cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Annual Default Rates are Probably Less Than Long-Run Average Annual Default Rates

Banks using either the Foundation or Advanced option of the internal ratings based approach to credit risk under Basel II capital requirements must estimate long-run annual average default probabilities for buckets of homogeneous assets. The one-factor model underlying the capital calculations in Basel II has implications for the distribution of average (across assets) default rates over time. One of these implications is that the average default rate in any period is probably smaller than the overall average default rate (over time and assets). The lesson for practitioners is that the short-term default experience of new, very safe assets is likely to underpredict the true long-run default rate for these assets.
Effect of Al Composition on the Deep Level Donors of Al x Ga 1-x Sb/lnAs Single Quantum Wells

We have performed Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) measurements on the AlxGa1−xSb/InAs QW's with x from 0.1 to 1.0 under the negative persistent photoconductivity (NPPC) conditions and confirmed the prediction of Ionized Deep Donor model that the NPPC effect is a universal property for the materials containing ionized deep donors at low temperatures. The time-dependent recombination (electron capture) of the ionized deep donors is similar to that of DX centers. The saturated reduction of carrier concentration in the InAs well increases with increasing x, and rises steeply at about x=0.4. The concentration of deep donors which cause the NPPC in the AlxGa1−xSb/InAs QW's increases with the Al composition.
Organizational antecedents of second‐order competences

According to dynamic capability theory, some firms are better able than others at altering their resource base by adding, reconfiguring, and deleting resources or competences. This study focuses on the first form of dynamic capability: the competence to build new competences. Two such second-order competences are studied: the ability to explore new markets and the ability to explore new technologies—referred to as marketing and R&D second-order competences, respectively. Using two wave panel data on a sample of U.S. public manufacturing firms, five organizational antecedents of these second-order competences are examined: willingness to cannibalize, constructive conflict, tolerance for failure, environmental scanning, and resource slack. Willingness to cannibalize, constructive conflict, scanning, and slack have contemporaneous effects, while scanning also has a lagged effect and slack has a U-shaped lagged effect on marketing and R&D second-order competences. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
THE ORIENTATION OF MAYAN CEREMONIAL CENTERS

ABSTRACT Numerous Maya ceremonial centers afford the geographer a rich opportunity to investigate man-land relationships in Meso-America. This study concerns the problem of site and building orientation. Most elements of the physical environment appear to play a minor role in site layout, and astronomical and cultural factors account for only some orientations. None of these reasons explains why the Maya shifted building alignments from time to time and often simultaneously at widely separated locations. The alternation of structural positioning through time indicates a moving reference point, and the tantalizing possibility that the Maya had a method for determining magnetic north is suggested.
Understanding and defeating the physical mechanisms limiting the capacity of lead-acid batteries

In this paper, we summarize previous work [1–6] that helped to establish the physical processes limiting the capacity of lead-acid batteries. Jon diffusion and paste conductivity are the dominate processes that limit capacity over a wide range of discharge rates. A model which includes both these processes was developed and used to understand the role of additives in the positive paste. With a basic understanding of the physical mechanisms limiting capacity and equipped with the model, we are pursuing designs for dramatically improving the capacity of lead-acid batteries. Some of these designs will be discussed in this paper.
Distribution and Dispersal Behavior of Trogoderma variabile and Plodia interpunctella Outside a Food Processing Plant

Abstract The distribution and dispersal distances of insects outside of food processing and storage facilities potentially have an important influence on the population dynamics and spatial distribution of insects inside facilities. In this study, Trogoderma variabile Ballion and Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) sex pheromone-baited trap captures outside and inside a food processing facility were measured, the relationship between trap captures outside and inside the facility was evaluated, and the dispersal ability of the males of these species was assessed using self-mark–recapture stations. T. variabile and P. interpunctella males were captured in high numbers outside the food facility. The two species differed in their spatial distribution around the facility, with T. variabile being more closely associated with the proximity of the building, but most likely originating from sources outside the building. For marked T. variabile, the average recapture distance was 75 m (range 21–508 m) and for marked P. ...
Osteochondral defect repair using a polyvinyl alcohol-polyacrylic acid (PVA-PAAc) hydrogel

