cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Defining real world problems: a conceptual language

Problem definition-verbally or otherwise representing a problematic situation-is a critical element of the problem solving process. It plays an equally important role in the systems development process. Representations are necessarily expressed in a medium or language, ranging from the symbols used in formal models to the natural language verbalizations of laypeople. After discussing the central issues involved in representing problem situations, this paper reviews the many approaches to problem definition proposed by theorists. These approaches are evaluated against norms of validity-a definition's correspondence with reality-and generativity-its ability to promote effective problem solving. The paper then reports the results of a study of problem definitions produced by practising managers responding to actual organizational problems. This study led to the development of a conceptual language and related coding scheme for the analysis of real world problem definitions. The study also suggests the existence of certain characteristics, termed situational structures, that are defining of a problem and of problem types. Opportunities for research on problem definition and applications to such fields as software engineering are discussed. >
Applying Latest Advances in Switch Silicon and Packaging Enables Design Improvements in Testability and Reconfiguration

Today?s latest mixed signal designs continue to grow in complexity as well as shrinking in physical size. Where once test-points could be located at strategic points throughout the design, today the spacing between the components and the critical nature of layout concerns no longer will support that approach. The increase in complexity requires circuit partitioning for adequate testing. Recent advances in packaging and process development, as well as extended characterization of the analog characteristics in the latest generation of analog switch products, bring many advantages to solving these design problems. These desirable improvements include: wide operating voltage range, very low power of operation, rail to rail signal handling, wide bandwidth, low on resistance, fast enable and disable times, and very small package sizes. These improved characteristics simplify the design process by minimizing the effects that inserting a switch will have in the functionality of the circuit being modified.
Effect of background radiation on the lower limit of detection for extended dosemeter issue periods

An extension of dosemeter issue period brings significant economic and logistic benefits. Therefore, it is desirable to have an extended period as long as possible without significant loss of the quality of dose measurements. There are many studies devoted to the investigation of fading or reduction of the dose accumulated in dosemeters with time. However, this is one of many critical factors that need's to be taken into account when extending the dosemeter issue period. Background radiation is also a critical factor that needs to be appropriately accounted. In this report, a new approach has been suggested for evaluating the effect of background radiation on the lower limit of detection (LLD) of occupational radiation dose. This approach is based on the data collected from control dosemeters that are routinely used for subtraction of background radiation from occupational dose measurements. The results show that for LiF:Mg,Cu,P thermoluminescence dosemeters, variations in background radiation have a higher impact on the LLD than dose fading and the absolute value of background radiation. Although there is no significant dose fading in LiF:Mg,Cu,P for a dosemeter issue period up to 1 y, variations in background radiation during this period of time can significantly increase photon LLDs (up to 700 microSv) for workers operating in an environment of variable radiation background.
Distributed Multi-Parametric Quadratic Programming

One of the fundamental problems in the area of large-scale optimization is to study locality features of spatially distributed optimization problems in which the variables are coupled in the cost function as well as constraints. Such problems can motivate the development of fast and well-conditioned distributed algorithms. In this paper, we study spatial locality features of large-scale multi-parametric quadratic programming (MPQP) problems with linear inequality constraints. Our main application focus is receding horizon control of spatially distributed linear systems with input and state constraints. We propose a new approach for analysis of large-scale MPQP problems by blending tools from duality theory with operator theory. The class of spatially decaying matrices is introduced to capture couplings between optimization variables in the cost function and the constraints. We show that the optimal solution of a convex MPQP is piecewise affine- represented as convolution sums. More importantly, we prove that the kernel of each convolution sum decays in the spatial domain at a rate proportional to the inverse of the corresponding coupling function of the optimization problem.
Passiflora unipetala, a New Bat-pollinated Species of Passiflora supersect. Tacsonia (Passifloraceae)

Passiflora unipetala P. Jorg., Muchhala & J. M. MacDougal (Passifloraceae) is described from two cloud forest remnants in Pichincha, Ecuador, and is assigned to the Andean endemic Passiflora L. supersect. Tacsonia (Juss.) Feuillet & J. M. MacDougal. This new species with yellowish green flowers is distinguished from all other passionflowers by having only one petal. It is pollinated by bats, which is rare in Passiflora.
Quantitative assessment of the BCR-ABL transcript using the Cepheid Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor assay.

