with the institutional and structural barriers that thwart equality between the sexes is obviously not able to be measured accurately if the authors' extrapolations are accurate. I would suggest that they consider reexamining the issue to arrive at the con clusion that is obvious to anyone who has worked in the field of abuse—men may be victims of the social construction of this world's realities, but women are the ones who get beat up. Terry L. Singer Dean Graduate School of Social Work Marywood College Scranton, Pennsylvania
Validation of a Prognostic Model and the Impact of SF3B1, DNMT3A, and Other Mutations in 289 Genetically Characterized Lower Risk MDS Patient Samples

Abstract Abstract 969 Selection of the appropriate therapy for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) depends heavily on the predicted prognosis of each afflicted individual. Prognostic scoring systems help stratify patients into risk groups, but outcomes can be highly variable even within these groups. Of particular concern are patients predicted to have lower risk disease that go on to progress more rapidly than expected. Such patients may not be offered risk-appropriate therapy at a time when it might be of greatest benefit. A prognostic model that better predicts survival in patients believed to have lower risk disease has been proposed by investigators at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, but not yet validated in an independent cohort. Acquired genetic mutations can also identify patients with higher-than-predicted disease risk. We have previously demonstrated that mutations in any of five genes (TP53, EZH2, ETV6, RUNX1, and ASXL1) predict a poorer prognosis independently of the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS). In this study, we examined 289 MDS patients with Low or Intermediate-1 IPSS risk for mutations in 21 genes, including two genes that have recently been reported to be frequently mutated in MDS: DNMT3A and SF3B1. We validate the ability of the Lower-Risk MD Anderson Prognostic Scoring System (LR-PSS) to more finely risk-stratify patients using an independent cohort and identify gene mutations independently associated with clinical features and overall survival. Patients were stratified into one of three risk categories using the LR-PSS shown in the Table. The 58 patients (20%) assigned to Category 1 had a median survival of 5.19 years (95% confidence interval in years [CI] 3.05–10.34), compared to 2.65 years (CI 2.18–3.30) for the 160 patients (55%) in Category 2, and 1.11 (CI 0.82–1.51) for the 71 patients (25%) in Category 3. Differences in survival were significant between all three categories (p In conclusion, this study validates the LR-PSS 's ability to identify higher risk MDS patients among those with lower IPSS risk and demonstrates that point mutations are common in this cohort, associate with specific clinical features, and independently provide both favorable and adverse prognostic information. Download : Download high-res image (16KB) Download : Download full-size image Table: . The Lower-Risk MD Anderson Prognostic Scoring System (LR-PSS) Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Paracellular transport as a strategy for energy conservation by multicellular organisms

Paracellular transport of solutes and water accompanies transcellular transport across epithelial barriers and together they serve to maintain internal body composition. However, whether paracellular transport is necessary and why it evolved is unknown. In this commentary I discuss our recent studies to address this question in the proximal tubule of the kidney. Paracellular reabsorption of sodium occurs in the proximal tubule and is mediated by claudin-2. However, deletion of claudin-2 in mice does not affect whole kidney sodium excretion because it can be completely compensated by downtream transcellular transport mechanisms. This occurs at the expense of increased oxygen consumption, tissue hypoxia and increased susceptibility to ischemic injury. It is concluded that paracellular transport acts as an energy saving mechanism to increase transport without consuming additional oxygen. It is speculated that this might be why paracellular transport evolved in leaky epithelia with high transport needs.
Communication: Stiff and soft nano-environments and the “Octopus Effect” are the crux of ionic liquid structural and dynamical heterogeneity

In a recent set of articles [J. C. Araque et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 119(23), 7015–7029 (2015) and J. C. Araque et al., J. Chem. Phys. 144, 204504 (2016)], we proposed the idea that for small neutral and charged solutes dissolved in ionic liquids, deviation from simple hydrodynamic predictions in translational and rotational dynamics can be explained in terms of diffusion through nano-environments that are stiff (high electrostriction, charge density, and number density) and others that are soft (charge depleted). The current article takes a purely solvent-centric approach in trying to provide molecular detail and intuitive visual understanding of time-dependent local mobility focusing on the most common case of an ionic liquid with well defined polar and apolar nano-domains. We find that at intermediate time scales, apolar regions are fluid, whereas the charge network is much less mobile. Because apolar domains and cationic heads must diffuse as single species, at long time the difference in mobility also ...
Robust simulation-based scheduling methodology to reduce the impact of manual installation tasks on low-volume aerospace production flows