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels can be candidates for articular cartilage repair due to their high water content. We synthesized a PVA-poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) hydrogel formulation and determined its ability to function as a treatment option for condylar osteochondral (OC) defects in a New Zealand white rabbit (NZWR) model for 12 weeks and 24 weeks. In addition to hydrogel OC implants, tensile bar-shaped hydrogels were also implanted subcutaneously to evaluate changes in mechanical properties as a function of in vivo duration. There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) in the water content measured in the OC hydrogel implant that was harvested after 12 weeks and 24 weeks, and non-implanted controls. There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) in the break stress, strain at break or modulus of the tensile bars either between groups. Histological analysis of the OC defect, synovial capsule and fibrous tissue around the tensile bars determined hydrogel biocompatibility. Twelve-week hydrogels were found to be in situ flush with the articular cartilage; meniscal tissue demonstrated an intact surface. Twenty-four week hydrogels protruded from the defect site due to lack of integration with subchondral tissue, causing fibrillation to the meniscal surface. Condylar micro-CT scans ruled out osteolysis and bone cysts of the subchondral bone, and no PVA-PAAc hydrogel contents were found in the synovial fluid. The PVA-PAAc hydrogel was determined to be fully biocompatible, maintained its properties over time, and performed well at the 12 week time point. Physical fixation of the PVA-PAAc hydrogel to the subchondral bone is required to ensure long-term performance of hydrogel plugs for OC defect repair.
A Holocene hydrologic model of the Crow Wing Watershed, Minnesota

Abstract A Coupled Land Atmosphere Simulation Program (CLASP), capable of evaluating surface water-aquifer-atmosphere interactions at the regional scale (up to 400×400 km2), will be used to evaluate paleo-watershed conditions at 6000 BP. The CLASP model couples a single-column vertically-discretized atmospheric model to a finely discretized land surface and subsurface hydrologic model (MODFLOW). The model can be driven by observational data or atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) output. By simulating the hydrologic fluctuations of individual lakes and streams, the model permits a comprehensive evaluation of paleo AGCM model reconstruction of Holocene climate change at the regional scale. Calculated lake level fluctuations will be compared to lake core records. Preliminary results illustrate the importance of aquifer hydraulic conductivity in paleo-lake level response.
Photic preference of the short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica)

The gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) is a nocturnal South American marsupial that has been gaining popularity as a laboratory animal. However, compared to traditional laboratory animals like rats, very little is known about its behavior, either in the wild or in a laboratory setting. Here we investigated the photic preference of the short-tailed opossum. Opossums were placed in a circular testing arena and allowed to move freely between dark (0 lux) and light (∼1.4, 40, or 400 lux) sides of the arena. In each of these conditions opossums spent significantly more time in the dark than in the illuminated side and a greater proportion of time in the dark than would be expected by chance. In the high-contrast (∼400 lux) illumination condition, the mean bout length (i.e., duration of one trip on the light or dark side) was significantly longer on the dark side than on the light side. When we examined the number of bouts greater than 30 and 60s in duration, we found a significant difference between the light and dark sides in all light contrast conditions. These data indicate that the short-tailed opossum prefers the dark to the light, and can also detect very slight differences in light intensity. We conclude that although rats and opossums share many similar characteristics, including ecological niche, their divergent evolutionary heritage results in vastly different behavioral capabilities. Only by observing the behavioral capabilities and preferences of opossums will we be able to manipulate the experimental environment to best elicit and elucidate their behavior and alterations in behavior that can arise from experimental manipulations.
Moldability diagrams for the reaction injection molding of a polyurethane crosslinking system

A trial and error approach reflects the state of the art in reaction injection molding. Material and process parameters determine the “moldability” of a specific system in a particular application. The concept of “molding areas” on the critical parameters plane can be extended form thermoplastic injection molding (TIM) to reaction injection molding (RIM). In this work moldability diagrams for the filling and curing stages of a RIM process are obtained based on a simplified engineering approach. The key process parameters chosen for the filling stage are initial material temperature and filling time. In the curing stage, the critical parameters are considered to be mold wall temperature and demold time. Experimental results obtained on a laboratory-scale RIM machine on a Crosslinking polyurethane system are used to check the validity of the predicted molding areas. The agreement obtained is satisfactory considering the broad range of processing parameters used.
Trap color and placement affects estimates of insect family-level abundance and diversity in a Nebraska salt marsh

Sampling programs to establish baseline ecosystem information (e.g., species abundance and diversity) often fail to consider the potential influence of sampling techniques on results. Research on sampling economically important insects has demonstrated the possible influences of trap color and trap placement on results, but few data have been collected from natural environments. Consequently, we examined the effects of color (yellow and blue) and placement (exposed and shaded by plants) of sticky traps on insect captures and diversity estimates from a Nebraska inland salt marsh community. We identified 1913 specimens from 67 insect families collected during five trapping dates in July 1996. More Cicindelidae were collected on exposed traps, and more Staphylinidae, Dolichopodidae, Cicadellidae, and Thripidae were collected on shaded traps. More Dolichopodidae were collected on yellow traps, while more Syrphidae and Thripidae were collected on blue. Shannon and alpha diversity measures were significantly higher for shaded traps than exposed traps, but were not affected by trap color. Our results highlight the importance of characterizing sampling techniques when establishing diversity estimates. These data provide the first complete accounting of community-level insect response to colored sticky traps and provide new information for color preference of non-economic insect species.
Gbb/BMP signaling is required to maintain energy homeostasis in Drosophila