Abstract Context.—Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and the assessment of the BCR-ABL transcript has become a new paradigm. Novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors as mainstream therapeutic options for the CML patient warrant routine quantification of the BCR-ABL transcript. The Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor assay is a nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction that greatly reduces technical time by using a single cartridge to isolate RNA and run a quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Objective.—To evaluate the Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor assay for quantitative assessment of the BCR-ABL transcript in CML patients. Design.—A standard curve of K-562 cells diluted in normal peripheral blood was used to test the sensitivity, linearity, and percent coefficient of variation of the assay. Specimen stability was tested by running standard curves immediately and after 24 hours or 96 hours of storage at 4°C. Specimens from normal controls, patients known to have CML, or patients suspected of having...
Businessmen and the Regulation of Railroads and Public Utilities in California During the Progressive Era

EI Historians of the Progressive Era have recently focused much attention on the role played by businessmen in the reform legislation of that period. Mr. Blackford's study considers this topic in the case of a significant portion of the California business community. In the years 1911-1915, the Progressive-controlled California legislature enacted bills embodying a wide range of economic reforms. Among the most important were those which created a new railroad commission with vastly enlarged powers and which brought public utilities under state supervision. Groups of businessmen were in the vanguard of both reforms. The driving force for railroad regulation came less from an outraged public seeking lower railroad rates than from shippers and merchants who wanted to stabilize their businesses. Public utility officers spearheaded campaigns for the passage, and, later, the enlargement of the Public Utilities Act. They hoped state regulation would end competition between their companies, improve the value of their utilities' securities, and allow them to escape continual wrangling with county and municipal authorities. The desire of businessmen for order and stability thus played an important role in the initiation of railroad and public utility regulation in California. Several historians, Gabriel Kolko and Robert Wiebe in particular, have recently pointed out connections between businessmen and reform on the national level during the progressive years.' Businessmen were equally involved in state politics, at least in California. Works on progressivism in the Golden State, however, deal only tangentially with their activities.2 It is hoped that this article, by
Cross‐Cultural Misunderstandings Reduce Empathic Responding1

An experiment was conducted with American college students to determine whether differences in cultural perspectives might act as an impediment to empathic responding. Participants read about targets who experienced distress in a social context and who assumed a perspective that was consistent or inconsistent with norms typical of U.S. culture. When evaluating targets with a dissimilar as opposed to similar cultural perspective, participants exhibited a lack of perspective taking, perceiving those responses as inappropriate, atypical, and dissimilar to their own likely response in that situation. They also tended to attribute dissimilar targets' distress to dispositional as opposed to situational forces, essentially assigning them more blame. Further, emotional empathy, including feelings of compassion and sympathy were lessened with respect to targets whose responses reflected unfamiliar cultural norms. Path analyses indicated that inadequate appreciation of the different cultural perspective could account for much of the reduction in empathic concern. Results suggest that lack of perspective taking with regard to divergent cultural norms may compromise cross-cultural exchanges of tolerance and compassion.
Nanostructures of the Product Sequence in the Decomposition of Mixed Rare Earth Hydroxycarbonate Colloidal Particles

The decomposition of colloidal spheres of mixed rare earth hydroxycarbonate to the oxide has been studied by three methods. a) The spheres are treated in a thermal analysis apparatus up to 1100°C and afterward successive reruns were made and specimens cooled rapidly at temperatures where intermediate or final products are formed. X-ray diffraction patterns and HREM studies were made of each sample thus produced. b) The spheres were heated to 450°C in the specimen chamber of a mass spectrometer and the gaseous decomposition products were monitored continuously. c) The colloidal spheres were introduced into the electron microscope and the decomposition followed at high resolution as evolution to the oxide was induced by the electron beam. The results are compared and contrasted.
Measurement of inclusive proton double -spin asymmetries and polarized structure functions

The scattering of polarized electrons from a polarized proton target provides a means for studying the internal spin structure of the proton. The CLAS (CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer) EG1b experiment in Hall-B at Jefferson Laboratory measured double-spin inclusive and exclusive electron-nucleon scattering asymmetries using longitudinally polarized frozen NH3 and ND3 targets and a longitudinally polarized electron beam at 4 different energies (1.6, 2.5, 4.2, 5.6 GeV). Extraction of the virtual photon asymmetry Ap1 (for 0.05 GeV2 < Q2 < 5.0 GeV2)provides precision measurements of the polarized proton spin-structure function gp1 in and above the resonance region. Linear regression of data between the varying energies yields new constraints on the virtual photon asymmetry Ap2 (and thus the structure function gp 2) in the resonance region (for 0.3 GeV2 < Q2 < 1.0GeV2). Measurements of these structure functions and their moments allows testing of perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (p
Hydrologic drought in the contiguous United States, 1900–1989: Spatial patterns and multiple comparison of means