Abstract This work focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a robust simulation-based planning and optimization methodology. This methodology attempts to reduce the risk of schedule overruns by identifying plans that are robust to various process delays and disruptions. A representative case study is used to test the methodology's capability to model a real production environment and search for improved scheduling options. The case study involves planning manual sensor installation processes within a provided production schedule to reduce the impact of the sensor installations and the risk of production delays. Properly planning sensor installations is becoming more important as new aerospace vehicles continue to incorporate more sensors to monitor system health, performance, safety, reliability, etc. Traditional scheduling techniques provide a strong framework to plan and optimize, at a medium level of detail, the completion of primary production processes (e.g. structural assembly, system integration, etc.). However, fully defining the interactions and logic required to evaluate the impact resulting from the sensor installation tasks in this scheduling framework is challenging. The discrete-event simulation paradigm simplifies the definition of these production rules and constraints; however, DES models commonly require too much detail, modeling effort, and optimization time/resources to be useful during pre-production planning. The developed methodology addresses this challenge by integrating the process optimization strengths of scheduling with the modeling flexibility of simulation. This enables the fast generation of a limited fidelity simulation that can evaluate the impact of sensor installations to support simulation-based schedule optimization. Throughout this work, the methodology is built up by leveraging various scheduling, simulation, and optimization capabilities. The methodology is then implemented to explore its ability to model and optimize the case study's problem. Finally, results from optimization runs with and without considering schedule robustness are compared to investigate how the methodology utilizes information about schedule risk to improve the resulting plan.
A phase 2 study of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (R-CyBorD) in relapsed low grade and mantle cell lymphoma.

In this phase 2 trial, we sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (R-CyBorD) in patients with low-grade NHL. The regimen included ri...
Amorphization of Ceramic Materials by Ion-Beam-Irradiation: Parallels to Glass Formation

Ion-beam-induced amorphization of a wide variety of ceramic materials has been investigated usingin situ TEM at the HVEM-Tandem Facility at Argonne National Laboratory with 1.5 MeV Kr+ or Xe+ ions at temperatures between 20 to 1000 K. The critical amorphization temperatures and the activation energies associated with the expitaxial recovery of displacement cascades during irradiation have been determined from the temperature dependence of the critical amorphization dose. The results for phases in the A12 O3-MgO-SiO2 system suggested a parallel in the kinetics between ion-beam-induced amorphization and glass formation. Based on a cascade quenching model, a semiempirical parameter, S, which can easily be calculated from both structural and chemical parameters of a material, has been developed to predict the susceptibility of ceramics to amorphization. The critical amorphization temperature, above which irradiationinduced amorphization cannot be completed, is closely related to the glass transition temperature. The ratio between glass transition and melting temperatures can also be used to predict the susceptibility of a ceramic material to amorphization, equivalent to the Debye temperature criterion.
Equisingularity and the Theory of Integral Closure

This is an introduction to the study of the equisingularity of sets using the theory of the integral closure of ideals and modules as the main tool. It introduces the notion of the landscape of a singularity as the right setting for equisingularity problems.
Gender Differences in Hospital CEO Compensation: A National Investigation of Not-for-Profit Hospitals:

Gender pay equity is a desirable social value and an important strategy to fill every organizational stratum with gender-diverse talent to fulfill an organization's goals and mission. This study used national, large-sample data to examine gender difference in CEO compensation among not-for-profit hospitals. Results showed the average unadjusted annual compensation for female CEOs in 2009 was $425,085 compared with $581,121 for male CEOs. With few exceptions, the difference existed across all types of not-for-profit hospitals. After controlling for hospital- and area-level characteristics, female CEOs of not-for-profit hospitals earned 22.6% less than male CEOs of not-for-profit hospitals. This translates into an earnings differential of $132,652 associated with gender. Explanations and implications of the results are discussed.
Media portrayal of prenatal and postpartum marijuana use in an era of scientific uncertainty.