The coordination of animal growth and development requires adequate nutrients. During times of insufficient food, developmental progression is slowed and stored energy is utilized to ensure that cell and tissue survival are maintained. Here, we report our finding that the Gbb/BMP signaling pathway, known to play an important role in many developmental processes in both vertebrates and invertebrates, is critical in the Drosophila larval fat body for regulating energy homeostasis. Animals with mutations in the Drosophila BMP-5,7 orthologue, glass bottom boat (gbb), or in its signaling components, display phenotypes similar to nutrient-deprived and Tor mutant larvae. These phenotypes include a developmental delay with reduced overall growth, a transparent appearance, and altered total lipid, glucose and trehalose levels. We find that Gbb/BMP signaling is required in the larval fat body for maintaining proper metabolism, yet interestingly, following nutrient deprivation larvae in turn show a loss of BMP signaling in fat body cells indicating that Gbb/BMP signaling is a central player in homeostasis. Finally, despite strong phenotypic similarities between nutrient-compromised animals and gbb mutants, distinct differences are observed in the expression of a group of starvation responsive genes. Overall, our results implicate Gbb/BMP signaling as a new pathway critical for positive regulation of nutrient storage and energy homeostasis during development.
An LCP package model for use in chip/package co-design of an X-band SiGe Low Noise Amplifier

We present the modeling of a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) package for use with an X-band SiGe HBT Low Noise Amplifier (LNA). The package consists of a 2 mil LCP laminated over an embedded SiGe LNA, with vias in the LCP serving as interconnects to the LNA bondpads. An accurate model for the packaging interconnects has been developed and verified by comparing to measurement results, and can be used in chip/package co-design.
Cortical Source Localization of Infant Cognition

Neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission topography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have been utilized with older children and adults to identify cortical sources of perceptual and cognitive processes. However, due to practical and ethical concerns, these techniques cannot be routinely applied to infant participants. An alternative to such neuroimaging techniques appropriate for use with infant participants is high-density electroencephalogram (EEG) recording and cortical source localization techniques. The current article provides an overview of a method developed for such analyses. The method consists of four steps: (1) recording high-density (e.g., 128-channel) EEG. (2) Analysis of individual participant raw segmented data with independent component analysis (ICA). (3) Estimation of equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) that represent cortical sources for the observed ICA component clusters. (4) Calculation of component activations in relation to experimental factors. We discuss an example of research applying this technique to investigate the development of visual attention and recognition memory. We also describe the application of "realistic head modeling" to address some of the current limitations of infant cortical source localization.
Misinterpretation of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Findings

To the Editor—The analysis by Schneider and colleagues [1] raises two concerns—one methodological, one clinical—that undermine the policy conclusions of the article. A basic tenet of economic evaluation holds that mutually exclusive strategies should be compared based on their marginal contribution—not their absolute contribution—to both costs and benefits [2, 3]. Yet, the paper presents cost-effectiveness ratios that evaluate every strategy using the status quo as the basis of comparison. This error leads to a serious misinterpretation of findings, as noted in Table ​Table11. Table 1. Original and Corrected Versions of Schneider et al's Table 1 The corrected version highlights a critical finding that is not apparent in the original: Many strategies are dominated (ie, they cost more and deliver fewer benefits than 1 or more other strategies) and should therefore be eliminated from consideration. Indeed, there are only 4 nondominated strategies for which it is appropriate to report cost-effectiveness ratios. This mistake carries over to Figure 2 in Schneider et al's article. Although points on the figure are correctly arrayed, the 3 dark lines emanating from the origin (labeled “ICER Threshold”) have no interpretable meaning. Here again, the error lies in comparing everything to the status quo. By convention [2, 3], the figure should instead highlight the efficient frontier (ie, the convex envelope defined by the nondominated interventions); this outer boundary denotes the greatest possible quality-adjusted life-years that can be obtained for any given investment level. The correct interpretation of the output from the authors’ model is that preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) meets Australian standards of cost-effectiveness only when targeted to the uninfected members of regular, serodiscordant partnerships (strategies 10 and 11). Closer examination of the modeling assumptions for these 2 strategies reveals the second concern—that the analysis does not appear to account for the potential of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to offset the benefits of PrEP in serodiscordant partnerships. Both Australian and international guidelines strongly recommend offering ART to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected partners in serodiscordant couples to reduce HIV transmission to uninfected partners [4, 5]. Concomitant ART will dramatically reduce the impact and the cost-effectiveness of targeting PrEP to the uninfected partner.
Vertical mergers and the balance of trade