A basic question in drought climatology is whether there has been a shift toward drier or wetter conditions within the period of operational climatic records. This question is examined for the contiguous United States by analyzing mean values of the Palmer Hydrologic Drought index over the 90-year period 1900–1989. Using isoline maps and difference of means tests, moisture conditions in the 1900–44 period are compared to conditions in the 1945–89 period, and multiple comparisons are made among the three discrete climatologically standard 30-year periods (1900–29; 1930–59; 1960–1989). For each mapped time series there are distinct core regions with above- and below-normal moisture conditions. Comparisons of the 45-year means reveal significant differences at 39% of the nations' climatic divisions, with clear inverse relationships in the most abnormally wet or dry regions. Comparisons among the 30-year mean periods show that the largest changes are in the interior, stretching from the northcentral Rocky Mountains into the northern Great Plains. A transition from a wetter to a drier moisture regime occurs between the early and middle 30-year periods in this region, with drier conditions persisting through the last 30-year period. The degree of regional heterogeneity in mean moisture conditions, coupled with the changing moisture status among the discrete time periods, suggests that the perception of trends in hydrologic drought conditions is subject to both spatial and temporal scaling.
Synthesis and Physical Properties of Self-Orienting Head-To-Tail Polythiophenes

Designed synthesis and architectural assembly of head-to-tail polythiophene derivatives provide the ability to control π orbital topology and orbital interactions in conjugated polymers. The preparation of poly thiophene derivatives with essentially 100% head-to tail (HT) couplings leads to defect free polythiophenes. These new HT polythiophenes can undergo macromolecular self-assembly to give self-oriented conducting polymers. Study of these materials has led to new insights on structure-property relationships in this class of materials. In addition, these results show that the molecular orbital overlap, the band dimensionality, and the solid state structure are quite sensitive to the nature of the side chains attached to the polymer’s backbone. In addition, we have now synthesized the first heteroatom functionalized HT poly thiophenes. These polythiophene derivatives can bind cations, and ion recognition can be used to tune conjugation lengths and properties in polythiophenes. Also presented are a class of random HT coupled 3-alkylthiophenes whose optical and electrochemical properties and possibly electronic properties can be altered by recipe.
Dynamics and control of quasirational systems

Systems having transfer functions of the form where P1(s), P2(s) and Q(s) are polynomials, are called quasirational distributed systems (QRDS). They are encountered in processes modeled by hyperbolic partial differential equations. QRDS can have an infinity of right half-plane zeros which causes large phase lags and can result in poor performance of the closed-loop system with PID controllers. Theory on the asymptotic location of zeros of quasipolynomials is used to predict the nonminimum phase characteristics of QRDS and formulas are presented for factoring QRDS models into minimum and non-minimum phase elements. A generalized Smith predictor controller design procedure for QRDS, based on this factorization, is derived. It uses pole placement to obtain a controller parameterization that introduces free poles which are selected to satisfy robustness specifications. The use of pole placement allows for the design of robust control systems in a transparent manner. Controller selection is generally better, simpler and more direct with this procedure than searching for optimal PID controller settings.
Corrections to Taylor's frozen turbulence approximation

Abstract Taylor's frozen turbulence approximation relates spatial statistics to temporal statistics. Lumley's two-term approximation gives corrections for the effect of fluctuating convection velocity. Such corrections are derived for every turbulence statistic. The statistic may be a tensor of any rank, and may be a correlation or structure function or spectrum. The practicality of other approximations, such as assuming the convectiog velocity to be a Gaussian random variable, is considered as are the inaccuracies of approximations for the case of the dissipation range of spectra. Extensions to cases of multiple-position and space-averaging sensors are noted. Local homogeneity and stationarity and the statistical independence of large-scale and small-scale turbulence quantities are necessary approximations. Local isotropy is shown to be the simplest case of a requirement for local symmetry. Specific expressions are given for isotropic tensors of rank up to fourth rank. Specific expressions are given for the inertial range, for which the correction is shown to vanish to second order for the triple-velocity correlation and structure function. Previous correction formulas are verified, with the exception of the correction for the stress cospectrum, which is shown to have been erroneous. The incompressibility condition is used to simplify the corrections. Fluctuating convection causes erroneous measured compressibility.
Molecular mechanisms underlying anti-inflammatory phenotype of neonatal splenic macrophages

Neonatal humans and rodents are sus- ceptible to infection with encapsulated bacteria as a result of an inability to make antibodies to cap- sular polysaccharides. This is partly a result of decreased production of proinflammatory cyto- kines by splenic macrophages (M) from neonates. In this study, we show that when stimulated with a variety of agonists to TLR2, -4, and -9, neonatal M make less proinflammatory cytokines and more IL-10 than adult M. IL-10 appears to have a role in the decreased proinflammatory cytokine production, as neonatal M treated with anti- IL-10 receptor antibody or from IL-10 -/- mice produced levels of proinflammatory cytokines at a level comparable with that produced by adult M. A microarray analysis of RNA from resting and LPS-stimulated M from neonatal and adult mice showed that expression of a large number of genes encoding cytokines, chemokines, and their recep- tors was decreased dramatically in the neonatal M, although some cytokines, including IL-10 and IL-16, were enhanced. Several genes in the TLR signaling pathway leading to NF-B activation were down-regulated, which may account for the de- creased chemokine and cytokine synthesis. It is surprising that p38 MAPK, known to be required for TLR-induced cytokine secretion, was enhanced in the neonatal M. Our studies with the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 suggested that excess p38 MAPK activity can be inhibitory for TLR2-, -4-, and -9-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines but not IL-10. The anti-inflammatory phenotype of the neonatal M may be unique to the developing organism, although it compromises the neonate's ability to respond to encapsulated bacteria. J. Leukoc. Biol. 82: 403-416; 2007.
Cosolvent tuning of tautomeric equilibrium in supercritical fluids