Abstract Background Objectives were to characterize how scientific information about prenatal and postpartum marijuana use was presented in online media content, and to assess how media portrayed risks and benefits of such marijuana use. Methods We analyzed online media items (n = 316) from March 2015 to January 2017. A codebook was developed to measure media content in 4 domains: scientific studies, information about health and well-being, mode of ingestion, and portrayal of risks and benefits. Content analysis was performed by two authors, with high inter-rater reliability (mean ĸ = 0.82). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize content, and regression analyses were used to test for predictors of media portrayal of the risk-benefit ratio of prenatal and postpartum marijuana use. Results 51% of the media items mentioned health risks of prenatal and postpartum marijuana use. Nearly one-third (28%) mentioned marijuana use for treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Most media items mentioned a specific research study. More than half of media (59%) portrayed prenatal or postpartum marijuana risks > benefits, 10% portrayed benefits> risks, and the remainder were neutral. While mention of a scientific study was not predictive of the portrayal of the risk-benefit ratio of marijuana use in pregnancy or postpartum, discussion of health risks and health benefits predicted portrayals of the risk-benefit ratio. Conclusions Online media content about prenatal and postpartum marijuana use presented health risks consistent with evidence, and discussed a health benefit of marijuana use for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Portrayal of risks and benefits was somewhat equivocal, consistent with current scientific debate.
Research Techniques Made Simple: Web-Based Survey Research in Dermatology: Conduct and Applications.

Web-based surveys, or e-surveys, are surveys designed and delivered using the internet. The use of these survey tools is becoming increasingly common in medical research. Their advantages are appealing to surveyors because they allow for rapid development and administration of surveys, fast data collection and analysis, low cost, and fewer errors due to manual data entry than telephone or mailed questionnaires. Internet surveys may be used in clinical and academic research settings with improved speed and efficacy of data collection compared with paper or verbal survey modalities. However, limitations such as potentially low response rates, demographic biases, and variations in computer literacy and internet access remain areas of concern. We aim to briefly describe some of the currently available Web-based survey tools, focusing on advantages and limitations to help guide their use and application in dermatologic research.
Lichens of Picea abies Forests in Greece

Christensen, S. N. 2018. Lichens of Picea abies forests in Greece. – Herzogia 31: 219–230.Twenty-six epiphytic and 12 epigeic species are reported from oroboreal Picea abies forests in the Rodopi Mountains, northern Greece. All species except Usnea intermedia also occur in the boreal zone of northern Europe and most inhabit a broad range of climatic zones. Conservation aspects of the forests are briefly discussed. Six taxa, Bryoria nadvornikiana, Cladonia subulata, Fellhanera subtilis, Peltigera hymenina, Ramalina obtusata and R. thrausta, are new to Greece, and two, Usnea intermedia and U. subfloridana, are new to Macedonia.
Board Business Connections and Firm Profitability: Evidence from China

Using a unique dataset on board directors from 2008 to 2016, we document a positive relationship between board business connections and firm profitability for listed firms in China. The positive re...
On extending and optimising the direct product decomposition

The concept of the direct product decomposition (DPD) is extended to arbitrary tensors while maintaining the same theoretical reduction in storage and computation. Additionally, the structure of th...
Sound radiation by supersonic unstable modes in hypersonic blunt cone boundary layers. I. Linear stability theory

There has been renewed interest in supersonic modes in hypersonic boundary layers, which have been previously thought to be insignificant due to their smaller amplitudes than Mack’s traditional second mode. Supersonic modes are associated with an unstable second mode synchronizing with the slow acoustic spectrum, causing sound to radiate outwards from the boundary layer. Because supersonic modes have not been observed experimentally, the majority of previous investigations either relied on Linear Stability Theory (LST) to study supersonic modes on a flat plate or observed them in the context of other research objectives. This two-part study uses a combined LST and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) approach to investigate the mechanism of supersonic modes in Mach 5 flow over a blunt cold-wall cone with thermochemical nonequilibrium effects. Paper I focuses on LST with new shock boundary conditions, whereas Paper II [C.P. Knisely and X. Zhong, “Sound radiation by supersonic unstable modes in hypersonic blunt cone boundary layers. II. Direct numerical simulation,” Phys. Fluids 31, 024104 (2019)] focuses on DNS with the overall goal of investigating the impact of supersonic modes on transition. LST results indicate that supersonic modes exist in the flow with wall-to-free-stream temperature ratio Tw/T∞ = 0.2 and create an abnormal growth pattern. However, supersonic modes were not shown to exist using LST in the case with Tw/T∞ = 0.667. Subsequent DNS analysis in Paper II shows supersonic modes in the Tw/T∞ = 0.667 case, although they are significantly weaker than the second mode and are unlikely to lead to transition. Understanding the mechanism of supersonic modes can yield more accurate transition location predictions leading to improved estimates for drag and heat transfer to the vehicle.
Utilization of Large-Scale Rolling-Wheel Tester to Investigate the Stress Reduction in Pavement Layers Due to the Use of Geosynthetic Materials:

In a geosynthetic-reinforced pavement system, the load-bearing capacity of subgrade soil is improved by the lateral distribution of vertical stresses at the reinforcing layer. Under small-scale tri...
Correlation of long-duration and accelerated testing of protected silver mirrors

The stability of protected silver mirror coatings was studied by both long-exposure and a mixed-flowing-gas test with a goal of establishing accelerated testing parameters for Ag mirrors that are operated or stored in ambient conditions.
Point-spread correlations in blind deconvolution of long-range, horizontal path, light-field imagery

I have generated a simulated light fields of a distant scene imaged by a hypothetical light-field capture system through volumetric turbulence over a long horizontal path. Imaging scenes in this way allows for single-shot scene reconstruction using Multi-Frame Blind Deconvolution (MFBD) where different angular views are substituted for the frames. In this work, I examine the MFBD estimated Point Spread Function (PSF), parameterized in terms of Zernike polynomials, for each of the angular viewpoints. The aim being to understand the degree to which different angular viewpoints are correlated and the rate of decorrelation. The latter rate being important in the design of light-field capture systems designed specifically to deal with extreme anisoplanatism. I find that rate of angular decorrelation is qualitatively very rapid allowing resulting in MFBD reconstructions that are equivalent to fifteen or more independent frames from a single light-field.
Rethinking scaling laws in the high-cycle fatigue response of nanostructured and coarse-grained metals

Abstract The high-cycle fatigue life of nanocrystalline and ultrafine-grained Ni-Fe was examined for five distinct grain sizes ranging from approximately 50–600 nm. The fatigue properties were strongly dependent on grain size, with the endurance limit changing by a factor of 4 over this narrow range of grain size. The dataset suggests a breakdown in fatigue improvement for the smallest grain sizes
Roll up the tape? Laser and optical technologies improve paediatric weight estimation.

BACKGROUND A robust estimation method is needed to prevent medication dosing and equipment sizing errors and improve time to administration during paediatric resuscitation. An electronic measurement with computer interface may improve accuracy and alleviate cognitive burden. This study evaluates the accuracy of two electronic height measurement methods, a laser and an optical device, and compares them to the Broselow™ Pediatric Emergency Tape (BT) for weight estimation. METHODS We enrolled children ages 0-14 years from the emergency department of a free-standing, academic children's hospital. We obtained sex, body habitus, true weight, true height, BT colour, and experimental heights. We converted experimental height measurements into weight estimates using standardised growth charts. We calculated Pearson correlations between experimental and actual measurements and the percentages of weight estimates within 10% and 20% of true weights. We repeated analyses on a restricted cohort of children 0-11 years, the intended BT age range. RESULTS We enrolled 198 children. The laser, optical device and BT weight estimates had strong positive correlations with the actual weight measurements with Pearson's correlation coefficients of 0.946, p < 0.0001, 0.965, p < 0.0001, and 0.825, p < 0.0001 respectively. 47.8% of optical weight estimates fell within 10% of actual weight and 80.6% within 20%, compared to 40.5% and 75.4% of laser estimates and 39.8% and 65.1% of BT estimates. CONCLUSION Electronic-based weight estimates were more accurate than the BT. The accuracy of medication dosing and equipment sizing during paediatric resuscitation may be improved by integrating optical height-based weight estimates with electronic clinical decision support.
On the robustness of deep learning-based lung-nodule classification for CT images with respect to image noise