This paper examines the relationship between the vertical merger and the balance of trade. Our results show that the effects of the vertical merger on the trade balance and consumers' welfare depend on the production technology adopted by the final good manufacturers. The vertical merger will improve both the trade balance and consumers' welfare when fixed-coefficient technology is adopted. However, these positive effects could not be held when variable-coefficient technology is used to produce the final good.
Case study of an innovation requiring teachers to change roles

An exploratory study which focused on teachers responses to the demand for role change brought about by the implementation of a new course is reported. Two procedures used to gather data were participant observation and open-ended interviews. Role theory, symbolic interaction, and schools as organizations were used as the frameworks for data analysis in this discursive qualitative study. The data reported describe the teachers' perceptions of factors influencing their willingness to change behaviors in order to comply with the role demands of the innovation. Hypotheses grounded in the data were generated and tied together into a theory which is illustrated by a structural model. The model shows interrelationships of factors influencing the teachers to change roles at the time of initiation of the new course through the ultimate incorporation of the innovation.
Optical properties of tissues quantified by Fourier-transform light scattering

We employ Fourier-transform light scattering, a technique recently developed in our laboratory, to study the scattering properties of rat organ tissues. Using the knowledge of the complex field associated with high-resolution microscope images of tissue slices, we extracted the scattering mean-free path l(s) and anisotropy factor g, which characterize the bulk tissue for three different rat organs. This "bottom up" approach to measuring tissue scattering parameters allows for predicting the wave transport phenomena within the organ of interest at a multitude of scales-from organelle to organ level.
Hepatic Inactivation of Renin

Renin activities were measured in plasma from an artery and from the hepatic, portal, and renal veins of anesthetized dogs. A significant arterial-hepatic venous renin difference was observed during control periods and after elevation of arterial renin by stimulation of endogenous renin secretion (induced by acute salt depletion) or by infusion of exogenous renin. There was good quantitative agreement between the calculated rates of renin infusion and hepatic renin clearance. No significant arterial-portal venous renin difference was observed. Infusion of exogenous renin decreased the usual renal venous-arterial renin difference; slight net renal inactivation of renin was observed in only 2 of 12 periods. We conclude that the liver is the major site of renin inactivation.
Critical pathway methodology: effectiveness in congenital heart surgery.

Abstract Critical pathway methodology has been demonstrated to provide producible reduction in average length of stay (ALOS) in adults in certain diagnostic-related groups and operations such as coronary artery bypass grafting. The efficacy of this approach in congenital heart surgery was explored. Two hundred eighty-six consecutive patients from a health maintenance organization treated by a single surgeon since the institution of diagnostic-related group coding at that health maintenance organization constituted the study group. One hundred fourteen patients were treated at a university hospital without critical pathway methodology (group 1) and 172, subsequently at the health maintenance organization institution using the methodology (group 2). Operation/lesion, age, and diagnostic-related group matching was possible in 61 pairs of patients. Examination of the ALOS Hospital (operative and postoperative days) for the entire cohort revealed a 43.8% reduction in ALOS Hospital ( p p
A pH-responsive Poly(Acrylic Acid) nanoscale actuator

In this report, we present the development of a nanoscale actuator that takes advantage of the properties of poly(acrylic acid) |PAA| hydrogels as well as an aqueous fluid environment to realize control of height change. We used spatially-resolved and focused low-energy electron beams to irradiate dry 40 nm thick PAA films. After developing in high pH buffer, non-irradiated films dissolved and irradiated polymer remained bonded to the substrate. We show that these gels translate to actuators that undergo height changes as a function of pH. Since the carboxyl groups are deprotonated at high pH, we studied the amount and activity of carboxyl groups in the hydrogels using infrared spectroscopy. Using atomic force microscopy we then studied how these hydrogels respond to aqueous environment, where change was photo-triggered using a photoacid generator.
Hydrogenation of Graphene Nanoribbon Edges: Improvement in Carrier Transport

This letter is the first to present a method to selectively hydrogenate the edges of sub-30-nm graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). After hydrogenation of the edges, the GNRs exhibit improved transport properties; carrier mobility increases by up to 50% at a carrier density of $5\times 10^{12}~{\rm cm}^{-2}$ at room temperature.
Fast identification of the missing tags in a large RFID system