Cosolvents offer a sensitive tool to tailor equilibria, rates or yields of chemical reactions in supercritical fluid solvents. The tautomeric equilibrium of a Schiff base was chosen as a model system, and small amounts of protic cosolvents shift the position of tautomeric equilibria. The equilibrium was tuned from essentially one tautomer to another by modifying the solvent of pure SCF ethane with less than 2 mol % hexafluoroisopropanol cosolvent. The equilibrium constant was a function of cosolvent concentration and mixture density. A chemical-physical model of equilibrium constants deviates from the measured values in the near-critical region, which may have been caused by local composition enhancement of cosolvent around the Schiff base. Decrease in the degree of hydrogen bonding with pressure or density affects the keto-enol equilibria by decreasing the amount of the keto formation. Thus, solution density, as well as the degree of hydrogen bonding, is manipulated to tune the position of tautomeric equilibria.
Nonlinear controller and observer designs of a CMOS-MEMS nano-newton force sensor

This paper addresses the design and application of an observer-based nonlinear controller employing a CMOS-MEMS nano-Newton force sensor. The sensor is designed using AMI 0.5µm 3-Metal 2-Polysilicon CMOS technology capable of sensing an out-of-plane force perpendicular to the probe tip; it is suitable for biomedical applications that measures external force excitation of less than 100 Hz. Measurement errors occur when there are in-plane movements of the probe tip; these errors can be controlled by the actuators incorporated within the sensor. Observer-based controller is necessitated in real-world control applications where not all the state variables are accessible for on-line, real-time measurements, and/or where the measurements are corrupted by noise.
[Rapid determination of 8 urinary carbamate pesticides by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

Objective To establish a method for simultaneously determining the urinary concentrations of 8 carbamate pesticides. Methods After being purified by acetonitrile precipitation, urine samples were transferred to a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system, and the concentrations of 8 carbamate pesticides were determined by external standard method. A C18 column was used for ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography; methanol/ammonium acetate solution was used as the mobile phase for gradient elution; the mass spectrometer was operated in a multi-reaction monitoring mode. Results The calibration curves were linear when the urinary concentrations of these carbamate pesticides were 20~800 μg/L, and the recovery rates were 61.0%~121% at spiked levels of 20, 200 and 800 μg/L, with a relative standard deviation of 1.7%~5.5%. Conclusion This determination method meets the Guide for establishing occupational health standards-part 5: Determination methods of chemicals in biological materials, and can be used for simultaneous determination of 8 carbamate pesticides in the urine of poisoning patients. Key words: Pesticides; Herbicides, Carbamate; Chromatography, high pressure liquid; Spectrum analysis
Inertial-aided vision-based localization and mapping in a riverine environment with reflection measurements

This paper presents an inertial-aided vision-based localization and mapping algorithm for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can operate in a GPS-denied riverine environment. We take vision measurements from the features surrounding the river and their corresponding points reflected in the river. We apply a robot-centric mapping framework to let the uncertainty of the features be referenced to the UAV body frame and estimate the 3D positions of point features while estimating the location of the UAV. We demonstrate the localization and mapping results with sensors on our quadcopter UAV platform in the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Boneyard Creek. The UAV is equipped with a light weight monocular camera, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) which contains a magnetometer, an ultrasound altimeter, and an on-board computer. To our knowledge, we report the first result of performing localization and mapping by exploiting multiple views with reflections of features in a river-like environment.
Coordinative Control Strategy for Reactive Power and Voltage of Wind Farms with Doubly-fed Induction Generators

To solve the voltage instability issue caused by large-scale wind farm integration,the characteristics of multiple reactive power sources in both time-scale and space-grain-size aspects are analyzed,and a reactive power and voltage control strategy is proposed to coordinate the wind farm substation central compensation devices and doubly-fed induction generator(DFIG).The strategy is based on the real-time monitoring data,and the interior point filter algorithm is used to solve such a multi-objective optimization model.Besides binding the voltage of the point of common coupling of wind farm to the reference value given by the higher level control,the coordinative strategy gives priority to the reactive power output of DFIG to ensure the dynamic compensation devices have enough reactive power reserves and equalise voltage reserves among all the controlled DFIGs.The simulation results of a wind farm in North China validate the proposed model and strategy.
Chemopreventive mechanisms of selenium.