Robustness is an important aspect when evaluating a method of medical image analysis. In this study, we investigated robustness of a deep learning-based lung nodule classification model for CT images with respect to noise perturbations. A deep neural network (DNN) was established to classify 3D CT images of lung nodules into malignant or benign groups. The established DNN was able to predict malignancy rate of lung nodules based on CT images, achieving the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.91 for the testing dataset in a 10-fold cross validation as compared to radiologists' prediction. We then evaluated its robustness against noise perturbations. We added to the input CT images noise signals generated randomly or via an optimization scheme using a realistic noise model based on a noise power spectrum for a given mAs level, and monitored the DNN's output. The results showed that the CT noise was able to affect the prediction results of the established DNN model. With random noise perturbations at 100 mAs, DNN's predictions for 11.2% of training data and 17.4% of testing data were successfully altered by at least once. The percentage increased to 23.4% and 34.3%, respectively, for optimization-based perturbations. We further evaluated robustness of models with different architectures, parameters, number of output labels etc., and robustness concern was found in these models to different degrees. To improve model robustness, we empirically proposed an adaptive training scheme. It fine-tuned the DNN model by including perturbations in the training dataset that successfully altered the DNN's perturbations. The adaptive scheme was repeatedly performed to gradually improve DNN's robustness. The numbers of perturbations at 100 mAs affecting DNN's predictions were reduced to 10.8% for training and 21.1% for testing by the adaptive training scheme after two iterations. Our study illustrated that robustness may potentially be a concern for an exemplary deep learning-based lung nodule classification model for CT images, indicating the needs for evaluating and ensuring model robustness when developing similar models. The proposed adaptive training scheme may be able to improve model robustness.
Investigation of Na Ion Dynamics in P2-Type Na2/3[Ni1/3Ti2/3]O2: A Combination of Quasi-Elastic Neutron Scattering and First-Principles Molecular Dynamics Study

While the lithium-ion batteries are dominating the portable electrical energy storage market owing to the high energy density, their implementation in large-scale energy storage is likely to be constrained by the price and availability of lithium resources. With overwhelming advantages of huge redundancy and low cost, the sodium ion batteries provide a potential solution to the increasing needs of the large-scale static energy storage for the intermittent renewable energy resources such as wind and solar energy. Thus, the materials for sodium-ion batteries have been attracting increasing research interests in recent years. In the search for the suitable electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries, the layered sodium transition metal (TM) oxide materials (NaxTMO2) are commonly studied following the successfully-commercialized example of their Li analogs (LixTMO2). Among these layered Na insertion materials, the P2-Type Na2/3[Ni1/3Ti2/3]O2 have been found to exhibit good electrochemical properties as either positive or negative electrode in batteries1. Such bi-functionality is due to the coexistence of the high redox potential couple Ni2+/ Ni3+ and the low redox potential couple Ti4+/ Ti3+, bringing further advantages of lower manufacture cost and simpler design. The dynamics of ionic charge carriers in electrodes, i.e., the sodium ions, are critical to the performance of the battery. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of Na ions in P2-Type Na2/3[Ni1/3Ti2/3]O2 with a combination of the experimental and computational tools in the similar time and length scale to complement each other. The quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 400 to 700K. The Na self-diffusion properties were derived from the broadening of the elastic peak (quasi-elastic features) in the small Q range of 0.2 to 2 A-1. The experimental results provided the verification for the first-principles molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on density functional theory (DFT). The intermediate scattering function in the time domain was calculated based on the MD trajectory to compare with the experimental results. The diffusion behavior of the Na ions can be described by the Singwi-Sjolander jump model2, in which the Na ion jumps, with an average jump distance d, take much less time than the residence time τ when the ions vibrate in certain sites. Such integrated experimental and computational study provides a better understanding of Na diffusion mechanism in the material as well as insights in designing electrode materials with better performance. References: (1) R. Shanmugam and W. Lai "Na2/3Ni1/3Ti2/3O2: "Bi-Functional" Electrode Materials for Na-Ion Batteries," ECS Electrochemistry Letters 2014, 3, A23-A25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/2.007404eel (2) K. S. Singwi and A. Sjolander "Diffusive Motions in Water and Cold Neutron Scattering," Physical Review 1960, 119, 863-871. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.119.863
Dopant Diffusion Control for Improved Tandem Cells Grown by D-HVPE