RFID (radio-frequency identification) is an emerging technology with extensive applications such as transportation and logistics, object tracking, and inventory management. How to quickly identify the missing RFID tags and thus their associated objects is a practically important problem in many large-scale RFID systems. This paper presents three novel methods to quickly identify the missing tags in a large-scale RFID system of thousands of tags. Our protocols can reduce the time for identifying all the missing tags by up to 75% in comparison to the state of art.
Investigating the influences of core self‐evaluations, job autonomy, and intrinsic motivation on in‐role job performance

This study investigates the effects of core self-evaluations, job autonomy, and intrinsic motivation on employees' perceptions of their in-role job performance, based on a cross-sectional survey of 283 employees in a Fortune Global 100 company in Korea. The results suggest that employees perceived higher in-role job performance when they had higher core self-evaluations and intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation partially mediated the relationship between core self-evaluations and job performance, and it also fully mediated the relationship from job autonomy to job performance. Thus, to increase motivation and job performance, managers and HRD professionals need to create an integrated strategy incorporating enhancement of selection methods, elements of job redesign, and interpersonal developmental practices such as coaching and mentoring.
County-Level Effects of Prehospital Regionalization of Critically Ill Patients: A Simulation Study.

Objective: Regionalization may improve critical care delivery, yet stakeholders cite concerns about its feasibility. We sought to determine the operational effects of prehospital regionalization of nontrauma, nonarrest critical illness. Setting: King County, Washington. Design: Discrete event simulation study. Patients: All 2006 hospital discharge data, linked to all adult, eligible patients transported by county emergency medical services agencies. Interventions: We simulated active triage of high-risk patients to designated referral centers using a validated prehospital risk score; we studied three regionalization scenarios: 1) up triage, 2) up and down triage, and 3) up and down triage after reducing ICU beds by 25%. We determined the effect on patient routing, ICU occupancy at referral and nonreferral hospitals, and emergency medical services transport times. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 119,117 patients were hospitalized at 11 nonreferral centers and 76,817 patients were hospitalized at three referral centers. Among 20,835 emergency medical services patients, 7,817 patients (43%) were eligible for up triage and 10,242 patients (57%) were eligible for down triage. At baseline, mean daily ICU bed occupancy was 61% referral and 47% at nonreferral hospitals. Up triage increased referral ICU occupancy to 68%, up and down triage to 64%, and up and down triage with bed reduction to 74%. Mean daily nonreferral ICU occupancy did not exceed 60%. Total emergency medical services transport time increased by less than 3% with up and down triage. Conclusions: Regionalization based on prehospital triage of the critically ill can allocate high-risk patients to referral hospitals without adversely affecting ICU occupancy or prehospital travel time.
The effect of hemodialysis on electrolytes and acid-base parameters.

Background: Hemodialysis patients are treated with bicarbonate dialysate to correct the metabolic acidosis, which results from the metabolism of dietary and endogenous protein. The concentration of plasma tCO2 is used to gauge the success of therapy. Reported low values in pre-dialysis blood suggest incomplete correction of acidosis in a substantial percent of the dialysis population. However, questions have been raised about the reliability of tCO2 determination in dialysis patients. Methods: Pre- and post-dialysis blood specimens were obtained from chronic hemodialysis patients and analyzed on-site using an OPTI Critical Care Analyzer. Results were compared with reports obtained monthly from the reference laboratory to which the samples were routinely shipped for analysis. In addition, OPTI analyzer whole blood electrolytes were compared with plasma electrolytes determined in a local laboratory. Results: Mid-week testing of patients dialyzed against a 40-mmol/l bicarbonate dialysate found that most patients had normal acid–base status pre-dialysis and frank metabolic alkalosis by the end of dialysis. Whole blood tCO2 values determined on the OPTI CCAwere 2.4 mmol/l greater than heparin plasma tCO2 assayed on the Vitros chemistry analyzer. Small differences were also observed for K + and Cl. Conclusions: Based on our on-site determination of acid–base and electrolyte concentrations, metabolic acidosis appears to be fully correctable in well-dialyzed renal failure patients. Metabolic alkalosis is apparent in the post-dialysis period. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Individualizing kinase-targeted cancer therapy: the paradigm of chronic myeloid leukemia

The success of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in treating chronic myeloid leukemia highlights the potential of targeting oncogenic kinases with small molecules. By using drug activity profiles and individual patient genotypes, one can guide personalized therapy selection for patients with resistance.
Perspectives in multimedia software engineering

Multimedia software engineering can help small businesses compete with big businesses by overcoming barriers in space and time to establish a global presence. The paper discusses Internet and multimedia technology trends, the Web site life cycle and current research in multimedia software engineering.
Democritus: a simulation tool for plasma-material interaction