□ The element selenium (Se) was recognized only 40 years ago as being essential in the nutrition of animals and humans.It is recognized as being an essential component of a number of enzymes in which it is present as the amino acid selenocysteine (SeCys). Selenium compounds have also been found to inhibit tumorigenesis in a variety of animal models and recent studies indicate that supplemental Se in human diets may reduce cancer risk. Anti-tumorigenic activities have been associated with Se intakes that are more than sufficient to correct nutritionally deficient status; that is, Se appears to be anti-tumorigenic at intakes that are substantially greater than those associated with maximal expression of the known SeCys-containing enzymes. Therefore, while some cancer protection may involve one or more Se-enzymes, it is probable that anti-tumorigenic functions of Se are discharged by certain Se-metabolites produced in significant amounts at relatively high Se intakes.
Cr 3+ :LmSrA1F 6 Laser Pumped by a Pulsed Dye Laser

We have been studying LiSAF laser by pumping with a pulsed dye laser in the absorption bands around 640 nm and 440 nm in an effort to understand the pumping mechanism in flashlamp-pumped tunable LiSAF lasers, and to simulate the high power diode pumped LiSAF laser. Also, we have measured by a pump-probe experiment the cross section for excited state absorption (ESA) in LiCAF and LiSAF in the visible range. The ESA cross section at was me sured to be 3x10-20 cm’ for Cr3+: LiCaAlF6. fo Cr3+:LmSrA1F6 and 1.2X10-20cm2 for Cr3+:LmSrA1F6
Geographic variation in the adoption rate of partial nephrectomy over radical nephrectomy for the treatment of malignant renal neoplasm.

e13066Background: Studies have shown that an increasingly greater proportion of renal malignancy cases are now being treated by partial nephrectomy (PN) rather than radical nephrectomy (RN). This study observed the adoption rate of PN over RN in different health service areas (HSAs) for the treatment of malignant neoplasm of the kidney, over the past 31 years in New York State (NYS). Methods: The study was a retrospective cohort study of 50,953 cases between 1982-2012, from the Statewide Planning And Research Cooperative System database. Patient records matching the diagnosis of malignant renal neoplasm (ICD9:18.90) were extracted and separated by surgical procedure, RN (ICD9 55.5, N = 39,318) and PN (ICD9 55.4, N = 11,365). The records were organized based on the facility zip code and grouped into 8 individual HSAs. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) was calculated for the number of PN and RN procedures occurring in each of the HSAs between 1982-2012. The total ancillary charges were compared for all...
Uh, bueno, em … : Filled pauses as a site of contact-induced change in Boston Spanish

There is mounting evidence that the filled pauses that pervade spontaneous speech constitute a rich site of linguistic inquiry. The present study uses a comparative variationist method to explore possible effects of language contact on pause behavior, examining 3810 filled pauses produced by 24 Spanish-speaking residents of Boston, Massachusetts. Interspeaker differences in pause behavior correlate with intensity of contact. Participants who have lived in the United States for a larger fraction of their lives, who use English more frequently, and who do so more proficiently fill pauses differently when speaking Spanish than do those who have spent less time in the contact setting and whose English skills and usage are more restricted. Results show that a greater degree of contact corresponds to increased use of centralized vowels in phonologically filled pauses (i.e., more frequent use of [a(m)] and [ə(m)] at the expense of [e(m)]). This pattern is interpreted as evidence of contact-induced change.
Mental health courts and forensic assertive community treatment teams as correctional diversion programs

Problem-solving courts (PSCs) developed as a means of mandating treatment and judicial supervision of certain types of court participants. PSCs have rapidly expanded in number and type over several decades. Mental health courts (MHCs) are a type of PSC that arose in response to the growing number of persons with mental illness within the criminal justice system. Their primary role is to divert individuals with mental illness from incarceration into psychiatric treatment and to reduce recidivism while improving psychosocial functioning of participants. Although different in history, philosophy, and program structure, forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) programs serve a similar goal of reducing recidivism and improving functioning in persons with mental illness who are involved with the criminal justice system. FACTs may be used as a standalone diversion option or be linked with a MHC as a form of intensive treatment and monitoring. Suggestions for future research and evaluation of these programs are offered.
Multivariate Covariance using Principal Component Analysis for Reconstruction of Bidirected Gene Regulatory Networks

Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) visualize the dynamic behavior of genetic components and their complex interactions. Reconstructing GRNs from gene expression data is in practice using multiple approaches. These approaches result in symmetrical and diagonal gene interaction matrices. However, they cannot predict all kinds of regulatory network motifs between gene pairs, such as activation, inhibition and self regulations. The proposed approach applies multivariate covariances and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify asymmetric and non-diagonal gene interactions. The proposed approach generated bidirected GRNs holding all kinds of regulatory interactions. Moreover, the identified gene regulatory interactions have been verified from the literature.
POSITIVE THYROTROPIN RECEPTOR ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH TRANSIENT THYROTOXICOSIS.