GaInP top cell current-density presently limits the performance of HVPE-grown two-junction devices, in large part due to unwanted dopant diffusion. Here, we institute mitigation strategies to lower the diffusion of dopants from both the front contact and back surface field. Successful application of these strategies resulted in a short-circuit current density of 12.1 mA/cm2 in a GaInP/GaAs cell, an improvement of 0.9 mA/cm2 over our previous best cell. The reduced Se diffusion results in a thinner unpassivated emitter, which can lead to higher series resistance. Despite the increased resistance we obtained an efficiency increase from 23.7% to 24.8%.
Reliability and Lifetime Prediction Model of Sintered Silver under High-Temperature Cycling

Although excellent reliability has been reported for sintered silver as a die-attach material under both thermal and power cycling loads in power electronics applications, the promise of this material as a large-area attachment at temperatures beyond 200 °C needs to be investigated. This paper presents insights into the thermomechanical behavior and reliability of sintered silver under extreme thermal cycling conditions. In this study, we bonded sintered silver samples and subjected it to a thermal cycling profile of -40 °C to 200 °C with high ramp rates. We periodically monitored samples under thermal cycling to detect the presence of any failure mechanisms using a scanning acoustic microscope. We also included 95Pb5Sn solder in the study to obtain reference data. Results show the occurrence of cracks in sintered silver followed by a rapid rate of crack growth that exceeded the failure criterion in just 50 cycles. The predominant failure mechanism we observed was adhesive failure. As a large-area attachment, solder exhibited a higher reliability than sintered silver but failed within 100 cycles. Finally, we performed thermomechanical modeling to compute strain energy density values and correlated these with the experimentally observed crack growth rates to formulate a lifetime prediction model for sintered silver.
Meanders of the West Greenland Current near Cape Farewell

Abstract The cyclonic boundary current that circumnavigates the Labrador Sea plays an important role in modulating the strength of wintertime convection in the interior basin, as well as restratifying the newly ventilated water in spring. Modeling studies indicate that meso and sub-mesoscale processes in the boundary current flux a significant amount of heat and freshwater offshore, although observations of this small-scale variability are lacking. Using four years of data from a mooring array west of Cape Farewell, Greenland, together with satellite altimetry and sea surface temperature measurements, we present the first observations of a meandering West Greenland current. We describe the statistics, structure, characteristics, and formation mechanism of these features. The meanders occur roughly 30% of the time and are more prevalent in winter and early spring, with an increasing trend over the four-year record. It is shown that baroclinic instability of the boundary current is the cause of the meanders, triggered by seasonal steepening of the isopycnals between the interior basin and the boundary due to offshore convection. We argue that the meandering leads to the formation of small-scale eddies, and estimate the resulting seaward heat flux. Finally, possible connections between the meanders and the production of Irminger Rings are explored.
Response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to lumbar puncture induced stress.

To assess lumbar puncture (LP) stress as measured by Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis response, serum cortisols were measured before and after LP in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy eld- erly individuals. There were no differences in base- line serum cortisol. AD group had significantly higher cortisols at 165 minutes post-LP. Growth curve analysis confirmed these findings and showed signifi- cant differences in cortisol levels overall. The AD males had higher cortisols at 105 minutes post-LP, but no other consistent gender differences emerged. The findings are consistent with the relative reduction in HPA negative feedback seen in AD. Overall, LP in- duces little change in group mean cortisol levels rela- tive to inter-individual variation, indicating that while LP is an interesting model of neuroendocrine chal- lenge, it needs to be tested in larger populations.
IMO Environmental Regulations—Is There a Case for Change to the Standard Entry-into-Force Requirements?

In 1973 Annex IV to MARPOL on the Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships was adopted and, despite being ratified by 75% of the parties to MARPOL, has yet to enter into force some 28 years after its adoption. In 1997 Annex Vl to MARPOL on the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships was adopted and, after more than three years, has only been ratified by 3 of the required 15 States. In October 2001 a Diplomatic Conference is scheduled to be held in London to finalize, and it is hoped, adopt a Convention to protect the marine environment against the use of toxic antifouling systems on ship hulls; the draft text of the Convention is nearly complete but the question of entry-into-force conditions remains to be resolved. Likewise, another Convention on "Unwanted Aquatic Organisms in Ballast Water" is likely to go to a Diplomatic Conference in the biennium 2002/2003 and again, entry-into-force requirements have not yet been formalized but will undoubtedly form a major part of future discussions. The conundrum, therefore, is whether environmental legislation which directly or indirectly affects all countries, and not just those with a coastline, should be subject to the same standard entry-into-force requirements presently being applied to other maritime legislation.