Summary form only given. DEMOCRITUS is a particle-based software infrastructure for plasma-material interaction simulation. The fundamental approach is the use of particle in cell (PIC) methods to simulate the plasma species, the material and their interaction. DEMOCRITUS is based on three ingredients: 1) particles to treat all species in any phase they are: solid, liquid, gas or plasma; 2) an adaptive grid to describe the interaction fields; 3) the immersed boundary method to describe the interface among different materials. The particles are standard computational particle with a finite size defined by a shape function. Linear shape functions are used. Each material is represented by different particles, label in DEMOCRITUS by a integer color variable. The particles have many properties, besides the usual position, velocity and charge, to describe the material properties. The particle description is adaptive, allowing the increase or decrease of number of particles locally to increase accuracy. The grid is 2D but can be either in cylindrical coordinates (r,z) or Cartesian (x,y). An adaptive grid is used based on a new implementation of the Brackbill-Saltzmann variational grid adaptation method that minimizes an a-posteriori definition of the error in the simulation. The immersed boundary method is a widely used approach to translate boundary or interface conditions among material into a formalism that allows to use a continuum model without any discontinuity in the formulation of the equations. We use a first order formulation of the method, and rely on the adaptive grid to control the truncation error in describing any localized feature at material boundaries. We present two typical applications of DEMOCRITUS: the charging of a small object (dust particle) immersed in a plasma and the focusing of a spherical electron population in the Los Alamos inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) fusion device
Environmental health aspects of coal ash phytoremediation by selected crops

The objective of this research was to determine the effects of growth media containing FA and FA mixed with soil on selected crop plants seedlings growth. We studied the influence of various FA concentrations (e.g., 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100% of FA in growth media by weight basis) in FA/soil composed media on the germination, growth, and heavy metals uptake of the following plants: barley, Sudan grass, ryegrass, rape, alfalfa, and canola. Plants were grown on Petri dishes (10 cm diameter, 3 replications) for 14-21 days, harvested, dried, and weighed. Experiments have been replicated three times. The concentrations of Al, B, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Sr, Ti, Tl, and V in growth media were determined, and the concentrations of the same elements in young plants were analyzed. Addition of 10, 20, and 30% of FA to the soil were acceptable for most plants, as compared to FA alone used as a growth media. Barley was the only plant of plants used in our research, which was able to sustain seedlings growth on media consisting on FA alone. Preliminary results of chemical analysis of FA and harvested young plants implicate that plants do not accumulate toxic amounts of heavy metals even being grown on media containing 100% FA. Our research results indicate that coal FA might be used as a plant growth media additive. However, additional studies should be undertaken to determine the effects of FA on plants grown till maturity.
Target-Date Funds in 401(k) Plans

Individual responsibility for portfolio construction is a central theme for defined contribution pensions, yet the rise of target-date funds is shifting investment decisions from workers back to employers. A complex choice architecture including automatic enrollment, reenrollment, and fund mapping, is increasing the number of participants defaulting into employer-selected target-date funds. At the same time, portfolios of non-defaulted participants undergo sizeable changes, with equity share ratios widening by over 40 percent points between younger/older participants. Among active decision-makers, these funds act as a form of implicit employer-provided lifecycle investment advice. More broadly, our findings highlight malleable preferences among retirement investors and a demand for default-based guidance or simplified advice for households facing complex choices.
The Ten Amendments as a Declaration of Rights

In this article, Professor Finkelman discusses the struggle behind the incorporation of the first ten amendments to the United States’ Constitution. While the Constitution was first being drafted, the Federalists strongly opposed the incorporation of a Bill of Rights into the Constitution. The Federalists argued that changing the structure of the Constitution to incorporate a Bill of Rights was unnecessary under a government with limited powers as they would be protected by the individual states and also that a Bill of Rights would weaken the structure of national government. However, during the first session of Congress, it was the Federalists who supported the first ten amendments to the Constitution and the Anti-Federalists who opposed. Ultimately, James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights in a way that he believed would not undermine the Federal structure and simply enumerate points that were widely accepted. Thus, the Bill of Rights was adopted to protect personal liberties and minority rights without making structural changes to the Constitution.
Foundations of the blended isogeometric discontinuous Galerkin (BIDG) method