Objective: Thyrotropin (TSH) receptor antibody (TRAb) testing is considered accurate for the diagnosis of Graves disease (GD) and has been identified rarely in thyrotoxic patients without GD. We describe 4 patients with transient thyrotoxicosis and positive TRAb to highlight this clinical possibility. Methods: Patient demographics, symptoms, laboratory findings, and time to resolution of thyrotoxicosis are summarized. TRAb testing was performed by either a third-generation thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) competitive-binding assay or a thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) bioassay from either Mayo Clinic Laboratory or Quest Diagnostics. Results: Four patients with transient thyrotoxicosis and positive TRAb testing were identified. Of these, three were female, and the median age was 44 years (range, 25 to 49 years). Median symptom duration at evaluation was 6.5 weeks (range, 3 to 12 weeks). No patient had any clinical manifestations unique to GD or exposure to biotin, thyroid hormon...
Germ Fields and a Converse to the Strong Markov Property

The purpose of this paper is to give an intrinsic characterization of optional (i.e., stopping) times for the general germ Markov process, which includes the general right process as a special case. We proceed from the general to the specific.
Genomic analysis of MHC-based mate choice in the monogamous California mouse

Variation at Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes is thought to be an important mechanism underlying mate choice in vertebrates, with individuals typically predicted to prefer MHC-dissimilar reproductive partners. However, analyses based on individual MHC loci have generated contradictory results regarding the role of these genes in mate-choice decisions. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of relationships between MHC variation and mating behavior, we used an exome capture strategy to characterize variability at 13 MHC loci, 312 innate immune system genes, and 1044 nonimmune genes in 25 obligate monogamous pairs of California mice (Peromyscus californicus) from 2 free-living populations of this species in Monterey County, California. Pairwise genotypic comparisons and analyses of SNP-based allelic differences failed to detect disassortative mating based on MHC variability; reproductive partners were not more dissimilar than randomly generated male-female pairs at MHC, innate or nonimmune loci. Within populations, individuals tended to be more closely related at MHC genes than at innate or nonimmune genes. Consistent with the functional role of immunogenes, the 2 study populations were highly differentiated at MHC and innate genes but not at nonimmune loci. Collectively, our results suggest that MHC genetic variation in California mice reflects local differences in pathogen exposure rather than disassortative mating based on variability at MHC Class I and II genes.
Figurative Language in the Immigration Debate: Comparing Early 20th Century and Current U.S. Debate with the Contemporary European Debate

i Dedication ii Acknowledgements iii List of Tables vi I: Introduction 1 Justification of the Study 1 II: Literature Review 3 1. Past and present of U.S. immigration debate 3 2. Immigration debate in Europe 7 3. Conceptual metaphor theory 10 4. Previous studies of metaphors used in the debate about immigration.14 Early 20 century U.S 14 Contemporary European debate 14 Contemporary U.S. debate 17 III: Methodology 20 1. Research Questions 20 2. Sample 20 3. Coding 23 v 4. Interpretations 27 Quantitative 27 Qualitative 27 IV: Findings 33 1. Distribution of metaphors 33 2. Immigrants and immigration 35 3. Immigration policy and enforcement 44 4. Debate about immigration issue 47 5. Potential schemas 51 6. Summary 55 V: Discussion 57 1. Comparisons 57 2. Contrasts 58 References 72
Reaction Rate Distributions and Related Data in the Fusion Neutron Source Phase II Experiments: Comparison of Measured and Calculated Data

This paper reports on neutronics parameters including the source neutron spectrum, activation rates, and the tritium breeding in the Li{sub 2}O test zone of the Fusion Neutron Source Phase II experiment calculated using the Monte Carlo code MORSE with ENDF/B-V transport and reaction cross sections. Favorable comparisons between the measured and calculated results are achieved for the {sup 27}Al(n,{alpha}), {sup 58}Ni(n,p), {sup 93}Nb(n,2n) and {sup 197}Au(n,2n) reactions. Calculated {sup 58}Ni(n,2n) and {sup 197}Au(n,{gamma}) reactions do not agree with measured values within 10 to 40%. For the nickel reaction, the differences may be due to poor data in the ORACT files, while discrepancies for the gold data may be due to unknown quantities of hydrogen-rich epoxy used to coat the Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3} blocks used in the test assembly walls.
Classification of motor vehicle crash injury severity: A hybrid approach for imbalanced data