Abstract A new discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method is introduced that seamlessly merges exact geometry with high-order solution accuracy. This new method is called the blended isogeometric discontinuous Galerkin (BIDG) method. The BIDG method contrasts with existing high-order accurate DG methods over curvilinear meshes (e.g. classical isoparametric DG methods) in that the underlying geometry is exactly preserved at every mesh refinement level, allowing for intricate and complicated real-world mesh design to be streamlined and automated using computer-aided design (CAD) software. The BIDG method is designed specifically for easy incorporation into existing code architecture. This paper discusses specific details of implementation using two examples: (1) the acoustic wave equations, and (2) Maxwell’s equations. Basic tests of accuracy and stability are demonstrated, including optimal convergence, and supplemental theoretical results are provided in the appendix along with links to fully operational working code examples.
Meta analysis on mental health status of railway locomotive conductors

Objective To understand the status of mental health in domestic railway locomotive conductors,thereby providing a scientific basis for the psychologial assessment and intervention on it.Methods A computerized literature search was carried out in CNKI to collect the articles published in domestic journals during recent ten years concerning the study on mental health status of locomotive conductors.The adopted papers were analyzed by Metaanalysis,two norms such as national male norm and the normal male populations of three provinces or regions in 2006 were used as controls,and RevMan 4.2 software was applied for data processing.Results Eleven papers were collected,and 4681 locomotive conductors were analyzed in the survey.According to the statistic results,only the scores of interpersonal relationship showed no significant difference compared with the norms(Z=1.31,P0.05),however,the other scores were all significantly higher than that of the norms(P0.01).Conclusion The mental health status in domestic locomotive conductors is not so good,and the SCL-90 norm for them should be set up.
Multiplicative models for turbulent energy dissipation

We consider models for describing the intermittent distribution of the energy dissipation rate per unit mass, e, in high-Reynolds-number turbulent flows. These models are based on a physical picture in which (in one-dimensional space) an eddy of scale r breaks into b smaller eddies of scale r/b. The energy flux across scales of size r is re r , where e r is the average of e over a linear interval of size r. This energy flux can be written as the product of factors called multipliers. We discuss some properties of the distribution of multipliers. Using measured multiplier distributions obtained from atmospheric surface layer data on e, we show that quasi-deterministic models (multiplicative models) can be developed on a rational basis for multipliers with bases b = 2 and 3 (that is, binary and tertiary breakdown processes). This formalism allows a unified understanding of some apparently unrelated previous work, and its simplicity permits the derivation of explicit analytic expressions for quantities such as the probability density function of re r , which agree very well with measurements. Other related applications of multiplier distributions are presented. The limitations of this approach are discussed when bases larger than three are invoked.
Hemodynamic monitoring in the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

SUMMARY Because of the derangements in pulmonary function in the patient with adult respiratory distress syndrome and alterations in cardiac pulmonary function during therapy, hemodynamic monitoring can provide important diagnostic and therapeutic information. Early differentiation between cardiogenic and noncardiogenic pulmonary edema can be facilitated. The response to therapy can be monitored so that cardiopulmonary function can be optimized. Although some interrelationships in this response to therapy have not been fully elucidated, more intelligent therapeutic approaches can be individualized for each patient.
Overview to the Two-Part Series: Measurement Equivalence of the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) Short Forms

Measurement equivalence across differing socio-demographic groups is essential for valid assessment. This is one of two issues of Psychological Test and Assessment Modeling that contains articles describing methods and substantive findings related to establishing measurement equivalence in self-reported health, mental health and social functioning measures. The articles in this two part series describe analyses of items assessing eight domains: fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep, pain, physical function, cognitive concerns and social function. Additionally, two overview articles describe the methods and sample characteristics of the data set used in these analyses. An additional article describes the important topic of assessing magnitude and impact of differential item functioning. These articles provide the first strong evidence supporting the measurement equivalence of The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) short-form measures in ethnically, socio-demographically diverse groups, and is a beginning step in meeting the international call for further study of their performance in such groups.
Article Review and Reading: Being Efficient and Thorough as You Need to Be

The quantity of biomedical literature is astounding. Thousands of articles are published daily and with the advent of online publishing, many new open access journals have sprung up virtually over night. How to read a research article is something you have probably learned about in high school, college, and graduate school. But actually reading an article and digesting its meaning without perusing every word is a critical skill if you are going to succeed in the field of research. This goes not only for reading articles relevant to your field of interest, but also those that you are asked to review for various journals. Like all aspects of biomedical research, article reading and interpretation becomes easier with time and practice, but I hope to put forward a few concepts in this chapter that I believe will help speed you along your way.
The soil heavy metal content mapping based on Sandwich model