This study aims to classify the injury severity in motor-vehicle crashes with both high accuracy and sensitivity rates. The dataset used in this study contains 297,113 vehicle crashes, obtained from the Michigan Traffic Crash Facts (MTCF) dataset, from 2016-2017. Similar to any other crash dataset, different accident severity classes are not equally represented in MTCF. To account for the imbalanced classes, several techniques have been used, including under-sampling and over-sampling. Using five classification learning models (i.e., Logistic regression, Decision tree, Neural network, Gradient boosting model, and Naive Bayes classifier), we classify the levels of injury severity and attempt to improve the classification performance by two training-testing methods including Bootstrap aggregation (or bagging) and majority voting. Furthermore, due to the imbalance present in the dataset, we use the geometric mean (G-mean) to evaluate the classification performance. We show that the classification performance is the highest when bagging is used with decision trees, with over-sampling treatment for imbalanced data. The effect of treatments for the imbalanced data is maximized when under-sampling is combined with bagging. In addition to the original five classes of injury severity in the MTCF dataset, we consider two additional classification problems, one with two classes and the other with three classes, to (1) investigate the impact of the number of classes on the performance of classification models, and (2) enable comparing our results with the literature.
Visualization and Data Mining of Multi-Objective Electric Machine Optimizations with Self-Organizing Maps: A Case Study on Switched Reluctance Machines

The traditional methods used for presenting and visualizing the non-dominating solutions in multi-objective electric machine optimization problems mainly include the parallel coordinate plots, the histogram plots and the scatter plots displaying the Pareto fronts approximations. However, their visualization performances degrade with the increase of non-dominating design candidates or the increase in the number of objectives to be optimized. In particular, since the aforementioned methods cannot perform clustering or classification on the input data set, it is very difficult to locate or identify the values of all the objectives for a specific candidate, even after identifying one or two objectives of such candidate favorably meets certain design requirements, which is common in a series of 2-D plots with Pareto fronts. Moreover, the objectives of different design candidates become nearly indistinguishable in a parallel coordinate plot. As an attempt to tackle this problem in the machine design domain, this paper presents a case study that utilizes the self-organizing map (SOM) to visualize the design objectives of a high-speed switched reluctance machine. The results demonstrate that the SOM provides useful information with its intrinsic functionalities including data clustering, component-plane displays and data projections that are not offered by some conventional visualization techniques. Therefore, the SOM visualization can allow better integration of the knowledge and expertise of machine designers into specific electric machine design and optimization problems, and also assist them in the final decision-making process to choose the most appropriate designs.
Investigating Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions of a Preschool Yoga Program:

Yoga for young children has become a growing area of interest in early childhood settings across the United States. Evidence suggests that yoga has the ability to improve young children’s physical ...
Air-Stagnation Cases in the Eastern United States During 1982

Abstract The number and location of stagnation days within the eastern United States, as estimated mainly from a surface geostrophic-wind criterion, is presented by month and for the year 1982 as a whole. Unlike the situation in 1981 when there were an above-average number of stagnation days in comparison with the period 1936–75, with unique occurrences of stagnation in a belt extending from Minnesota to Maine, the year 1982 seems quite typical with respect to both number and location of stagnation days.
Sex Differences in Foraging Rats to Naturalistic Aerial Predator Stimuli

Rodents in the wild are under nearly constant threat of aerial predation and thus have evolved adaptive innate defensive behaviors, such as freezing or fleeing, in response to a perceived looming threat. Here we employed an ethologically relevant paradigm to study innate fear of aerial predators in male and female rats during a goal-oriented task. Rats foraging for food in a large arena encountered either a 2D or 3D looming stimulus, to which they instinctively fled back to a safe nest. When facing a direct aerial threat, female rats exhibited a greater fear response than males and this divergence maintained when exposed to the environment on subsequent days with no predator interaction, suggesting stronger contextual fear in female rats. These results may have relevance toward exploring neurobiological mechanisms associated with higher diagnosis rates of fear and anxiety-related disorders in women as compared with men.
Asthma Phenotypes of Older Adults

There are many initiatives to categorize subtypes or phenotypes of asthma with respect to composition of airway inflammatory cells, clinical features, or predominant molecular signals/pathways. For older patients with asthma, there is an additional layer of complexity regarding phenotypes regarding how age affects the parameters defining the phenotype. This chapter will discuss efforts to phenotype asthma and our understanding of implications for asthma in older adults. It is clear that we are at only the beginning stages of realizing the goal of defining clinically relevant asthma phenotypes along the entire age spectrum.
Vibronic spectroscopy of methyl anthranilate and its water complex: hydrogen atom dislocation in the excited state.