With the rapid development of agriculture and industry, the soil heavy metal pollution is becoming more prominent. It is necessary to know the content and spatial distribution of heavy metal in soil. The soil heavy metal content is not only affected by natural factors such as parent material, climate, biology, topography et al, but also the man-made pollution factors such as pesticide and fertilizer use, sewage irrigation, solid waste accumulation et al. Compared to natural factors, the man-made pollution factors are most often spatially heterogeneous. The Sandwich model proposed by Jingfeng Wang can be used to mapping the distribution of regional variable with spatially stratified heterogeneity. The Sandwich model has three key layers: sampling layer, zooning layer and reporting layer, the information of sampling data is firstly transferred into zooning layer, and then transferred from zoning layer to reporting layer to get estimated mean and related error for each report unit. In this paper, the Sandwich model was used to mapping the spatial distribution of heavy metal (As) content in the soil of South part of Daxing District, Beijing. The sampling data was used as the sampling layer, then the parent material data, and sample clusters were integrated to divide the study area into zones, and the administrative villages were the units of reporting layer. The estimation results show that the average content of As in these villages is about 6mg kg−1, most middle part of whole region is from 4.5 mg kg−1 to 7 mg kg−1, and the content of boundary part is less, and individual area has extremely higher content. By comparing with the results obtained by Ordinary Kriging interpolation, Stratified estimation. The mapping result of soil heavy metal content results show that Sandwich Model has better performance than the other two estimation methods.
High Power Density Pyroelectric Energy Conversion in Nanometer-Thick BaTiO3 Films

ABSTRACTSolid-state pyroelectric nanomaterials can be used for thermal-to-electrical energy conversion in the presence of temperature fluctuations. This article reports investigation of energy conversion in a 200 nm thick BaTiO3 film using the pyroelectric Ericsson cycle at cycle frequencies up to 3 kHz. The high cycle frequencies were achieved due to the low thermal mass of the nanometer-scale film, unlike previous studies in which the electrical power output was limited by the rate of heat transfer through the pyroelectric material. A microfabricated platform that allowed precise thermal and electrical cycling enabled us to study the effect of electric field range, temperature oscillation amplitude, and cycle frequency on the electrical power output from pyroelectric Ericsson cycles. We measured a maximum power density of 30 W/cm3 for a temperature range 20–120°C and electric field range 100–125 kV/cm, which represents a significant improvement over past work on pyroelectric cycles. The approach present...
Body-led mothering: Constructions of the breast in attachment parenting literature

Abstract The breast is absent in much breastfeeding literature, yet it is central to political controversies surrounding breastfeeding in public. This study examines social constructions of the breast in Attachment Parenting literature on breastfeeding. Attachment Parenting, an approach growing in popularity in many western societies, advocates breastfeeding as a core component of parenting and is consistent with broader mothering ideals. Findings indicate that the breast is constructed as the ultimate mother – engaging in practices that mirror idealized depictions of hegemonic motherhood toward both the baby and the mother. The texts represent the breast engaging in body-led mothering by providing nurturing and protection to both baby and mother, and teaching the mother how to mother her baby. These depictions corroborate essentialist views of femininity and mothering in western societies by locating socially defined characteristics within the female body, and contribute to views of the breastfeeding breast as inherently motherly rather than sexual.
Use of Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Node-Positive Breast Cancer at Diagnosis: Practice Patterns of American Society of Breast Surgeons Members

The accuracy of sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) in clinically node-positive patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been investigated in clinical trials. This survey was designed to assess familiarity and impact of these trial findings into practice. American Society of Breast Surgeons members were invited by e-mail to complete an anonymous online survey. A total of 642 members responded (21% of 3090 eligible members). Results were summarized as proportions based on the number of responses to each question. Respondents indicated knowledge of the Z1071 (86%), SENTINA (57%), and SN-FNAC (39%) trials. The published false negative rates (FNR) of the trials were correctly reported by 53% (336/638) of respondents. Before the trials, 45% (285/636) offered SLND compared with 85% (543/638) after the trials. In the 556 respondents who reported knowledge of at least one trial, 310 (56%) currently offer SLND to >50% of patients, 175 (31%) offer to <50%, and 70 (13%) routinely perform axillary lymph node dissection. Respondents who reported knowledge of the trials but did not change their practice to incorporate SLND (n = 67) cited concerns over lack of outcome data (64%), worries about FNR (42%), lack of resources (34%), or objections from radiation oncologists (25%), medical oncologists (18%), or other surgeons (8%). The publication of trials evaluating SLND in clinically node-positive patients has resulted in changes in practice. Concerns over the FNR and lack of outcome data limit incorporation of SLND into practice by some surgeons.
Successions and Title Clearing Manual 2017

These materials have been prepared as a guide for LSU clinic students and others providing pro-bono legal assistance in Louisiana. The materials give an overview of the probate process in Louisiana, common successions issues, and strategies for concentrating title.