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) excitation, dispersed fluorescence (DFL), UV–UV-hole burning, and UV-depletion spectra have been collected on methyl anthranilate (MA, methyl 2-aminobenzoate) and its water-containing complex (MA–H2O), under jet-cooled conditions in the gas phase. As a close structural analog of a sunscreen agent, MA has a strong absorption due to the S0–S1 transition that begins in the UV-A region, with the electronic origin at 28 852 cm−1 (346.6 nm). Unlike most sunscreens that have fast non-radiative pathways back to the ground state, MA fluoresces efficiently, with an excited state lifetime of 27 ns. Relative to methyl benzoate, inter-system crossing to the triplet manifold is shut off in MA by the strong intramolecular NH⋯OC H-bond, which shifts the 3nπ* state well above the 1ππ* S1 state. Single vibronic level DFL spectra are used to obtain a near-complete assignment of the vibronic structure in the excited state. Much of the vibrational structure in the excitation spectrum is Franck–Condon activity due to three in-plane vibrations that modulate the distance between the NH2 and CO2Me groups, ν33 (421 cm−1), ν34 (366 cm−1), and ν36 (179 cm−1). Based on the close correspondence between experiment and theory at the TD-DFT B3LYP-D3BJ/def2TZVP level of theory, the major structural changes associated with electronic excitation are evaluated, leading to the conclusion that the major motion is a reorientation and constriction of the 6-membered H-bonded ring closed by the intramolecular NH⋯OC H-bond. This leads to a shortening of the NH⋯OC H-bond distance from 1.926 A to 1.723 A, equivalent to about a 25% reduction in the H⋯O distance compared to full H-atom transfer. As a result, the excited state process near the S1 origin is a hydrogen atom dislocation that is brought about primarily by heavy atom motion, since the shortened H-bond distance results from extensive heavy-atom motion, with only a 0.03 A increase in the NH bond length relative to its ground state value.
Diagnostic Colour Duplex Ultrasound for Type IIIb Endoleak.

Introduction This report presents the treatment of an aortic endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) device failure, focusing on the use of colour duplex ultrasound (CDUS) to diagnose and confirm effective treatment of a type IIIb endoleak. Report An 89 year old man with a history of EVAR was transferred to the authors’ centre with complaints of abdominal pain and a pressure sensation behind the umbilicus. A previously stable 11 cm aneurysm sac was visualised on computed tomography angiography in addition to a newly suspected type IIIb endoleak, which was confirmed via CDUS. He underwent successful endovascular repair with a stent across the limb defect. The patient was discharged uneventfully and was followed for surveillance. Discussion Type IIIb endoleak is an underreported complication after EVAR. CDUS of type IIIb endoleak aided in localisation and characterisation of the graft failure, and confirmed successful endovascular treatment of the endoleak defect in the side limb. Locating the point of graft failure using CDUS preceding endovascular repair of type IIIb endoleaks guides interventions and repair outcomes. It is a rare opportunity to report a case of acute type IIIb endoleak with CDUS that definitively localised an endograft defect.
Sense-making with the Mathematical Modelling Process: Developing a Framework for Faculty Practice

The context of sense-making is used to frame the activities of a study group of secondary school teachers, post-secondary faculty, mathematicians, and mathematics educators working to characterise engagement with mathematical modelling within the classroom. The perspectives of the participants and points of discussion illuminate aspects of the mathematical modelling process that are difficult to reconcile, such as dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty and distinctions between interpretation and computation. The group organised their experiences and knowledge into a framework for faculty practice that describes characteristics of mathematical modelling tasks and student work at three different levels within four stages of a mathematical modelling process.
Reply: Internodal length variability of dermal myelinated fibres

Sir, we would like to thank Nolano et al. (2003) for their insightful comments. Their finding of a significant difference between subpapillary and papillary dermal myelinated fibre internodal length is in agreement with our observations. When comparing subpapillary with papillary fibres, we also found a significant difference in internodal length both in the control ( P = 0.034) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) samples ( P = 0.007) (Saporta et al. , unpublished data). However, we still found longer internodal lengths than those …
Alkalinity cycling and carbonate chemistry decoupling in seagrass mystify processes of acidification mitigation.

The adverse conditions of acidification on sensitive marine organisms have led to the investigation of bioremediation methods as a way to abate local acidification. This phytoremediation, by macrophytes, is expected to reduce the severity of acidification in nearshore habitats on short timescales. Characterizing the efficacy of phytoremediation can be challenging as residence time, tidal mixing, freshwater input, and a limited capacity to fully constrain the carbonate system can lead to erroneous conclusions. Here, we present in situ observations of carbonate chemistry relationships to seagrass habitats by comparing dense (DG), patchy (PG), and no grass (NG) Zostera marina pools in the high intertidal experiencing intermittent flooding. High-frequency measurements of pH, alkalinity (TA), and total-CO2 elucidate extreme diel cyclicity in all parameters. The DG pool displayed frequent decoupling between pH and aragonite saturation state (Ωarg) suggesting pH-based inferences of acidification remediation by seagrass can be misinterpreted as pH and Ωarg can be independent stressors for some bivalves. Estimates show the DG pool had an integrated ΔTA of 550 μmol kg-1 over a 12 h period, which is ~ 60% > the PG and NG pools. We conclude habitats with mixed photosynthesizers (i.e., PG pool) result in less decoupling between pH and Ωarg.
The Feasibility of 3D Intraoperative Navigation in Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Perioperative Outcomes, Accuracy of Cage Placement and Radiation Exposure.

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:To evaluate perioperative outcomes, accuracy of cage placement and radiation exposure in lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) using 3D intraoper...